18

A/N

Stay with me kids! It's only worth it when they work for it!

Second update!

__________

"Santos!" Lisa yelled towards the twelve year old holding a rifle when she ran into him.

He turned around and pulled his rifle up, pretending to shoot at Lisa and Lisa took a picture of him, pointing her camera straight at the barrel of his gun.

She went to show it to him and he gave her a thumbs up.

"Que guapo me veo." He said to her and Lisa knew he had a tendency to be conceited and although she didn't know exactly what he had said she knew it was something along the lines of him looking good so she snorted and shoved him.

He laughed.

Lisa decided to post that picture on her social media. She had better ones of him, of him being shot at by grown men. Drug lords. Pictures of him continuing to shoot at them even after getting shot himself.

They bonded quickly and a translator had helped him tell her his story.

She posted a snippet it of it on her instagram. She had struggled at first with the writing. She wasn't much of a writer but she thought of Jennie and how she would call her an idiot for giving up before trying so Lisa started to pretend she was just talking to Jennie when she wrote about them.

____3 months in____

Jennie was staring at her phone like she usually did at night. Lisa hadn't updated in a month.

Jennie scrolled through all of the pictures. Lisa had set up an instagram for her fellowship journey and Jennie knew the photography shots she posted on there weren't even her best ones.

She knew Lisa was saving those for her photo book or to submit them to journals and Jennie couldn't imagine what those looked like because the ones on her instagram were breathtaking. They made her feel so many things. They were sad, and heartbreaking, and heartwarming and just bleeding with emotion. They told stories even before Jennie read the captions.

Lisa had been in El Salvador a month ago, where a drug war raged and she managed to get pictures of awful things happening, of kids smiling despite their awful circumstances, of people helping each other when they should be saving themselves.

Sometimes Jennie caught a glimpse of Lisa herself. Sometimes she let herself be captured by her camera and Jennie lived for those photos, she had them all saved.

There weren't too many. There were exactly twelve pictures from her time in El Salvador with the children there. She captioned every single one with a story behind it and Jennie felt like Lisa was talking to her. Updating her on her life and the people she was meeting. Telling Jennie about the child soldiers she had found that were recruited for the drug war.

She knew all the kids Lisa had posted by heart now, she looked at those pictures so much.

Jennie had made a special instagram just so she could stalk Lisa's because she was too afraid she would accidentally like a picture with her regular account so she made a ghost account just in case.

Jennie had even gone so far as to follow a bunch of photography accounts and random people to make it more believable and even reposted their stuff on occasion. She wanted to support Lisa anyway so Jennie had liked every single post. She was usually the first one to do it anytime Lisa posted a picture.

__________

Jennie was summoned into her father's office and she reluctantly headed in when the secretary said she could go ahead.

"President Kim." Jennie greeted.

"Sit."

Jennie sat in front of his desk.

"How is the planning going?"

"Still in progress."

"It's been four months Jennie! I knew you were incapable of doing this! I wasted my time. Of course. It was a fluke after all."

Jennie internally rolled her eyes. She'd been doing anything and everything to make sure the next event with her charity's name wasn't hosted. She couldn't bear having her father co-host. She had already lost Lisa. So she bore with the insults of her father telling her she was incompetent and that he knew she really had used her aunt to host her first party considering she had been working for four months to throw another one and couldn't make it happen.

Jennie kept doing her usual work within her charity, following through with setting up new surgeries with the money she had raised. She did it behind the scenes. Her father had no clue she had still been running everything within her charity smoothly.

He didn't really care about that part of the foundation anyway. All he cared about was trying to gain notoriety so he had been too preoccupied with trying to get Jennie to throw a gala with her successful charity and tacking his name to it to even notice Jennie was still leaving him out of things.

Jennie knew he was just competing with his sister. Aunt Kim did everything on her own. She was successful on her own, without needing their parents money, unlike Jennie's father. She built that charity on her own and organized the events herself and he wanted to steal her thunder. He had such a fragile ego when it came to her that he pretty much made it his life's mission to be better than her in every way.

Jennie thought he always failed.

"I'm giving you one more month or I'll pull that fellowship for real. I've given you too much time." President Kim threatened.

Jennie clenched her teeth.

