BE ALRIGHT

23

Jennie's POV

As we walked out of the conference room, Kai turned to me and said, "It's great seeing you again." His warm smile and familiar presence were a welcome relief after the intense meeting we had just attended.

"I hope we can still catch up next time," he added, his eyes crinkling with the hint of a smile.

I nodded and smiled back, grateful for the chance to reconnect with him again. As we parted ways, I watched him walk away, feeling a pang of sadness at the thought that it might be a while before we saw each other again.

Just then, Mr. Kang called out my name, and I turned to face him. Kai immediately bowed in greeting, showing the utmost respect for him.

"It's great seeing you again, Jennie," Kai said with a nod. "I'll go ahead. Mr. Kang, drive safely," Kai added before heading in the opposite direction.

As I watched Kai disappear into the crowd, Mr. Kang's voice broke my reverie. "Where's Lisa?" he asked, and my eyes widened in surprise. I turned to look for her, but she was nowhere to be found.

Before I could even take a step towards the conference room, Mr. Kang stopped me by holding my arm. "I took her home earlier," he explained, his voice calm and reassuring. "You didn't seem to notice that a guard held her back when you were entering just because they don't know Lisa."

I felt a sharp pain in my chest as I realized that I had been so focused on Kai that I had completely overlooked my company's absence. "Is she alright?" I asked anxiously, and Mr. Kang nodded in response.

"Jackson called me after he found out, so he told me to drive Lisa back to your hotel to let her rest," he explained, his words soothing my frazzled nerves.

I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm myself down. "Mr. Kang, please find the organizer of the meeting. I'd like to talk to the security team," I said firmly, my voice filled with authority.

Mr. Kang nodded in agreement before walking away, leaving me surrounded by a group of guards.

As Mr. Kang returned with a group of the venue's security and a formal-looking woman, I couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency and frustration building up inside me.

"Ms. Kim, may I help you?" the woman asked with a smile on her face, but I could see the fear in her eyes.

"Did one of your guards take a person out of the people coming in earlier?" I asked, my voice calm but laced with authority.

"We didn't, Ms. Kim," she replied, her voice almost trembling.

I narrowed my eyes at her and stood up straight, trying to look as intimidating as possible. "I'm giving you five seconds to tell the truth, or I'll make sure to get every one of you fired at the end of the night," I said, my voice rising slightly.

The woman's smile disappeared instantly, and she pointed to a guy standing on the far left. "He took out a woman because we don't know her, Miss Kim," she said, her words barely audible.

I scoffed at their incompetence, feeling a wave of anger wash over me. "You don't fucking know who my girlfriend is?" I shouted, startling everyone in the room.

Immediately, each of them bowed down 90 degrees, apologizing profusely. "We're deeply sorry, Miss Kim. Please forgive us," the woman said, still bowing down.

"Mr. Kang, please inform their boss about this. Let's go," I said, my frustration palpable as I turned to leave. My bodyguards quickly surrounded me, escorting me out of the building.

I pushed open the heavy wooden door of our hotel room, and as my eyes adjusted to the dim light inside, I noticed two neatly made beds in the corner. Mr. Kang, had informed me that Lisa had paid for an extra bed because she thought I might feel uncomfortable sharing a room with her. I felt a wave of guilt wash over me.

Mr. Kang's words echoed in my mind, and I let out a deep sigh as I walked towards my bed, collapsing onto it with exhaustion. I looked over at Lisa, who was already fast asleep on the other bed. I couldn't help but stare at her peaceful face as she slept, is she mad at me? She must be.

My phone suddenly buzzed, jolting me out of my trance. I picked it up and saw Jackson's name on the screen. I walked towards the bathroom to avoid disturbing Lisa's sleep.

As I looked at myself in the mirror, I wondered why Jackson was calling me at this time. "Oppa, why'd you call?" I asked, trying to keep my voice down.

"Did you see Jongin?" Jackson asked urgently.

I felt a lump form in my throat as I remembered the events of the evening. "Yes," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

"You left Lisa behind," he said, his tone laced with disappointment.

I felt a pang of guilt hit me as I realized that I had been so engrossed in my conversation with Jongin that I hadn't noticed Lisa's absence. "I didn't know... I feel so bad," I said, my voice trembling.

"You should," Jackson said sternly. "I booked two flights back to Korea first thing in the morning. If you want to stay there and catch up with that guy, then let Lisa come home. I'll fetch her if I have to," he added, his voice serious.

I knew what I had to do. "I'll go home with Lisa," I said firmly, determined to make it up to her.

"Stop involving Lisa in your mess, Jennie," he pleaded, his voice tinged with frustration. "Lisa deserves so much better than this. You know that. She could be back home attending her classes, but you insist on dragging her to every country you visit. If you're going to do something as stupid as leaving her behind without even realizing it, just because you're fixated on someone who left you a long time ago, then cut this shit out," he continued, his tone now verging on anger. "I told you during Lisa's birthday that if you couldn't do right by her and would only make her miserable, then just let her go. I should never have suggested that you and Lisa become girlfriends if I knew this would happen," he added, his words hitting me like a ton of bricks.

I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of his words bearing down on me. I knew that what he was saying was true, and I felt a knot form in my stomach.

"I'll call Lisa tomorrow morning and keep her from talking to you. She must be feeling terrible about what happened," he continued. "I'll give you some time to think about what you've done and apologize to Lisa once you're on the airplane," he concluded, his voice softening slightly as he bid me goodbye before hanging up.