Chapter 14

(A/N: I'll be honest and say this: this chapter might be a bit boring ... sorry. And also, the whereabouts of the buildings used in this fanfic are all made-up. Please just keep in mind that this is all just a figment of my imagination. Thank you.)

Ten minutes later, Rose had arrived in the city.

Wow, this part of Seoul looks beautiful … she thought, admiring the pretty city landscape as the taxi drove past rows of tall buildings. After a few more minutes, Rose told the taxi driver that she had arrived at her location. She paid for the ride, and got out of the car. She looked up at the tall building that stood in front of her.

Is this the one? She thought.

She took out her phone and texted Jisoo, asking for the address. A few seconds after texting her, Jisoo replied with the information Rose needed. The only problem was she had no-idea where the building that Jisoo had said to look for was.

Crap. What do I do? They all look the same, these damn buildings! Ok, focus Rose. Jennie could be in serious trouble right now, and if she is, it’s all your fault. You need to find her. Now, let’s see … a building that’s in the shape of a toolbox, and is called “YG entertainment” …

She wandered around the city streets aimlessly, searching the names on the buildings for the right one. Twenty minutes past, followed by another twenty minutes. After a while, Rose’s legs were getting numb from walking around for such a long time.

Just when she thought she would spend the rest of the day searching for the stupid building, her eyes locked with the writing on one of the buildings that were closer to the river. The building looked very much like a toolbox, with a fancy exterior design.

That’s the one! Rose cried, jumping up.

She practically flew over to the building, her mind forgetting that her legs were on the brink of collapsing. As she ran inside the building, she suddenly froze.

Hang on. What do I say when I see her? Should I just act like nothing happened? As if she never said she liked me in such a dramatic way? Oh god, I ran all the way here without thinking this all through!

‘Excuse me, can I help you?’ a voice said.

Rose spun around to see a well-dressed man standing before her.

‘Uh, oh, um …’ Rose fumbled with her words. ‘Is, um, Mr Kim here by any chance?’

‘There are many “kim’s” here in Korea, miss. Do you, by any chance, mean the CEO of YG entertainment?’ the man asked.

CEO? Isn’t that the name of the head of a company? Then that should be Jennie’s father! Rose thought.

‘Er, Yes! That’s right. Could you please tell me where I might be able to find him?’ she asked.

‘He is a busy man, miss. I doubt he will be able to make time to see you today. You would have to book an appointment first and –‘

‘Yeah yeah, I know all that. But  I’m not after him. I’m trying to find his daughter. She might be in trouble and I might be at fault for it,’ Rose blurted out. This guy’s a bit cold …

‘His daughter? In trouble?’ the man asked, raising an eyebrow. ‘And why might you be at fault if she is in trouble, may I ask?’

‘That’s confidential, thank you very much,’ Rose replied, giving the man a glare. I don’t like this guy at all. He’s nosy as well as rude. Don’t like him.

The man raised his other eyebrow, clearly not too pleased he wasn’t able to dig out any more information from Rose. ‘Are you her friend?’ he asked.

‘Yes,’ said Rose. At least, I hope I still am one … she thought.

‘Well the young lady did come running into here late last night. I assume she forgot that this place isn’t her father’s home, and that his house is actually a few streets from here. But, of course, I wouldn’t tell you such confidential information like that. Especially not the fact that the place he bought his daughter to live in is on the top level of that really fancy apartment on street XXX. Oh no, that would be far too much sensitive information,’ the man said, looking all smart.

He tightened his tie and gave a small nod. ‘Well, good luck in finding your friend. If you would still want a meeting with CEO Kim, then you must go through our booking system. Good day,’ he said, and trotted off like some smart-.

‘I don’t know if he meant to say all that “confidential” stuff, or he’s just a complete ,’ Rose mumbled to herself, truly confused with that guys strange behaviour.

Oh well. He told me everything I need to know. On street XXX, top level of that fancy apartment. Too bad he didn’t tell me what room number Jennie’s room is. That would’ve made it a breeze. Now I’m gonna have to go knock on random people’s doors to see which one Jennie’s in. Dammit.

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She reached street XXX, and found the fancy apartment that the man before had referred to. It wasn’t hard to figure out which building was the fancy apartment. Maybe it was the solid gold frame used for the giant double doors outside of the lobby. Or maybe it was the line of luxury cars waiting to drive into the underground carpark.

Rose went inside, feeling like she didn’t fit in with the marble floor and expensive-looking items all around the lobby. Not to mention, all the people who were inside the apartment. Even the staff behind the front desk were dressed like royalty.

Rose went over to the elevators, but paused when she saw that a card was needed to activate the “up” and ”down” arrows. No worries, I’ll just wait for someone who lives here to use the elevator, and hop in with them, she thought.

After 10 minutes of waiting for someone to use the elevator, she gave up.

I could use the stairs, but that would take forever. This apartment looks like it has a jillion levels from the outside. Climbing to the top level would be suicide.

With that thought, she walked over to the front desk.

‘Hi, um, excuse me!’ she said, catching the attention of the lady sitting behind the computer, who slightly adjusted her glasses further down her nose, and looked up at Rose.

‘Yes, may I help you?’ she asked, a snobbish tone lingering in her voice.

