[COMPLETED] IS IT TIME FOR ME TO GIVE UP || Book 2

Jennie Ruby Jane has built her life on control. CEO of Kim Corp. Untouchable in Seoul's luxury empire. An Ice Queen who never chases, never bends, and never lets anyone close enough to matter. People want her power. People want her name. But no one has ever managed to shake her. Until Lalisa Manoban. A photographer with dangerous confidence, a smile that looks like trouble, and the kind of presence that refuses to be ignored. Lisa doesn't treat Jennie like a queen. She treats her like a challenge. What begins as a simple lie-pretending to be Jennie's girlfriend to escape a family dinner-turns into a game neither of them expected. A game of control. Of temptation. Of two women who refuse to surrender first. Because Jennie Ruby Jane has spent her entire life being impossible to reach. And Lalisa Manoban might be the only person reckless enough to try. But the real danger isn't falling in love. It's realizing the Ice Queen might already be obsessed. -------- DISCLAIMER: FICTIONAL WORK Please note that this is a piece of fan fiction and a complete work of fiction. The characters, dialogues, and events depicted are imaginary. The names "Jennie" and "Lisa" are used with the utmost respect and are fictionalized characters, not accurate representations of the real-life individuals. This story is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists, their agencies, or any related entities. It is created for entertainment purposes within the fan community.

Jennie Kim is a brilliant doctor - calm, composed, and completely uninterested in distractions. Her clinic runs like clockwork, her white coat is always crisp, and her heart? Completely off-limits. Then comes Lisa Manoban: chaotic, charming, and suspiciously accident-prone. One week it's a sore throat. The next, a bruised elbow from "tripping over nothing." Jennie is convinced Lisa's faking it. Lisa insists she's just following doctor's orders. But when Jennie finally confronts her about the weekly visits, Lisa just grins and says: "Well... you did tell me to come back if the symptoms got worse." Turns out, she wasn't talking about a cold - she was talking about a crush. Now Jennie has a problem. Because the patient she tried so hard to ignore might be the one person who makes her heartbeat skip for real. A slow-burn, feel-good rom-com filled with fake injuries, real feelings, and one very persistent patient who might just cure the doctor's cold heart.

Seven years ago, a man disappeared quietly behind prison walls, taking the blame for a corporate crime that saved the Kim empire from collapse. The world moved on, the company grew stronger, and Jennie Kim rose to power as one of the most untouchable businesswomen in the industry. The scandal was buried, the past was sealed, and the silence was never questioned. Until now. Kang Ji-Hoon was once a loyal executive who served under Eun Hye Kim, the iron-willed matriarch who built the empire from the ground up. He helped shape the company, protected its legacy, and believed loyalty would be repaid with the same devotion. Instead, he became the sacrifice that kept everything standing. Seven years in prison took his career, his reputation, and the life he once knew-but it never erased the truth. Now he's back, not for revenge, not for money, but for correction. Jennie Kim has spent years protecting her grandmother's legacy and strengthening the empire she inherited. She built her name on discipline, strategy, and silence. The past was supposed to stay buried, locked away with decisions that were made for survival. But when Ji-Hoon's name resurfaces in legal records, the quiet foundation of her world begins to crack. Because some secrets are not meant to stay hidden forever-and some silences eventually demand to be heard. As the truth slowly unfolds, the line between loyalty and betrayal begins to blur. Was Ji-Hoon a criminal who paid for his mistakes, or a loyal soldier sacrificed to protect a dynasty? Was Jennie a leader who made the only decision she could, or someone who chose power over justice? In a world ruled by corporate power, legal battles, and buried truths, the past returns with one simple demand: acknowledgment. And this time, silence may cost more than anyone is ready to lose.

She adjusted her gloves as the scrub nurse prepared the next set of instruments. Dr. Jennie Kim, Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery - her reputation carried through every corridor, every whispered word from interns who admired her, and every wary glance from residents who feared her temper. At the observation deck above, the team lingered after their shifts, half-watching, half-bantering. • Jisoo, senior anesthesiologist, sharp-witted and calm, lounged with her arms crossed. • Rosé, pediatric surgeon, softer in tone, had her chin propped in her hand, eyes following Jennie's every move with quiet admiration. • Mingyu, the towering orthopedic surgeon, tried cracking jokes to cut the tension. • Kai, neurosurgeon, cocky and graceful, leaned forward, pretending he wasn't impressed by Jennie's speed. • Seulgi, ER physician, hair tied neatly back, analytical and efficient even off-shift. • Irene, head nurse, composed and graceful, standing quietly, the backbone of every surgery. Together, they made the hospital tick. But they also knew one truth: Jennie Kim was the sun - cold, blinding, impossible to ignore. The sliding door opened behind them. V slipped in, suit jacket still on from his evening out, his easy smile softening the sterile air. Jennie's boyfriend. The picture of perfection - charming, elegant, supportive. "Perfect couple," Mingyu whispered, earning a scoff from Jisoo. Jennie didn't look up. She never did when she worked. Order. Control. Perfection. What she didn't know - what none of them knew - was that the following morning, a new doctor would walk into their hospital. A doctor whose laughter was too loud, whose warmth didn't fit the icy walls of operating rooms. A doctor who would slowly, patiently, pull Jennie's perfect world apart. Lisa Manoban. And nothing - not Jennie's prejudice, not her carefully built walls, not even V's place at her side - would be enough to stop it.

