the 1 | chaennie

31. The Lucky One

And now, bleary-eyed with tiredness as she lounged in the warm patch of sunlight filtering through the wide windows of the adjoining parlour, Rosie was thoughtful and quiet as she worried over the idea of getting a headstart on her team's scolding lecture. Finally, she reached for her phone and paused for a moment, before dialling Hyeri's number.

"Hey you. What's going on?"

"Hi," Rosie hedged, her voice slow and wary.

Hyeri must've caught the apprehension and let out an exasperated sigh, falling silent for a moment. "Please don't tell me you've caused some sort of social media outrage I'm about to find out about."

"I- well ... no. Not exactly. But I ... I went out with Jennie last night."

There was another brief moment of silence on the other end, and then the sound of someone shifting as if straightening up with sudden alertness. Rosie bit her lower lip as her heart picked up in her chest, tension knotting in her stomach as she waited for the next words with bated breath.

"Jennie Kim?"

"Yes. We were asked for a photo; I didn't- well, we said yes. I'm not sure if it's been posted - probably not if you've heard nothing - but I can't say that it won't be."

There was a heavy sigh of frustration and Hyeri replied in a clipped tone. "You took a photo with Jennie Kim? In public. With fans?"

"We should talk about it. The whole team. Jennie's team too."

"Ah. So there's something we need to be concerned with then."

"I hope so," Rosie said, unable to keep the smile out of her voice.

"I'll see you at the office in an hour."

The line went dead and Rosie pursed her lips for a moment, nodding to herself, before she shoved the piece of chicken in her mouth and chewed with a thoughtful look on her face. She wasn't sure how the meeting would go, or what to expect from it, only that she was somewhat glad that it was happening. It would be a tiring affair, but could be for the better in the end.

Finishing up her lunch, she dressed warmly and toyed with her bangs, before lacing up her oxfords and rubbing Hank's belly for a few minutes, before making her way out into the clear day. The sky was a pale blue, the wind gentle, and she felt nervous excitement brimming within her as she slipped behind the steering wheel of her car and started the engine.

It wasn't a long drive to her record label, and Rosie enjoyed the rolling foothills of orange stone and shrubbery as she passed by gated estates with perfect green lawns and trimmed trees. She didn't even mind the congested traffic as she neared Downtown, the buildings growing taller and more uniform as she crossed the bridge over the harbour, bumper to bumper with the afternoon traffic.

Getting to PCY Records within the hour, she parked along the wide street and let herself into the tall building, making her way straight up to their floor and smiling at the receptionist, before continuing on to Chanyeol's office. Knocking on the doorframe, she poked her head inside to find him standing in front of a window overlooking the city, back to her, while Hyeri stood nearby with a stern look on her face.

"Hi," Rosie hesitantly said as two pairs of eyes fixated on her.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Chanyeol growled, his displeasure written all over his face.

Expression crumpling into a scowl, Rosie bit back a huff of frustration and resisted the urge to pout like a petulant child being scolded. "That's the point in the meeting."