Ms. Kim wants me!

CHAPTER 11

LISA'S POV

It's been a couple of days since that whole umbrella incident, and honestly, I don't even know why, but Jennie has been so mean to me.

It wasn't just her ignoring me, which already hurt enough, it was the way she spoke to me, sharp and cutting, like every word was meant to push me away.

Today was even worse. I was in her office, sitting quietly at my desk, and I asked her a simple question. Something so small, something I thought wouldn't even matter. But instead of answering me, she snapped.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!" she yelled, her voice echoing against the walls. "YOU KNOW WHAT?! I REGRET HIRING YOU AS AN INTERN!"

Her words felt like knives, stabbing into me one by one.

"Then why won't you just fire me?!" I shouted back before I could stop myself, my voice shaking.

"What is wrong with you? You were being so nice and so protective last week, and now you're acting like you hate me! I don't understand, Jennie! I even made you smile when you were feeling down, I made you happy—" I broke off, biting my lip, trying so hard not to cry in front of her.

She didn't even flinch. "I don't care about you," she said coldly, her face blank, her tone empty.

"Who said I was happy? I was never nice and protective to you." Her words shattered me.

"You're so confusing," I said with a bitter, dry chuckle. I grabbed my things quickly, my hands shaking as I packed them into my bag.

"Where are you going?!" she snapped again, her voice rising.

"If you don't want me here, then I'll be happy to leave," I said firmly, though my throat was tight. "And you'll never have to see me again."

For the first time, she didn't respond. She just stood there, staring at me, silent.

"Goodbye, Ms. Kim," I whispered, my voice breaking, and then I walked out of her office without looking back.

It's been a couple of weeks since that fight. A couple of long, painful weeks. I hadn't seen Jennie at all, hadn't heard from her, hadn't even passed by the building. I told myself it was over, that I was done.

But today... I had to go back.

I forgot my favorite jacket in her office, and I couldn't just leave it there. Still, the thought of seeing her again made my stomach twist with nerves.

When I finally arrived at the building, I walked straight to the front desk.

"Hi, I need to visit Ms. Kim for a moment," I said, trying to sound casual.

The lady at the desk giggled, almost like I'd told her a joke. "Why do you need to check on me? You can just go through, you're still an intern here."

My eyes widened. "O-oh... okay, thanks."

But my heart dropped. Why am I still an intern here? I thought Jennie had fired me.

Swallowing hard, I made my way upstairs and stood in front of her office door. My hand trembled as I knocked.

"Come in," I heard her voice from the other side.

Her voice didn't sound like hers, it was... broken, fragile, almost unrecognizable.

I opened the door slowly and stepped inside. When my eyes landed on her, my heart broke instantly.

She looked nothing like the Jennie Kim I knew, the cold, flawless CEO. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, strands falling around her face. She wasn't wearing makeup, and there were dark circles under her eyes.

She looked tired.

She looked sad.

When she noticed me, her eyes widened in shock.

"Lisa? What are you doing here?" she asked, quickly standing up from her chair.

"My jacket," I said awkwardly, my voice barely above a whisper.

She just nodded, almost too quickly.

I walked to my desk, and there it was, my jacket, still draped over the chair like I'd left it yesterday.

I grabbed it and turned to leave, but before I could take another step, I felt arms wrap tightly around my waist from behind.

"Lili, please... don't leave me," she whispered, her voice breaking, sounding so desperate and raw.

"Ms. Kim..." I whispered, frozen in place.

"Please, call me Jennie. How many times do I have to tell you?" she said softly, sadly. Her forehead rested against my shoulder.

"Let go of me," I whispered, closing my eyes, trying to steady my breath.

"If I let you go, you'll leave me, Lili," she said, holding onto my waist even tighter, like she was afraid I'd vanish if she loosened her grip.

Slowly, I turned around in her arms, and when I saw her face, I nearly broke.

She looked so vulnerable, so broken, like all the walls she built around herself had finally crumbled.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "But I can't work for you anymore if you're going to be mean to me one day and then nice the next. I can't deal with that. I don't know which Jennie I'm going to get every morning. And plus, you have a boyfriend—"

"Fuck it!" she cut me off, her voice shaking. And before I could even finish, she leaned in and kissed me.

I froze, my eyes wide, my mind blank.

Jennie was kissing me.

Her lips were soft but urgent, trembling slightly as they moved against mine. Her arms pulled me closer and closer, like she was terrified of losing me again.

When she finally pulled away, I stared at her in shock, my lips tingling.

"I hate you," I whispered, my voice trembling.

"I know, Lili," she whispered back with the faintest smirk tugging at her lips.

And God, her accent was so sexy when she said it.

Before I could think, she kissed me again. This time, I didn't fight it. I kissed her back. My hands found their way to her cheeks, then to the back of her neck, pulling her deeper into me. Her arms tightened around my waist, almost painfully, and I felt her gently push us until my back was against the wall.

Somehow, I flipped her and pinned her instead, my lips moving against hers with a softness that surprised even me.

For once, it wasn't Jennie in control. It was me.

And this time, I didn't want it to end.