Chaeyoung nervously bit her nails, as she stared out the car window. "Mom...I'm so nervous." she whined. Her mother smiled, "Chaeyoung-ah, I love you and am so proud of you. You earned this. You deserve this. Get the most of it now. I'd be a bad mother if I lied and told you that all the students there at that school will be welcoming and friendly. There's bound to be rumors about you. And there's bound to be obvious noticeable differences between you and the other students. There's going to be a lot of anger and resentment and jealousy towards you. But you have to ignore all of that, honey. Don't you ever feel guilty. What's wrong with wanting to learn about the things you're good at and enjoy? In the end, they're all the same humans as you. You have to just be a little more mentally stronger than usual, okay sweetie? Now, I'd also be a bad mother if I told you that you're not going to be making any friends. Just as I said earlier, we're all humans. There's bound to be some students in that school that look past all the physical things and just at the inside. And Chaeyoung-ah, you are beautiful inside and out. I'm not worried about friends because wherever you go, your positive energy just attracts friends. So, just be yourself." 

"Mom, maybe you should try calling me by Rosé too? Even if it's just us? Just so it'll help me get used to the name more." They had decided that going by a different, unique name would help the mentality of not just herself, but to be different. It would be the one weapon she would carry into this unknown territory. Her mother nodded, "You're right...Rosé. But are you sure you can do it?" Rosé nodded, "It's going to be hard but I need at least a unique name to help me stick out against the others."

Rosé looked at her mother wistfully but with a happy smile, squeezing her mother's hands, "I love you!" As the school grew bigger and bigger and closer and closer, Rosé started patting down her skirt, and making sure there were no smudges or dust on her new uniform. She was honestly proud of herself too for being able to go to this school for free. With pure talent. This gave her a flicker of encouragement. Finally, they arrived. Rosé opened the car door, with one more wave at her mother and then walked towards the school. There were so many students already in her view. They all looked wealthy just by a glance. They all wore the same uniform but their hair was extra silkier, extra shineir, their faces were brighter and smoother. She could catch a hint of jewelery under a sleeve or on the neck. She popped in earphones into her ears, and finally felt like she can breathe. Again, she was peaceful. The music tempo let her breathe slowly and relax. 'Don't think about others, just think about yourself, Rosé...'

***

Rosé looked around in awe, the school was unbelievably huge. It was like some sort of university level. Not a high school. 

Rosé went to her locker, and was delightedly surprised. The lockers were so different compared to regular public school lockers. This one was about 4x wider and longer and bigger than a normal one. It was meant to fit instruments or clothes or etc. It would be perfect for her to put her guitar bag inside! She tried opening it but couldn't. She embarrasingly looked around, at the students walking past. Luckily no one minded her, but she was confused. The locker opening was different than normal ones too. Her guitar bag was so heavy, she didn't know if she could walk around school the whole day carrying it. Suddenly, as she tried opening the locker, she lost grip of the guitar bag and felt it slipping. Her earphones and phone fell on the floor suddenly too.

She swung around, trying to grab it, and suddenly she saw a pair of hands zoom in and catch the bag before it hit the floor. Rosé looked up, and saw a long pair of lean legs. A girl stood, with long brown hair and dark eyes. As she blinked, Rosé could see each eyelash fluttering. Her lips were so plump....Rosé shook her head quickly, why was she thinking of the girl's lips suddenly? She moved her eyes away from the girl entirely and stared at the floor. The girl picked up Rosé's earphones and phone and looked at the song playing. "Hmm. I like this song actually too." Rosé blinked, not knowing what to say. She quickly grabbed the guitar bag and her phone and earphones back, and thanked the girl, "Er-thank y-you..." She turned back to the locker, and realized awkwardly she still couldn't open it. She fiddled with it, pretending to know what she was doing. Suddenly she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.

She turned around, it was the same girl. The corner of her lips slid up a bit, as if about to smirk, but not yet. She raised her brows towards the locker, "Need some help?" Rosé shut her eyes with embarrassment for a second, but nodded sheepishly, "Yes, please..." The girl's eyes narrowed a bit, as if she was about to smile. But she never did. She slid the locker up while turning a knob and explained to Rosé how it works. Rosé was fascinated at how different a locker could be from another. At how beautiful- she abruptly stopped her thoughts from continuing any further. What was going on? She smiled at the girl, "Thank you so much!" Rosé raised her guitar bag to put it in the locker when the girl's voice stopped her. "You play guitar well?" Rosé looked back, confused, "Y-Yes?" The brown haired girl nodded towards the guitar, "Show me." "Uh...here? Right now?" She questioned. The girl thought for a moment, and then did another almost-smile again, "Follow me. I know a place." Before she knew it, Rosé was following a stranger with her guitar bag, feeling like an idiot. What on earth was happening? Why was she following this girl?

They reached an empty hallway with a deadend. The girl opened a door and proceeded in without checking on Rosé to see if she was following. She followed her anyways. It was a small empty studio room. It had mirrors too and speakers and there was a table and chairs and a sofa on the corner. The girl was so elegant when she walked. The girl sat down on the sofa and then patted the space next to her, motioning for Rosé to sit next to her. Her heart thudded a little harder than usual, surprising her. She gulped but sat down and took her guitar out. She took a deep breath, that's right, she can just mind herself and the music and everything will be peaceful again. 

She let her hands lead her as she closed her eyes. She felt the familiar metal strings against her fingers as she strummed and plucked. She was in the peaceful lake again. Watching the clear night sky. Maybe a minute passed by. Maybe an hour. Maybe a day. She opened her eyes and entered reality again. She saw the beautiful stranger in front of her and remembered why she was here and what happened. The girl smiled, "At first, I was going to say you play pretty well. But...when I heard your voice...that just wow'ed me. You're pretty amazing, you know that?" Rosé widened her eyes, "I-I sang?" The girl laughed, which surprised Rosé, as the girl had been straining all of her smiles so far. "Well, aren't you silly! You sang so well...you just get transported into a totally different world, don't you?" The girl asked. Rosé nodded, as she stared into the girl's eyes. The mysterious girl smiled, "What's your name?" Rosé blinked, "Ch-I mean, R-Rosé." The girl raised a brow with surprise, "Rosé, you said? Now, that's an interesting name...it suits you very well, I think." Rosé smiled, almost blushing, "Ah-really? Th-Thanks....what's your name?" Suddenly the bell rang. And right when the girl opened , the bell noise drowned out the girl's voice. "Sorry, what did you say?" Rosé asked. The girl smiled and put a hand on Rosé's leg, "It was nice meeting you, Rosé. Thank you for letting me hear your voice." And with that, she was gone.

Rosé felt shivers, as she felt the ghost of the mysterious girl's hand touching her leg. She took a deep breath, shaking out any weird thoughts. 

***