Rosé

"W-what?" I stutter, disbelieving what I just heard.

But before I could hear him explain or anything, SinB just had to announce, "Okay break's over. Let's run over Scene 5."

I see Jungkook happily retreating then. "Hey, you can't just go--"

He shushes me, "Calm down, we don't want SinB to get mad at us, do we?"

I was about to retort but then I see SinB's malicious eyes on us, debating whether she's mad at how we're interrupting the rehearsal or if she's happy she found something she can tease me with. So I just whisper loudly enough for him to hear, "This ain't done yet. We're talking again later!"

As soon as the rehearsal calls a late lunch break, I fix my things and cram everything inside my shoulder bag, take my paper bag as well, and march towards Jungkook. "Jeon Jungkook-ssi!"

He chortles as he sees me in front of him, my hands on my hips. Lisa then pats his arm as if asking what's going on. But he just shrugs it gently, smiles at her sweetly and says, "Go ahead."

How dare he call me cute yet smile so ravishingly at her?! I mean, I'm not being jealous because why would I be unless I li--No. It's just upsetting because it's confusing and, uh, I don't know. 

My messy thoughts are interrupted (thankfully) when her eyes meets mine. Lisa looks over to me then to Jungkook, pouts, and although she was very much hesitant, she leaves. 

"So what can I do for you?" He just grins at me as if nothing happened.

"You have something to explain," I squint my eyes at him.

"Ah, do I?" he feigns ignorance. But before I could respond, he starts again while patting his stomach, "Let's eat first."

"What?" I just stare at him.

"I'm hungry and unlike others, I can't function well without food in me." He walks then towards the door. "So eat, if you want to talk."

Jungkook

It's actually just an excuse. I mean, it's true that I'm starving since the first half of the rehearsal ended late. But I'm actually more worried that she's not going to eat again, and that she'll get sick, and then--Why am I even concerned about her?

"Where do you want to eat?" I ask nonchalantly. I'm not picky with food anyway.

"It's not me who wants to eat," she grimaces while walking beside me.

"But it's you who needs to eat," I sternly reply. I doubt she even had breakfast if she had not just two, but four cups of coffee.

She stops. I look back and see that she's turned red again. "Stop blushing," I mutter with a hint of annoyance because I find it so cute it's messing up my brain again.

"Well stop being nice, it's freaking me out," she says while avoiding my gaze.

"Hey, I held your hand all night because you were scared, didn't I? I'm that nice. I'm normally this nice. We just started on the wrong foot. Didn't we decide to be, uh," for some reason I don't want to say friends, "closer?"

She chews on her lips and just nods. So this girl knows when to quit bickering.

I then ask again, "So where do you want to eat?"

"I, uh," she hesitates, "I actually have a, uh, dosirak," she lifts up her paper bag.

"Oh." She's really full of surprises. "I'll just buy then from the conve--."

"We can share," she blurts out softly.

"I'm sorry, what?" I ask just to be sure I heard it correctly.

"I said," she takes in a deep breath before continuing, "we can share the dosirak between the two of us. Now are we going to eat or stand here all day?"

"Eat. Of course, eat." I grin at her playfully while leading the way to the canteen.

As soon as we enter the canteen, we sit at the most secluded table because, well, it's Rosé. I doubt we'll have the chance to interact with other people anyway as the canteen's usually empty like now. People just love trying out different restaurants nowadays.

I sit in front of her as I watch her take out her homemade lunchbox from her paper bag. "Wow," my mouth gapes. It's a tower, a 5-layer dosirak. "I shouldn't have worried about you not eating."

Her cheeks flush once again and she mutters, "That's why I said we can share."

As she keeps on taking down the layers, my mouth waters upon seeing all the food that are not only so visually appealing, but smells great as well. I can't help but ask, "Did you really cook all of these?"

She hands me a pair of chopsticks then shrugs, "I couldn't sleep."

I take one of the beef pancakes and bite on it, "Wow. This is really good!" Man, she even cooks.

She sheepishly replies, "Thanks."

After a while of just silently eating, Rosé finally comes back to her senses, "So..."

"So?" I repeat after her without taking a break from eating.

"Uhm, uh," she bites on her chopsticks. "W-why, why did you call me, uh, uhm..."

"Cute?" We look at each other, she nods before looking down. 

Hmm. What do I say? What should I say that won't freak the both of us since I myself don't know why. "Don't be so bothered about it, I call a lot of things cute. It's more of an, uh, expression," I lie. I didn't want to lie but I have to because it's just weird. I mean she's really cute, but I don't mean anything beyond that. I think.

When she doesn't react and just studies my face, I add, "I mean, I call Lisa cute all the time. Because Lisa is really cute all the time. I like cute."

"Oh, I see," she murmurs, her downcast eyes look disappointed.

I don't know why but I feel so bad seeing her down so I try again to think of how to explain it nicer, to make her feel better--but why is she sad anyway? Does she think that I like her? Does she want me to like her? What? But no she wouldn't think that. She doesn't like me... Does she?

"...how is it so far?"

"Uh, what?" I look at her, still dazed from my inner thoughts, "Sorry I didn't hear you."

Her lips twitches before repeating, "I said how do you find it so far? You know, the show, Roy and whatnot."

"Ah," I put down my chopsticks--for the first time, tuck my chin on my hand and begin, "It's fine, great actually. There's just one thing that's been bothering me since the start."

"What?"

"You know, the one you've been always ranting," I stare at her intently, now that I have an excuse to do so. I really like her eyes.

She just looks at me, her face expressing that she has absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.

"The one about something missing..." I wait for her to get it because I don't want to say it out loud. I don't want to admit it.

"Ah, that."

"Yes, that."

It was her turn then to drop her chopsticks. "It's just what I said before, don't overdo it."

"Can you elaborate more on that since we're, uh," friends just doesn't seem right, "civil already."

She sighs heavily, "But that's really just that. You know the feeling when you watch an actor and it really feels that he or she is really just acting. You got to be absorbed more until you yourself believe that you are Roy, not just playing Roy."

"Ah, I get it. Alright thanks, I'll work on that."

"Wow, you're easy to talk to than I thought. You didn't even bat an eye."

"I told you, I'm nice."

"Yeah, but don't be too nice or people will either abuse you or misinterpret it," she mumbles the last part.

"Misinterpret it like what?" A mischievous smile forms on my face.

"Uh, nothing," she never stops turning red. "We should go back."

Since then, Rosé and I talk more and eat lunch together. And that's only because she always seem to have a dosirak that's too much for her. So since it's a waste and every person she's comfortable with is busy except me, she lets me eat it.

I also notice that she laughs more and is getting more unafraid to be silly and playful. One time, she gave me a leaf wrap which, unknown to me, was full of garlic, peppers and wasabi. She had so much fun tha