Looking back, Jennie wondered if she has always been drawn to Rosé out of the members of Blackpink.

Perhaps their trainee days can testify that.

“Jennie, there’s a new girl.”

The rapper paused, the kimchi she’s currently munching on is now halfway to . She looked up from her plate to see her fellow trainee, Jisoo, move to sit down across her table in the famous YG cafeteria. The latter was smiling and her dark eyes were wide with excitement and happiness.

She couldn’t understand. Just why in the world was this girl excited? For a trainee, each day is a battlefield. A new one meant that they have another competition and a lesser chance for them to debut.

There’s seriously nothing to to be happy about, but then again, it’s Jisoo and that’s just how she is.

Anyway, it didn’t help either that the company haven’t recruited a new trainee in a month now, so this one must be really good for YG to just slip her in out of nowhere when their monthly evaluations are nearing.

Jennie only raised one eyebrow at the elder, as if she’s asking her to explain further.

“She’s really good at singing,” Jisoo says, her tone serious, “Unique voice, i’m telling you,” she added.

Oh well, we’re doomed, Jennie thought. YG goes loco for unique. Still, she tried to act nonchalant about the whole thing and asked, “And you’re telling me this, because?”

“Because she’s from New Zealand!” Jisoo revealed.

At the mention of her hometown, her ears perked up and excitement suddenly bubbled up inside of her. Her mind was now making up scenarios in her head where she and this certain trainee talked about New Zealand all day and how they were gonna be best friends.

Nonetheless, she shrugged off her emotions at the moment and asked again before jumping into conclusions, “Are you sure?”

Her decision to ask was right, since the question made the vocalist slump her shoulders. Jisoo then, smiled sheepishly at the rapper, “No...I-I think...It was...Australia.”

This of course, earned a glare from Jennie, “Chu, just because these countries are associated with each other all the time doesn’t mean that they’re the same, how could you confuse-“

“Look, look, there’s the trainee!”

“What-“

Jennie is interrupted, as Jisoo reached for her head from across the table, twisting it without thinking, to the direction of the new girl.

Ouch?!

“Chichu at er you derng.” Jennie struggles to speak, as her face is currently sandwiched by Jisoo’s hands.

Still holding the rapper’s face, the vocalist exclaimed, “The one who's alone!”

Jennie thought that she must really look ridiculous at the moment, but she doesn’t dare to free herself from Jisoo’s grasp. All she’s focused on is the girl sitting on another table alone that’s few meters from them, seemingly enjoying an ice cream in a cup.

The younger between the two broke herself free from the elder’s grasp. “That’s… That’s her? She’s...” Cute. “Young.”

“Right?”

“When did she come?” Jennie asked, trying to sound uninterested.

Jisoo only smirked, seeing through Jennie’s bull, “Two days ago.” she replied, “She was introduced in my vocals class yesterday. I almost wanted to quit the moment I heard her. She’s that good.”

Jennie tries to let the information sink in. This one’s good and they’re literally in danger!

We have dance class tomorrow and it’s possible i’ll catch her if we’re in the same one, she thought.

“Jennie?” the vocalist called out, seeing as the rapper isn’t saying anything.

The mention of her name made the rapper snap out of her thoughts, “Anyway,” she announced while dusting off her pants and stood up, taking her food tray with her, “I have other things to do.”

-

“Well, maybe you should have learned your manners before you came here!”

“I-I’m really sorry!”

Jennie hears the muffled, and eventually getting louder voices from the outside of their dance class. She thought that it seemed like an argument, so she hurriedly entered to check what it’s about.

It’s only ten in the morning, who’s fighting?

“What’s going on?” Jennie asked, upon entering her class. Her voice was calm but it was full of authority. Despite lacking the height, the deepness and the volume of her voice- not to mention her resting face, seemed to make up for it. She’s pretty cool with everyone, but it never fails to make every fellow trainee of hers to cower.

“J-Jennie...this...this girl new here she- she just called me by my name without honorifics. She’s disrespecting me-“

“I really didn’t know-“

“Suhwa, are you aware that this girl is from overseas?” Jennie asks in an eerily calm voice. It was a tone that screams, ‘Answer me properly or you’re done.’

The said girl, Suhwa, countered nervously, “I do, but still! She should have-“

“Seriously? Picking on newbies now? What is this, high school?”

“But-!”

However, Jennie just disregarded Suhwa and turned to the newbie. She grabbed the newbie’s hand without thinking and dragged her outside their training room, leaving the argument before it reaches the staff and gets them in trouble.

The moment they reached outside, Jennie spoke first, “What were you-“

“I didn’t mean to, I swear!” the newbie explained hastily, “I forgot, my sister and I back in Australia don’t usually call each other honorifics-“

“Well, you’re in South Korea now and honorifics are a big deal.” Jennie retorted with her weight resting on one foot and her arms akimbo.

