The Lonely God (Rosekook)

4

Rosé gave him a small smile. "I try to believe there's good in people, even if they happen to be inter-dimensional visitors. And by the way, my brother was a convict, jailed for a number of felonies."

She sighed when his mouth dropped open. "I don't need your pity but I'm just telling you to let you know...I've seen my fair share of criminals that my brother used to hang around with, I can handle myself. And additionally, none of them were half as nice as you. Even if it's just an act you're putting up."

She nodded at him and slipped out of the room with a soft "goodnight."

And as would happen in the next few days, Jeongguk plopped on the bed and closed his eyes, his last thoughts always about the amber-haired girl.

>

"Look what I got!" Jeongguk announced as he rushed back to Rosé's laden with food cartons. Her eyes lit up.

"Aori Ramen? But that's like...so expensive!" she gasped, glancing down at the handful of coins she had gathered in the guitar case as if to emphasise the point.

"Yeah well....I worked some magic," he winked.

Oh sure take all the credit and impress your lady friend, Irse grumbled, what am I even wasting my efforts for, just to play matchmaker or something?

Jeongguk ignored her and handed the carton to the eager girl, smiling at how she excitedly started digging into the noodles with gusto.

"I hope your magic didn't involve stealing," she said at length. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Uh...not exactly?"

But how he could he begin to explain how Irse worked her limited magic long enough for Jeongguk to trick the cashier into thinking he had paid for the food?

In this world, there was no such thing as magic, Irse had confirmed as much.

"I appreciate the gesture because I was famished right now," Rosé pouted, "but Jeongguk, there's no need-"

"Say ahhh" he interrupted, holding up a piece of beef on a chopstick. She was distracted when he popped it into her mouth, laughing at her wide eyes.

"Got it, I won't do it another time," he promised, "but it's worth it you know? You eat so well."

Rosé blushed and Jeongguk had to refrain from cooing at her flustered state. He had discovered she was easy to tease and capitalised on his playful nature to make the most of it.

"So, another duet?" he asked after they finished eating. Rosé nodded vigorously, strumming a chord to cue them both in.

He had discovered he didn't sing so badly himself. It happened when he looked over Rose's shoulder back at the apartment when she was practising on her latest acoustic cover and took it to his head to sing the words on the paper just to mess with her but it backfired when she looked up at him in absolute wonder.

Next thing he knew, she had sat him down and drilled him into singing in time with her guitar playing. She was practically vibrating off her chair in excitement when she asked him to sing duets with her for her daily busking sessions.

"Think of this as payment for staying here," she had wheedled.

But Jeongguk, ever the cocky streetwise con, didn't need to be told twice.

If it was something he could do, no matter how badly, he was going to go out there, oozing confidence and charm, and he was going to pull the whole performance off like a pro. Probably years of being overlooked, sidelined and having to fend for himself shaped him to be virtually impervious to any negative criticism.