Jennie took another hit of the blunt, exhaling the smoke into the cold air a few seconds after. You watched with a small smile on your face. She always looked so beautiful when she was calm. You were lucky that you were able to witness her in these moments, most people who were around her only saw her when she was putting on her cold act. Fierce, strong, and guarded. All the time. Even around you most times. This was the only time, in the dark of the night after performances or events when you'd send her a text that you'd gotten some weed for her, and she'd eagerly join you wherever you were.

Tonight you were on the rooftop of the hotel. There were only a few other people there too, but they were far enough away to not bother you and all old enough that they probably wouldn't even recognize Jennie if they were close. You were both leaning against the railing on the outline of the roof, facing the open air and looking at the view of the city. The other girls were sound asleep. You two should've been too. Everyone had to wake up early the next morning, but Jennie figured she wasn't going to get any sleep anyway, and smoking would maybe increase her chances.

She passed the blunt to you, barely glancing at you as she did it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. You inhaled the smoke as she spoke to you, "Thanks for getting this. I needed it."

You nodded, blowing out the smoke through the small opening in your lips. "No worries," you sighed. "I know it's been stressful on all of you recently." She just nodded in agreement and held up her two fingers for you to stick the blunt in between. You happily obliged. "Do none of the other girls ever want to smoke?"

She shrugged, "They'd rather sleep. Good for them."

You hummed, "Yeah, I guess."

"Why do you do this anyway?" She tilted her head and turned to you. You raised your eyebrows in question, wondering what she meant. "I mean smoking is fun, obviously, but you go through the extra effort of getting it in the middle of your job where you could get caught and fired. I mean, are we so stressful that you need it that bad?"

"What? Of course not." You scoffed, "I love my job, Jennie, and that means I love you girls. That means I love you." She grimaced at the sentence. You knew it wasn't personal, but she just wasn't the best at verbal affection. She was the closest to you amongst the staff, but she still kept you at an arms length distance. "So I get the weed for you. Besides, I'm still sort of doing my job since my job is to take care of you."

She hummed and took another puff. Turned back to the view, she prodded more, "But we must be a little stressful, right? At least me. That's what I overhear all the time, anyway."

"We're all stressed." You chuckled, "You guys are just beginning. You just got a #1 song, I mean... there's a lot on you right now." Jennie bit her lip, looking in front of her at her hands. "I know you want the best for everyone, that's why you're so hard. Do I think you could stand to be a little nicer? Sure, but I get why you're not, too."

"I can't be nicer." She said sharply. "I've trained for so many years, y/n. I've worked so hard and we're finally getting our success... if I'm nicer, it'll make people careless."

"If you're nicer, they'll want to help you more, Jennie." You responded. "That wardrobe malfunction today," You heard Jennie sigh at the mention of it. It was obviously weighing on her. "you guys handled it well, but you yelled at everyone once you got off stage. I understand the frustration, but it's that behavior that even caused the malfunction. They were in a rush. No one does well under that much pressure. They need some praise, you know that from your trainee days."

She paused for a moment and took in your words. She was kind and she cared hard, you knew that. If she started being nice, she would let things slide. She pushed away from the railing, causing you to turn to her in confusion. "I didn't come here for a therapy session, I know what I'm doing." She huffed, handing you the blunt. You took it and sighed. She stared hard at you, waiting for you to say something, but you just looked at her. Her eyes eventually turned a little softer, realizing she was only proving your point. She was just lucky you understood her and didn't let it affect you. "Thank you for this. I should try and sleep."

You chuckled, "I have a feeling this didn't relax you at all."

She shook her head. "No, but after today, I doubt I could get high."

Hesitantly, you stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. She furrowed her eyebrows at the touch, her body tensing, opposite of what you were trying to do. Quickly, you pulled your hand away. "Sorry, look... just relax, okay? Everyone messes up sometimes. And you have tomorrow to prove that it's not going to be a recurring problem."

Your words seemed to relax her a bit and she nodded. "Yeah, thanks." And with that, she turned away and took the elevator down. You turned away and took one more hit of the blunt before throwing it in the trash. You needed to sleep too. But, first, you'd have to check up on someone.

