Chapter 36

They were cruising along Dongjak-daero when Jennie spoke after she was humming along with the song that was playing inside Lisa's car. The music was her choice. Lisa had given her the liberty to chose what music they could listen to and Jennie chose a song that Lisa wasn't familiar with. But it sounded good and it was Jennie's choice, so there was no way that Lisa would ever complain.

"Where are we going again?" Jennie asked and leaned back to her seat. Her face was angled to face Lisa. The urge to be physically connected was suddenly too strong that she extended her right hand in the dark to close the gap between them.

"It's a surprise," Lisa said, her eyes were concentrating on the road while her right hand was busy fumbling with Jennie's hand between their seats. A smile was playing on her lips as their fingers intertwined, perfectly molding with each other.

"I thought we're going to the Orange?" Jennie pouted. She was beyond excited to see Jisoo again.

"We will. After we take a little detour," Lisa responded and chuckled.

She thought it was funny how she made it sound like the detour doesn't involve traveling eight kilometers away from Mapo-gu. It definitely wasn't a detour by definition.

"Lisa!"

It was now a thing between them. The way how Jennie would drop Lisa's name with a pout whenever she would need something from the latter. An answer to a question, a kiss because she wanted one, a whim whenever she felt like it--attention, in general.

Like, when Lisa was on full concentration mode while watching a TV show that she claimed she was religiously following. But Jennie could tell that she was obviously bluffing from the way those soft, round eyes couldn't stand to stare at the TV set longer than three seconds, after they had dinner and Jennie had just finished washing the dishes (to her insistence, because "I'm making up for the lost times, Lili. I used to wash my own dishes back in New York. Don't worry about it.") back at Lisa's place.

Jennie would utter Lisa's name as though she was lacing it with annoyance and displeasure, but border it to pleading and maybe just enough hint of coaxing. She would drag the sound of the 'a' longer than necessary and end it with a pout and batting of her eyelashes. Reiterating her need to be heard or looked at, even when she was fully aware that Lisa was already listening and looking at her attentively.

And every time, Lisa would laugh as a response and gave in. Because there was no way she could resist Jennie Kim. There was no way she could say no. Especially when Jennie was pouting like that beside her. Like a little girl who was ready to throw her tantrums, because she wasn't given the full attention that she was demanding. Brat!, Lisa would often say affectionately in her mind.

"Look, Nini. I'm not going to abduct you or whatever. Okay?" Lisa said, steering the wheel towards the Dongjak Bridge, that would bring them across the other side of the Han River. "I just want to show you something. I've been thinking about it for a while now, actually. I thought you'd love it," she continued.

"I wasn't worried about abduction, though," Jennie pointed out. "I was thinking that maybe you'd suddenly want to elope?"

Of course, Jennie was kidding about eloping. Or the idea of eloping. Lisa could hear it from the way Jennie huffed and stifled a chuckle. She could see it with the way Jennie's brows were arch beautifully and teasingly because they both felt how Lisa stiffened on her seat at the sound of the word.

It was absurd and hilarious, when she would think about it, Lisa told herself. She and Jennie leaving their lives behind them, eloping and embark on an adventure with just the two of them? Totally absurd. Although, it wasn't absurd when she did it alone years ago. Packed her things, secured her camera bag on her shoulder blades, booked a ticket to a random destination and started to realize her dream of becoming a photographer. But, it was a pretty good idea, nonetheless. The thought of them doing it together. Exciting, like a shot of chocomilk on her veins, that it had sent her pulse rate flying.

"Oh, I might. One day," Lisa said after she had regained herself, trying to laugh off the persistent quickening of her pulse against her ears. Defeaning her momentarily. "If another broody Gucci guy will show up at my doorstep unannounced, that is," Lisa continued and imitated the way Jennie had huffed and stifled a chuckle.

Which she did rather unsuccessfully. Because the way she heard herself, she knew she sounded like she was a wheezing otter. And Lisa could tell that Jennie could tell. Because the chaebol beside her shifted on her seat to fully face her.

"Lili? You're not jealous of Kai, are you?" Jennie asked a little too not subtly. Gone were the huff and the arching of her brows.

And even on the faint light provided by the lamp posts that they've passed by and the headlights of the cars that they met while crossing the bridge, Lisa could tell that Jennie looked serious and worried. She could tell it from the way Jennie's brows had creased, even when she wasn't entirely looking.

"Why would I even?" Lisa replied nonchalantly.