"The venue pulled out on their own, sir." Jennie said in a clipped tone. "It's not my fault they canceled on us." Which was a complete lie because Jennie had found someone to outbid them so they couldn't use it.

"Find another one!"

"Any decent places will have to be booked two months in advance, unless you want me to book a less than desirable place for your deep pockets." Jennie said matter of factly. "I can find a less classier place if you need this to happen so urgently."

Her father grunted angrily and Jennie almost smirked, knowing she got him.

"Two months and that's final! If you don't pull through that girl will be back home faster than you can blink!"

Jennie breathed a sigh of relief. She just bought Lisa two more months. She just bought her charity two more months.

"If you'll excuse me, I have class."

___________

"Hey Lis! How's Somalia!" Chaeyoung asked excitedly.

Jennie walked out of her office and breathed a sigh of relief when she overheard that. Lisa hadn't updated her instagram in a while and she didn't dare ask Rosie for updates because she had never called Lisa after Rosie had given her Lisa's Salvador number. She couldn't because of her father and she felt like she didn't have the right to pry.

"Hey, why are you crying?" Chaeyoung asked softly.

Jennie froze, thinking Lisa might be hurt. Jennie tried not to eavesdrop but she needed to know. She was worried enough as it is.

"Oh Lis. I know. I saw the pictures you emailed me. It looks awful. I wish I could help them too. I cried for hours, you know how I am about feeding people, I can't believe so many people are starving." Chaeyoung said and Jennie could tell she was already crying by the tone of her voice.

"Okay, give me a second, she just came out." Chaeyoung spoke into the phone again.

Jennie froze.

"Hey, Lisa has a question about a little boy. Will you talk to her?" Chaeyoung asked hopefully.

Jennie shrank from the phone.

"Please Jennie. It's urgent." Chaeyoung pleaded.

"Just ask her what it is for me." Jennie said hastily.

Chaeyoung sighed but got on the phone again. "She's a little busy to talk but she told me to ask you what your question was?"

Jennie watched as Chaeyoung nodded and listened to whatever Lisa was telling her.

"She wants to know if your charity takes international cases? There's a little boy there that needs help desperately. She said the doctor said his condition was treatable but the doctors there aren't equipped. They barely have enough food let alone proper medical supplies. She's desperate because he's the youngest of ten kids and he's the only one that survived, his parents are devastated. They lost nine kids already."

Jennie should say no. They had never taken an international case before not to mention the fact she wasn't able to contact Lisa without her father finding out but she couldn't let it go. How could she not try to help him.

"Ask her to tell his doctor to email me all of his information." Jennie started but then thought better of it, that might be a bad idea, she didn't know to what extent her father was monitoring everything.

"Actually. Tell her to have him email it to you and you can forward it to me. Tell her I'll look at it and I'll see what I can do. She leaves Somalia in a month right?" Jennie slipped out, too concerned for the little boy to remember she wasn't supposed to know that.

She had been keeping tabs on Lisa in any way she could of course and Lisa wrote about the places she would be at in her captions on her instagram. The knowing smile on Chaeyoung's face, catching her in the act made Jennie realize her slip and Jennie blushed. She knew Chaeyoung must know Jennie found Lisa's instagram.

"Yeah." Chaeyoung said, smiling softly.

"Okay. I can't do anything until Lisa leaves." Jennie said, trying to move past her embarrassment. "So have them gather as much as they can in the mean time."

Chaeyoung looked at her in confusion. "Why can't you do anything while she's there?"

"Sorry Rosie, I just can't. So just have them send everything they can, with contact info and his medical history and I'll do what I can from here in the meantime."

Jennie walked away after that, needing to leave before she launched for that phone. She hastily went back into her office, not touching the coffee she was going to make.

"Lisa, she said—" Chaeyoung started.

"I heard her." Lisa cut her off.

Chaeyoung could hear the tears in her voice.

"I haven't heard her voice in so long."

"I'm sorry Lis."

"It's okay. She was hurt. It's been too long now anyway. I tried calling a few times but she didn't answer. I guess the friendship is off the table too."

"I don't think that's it Lisa. It's weird. I know she cares about you."

"Please Chaengie. Stop. I need to move on. I need to stop having hope. Thank you. Tell her thank you for me too, for at least looking at it. I'll send you the stuff and I'll call when I can. I love you."