You pulled out your phone and pressed on the contact that you did every night. It didn't take more than thirty seconds for her to answer. You knew she always awaited your call. You felt bad for keeping her up some nights, but she'd reassured you that it was okay.

"Hey, y/n! I was wondering if you'd call me today."

Her voice brought an immediate smile to your face and you laughed lightly into the phone. "When have I ever missed a call, Sana?"

Sana giggled, "You're right. This one was a bit earlier than usual, actually."

"Yeah, the smoke ended earlier tonight." You'd explained.

"Oh, tonight was a smoke night?" She inquired. "You should stop doing that. I know you're good at your job, but it's not safe. If you get caught and they find out Jennie had been smoking with you, she'd be put under even more stress."

"I know." You sighed. "But did you see the malfunction today? She needed some sort of distraction. This was the only thing I could think of. I mean, it's the only time she really relaxes with me around."

Sana hummed. "I heard she was a very stoic person."

"She is." You confirmed. "Anyway, how's your group? You make any progress with Dahyun?"

You heard Sana sigh in disappointment on the other line. "No, she spent all her time with Momo today. I swear, that girl gets on my nerves sometimes."

You chuckled, "Who? Momo?"

"Yes!" Sana exclaimed, "I mean, I know I haven't told her that I like her, but isn't it obvious my flirting is different with Dahyun?"

"Why don't you just tell her?" You asked. "No way would Momo tell Dahyun if she knew you were being serious. You two love eachother, you're like siblings."

There was a pause on the other line, then another sigh. "I guess I will. I can stand the flirting from Momo, but I'm getting tired of not being able to be with Dahyun the whole day."

"I bet you are."

"Why are you so amused with this, anyway? How about Jennie? Don't you also get tired not being able to be with her other than at 3 am, high?"

"What are you talking about?!" You asked defensively. "I don't feel that way for her, Sana. It's my job to make sure she's okay."

"Yeah, well none of my managers are that dedicated to risk their job for me, even if I'd like a smoke sometimes too." She teased.

"Well, I'd get it for you too. Are you saying I have feelings for you?"

"You tell me." She giggled.

"Ew!" You groaned, "Never, you're like my sister."

"Exactly. Jennie's not like your sister, is she?"

"No," you started, "but that doesn't mean anything. Besides, even if I did like her, I'm not disappointed by the amount of time we get to spend together. It's what I expected. Relationships with someone you're working for always ends up badly, anyway."

"Sounds like you've thought about it."

"Shut up, please."

Sana laughed heartily before you heard shuffling on the other end of the line. "Okay, I think I'm gonna go to sleep. I'm already set up in bed and these blankets are making me doze off."

You smiled, "Okay. Have a good sleep, Sana."

"Thank you, baby. And you too, okay?" She cooed in her sweet voice.

"I will, don't worry." You said before hanging up. With that you let yourself follow Jennie's actions and went into your hotel room, sleeping soundly into the night.

The next morning you forced yourself out of the bed as your alarm sounded off. The sleepiness felt like it constricted your heart and made you want to cry, but the thought of Jennie made you splash water on your eyes and do your best to look decent enough that people's eyes won't break when they see you. The so called diva would probably need some extra help this morning too, and you were definitely the best person for that.

After you did your morning necessities, you tied your hair into a loose ponytail and threw on a jacket before rushing out the hotel. You weren't late, but Jennie was early. Always.

As you entered the dressing booth, you saw there were already a few staff members there and of course, Jennie, along with Jisoo. You sighed, grabbing the attention of the two girls, their heads turning at the sound. You hoped it wasn't obvious how tired you were. Jisoo's eyes seemed to analyze you, but she eventually turned away after sending you a warm smile. You smiled politely back and walked over to Jennie, who was being worked on by another staff member who she immediately waved off once you got to her side. You watched as the staff member rolled their eyes and walked away. It was a bit rude, but it was early in the morning. Cut Jennie some slack.

