Loved You First (Jenlisa) COMPLETED

25

It was just after two a.m. on Tuesday night and Jennie sat alone at her kitchen table. Her window was open and she listened to the sounds outside.

Crickets, the soft rustle of the leaves, the quiet hum of serenity.

If she didn't know better, the everyday sounds would have made her think all was well, offer her the comfort of their normalcy. But everything was, in fact, not okay.

It was the opposite of okay.

She felt more alone than she had in her entire life.

When she couldn't sleep, she'd played the vacation video, reaching desperately for any comfort she could find in Seulgi's vibrant smile, her teasing laugh. But it didn't reaffirm her the way it normally did.

Something was off.

And as she sat in her darkened kitchen, she didn't know where to turn for comfort. She should call Nayeon. Her father. But it wasn't what she needed. The one person who could help, who could talk her through this, make her feel better with just the sound of her voice wasn't an option anymore.

She stared at the cell phone in her hand and willed herself to set it back down.

She'd refused to let herself think about Lisa much, because when she did, she came apart altogether. So, she once again pushed her aggressively from her thoughts. It was a wound she had to keep her fingers off of, at least for now.

There was too much on her plate.

But it didn't mean she wasn't keenly aware of the loss. Almost like a recently discovered piece of herself was now missing.

She purposefully left herself off the schedule the next morning, taking the time off for her meeting in Ulsan with Siwon. At least she had the advance check and the planning session to look forward to, to distract her.

She followed the GPS to the address on Siwon's business card and solemnly rode the elevator to the eleventh floor. She'd made a point to dress the part and traded her casual bakeshop attire for a skirt and blouse. Her hair was pulled up for effect. She felt businessy and a tinge excited for the meeting, despite the fact that the rest of her life lay in tatters.

When she reached the appointed suite, she paused and double-checked the number on the plaque outside with the business card in her hand. The door stood ajar. The floor of the office was covered in file boxes, and a man in a suit stood over a desk packing another. Two other men were similarly occupied.

"Excuse me. I'm so sorry to bother you." She took a tentative step into the office and held up the business card. "I'm looking for Siwon Choi, but I think I might be in the wrong place."

The man looked up but only briefly. "I'm sorry, ma'am. He's not here."

A pause.

"But this is his office?"

"Unfortunately so."

"Okay. Do you, by chance, know where I could find him? I have an eleven o'clock appointment."

He sighed and straightened. "I wish I did.
The contents of this office have been seized as evidence. Mr. Choi is wanted on several charges. We'd be interested in any information you may have about his whereabouts." The man covered the distance between them and handed Irene his card.

She stared numbly at the letters. National Intelligence Service. "He's wanted on charges?"

"Quite a list of them. Money laundering, fraud, identity theft among others. And that's only the most recent string. He's made a career of it. I'd like to get a statement from you about your interaction."