"I love you too Lis." Chaeyoung said sadly, hanging up and looking at the closed door to Jennie's office. She couldn't get through to Jennie. Something kept nagging at her. It was obvious Jennie was still in love with Lisa. Despite Jennie calling Lisa a cheater she never acted like she resented Lisa for it so Rosie knew Jennie didn't actually believe it.

There was something else going on but if Lisa was hard to get to open up, Jennie was even worse. She was a fortress with a moat and an entire army ready to fight you off if you tried to get behind her walls if she didn't want you to.

There was something going on because Jennie was very much still in love with Lisa and Chaeyoung knew there was no malice there but there must be a reason why Jennie kept avoiding Lisa, going so far as not to even want to speak on the phone despite her checking in on her instagram and knowing her itinerary.

____6 months in____

Jennie had successfully completed her first international case through her charity foundation that month thanks to Lisa with that little boy named Aden.

She had even gotten to meet him. The surgeon that had agreed to do the case pro-bono was based out of Seoul.

She was currently in Aden's hospital room like she usually was.

The state rejected his parent's visa to come with him so he was alone. Jennie had spent that whole week waiting for him to wake up, studying and doing her work in that hospital room.

He was so young, barely six. They couldn't understand each other because of the language barrier but he had clung to her as soon as she had picked him up from the airport. She had hired a translator for that part so that he knew he was safe with her.

He finally woke up a few days later and Jennie's heart swelled.

"Hey baby boy. You made it!" Jennie gushed and he smiled at her widely.

He said something in his native language that she didn't understand but she just nodded at him reassuringly. She would bring the translator back now that he had woken up.

She called Chaeyoung immediately.

"Hey Rosie! Aden's up. He's fine. He'll be able to fly back to his parents in a week so you can tell Li—Lisa he's okay." Jennie stuttered. She usually avoided saying her name at all costs. She probably hadn't said it out loud since Lisa had left.

Jennie heard the blonde squealing on the other end of the line in happiness before calming down and talking into the phone.

"Why don't you just tell her yourself? This is great news Jennie! She'll be so happy!"

"I have to go Rosie. I have to send word back to Aden's parents and book his flight so he can get to them as soon as possible. Thank you!"

Jennie hung up quickly before Chaeyoung probed or tried to convince her to talk to Lisa. If anyone could figure Jennie out it would be Rosie and she didn't need anyone to know what she had done to get Lisa to keep her fellowship.

"Lisa!" The little boy said excitedly, having overheard Jennie's conversation. He started talking animatedly in his native language and Jennie wanted to cry because she was sure he was talking about her right now. She wanted so badly to know what he was saying about her.

Jennie showed him a picture of her and he grabbed her phone.

"Lisa!" He pointed excitedly, then looked at the photo again and told Jennie story after story about her that Jennie didn't understand but listened to raptly anyway.

Jennie let a tear fall.

Jennie managed to send him back to his country safely. He was a sweet kid. He handed her some drawings he had done in the hospital when she couldn't be there for him because she was at school.

Jennie cried again when he hugged her tightly and said goodbye to her at the airport with his escort.

"Can you tell him he can call me anytime? The foundation will pay for the cost of the calls. Just let him know if he needs anything or they're lacking in something for his aftercare to call me and let me know?" Jennie asked his escort. "I've already told his parents but since we're working through so many people because of the language barrier I want to make sure they know for sure."

The escort translated for her and the little boy hugged her again saying the one phrase she had actually learned in his language. "I love you." She recognized it immediately when he spoke it and Jennie probably butchered it when she said it but she said it back to him.

___________

They hadn't heard from Lisa in a month and Jennie was worried. She was supposed to be in Yemen already, which was completely war torn right now and Jennie knew Lisa had to go through three different countries to even be able to enter the country.

Jennie researched it so much that she had even pinpointed what city Lisa must be in right now.

Which is why when she woke up a week later she almost had a heart attack. It was all over the news. Jennie always had her notifications on to receive any news in whatever country Lisa was supposed to be in at the time. Her heart dropped because there had been a series of missile strikes in the vicinity of where Lisa should be at right now. In the exact city Jennie had pinpointed.

Jennie couldn't take it, she ran to Rosie and Jisoo's shared room. Rosie had moved in with them as soon as she could get out of the dorms when Lisa left.

