ephemeral | Jenlisa [COMPLETED]

Chapter 17

Jennie kept her composure as well as she could as Kevin dawdled at the end of their meeting.

The worst thing about her weekly meetings with Kevin was that their actual business chats could all be condensed down into the first twenty minutes. And often, it was. The rest of the hour was mostly arguments around whatever topic Kevin had like a bone between his teeth.

Right now, it was around the open flu vaccine clinics Sehun ran out of his clinic every weekend, typically right up until Christmas.

"All I'm saying is that Sehun Manoban is the Sacheon doctor. He runs the Sacheon Family Health Clinic. When he opens it up on weekends and we start getting people from Geoje and Pocheon..." he trailed off, arching his eyebrows at her.

Jennie stared back at him. "So, what I'm hearing is that you want to stop offering free clinic services in town to low-income cities."

He narrowed his eyes. "It's not about the money, it's about using Sacheon resources, and crime rates –"

Jennie rubbed at her temples as she closed her eyes for a few moments. "You know what? It's actually not Sacheon resources; it's privately funded by Dr. Manoban. And he has all the permits to run his free clinics." Just as Kevin opened his mouth she pushed on, "Our crime rates have never spiked, so don't give me that. If anything, profits spike more during clinic Saturdays."

It was as if they didn't have this same meeting every damn week. Where he man-spread over her office furniture and seemed to gain energy from the complaints he had that drained hers.

He scowled. "I'm taking it to the city council next meeting; I was telling you first as a courtesy."

A courtesy. Right. Jennie didn't bother to hide the snort that escaped her. "Yeah, well, it's already been voted through on the council, two years ago. The year before you were elected."

That red flush he got when he was irritated cropped up on his cheeks. Or, got more pronounced than it had been for the last hour, anyway.

Just on time, Miyeon knocked on her office door and popped her head in.

"Hey, Boss. It's your three o'clock on line one."

"Thanks, Miyeon." She put her hand on the phone that now had a flashing red light alerting her to a call on hold, as she fixed a stare at Kevin. "I have to take this."

"Mmhmm," he sighed loudly. "Weird how every week you get that call, isn't it?"

"Well, it's a weekly call, much like this is a weekly meeting," she grit out. "Funny how that is, right?"

Before he could utter another word, she picked up the receiver, "Jennie Kim."

She didn't miss his eye roll before he strode out of her office, shutting her door loudly behind him.

A few moments later, Miyeon's voice spoke from the phone, "Aaaand, he's gone."

"Thanks for the save. As per usual."

Miyeon fixed on a poor imitation of an old-time reporter, "Ma'am, your three o'clock phone meeting with me is of the utmost importance, and Sacheon would crumble if you didn't take this call. Roger that."

Jennie sighed, but for the first time in the last hour and fifteen minutes, her headache abated. "Not quite sure that's how journalists signed off."

Miyeon sighed back. "I mean, I simply can't know everything." "Roger that," Jennie shot back before she hung up with a small grin.