She could've said no to prevent the conversation from escalating and ultimately make herself a liar. Which she didn't because she wasn't. Lying, like how she was often told, was never her forte. Even if it was a small lie. Or a white lie. Or any lie. Her eyes would give her away, eventually. And a 'yes', on the other hand, would lead to another question, she was sure about it because Jennie Kim wasn't the type to just drop a conversation just because Lisa agrees. And so it would lead to another question. And another. And a series of questions about why she was jealous of a tall, broody guy wasn't what Lisa would want at the moment. It was hard enough that she had to keep a straight face when Jennie was looking at her intently right now. As though the chaebol was trying the read her mind.

"That's definitely not an answer, but I guess that will do," Jennie said eventually and gave up from trying to coax to Lisa to bare the truth to her, by looking at her. "And there's really nothing to be jealous about, Lisa," she added.

"Other than he's the guy that your mom chose as your husband-to-be, you mean?" Lisa blurted out before she could stop herself.

The truth, like it had been said time and time again, would bite and sting you in the tongue eventually and would spill out on its own accord out of your mouth and into the world no matter how hard you would try to bury it down the slippery hollows of your esophagus. Especially when it was as bitter and acrid as jealousy.

"Oh my god!" Jennie exhaled and shook her head. "No! Don't, Lisa. I've never been into guys. I told you that already. Never was and never will. And I already said no. About the marriage thing," Jennie said reassuringly.

And to emphasized how serious she was about what she had just said, Jennie brought her both hands and closed it around Lisa's arm. It wasn't assertive enough, but it was enough to slightly pull Lisa's attention away from the road. Waiting for whatever was Lisa to say anything.

"I'm not jealous," Lisa told Jennie when she took a side glance and forced herself a smile and returned her focus on the road.

Flat lie. It was a flat lie and her insides were squirming. But she'd rather deal with the squirming of her internal organs than admitting to Jennie that she was, indeed, jealous of the tall, broody guy. Because, dude, who wouldn't? Especially when he was as beautiful as a perfectly molded centerpiece by a bored ancient Greek sculptor. Tall, broad, seamless, Gucci.

Alright, so maybe the last part didn't have anything to do with the ancient Greek geniuses. But still, the expensive brand of clothing was screaming at her from all over Kang's--or was it Kai?--whole being, whatever his name was. It was screaming of wealth, luxury and well, reputation. Things that she wasn't really aiming to achieve at the current stage of her life right now (except the last part, maybe) but definitely were the things that could help her propel in life in the long run. Besides--

"What about you and Bobby?" Jennie asked all so suddenly that it took every brain cells of Lisa to pull away from her own train of thoughts and wonder where did that come from--this sudden attack of unprecedented notion about her and her assistant?

"What about me and Bobby?" Lisa inquired, blinking her eyes because the waves of shock from the sudden attack had not subdued yet.

Jennie shrugged, like it was the most natural thing to do when being demanded an explanation about the sudden offensive she had initiated, and said, "He's cute-," and leaving her sentence hanging at the tip of her tongue. As if she was trying to tell Lisa that there was more to it than Bobby's cuteness but she wouldn't want to discuss it further unless Lisa will confirm or deny anything.

"And totally annoying most of the time, too," Lisa said before Jennie could muster the will to finish her thoughts. "He doesn't know how to keep himself from invading my personal space a.k.a my lab and I have to keep reminding him to segregate the trash for the collection. Which, but the way, is a huge part of the deal and was clearly stated on his job description."

"But why do you sound so defensive, Lili?" Jennie asked calmly.

But there was humor underneath those words, beneath those calm, almost condescending tone of Jennie's voice, Lisa knew. Lisa could tell that Jennie was definitely only teasing her. Maybe to get even. Or probably to make her feel like Kang or Kai or whoever that was was never an issue to begin with.

"I'm not," Lisa replied almost immediately.

"I think he likes you," said Jennie with a pout.

"He likes every girls," Lisa corrected her, realizing that the tables had turned. That the spotlight was now on her. Jennie had a gift of doing that, Lisa knew all along.

"He's got his eyes on you," Jennie insisted. It was either she was trying to prove a point or simply teasing Lisa.

And Lisa thought it was the latter. It definitely was the latter, she convinced herself, because what's there to prove, anyway?

"He's got his eyes on every girls he meets, Jennie. You, included. In case you didn't notice," Lisa said and was quick to add, "But it isn't like he's looking at girls like, you know?--preys. No, I guess he's still just a boy trapped inside a man's body. Fascinated with the fancy and pretty things. But that doesn't mean he's a bad boy," she explained and wondered right after why she was trying to defend Bobby's honor now when in fact, she couldn't even count on her fingers the number of times she issued her assistant the termination banter.

