Make It With You

4

Monique**

As soon as we walked into the café, my eyes immediately locked onto the girls. But then, I froze in my tracks when I spotted Dara walking out. Mina, oblivious to my sudden stop, marched toward our table with Blackpink. I quickly changed course to say hi to Dara. We've been friends for a while now-honestly, I'm not even sure how or when it happened, but I'm glad it did. After a brief chat, I waved her off and headed back to my table.

"Hi, what did I miss?" I asked, flashing them my signature charming smile.

"Do you know Dara unnie?" Rosé asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmmm, yeah, she's a friend," I casually responded.

"I'm hungry," Jisoo grumbled.

"Me too," Lisa agreed with a dramatic sigh.

"Well, let's order already. Guess what? Mina's treating us today! Yey!" I said, beaming.

"Excuse me?" Mina shot back, "I drive you here, I stay with you here, and now I'm supposed to pay for your food?"

"Dude, you volunteered to drive and stay with me here! I seem to remember Mom and Dad saying you needed to chill and rest. Plus, I don't have money." I chuckled, clearly enjoying her reaction.

"Why don't you have money? What if there's an emergency?" Jennie asked, clearly concerned.

"I'll just call Mina, or Sana, or Irene... or Mom & Dad if I really need to," I replied, giving them my best innocent grin.

"She's like that. If I were you guys, I'd not be friends with her," Mina said, shaking her head while the rest of the table burst into laughter.

--

"Mina, I need to go now," she suddenly said, pushing her chair back.

"You haven't even finished your food. What's going on?" I asked, watching her get up.

"Sana's car broke down. I have to pick her up," she explained, already grabbing her things.

"Is she okay?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, she's fine. But I have to go now. Bye, guys," she waved quickly.

"Dude, let me know when you reach your destination, okay? Love you, byeee!" I called out, sending her off with a grin.

--

As we walked toward Studio 5, Jennie piped up, "Can I ask you something, Monique unnie?"

"Sure, shoot."

"How come you don't speak or understand Korean? I mean, your parents are Korean, right?"

"Well, my dad's Korean, and my mom's American. It's just been really hard for me to pick up the language. My parents even hired a tutor for me, but... yeah, that didn't work out. So, I fired her," I shrugged, a sheepish smile on my face.

"I have an idea!" Lisa said, suddenly grinning like she had discovered a secret treasure.

We all stopped and stared at her, urging her to continue.

"Four of us can speak Korean-especially Jisoo unnie. She's fluent! Remember, it was Chaeng, Jennie, and Jisoo who taught us Korean before we started taking classes. With their help, we learned faster," Lisa said, clearly proud of her plan.

"What's your point?" Jisoo asked, narrowing her eyes.

"My point is, we should teach Monique unnie! She doesn't have a tutor anymore. We can help her," Lisa exclaimed, clearly on a roll.

"Mwo hasimnikka? (What are you doing?)" Jisoo asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Naneun dangsin-eul dobgo issseubnida (I'm helping you)," Lisa said with a shrug, like it was no big deal.

"Mwo? (For what?)" Jisoo crossed her arms, looking a bit annoyed.

"Everything okay over there, guys?" I asked, but they completely ignored me.

"Dangsin-eun geunyeoleul jeongmal joh-ahandago malhaessda (You said you like her)," Rosé said with a smirk.

"Dangsin-eun najung-e uliege gamsa hal geos-ibnida (You'll thank us later)," Jennie winked.

"Dodaeche mueos-i! (Whatever!)" Jisoo half-yelled, blushing furiously.

"Are you okay, Jisoo? Are you mad or something?" I asked, a little worried.

"I'm totally fine. Sorry about that," she said quickly, trying to play it cool.

"We'll help you with your Korean!" Jennie chimed in, giving me a reassuring smile.

"I love that, and I really appreciate it, but I have to decline," I said, trying to be calm.

"Why?" Jisoo pouted, the cutest little frown on her face.

I looked at her and started stammering. "Be... because... uh... I'm... hmmm. What am I even saying?" They all laughed at my flustered state.

"What I'm trying to say is, you're Blackpink! You guys are literally the busiest people I know! You don't need to waste your time teaching me Korean. I'll figure it out," I finally regained my composure.

We arrived at Studio 5, and I immediately clapped my hands. "Okay, people, let's warm up!" They all groaned in response.

"Move, people!" I said, tapping them on their arms. "Okay, okay, positions! Backup dancers, be ready!" I commanded, and they all nodded in unison.

"Okay, good! One more time, please!" I shouted.

"Very nice, again!"

"Again! This needs to be polished!"

"Alright, alright, 10-minute break. Let's go again from the top!"

The girls rushed over to me, clearly desperate for a break.

"Monique unnie, don't be too hard on us!" Lisa whined.

I couldn't help but laugh at their antics.

Then my phone rang. They all stared at it, intrigued.

"Are you gonna answer that?" Rosé asked.

"Excuse me, guys," I said, answering the call.

"Sana habibti! Yes, I miss you too. Yes, I-"

"Okay, guys, break time's OVER! Move it and start practicing!" Jisoo suddenly shouted, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

Still confused, I ended the call, but the girls were clearly having a great time at my expense.

"Okay, guys, that's it for today. On Monday, we're shooting the final dance practice. Thanks for your hard work. Take care, bye!" I said, waving them off.

I immediately turned to Lisa for my car keys. Once she handed them over, I started heading out, but Jennie stopped me.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Home?" I said, shrugging.

"That soon?" Rosé asked, looking surprised.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Don't leave yet, hang out with us!" Lisa said, excited.

"Nope, I need to go. Byeee, girls!" I called back.

"No!" Jisoo suddenly shouted, causing me to freeze.

"Eh?" I said, blinking in confusion.

"What I mean is... did you change your mind about our offer?" Jisoo asked, trying to recover.

"Nope, that's my final answer. Can I go now?" I said with a grin.

"Yes, but we're coming with you!" Lisa said eagerly. "Come on, unnie, we're going home!" She dragged me toward the parking lot, and the others followed, laughing at my current predicament.