Nevertheless - A Jenlisa Story

Chapter 34

Jisoo said nothing the whole way to the car despite Rosé and Lisa's insistent questions. Jennie, for her part, had not asked any questions, merely watching her while the older girl watched the cars from the window in complete silence. What had they said to each other? She spent the whole time in the car trying to figure out what had happened but couldn't imagine anything that made sense.

Once inside the house she decided to confront her, unable to hold back any longer.

"Can you tell us what happened?" the tone was perhaps a little aggressive.

Jisoo turned towards her with an exasperated expression. "Shouldn't you tell us?" She stood waiting for Jennie to respond but only earned a confused look. Then she resumed "You made an epic scene during the meeting with the investor and then you get a picture of yourself hugging him? What damn were you thinking??"

Jennie was taken aback by the other girl's words but recovered quickly. She took a small step towards Jisoo while Lisa and Rosé stayed a few steps away to listen, not wanting to intrude on their discussion.

"It's definitely not what it sounds like." She felt caught in the middle. "Besides, what do you know that it wasn't really the CEO who sent the photographers? He could have set a trap for-"

"For what, Jennie? He might have set a trap FOR WHAT!?" Jisoo had raised her voice. "Do you realise that what you're saying makes NO SENSE!"

"IT DOES! They've been monitoring us all our lives, testing us, controlling us...LIMITING US JISOO!" Jennie took a breath to try and calm herself down. "Bonny, instea-"

"Bonny? You call him by name now?" the tone had a hint of sarcasm in it.

"Listen to me, Bonny can help us."

"How so? Who the hell is he??"

Jennie finally told everything. She told them that he was a businessman, that she had known him during her childhood summers in Busan, that she had always believed in her talent and that he believed in it even more today. In her and all of theirs, so much so that he proposed a way out, a new life.

'We could sign our own songs! How many times did Chae complain that her name didn't appear in the lyrics, how many times you yourself, Jisoo, say it was absurd. With him we could do all that and... more."

"Okay, let's say that this man is offering all that and more as you say," speculated Jisoo. "What does he want in return?"

"Just us giving visibility to his label." Said Jennie eliciting a mocking giggle from the other girl. "We could finally be free"

"Free ?" Jisoo asked her in a pointed tone.

"Yes, we could express ourselves in music as we always wanted, we could see all our efforts totally recognised, we could live our lives and date anyone we want... I could date who I want." She paused. "We would be appreciated for our talent, we would be accepted for who we are, we would be... happy."

Jennie vibrated at even uttering those words causing Lisa to step forward to squeeze her arm reassuringly exchanging a look brimming with emotion.

Jisoo sighed. She lowered her gaze as if searching for the words to reply when Rosé ran towards her room drawing everyone's attention. A great commotion was heard coming from her room only to see her return with a binder clutched in her hands.

"I could sign all of them, Unnie," she said with shining eyes clutching it even tighter. "All of them."

Rosé spoke almost dreamily as she looked at the other girls. Jisoo, on witnessing the scene, softened for a moment and then turned back to Jennie.