CHAPTER 12

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Seulgi asked Yeri who’s sitting beside her

“Clearly.” Yeri answered looking at Irene whistling while cooking

“What are you two whispering?” Joy asked as she slumped her body next to them, she just got back from the shoot. Then looked at where the two is looking “I guess the talk worked.”

Both Seulgi and Yeri looked at her curiously “What did you tell her?”

“That obviously it was her fault why the two of them broke up.” Joy answered “And if she wants Wendy unnie back, she needs to get her together.”

“And do you want them back together?” Yeri suddenly asked that made Seulgi held a breath then gaze at Joy

“What do you mean if I want them back together?” Joy asked back, confused “Don’t you want them back together?”

“It’s their life and if they still love each other and try a second chance then I’ll be happy for them.” Yeri answered “And if they don’t and find themselves falling in love with someone else then I’ll be happy for them too. Same goes for Seulgi unnie and you too, I’ll be happy for you whoever that is.”

“I don’t know what you ate earlier that’s causing you to be weirder than usual but I get what you’re saying.” Joy then smiled at her “It’s very sweet of you. Thank you.”

Irene sits at her bed as she reached on the photo of Wendy and her together on the bedside table. It was taken during their trip on Thailand and their first year as a couple. They looked so happy, they were so happy.

She then traced her finger on Wendy “I know there’s only two weeks left before you come back but I hope you come back sooner, I miss you so much. I promise I’d make everything right, I promise I’ll make it up to you. I love you so much.” Then she lies in bed, clutching the photo on her chest as she drift to sleep.

“Mom, are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” Wendy asked her mother

“The more the merrier, mother-in-law” Rosé added

“It’s fine. You two spend time together.” Mrs. Son said “You have a good time.”

Rosé excitedly pulled Wendy outside.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Wendy said stopping Rosé when they got outside the house “We need this.” She said handing Rosé a mask “And this.” Putting a cap on her.

Rosé made a deep sighed “I wish we could just go outside and feel the air on our faces and let our hair dance with the wind.”

“How about we go somewhere, where people won’t recognize and you know let our hair dance with the wind.” Wendy said copying Rosé.

Rosé chuckles “Sounds nice, since you’re in a group and it’s not really easy for you to match my schedule, I’ll let you pick the date and I’ll myself free.”

“I’ll let you pick the place then.” Wendy said “But it won’t be easy I guess, you’re a top star. I see your faces everywhere, magazines, commercials and everything. I thought you’re going to be a singer but you become a top star model.”

“I did too but when the opportunity comes I couldn’t turn it down and now here I am.” Rosé said “And please, stop acting like you weren’t a star too. You guys zimzalabim-ed the music world.”

“Fiancé isn’t that you?” Wendy asked in amusement seeing Rosé’s interview on TV, they are having their lunch “Wow, you look so pretty.”

“Lucky you.” Rosé said smiling from ear to ear

 “So, Rosé we know you’re still young and probably it isn’t in your mind yet but since you have modeled for a wedding gown   any thought about marriage? Do you have age in mind where you plan to get married?”

Rosé laughed “Though it is true that I’m too young to get asked that, I mean I’m just 22 and I’m not even dating anyone right now or in the near future, I guess.” She chuckles “Getting married in your 30’s might be the most ideal age but I’d be happy to get married even on 27.”

“27?” Wendy asked suspiciously “Are you dating someone that I didn’t know about?”

“I couldn’t even find time to call you whenever I want to hear your voice; do you think I’d have time to date or even flirt with someone?”

Rosé’s right, and Wendy could relate, they couldn’t even find time to sleep “You can’t just work, work you know; you have to get out and meet people outside work. If you keep that up, I don’t think you’ll find someone to marry even in your 40s.”

“Don’t worry, I got that covered.” Rosé answered continue on digging her food

“No, I don’t think so.” Wendy shaking her head “Your—“

“You’d turn 30 by then.” Rosé stated looking at her “You’d be 30 when I turn 27.”

“Let’s both promise that if one of us turns 30 and we’re both single, then we’re ought to marry each other.”

Promise.

They both said with a pinky.

“That makes you my fiancé starting today” Wendy said with a silly grin. “Fiancé~”

“Oh God, did you just trick me into marrying you?” Rosé asked dramatically

“I definitely did not, fiancé~”

“Did you forget about it?” Rosé eyeing her

“No, of course not.” Wendy answered clearly remembering the promised they made to each other on their early days. “But that’s like, 5 years from now, don’t you think, you’d find someone to date by then?”

