L I S A
Lisa can’t remember ever being more nervous than she was right then. Meeting with Rosé Park about representing her hadn’t fazed the Thai that much, and neither did her very first acting audition. But knowing she’s up for the starring role in a major motion picture film? And there’s a chance that Jennie Kim might make it her first ever starring role in a romantic lesbian movie?
Nervous doesn’t come close to describing how Lisa feels.
She was pressing her hand against her thigh in an attempt to stop her leg from bouncing when the receptionist called her name, “Lisa Manoban?”
“That’s me,” she answered as she jumped to her feet.
“Ms. Park’s ready to see you now.”
The receptionist points her in the direction of her agent’s office, but Lisa already know where to go since she’d met with her about a dozen times since signing on with JK Management. Each time, the girl manning the front desk acts like she’s never seen Lisa before. She refused to let the other woman’s catty behavior get to her, not when she’s lucky enough to be a client while the girl’s stuck working behind a desk at JK.
Especially when she’s so close to making two of her dreams come true—landing a role that’ll make her the envy of every Korean actress and meeting the woman she had a crush on all through high school. She swore, Jennie Kim really ruined her for liking boys. Not that she had any particular interest with opposite sex, it’s just she had never any inkling of sexually appreciating anyone male or female except Jennie.
Lisa’s mom labeled it as being Jensexual when Lisa came out to her back when she was eighteen and decided she didn’t want to continue her training as an idol and wanted to be an actress instead. Her mom was always supportive of her, but worries that people in Korea will not take it lightly having a foreign actress from Thailand and gay, Lisa will even have a harder time succeeding in the industry.
But her mom’s worries were not enough for Lisa to stop pursuing her dream. Koreans already has a Jennie Kim, who bravely stated that love is not necessarily has to be directed towards a guy on a live TV interview when she was sixteen, being one of the first open Lesbian actress in the country who remained admired and loved by Korea. Lisa’s innocent girl-crush on her has been full-blown admiration, helping herself be honest about herself. Girls can like girls like boys do, too.
She rapped her knuckles against Ms. Park’s partially open door before walking inside. The other blonde usually waved her towards one of the seats in front of her desk, but this time jumped up and her tall lanky figure rushed over to give Lisa a hug when she saw her.
“Lisa! I’m so glad you were able to come in today.”
She barely held back a snort. There wasn’t even the tiniest chance that she wouldn’t do whatever it took to meet with Rosé any time she called. Lisa’s too new to showbiz to pass up opportunities without at least hearing all the details.
“You know I’m always available for you.”
“That might be true today”—Roseanne Park or Chaeyoung(her Korean name) paused to pick up a folder from her desk—“but in the very near future it’ll be me coming to you because you’ll be too busy to make the trip to my office.”
Lisa’s eyes were glued to the green folder in her hand. She learned early on that Rosé uses a color-coded filing system. All of her rejections were in red folders, but each time she received an offer the details have come out of a green one.
“Is that what I think it is?”
“Yup.” Lisa’s legs felt like rubber, making Chaeyoung grin when Lisa dropped down into a chair.
“They want you for the female lead in Her Woman.”
She sat across from Lisa and held the file out for her. She grabbed and opened it to the first page of the contract. Her doe eyes went wide when she saw her name at the top, and she couldn’t catch her breath when she saw the dollar amount they’re offering her for the role of a lifetime. Chaeyoung gave her time to read through the entire thing without interrupting her. Lisa was tempted to sign on to the bottom line without asking any questions, but there was one pesky detail that she absolutely must know before she can accept.
“What about my little request?”
“Is that what you call it? A little request?” Rosé laughed and shook her head.
“Saying that you wouldn’t take a role that most studios wouldn’t even consider giving to a newbie like you is more like a gigantic requirement, if you ask me.”
“I know, you made your point of view quite clear when we talked about it during my last appointment.” They’d gone round and round about it, with Rosé doing her best to convince her that it would ruin her career. But Lisa doesn’t just have a major crush on Jennie; she respects the line the Korean actress drawn in the sand when it came to refusing roles which would put her in a compromising position. There’s also the fact that Lisa can’t imagine kissing anyone but Jennie, even if it’s just because they’d be pretending to be other people who fall in love with each other. Jennie’s lips were the only ones she wants to feel pressed against hers.
