Chapter 35

Jongin's POV

A couple of minutes earlier...

"Sir Kim, your tux is ready."

"Yeah, leave it there." I ordered.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror as I buttoned up my black dress shirt. Tonight was the night. The moment I've been daydreaming since I was a little kid. Hundreds of people were invited, not only from New York, but from around the world.

My name and my face were plastered all over the museum. In fact, according to my assistant, there were already a couple hundred thousand dollar bets made on my paintings that they haven't even seen yet.

All of these renowned writers from infamous magazines and websites were coming to write about the event. I heard there were a couple of Hollywood celebrities on the guest list as well.

Earlier this morning, there were about a hundred girls lined up outside my penthouse, begging for a photo or an autograph.

"He is the new face of modern and commercial art," they would all say. "He makes all these teenage girls want to go to museums instead of pop concerts."

There were some inevitable and harsh critiques as well, saying that instant fame isn't respectable fame. It goes with the job though, and I've learned to just brush them off.

My eyes scanned the guest list, skipping through every 'big' name that I didn't even recognize. Right under Taemin' name, I saw Kang Seulgi and Bae Joohyun,  who was probably their plus one.

Then there was Jennie's name.

I never called to ask her if she was coming, that's only because we never really spoke anymore since I left for New York. I never saw the point of communication while we were apart. It was just going to break me even more.

Just last night, Taemin gave me a call and briefly mentioned that Jennie was coming along. I haven't had any sleep since then. I kept tossing and turning, telling myself that it wasn't a big deal. It was just Jennie.

She was just the girl who broke my heart into a million pieces, so why should it be a big deal?

Who are you even kidding, Kai.

I walked up to my desk and pulled out my new tie from the drawer. When I saw what it looked like, I felt a slight sense of infuriation.

"Bian!" I shouted.

"Yes, Sir?" My assistant rushed to my room.

"I specifically asked for a new black tie," I grimaced, tossing the package towards her. "This one's navy. And it's suede."

Bian immediately picked up the package and stuffed it inside her purse. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Sir. I must have picked up the wrong one. I will have a new one sent to your room immediately."

"Good." I replied nonchalantly. "Make sure it gets here quick because I don't want to wait."

"Yes, Sir. I'm so sorry for the mix up."

"Wait up!" I called just when she was about to leave the room. I handed her my guest list, with four names highlighted with a pen. "Go down and let me know if these people are already here."

"Will do, Sir."

Once I was alone in my office again, I paced back and forth, wondering how I should go about this reunion. I invited her for a very specific reason.

I wanted her to see the life she could have had with me. She could have lived in a penthouse instead of that quaint old apartment in Busan. She could have had everything she ever wanted.

Apart from that, I wanted her to see the amount of success I've gained just by allowing her to let go of me. I wanted her to feel like as if I didn't need her to in order to be happy. I could be happy with my career and myself. 

"Sir Kim?" Bian knocked on my door a few minutes later. "They're here."

"Is Jennie Kim with them?" I sharply asked.

"Yes, Sir." Her cheeks turned red as she pulled out a new package from the paper bag she was holding. "And Sir, here's your black tie. It's satin."

I grabbed the package from her and signaled for her to leave. "I'll be there. Don't wait for me."

**

Jennie's POV

It took a good five seconds before I spun around, only to find my ex-boyfriend standing in front of me.

I have to admit; he looked dashing. Back then he'd always get a haircut whenever his hair would grow just a bit longer. However now, it freely fell down to his nape, neatly brushed with gel.

"Kai..." was all that came out of my mouth, if it even came out since I felt like I was talking to the ground.

"Hi, Jennie," he smiled. "It's nice to finally see you again."

He leaned forward and gave me a hug, catching me off guard. Before things could get any more awkward, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him back. I couldn't help but feel weak in the knees after smelling his cologne.

"You look good," I sputtered, after finally releasing him. "I mean, this place is amazing. And you too, of course."

"You look amazing, as usual," Kai politely replied with a smirk that made my breath hitch. "Have you looked around?"

"Oh, I was beginning to," I said as I started to walk along the rows of art displays.

"That portrait I made of you is the latest one I added to my collection," he proudly stated. "I still have that picture of you on my phone. I think you were staring out the window while I was painting in my studio."

"Uh, I don't really remember that."

"That's because it was a usual occurrence," he chuckled.

I cleared my throat, mentally trying my best to get rid of all the anxiety. "So, you're Sir Jongin Kim now, huh? It's quite astounding to see all of this happen now. I'm really proud of you."

"I'm just lucky," he shrugged, casually brushing his fingers over the wooden frame of his artwork. "One thing led to another, and then here I am. It's quite crazy if you ask me."

"How did this all happen, if you don't mind me asking?" I curiously inquired, not that I doubted his artistic abilities.

Jongin opened his mouth to speak, but Taemin was quick to interrupt him with an attack hug from behind. "Bro, this is fucking awesome!"

"Tae, not too loud," Jongin tried not to laugh, releasing himself from Taemin' tight grip.

"This is fxcking awesome," Taemin repeated in a softer tone. "I just saw television reporters at the lobby. Man, after this, we've got to go out for some dinner and drinks to celebrate, just like the old times."

"That sounds like the perfect plan," Jongin nodded. "I'm really missing home a lot so I'd love to spend time with you guys. You'll come with us, right Jennie?"

"Of course I will," I smiled at him. "Can we take our other friends with us?"

The last thing I wanted was to be the third-wheel of Taemin and Jongin's bromance, knowing that Taemin himself wasn't too happy about how we ended our relationship. Taemin may have been very comforting during the breakup, but at the end of the day, I knew his loyalty was with Kai.