“Do you think I’d find someone to date by then?” Rosé asked back

“Of course, Rosé you are amazing.”

“I know right.” Rosé said stuffing good on “That’s why I gave up finding someone worthy of me.”

Wendy hangs open by the statement.

“Well, lucky you… because looking at you right now, I don’t think I need to be bother whether I’ll date someone when I turn 27.” Rosé paused then took a breath “I don’t even want to say it; just thinking about it makes my heart ache for you already. Did you predict this was going to happen when you made me promise to marry you? Cause I certainly feel like it.”

“Now that is crazy.” Wendy said “Do you think, I’ll still be single when that time comes?”

 “Are you really asking me that?” She asked, like she was mocking.

“Yah! You… okay, let’s see, you just wait.”

“I don’t think so…”

“I will okay.”

“It’s really not easy to believe that when you’re not even sure yourself.” Rosé stated

Wendy just looked down.

“I can’t blame you though.” Rosé said looking at Wendy “How do you move on from someone you prayed for?”

Rosé and Wendy has been visiting places they used to visit when they were kids, it’s almost sunset when they finished.

“Let’s go and seat there.” Rosé said pulling Wendy to seat on one of the bench “The sky is pretty.”

“Liking the view?”  Rosé asked when Wendy closes her eyes.

“No. I was reprimanding myself.” Wendy answered still closing her eyes

“Reprimanding from what?”

“From saying out loud what comes first to my mind as soon as I saw the sunset.”

“And that would be?”

Wendy open her eyes as she admired the sunset “I wish she’s here with me to see this. She would’ve love this.”

“Pathetic I know.” She added when Rosé didn’t say anything

Rosé shook her head “No, not at all.” Then gave her a reassuring smile “What was she like? I mean besides being Athena’s daughter that landed on earth.”

Wendy lightly chuckle “She’s soft and sh—“ she stops at her own words as she looked at Rosé with now a silly grin

“Oh, I could tell.” Rosé teased

“What I meant was, she’s soft like a baby, she’s afraid of animals.” A smile curved up on Wendy’s lips remembering how Irene would always run away like a little kid each time they would see a tiny little dog “But she adores them, from a far, of course.”

“She likes the sky, the sunrise, sunset, stars at night, radiance of the moon, a woman who likes simple finer things.”

Rosé couldn’t help but smile seeing how much Wendy talks about her with so much adoration.

“A woman who doesn’t need validation from anyone” Wendy said wearing a proud smile “You would’ve liked her.”

“I would’ve... but I’d hate her.” Rosé said as she looked at Wendy, Wendy was about to say something but she added “What?  You aren’t going to hate someone who’d break my heart?”

“I’d surely get mad but—“

“No buts. You cannot forgive whoever that person is even if I already did, okay?” Rosé said “That’s why I get to hate Irene even if you don’t, that’s my job as your friend.”

“Fiancé, are you still awake?” Wendy knocking on the guest room

“Come in.” She answered as Wendy stepped inside. “You need something?”

“No, just want to check up on you.” Wendy answered as she sits down on the bed but Rosé could tell that there’s something more.

“You got that look when something is bothering you, what is it?” Rosé said taking Wendy’s hand

Wendy breathes as she looked at Rosé “Why won’t you ask?”

“About what happen between you and Irene, you mean?”

Wendy nodded

“Do you want to tell me what happen?”

“No…” Wendy answered “But I’m sure you already know what happened and I’m not going to ask how you found out because you’d just know without me saying anything.” Wendy said, making Rosé smile “Sometimes I hated how you always knew me even if I don’t say anything, I can’t hide anything from you but most of the time I am thankful, because with you, I don’t have to pretend something that I’m not, didn’t need to lie, I could just be a broken me.” as tears starts forming on her eyes

“Sometimes I hated it too you know.” Rosé smiling a little “Knowing you like the back of my hand, knowing that you’ve been having the worst days of your life and I can’t seem to do anything to make it any better.” She said as tears also starts forming on her eyes “I wish I could take your pain away.”

Wendy gave her a smile “You don't have to do anything… Your mere presence here is doing a lot more than you can imagine.”

