A Thousand Purple Stars (JinJi)

Happy To

Dara was the one who insisted that she do the reading and the Q&A tonight.

In the two months that Jisoo had spent working with Dara and rooming with her in her apartment, she had learned how to deal with her. She had learned when to ignore her bitchy outburst, when not to take her off-the-cuff remarks personally, and also when she needed to be checked. Because their professional relationship was on a more even ground, Jisoo didn't feel like she was being squashed under the older girl's thumb anymore.

For the most part, Jisoo let Dara run her business the way she wanted to, but Jisoo had learned early on that if she wanted Dara to listen to her, she had be a bit more forceful. Sometimes, she even got her way.

The book reading and Q&A wasn't one of those things, however.

It was eight in the morning and Jisoo had just gotten to the shop to open up. Doyoung arrived not long after, and she instructed him to make sure their rental order for chairs for tonight was still confirmed. He went into the office to make the call and Jisoo busied herself by moving the cash back into the register and then dusting around in preparation for tonight.

It was surreal to think about. Just a few months ago, she thought for sure that her fate was sealed. She'd never be taken seriously as a writer ever again. Now, here she was preparing to read an excerpt of her debut novel to a small crowd of fans and answer their questions. This was stuff only real writers were expected to do, and now she was doing it.

I really have arrived, she thought.

She heard the door open and a customer stepped in. Jisoo leaned over the counter to see who could possibly be coming in this early in the morning?

"Hello?" she called out. Then from around the corner appeared none other than Jennie Kim.

"Excuse me," Jennie said, waving a copy of her book in the air. "Can I talk to the author of this book?"

Jisoo laughed and Jennie walked over to the counter. Then she looked around the room and looked impressed by the shop.

"Oh my god, it's so cute," Jennie said. "There's even real books and everything!"

"It's the real deal," Jisoo said, patting the cash register. "You are looking at one of the partners to To Anyone Independent Publishers. Dara's the creative director and editor-in-chief, I handle the business end and also her first client. I'll be happy to sign your book for you if you want."

"Oh my god, you're going to be famous," Jennie said, pushing the book at Jisoo for her to sign. "You own a bookshop and you're a real author? Kim Jisoo, I want to be you when I grow up."

"Just keep reaching for the stars," Jisoo said, finally finding a pen that worked and scribbling her signature on the title flap of the book.

"So, the word around town is that you're doing an event tonight for your new book," Jennie said. "You excited?"

Jisoo groaned. "I mean, yes and no," she said. "It's cool and all, but I'm nervous. This place is gonna be full of fans and critics and stuffy, literary types. What if I get confronted by someone who hated my book?"

"They can catch these fists if they insult your book," Jennie said, making a fist and punching the air. Jisoo laughed.

"Hey," Jennie said, punching Jisoo's shoulder lightly. "You should be proud of yourself, kid. Look at you, you're living the dream! You should be over the moon!"

"I am," Jisoo said, though not in the most convincing of tones. Jennie scoffed.

"Oh yeah, I can totally feel the excitement," she said. It was a joke, but the way Jisoo's smile faded afterward made Jennie afraid that she might have accidentally hit a sore spot. Though she wasn't sure what she said to trigger it.