“Did he really say it was on the farthest left bench?” Lisa asks in scrutiny, finding it really hard to believe that a movie-like scenario like this could actually happen in real life, her best friend starring in it no less.

The girl in question fidgets, looks away in slight embarrassment as she recounts the exact exchange of words between her and Jungkook, “Well not exactly...But he did say the west side, far from everyone’s judgment so I figure, you know—”

“Chaeyoung,” Lisa deeply sighs as she finally puts two and two together, “You’re not modifying the things that actually happened just so it would actually seem like he is Jeon Jungkook, right? You’re not forcing it to be him because you like Jungkook, are you?”

No.

Absolutely not.

Out of all people, Rosé thought, Lisa should know best she’s into someone else and that she’s not the type to get easily swayed by damn hot looks! So what the hell is her friend saying? “What do you mean?”

“Oh come on Rosie, I’m your best friend.” Lisa scoffs at her, “I think I know it when you like someone more than just a fan.”

“Well you’re wrong,” Rosé pouts as she crosses her arms over her chest, “because I definitely don’t!”

“Yeah, you definitely don’t that’s why you dash to your room as soon as the BTS V-Live notification pops on your phone and you force yourself not to squeal every single ing time his face appears on the screen—”

“How did you—”

“I sneaked into your room a couple of times whenever you unexplainably hide yourself in the room with a giddy face,” Lisa shrugs, not even the least sorry of what she just confessed. ”I thought you were flirting with someone finally so I peeked from your back to see who it is only to find out that you were just having a humongous crush on a particular idol.”

“That’s not true!” Rosé defensively whines yet her flushed skin tells an entirely different story. “I’m just a fan of them all. I like BTS, and not just them, EXO, Seventeen, uh, Day6, GOT7—”

“Bull,” Lisa calls on her. “We both know you aren’t that much of an idol music fan.”

“That was before!” she stomps in frustration, her cheeks all puffed up. “Now I find it cute and energizing, and uh—it’s not just about music too, it’s about their daily lives and learning—uh—from them, because uhm, you know I’m an idol too and it’s, uhm, good to learn from others especially from our successful sunbaes. Right?”

“Then how come the only idol group I have seen you watch like a total creep in your room is BTS?” Lisa a knowing eyebrow at her friend.

After a momentary period of silence, Rosé lets out a deep sigh. Giving up—and kind of hating her best friend for knowing her like the back of her hand, she relents, “Okay, whatever.”

Lisa squeals in delight, “I knew it! I knew it, you like him! So it’s just totally because you like Jungkook that you think it’s him.”

“No,” Rosé shakes her head, “It’s not like that. It’s just,” Rosé clutches her chest, “I don’t know, I just feel like it’s him.”

“Rosé—”

“But you’re right,” she laughs humorlessly, “only in a drama or a novel would something like this happen. For God’s sake he’s a BTS member. He doesn’t have time for pen-pals. He doesn’t need pen-pals. He probably has girls lining up for him to give him pleasure whatever. Right, he probably just es up gorgeous girls in his spare time—”

“Okay now you’re just being presumptuous and exaggerated just to make yourself think of him less and automatically fall out of…your little admiration with him.” Lisa says, as if Rosé really is an open book.

Rosé’s eyes start to well up then with the intense emotions she’s feeling and the sudden ideas her friend just made her realized. She is pulled then in a comforting hug by Lisa who feels inevitably sad seeing her girl like this.

After a few moments, when Rosé has calmed a little, she breaks the silence and asks her friend a hopeful question, “But what if it’s really him Lisa?”

“Then just ask him.”

Shocked by her nonchalant answer, Rosé pulls away from their hug and starts to spout her negative perspective in life once again, “But what if he’s not? He might think that it’s some weird way of me asking him out.”

“Then just ask him out.” Again, the Thai girl says as if it is no big deal.

“But I don’t like him,” Lisa gives her the look, “I don’t like him the way I like him.”

Lisa rolls her eyes as a frustrated sigh comes out from her, “You don’t even know the guy.”

With a determined mind, Rosé says, “Then maybe it’s time I should.”

He rejected her.

Her friend just rejected her.

Despite all the warnings her negative mind told her, she stubbornly followed her heart’s desire. And look where it lead her to: heartbreak.

Three words, ten letters.

That’s all it took for her world to become a blur.

She didn’t expect it. Not at all. And maybe that’s why she couldn’t accept it and has been crying nonstop for almost three hours now at their bench by the Han River. She didn’t want to, but being the cry-baby that she is, she couldn’t help but burst into tears as soon as she saw the note.

