Chapter 7
    ‘If happy is her, I am happy for you’    

 “Lisa-yah, Jisoo-unnie which lipstick would look better with this dress?” Rosé asked standing at the maknae’s door holding up a purple dress in one hand and a bunch of lipsticks in the other.
“Get those here, we will help you” Lisa smiled beckoning her best friend to sit on the bed with her and Jisoo. As the two younger girls started going through the lipsticks Jisoo observed rather quietly not making her usual witty remarks or pulling their legs like she often did.
“This one!” Lisa announced after having tested all the lipsticks on her hand.
“Cool works! Thank you Lisa” Rosé smiled 
“Anytime” Lisa hopped off the bed “I’ll wash this off quickly and come back I have a schedule tomorrow” she smiled and jogged out of the room leaving the vocal line by themselves
“This dress is good right unnie? Does it look fine on me” Rosé asked Jisoo making the older girl raise her eyebrows
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Jisoo asked in response
“What is?”
“Going out with that girl?”
Rosé looked away, her enthusiasm and smile disappeared “You don’t just expect to me to wait forever for a girl who doesn’t even like me back” Rosé said softly “Don’t I deserve to be happy?”
“Of course you do but…it’s just that you…are you sure you are doing what’s right for you. I mean you never usually go on dates like this with people you barely know”
“What are you talking about? I know her well. We have met her many times” Rosé was offended
Jisoo sighed. “As you say”
“I know Jennie unnie is your best friend but you could show a little happiness for me too!” Rosé said standing up to leave the room
“Chaeyoungie” Jisoo pulled her arm making her sit down again “Jennie is my best friend but I care about you just as much. As your Unnie I have to look out for you. I am asking you to think about it again because this isn’t something you usually do and people make hasty and wrong decisions when in situations like you are in right now. So please think clearly and if you still want to go on your date I won’t stop you.”
Chaeyoung got up and nodded “I appreciate your concern Unnie but I know what I am doing”
Jisoo smiled softly “If that’s the case then have fun on your date. Be careful and be back by midnight”
….
  Chaeyoung looked at herself one last time in the mirror before she could leave the house. The short purple dress went well with her blonde hair and black heels. Her makeup was on point too for which Lisa took credit and also a lot of pictures as well despite of Rosé’s protests that she was delaying her. But just as Chaeyoung was about to leave she was stopped by Jennie’s words.
“Looking good” Rosé turned around to face the older girl looking at her with a smile on her face. Rosé blushed slightly “Thank you unnie”
“What’s the occasion? Jisoo unnie didn’t mention you had a schedule”
“Oh I don’t actually” the blonde started getting nervous “I’m going out to meet someone”
The way Rosé said ‘someone’ made Jennie raise an eyebrow
“I have to go” Chaeyoung said as she began to leave
“Chaeyoung-ah! Just one thing before you leave?”
“Yes?”
“We are cool right?” The younger girl asked in her kiwi accent “I mean I know it’s a stupid question and I know I really hurt you but you know I didn’t intend to right?”
Chaeyoung looked at her trying to figure out what to say
“If you want space I understand. I’ll keep away from you but I just want you to know I am sorry and I miss you”
Rosé smiled but she knew she had to be cautious this time. She didn’t want to get hurt again after all. “It’s fine unnie. I really have to go now, she must be waiting. Maybe we can talk to some other time. Bye”
And just like that Rosé walked away leaving Jennie by herself who went straight to Lisa’s room where the maknae was teasing the unnie.
“Manoban!”
Lisa nearly jumped “I didn’t do it!” she announced
“Yah Jennie, why are you accusing her like that?” Jisoo sat up
“I didn’t accuse anyone of anything. Relax. I just have a question”
“Yes?”
“Who is Rosé going to meet?”
…….
Jisoo was right in saying that Rosé hadn’t done this before and that she was making decisions in haste. Rosé realised this when she was standing outside the restaurant where she was supposed to meet Sana. Her heart was racing and a part of her was yearning to go back to her dorm. Moreover her mind was preoccupied with whatever Jennie had told her before she left
‘No. I can’t let her back in. But I can’t just remove her from my life either. It’s not possible since we are in the same band. Moreover it would be very selfish of me. She seems to already be hurting. She looked sad today. But I can’t fall for her again. What do…’ just then her thoughts were interrupted as she spotted Sana walking towards her. She was wearing an elegant white blouse with black trousers and heels. A cheerful smile rested her on her face as she walked up to Rosé who was slightly mesmerised by the twice member’s beauty and natural charm.
