Coffee Pages (JenLisa Fanfiction)

Chapter Fourteen

Lisa
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Mr. Yang's office hasn't changed one bit. The grey, marbled walls shoot up to the high ceiling and minimalistic ceiling lights dangle in a straight line, leading your eyes to land on his stainless steal, monumental-like, desk. And he sits behind it on his self-righteous chair.

"Lalisa." he stands with his arms open.

"Good day, Mr. Yang." I bow. He gestures me to enter through the threshold and offers me the cushioned seat in front of his desk.

"I see you're dressed for the party."

"I am." I smile respectfully, brushing down my black pantsuit, appropriate for the party's theme. It's a comfortable choice of outfit that Chaeyoung helped me pick, matching with lustrous black stiletto heels. My inner tomboy would have loathed to wear a cocktail dress all night.

"Well, let's not keep us waiting any longer." he opens his side drawer and pulls out a checkbook. He jots down on it and I hope to see my efforts worth in zeroes. "I'm very pleased with the outcome of Rosé's comeback. I can't wait for the public to hear the track tomorrow and see what you've prepared with her for her performances soon. You're definitely one of the best choreographers we've had." he sounds sincere enough considering this man's ego is as big as his company's debt to the artists.

"I try my best, Sir."

He tears the end of the check off its book and hands it forward to me. "I'm looking forward to seeing what else you can do." he smiles.

I take the check courteously while letting my utmost gratitude be known, feeding his self-respect. When I'm excused from his office, I choke on my own breath.

Two million five hundred thousand won.

The guilt of the kitchenware has finally subsided.

I have to cover my mouth to keep my rejoicing from echoing through the hall. My mom would be thrilled to hear that I've received my first paycheck here in Korea. I know foreigners aren't paid as well, but this would suffice with no doubt.

The exuberance of what I've earned has me grinning from ear to ear all the way down to the basement where Chaeyoung and Jisoo are getting ready for the party in the dance studio. It was a good three minutes because when I reach the corner of the hall, I hear Rosie speaking in desolate. As to not interrupt, I stop in my tracks and hang back by the wall while waiting.

"I've been taking care of myself just fine." she asserts. When I don't hear a response, I conclude she's on the phone with someone she's not very pleased to be speaking to. "What do you mean? I did call. You didn't pick up last week, so I stopped calling." her tone is wretched this time and I worry she might start crying. I peer over the corner and see she's leaning against the wall, indeed on the phone, with her other hand to her temple. I can't see her face, but I can tell she's upset. "I'm not asking you to fly all the way here, mom, I'm asking you to give me a call every now and then." I hide away when she drops her hand from her face. "My comeback releases tomorrow. I'll be busy promoting." she doesn't say this as happily as she did before. "Just tell dad I'll call when I can. Maybe you guys could do the same." her heels click-clack back into the studio.

The absence of Chaeyoung's parents must have a bigger hole in her than I thought. They're growing distant despite all the distance they have between them. I know Chaeng is doing her part in reaching out everyday, but even just a phone call with them is hard to catch. If you add up the time her family came to visit since her debut, it would only add up to nearly a year's worth of time. In addition, Chaeyoung trained for four years and only saw her family twice. How could one year make up for eight?