‘Ah, yes. I-I’m here to visit my friend, Jennie Kim. Could I please have a card so I could use the lift to get to her room?’

‘Jennie Kim, huh?’ the lady said, scrolling down her computer screen.

Rose nodded. ‘Yes, I was told she lived here.’

‘Normally I wouldn’t know that kind of sensitive information, about the resident’s whereabouts, but as she is still under the legal age, her father has asked for us to keep an eye on her. I’ve noticed she rarely actually checks-in here though. Maybe she lives abroad and comes here on holidays. I have no-idea why I just told you that, though …’ the lady babbled. ‘Um, Jennie Kim, you said?’

‘Yes,’ Rose replied, starting to get impatient with the sloth-like human behind the computer.

‘Could I please have your name?’ the lady asked. ‘I need to send it to Jennie so she is aware of your arrival.’

‘Er, okay. Um, my name is Chae – actually, no. It’s Rose. Rose Park.’

The lady raised an eyebrow. ‘So your name is Rose, are you sure?’

Did this woman actually just ask if I’m sure my name is my name??!! thought Rose.

‘Yes, I am sure that Rose is my name.’

‘Alright, here you go,’ the lady said, handing a fancy-looking card to Rose. ‘With that card, you’ll have unlimited access to the elevator,’ she then took out another card and have it to Rose. ‘And with this card, you’ll have access to her room for 24 hours, after which, the barcode will deactivate and will no longer be effective. Understood?’

Rose nodded, wondering why this apartment was so complicated and sophisticated with its security. She thanked the lady and rushed off to the elevator, where she swiped one of the cards. It made a “beep” sound, and this time, the slide concealing the “up” and “down” arrows slid across so Rose could press the “up” arrow. Once she got inside the lift, he gaze went up the tower of buttons on the side of the lift. Top floor … she mumbled, pressing the button at the very top.

The lift doors slid shut and Rose spend the next little while gawking at the fancy elevator she was in, that had large mirrors covering the walls of the lift, and a solid gold railing lining the inside of the lift. The lift made a “ding” sound when it reached the top floor, and Rose stepped out into the hallway.

‘Now which one’s hers …’ Rose mumbled, debating which door to first try the card on.

She decided to do the door closest to the lift. She swiped the card the lady at the front desk had given her, but there was a flash of red on the small screen that had scanned the card.

‘I guess this isn’t the right one,’ said Rose, moving on to try the next room.

She worked her way around the doors on the top floor, but found that the card she had was unable to get her into any of the rooms.

‘Maybe that guy back at that YG entertainment building was wrong about Jennie living on the top floor …’ said Rose.

She was waiting for the lift to come back to the top floor so she could go back down, when her eye caught sight of a room she hadn’t tried the card on. It was the room right at the end of the hallway. Rose walked over and took in a deep breath as she stood in front of the door. This had better be the right room. Please let it be the right one.

She didn’t even realise her hands were shaking when she went to scan the card. To her relief, the screen flashed a green light, and the click sound of the lock being unlocked was heard. Rose timidly pushed the door open, suddenly feeling uneasy that she was entering Jennie’s property without her permission.

But that feeling was washed away when she was hit by the wave of beauty that was hidden away inside the room. Damn! How much is this place worth?? She thought, looking around at the place, wide in amazement and awe.

‘Wow, the river’s right outside too! It’s so beautiful! All the cars look like mini ants running around everywhere,’ Rose mused, checking out the gorgeous city scenery Jennie’s room had to offer.

She then remembered why exactly she had come here, and turned her attention away from the floor and wall-length window.

‘I wonder if Jennie’s in here?’ said Rose.

She walked into all the rooms, calling out Jennie’s name. She even checked in the cupboards and under the bed, but didn’t find Jennie.

Maybe she went out? Rose wondered. She went over to the kitchen, and lightly touched the kettle to check if it was warm. It was.

That means she was here before. And not too long ago, too. Maybe she was in the lobby when I was talking to that slow lady at the front desk … thought Rose.

Her phone suddenly vibrated, and she jumped up like she had had a thousand volts put through her.

Oh, it’s Jisoo. Why did I think it was Jennie calling me?

‘”Hey Rose. Have you found Jennie yet?”’ said Rose, reading the text Jisoo had sent her.

Rose replied back, saying that she hadn’t found her yet, and that she was currently in Jennie’s room, waiting for her to return. She then turned her phone off and threw it onto the couch.

‘Gah, this is all your fault Rose!’ she said. ‘Why did you have to talk to her when you saw her at the airport? If you’d never have done that and ignored her, she would’ve never known you and fell for you. Dammit, this is so annoying. Poor Jisoo. She’s so worried about Jennie … and … it’s all my fault! It’s all my fault that she ran away. I bet she knew that I like Lisa, and that’s why she felt so wrong about liking me, when she knew I liked someone else.’

Rose let out a sigh and collapsed into the comfy, velvety couch. All I can hope for is that nothing bad has happened to her. All I can actually do though, is stay here and wait for her to come back. Who knows how long I might have to wait for … thought Rose.

Just as that thought passed her, she heard the sound of a “beep” and the lock in the door unlocking.