Jennie Kim's life had always been simple. Mornings behind the counter of her aunt's coffee shop, evenings spent buried in medical textbooks, and nights sitting by her father's hospital bed, whispering promises she wasn't sure she could keep. But everything changed the day her father's debts came knocking. Manoban Corp - a name that could silence entire boardrooms - held the chains to her father's failed company. And standing at the head of it all was Lisa Manoban: the cold, untouchable CEO with an empire at her feet and eyes that never betrayed a flicker of mercy. Jennie went to her office expecting rejection, maybe humiliation. She didn't expect an offer. "Be mine," Lisa said simply, as if it were the easiest transaction in the world. "A girlfriend for the cameras. In exchange, your father's debts disappear, and his hospital bills are taken care of." It was supposed to be a deal - insensitive, calculated, a cruel mockery of love. But deals have a way of blurring into something else when the heart becomes collateral. Jennie was smart enough to know better. She was cool enough to hide her trembling. But behind her brave eyes was the truth she could never admit: she was just a girl, soft and fragile, carrying a weight too heavy for her shoulders. And Lisa, who had never known what it meant to love, was about to learn that some exchanges can't be calculated. Because in the world of power and desperation, the only thing more dangerous than debt... was love itself.

One night in Bangkok. That's all it was supposed to be. Jennie Kim-ice-veined CEO of Korea's most powerful conglomerate-doesn't do reckless. She doesn't break rules, and she certainly doesn't break. But she did. For her. Lisa Manoban-charismatic, cocky, infuriatingly magnetic. A low-level developer with a smile that could start wars... and secrets that could end empires. Jennie never meant to see her again. Never meant to want more. Until Lisa walks into her boardroom. Cool. Unbothered. Dangerous. Jennie should fire her. Bury the night. Move on. But Lisa's collecting something-slowly, deliberately. Not power. Not titles. Jennie's attention. Her silence. Her control. One whispered command at midnight, one lingering look across a meeting room, and everything starts to unravel. Because Lisa isn't just anyone. And Jennie isn't used to being wanted like this. Not quietly. Not mercilessly. Not like she belongs to someone. And in the end- She might. Only question is... Who's really playing who?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello readers! Given recent industry announcements, I want to be unequivocal: this is a fictional story. The "Jen" and "Lisa" and many others name in this tale are characters I've created for a narrative. They are not representations of the real-life idols. This is written for entertainment within the fan community. Thank you for understanding! Now, onto the story... NUMBER ONE GIRL All this time, it was always you. Jennie Kim and Lalisa Manoban have been inseparable for ten years - creative partners, best friends, each other's safest place. Jennie, the brilliant and guarded Creative Director, builds empires out of perfection. Lisa, the bright and reckless photographer, captures beauty even when it hurts. They've grown up side by side - through university projects, first love, heartbreaks, success, and silence. Jennie kept searching for love in other people. Lisa kept loving Jennie quietly, from the corner of every room. But five years change everything. When Lisa returns to Seoul reborn - confident, fearless, untouchable - Jennie realizes too late that the girl she once took for granted is gone. Now she's chasing the woman who learned to stop waiting. A decade of friendship, heartbreak, jealousy, and rebirth - Number One Girl is the story of two women who spent years orbiting each other, only to find they were always the same flame, burning on opposite sides of time.

Two princesses. Two countries. One promise made decades ago. Jennie and Lisa never imagined that their lives-already filled with royal duties, paparazzi, and public scrutiny-would be controlled by a secret pact made by their great-grandparents. A centuries-old promise suddenly comes to light, forcing them into an arranged marriage neither of them wanted, nor believed still mattered in the modern world. Thrust into a whirlwind of media attention, diplomatic appearances, and endless family expectations, Jennie and Lisa must learn to navigate each other's worlds. Stubborn, witty, and fiercely independent, neither princess is willing to give in... but proximity, rivalry, and unexpected sparks make resisting each other more complicated than they could have ever imagined. In a story where duty clashes with desire, tradition collides with modern life, and hearts are never simple, can these two royals transform a centuries-old promise into something real-or will their lives forever be Entwined by obligation?

Theme: Forced marriage, unrequited love, and emotional growth. Setting: Modern-day city life with an affluent backdrop. Plot: Jennie is a successful architect whose life is perfectly planned out-she has a long-term boyfriend, Taemin, whom she's ready to marry. But everything comes crashing down when her family forces her into an arranged marriage to Lisa, the daughter of an influential family that Jennie's parents owe a debt to. Lisa has been in love with Jennie since the first time they met years ago, but Jennie barely remembers her. Desperate to win Jennie's love, Lisa agrees to the marriage, even though she knows Jennie is already in a relationship. Jennie resents Lisa for ruining her life and tearing her away from Taemin. Her coldness toward Lisa is palpable, and she vows to never let herself feel anything for the woman who "stole" her future. But Lisa, ever patient and understanding, doesn't give up, despite Jennie's constant rejection.