Lost and Found (Jirose)

Jisoo

"I wonder what could have possibly cropped up. Chaeng looked pretty shaken," Jennie mused after the younger girls left. She sighed and attended to her rapidly cooling frappucino.

"Yeah, I hope it's nothing serious..." Jisoo returned to scrolling on her phone. "We better head back soon, break's almost over."

"Let's not hurry," Jennie urged, "Yoongi isn't gonna be happy that the other two bunked off, even if it's an emergency."

"As you wish, Jendeuk..."

They loitered in the cafe, sipping their drinks leisurely and catching up on social media.

"Oh by the way, were you going to tell Chaeng about Chanyeol?" Jennie said at one point.

"Hmm? Oh yeah," Jisoo nodded, combing her hair back. "But...I suppose it can wait. It's not like it's anything alarming."

"Right. Because all those small companies they helped prop up and gone bust since the time Chanyeol says he took over isn't, like, suspicious or anything," Jennie snorted.

"Or because the way he apparently covered up that conspiracy and other shady occurrences from his own auditors and industry regulators doesn't qualify for, I don't know, fraud and jail and all that jazz. 

It's not like the whole company isn't on precarious grounds already, and on the verge of being caught up in a heck load of trouble if there's a leak of some sort.

It's not like all that shady behaviour didn't land it on the business blacklist of no less than ten countries."

"I'm just saying, we have to be careful because there's Chaeng's mother and her business we have to consider as well," Jisoo said delicately, "Chaeyoung said she hasn't heard from her mum ever since she had gone to meet Chanyeol and let's face it, nobody is in a hurry to contact that witch anyway."

"Still...Mrs Park is being too silent for my liking," Jennie frowned then shrugged. "But yeah, I'm not complaining."

"This industry is such a hassle," Jisoo sighed as she sat back, "I don't regret not inheriting my dad's business. My hair would totally be grey by now with all the stress."

"It's only a hassle when you try to subvert the laws and skip the line through the loopholes," Jennie argued, "people think you have to be dishonest to make a buck but you don't: it takes hard work, smart exploitation and efficient management. You can do that and still maintain your integrity. It might be hard....but it's worth it in the end."

"You would have made your parents proud, you know," Jisoo smiled gently at the younger woman.

Jennie gazed out of the window, a wistful expression in her eyes. "Would have..." she sighed.

And then she frowned.

"Soo, do you see that guy there? In the hoodie and shades?"

"That one feeling himself next to the ice cream cart? He looks like a pole dancer."

"That's a busker you idiot! I was talking about--dang it he's gone..."

Jennie glanced back at Jisoo, her brows furrowed. "He...he seemed to be looking straight in here...I could feel him for a long time."

"Probably your imagination. Maybe you're growing paranoid," Jisoo suggested. Jennie looked unconvinced as she bit her lip and nodded

"Mmm, maybe..."

"Let's go back?" Jisoo asked again and stood up, waiting for the younger to follow her.

But Jennie's attention was outside, still searching for the supposed stalker.