IS IT TIME FOR ME TO GIVE UP?

40

Jisoo's POV

While I was driving back to my company, a sudden wave of restlessness washed over me. It felt like I had missed something important.

"Shit!" I cursed, realizing I had forgotten to take the photo from Jennie's office.

I didn't have time to go back since I needed to meet with some of my stockholders. Maybe I'll retrieve it another day.

Earlier, Jennie and I had a brief conversation. My curiosity was eating me up, and being alone in Lisa's office wasn’t helping, so I decided to visit Jennie instead.

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Earlier...

"Lisa is currently in a meeting," I said, taking a seat in front of Jennie’s desk.

"Okay," she replied, not stopping her typing or even glancing at me.

I stayed silent for a moment, gathering my thoughts. Finally, I took out the photo.

"Jennie..." I began, but she was too engrossed in her work. "Kim Jennie," I called her again, more firmly this time. She finally looked up.

"Do you remember anything about this?" I asked, pushing the photo towards her. She picked it up and examined it closely.

"I took this," she said, staring at it. "Someone wanted your number, but he turned out to be a pervert." Her tone was annoyed as she recalled the event.

I rolled my eyes and flipped the photo to show her the date written on the back. Unknowingly, her expression became somber.

"September 25..." she read almost inaudibly, her eyes clouded with sadness. She cleared her throat before speaking again. "I used to visit my grandmother every 25th of September," she said, but something in her tone felt off. I nodded, though I remained unconvinced.

When people have a hard time speaking, particularly when they stammer, they’re often hiding something or lying.

I remembered that exact date vividly. I had seen her quietly crying outside their house. Even though it was dark, I could tell by the way her shoulders shook that she was sobbing. I had approached her, wanting to comfort her, but as soon as she saw me, she quickly wiped her tears and forced a smile. When I asked what was wrong, she had simply said, "What? I'm okay. Something just got into my eyes." I knew she was lying, but I pretended to believe her. "Want me to blow it out?" I had joked. She shook her head, her eyes still glistening with tears, and I let it go.

Jennie had exposed so much about her father and herself. Why not tell everything? All these years, she had carried the burden alone with no one to rely on.

"If you're not—" I started, but was cut off by her secretary. Their secretaries had a knack for unintentionally interrupting me.

Jennie gestured for her secretary to enter. The secretary bowed to both of us before speaking. "Excuse me, Ms. Jennie. Pardon the interruption, but Attorney Shin is here," she informed.

A man in a formal suit entered. Jennie approached him for a handshake and offered him a seat. I stayed in my seat, too curious to leave.

"Attorney, is there any update? Hoping for good news," Jennie said, clearly anxious.

"I have good news, Ms. Kim. I've finished analyzing the duplicate land title you provided," the attorney began.

Jennie’s eyes lit up, her gummy smile making her look even more joyful.

"Really?! Finally!" she exclaimed.

"We will be able to recover your wife's coffee shop soon. Based on the title you signed, you never actually transferred the management rights to Mr. Jongin. You signed it, but it doesn’t mean you gave it to him completely. That’s our advantage," the attorney explained.

Jennie's smile grew even brighter. "Thank you so much, Attorney Shin! I owe you a lot!" she said, shaking his hand vigorously. I smiled at her as she looked at me, her happiness evident.

"I'm just doing my job, Ms. Kim," the attorney replied.

"But please, let’s resolve this as soon as possible," Jennie requested urgently.

"I'll do my best, Ms. Kim," he assured her.

Jennie led him out, and as soon as she closed the door, she ran back to me and hugged me tightly.

"Unnie! I'm so thrilled," she exclaimed. We stayed in that embrace for a few minutes before she pulled away.

"After so many weeks and months, I can finally get the coffee shop back," Jennie said, tears of joy in her eyes.

"I'm starting to believe you, Jennie," I said softly.

"Believe what?" she asked, confused.

"That it was never your intention to give Lisa's coffee shop to Jongin."

"I know it's hard for you to believe me, Unnie. If I had known... if I had found out earlier that this was just his selfish greed, I would never have let it happen." Her eyes were sincere, filled with regret.

As much as I wanted to continue the conversation, I couldn't. My phone buzzed with multiple messages about the meeting with my stockholders that I had to attend.