Jennie knocked frantically on the door.

"Rosie! Rosie open the door!" Jennie said urgently, trying not to cry.

Jisoo opened the door looking grumpy.

"What the hell Jendeuk, it's like six a.m."

Jennie ignored her and ran to the bed where Chaeyoung was groggily wiping at her eyes.

"Call her right now Rosie! Call her and make sure she's safe!" Jennie said in a panic.

Chaeyoung had just woken up so she was very confused right now. "Call who? What?"

"They bombed Yemen last night Rosie! They dropped them exactly where Lisa's supposed to be at right now! Call her right now and make sure she's safe!" Jennie said, the tears falling already.

Chaeyoung felt like someone had thrown cold water on her. She was suddenly wide awake. She reached for her phone and dialed.

"What happened Jendeukie?" Jisoo asked in concern now too. Jennie showed her the articles.

"That's the only place journalists can enter the country through! I researched it. She should be in that area right now! She had to go through Cairo in Egypt to be able to get a flight to Socotra, its the only way to even get into the country and that would have taken her like two weeks! She should be there right now." Jennie said hysterically.

Chaeyoung kept calling, freaking out too but there was no answer.

"She probably already had to get another new number since she's left Somalia." Chaeyoung said teary eyed and frustrated.

"Call the fellowship! Ask them. They should know where she is."

Jennie didn't wait for an answer, she ran into her office and got all the info to Lisa's fellowship organization and handed Chaeyoung the number.

Chaeyoung didn't even question why Jennie knew or had all of this. She already knew Jennie acted like she didn't care about Lisa when clearly she did and Chaeyoung was too worried about Lisa right now to broach the subject. She wasn't really surprised anyway. She knew there had been something else going on with Jennie but she just hadn't been able to figure it out.

Chaeyoung talked to about ten different people and none of them could tell her much except the fact that they had lost contact with the group of journalists Lisa was traveling with three days ago and that they were waiting for word.

Jennie started sobbing. "No you idiot. You have to come back."

Jennie left the room and went into her own, locking the door behind her. She burrowed herself under her blankets all day. Jisoo kept trying to get her to come out but between a crying girlfriend and a crying baby cousin and worrying about Lisa, Jisoo had her work cut out for her.

She left food for Jennie outside her door that Jennie left untouched. Even Chaeyoung wouldn't eat which worried Jisoo to no end as she held her, cursing Lisa the whole time.

"I told you not to make her cry Limario. Call us back already."

Jisoo was as worried as the rest of them but she had to stay strong for them. Someone had to take care of them.

_____________

Lisa was walking along with a cute little boy named Omar who was going to show her where he lived. He kept talking to her excitedly even though Lisa had no clue what he was saying. She just kept smiling at him and nodding and humming and he kept gesturing to things so she could catch his gist.

He was used to foreigners. Anyone that entered his country entered through here so Lisa wasn't surprised he wasn't fazed by the language barrier.

He lived in a mud rock village carved out of a cliff and Lisa was excited to see it. It was beautiful. She took an insane amount of pictures of the village as they approached it.

Once they got there Omar would introduce her to the people from the village. The translator from the city they had come from had already asked Omar to ask for Lisa if she could take people's pictures, telling him to make sure they knew it was so Lisa could publish them and motivate people to help with their crisis.

Lisa would raise her camera to Omar every time he wanted to take a shot of someone and he would diligently ask. She could tell he had a foul mouth though because some of the adults always scolded him when he spoke. At least Lisa assumed they did based on their facial expressions and their tones and Lisa couldn't help but giggle.

She found him amusing. He was very talkative and even got into a bargaining war with a grown man and won and gave Lisa a bracelet he bought for her with what she assumed would have to be him coming back to work for this guy so Lisa handed him the only thing she had to give him.

She had brought a polaroid camera too among her other bigger expensive cameras. She had restocked her film cartridges in Egypt because she knew she couldn't possibly stock up here. She took several pictures of him and his friends playing soccer in a dusty field. She had them pose for several group shots too and gave him all the polaroids.

Lisa doubted whether he'd ever seen a polaroid picture before. He gave her a toothy grin and a fist bump which Lisa found amusing because where did he even learn that.