She knows it’s risky for her to refuse the role unless Jennie’s the other lead. It might ruin her acting career before it has the chance to really take off, but she’s not willing to sacrifice her future happiness for a job—no matter how badly she wanted it. Deep in her gut, she had the feeling that kissing anyone but Jennie on screen would be a decision she’d regret for the rest of her life.
That is why she’d dug her heels in and refused to listen to reason. Now Lisa just have to hope that her gamble has paid off.
“But did it work?”
“Shockingly enough, it did! But only because I devised a brilliant plan to make it a fait accompli for the studio,” Chaeyoung bragged.
Lisa lowered the papers to her lap and narrowed her eyes at her agent. “Plan? What plan?”
“I believe that’s where I come in,” a deeper female voice declared.
The Thai swiveled in her seat and found Jisoo Kim walking towards her. She quickly rose to her feet, stunned to see the raven-haired woman. Although Rosé works for her company, she’s a junior agent whose client list is full of actors and actresses like Lisa who don’t have a lot of credits to their name. But her boss is a whole different story.
She only represents the hottest stars...like Jennie Kim.
“Ms. Kim,” she gasped. She wishes she’d known Jisoo was going to be there. Lisa would’ve spent more time on her hair and makeup, so she looked her best.
Jisoo flashed her a grin and looked for a second at Rosé, who were also staring at the shorter woman, before moving around her desk to claim the chair behind it. Then she rolled forward and leaned an elbow on the desk, propping her chin under her fist as she scanned Lisa from head to toe. There’s female appreciation in her eyes, but it seems... distant somehow.
When Jisoo spoke, there wasn’t a hint of flirtation in her tone despite the grin.
“Rosé came to me before speaking with the studio. She explained your reservations about accepting a role with a love interest unless you’re cast opposite the actress of your choice. Demands like this would normally result in you being unofficially blackballed by all the major production studios. Following that, of course we’d be forced to drop you as a client.”
“I—” Lisa can’t get any more words out, not that she even knew what she wanted to say.
Jisoo waived off her concern.
“Lucky for you, this isn’t the usual situation. Your request lines up with something I’ve wanted for a client of mine who also happens to be a close friend. It presented me with a golden opportunity, and I’m not the kind of person who lets those pass her by.”
Rosé took over the explanation. “Jisoo pitched the script to Jennie, along with our proposed pairing of the two of you in the leading roles. The studio jumped at the chance to have her on board in a starring role for the project, and they got the contracts back to us within mere hours.”
“Of course they did. They want Jennie’s signature on the dotted line before she has the chance to back out of the deal,” Jisoo added.
Lisa dropped back down on her seat and twisted her hands together.
“Did she sign? Am I going to be her co-star in Her Woman?”
“She hasn’t signed yet, but”—Jisoo lifted her arm to check the yellow Patek Philippe watch strapped to her wrist— “I expect that to change any minute now.”
“She’s coming here? Now?” she squeaked, wishing even more that she’d taken extra time with her appearance. Lisa’s gaze darted to the doorway as she wondered if she had enough time to pop into the bathroom down the hall and freshen up. The Thai actress’s eyes widen when she spots Jennie stalking down the hallway. The Korean looked even better in person than she does on the big screen, and that’s saying a lot since she’s well known for being the epitome of natural beauty.
It’s a good thing Lisa was sitting down because she was not sure her legs would’ve held her up when Jennie walked into Rosé’s office. That’s how big of an impact she has on Lisa. She tilted her head back to take the Korean in. Jennie’s at least three inches shorter than her, but her slender legs exposed in an off-white pleated skirt ending above her knees seemed to make her taller. Her long dark brown hair has bluish highlights at the end, but that could be because of the movie she’s currently filming.
Lisa’s eyes traveled lower, Jennie’s wearing a white Chanel sweater, but she wore it asymmetrically exposing one of her shoulders… Those shoulders that considered as one of the sexiest shoulder line in Korea.
Lisa continued ogling her. The Korean’s skin looked so smooth and soft, like she enjoyed spending as much of her free time bathing in milk, which Lisa thought, she probably has. And as she reached Jennie Kim’s dark feline eyes, it’s full of intensity, and Lisa realized, those cat-like eyes were zeroed in on her as though she was the only one in the room.
~~~
A.N.:
The OG bulldozer Jennie is coming... 🤣 see you next update!
~M