“Chaeyoung! How are you? You look pretty” She said shaking Rosé’s hands
‘Wow this is awkward’ Rosé thought to herself “You look pretty too Unnie”
“I know this seems awkward” Sana said as if she read her mind “But Nayeon Unnie insisted I meet other people” Sana replied “And she told me about your situation too so maybe we should give this a shot”
Rosé smiled “Let’s go in then”
“Let’s” Sana offered Rosé her arm making the younger girl blush 
“So what happened? Nayeon Unnie told me that your last relationship didn’t go too well?” Rosé asked as they sat down at the table reserved for them 
“Oh well Tzuyu she…she’s amazing but she’s too busy. She barely has time for me. You get what I mean?”
Rosé nodded “With Jennie it’s a mess I mean…”
Sana immediately grabbed her hand making her stop talking “Let’s talk about us for now” Sana said Rosé’s fingers gently with her own “I would like to know about you not Jennie. And I want to tell you about myself not my ex”
Rosé gulped meeting Sana’s intense gaze “Sure. As you say. I’m sorry I haven’t done this before”
Sana smirked “What? Never been on a date?”
“No” Chaeyoung smiled shyly
“Rule number one. Never talk about ex’s on the first date” 
Rosé nodded “Noted”. Sana smiled “Good”
The date went fine. The two ordered a lot of food and Sana watched Rosé eat in silence “You look cute when you eat like that” Sana laughed “I see why your fans call you chipmunk” she tried taking pictures of Rosé.
Rosé blushed hiding her face making Sana reach for her hands and pull them away. Every time Sana touched her Rosé felt something. It wasn’t an intense feeling like when Jennie touched her but it was still something. ‘I’m enjoying this date’ Rosé thought to herself as she and Sana exchanged childhood stories and stories about their trainee days ‘I think I like this’
 As for Sana, Rosé couldn’t tell if the older girl was enjoying the date or not. She did laugh at Rosé’s silly stories and opened up to Rosé too. Rosé even caught her staring at her in deep thought but it was obvious that both the girl’s hearts belonged to others and they didn’t know if they had the courage to take their hearts back and give it someone else. What if it was broken again?
After they finished dinner Sana drove Rosé to a place where she used to take other girls when she dated them. Rosé had never felt more nervous as Sana held her hand and led her into a deserted garden. The sun had set and they could see the stars. Sana sat Rosé down on the lone bench in the middle of the park and sat beside her taking her hand in between hers
“The stars look good” Sana said looking up at the sky. Rosé looked up at the sky “Yeah”
She turned to Sana to see the girl looking at her “What happened with Jennie?” she asked
Rosé laughed nervously “What happened to rule number one?” 
Sana however looked at her seriously “Let’s forget that for now. I want to know what happened with you and her”
Rosé’s eyes softened “I’ve liked her since our trainee days and I confessed to her recently but she doesn’t feel the same way.”
Sana nodded slowly “I’m sorry, heartbreaks can .”
“Yeah” Rosé responded smiling sadly.
“So have you ever been with anyone else?”
“No” Rosé said
“Do you want to? With someone that is not Jennie?”
Rosé thought for a moment then nodded “I suppose yes.” She said hesitantly “And you?”
“Look I won’t lie” Sana said “I was with Tzuyu for a good two years and we broke up recently. It still hurts but I want to move on over her”
Sana scooted closer to Rosé “I like you Rosé. You are pretty and smart and kind. I don’t want you to get hurt but I want to try something with you, only if you let me”
Rosé’s heart was racing as she tried to process what was happening “If you want to go out with me I can assure you I will treat you well like you deserve to be treated” Sana said tucking Rosé’s hair behind her ear “Nayeon unnie and the other twice members tried setting me up with other girls but they didn’t appeal to me. You however, you are different. I actually like you.”
Rosé started breathing heavily as their faces were just inches away from each other
“So do you want to try this out with me? I promise I’ll treat you well” she repeated.
Rosé nodded almost immediately “No harm in trying I guess. I too need to move on over Jennie”
Sana smiled and shifted her gaze to Rosé’s lips “Have you ever kissed anyone?” she asked touching her lips with her fingers.
“Once. Recently. Jennie. I kissed her”
Sana continued staring at her lips “Can I kiss you?” Rosé nodded and felt Sana’s lips on hers. It was a good kiss but felt strange. However it didn’t stop her from kissing Sana back.
“So can we make it official?” Sana asked breaking the kiss
“Let’s!” Rosé said but thoughts raced in her mind about how this may not be the best idea
“I hope this works out” Sana smiled pecking her again.
‘I do too” Rosé settled into Sana’s arms “Can we go somewhere else?”
“Where do you want to go princess?”
Rosé answered almost immediately “How about my dorm?”