Lisa took a picture with all the kids too before deciding to walk back to the city where she was staying with all the other journalists. Her little guide was walking back with her, showing her the way as they made the five mile trek.

The bombs hit right as they were halfway into the city.

Omar grabbed her hand and told her to run, trying to take her back to his small village. Bombs were another thing Omar was used to. As much as Lisa wanted to go back and check on the journalists she was traveling with she knew this kid knew more about this than she did.

He kept tugging at her despite her trying to turn back. Scolding her in his native language every time she changed her mind.

She thought the bomb strike had ended because it had been a while so she kept trying to go back and he would just continue tugging her. Just when they were halfway back to his village more bombs came.

He looked at her gravely when it happened and Lisa knew he was telling her that she would probably be dead if she hadn't listened to him.

It was a cross between an "I told you so" and "thank goodness you're an adult that actually listens to a kid."

_____________

They didn't hear from Lisa for another three weeks and Jennie was desperate. What was the point of caring that Lisa lost the fellowship if she couldn't get out of that country or god-forbid she might possibly be dead.

Jennie needed to know what happened to her and why she wasn't calling them.

Jennie was still careful, just in case she had been overreacting about this whole thing. Not wanting to jeopardize Lisa's career so she reached out to Gong-Yoo, the man providing Lisa's funding to figure out if he knew anything.

"I'm sorry Jennie, I don't know anything. I only send the check to the fellowship. I usually don't have contact with the students I fund until they come back. I don't want them to have yet another thing to worry about. Why don't you contact them yourself?"

"I can't."

"I can give you a direct number if you can't reach them, let me find it."

"That's not why." Jennie cut in.

"What is it then?"

Jennie hesitated, but he was safe enough. He seemed to hate the snobby elite as much as she did, despite him being rich himself now, considering he was a photojournalist that risked his life just like Lisa was doing right now in his younger days.

"My father threatened to pull Lisa's fellowship if I had any contact with her. He didn't approve of our relationship."

Gong-Yoo sighed.

"How long has she been in the program now?" He asked.

"7 months."

"Where is she set to go next?"

"Syria." Jennie answered.

"Look, if all else fails and he pulls her fellowship I have enough to cover the portion they were putting in to let her see it through to the end. You'll just have to give me a few weeks to pull some people together to organize and help her make the trip through Syria since that country requires really high security still.

Most importantly though, she still has to make it out of Yemen first before I can do anything. Only the fellowship can get her out of that country. They're strict with who comes in and out so there's only a few organizations that have that power. I can't do anything there."

"If she makes it out of Yemen, you'll do that for her?" Jennie asked, making sure he was being serious.

"I wouldn't have risked it before but since she's made it more than halfway I can. She's a daredevil that one, even I wouldn't have risked those countries on my first trip. Her work is damn good too. It would be a shame to lose it."

"She's an idiot." Jennie said tearily.

"People in our line of work tend to be idiots." Gong-Yoo chuckled. "Just don't piss your father off for the next month and I'll help keep her safe."

"I'll do my best. I've made it this far at least. Sort of. If you get word that she's alive, can you let me know?" Jennie begged.

"Of course."

"Thank you Gong-Yoo. I'll find a way to repay you as soon as I get away from my father."

"You already did kid. You hooked me up with Lisa. Seriously, she's talented. I've seen her fellowship instagram and I swear even with those pictures she'll be nominated for an IPA. I can't imagine what she's saving for the grand finale and I'll get to say I sponsored her. She'll be a recruiting magnet."

"She just needs to make it back to win that damn award already." Jennie said frustrated.

"I'll do my best to make it happen. Don't worry too much. Focus on what you can. I'll be speaking with you soon."

_____________

Jennie had no choice but to start organizing that stupid charity event for real now. She needed Lisa to get out of Yemen. Jennie was sure she had to still be alive. The news reported casualties, some journalists included but Lisa wasn't within the list. They took foreigners seriously, it scandalized the countries they were from so it made for good news. They usually focused on them first.

Jennie did everything except the marketing for the event. She set a date and her father summoned her into his office again and Jennie told him it would happen in a month.

She wanted to slap the smug look off of his face.

Jennie had a plan though. She was going to refrain from using her charity's name at all costs, using her father as the only host. She used her own foundation's money and figured she could consider it as a donation and write it off on her taxes or something.

