Chapter 24

JENNIE

“Kim. Nara Kim.”

When I heard her name I paused.. I didn’t know if I should let her in or not. Jisoo’s mother was here. And from what Jisoo told me she was not a very nice person..

“Mrs. Kim, Jisoo is not here. You can go at her..”

“I know who you are Jennie. Open the door now ” From the sound of her voice I decided to let her in. After all she was Jisoo’s mom..

I really didn’t want Ella to be here when she would come up so I told her to go inside her room till Mrs. Nara Kim was out of our apartment.

She knocked the door, I took a big breath and let her in..

“It took you long enough.. Are you slow or something?”

“No, I am not.” She was a spit image of Jisoo.. She had long brown hair, with piercing blue eyes. Only that hers were icy and cold when my Jisoo’s had a different color..

“So.. I see my daughter took you. I thought I raised her better than that.”

“I am sorry Mrs. Kim but..”

“I talk. You don’t. What you did to my daughter eh? Did you threaten her or something? Because my Jisoo would never do something like that. She would never break up with her handsome boyfriend over a girl she hardly knew and especially a girl like you.”

She was giving me insults after insults. I could defend myself but I didn’t want to cause any problem to Jisoo.. And we already had a lot of drama in our life. She moved around like she owned the place. She was the queen bee. I could see it.. No wonder why Jisoo was like that when I met her. Growing up with a woman like her.. I really feel sorry for my girlfriend.

“And I see that my daughter is letting you do whatever you want inside her house.. I see you were cooking.. From the streets to a house.. You took advantage of her. I don’t know what you did but I am sure it was your plan from the beginning.” I really couldn’t take anymore insults. Especially when they weren’t true..

“Listen Mrs.. I never took advantage of Jisoo.. Your daughter is an amazing person and she helped me when her asshole boyfriend beat me to death.”

“Don’t you dare talk about Suho like that. You put him in jail with your filthy lies. You are nothing more than a scamp. And people like you understand only one language. How much do you want?”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. How much do you want?” and she searched her back. What she was looking for I didn’t know till I saw the check. The nerve this woman had.

“What are you doing?”

“This is what you want right? You were looking for a victim and you found my stupid daughter. But I know people like you. So 500000 are enough for you?”

“I don’t want your money.”

“Tough negotiator..” she said and wrote another check. She threw it on my face.. I picked it up without looking at the sum that she had already written and I tore the check right in front of her. Who that woman thought she was?

“What are you trying to prove Jennie Kim?” she knew my name.. She did a background check on me? And who told her? That asshole.. Suho..

“I am not trying to prove anything. Especially to you.”

“Well Jennie, daughter of the one and only Kim Myung Hwan, try to prove to Jisoo that you weren’t a whore and a drug addict. Does she know all that? I am sure if she did she wouldn’t keep you here. You lost your only chance. You should have taken the money.”

And as she came in and threw the bomb at me she left within a few seconds. And I stayed there looking at the closed door and having in my mind what she said.. What if she told Jisoo?

.

JISOO

My day was stressed as always.. Especially with the new case everyone was on edge. It was a big firm but we didn’t have too many lawyers.. The president wanted a few but it had to be the best.. And I was one of them.. For the first time in my career I was debating if I was doing the right thing. Day after day I was getting more into this case and I could see the facts. People were dying and the cause was the company we were going to defend. Once I wouldn’t debate with myself. I would just do strictly my job.. But after Jennie, everything changed.. I just couldn’t do that.. 35 people were dead and among them 20 children from the age of 3 till the age of 15.. Children like Ella.

“What are you thinking Jisoo?”

“The case.”

“It’s one of our biggest cases. Do you know how much money we will be paid?”

“Irene.. It’s not all about the money you know.”

“It’s your job. You are a lawyer and we all took an oath. We have to defend a client so stop thinking like that.”

“I think we should take a break.”

“Ten minutes. No more than that.”

“I am going to my office.”

Once I got inside I turned on the tv. I always did so to know what was happening to the world.. What I heard made me pause..

‘A girl was found dead at Harrison’s Motel.. Sources say that the girl was fighting with a man during morning times.. Up until now we don’t have the girl’s name.. She was founded dead with a bullet on her head.. They still search for the man who killed her..’

That was Jennie’s motel.. I didn’t know what got me but I called my home immediately.. I called more than once but Jennie didn’t pick it up.. I was afraid that something happened. I was being ridiculous but I couldn’t help it. Jennie’s been through way too much and I couldn’t lose her.. So I called her cell phone.. If she didn’t pick it up I didn’t know what I would do.