"Take who? Are we going out? Is there an after party?" someone exclaimed from behind. We all turned around to see Seulgi happily walking towards us with a plate in one hand and a glass of wine on the other. Irene slowly trailed behind her holding only a cocktail drink.

"And we meet again," Jongin slyly grinned at Seulgi "Of course you can come traitor besties!"

Seulgi and Taemin both looked like they were holding in their laughter and awkward responses at the same time. I felt my cheeks start to flush as I mindlessly grabbed the glass from Seulgi's hand and downed the wine within seconds. "Let's look around some more, shall we?"

**

During the middle of the gathering, the owners of the museum called Kai's name using the microphone, asking him to give his speech.

I stood beside one of the huge pillars, hoping he wouldn't make any eye contact with me while talking. I didn't want to remember how guilty I felt when I missed the first speech he has ever given.

Kai went on and started to thank a bunch of people whose names I didn't even recognize. Spotlights would be focused on certain people and then one round of applause would be given.

Beside me was a short girl with wavy, reddish brown hair. She looked too caught up in the work she was doing on her mini tablet.

As an attempt to get rid of the tension I was feeling, I decided to strike a conversation with a complete stranger. "Hey," I smiled at her. "Are you one of the invited guests?"

She looked at me anxiously and shook her head. "Uh, n-no. Not really."

"Oh, you work here?" I asked.

She nodded.

"That's cool. My name's Jennie, by the way," I offered my hand.

She reluctantly shook my hand while giving me a weak smile. "I know who you are," she said quietly. "I'm Bian."

"How'd you know who I am?" I curiously asked.

"I, uh..." she looked around and then lowered her voice. "I'm Sir Kim's assistant. I'm quite aware of the guest list."

"Oh," I raised an eyebrow. "He has an assistant. That's impressive, I guess."

She didn't say anything. She just looked around the room, like as if she wanted the night to be over already.

"So Bian, if you don't mind me asking, how did Jongin... I mean, your boss, gain all of this in just a span of three months?"

"He got lucky," she hummed casually. "He was hired as an Art Director. His office had all of his old paintings in it, and then luckily during a meeting, his client – who happened to be very important and well-known in the art industry, offered to buy his paintings. Turns out that client worked for the media and then the next thing he knew, everyone was talking about his art. He literally got promoted in one week."

My mouth slowly parted open, surprised at her sudden burst of words - which had a hint of aggravation and desire at the same time. "That's interesting. I knew he had it in him though."

Bian was about to say something when Jongin tapped the microphone louder. "I would also like to thank my closest friends Taemin and Jennie, along with our friends Seulgi and Irene, for coming here. My family wasn't able to make it due to a delay in their flight, so I'm glad I have the closest thing to home right here."

When I looked up at the mini stage, Jongin was looking straight into my eyes. He seemed to have spotted where I was standing despite the sea of people in front of me.

"closest friends. . . ." I mumbled under my breath.

"What was that?" Bian asked.

"Oh, nothing," I forced a smile. "I'm just... surprised that he still considers me one of his closest friends. We haven't spoken in months."

"He talks about you all the time at work."

"H-he does?" I stammered.

"Almost everyone in his team knows who you are," Bian said.

"Would that be a good thing or not?"

Bian tucked her tablet under her arm and went along with the second round of applause. "I wouldn't really know for sure," she responded indifferently.

She brushed her hand over my shoulder and smiled. "I have to go back to work. I hope to see you again soon."

Once Bian disappeared into the crowd, Jongin made his way back to where I was standing. Soon enough, Selgi, Irene nd Taemin all gathered in one circle with us.

"Guys, as much as I'd love to hangout tonight, I'm afraid I have something else to attend to," Jongin sighed. "However, I'd love to have some dinner tomorrow at around seven? How does that sound?"

"Sounds doable," Taemin nodded. "Our flight isn't until early the next morning."

I didn't say anything as I let Taemin and Jongin catch up one last time. Seulgi disappeared with Irene again, and I wouldn't be surprised if she went for one more round at the buffet table.

Jongin whispered something in Taemin' ear while looking at me. Within seconds, he pats his back and then walked towards me.

"Hey," he smiled.

"Glad I heard your speech this time," I said, not really knowing what else to say.

Jongin brushed his fingers through his long hair and licked his lower lip. "I'm delighted as well. Didn't even think you'd show up, to be honest."

"I knew I couldn't possibly miss it this time," I replied, feeling extremely embarrassed after being reminded of my past negligence. "Especially not something this big. I'm really, really proud of what you've achieved, Kai."

"You could say I was just really inspired," he meekly shrugged.

I looked around and mindlessly straightened my dress. "Hey, um, don't you have a thing to attend to?"

Jongin glanced at his watch and darted his eyes towards the main entrance. "Yeah," he nodded. "It's you, Jennie. Mind if we get out of here?"

I sucked in a breath and glanced over at the buffet table where Seulgi was. "Um, I can't really leave. . . "

"They'll be fine," Jongin chuckled. "Just meet them back at your hotel."

"Kai.  . . ." my voice trailed off. I knew it probably didn't mean anything, but this time that both Jongin and Lisa existed in real life, I knew that whatever I did wrong would be seriously considered as cheating this time. My heart belonged to Lisa. I knew that deep inside.

"Look, I know you're hesitant but I'm only doing this as a friend," Kai shook his head and snickered. "We're just friends, Jennie. I'm aware of that."

Well, the last time we saw each other you told me you love me and I said it back.

I swallowed hard and then finally gave in. "Okay. We can go."

"I'm glad you couldn't say no," he sweetly smiled, putting his hand over my shoulder as he led me out of the hall.