She had already lost Lisa. She couldn't bear to lose her charity foundation too. She wished she could ask for Chaeyoung's help with the marketing but she had been too devastated over not having any contact with Lisa that Jennie couldn't bear to ask.

Jennie almost wished she hadn't told them about the bombing because Chaeyoung was the one walking around like a zombie now. Jisoo fussed over her and tried to cheer her up but it was impossible. Chaeyoung cried every night for Lisa, hoping she wasn't killed in that attack.

Jennie would have been the same way. She was just as devastated but she needed to keep going for Lisa. She needed to make sure she kept working so they got Lisa out of there if she really was alive.

Something told Jennie that she was, she had to be.

___________

Jennie had opened the door earlier that Saturday afternoon to a courier holding a box with a Prada logo on it.

Jennie signed for the package and rolled her eyes when she opened it. Some fancy Prada dress. The least her father could do if he was going to be this pretentious was know that literally the only high end designer Jennie would ever blow money on or would want to wear was Chanel.

She was supposed to go to her father's mansion to have dinner with Kai and his family tonight. She didn't know why the occasion required such a high fashion dress but her father had always been one to show off his wealth to his colleagues so Jennie sighed and put it on anyway. Gong-Yoo had told her to be on her best behavior until Lisa was safely out of Yemen and Jennie was going to follow through.

She ran into the girls in the living room and they both took in her state of dress.

"Another gala?" Chaeyoung asked sympathetically. "You look beautiful though Jennie."

"Thanks Rosie, but no, dinner this time. His summons are getting excessive." Jennie said in annoyance.

"Jendeukie, why are you doing this to yourself?" Jisoo protested yet again. Probably for the millionth time that month alone.

"I have to." Jennie said simply.

"Why?" Jisoo almost whined.

"I just do." Jennie leaned in to hug both of them, giving them a kiss on the cheek.

She went to the dinner, and as soon as she got there they sat her directly across from Kai.

They ate in silence and as usual Kai avoided her eyes. It had been a weird seven months. Usually Kai was annoying and arrogant and hounded her but ever since her father had forced her to start going to galas with him again he avoided her unless spoken to and only approached her when their parents asked something of them. Otherwise he let her be.

President Kim clinked his glass to make a toast and Jennie grabbed her champagne flute. At least there was alcohol. She took a swig before her father even made whatever bullshit toast he was probably about to make.

"Jennie, Kai. We've set a date for your wedding." President Kim said.

Jennie and Kai both looked up abruptly. Jennie almost choked up the champagne she had just swallowed.

"We're here to celebrate your engagement." President Kim said to the delight of the parents.

"But I haven't even proposed?" Kai said bewildered.

"Son, that's what you'll be doing tonight." Dean Kim pulled out a ring box out of his suit pocket and set it in front of Kai.

"You'll get married next month." President Kim said. He knew he had to hurry up and marry Jennie off to Kai before he lost his leverage. Lisa would be coming back soon and he wouldn't be able to control his daughter anymore as soon as that happened. Dean Kim had finally come to an agreement with him over their engagement this last week.

Kai looked at the ring like it might burn him.

"We've brought a photographer for your pictures. You'll propose in the backyard." President Kim said. "To Jennie and Kai and our families forming an alliance."

All the adults toasted. Jennie downed the champagne after them because she was in shock. Kai was still staring at the ring, his champagne untouched.

Their parents stood up to go to the backyard.

Jennie sat frozen for a second until her mother trailed a hand on her back and she practically jumped out of her skin.

"Come on honey, you're about to have a fiancé!"

Jennie was glued to her seat though, she couldn't move.

Her father squeezed her shoulder on his way out of the dining room. "I hear Lisa's stuck in Yemen." Was all he said, then he walked away and Jennie finally found the strength to get up.

Kai was still sitting down staring at the ring.

"Come on son. Don't be nervous. She'll say yes." Dean Kim chuckled, clapping Kai on the shoulder before walking to the backyard next to President Kim.

Jennie shakily followed them out.

"Jen?" Kai asked.

Jennie turned around, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"Just keep it simple and get it over with. Just ask me. No speeches because I couldn't possibly bear through it without strangling you." Jennie snapped at him.

Kai flinched.

"Why? Why are you going along with this?" Kai asked desperately. "You've always been the fighter. You said you would never marry me."