"So, he's a Casanova?" asked Jennie.

"No, I don't think so," Lisa said, shaking her head. "He only looks but doesn't touch, Nini. And I know I'm sometimes mean to him because he's most of the time annoyingly intrusive, but I feel safe when he's around. He's like a brother to me."

Jennie nodded and fell silent, contemplating on something. And Lisa thought, hopeful, even, that that was the end of it, the 'Bobby talks'. But, of course, Jennie wasn't done yet. There was still the next round of a series of questions to get to the bottom of whatever was bugging her mind.

"But why him?" Jennie asked.

"What do you mean?" Lisa asked back.

"Nobody else applied for the position?"

"There were a handful. But Bobby was the most qualified," Lisa replied truthfully and smirked, "Are you jealous?" she asked.

"No. I'm just wondering," Jennie replied. "But what if, for the sake of argument, I am? What would you do about it, Lisa?"

Lisa blinked twice before she took a side glance at Jennie and asked, "Do you really want to find out? Like, right now? Because I can pull over and--,"

"Hmmm. Tempting, but no," Jennie laughed and shook her pretty head. "I mean, no, you can't pull over. We can't pull over on a bridge, babe. It's a no-no. Unless, you want to get caught? Although, I would really want to find out," she said, shamelessly dropping all her pretenses that she wasn't liking where their conversation was heading.

It's another thing between them, now that they had made it clear what they were feeling for each other. The sexy talks and the teasing. It was like their own dirty little secrets, something that they could talk about without feeling inhibited.

"Getting caught while demonstrating why you shouldn't be jealous of Bobby or anyone I'm associated with is actually a good idea, Jennie. Because that would be, like, the highlight of my career," Lisa said and laughed

"Shut up, Lisa," Jennie said, flustered, and asked again, "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," Lisa replied, still laughing.

"And you won't give out any clues?" Jennie inquired.

Lisa shook her head. "I'm bad at giving out clues. I might as well tell you about it straightforward and spoil the whole thing. Besides, we're almost there," Lisa said and stepped on the gas pedal to accelerate their speed a little more.

She brought Jennie to a place called Banpo Hangang Park, located at the southern side of the Han River. Where one can enjoy the panoramic views of Seoul, which looked breathtaking during the night. What with the skyline of the cityscapes and the city lights laid before their eyes at a distance. The Golden 63 building could also be seen at the distance from the west side and the iconic N Seoul Tower and the Namsan Park at the northern side of the park. And at the farthest of the park was the Sebit Dungdungseon, where the structures around it were colorfully illuminated by lights. But it wasn't because of that that Lisa brought Jennie there.

"So, you brought me to a park at eight in the evening because?" Jennie started as Lisa turned the engine off.

"Because I wanted to show you something," Lisa replied.

"Can we rent a bike? Are we renting a bike?" Jennie inquired rather excitedly when she saw a stream of people pedaling away in front of them at the designated bicycle paths. Most of them were kids wrapped in thick clothing to protect them from the biting cold.

Lisa laughed and said, "We can. But no, we're not. Unless you want to. Do you want to?" she asked.

Jennie contemplated for a moment and then said, "I think I want to. I really do, Lisa. But that would mean we might be late for Chaeng's set later."

"I really appreciate it that you're putting the Chipmunk's show on your priority list right now. It really means so much to me, Jennie," Lisa said, looking genuinely touched by Jennie's thoughtfulness.

"That's because I'm a fan, Lili. I really love it when Chaeng sings. She sounds like an angel. Besides, she's your bestfriend and I'm her friend now. We have to be there on time. I'm sure you don't want to miss her set," said Jennie.

"Yes, I don't," Lisa agreed and chuckled. "She will definitely kill me if do."

"Me, too. So, what's this thing you want to show me about?"

Instead of talking, Lisa quietly drove towards the farthest end of the park. She parked just a few meters away from the edge that they could see the peaceful waters of the Han River below, reflecting the bright citylights from the other side of the river and from the tall lampposts erected strategically around the Banpo Hangang Park. She chose a spot which was dimly-lit. The reason behind it was so that Jennie could clearly see what she wanted her to see.

"Come on," Lisa said after she turned the engine off and started to unbuckle her seatbelt. Jennie did the same.

