CHAPTER XV

“Did you call for me?” V asks as he entered Jungkook’s office room. He walks towards Jungkook and took a sit in front of him. Jungkook is seen busy looking for something in between the files on his table.

“V, did you see the brown file that you gave me the other day?” asks Jungkook.

"Which one? Rosé’s file?” V asks back.

“Yeah,” Jungkook confirms.

“No, I don’t.”

“Never mind,” Jungkook put back all the files that he holds on his hand, “I just wanted to ask you something about that file,” he said. V nods, signalling him to ask right away. “When you did a background check up on Roséanne Park, did you also find anything related by the name Park Chaeyoung?”

V frowns, thinking.

“Em- I don’t think so. Why?”

“It’s true that Rosé is Chaeyoung and vice versa. But what had happened to her that she had to change her name like this? I don’t know if it’s because of her daughter, but if it is, why didn’t she change it before she met me?” Jungkook questioned.

“Daughter?” V shocked.

“Yeah, the little girl you saw at the café the first time we met is actually her daughter,” Jungkook told V.

V gasp.

“This. Is. Shocking.”

“Can you find out what had happened to her before she met me and what happened to her after I left her three years ago? Find out who’s the father of that child as well. Oh- and about her background and family. I want to know everything,” Jungkook requested.

“Yeah sure but that would take a lot of time, you know?” V said.

“It’s okay. Just don’t take too long.”

***

(knock on the door)

“Good evening,” Jungkook greet as he entered Jiyeon’s ward. He sees Rosé’s sitting by Jiyeon’s bed, holding a storybook. Probably was reading to Jiyeon.

“Evening,” she greeted silently.

Jungkook walks towards Rosé and passes the flowers that he has been holding to her. “For Jiyeon,” he says. Rosé took the flower from Jungkook and put it on the side table by Jiyeon’s bed before taking a seat back beside Jiyeon.

Jungkook went towards the opposite side of the bed.

“How is she doing?” he asks.

“She’s still unconscious,” tells Rosé.

Jungkook nods.

“Thank you…” Rosé speaks. “…for helping out.” She looks at Jungkook. “I didn’t get to properly say thanks to you since the operation. I’m sorry.”

Jungkook smiles.

“It’s okay. I’m glad I could do something good for other people once in a while,” Jungkook chuckles. Rosé slightly smiles, looking down.

“As an appreciation, can I treat you to a dinner? It’s not going to be fancy like what you’ve been eating but- you know,” Rosé shrugs her shoulder.

Jungkook eyes widened.

“Yeah of course! I don’t mind eating anything,” he widely smile.

“Oh- okay. Let me make a phone call first,” Rosé says and leaves the room. She made a phone call to Lisa who’s already texting that she is on her way to make sure that she’ll arrive in a moment.

After making the phone call, she enters back the room.

“Let’s wait for my friend to look after Jiyeon, and then we’ll go,” Rosé says.

Jungkook nods.

***

“I’m going to be frank with you.”

Jungkook stop shoving food into his mouth. He has not been eating well these past few days and it has made him starving to death. Eating with Rosé really opens up his appetite to eat a lot, however, Rosé’s words makes him stop.

“I am Chaeyoung, the bar girl,” Rosé says, looking down to her bowl of rice. Her hand holding the chopsticks and play around with the rice in the bowl in front of her.

Jungkook puts down his chopsticks aside and wipes his lips using the tissue.

“But it doesn’t matter right? Since past is past. And you just see me as a bar girl that time,” Rosé keeps on talking.

Jungkook raised up a bit. He cupped Rosé’s chin, pull her face forward as he moves his head closer to her and give her a deep long kiss. Rosé startled but she did not push him. He broke the kiss a moment later and look deeply inside her eyes. He caress her cheeks with his thumb.

“But I didn’t see you that way now,” he whispers to her.

Rosé slightly gulped. She pull Jungkook’s hand on her cheek and put it away. Jungkook slowly took a sit back. Rosé took a bite of her meat and chew slowly. She then took another piece of meat and put it on Jungkook’s rice. Jungkook silently staring at her.

“Were you happy when we hook up in the past?” Rosé asks. She took another piece of meat, dip it in the sauce and eat it.

“Very happy,” Jungkook sincerely answered.

“Then, have you heard of the quotes, ‘Stop looking for happiness in the same place you lost it.’?” Rosé asks. She pulls up her head, locking eyes with Jungkook. “Have you?” she asks again.

“No,” Jungkook shook his head.

“The meaning of the quotes are very direct. Stop looking for happiness in the same place you lost it. Jungkook-shi, stop looking for happiness from me. I won’t return back the feelings you have. Find someone else,” Rosé tells him.

“You call me by my name. You did not call me Mr. Jeon anymore.”

Rosé sighed.

“That’s because we’re not at work. Not because I’m seeing you differently,” Rosé firmly said.

“Quotes is just a compilation of words made by human. We can always delete it,” Jungkook said in a soft tone.

“I have a daughter, Jungkook-shi,” Rosé fed up.

“You have a daughter when we met three years ago too. But you can still hook up with me. The difference between now and then is just that the child is a grown up daughter now,” Jungkook sounds frustrated. Not because of the stubborn Rosé, but because he has lost words in convincing Rosé. He is afraid that this might be the last time he met her.

“I was willing back then. But now, not anymore.”

Rosé took her coat and handbag before got up to leave. As she had promised Jungkook to treat him, Rosé made payment on their meal before leaving the restaurant. Jungkook was dumbfounded. He sees Rosé’s leaving, but he couldn’t lift his from the seat to chase after her. But the rope that tied his heart with her left with her making his heart break into pieces.