“I’m really, really sorry! It won’t happen again!” The newbie responded. Just then, she bent her knees one by one and to Jennie, it looked like she was about to bow. Like on-the-floor and everything bow.

This action of course, freaked the rapper out, “Oh my god, what are you doing?!”

“Begging for forgiveness?” The newbie answered as if it was obvious and a normal thing to do.

“No, stop that!” Jennie ordered, her face now red in embarrassment. And so, the newbie stood up fast and looked at Jennie eagerly, waiting for her to say something. When the rapper looked like she isn’t gonna say anything, the newbie decided to speak.

“My name is Roseanne by the way,” The said girl, spoke in a heavily accented Korean, “I’m from Australia.” She added.

“I know,” Jennie answered absentmindedly, but then, her eyes widened in realization, “I-I mean...word spread fast.”

“Oh.”

“Look just-“ the rapper sighed heavily, “-just stay out of trouble okay? They’ll kick you out as soon as they know you’re causing one.”

Jennie didn’t even know what she was saying anymore. What Roseanne does isn’t any of her business. Plus, one trainee being kicked out is a win for her. Another obstacle getting rid of itself.

Don’t get her wrong. She’s not cruel, but she’s desperate to debut. She’s been a trainee in this company for three years for God’s sake.

“I’m not causing one...” The newbie defended herself shyly, “I was just asking if-“

“Well, if you need to ask someone, ask me everything from now on.”

“But-“

“Remember what I said. Don’t forget to call everyone sunbaenim and stay away from Suhwa.”

“Suhwa?”

Upon hearing this, Jennie immediately glared at her while gritting her teeth, “Sunbaenim!”

Roseanne winced, “Okay! Sorry!” She uttered panickly, “Suhwa-sunbaenim...”

Jennie sighed once again, this newbie was something else. She promised herself that she’ll leave this girl alone, but her actions and her words were doing the total opposite as a sudden feeling of protectiveness towards the newbie washed over her. “Just...follow my lead okay? Stick to my side, Roseanne.”

I must be going crazy, Jennie thought.

“O-okay.”

But there’s nothing wrong with a little help, right?

“Good, now let’s go back inside.” Jennie spoke gently, walking towards the door of their training room as if nothing major happened. However, she soon halted in her tracks and turned back around to the newbie.

“Oh, and I’m Jennie.”

-

Looking back, Jennie wondered if she has always felt that way towards Rosé.

‘I’m saying that, I can no longer endure watching you get closer with Suzy’

‘Chaeyoung...you’re making me feel things.’

Just what is she going to do with this discovery?

“Jennie-unnie.”

“Unnie.”

“Unnie?”

“Hello?”

On the fourth call, Jennie snapped out of her thoughts.

“Are you okay?” Rosé asked, with concern for the elder evident in her tone, “You were spacing out.”

“Huh?”

“Unnie you spaced out for like- a whole minute.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, after I mentioned Suzy-unnie.”

What...?

What the hell?

“So, what do you think about her?” Rosé asked.

Didn’t she… kind of… confessed?

No, it can’t be..

Was everything...

“Unnie?”

an imagination just now?

“Rosie,” Jennie calls out shakily, “Did I... did I say something else to you?”

“What, like your subway sandwich?”

Oh my God.

“A-are you sure?”

Rosé only looked at the elder confusedly. First, Jennie was spacing out, then she’s acting weird by asking her about random stuff, “Unnie, what is going on?”

And now, she’s not responding.

“Unnie, is everything alright? Did something happen today?”

Silence.

“Is it Kai?”

At the mention of the boy group member, the rapper’s eyes widened and turned her head to the main vocalist immediately. This action of course, was mistook by the latter, seeing as it brought a reaction out of Jennie.

“It’s Kai isn’t it?”

Holy .

It was never about Jongin. But realization hit the rapper like a bucket of ice cold water.

Jennie’s totally forgotten that she had a boyfriend.

The rapper felt like crying there and then, as she was slowly struck by a massive wave of consciousness.

Kim Jongin, the man whom she claimed to love.

How can she do this to him?

How can she feel things at Rosé— and act non-platonically, when she had a boyfriend all this time?

How is it that it didn’t feel wrong?

Jennie had a lot to ask herself, but the first thing that her mind is telling her at the moment is to flee.

“Unnie-“

“Chaeyoung, I-I have to go.” Jennie manages to say, with her jaw clenched tight and her lip trembling in anxiousness.

“Okay? Are you sure-“

Rosé did not get the chance to finish her sentence, as Jennie quickly stood up and headed to her own room. The main vocalist was surprised by the sudd