Rosé POV
"Mrs- I.. I mean Miss Park, your car is outside."
I looked up from the magazine in my hand, "Ah, okay. I'll be right out. Thank you." I took one last sip of my champagne and set the magazine down with the others that had my face on the cover. I took a deep breath as I walked through the halls. The echo of my heels caught everyone's attention along the way and I greeted them back with a smile.
It's always been like this for me. I was always in the centre of attention when I was at work which is why I went to bars where people didn't really know my name. It was getting more difficult to blend in though because I was having more and more photoshoots and campaigns, and more and more people began to recognize me. Soon or later, it'll be no more bars for me and I'll have to find a new morphine.
As soon as I reach the exit, cameras flashed and my bodyguards shielded me from those who came too close. I smiled for the camera as I made my way to my car. I thought I'd be used to the flashing by now but somehow, it still made my head hurt.
A short ride after, the car stopped in front of my destination. I got out with the help of my bodyguards, and again, there were people with cameras all around me. Eventually, I made it into the tall dull building and walked into the room that was expecting my arrival.
"Finally," my ex husband mumbled as I approached. "You couldn't have dressed less extravagant?"
I sat down at the seat my secretary pulled out for me. I thanked him quietly and looked over at my ex without much emotion, "I came straight from work. Could you blame me for looking nice?"
"Says the one who I found drunk at a bar. You don't think I have a job to attend to as well?"
I was about to open my mouth again but my lawyer cleared his throat, "Miss Park. How about we go over the agreement again?" I glared at my ex one last time before looking away.
As time went on, the moment of truth had come. Things were said in court and more papers were signed, but finally, the judge had announced that my husband and I were now officially divorced. I knew this was going to happen from the moment I asked for a divorce but I didn't know that after months of struggling to process everything, I could feel... enlighten? Almost free?
Everyone began to pack their things, and I sat in my chair with a smile growing on my face. I covered it with my hand and let out a chuckle. I felt unbelievably satisfied to say the least. I felt like a brand new woman.
"Congratulations," my ex husband said in a grumpy tone as he left and my smile grew even wider.
I shook my head gently and stood up from my seat. I gave my secretary a hug, I gave my lawyer one, and even my bodyguards. As I walked out of the building, even more cameras surrounded me. My official ex husband was being questioned by the press and I was just eating it all up.
"Rosé! How does it feel like to be a single woman again?"
"Rosé, are you relieved that your divorce has be finalized now? Tell us how you feel!"
I settled into my car and took off. I leaned my head against the window and watched the buildings pass bye one at a time. As we reached a corner, there was a massive poster on the side of a building with my face on it.
I was the muse of Saint Laurent but I still worked in other aspects of the fashion industry. This particular billboard was from a shoot I had with Tiffany and Co. and on the bottom were the words "A Brand New Woman, Rosé Park." It was as if the world was ready to welcome me as a single woman.
I couldn't help but smile again. Everyone in the city of Seoul could see this poster. They'll see me as a brand new woman. I loved the sound of that.
Jumping out of my daydream, I picked up my phone vibrating in the seat next to me. As soon as I pressed the phone to my ear, there was screaming and yelling from the other end.
"Our girl's finally divorced!!"
"Congratulations, Rosie!!!"
I laughed, "Thank you, thank you."
"What are you up to now? Going home?"
"I've got no other schedule for the day so yes. I'll be home soon."
"No! Don't go home yet! Meet us at the karaoke bar on Brookside!"
"Ah, but I don't feel like karaoke in the middle of the day-"
"Shut up and meet us there, okay?!"
I sighed, "Ugh, fine. I'll head there right now."
"Okay, see you!" The called ended quickly and I told my driver my new destination. In no time, I entered the bar and found my friends in a private room. No bodyguards needed because this place already had security.
"Here comes the woman of the day! Our Rosie~" My friend, Jennie, came over with a drink in her hand and hugged me tightly. "Thank god you're free from him. We all hated your husband."
"Hey..." my other friend, Jisoo, warned, "Ex husband."
"Rosé!" the last friend in the room called and held my shoulders, "Don't ever get married again, got it? It's just not worth it."
"Lisa! You can't just tell people that!" Jisoo said and dragged Lisa away from me.
Jennie took me too and we sat down on the couches together. She handed me a shot glass and I held it with concern.
"It's the late afternoon, why are we drinking already?" I asked and put it down but Jennie didn't let me.
"We've all cleared our schedules for you and we're staying here until midnight whether you like it or not so drink!" she said and clinked her glass with mine. Together, we took a shot and the liquid burned its way down my throat.
"Oh god, that's worse than tequila," I complained with a strained voice and wiped my lip with the back of my hand.
"It's supposed to be. It's vodka," she replied and pet my head.