Honestly speaking, she came to Han River with such high hopes. After all, it’s him who’s been wanting to meet up with her all these years. So, to say that the note came as a surprise is an understatement on how she feels.

She was even giddy about it last night when she was writing him a letter after a long time. That’s how much she missed this, that’s how much she missed him.

Rosé even cries harder when she remembers the last three words she wrote to him. It took her tons of courage not only to ask him to meet in person, but to tell him that she misses him too. I mean, yes, they did exchange those exact string of words before already, but this was different.

How?

Before, she missed him as a friend. But now? Well you know how. So yes, it is an entirely different story now.

Rosé wonders, if this is how terrible it feels to get rejected by someone you thought you have something going on with, then how awful has it been for him who she has rejected invitation after invitation?

Is that why he’s rejecting her now? Is he finally fed up with her? Does he no longer care whether they see each other in person or not, his interest in her all gone?

An immense distress creeps on her skin then. What if the answers to her questions are the ones she fears the most? The thought of this makes her eyes bawl out once again.

“Hey, are you okay?”

It’s the second day of the rehearsal for SBS’s special collaboration stage, a day just after Rosé’s little scene at the Han River.

She spent a few more hours there before she finally went home immediately falling asleep. But even though she has rested for quite a while, the puffiness and redness in her eyes is still very apparent that everyone could tell she had a pretty rough night. And that everyone includes Jungkook.

As soon as she enters the room, his lips immediately turn up as if it was an automatic reaction to her presence. He couldn’t help it. She is just too beautiful, too perfect even maybe. She’s just…everything.

But then his smile transforms into a worried frown when he notices her current condition, her usual shy but bubbly self gone out of the window. Now she’s just like a living corpse, forced to meet with the daily grind.

“I’m,” she sighs while taking her seat next to him, “I’m o—”

“Don’t even attempt to say the word okay because you’re obviously far from being it,” Jungkook tries to lighten up the ambiance.

“Well if it’s that obvious then why did you even ask?” Rosé instead snarks at him in a low volume while trying her very best not to roll her eyes in front of all the production staff.

“Wow, someone’s grumpy today,” Jungkook lifts his hands in surrender before shifting away from her, pouring his attention instead on the sheet music. “I’m sorry for giving a care.”

The action and words hit her like a hammer making logic finally rise above her deeply hurt emotions. Jungkook didn’t do anything wrong to her. It wasn’t him who made her heart ache and he was simply just concerned for her.

Plus, even if it turns out that he is the same person, who is she to get mad when she has made him feel this way numerous times. Besides, they’re working right now. She isn’t a rookie to not have professionalism mastered a long time ago.

So she keeps away any hard feelings she has and apologizes instead, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that when you did absolutely nothing towards me. It’s just—I just—”

“Bad night?” Jungkook offers.

Rosé scoffs, “Bad is nowhere near the adjective that could describe how dreadful my night was.”

Her words extremely tug at his heart that he can’t hold himself back especially when he sees how swollen her eyes actually are behind the spectacles. He gently places his hand on her shoulder as he asks, “Whatever it was it wasn’t worth your tears.”

Right then and there, Rosé wanted to cry her heart out again. How can he say that as if she holds such importance? As if there’s something special about her when there’s none. She is so touched with how his remark made her feel that she now feels horrible and embarrassed for the way she treated him earlier.

But crying in front of a crowd is not only unprofessional and weird, it may cause some weird rumors too so she stopped herself from doing so. Instead, she shifts her body away from the camera and pretends to fine-tune her guitar. But it doesn’t seem to be effective when Jungkook does something unexpected.

Noticing her weird behavior, Jungkook abruptly cups her face and forces her to face him directly. The action makes her eyes gape and go frantic as she tries to look at the staff who seems…unbothered by the tabloid-worthy scene in front of them.

Jungkook then pinches both of her soft chubby cheeks gaining her attention once again. “Don’t worry about them. I’ve already asked my company to make sure whatever needs to be edited out or hushed stays just like that,” and of course he just has to unleash a deadly wink at her with that.

“What do you mean?” Rosé holds her now freed but flushed face.

“It means you don’t have to worry about being comfortable around me and these friendly gestures,” he happily grins at her.

He still can’t forget the joy Bang PD actually had on his face when he confessed to him about his adoration at his duet partner. It was as if his son was finally growing up and that he was going to get a daughter-in-law. So yes, Bang PD agreed heartily to protect him and her no matter what it takes…or costs.