And when they were both done, Lisa stepped outside the car, Jennie followed suit and together they sat at the Impala's hood. Shoulders and arms scraping against each other. Unintentionally trying to create friction to waft off the cold air between them.

"Look over there," Lisa told Jennie, pointing her long, slender forefinger at the long stretch of a double-decker girder bridge before them, called the Banpo Bridge, that connected the districts of Seocho and Yongsan.

Jennie obediently heeded. She sat erectedly on her spot, hands tucked between her knees to find comfort against the biting cold and looking over at the bridge Lisa had pointed to her.

"What am I supposed to be looking at exactly?" Jennie asked with curiosity.

"Wait for it," Lisa answered and joined Jennie in waiting.

Jennie waited anticipatedly. She was even craning her neck at some point to see what she was supposed to be seeing, but none came. The bridge looked nothing extraordinary, except that it was long. Probably the longest bridge that she had ever seen.

Tall lampposts were aligned with each other at both sides of the bridge. Vehicles were cruising above it and the Han River looked peaceful under it. The footings and the pillars that were holding the bridge together were illuminated with bright yellow lights.

And after a moment of waiting in vain, Jennie Kim grew impatient. She steered on her seat and turned to face Lisa. She was close to asking Lisa if whether she was supposed to be looking at the bridge or the water under it when she saw something at the corner of her eyes.

"Lisa, what--OH MY GOD! IT'S A RAINBOW!" Jennie shrieked excitedly and brought her hands to her mouth. Her cat-like eyes dilated to the size Lisa had never thought it could possibly reach due to extreme happiness.

The impatience in Jennie's voice was ultimately drowned by the excitement that she felt the moment she saw that the water had started shooting and sprouting the side of the bridge facing them, towards the river below. Illuminated by colorful LED lights the color of a rainbow, the water sprouts had created a colorful display, dancing like a fountain. Dancing along to a tune the both Jennie and Lisa could barely hear. But that glitch didn't matter because it was a beautiful sight.

"I remember you telling me it's your favorite color," Lisa said. She was grinning from ear to ear while staring at Jennie because a happy and excited Jennie Kim was a sight to behold, every time.

"Oh my god, Lisa! Yes, it is! It's so beautiful!" Jennie gushed and swooned and jumped from the hood to plant herself in front of Lisa. "Thank you, Lili!" she said and brought her arms around Lisa's neck.

"Do you like it?" Lisa asked after the hug. Her hands were resting on Jennie's hips.

Jennie showed her happy, gummy smile and nodded jovially. "I love it!" she proclaimed and leaned forward to give Lisa a peck on the lips. "And I love you!"

"I love you, too," Lisa replied with a smile and pulled Jennie closer for a kiss.

They were parked away from everyone else, on a secluded and dimly-lit spot. And so they did not stop to worry about being seen. Or to worry about anything at all. Because the only thing that mattered in the world at the moment was them--was each other, together--sharing an intimate kiss by the Han River, overlooking the rainbow fountain. It was perfect.

They were in love. They were madly in love with each other. That part was pretty much too obvious already that no one could ever refute and refuse to believe it. Even when they were both of the same gender. Even when they were from different races and ethnicity. They were in love. That it didn't matter to them if more than half the population of South Korea would not approve of the kind of love that they have for each other. And it certainly did not matter that Jennie was now a head of a conglomerate, a chaebol daughter. A person from the higher echelon of the society. None of that would matter anymore. Because they were in love. And love could see past all that. Because love would never judge.

And that fact alone was the reason why the men inside a parked vehicle few meters away from Jennie and Lisa hesitated to decide on something.

"Should we call her?" one of them asked his companions, but none of them could seem to move and make the call.

They had been tailing the Impala all the way from Hongdae. They were there the whole time. On standby. Incognito, like they were ordered to do. Patiently waiting and observing, like how they should. Their car, dark, black and tinted, was parked at a convenient distance from the two women so that they would not attract any attention, especially from the Lady Kim. Because it was common knowledge to them that the Lady Jennie Kim could spot the likes of them even from a distance.

"It's definitely her eyes. Nothing can ever passed unnoticed by those cat-like eyes," one of their seniors from the agency had said once upon a time, after when they tried to tail the Kim daughter in the busy and crowded streets of New York and was cornered and busted by their Lady Kim outside a cheap convenience store along Lafayette Street, when the young Kim was still a university student in The Big Apple some years ago.

"What do we tell her?" one of them from the backseat asked. They all were looking anywhere but at the two women kissing under the dimly-lit lamppost.

