Make It With You

33

"Unnie, are you coming with us to Coachella?" Rosé asked casually, munching on her food.

Monique grinned, leaning back in her chair. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. Are you guys excited?"

The group all nodded enthusiastically, their faces lighting up with anticipation.

"What about the world tour?" Lisa chimed in, eyes glinting with curiosity.

Monique hesitated, her gaze flickering to Jisoo. "Hmm... no?" she said, unsure.

Jisoo immediately pouted, her lower lip jutting out dramatically. "What do you mean, 'no'?" she asked, voice tinged with mock hurt.

Monique couldn't resist and gave Jisoo a sweet peck on the cheek. "I mean, I'll be there, but not for all of it. I'll join you guys in Thailand, Australia, New York, and of course, the Korea concert. The rest... well, guys, I need to work too. I've got responsibilities," she explained, giving Jisoo an apologetic look as the pout remained.

"Why those particular countries?" Jennie asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Well, Lisa's from Thailand, Chaeng's from Australia, and I technically live in New York," Monique answered quickly. "And, uh, Korea? Well, that one's obvious."

Jisoo playfully stuck out her tongue at Monique's reasoning before Monique shot a glance at the group. "Don't you have an MV shoot for DDDD coming up?" she asked, shifting the focus.

"Yeah, we do, but Chaeng's still eating, so we're just waiting for her," Lisa teased Rosé. "She's always the slowest eater."

Everyone laughed at Lisa's playful jab, even Rosé couldn't help but smile.

"Yeoja, naneun najung-e jeonyeog-eul Mina, Irene and Iu. Gat-i hasillaeyo?" Monique turned to Jisoo with a soft smile. "Hon, I have dinner later with Mina, Irene, and Iu. Would you like to join us?"

Jisoo squeezed Monique's hand, her smile gentle. "Gwaenchanh-a jagiya jeonyeog meog-eo na-e daehae geogjeonghaji maseyo." (It's okay, hon. Enjoy your dinner, don't worry about me.)

"Ok, ok, we're leaving now!" Lisa interrupted with a dramatic sigh. "Say goodbye to your girlfriend, Jisoo unnie!" she teased.

Jisoo and Monique both shook their heads, laughing at Lisa's antics.

"I'll let you know when I get home," Monique said, pressing a gentle kiss to Jisoo's lips. "I love you."

Jisoo smiled, her heart melting just a little. "I love you too," she whispered back, squeezing Monique's hand before the group left, heading for their next adventure.

--
Dinner

"I still can't believe I'm friends with Lee Ji Eun now," Monique commented, pointing at IU, her eyes wide with excitement. The rest of the ladies couldn't help but shake their heads, bursting into laughter.

"Well, believe it," IU replied with a laugh, clearly enjoying Monique's fangirl moment.

"Dude, stop fangirling. That's so embarrassing," Mina teased, rolling her eyes.

"Wait until she meets Natalie Portman," Irene added with a smirk, "We're all going to die from secondhand embarrassment."

The group erupted into laughter once more, this time so loudly that a few other customers turned their heads to see what was going on.

"Guys, it's IU and Natalie Portman we're talking about!" Monique said, leaning back in her chair like she was the one with the inside scoop.

"But you're Monique," IU chimed in with a teasing grin. "I'm honored that you're a fan and a friend too."

Monique nodded dramatically. "Correction, your number 1 fan," she said, and they all burst out laughing again.

"Sorry," IU said, rolling her eyes, playing along with the joke.

"Kidding aside, guys," Monique said, suddenly growing serious, "I have a proposition."

Everyone fell silent, waiting for Monique to continue. She had a look on her face that could only mean one thing-something big was coming.

"Hear me out, this is a brilliant idea," Monique began. "Let's merge Yang Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and SM Entertainment."

Mina and Irene exchanged glances, raising their eyebrows, clearly intrigued by the audacity of it all.

"And you, IU," Monique added with a smirk, "Once we're merged, we're totally pirating you from your management."

IU choked on her drink, laughing and coughing at the same time.

"Is this your brilliant idea?" Mina asked, still skeptical.

"Look," Monique said, leaning in, "If we merge, the three of us will dominate the biggest music industry in Korea, and who knows, maybe even the world someday. And as for you, IU... I'm not kidding about pirating you."

There was a long pause as everyone processed Monique's proposal.

"Who will be the CEO?" Irene asked, clearly intrigued.

"The three of us can be CEO," Monique replied excitedly. "We'll all be business partners."

Before anyone could protest, she added, "Please, just think about it."

Mina and Irene exchanged a knowing glance, then both turned to Monique, smiling slyly.

"Okay," they said in unison, the words rolling off their tongues easily.

"Okay, what?" Monique asked, confused by their sudden agreement.

"Okay, we'll merge," Mina said deadpan, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Okay," Irene added with a raised eyebrow, "The three of us, or any one of us, can be the CEO. We're business partners." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Okay," IU interrupted, making everyone pause and look at her.

"What now?" they all asked in unison.

IU grinned, clearly amused. "Okay, you can pirate me once the merger is done."

And with that, the entire table burst into laughter again, the sound of it filling the restaurant as they continued their dinner.

Later, as the night drew to a close and they prepared to head their separate ways, Monique texted her girlfriend, letting her know she was on her way home. She and Mina were traveling in different cars but driving in a convoy.

The ride was peaceful, with only the sound of the car humming and the occasional glance at the rearview mirror to make sure Mina was still behind her. Monique turned on the radio, and Jennie's solo track came on. She smiled, recognizing the familiar tune. Without thinking, she started to sing along, even attempting to rap... before stopping mid-verse.

"I sound stupid when rapping," Monique muttered to herself, laughing at her own failed attempt.

Suddenly, as she came to a stop at a red light, a loud crash reverberated through the car. Monique's body was jolted violently as a massive truck collided into her vehicle. Everything went into slow motion. The air filled with the sound of shattering glass, and then, in an instant, everything went black.

Monique tried to move, but the pain was overwhelming. Her body screamed in protest, and her head spun wildly. Glass was scattered everywhere, and she could hear Mina's frantic voice calling 911.

"Dude, stay with me," Mina's voice trembled, barely audible through the chaos. "Hold on, love, help is coming."

Monique could barely nod in response, her body refusing to cooperate. She couldn't speak, couldn't do anything but wait.

When the ambulance finally arrived, Mina, visibly shaking and still in shock, dialed Monique's family and friends, her voice cracking as she told them about the accident.

The night that was supposed to be filled with laughter and plans now held only fear and uncertainty.