the 1 | chaennie

17. Treacherous

If she was being honest, it was nice to spend most of her time alone anyway. After a few weeks on tour, constantly surrounded by people and always on the move, from hotel to hotel, it was nice to have a permanent home. It was nice to have quiet moments to herself, to think out loud and do whatever she pleased without being recorded or photographed. She preferred her trysts into the spotlight to be on her terms.

She made a few appearances over the weeks, but the biggest one wasn't until the start of May. After a month of idle relaxing, she was attending the Met Gala, one of the most highly anticipated events of the year, and an impossible invite to refuse.

Arriving on the red carpet in a custom J.Mendel gown, she posed for photos on the red carpet outside the museum, while artists of all kinds milled around, posing in extravagant outfits that matched the theme for that year. It was Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. Skipping her usual saccharine sparkles and ballgowns sweetheart style, Rosie chose something a little darker and stronger, a one-shoulder gown in gunmetal and peach, with the requisite sparkle and frill, but without the princess feeling to it. Her hair held her customary curls and her lips were her signature bright red, but a smoky eye gave her a darker, more alluring look than usual. It felt good to stray from the usual and ordinary.

Inside, there were McQueen garments through the exhibit, sparkling like jewels upon their plinths as they winked in the dim lighting. The Temple of Dendur was the site of the dinner, the place transformed into a lush garden covered in roses and other pastel flowers, while round, unfinished wooden tables dotted the room. She knew Jennie was there, but she hadn't seen her on the red carpet and couldn't see her inside the packed room either.

When they were seated, Rosie found herself at a table with a few unfamiliar faces and found herself a little apprehensive as she introduced herself, knowing that the seating charts were planned with perfect precision, trying to match people up for an interesting night at the biggest fashion night of the year. To her left was a dark-haired man, wearing a black, silk Armani suit, his hair perfectly slicked back and beard neatly trimmed. He gave her a bright smile as he twisted in his seat, recognition lighting up his brown eyes.

"Oh, you're Roseanne Park," he said, his voice coloured with surprise.

As she looked at him, Rosie cocked her head to the side with the nagging feeling that she knew him from somewhere. "I am," she said with a wry smile, "I feel like I should know you."

He let out a deep chuckle, his eyes flickering with amusement, "we've never met, but I believe you know my music. My manager told me you had my lyrics written on your arm at one of your concerts. I've been begging her to set up a meeting for weeks now. I'm Jeon Jungkook."

Recognition jolted her memory, and she gave him a sheepish smile as she held her hand out, "of course! Lego House! It's a brilliant song."

He ducked his head as he pressed a hand to his chest, "that means a lot coming from someone as talented as you."

"Yeah?" she replied, eyebrows rising slightly, as one side of her mouth curled up into a smile, "doesn't the fact that I write silly songs about boys and heartbreak diminish me a little bit?"

"As someone who writes silly songs about girls and heartbreak, not at all," he said, reaching for his champagne flute and giving her a quick wink. He held his dainty glass up with slender fingers and Rosie quickly scooped hers up, gently clinking them together with a quiet chime. "To real talent."

Rosie gave him a coy smile as she eyed him, taking a sip of golden champagne and leaving a red lipstick mark around the rim. While she was praised for her songwriting, there was always the undercurrent mocking of her frivolous songs about boys, of childish love and romance and heartbreak, and while people weren't openly rude to her face about it, she knew she was garnering a reputation for it. Jeon Jungkook placed himself on the same side as her, and it was refreshing to have someone else on her side. And he sounded like he was being honest too, which was also rare in their industry. She couldn't count the number of times people had told her they loved her album while knowing deep down inside that they wouldn't have been able to name any tracks aside from her singles.