THE HAPPIEST GIRL | JENLISA

Chapter 4

Jennie

My dad, Bob, and I navigate our way through the busy backstage halls in search of Hyun-suk. Bob and my dad are having a light conversation which I can't even force myself to focus on, as I'm in too deep with my own thoughts at the moment.

What do I say to him? Do I shake his hand? What if he's a germaphobe? Do I just politely smile and wave? Do I even look him in the eye? Can I even bring myself to look him in the eye? What if I say something stupid? What if he hates me at first glance? What if he backed out and decided to hire someone better at last minute? What if...

"Hyun-suk!" Bob yells, pulling me from my mini panic attack.

Oh shit.

A man standing at the end of the hallway surrounded by a group of people snaps his head back in our direction. I see him hold up a finger to the group, signalling that he'll be right back, and he starts walking towards us.

The man, who is more than likely Hyun-suk, is dressed in a blue flannel, dark wash jeans, and a pair of white sneakers that probably cost more than any piece of clothing I'll ever own. His dark hair is lightly gelled back and he has a full face of light facial hair. I'd guess he's in his mid to late forties.

"Bob." he acknowledges as he makes his way over to us. We're all practically standing on top of each other against the wall as people are still running around trying to move equipment, pushing my anxiety to an all-time high. I grip the handle of my suitcase tighter in attempt to ease some of my nerves.

"Hyun-suk, this is my friend, Richard." he says briefly, gesturing to my dad. "And this is Jennie." he says with a little emphasis in his voice.

"Jennie." Hyun-suk says, pulling his eyebrows together for a moment, and then raises them in realisation.

"Hi, I'm Jennie. Jennie Kim. Nice to meet you." I say with a polite smile, prying my hand off of my suitcase and sticking it out to him, deciding to go with that option.

"Nice to meet you as well." he says, giving me a firm hand shake and a nod of his head. There's a brief silence after he lets go of my hand and he eyes me up and down. His dark brown eyes finally land on mine and there's some sort of emotion that I can't quite decipher. Confusion possibly? Oh no, he hates me already.

"Sorry." he says, lessening his gaze on me. "I just didn't expect you to be so... young."

"Oh." I say, slightly taken aback, not really knowing what else to say. What did he expect? "Well, a lot of people would say I'm basically a seventy year old woman trapped in a twenty year old's body." I try to joke and lighten up the mood.

"She may be young, but trust me, she has years of experience. If she can handle wrangling four rowdy pop punk boys for years in a twelve passenger van she can do anything." my dad says, coming to my defence. "Plus, she's kind of a control freak. She can plan and execute everything down to the second."

"Yeah, I've seen her single-handedly handle those boys and put them in their place if need be." Bob chimes in, recalling the time he came on my brother's first tour with us. "If I were her, I would have quit within the first week." he jokes with a hint of seriousness.

"Oh, no, I'm not doubting your abilities. I'm just a little surprised I guess." Hyun-suk says, scratching the side of his face. "Well, I guess we can go try to find Lisa so you two can meet. I'm sure she's around here some..." he trails off peering over my shoulder. "Speaking of the devil... Lisa!" he calls out.

I snap my head around so fast I'm surprised that I didn't get whiplash. There, sauntering down the hall is Lisa Manoban. She's wearing a simple white T-shirt with black jeans and similar expensive white sneakers that Hyun-suk is wearing. I have to admit, she looks as good in person as she does in all of the magazines. Her bright blue eyes are a nice contrast to her dark, chocolate brown hair and fair skin. I totally get why all of those fan girls probably have her posters plastered on every inch of their walls. She's definitely not an eye sore.