***

“Jisunnie, what was Jennie-unnie’s reaction when you told her about us?” Lisa asked her girlfriend who is lying beside her snuggled on her shoulder.
Jisoo looked up to see the maknae’s face “I am sure she was shocked. I mean, she couldn’t believe that I kept something from her since we’re best friends but she said she’s genuinely happy for us. I can see that she’s happy but not totally with all of these that have happened between her and Chaeng.”
Both Jisoo and Lisa are inside the maknae’s room playing, laughing, and talking about how great of a couple they are, and of course, about the building tension between their two friends.
“Do you think Chaeng’s doing the right thing? I am happy that she’s trying to move on but she’s still broken and we know how a broken hearted person is when it comes to decision making. I don’t want her to regret whatever decision she’s making.” Lisa sighed softly.
“To be honest, I don’t approve Chaeng’s decision as of the moment. Why is she moving on through that girl? Everyone knows that girl’s reputation. She can’t be trusted, Lisa!” Jisoo said frustratingly. “But then you’re right, if this will make her happy then I’ll support her decision.”
“What do you think Jennie-unnie would feel?” Lisa asked again but before the older girl could answer, the door opened revealing a petite girl that just entered.
“Yah Jendeuk! Where’s your manner? Don’t you know how to knock? My goodness!” Jisoo gasped earning a chuckle from her girlfriend.
“Jisunnie’s right Jennie-unnie, you should’ve knocked. You probably might have come in and witness us doing something that will make you regret right?” Lisa smirked wiggling her eyebrows before earning a light slap from her girlfriend.
“I’m not even wishing for that to happen.” Jennie replied sitting on the edge of Lisa’s bed. “Anyways, I am here to inform you that Irene-unnie invited us to attend to her welcoming party at her own private house.” She added enthusiastically showing her gummy smile. Both girls sat up intrigued by what their enthusiastic friend just said.
“Really? When did she say that?” Jisoo asked.
“We’ve been texting since she came back, unnie.” Jennie answered with her smile still plastered on her face.
“That’s cool! Who’s going to be there? Are there any people from the media or just her close friends?” asked the maknae.
“No media. It’s going to be a private party. She said that she only invited her close friends from the entertainment industry and that includes us. And also, few of her non-showbiz friends who were also close with the Red Velvet girls.”
“When’s it going to happen?” the oldest girl asked.
“On Saturday, next week. She said that she also have some announcement to make. I wonder what could it be.” Jennie wondered for a second “By the way, who is Chaeyoung going to meet again? You didn’t get to answer me awhile ago when I asked you the first time because my mom called. So who is it?” she added.
Jisoo and Lisa looked at each other talking through their eyes whether to tell Jennie the truth or not. The oldest girl then turns her gaze to Jennie and decided to just tell the truth. “She went out on a date with Sana.”
Jennie’s smile faded after hearing what the older girl just said. “They’re dating? Since when?”
“Uhm just today. Nayeon-unnie introduced them to each other.” This time, it was Lisa who answered.
“D-does she like Sana?” Jennie stuttered asking but before someone could answer, they heard someone yelled in the living room.
‘Girls, I’m home.”
Three girls went out of the maknae’s bedroom and went to the living room to acknowledge their friend’s arrival but to their surprise, she’s not alone. Standing beside her is a short girl holding their friend’s hand.
“Hey guys!” Rosé said cheerfully.
“Chaeng, we see that you’re not alone. Care to introduce us to your companion?” Jisoo said in behalf of the other two girls who were just standing behind her. Although they’ve met the said girl for a lot of times through award shows and also because of Nayeon, Jisoo still thinks that it’s appropriate for Rosé to introduce her to them for formality purposes.
“Oh yes, Sana meet the rest of BLACKPINK and my friends as well, Lisa, Jisoo and Jennie. Guys, meet Sana, she’s from TWICE.”
Sana smiled at the three girls after Rosé introduced her to them.
“By the way girls,” Rosé looked endearingly at the short girl standing beside her “Sana and I are officially dating.” Rosé announced cheerfully earning a shock reaction from the three girls.
“Yes, I am dating Rosé and I am here to tell you, since you’re like her sisters, that I will take good care of her and will assure you that I will not do anything to hurt her.” Sana said looking at one girl who has been looking at them with an unreadable expression on her face.
Lisa, feeling the sudden tension inside the room, tried to break it by hugging her best friend’s girlfriend “Sana-unnie, it’s so nice to see you again!”
Sana smiled at the younger girl’s warm welcome. “It’s so nice to see you again too, Lisa.”
“Chaeyoung, can we have some talk?” Jisoo said flatly and immediately left the living room going to the kitchen not waiting for the younger girl to answer. Rosé then followed. 