Jennie looked at you through the mirror, and you both just stared at each other lazily. Unfortunately, it was painfully obvious you were both tired, the bags in your eyes showing and her eyes half open. Despite your own drowsiness, you felt pity for her and bent down to apply concealer under her eyes. She closed her eyes, taking advantage of the moment to get some extra rest even if only for a few seconds. Her shoulders were tense. You knew she didn't want to have another mess up happen again and that she was holding what happened yesterday over her. You wished you could relieve her of that thought, but there wasn't much you could do, so you just made sure you were gentle as you applied the makeup and blended it with her skin.

When you were done, you took a second to admire her. You knew you shouldn't have, but she looked like a baby. Sana'a words replayed in your head. You'd done your best to ignore the fact that you maybe were getting feelings for the girl you worked for.. but as you looked at her now, her eyebrows knitted in nervousness and her lips in a small pout, you found it hard to deny the fluttering in your chest. It didn't help when she opened her eyes and looked at you too, a small smile quirking at the corner of her lips. It wasn't cocky or arrogant— just soft. It made your breath hitch, but you quickly collected yourself and continued to finish what you had to do without letting yourself get distracted again.

As time went by, the room started to fill up and Lisa and Rosé finally arrived. Their performance was nearing. You felt a dip in your chest when Nara, one of your closer co-workers, had come up to you and quietly asked you if you had seen where their mics had gone.

"The mics?" You asked in a hushed voice, careful to not let Jennie, who was only a few steps away from you, hear you. "What do you mean? How did we lose the mics? That's like the most important thing!"

"I know, obviously! I left them on the table and now they're gone!" She exclaimed. "What do we do? I don't wanna cause Jennie any more stress.."

"Well-"

"Why would you cause me more stress?" Jennie's voice suddenly pierced through the room. Everyone stopped talking as her eyes narrowed suspiciously at you two. She was adjusting her clothes in front of the mirror, and her hands stilled at the hem of her shirt as her eyes held an icy glare. You could practically feel the nerves radiating off of the girl next to you.

You nudged Nara slightly, prompting her to just speak. She looked at you like you had two heads, but when Jennie cleared her throat, she sighed in defeat and hung her head low. "I, uh– don't know where the mics are." Jennie dropped her hands, turning fully to Nara with fire in her eyes. Nara stuttered out an apology, "I-I'm really sorry, I don't know where they went! I left them on the table and when I checked they were gone."

Jennie clenched her jaw. This was the last thing she needed to happen. A wardrobe malfunction could be worked with, but no mics stopped the whole performance. They could probably ask for new ones, but the incompetence of her staff made her want to scream. When she opened her mouth to do just that, you quickly intercepted before she could let out her wrath on your friend.

"We'll look for it." You said, her eyes sharply switching over to you, the fire in her eyes not completely leaving but dissipating a little. After a few seconds of anticipating a remark and getting nothing, you moved closer. She crossed her arms defensively at your proximity. "I promise, okay? They couldn't have just disappeared. If worse comes to worse, they have extra ones."

Jennie nodded. Only you could see how nervous she was up close, and by the way she kept clenching her jaw tighter and tighter you knew she wanted to cry at the mishap. She turned back to the mirror with a huff and everyone slowly started to work again. Turning around, you grabbed Nara's arm and hurriedly exited the room.

"Oh my god. Thank you so much." Nara said shakily, "I thought she was about to cuss me out! I would've been so embarrassed."

"Yeah, she would've if I hadn't intervened." You rolled your eyes. "Who do you think would take them? I mean they were on the Blackpink table.. so unless someone is trying to sabotage them.."

"Right..." Nara nodded slowly. "...could you maybe tell me what the Blackpink table is?"

You raised your eyebrows. "What?!"

"Look, I'm not the best employee, okay?! I just thought they meant any table when they said leave it on the table. They didn't specify!" Nara defended, and you groaned internally.

"Do you remember what table then?" Nara scanned the hallway until she remembered the one she set the mics on, pointing at the furthest one away from them. You scoffed at her, looking at her incredulously. "Why would you think the furthest table away from us was where you would place them?"

"Technically, it was the nearest table to me when I walked over here."