They felt hot in the face. They were too ashamed of themselves to even admit that they had just witnessed the Lady Kim, their Lady Kim, sharing intimate moments with another woman. They all agreed, although none of them had ever spoken about it out loud, that it was a mistake to even think about the Lady Kim in a position deemed intimate and private. And then they saw it. The hugs and kisses being shared and affections being displayed a little too non-discreetly on a public place. They had broken an unspoken rule. And now, they weren't sure anymore if whether they should stay and do their job or leave the place and leave their Lady Kim alone, in the company of the tall, beautiful, Barbie-looking woman.

"Don't call her. We are not in the position to tell her what we had just witnessed," one of them said, there was authority on his voice. He was sitting on the passenger's seat. "And never tell anyone about this, either. Do you understand me? We're here to protect Lady Kim. Not to tell tales."

"This could get ugly. If anyone will find out that Lady Kim is involved with another woman--,"

"That's why we're here. We have to ensure that no one will know about this. Remember what the late Chairman Kim had said: "Protect my precious Ruby. Ensure her happiness above everything else." I have never seen her this happy in all the years that I have spent tailing her. Maybe this is the moment that the late Chairman Kim was talking about," Mr. Young, the Kim family's head of security, said while looking at his boss' daughter laughing with the Thai photographer, while trying to pose for a picture. The *Rainbow Fountain show was serving as her backdrop.

The four of them fell in consensus silence. Their eyes were on the two women, especially at their Lady Kim who was now giggling and running giddily, chasing the tall blond, despite the cold night. They had never seen her so free-spirited. It was a pure joy to watch, knowing how their Lady Kim had put up a cold exterior all these years, especially after the passing of the late Chairman Kim. They felt contented knowing that, for tonight, they had done their job well.

"Do you still want to rent a bike? Or should we now head back to Hongdae?" Lisa asked when they both dropped on the concrete pavement, not minding the dusts and the dirt, panting and laughing, after they played a few rounds of "Catch Me" and took pictures.

"Can we just stay here forever?" Jennie replied dreamily.

"On this pavement? No, we can't. We need a mat for that. And wicker baskets for Leo and Luca--,"

"And kennels for Kai and Kuma. But they hate kennels. They prefer strollers. And Kai is getting older, so he'd probably choose to stay home," Jennie said, laughing.

Lisa raised a brow. "Kai?" she inquired casually.

"It's the name of the family dog. He's elderly and prefers to just stay indoor nowadays," Jennie explained. "The name still stings?" she then asked Lisa, her brows wriggling, teasing the blond.

"Can we just refer the Gucci guy by another name? So I won't confuse him and the elderly dog," said Lisa.

"Okay. We'll call him Jongin, then, if ever we have to talk about him in the future. That's his birth name. Jisoo told me," Jennie added the last two lines after she saw how Lisa's eyebrows were hitching higher and practically hiding behind the meticulously combed fringe.

Lisa only hummed a non-committal "Hmmm" as a response.

"Thank you, Lili. Thank you for bringing me here. For spoiling me. My heart is so full right now," she said as she rolled over to her side to face Lisa.

"Are we on Appreciation Hour already? Because I think it's still too early for that," Lisa jokingly said, but smiled anyway.

"You're always appreciated, Lisa. Every second, of every minute, of every hour, 24/7. No Appreciation Hour needed. And I love you," Jennie said and ended her words with a peck on Lisa's check.

"I love you, too," Lisa replied.

"I know, babe. Now, let's get going before Chaeng will kill you. I've seen her mad. It's already enough that Chu had been the latest subject of that kind of rage," Jennie said, dusting herself off after she had pushed herself up from the cold pavement. "Come on," she told Lisa, offered her hand and helped Lisa to stand up.

"What do you think will happen to them, by the way? Given that Jisoo had kissed the Chipmunk?" Lisa asked.

"I don't know. But as long as they won't kill each other, Lisa. That's all that matters," Jennie said and they both laughed as they head back inside the car.

Lisa maneuvered her car towards the exit of the Banpo Hangang Park. She and Jennie were both oblivious to the fact that another car was also heading towards that direction. Tailing them at a convenient distance. And the car that was tailing them was also oblivious to the fact that another car was also tailing behind them.

To anyone who would take the time to look and notice, they'd probably look like they were forming a convoy. With Lisa's Impala on the front, the dark Sedan of Jennie's incognito security group in the middle and the unknown black SUV on the rear.

But the third car was not bearing the Kim Group insignia.