If this is a rom-com, kill the director | Jenlisa

Facade

"Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear, beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear."

Jennie watches Lisa from the edge of set and ponders how under the lights she can become a different person. In all the years that she's been working in film, she's never met another actor who can completely embody a character. It's always just seemed like a pale reflection or a mask that could be scratched away to reveal the actor's own self.

Lisa was different. Lisa became. She could stand on set as herself, but as soon as the cameras were on she was someone else. All trace of the Lisa she knew was gone.
It scares her a little. She wonders how easily she could disguise herself, take her up in conversation, and she'd never know it was her.

—————-

The crew organised a Halloween party for the entire cast, a chance to take a break from filming and have a little fun. Everyone had been getting into the spirit of it, and for weeks the cast had been discussing costumes and who they were going to go with. It reminds Lisa a little of school, back when everyone went crazy over prom. Despite the fact that she thinks she's past this stage, she can't help getting a little excited too.

Rosie and Jisoo (who have become very close friends, Lisa has noticed) arrive at Lisa's hotel room an hour early to get ready, along with Mina, another friend they've made. See, Jennie, Lisa says in her head. I can make friends. So there.

Jisoo and Rosie dress as pirates and Mina dresses as some sort of Viking warrior, with her hair in braids and a horned helmet on her head. Lisa doesn't dress as anything in particular, she just wears a long, Grecian style dress, with her hair twisted into braids and a golden headband around her hair. The other girls grin approvingly at her, and Lisa can't help but smile a little when Jisoo mutters "damn," under her breath.

The party is in full swing when the four of them arrive with music blaring and people dancing and wearing all manner of costumes. Rosie takes Lisa's hand and together they move over to the dance floor, and soon enough, Lisa finds herself having more fun than she's had in a while. The best part? Jennie is nowhere to be found.

————-

Jennie had sat in her hotel room, wondering whether it was a good idea to go or not. She and Kai had sort of made up and the two of them were on okay terms, but it still felt like she was walking on eggshells around him.

She's pretty much made up her mind that she wasn't going to go, but after staring at the ceiling for a good thirty minutes, she decided that she couldn't take the boredom anymore. Not to mention, the costume and the full face mask she had bought were hanging ever so temptingly up on the back of the door.

It would be a shame not to get to use them.

————

Lisa finds herself lost in the crowd of people dancing. Rosie and Jisoo had gone off on their own somewhere and Mina is nowhere to be found. She stays in the middle of the swathe of people, dancing with whomever takes her fancy. There's one particular guy who's been hanging around, wearing a full face mask and a long coat. She must be a part of the crew, because she wouldn't be in here otherwise, but she doesn't recognise him – the mask obscures his face too much.

After a while, the two find themselves dancing together.

"You're Lisa, right?" the masked stranger says.

Lisa nods. "That's me."

"You must know Jennie, then."

Lisa makes a face. "Have you not met her?"

"Haven't had the pleasure,"

The music slows and changes to a different song, this one much slower. Lisa tries not to wrinkle her nose. It reminds her distinctly of middle school, when she was young, had braces and couldn't slow dance to save her life.

Even so, she offers her hand out to this stranger and he takes it without hesitation, the two of them moving together has one. He's good at this, Lisa notes to herself, though, it's a bit weird dancing with a guy shorter than her.

"It's not a pleasure, trust me," Lisa says, rolling her eyes.

"Is that so? I heard she was beautiful, and quite witty too."

Lisa scoffs. "Witty? That girl doesn't know the first thing about wit. She's rude and sarcastic, and somehow people still sing her praises."

Although Lisa cannot see under the mask, the man raises an eyebrow. "If I ever meet her, I'll let her know you said that."

This does not faze Lisa. "Go ahead," she says. "All she'll do is deliver some snarky comment about me. And whatever it is, it won't be true."

The song ends, and the two part. Lisa looks around and sees Rosie waving at her from the side of the room, so she nods at her dance partner and turns to go meet her cousin.

The man, whom she never asked a name for, watches her go, his face still covered with the mask.

————-

Jennie returns to her hotel room, which is for once devoid of anybody else, much to her relief. She falls onto her bed and pulls her mask off, letting it drop onto the floor. All she can think about is what just happened out there on the dance floor, holding Lisa's hands and swaying around the room.

Is that what she really thinks of me?

Jennie had not meant to deceive her. She assumed that she would recognize her, but when she got out there onto the floor and she had looked at her with her bright eyes and a soft smile, she knew that she had no idea who she was. She didn't know what possessed her to pretend to be someone else, curiosity perhaps, or just the heat of the moment.

She had listened to everything she had said, let every blow hit her like a punch in the stomach, and now she lay on her bed, letting all of the words wash over her.

Eventually, she fell asleep fully-clothed, wondering why all of this bothers her so much.