Wendy woke up from the dryness of , she was on her way to get a glass of water when she notice the slight opening on the door of the guest room and found it empty.

"Did she went downstairs?" She wonders as she went down but she wasn't there. She then looked at the window and saw a familiar figure "Rosé?"

"It's cold out here, why aren't you wearing anything warm?" Wendy asked as she put a blanket on Rosé 

Rosé gave her a smile "Thank you."

Wendy sits beside her "You have that look when you're thinking about something deep, what is it?"

“You, us, the past”

Rosé then looked at her “That maybe I should’ve said yes when you asked me to be your girlfrien back then"

“You mean when I begged you to date me.” Wendy chuckling "I even lost count how many times you rejected me. God, you are my first heartbreak, do you know that?”

“Should I be honored?” Rosé asked playfully

“Looking back at it now, I wouldn’t say yes to me either.”

“Don’t say that.” Rosé said “You’re amazing even back then.”

“Then why didn’t you say yes?”

Rosé paused for a second then answered.

“Because we might date for a while then end up breaking up and me losing my bestfriend. That’s why I didn’t even if I wanted to.” Rosé confessed

"And I promised you that you wouldn't." Wendy said "You should've trusted me."

“You know I do but I couldn't risk it." Rosé said "To me,  there are no kind of risk that is worth taking  if it involves me losing you, but maybe I should’ve... I should’ve said yes when you begged to come with me on Paris...” Her voice wrapped around in sadness and regret “I should’ve said yes to you and maybe we could have avoid all of these, you meeting her and get your heart broken."

Wendy looked up at the sky "There’s no use thinking about it now, it’s all in the past."

“I know…” Rosé said looking up too “I just… I couldn’t help but think that maybe if I agreed when you said you wanted to continue your study with me on Paris” She paused then looked at Wendy “Maybe it’s you and me against the world now.”

“Wouldn’t that be wonderful? You and me against the world" Wendy said smiling “But no one can tell the future. Let’s say I did go with you, there is a possibility that you won’t be where you are now if I'm with you."

“Do you think I’d choose this success over the smile on your face, the twinkle on your eyes?”

“No, you wouldn’t.” Wendy smiling softly at her “Why do you think I went to Korea to pursue singing and not in Paris with you?” She paused “I was afraid that you’d drop whatever you have for me. You’d drop your own audition so you can watch mine and support me like you always do and I do not want that. I don’t want you to live a life that only follows mine.” She reached for her hand and squeezed it softly “You deserve all the good things the world can offer.”

“To me you are the world.”

“Rosé …”

Rosé made a deep sighed then smile faintly “I knew you’d say that. Why do you think I never ask you to follow me when you decided you’d want to sing? But looking at you now, maybe I should’ve. I should’ve begged you to follow me, so I wouldn’t have to look at you only to see eyes that I don’t recognize” As tears falls unconsciously

Wendy reached her hand wiping tears on Rosé’s face “You’ve always said that you like my eyes the most.” Wendy’s eyes getting blurry from tears “I’m sorry you had to see it like this.”

Rose pulled her into a hug, tears streaming down her face “Why are you saying sorry you idiot… It wasn’t my eyes that lost its life.”

Rosé pulled from the hug as she looked straight at Wendy

"Wan-ah, let’s run away. Let’s live our life the way we’ve always dreamed of.”

Irene woke up feeling great, had a shower put on some clothes and go to her schedule as planned. Today is the day that Wendy will be back. She’d be at the dorm right before dinner so four of them decided to have dinner together as a welcome to Wendy.

 Her schedule went smoothly and she’s back in the dorm in time to cook dinner.

Seulgi and Yerimie decided to make a simple welcome back signage while Joy brought wine.

Four of them are all excited to see Wendy again, Wendy would send text and make time to call but it became so rare two weeks ago and not even a word for the last week. If Wendy’s plan was to get them miss her more then she definitely succeed because all of them scream besides Irene who kept herself calm when the door swung open.

“Welcome back!!!” The three scream on top of their lungs.

“Oh, hey guys.” The manager greeted with not so good expression.

“Where is she?” Smile never leaving Seulgi’s lips. As well as Yeri and Joy and of course Irene who keep looking behind the manager.

“Wendy, she…” The manager paused, and then swallowed hard “She…”

“Where is she?” Irene asked, couldn’t take the dreadful waiting anymore.

“She’s not coming back.”