"I can't fight anymore. He won. I might have won some rounds but he has Lisa now. He won." Jennie said, letting a tear drop.

Kai gulped.

"I'm sorry." Kai said.

"Save it." Jennie said in a clipped tone. "You helped him all of these years. Now hurry up and get this over with so I can go cry myself to sleep over the fact I even have to go through with an engagement with you. So I can think about the fact it's not going to be Lisa like I wished for, but you on one knee. So I can fucking cry over what you might have robbed me of because she was it for me and I could only hope that maybe she wanted it too but when she finds out I said yes to you—when she finds out—fuck you Kai. Fuck you!" Jennie said, unable to finish her thoughts.

Jennie walked away angrily.

"Jennie wait. I have to tell you something."

"I don't want to fucking hear it Kai. You disgust me." Jennie said it with such venom she knew Kai must have felt it in his bones. "You said you had to do this? Then fucking do it. Don't be a pussy now, you've already come so far." Jennie finished derisively.

Jennie was fuming, she stormed into the backyard. She had to be angry, she had to hold on to that anger because if she didn't the sadness would overwhelm her and she would cry. So she went outside with all the courage and anger she could muster and tried to hold her body up so it wouldn't collapse at the thought of what she was about to have to do. How she was going to have to betray the girl she really thought was the love of her life now, just so she could save her.

Kai actually cried. He knew the damage he had done. He knew he had been selfish but the fear had been too great for him to be able to be brave enough to do anything about it. Now though, seeing how much Jennie was suffering because she had finally given up, because she had no choice, remembering how much she had fought her parents all of those years when he had been a coward, she gave him the courage.

He owed it to her to be the one to fight for once, after all she had done for him. Jennie had practically saved his life, even though she didn't know it.

He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and started writing.

Father, I can't do it.

I'll no longer consider myself your son and will willingly accept the fact you'll be cutting me off after this. I'll send the car you bought me back tomorrow.

Sorry to have disappointed you.

I love you mom.

Mommy, please tell Jennie I'm sorry for everything.

Kai.

He took the ring with his family's crest off and set it on top of the note along with the engagement ring and walked out of the house, driving off in his car. He took out as much cash as he could before they cut off his credit cards. He only took enough out for gas and for him to get himself a place to stay while he cashed in the stocks he had inherited. Those, they couldn't take away from him even if they did cut him off. He had enough wealth from the value of those stocks to live somewhat comfortably for the rest of his life, albeit not as luxuriously as he was used to before.

He felt relieved for once in his life. He simultaneously felt lots of regret for not doing this sooner. For hiding behind Jennie for so long.

_______

"Where is that boy!" Dean Kim said, walking back into the dining room. He found the note and turned red. His wife followed after him and snatched it out of his hand and she started crying as she read it.

Jennie was perplexed. She didn't know what was going on.

Kai's mom was crying and Kai's dad was fuming. She figured it out a second later when Dean Kim got on the phone.

"Freeze all of his accounts and credit cards and take him off of the family register. He is no longer my son."

Kai had run away. He decided to let himself get cut off rather than propose.

Jennie felt an overwhelming feeling of relief but also major shock. She didn't think he had it in him. She would have never guessed this happening in a million years.

"May I be excused?" Jennie asked her father. "I need to go cry out this devastating feeling of rejection." Jennie finished sarcastically.

Her father looked at her angrily.

"This only means your next option is the Chaebol's son."

"I look forward to it." Jennie said dryly, by then, by the time he could negotiate an engagement with a man that was literally over ten years older than her Lisa would be out of Yemen if she was still alive. She was alive. She had to be alive and Jennie would be out of her father's clutches by then.

"If you'll excuse me." Jennie said politely to Kai's mom. She had always liked her. She was always nice and didn't carry the air of haughtiness the rest of the adults carried. She was just a little aloof and just a little helpless which was to be expected considering she was sent to finishing school and was basically trained to be the obedient housewife all of her life.

"I'm sorry dear." Kai's mom apologized to Jennie through her tears.

"Don't worry, Kai is a momma's boy." Jennie whispered to her before taking her leave. "He'd never truly leave you." Jennie said honestly. She might loathe him, but that was something she knew to be absolutely true, Kai loved his mother more than anyone else in this world.