I frowned at her, "Why are you like this?" I joked and she handed me a glass. "Is this water?"
"Does beer look like water to you?" Lisa asked and sat down on the other side of me. She took the glass away and drank it for herself, "You can ask for some water outside."
"I'll go do that," I said and Jisoo stood up with me.
"I'll come with."
I linked my arm in hers and left the room. We walked down the hall towards a staff member and ordered a few glasses of water. We also had a look at the food menu and ordered a meal. I didn't have a big lunch so I was pretty much starving.
After ordering, we thanked the staff but as I turned to leave, Jisoo held me back. "Let's sit here and talk for awhile. Those two won't miss us," she suggested and we sat down in the lounge area. Jisoo was staring at me, a simple smile was on her lips.
"What?" I laughed.
"I'm happy you're out of that relationship. He didn't deserve you."
"That's what everyone's telling me." I leaned on the arm of my chair and played with the leaf of a plant next to me.
"He had no right to treat you that way. You know it too, don't you? You divorced him for a reason, and even though it's been a really hard couple of months... it's worth it. You should be happy now. Are you?"
It was a relief to be done with the divorce process, and I was very happy right after it was finalized but the reality was settling in and I wasn't sure how to feel anymore. I should be happy and I was... But maybe not as happy as I could be.
"Rosé," Jisoo called and held my hand to regain my attention, "He cheated on you. He lied to you and he insulted you." Slowly, my gaze began to lower. "I'm not trying to make you feel bad about it but my point is, you should be looking forward and moving on. No more tequila shots by yourself at a bar."
"That's easy for you to say, Jisoo. You just got married not long ago, Jennie also has a husband and a toddler, and Lisa's in a pretty stable relationship... I've just restarted from the beginning."
Suddenly, I gasped as I held the plant leaf out in front of me. I accidentally pulled it off it's stem! That's not some kind of symbolism was it? I did it by accident, I swear.
"Focus, Rosie," Jisoo said and chucked the leaf away behind her. "Look, you're one of the most gorgeous women I know—you're the muse of Saint Laurent, for god's sake. You've got a sweet personality and a kind heart. If finding someone to date is the issue then there's no issue. You need someone? What about your friend, Tony? He's handsome and hardworking, and he probably secretly has a crush on you."
I rolled my eyes, "Tony's my friend. Don't even mention him like that."
"But you'd date him, wouldn't you?"
Jisoo looked at me expectingly, and I couldn't meet her eyes. Tony was just a friend. I've known him for more than a decade and he's been there for me throughout my divorce. I was thankful for him but I couldn't imagine dating him. I just couldn't.
"No, Jisoo. He's just... not my type," I mumbled. Yeah, that was it. Tony wasn't my type.
She raised a brow, "Okay. Let's say he's not your type. Then what is?"
I thought for a moment and it wasn't long until a particular male stranger came to mind. The guy from the bar with the unbuttoned shirt and chain necklace... he seemed like he could be my type. I couldn't really picture his facial features but I remembered his hazel brown eyes. And the way he held my cheek in his hand...
"You met someone, didn't you? Otherwise, what's with that smile?" Jisoo teased and pinched my cheek lightly.
"Huh?" I dropped my smile and felt my cheeks heat up in a slight blush.
"Who did you meet? Is he cute?" she asked and tilted her head in curiosity. "He must've made an impression from the blush on your cheeks," she teased with another smirk.
"I... I'm not blushing! It's from the vodka Jennie gave me!" I blurted and avoided her eyes. In the direction I looked, Tony had just entered the karaoke bar. I ducked my head quickly to hide but I was sure he saw me.
"Tony! Over here!" Jisoo called and I glared at her.
"You invited him? Did you do this on purpose?" I whispered angrily.
Jisoo winked at me before standing up. "Hey, Tony. You made it."
He wore an all black outfit today. That's odd because he never wears full black. He said it was too depressing and that he looked horrible in black. He looked fine to me...
"Thanks for the invite," Tony replied. I stood up slowly, a little ashamed from trying to hide. Hopefully he didn't take it to offence. "Are you okay, Rosé? Did you take a shot already?"
"Jennie gave her vodka," Jisoo said and held both our arms, dragging us back to the room. "Speaking of which, we should get back."
Upon being pulled down the halls, Tony bumped into me and suddenly the atmosphere became a little awkward. Damn that Jisoo. I'll have to tape her mouth shut the next time she tells me to date Tony!
"Nice shirt," I told him.
He smiled, "Thanks. I thought I'd try something new."
"Got someone at work to impress?"
"Mm, something like that." He smiled again and the awkwardness faded.
"We're back~" Jisoo announced and let go of our hands. "Oh, looks like you've got some more company too. Hello."
In the room with Jennie and Lisa were a few other friends of ours, Lisa's boyfriend, and a familiar face sitting next to Jennie. I walked closer and stopped in my tracks when I realized who it was.
