I built this Home for me, for you

Chapter 10

Four days after Chaerin's surgery, Jennie was in her office, taking a much needed break from hospital visits. Lisa had gone to pick the girls up, having spent the past few days at Rosé and Jisoo's place, and Jennie was checking up on the situation at J-Corp. She was reading over a stack of paperwork that was mercifully small, thanks to Sam taking over in her stead to keep things running smoothly, and Jennie quickly flipped through the pages, before adding it to the pile she'd already read. A quiet rap on the door caught her attention, and Jennie looked up, her hand reaching out for the next file.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Sam poked her head in, giving Jennie a warm smile. "Hi, boss. They told me you'd snuck in."

"Sam," Jennie greeted her with a tired smile, "hey, how are you?"

"How am I? How are you? How's your mom?" Sam asked, a concerned look on her face as she crossed the office and sat down across from Jennie.

Letting out a sharp laugh, Jennie spun around in her chair, blowing all the air out of her lungs, before giving Sam a wry smile. "It's all... it's being handled. Thanks for the flowers, by the way. My mom appreciated them."

Sam nodded, "I was glad to hear the surgery went well. How're Lisa and the girls? I know it's all been happening so fast."

"They're... doing better than I am," Jennie admitted, drumming her fingers on the arms of her chair, "my mom should be out tomorrow. Her surgeon's just being overly cautious because they're old coworkers."

"Better to be safe than sorry," Sam agreed, "you should head home - you look awful, if you don't mind me saying. You should take the week off; I can handle it all here, and you look like you could use a good night's sleep."

The barest hint of a smile played on Jennie's lips and she nodded, glancing down at the watch on her wrist and noting the time. "Mm, I might make it home in time for dinner if I leave now."

"Go home to your wife," Sam said, stealing the pile of paperwork off the desk as she climbed to her feet, "the holidays are right around the corner - put a tree up. Make gingerbread cookies. Do something normal."

"Right," Jennie murmured, running a hand over her tired face, "normal. That's a thing that people have."

"Goodnight, Jennie," Sam pointedly said, giving her a smile over her shoulder as she walked towards the door.

Giving her friend a small smile, Jennie leant back in her chair, watching Sam leave, "thanks, Sam."

"Don't mention it- oh, Suhyun," Sam said, almost bumping into Jennie's assistant as she opened the door and found her standing there, fist poised to knock on the wood. "Better make it quick, I've told her she has to leave."

With a quick laugh, Suhyun wished Sam a goodnight and walked into Jennie's office, a bright smile on her face as she walked towards her boss. Wondering what business needed her attention right now, Jennie straightened up in her seat, giving her assistant a tight smile. "Suhyun."

"It's good to see you, ma'am," Suhyun replied, giving her a coy smile, "I didn't expect you back so soon." Making a non-committal sound, Jennie starting shuffling some papers together on her desk, reaching down for her briefcase to put them inside. Warm fingers wrapped around her wrist, stopping her, and Jennie jumped slightly in surprise, quickly glancing up at her assistant. "Let me get that for you."

Feeling her heart skip a beat at the shock of the touch, Jennie let Suhyun pluck the files out of her hand, watching the smile playing on her assistant's lips. The files were set down on her desk, and Suhyun reached out to fix Jennie's collar, her fingers slowly sliding along the fabric as she looked at Jennie with hungry eyes. "You know, Miss Kim, I could help you out if you'd like. I know things have been tense... maybe I could help you work some of it out."