Miss J | Jensoo

Ch34. The Grand Ballroom

The next day, Jisoo had been discharged from the hospital in good shape, with the exception of a bandage around the deep incision from her bicep to her elbow.

Now, it was 5pm and she was standing in front of the mirror in her sleeved glittery black cocktail dress and hooking on her dangle earrings. Her eyes unavoidably fell upon the pendant that caught the light and her fingers gently traced the delicate necklace she had not once taken off. With a sigh, she shook the thoughts of a certain brunette out of her head before she ran late for the event.

Although her irritation for Joohee had lessened since the hospital visit, Jisoo was thankful to be alone, for the peace and quiet throughout the 4-hour drive to the venue. She could use some me-time to clear her head, or so she had hoped.

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When Jennie awoke from her slumber, the sun had set and the bus had reached its destination, and passengers were filing out. She squinted at her phone.

730pm. Her shift starts in half an hour.

Letting out a yawn, she raked her hands through her hair and stood up, stretching and cracking out the stiffness in her muscles and joints. She slung her duffel across her shoulder and hopped off the bus, the bracelet soft and cool around her wrist in the evening air.

This place was like an isolated kingdom, high and mighty but all alone above the surrounding forests. It's so out of the way but I guess that's the point of exclusivity not just anyone can afford, isn't it?

She thought she would have gotten used to the snobbish vibe here by now, but it seemed not yet, if ever. It was not that she had anything personal against the rich, she just wished they could show more empathy and consideration towards others, including the less well-off like little Jennie and her mother in the past. That would have been nice.

As if on autopilot, Jennie's feet took her to locker number 14 in the staff room, then her fingers habitually punched in the code to unlock it with ease, and her hands reached in to retrieve a set of brown uniform that she promptly changed into. It was the spare set of her size for times like this, but it was tighter than she remembered, and she hoped nobody would notice and try to hit on her again like last time, and the times before that.

She let her fingers graze the nametag embroidered on the shirt and smiled. Sandara Park. Sure, Jennie did not share Dara's last name but that certainly did not make Dara any less of a terrific mother whom Jennie loved with her life.

After stowing her duffel bag away in the locker and locking it up, Jennie wheeled the trolley from the utilities corner and pushed it out of the staff room.

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Atop a hill, the hotel stood like an infallible castle, complete with drawbridges, splashing fountains and towering golden double doors. Fast cars, vintage sedans, luxurious automobiles are making their grand entrances, taking turns to drop their important guests off in style, everyone dressed to the nines and more.

Jisoo smoothly slid out of her red convertible, black and glitter hugging in all the right places, dipping modestly at the front and twice as low at the back. Silky dark hair tumbled down her bare back in curls and waves, hiding the milky expanse of skin just enough to be sensually mysterious yet still elegant.

Handing the key to the valet and surveying the magnificence of the place, Jisoo took a deep breath and moved, black stilettos clicking against the asphalt and up the marble steps, to join the sea of sleek suits and head-turning dresses.

Here we go.

"Here you go, pretty face," a ghostly whisper was at her ear sometime after and Jisoo almost raised a fist instinctively but thank heavens she did not, otherwise she would have knocked out the star of tonight's show: Joohee.