But Rosé didn’t know that. In fact, what is on her mind is a complete contrast with the truth. She thinks that Big Hit Entertainment is doing him this sweet favor because this is not the first time Jeon Jungkook has done something unspeakable—at least for the Korean media—with a female celebrity.

“Wow. You guys must really pay a lot because you’re so natural at this but you touching a female idol is totally unheard of,” she tries to nonchalantly say but the slight irritation that is evident in her tone fails her attempt. “Are you really this touchy with all girls, friends, lovers, whatever? Tell me, just how many times have you done this?”

Quite perplexed with her sudden outburst, he gives her a confused smile while confessing, “This would be the first.”

Rosé disbelieving that just mockingly laughs at him. “Oh come on Jungkook, it’s just us. And like you said, no one’s going to report whatever is said or done here anyway so might as well just be honest. After all, we’re friends aren’t we?”

He should be insulted but weird enough, he finds her cute and funny instead. Is she perhaps…jealous? The very thought gives him a tingling feeling in his bones and though it’s so tempting to make her eyes turn greener, he knows when to stop pushing her—thanks to years of secret messaging.

Another fortunate thing about that is he knows how to creep inside her. So he admits, “I’m telling the truth Rosé. I’m doing this for the first time because of you, because it’s you.”

The solemn genuine look in his eyes says it all and Rosé couldn’t find herself anymore to doubt him. And by whatever he means that he’s doing this all because of her, she’s decided not to put any other meaning behind it but that she’s someone he really wants to befriend with.

“Okay since we’re friends, tell me the truth,” Jungkook says, attacking her with her own words. “What did you cry about last night,” she asks while caressing her cheek.

Rosé didn’t want to answer because one, it involves a secret she truly cherishes. Two, it’s embarrassing to say that she got rejected. And three, well…it’s because his hand against her skin is just so warm she just wants to feel him against her cheek forever.

But she knows doing that would now probably require having YG involved, spending a huge amount of cash and a lot of nagging that she decides answering his question is the best option for her. “I got rejected.”

“I’m sorry what?” Jungkook asks, making sure he heard her right.

“I got rejected,” she repeats for him, “by a friend.”

“What do you mean you got rejected by a friend? Like you confessed and he didn’t feel the same?” because that’s complete bull Jungkook wanted to add. Because, who on earth can refuse someone as adorable as her?

Rosé bitterly chuckles, “I didn’t mean it that way,” though that wasn’t that far to be honest as she doesn’t think of him as just a friend anymore. “I just asked a…friend if we can meet up but he said that he couldn’t. No explanation whatsoever, just that he freaking can’t.”

Rosé bites on her lip harshly as she controls her emotions once again. Just the thought of it upsets her. Now that she thinks about it, he didn’t give her any reason on why he couldn’t. He just said, “Sorry, I can’t.” As if that should have been enough to appease her disappointed broken heart.

Knowing her for years, her friend should have known already how understanding and kind Rosé. After all, she’s been there all through his ups and downs, the least he could do is tell him why he can’t meet her and she would have understand like she always does.

But this friend forgot about how Rosé’s mood easily gets affected when it comes to the special people in her life. He got too excited imagining fluffy plots that he didn’t think a scenario like this could happen.

Jungkook’s conscience is terribly pricked. He’s thinking what if what she is referring to is really his little white note. Then damn, what the heck has he done?

It was supposed to be a light joke. Something he did just to see what her reaction would be when she gets a taste of her own medicine, anticipating it would be very cute with tons of puffing and pouting that would be so fatally cute. Never in his life did he think it would make her this devastated. It’s a little too late, but he regrets it a lot now. He should have just said the truth right then.

But hey, according to Justin Bieber, never say never, right?

So he attempts to come clean now before it’s really too late, “Rosé—”

But she cuts him off, done not only with the topic but also with her friend, “It’s fine, I’m totally fine.”

Anyone could say it was a big fat lie with how tight her lips pursed, the watery eyes and the big frown on her face. And to say Jungkook is disheartened with how obviously negatively affected she is, would be the understatement of the decade.

But that doesn’t mean he is anywhere near on giving up too. “Rosé, just let me—”

But Rosé is determined herself. “We should really start rehearsing,” she sternly says and that was the end of the conversation as the cameras started to roll and the genuine Rosé said bye for the rest of the day.