"Whatever, let's just go." You rolled your eyes and began to walk over to the table, Nara following close behind. When you stood in front of the door, a smile appeared on your face. It was Twice! You knew they would be performing today, too, but you didn't expect to see them until much later. You were still annoyed by the fact that the mics were misplaced, but you were also kind of glad you had an excuse to see them.

Nara's lips parted in surprise at how you opened the door carelessly, not even knocking to see if they were okay with you walking in. Not everyone knew about your relationship with the girls, but Nara was quickly able to assume that you did have one as Sana squealed at the sight of you and jumped up to engulf you in a hug.

You laughed as Nayeon joined in, then Momo, then the rest of them all one by one. Well, most of them. You all greeted each other for a bit before Nara cleared her throat, reminding you why you were there. Sana looked at her curiously, not aware of who this girl was, then looked at you expectantly.

"Oh, this is Nara, everyone." You said, gesturing over time the small girl. She waved awkwardly, a shy smile on her face. "Nara, I'm sure you know Twice."

"Yep. I like your songs."

"Aw, thank you!" Sana smiled, "I have to say, you're very pretty."

A blush rose to Nara's cheeks at the compliment. You wanted to roll your eyes at Sana's flirty nature and ability to make every woman fall in love with her at first sight, but you just chuckled in amusement instead and got straight to the point.

"Well, this very pretty girl misplaced our girls' mics on your table, so... did you happen to maybe take four extra ones?"

Sana tilted her head in thought, but before she could remember anything, Nayeon jumped in.

"I think I saw a staff member leave with a few mics. Maybe he just took them back since we had enough," she said.

You nodded, "Okay, thank you! We gotta go, but it was really nice seeing you all again."

They all said their goodbyes and dispersed around you, but before you left, Sana grabbed your arm. You turned around curiously. "Not gonna wish your best friend luck?"

You playfully rolled your eyes, pulling her into a hug. "You know you don't need it."

"Of course I don't. Doesn't hurt to have it, though." She chuckled. You stayed in the embrace for a few moments... it'd been a while since you'd seen her in person. She pushed you away gently after a little. "Okay, go get the mics. You don't want your girl to be stressed."

"She's not my girl."

"We're not having this conversation again." She laughed and shoved you out, throwing out a "but you know you want her to be!" before shutting the door on your face.

Nara quirked an eyebrow at you, an amused smile on her face at the interaction. You glared at her and almost jogged to the storage of the building.

Once you got the mics, you quickly returned to the room. Jennie looked relieved at the sight of you as she rushed to grab the mics. She quickly handed them all to the girls, and Nara scoffed next to you.

"No 'thank you so much'?"

"Why should she thank you?" You asked, irritation flaring at her tone. "You lost the mics. It was your irresponsibility that she would've held over her again."

"Okay, geez." She sighed. "She could just be a little more thankful."

"I know, but she's stressed." You said. "Anyway, go do whatever you need to do. I'll talk to Jennie and make sure everything's up."

Nara narrowed her eyes at you. "Now that I think about it, maybe Sana is right. You two are a lot closer than any of us."

"That's because I'm good at my job, unlike some people."

"Cold."

You flashed her a smile as she walked away from you with a glare. Ten minutes until their performance. Jennie must've been shitting bricks thinking you weren't gonna find some in time. You walked over to her, where she was in the corner of the room subtly practicing the choreo. You had a small smile on your face. You admired how devoted she was to the whole thing.. you could tell she really loved it. You only hoped that the pressure of everything wouldn't drain that passion.

"I'm sure you've got it down already." You chuckled, trying to ease her tension. She took a quick glance at you with a smile before turning serious again. She closed her eyes and that same look of nervousness was back on her face. You sighed. You'd definitely have to get some weed for her tonight. "Jennie–"

"Y/n, I'm trying to practice." She said sternly.

"I know, I'm not trying to interrupt." She arched an eyebrow at you. "Well.. I am interrupting, but only because you look so tense. Look, we got the mics and your outfits aren't gonna malfunction this time." She sighed. "You practiced for hours last week. You're gonna do great, just– do what you do."