“Hey gorgeous.”

“Jennie, where the fuck are you?”

“I am at the park. What’s wrong?”

She was so kind and she understood my fears.. This month was like hell on earth for us.. And especially for Jennie. I just wanted to protect her and start living our lives without drama.. We had a lot of it.

Once I finished my call with Jennie, I found Irene at her office and we started our reading again.. The more I was getting into this case the less I wanted to participate.

All I was thinking was to go back to my home and cuddle with Jennie. For one more night I wouldn’t be home to say goodnight to Ella and that was killing me.. Although I told Jennie not to wait for me what she said made me fall more in love with her.. ‘I would wait forever for you’.. Before Jennie I don’t even remember how I used to be. Well I do.. But I want to forget.. This Jisoo, right now, was the true Jisoo and back home I had a girlfriend that I loved. I did love her.. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if it is a month or a week.. When you love someone, you just know.

At 5pm I heard my cell phone.. I really didn’t want to pick it up but I thought that it was Jennie and I really wanted to hear her voice again. When I saw that it wasn’t her but my mother my smile faded.

“Who is it?”

“My mother.”

“Aren’t you going to pick it up?”

“I don’t know.. Well it stopped.. We may continue.”

“Okay. Read this statement..” my phone rang again.. “I think you should pick it up. Maybe it’s something important.”

“If you excuse me.”

“Of course.”

I answered my phone inside my office. I really didn’t want for people to know what was going on with my family or my relationship.

“Yes mother.”

“Jisoo, why you are not answering your phone?”

“I don’t know if you understand what working means.”

“Watch your manners.”

“What do you want mother? I am in the middle of a case.”

“Meet me downstairs in 10 minutes. I am in Philadelphia.”

“Why you are here?”

“I said meet me downstairs.” And she hung up the phone. She was in Philadelphia? For what reason? I really didn’t want to see her but if I didn’t she would come from my apartment and then she would see Jennie and Ella and I would have to answer to her questions..

I found Irene and told her that my mother wanted to talk to me about something important. She didn’t like it because we were leaving the case in the middle again. I was just curious what my mother wanted here and why she needed to talk to me.. In ten minutes I was downstairs and Nara Kim, the one and only was there with her cold bitch attitude.

“Hello, mother.”

“Hello, Jisoo. You are not going to hug your mother?” I hugged her but it was cold. Like we weren’t mother and daughter.

“What are you doing here?”

“Why don’t we sit first? There is a bakery here.” I knew that bakery. It was where I met Jennie for the first time.

“Okay.”

I haven’t been there since the day I hit Jennie with my car. I had no reason to because Jennie was living with me..

“So, Jisoo dear how’s your life?”

“My life is good.”

“And how is Suho?” I didn’t tell them that I broke up with him. Actually I wasn’t talking with my family that much, especially with my mother. I decided to lie to her so she could leave and we could go on with our lives.

“He is okay.”

“Are you sure he is?”

“What are you saying mother?”

“I am saying that you are lying Jisoo dear ” She said with her cold exterior.

“What?”

“I didn’t raise you like that Jisoo Kim. Our family is one of the most important families in New York. And you are a disappointment.”

“You don’t make any sense you know.”

“Suho, your ex boyfriend called me. From prison. He informed me about the whore you have inside your house. How much do you know about this Jennie girl Jisoo?”

“Don’t you ever call her like that again. Did you hear me, mother?”

“You broke up with that wonderful man for someone you don’t even have a clue who she is.” she said with a smile.

“I know who Jennie is. And you don’t know who Suho is. Do you know what he did to her?”

“Really? Are you sure or you believe what she said to you?”

“I am not going to sit down and listen to you.” I said and got up ready to leave. My mother though stopped me by grabbing my hand..

“I think you should ask Jennie about her past. What she did. I think you don’t know her as much as you want to think you do. She is with you only for you money.”

“You don’t know what you are saying.”

“Am I not? Ask her about her favourite friend.. I think her name was cocaine.”

I didn’t stay to let her continue with her lies. She was a sad woman that she wanted to control my life.. Whatever she was saying was untrue. Jennie would never lie to me.. And how she knew about Jennie? That woman liked to destroy lives and especially mine.. What she said though hunted me.. I knew that Jennie had a past that I didn’t know.. But was it true what my mother said? She was a drug addict? So.. did I really know Jennie or not?