The next day, Rosé arrives at the rehearsal hall just as the clock strikes twelve in the afternoon, the agreed time to start the filming.

As soon as she steps inside, she deeply bows at every staff member she meets and apologizes for her tardiness. Not that she was late because of petty reasons, but because the recording of the variety show recording she took part in at dawn kept on extending as strong rain showers continuously ruined the outdoor shoot.

It is when she got in front that she notices that she isn’t the only one who’s late today.

“Don’t worry too much Rosé-ssi,” the kind PD says, “Jungkook-ssi will be coming late too, but he said he’ll be here soon. But he said if you want to practice first, you can go ahead.”

And damn if that doesn’t make her heart sink.

Quite frankly, she dreaded today’s meeting. So much that there was a huge part of her that hoped that the variety show shoot would even extend further to the point where she would have no choice but to cancel the practice.

Why?

Simple.

She didn’t want to see Jungkook.

Not with how awful she treated him yesterday.

Ever since the cameras started rolling yesterday, the “Park Chaeyoung” just shut down and the “Rosé” took over. She acted like everything was alright, her jaw almost hurting with how fake her smiles were, her ears complaining with the laughter that seemed more like shrieking, and her eyes…her eyes quivered every time she saw her fraud state reflected in his eyes.

She avoided all his caring questions and attempts in comforting her and instead always led the conversation back to the song. She pretended she was fine when she was feeling the total opposite. And it was obvious that she was failing miserably with her act by the way he gave her small smiles that never reached his eyes. And that’s what she feels bad the most about. She didn’t mean to, but she made him have that fake expression.

Then, as if that wasn’t enough, as soon as the director called cut, Rosé stood up and packed her stuff, leaving him without a single word.

So, how was she supposed to face him?

Turns out it won’t be such a big problem seeing the boy hasn’t arrived still and it’s been almost an hour.

She should be overjoyed that she can escape the awkwardness of today, but no. She’s feeling something else, something weird like the life out of her is being . She suspects it’s the ominous forlorn feeling that he’s not showing up because of what happened yesterday.

But a microscopic thought keeps knocking on her brain too, telling her that the weird feeling is all about her wanting to see Jeon Jungkook. Of course, she pushes this thought further back into her mind, not willing herself to think that she could be into someone other than him.

“I’m here!”

Rosé stiffens as soon as he hears the melodic yet manly voice. She feels nervous about finally seeing him. She worries that they’ll be caught in another awkward shoot and that the broadcast will actually flop or rumors like BTS Jungkook and BlackPink Rosé hate each other or the other is getting bullied by the other thus the weird atmosphere between them.

But what makes her anxious the most is that she’ll catch herself betraying her feelings for him again as soon as she sees a single strand of his raven hair. So she keeps her stare locked on the floor and she has never admired the work of art done on her toenails so much until now.

But that’s proven useless as soon as his soapy masculine scent hits her. Not helping also was his cheery tone as he calls, “Rosé.”

As if she was put under a spell, all her walls crumble down, her resolve thrown away out the window and lost forever. And immediately, her eyes lifts and un—not really—voluntarily meets his. She is then transported to another world.

She’s always known that he was beautiful, evident in the videos and photos of him. But this is the first time she has actually looked at him, void of space and void of escape. This is the first time his statuesque features were so close to her that she couldn’t even have the time to flinch and look away.

Instead, she indulges in it. She takes a solid amount of time to form constellations in space with all the dots on his face. He examines the different hues his big doe eyes fades in and out to as well as the flaring of his nose as he simply does the cycle of breathing.

Oh and his lips.

Where does she even begin?

The perfect contour of his cupid bow lips. Pink, plump, fuller on the lower lip and would probably taste so sweet if she could just lean in and it…

And the way it moves as if it’s dancing to words, so powerful as if it was chanting the most magical spell that would make your forget who you are and all that’s been, though who really cares when it’s freaking Jeon Jungkook?

So Rosé continues to watch the tango of his lips, her new favorite show. Not hearing what he has been saying for a good amount of seconds, which honestly felt like a year to her, he calls her name again. This time, for the first time, he calls her, “Park Chaeyoung.”

And just like that, she snaps out of her trance. She remembers where she is, who she is with and what the she just did.

Embarrassment colors her a deep paint of red, her ears and cheeks comparable to pits of fire. She tries to tuck herself and wear an actor’s mask again when he suddenly places a gigantic gift box in front of her, shocking the life out of her.