It was the stranger from the bar but he wore a short sleeve this time and I could see the tattoos on his forearms.
"That's Jisoo, that's Tony and that's Rosé—the one we're celebrating today," Jennie said with a devilish smile aimed at me.
I glared at her as a warning and put on a fake smile for everyone else. I chuckled uncomfortably and waved to the man next to Jennie, "Hi... It's nice to meet you."
He smiled back at me and lifted his beer bottle to me as a greeting then took a big gulp from it.
"Asa, don't be rude!" Jennie scolded and took his bottle away, "Her divorce was finalized today and we need to show her a good time."
"Ah, a divorce?" Asa repeated and my face became hot again. He stood up with two shot glasses in hand and gave one to me. "Congratulations... Rosé, was it?"
Having him stand right in front of me, I gulped nervously. "Thank you. Asa, right?" He grinned when I said his name, and we took the shot together. I noticed how he didn't take his eyes off of me as the vodka burned its way down my throat.
"Care for another?" he asked and took my empty glass to replace it with a full one.
"That's enough. She shouldn't get too drunk if we're staying here for a few hours," Tony defended and took the alcohol away from my hand, making everyone in the room boo him.
"Come on, let her drink, Tony!" Lisa said, "She's a single woman now. She needs this!"
"Are we gonna sing or are we just going to drink?" Asa asked, suddenly by the karaoke set up and choosing music. When did he get there? "Who's singing first? Lisa~?"
I sat down on the couch near Jennie and Tony ended up next to me. Lisa went up to Asa and he handed her a microphone. He smirked at Lisa and I checked to make sure everything would be okay, and that Asa wouldn't try anything with Lisa's boyfriend in the room. They were talking to each other with smiles on their faces and she even playfully nudged him away with her elbow. As they searched through the songs, they were standing awfully close to one another.
"He's cute, isn't he?" Jennie asked in my ear. I removed my attention from those two and eyed Jennie. She had a smile on her lips. It looked more playful than innocent.
"How do you know him? You've never introduced him before today."
"He's a good friend of my husband and mine. I thought he was cute the first time I met him too. He recently came back from living abroad and he's single by the way~"
"Why are you setting her up already, Jennie? Her divorce just got finalized today. Shouldn't we just focus on being happy for her?" Tony asked, joining our conversation.
"I couldn't be more happy for Rosie! That's exactly why I brought Asa as a present," she said and winked at me.
"But she's probably not ready for a relationship yet. You're not, right, Rosé?"
They both looked at me and I couldn't decide what I should reply with. Thankfully, someone else came to save to day.
"Hey, Tony. Wanna go for a smoke?" Lisa's boyfriend asked and offered him a cigarette.
Tony glimpsed at Asa who was preoccupied with Lisa then accepted the cigarette. They left the room and the tension immediately simmered down. I let out a long exhale through my nose. Did Tony and Asa know each other?
The music started up and Lisa handed Jisoo a microphone. Together, they sang along to a few songs from Korean drama soundtracks. Asa sat with my other friends and Jennie put her arm around my shoulder to talk into my ear, "He's rich too."
I pushed her away, "I'm not interested, Jennie. Like Tony said, my divorce just got finalized. I don't want to think about dating yet."
"So what, you're just going to listen to whatever Tony says? It might've been finalized today but you've been separated for months now, Rosé. You've been to bars by yourself too often and I'm tired of seeing you miserable like that. I want you to be happy again."
"Hey, it's not like I go to bars to be miserable..." I pouted, "I just like the feeling of tequila."
"I know for a fact the burn goes away after your second one," she replied. She didn't seem convinced by my answer and to be honest, I wouldn't be either. I was a horrible liar. "Asa is a good guy. With the tattoos and piercings, he appears to be a dickhead but he's actually really nice. And he's great with my toddler so you'll know he'll make a great father. But wait... ah, nevermind. Sorry."
I reached for another shot of vodka to drown out the words Jennie was saying and I knew she regretted the last sentence. I won't get into it right now but one of the causes of my divorce involved having a child. Or more like, not having one.
"Just talk to him for awhile. If you don't like him, I won't force you to," she said and we looked over at Asa laughing with our friends. "Consider it. He's been single for a while but maybe you can change that."
I thought for moment. I mean, Asa didn't seem bad. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to know him a little more. "I'll consider him."
"Yes!"
"But don't expect a lot!" I warned with a finger at her. She nodded calmly and gave me a thumbs up. "I'm serious, Jennie. You tend to get overexcited about things like this. Remember when I had my first magazine photoshoot and you bought every copy they had in store? Don't get your hopes up on this."
"I won't, I won't! Promise!"
"Jennie..."
"Yeah, I know! I won't make a big deal out of it! