ephemeral | Jenlisa [COMPLETED]

Chapter 21

"But, will we have any control over what stores open in the mall?" Mr. Song, who had owned and operated Sacheon Floristry since he'd opened it thirty-one years ago, asked from the front row in the city hall auditorium. "I'm not opposed to the mall, if we can have a say in what goes in it."

There were several nods in the audience, and Jennie resisted the urge to drop her head into her hands from where she sat at the conference table with the councilors and Kevin, on the front dais at the open council meeting. This had been going on for over an hour.

"Well," and of course, Kevin spoke. He'd spear-headed this whole thing to garner public interest, so, it really wasn't a surprise. "It's unlikely that another florist will be opening, so –"

Jennie ran a tired hand over her eye, rubbing hard in attempt to keep a migraine at bay. She was more than grateful when Irene cleared her throat and spoke, "Actually, no. We will not have any say in what stores open in the mall, if they have all of their permits in order."

She gave her a grateful look and got an eyeroll in Kevin's direction in return from the other woman. Jennie had been the one running interference and answering honest questions for most of the last hour and twenty-seven minutes, and she was so fucking done.

They'd been very clear with the Sacheon citizens who had decided to come to the open town hall tonight about the pros and cons of both the mall and the college. Minten opening a satellite campus here was really one of the best possible uses for the southeast lot, but yes, Jennie would speak honestly about the fact that it could possibly increase the amount of petty crime, given the influx of young residents it would bring.

The second they hit ninety minutes, Jennie stood up. "That's going to be all for questions. I hope this was informative for all of you. The vote will be occurring this Friday and whatever contract the council comes to a decision on will be shared with everyone."

As the crowd started to slowly disperse, Jennie dropped back into her seat, blowing out a deep breath. She opened her eyes to glower at Kevin on the other side of the table, as he pushed himself to stand and spoke, directly to her, "You know, these meetings wouldn't last so damn long if you didn't find it necessary to undermine almost everything I say."

"I wouldn't find it necessary to undermine everything you say if you could just speak the simple truth," she shot back.

While it was true that Kevin wasn't outright lying to people about his interest in the mall and subdivision – not in public anyway, because he knew he would get called on it immediately – he had the most irritating ability to talk around anything until it sounded good. Fucking politics.

As Kevin opened his mouth to respond, Yuna – having sat at his right side up at the city council table – put her hand on his arm. "Kevin, isn't that Iseul waiting for you?" She pointed into the now-quickly emptying room at Kevin's wife, whose arms were crossed impatiently.

If Yuna, who was friends with Kevin, was stopping him, Jennie knew she was right.

Jennie arched a challenging eyebrow at him. "There's nothing else to be done. The vote is coming in less than a week and we'll see what happens."

She wasn't even really as ridiculously pissed off at him as she normally was. She hadn't been in the ten days since the... well, the stapler incident. Or, perhaps it was bast-said, as her breakdown incident with Sehun.

She was angry at Kevin, routinely. But after she'd let it all come bubbling out like a crying idiot, she just didn't have it in her to hold onto her anger as tightly.

Okay, well, she was still holding onto it. Pretty fucking tightly, if the tenseness in her shoulders was any indication.

But she'd had to get a better handle on it, because she refused to become known as that person. The one who got kicked out of her own office because she couldn't reign herself in. No. Nope. Not happening.