____________

They finally got a call two weeks before Jennie was supposed to have her father host that charity event. She had waited until the last minute to start inviting people to the event, tying every loose end she could so she could avoid it but time had run out and she was currently working on it now. She couldn't wait any longer or no one would come.

She heard a squeal in the other room and Jennie had been so focused she had jumped from the sound.

"Lisa! Is that really you?"

Jennie abruptly got up from her seat at the mention of Lisa. Jennie heard sobbing next and she practically sprinted out of her office.

Jennie went into the living room,  Chaeyoung was already crying and had just dropped the phone.

Jisoo picked it up.

"Limario! You're alive?"

Chaeyoung sobbed harder and Jennie went to go hug her.

"What did I tell you about making my chipmunk cry!" Jisoo scolded, the relief evident in her voice. "What the hell happened? We thought you died you dumbass!"

"She's okay Rosie. She's okay." Jennie said, rubbing her back and saying it more to herself than Chaeyoung. The tears were flowing from her face too. She didn't even realize she had already started crying.

Eventually Chaeyoung recovered enough to talk to Lisa again.

"Lisa, are you hurt? What happened?" Chaeyoung sniffled.

Jennie watched intently, needing to catch Rosie's end of the conversation at the very least.

"I love you, don't scare me like that, why would you scare me like that you jerk." Chaeyoung scolded her.

"Are you at least safe?" Chaeyoung asked her as she continued to cry into the phone.

Chaeyoung talked to her for a few more minutes and Jennie finally calmed down. She wished she could hear Lisa's voice so bad to make sure she was okay herself but Chaeyoung had calmed down and it reassured Jennie enough to know Lisa really was okay.

Jennie got up from the floor.

"Are you okay Jendeukie?"

"Yeah. She's okay right?" Jennie asked, despite trying to reassure herself with listening to Rosie's end of the call.

"Yeah, she said she was in the middle of the city when the first strike happened and some little boy named Omar saved her from the second strike. She lost some colleagues but she's okay and she was just barely able to get to a phone. It was chaos there for weeks apparently."

Jennie breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm gonna go make some tea." Jennie said. She needed something to help calm her down. She absently thought she might bust out the wine instead because her nerves had been going haywire.

"Jennie?" Chaeyoung asked and Jennie stopped. "Do you want to talk to her? I know how worried you were."

"She's still in Yemen?" Jennie asked.

"Yeah."

Jennie's heart dropped. She longed for that phone. She longed to hear her voice for herself. To make sure Lisa really was okay like they said but she was still stuck in Yemen and Jennie had to behave if Lisa was to ever make it out safe and sound. She swallowed the longing down.

"And she's safe?" Jennie asked again, needing to make sure.

"For now. They're going to take a little bit longer to get them out than they would have but she should be fine, they've relocated."

"Tell that idiot to stop being so reckless and worrying everybody. Tell her she better not do it again." Jennie said in answer and walked to her room, locking the door behind her.

She dove under her covers and cried. She longed to speak to Lisa. She hadn't heard her voice in eight months and it killed her, especially after thinking she was dead but she was still in Yemen. She needed to hold out until they got her out.

Even then. Lisa probably wouldn't want to speak to her anymore. It would be shameless for Jennie to call her out of the blue once she was actually allowed to because Lisa probably hated her now considering Jennie didn't even bother to talk to her even after this scare.

Lisa was probably hurt over it and Jennie couldn't tell her the real reason why she hadn't talked to her all of these months. Lisa would just resent herself if she knew the whole truth.

________

"Lis—" Chaeyoung started.

"It's fine Rosie. I didn't expect her to want to talk to me. I heard her anyway. I'm sorry for worrying all of you. I need to go. There's only one phone for all the surrounding villages to use, I just wanted to let you guys know I was safe. I'll call you when I get to Syria."

"Okay Lis. Be safe please, we love you."

"I don't! I hate you Limario!" Jisoo shouted jokingly.

Chaeyoung heard Lisa laugh.

"Tell her I love her too and that I still remember that cheek kiss."

Chaeyoung giggled, "She's going to try to beat you up when you come back for saying that."

"I'll make sure to come back so she can try." Lisa said smugly.

"You better. We'll be waiting."

_____________

A/N

Gimme a few hours of sleep and I'll get the next one out!