When she regains composure—around five percent, she lets her fingers be in contact with the smooth texture of the ribbon that wrapped the big box.

“What’s this?” her curiosity finally wins when he doesn’t say anything and just keeps on staring at her.

“Open it,” a smile on his lips that made it hard for Rosé not to stare at encourages her to do so.

So she does.

And becomes puzzled as soon as she sees inside the box that seems to be an icebox.

Huh?

Are these…

“Wah!” Rosé gasps as soon as she figures out just what is inside the huge gift box Jungkook brought. “Are these—are these—” she stutters as she rummages through everything. “Are all of these mangoes?!”

The proud smirk on his face says it all, he just gave her an every mango fanatic’s wish and her birthday wasn’t even anywhere close.

“Fresh mangoes, fresh green mangoes, fresh mangosteens,” she begins to recite as she examines each item inside the box, “mango jelly, organic mango flavored yogurt, organic mango ice cream, mango teabags, mango lemon candies, mango tamarind candies, mango tart, mango cake, mango cheesecake, mango pie, dried mangoes, dried green mangoes…are these chocolate dipped dried mangoes?!”

“Oh,” Jungkook puts a fist under his chin and looks up as he thinks. He then smacks his hands together when he remembers something, “That one was actually difficult to find. I even had to have it shipped from the Philippines this morning. Oh and that…”

But Rosé is no longer listening.

She couldn’t even if she wanted to. Not with the deafening erratic beating of her heart.

Rosé is deeply moved by all of this.

Not of the gift, not because he just made her sweet mango dreams come true—which he did, but because he knew her and what she wanted and he exerted a lot of damn effort—for what?

“What’s all this for Jungkook?”

“Nothing,” he says but the wide satisfied grin on his face says otherwise.

“You got unprofessionally late because of this which is so unlike you and this is just nothing?”

“It’s nothing,” he focuses his gaze at his forefinger tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear and just stopping at her cheeks, trying his best not to trace the outline of her lips, “if it means I can get to see you smile again.”

And as if her body has a mind of its own, her hands quickly finds its place on her warm cheeks where sure enough she could feel the end of her lips as it split into the biggest smile she’s had in a long time.

And boy did she know, she is in for some love trouble.

“Thank you.” She gazes at him, “Thank you Jungkook. It hasn’t been long since we knew each other and I’m not exactly the best company but thank you for putting so much effort into me. I mean, we’re practically strangers—”

“Hey, don’t belittle strangers,” Jungkook softly chuckles. “Don’t you know talking to strangers is fun? Most don’t judge you nor do they have a bias against you already. They just listen.”

A small smiles forms on her lips with his gentle words, yet somehow it baffles her too. Why does it feel like she had a conversation like this before?

“Well, I never really thought of it like that until one day, a stranger comforted me when I was in some tough situation and was just feeling totally miserable.” Jungkook looks at her meaningfully, “That person cheered me up selflessly and generously. She gave me an advice that I still take to my heart until today.”

Leaning towards her, Jungkook whispers something to her tingling ears.

He expected her to gape, turn to the reddest shade of red, cry, anything. But what showed in Rosé’s expression is far away from those. She has the look of someone who is confused as .

“That was, uh, a sweet advice from her but…I don’t get why you had to whisper that to my ears. I don’t think there was anything that’s not for broadcast in what you just said if that’s what you’re worried.”

Jungkook groans. Of course that’s not what he’s worried about. Jungkook mumbles then, “Whatever. I guess it has been years...”

“What is it?” Rosé asks as she thought he just said something that she just didn’t catch.

“Nothing, nothing. Let’s just go practice.”

“Hey maybe in the last part right before we sing together, we can start walking from the opposite sides until we meet at the center. Then—“

“Jungkook,” a beet red Rosé interrupts. “You’re too close.”

But the guy who seems to have no knowledge of space as he stands only a few inches away from her, his warm breath caressing her cheeks just shrugs, “This is just part of the performance Rosé.”

It’s the last rehearsal stage of Rosé and Jungkook for the special concert that’s finally happening tonight and everything has been perfectly completed. The set and the lights are marvelous. The microphones’ volumes have been well-adjusted as well. However suddenly, Jungkook expresses his desire to have some last-minute choreography to make their stage, he says, even better.

“Anyway, as I was saying, how about in “Are you ok? Can’t you see?” we meet at the center then mirror each other’s moves?” He asks her, genuinely wanting to know her opinion on it.

But the girl in question stays still as if time