“What was that, Chaeng?” Jisoo asked furiously.
“What was what, unnie?” Rosé asked innocently.
“Oh please Chaeng, you exactly know what I was talking about.” Jisoo whisper yelled at the taller girl not letting the other girls in the living room to hear their conversation. “I thought you’re just trying to get to know her? What are you saying that you’re officially dating her?”
“What if I’m dating her? Can you just be happy with me? I’m trying to move on here.” Rosé answered with the same intensity.
“That’s exactly the whole point, Chaeyoung. You’re using someone to move on which is not right! You’re just hurting her, or worse, you’re hurting yourself if this doesn’t work.”
“I know what I’m doing, unnie. I trust Sana when she said that we’ll work things out.” Rosé said coldly “And please, if you’re not happy about Sana and I then can you just act civil towards her since she’s a friend of your friend too.” She added, mentioning Nayeon being friends with Jisoo, before leaving the kitchen going back to where the rest of the girls were.

***

The girls are in the living room watching a romantic-comedy movie; Rosé is snuggled up closely to Sana on the couch while Lisa and Jisoo are cuddled up on the mattress that they placed on the floor awhile ago with a sheet of blanket covering them and a bunch of pillows surrounding them. Jennie on the other is sitting quietly on the beanbag chair trying to focus on the movie but failed as she was destructed to Sana’s hand softly caressing Rosé’s bare arm.
With a heavy feeling, Jennie decided to leave the area and went inside her bedroom without being noticed by the other girls. 
Inside her room, she let out the heavy feeling she’s been carrying ever since Rosé arrived together with her new found friend, her girlfriend for that matter.
She went to the small table located near her bed and sat down on the chair. She the lamp and grabbed her notebook from one of the table’s drawer. She let go the anger and the frustration she’s been feeling by writing it out on a her notebook.

“I don’t love her like that yet why am I frustrated right now?”

“Or do I?”

“Why am I so uncomfortable seeing her with someone else?

“I should be happy with her since she found someone who promised not to hurt her but why am I so against it?”

“Do I not want to see her happy?”

“This is what I want all this time but I why am I not happy?”

“Did you really moved on from me, hubby?”

“Don’t you care for me anymore?”

“Don’t you love me anymore?”

“If happy is her then I’m happy for you but I want you to be happy with me too?”

“I’m so confused.”

“What is happening to me?”

“Why am I feeling like this?”

“Why am I hurt?”

All these questions kept running inside Jennie’s head until she fell asleep leaning on the table not minding whether her back would hurt the morning she wakes up or not.