Play Along And Win Me Over (JenLisa )

7:[GOSSIP]

JENNIE'S POV

“Ms. Kim? … Ms. Kim.”

Mina’s voice echoed in the background, but my thoughts were elsewhere, far from this office, far from this moment.

“What is it?” I finally responded, my tone laced with impatience.

“You’re spacing out again.”

I sighed and waved my hand dismissively. I knew she was right, but I couldn’t help it. My mind had been consumed by one person.

Lisa.

It had been a week since that night. A week since I met the enigmatic blonde who had completely shattered my composure. A week since she had vanished from my reach, leaving only questions and an unfamiliar ache in my chest.

I didn’t know what it was about her, maybe her confidence, the way she carried herself, or the fact that she had completely disarmed me in a way no one ever had.

I wanted to see her again.

I needed to see her again.

My parents were no help either. They had been more interested in Lisa than in their own daughter ever since the dinner. They wouldn’t stop asking about her, praising how articulate she was when discussing business, how she carried herself with ease and confidence. Even the Jeons had been impressed, well, aside from Jade, who had buried himself in humiliation that night.

The arranged engagement was completely off the table now, which was a win in itself. But the problem was… I had no idea how to find her.

I had given her my card, yet I hadn’t received a single call or text. No messages. No signs of existence. It was as if she had vanished. I even tried to dig into her whereabouts, but nothing. Not even the LM PRAN diner’s receptionist would give me information.

It was frustrating.

And now, here I was again, lost in thought about a girl I had barely spent an evening with.

“YOW! YOW! WAZZZUP!”

The sudden loud voice made me jump.

The door to my office slammed open, and before I could even process what was happening, a storm of chaos entered the room.

And by chaos, I meant Nayeon, Irene, and Jisoo.

“What the hell, guys?! Do you not know how to knock?” I glared at them, placing a hand over my chest to calm my racing heart.

They just shrugged, completely unbothered.

I sighed, standing up to give them each a quick hug.

“Don’t you miss us, Mandu?” Irene asked, squeezing me playfully.

“Umm… not really?” I teased.

Irene slapped my arm lightly, making me chuckle.

Nayeon, who had way too much energy for this hour, crossed her arms and grinned. “We’re here because Uncle told us you have a girlfriend.” Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

I froze.

I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks, betraying me before I could even think of a response.

“Oh my gosh.” Nayeon’s mouth fell open. “YOU’RE BLUSHING?!”

Irene gasped, clearly enjoying the moment. “Wait, wait—is she pretty?”

Jisoo smirked knowingly before answering for me. “She’s not just pretty—she’s stupidly hot. Handsome, even.” She leaned back against my desk, arms crossed. “And you should’ve seen how our dear Jendukie acted that night. She brought Lisa in as an excuse to escape the engagement, but guess what?”

Jisoo turned to me, her smirk growing.

“I think she’s already fallen for her.”

I groaned. “I have not.”

Nayeon gasped again, dramatic as ever. “Wait, hold on. You just met her that night?”

I nodded.

The three of them stared at me as if I had just announced I was moving to another planet.

I exhaled deeply and gave in, retelling the entire story—how I met Lisa, how the dinner played out, and how she disappeared.

By the time I finished, Irene clapped her hands excitedly. “I need to meet her!”

I pouted. “Yeah, well… I can’t even contact her.”

Nayeon smirked. “Wow. Look at you, lovesick Jendukie.”

I groaned again, sinking into my chair.

Irene, still intrigued, tapped her chin thoughtfully. “From what you told us… she sounds mysterious.”

“And awesome,” Jisoo added, nodding.

They weren’t wrong.

Lisa was a mystery.

From what little I gathered that night, I knew she had graduated with two degrees by the age of 21. She was independent, a freelance photographer, and despite being in a luxurious restaurant, she had claimed she was there only because of her friend, Chaeyoung.

Lisa wasn’t just some ordinary girl.

And that made me even more desperate to see her again.

Then...

A knock on the door.

The four of us turned to look.

“Come in,” I called out, my voice more hopeful than it should’ve been.

The door creaked open...

And my heart nearly stopped.

Standing there, with a wide grin and an effortless confidence, was the very person I had been thinking about nonstop for a week.

Lisa.

“Hi,” she greeted, her voice warm and teasing, as if she knew exactly the effect she was having on me.

My breath hitched.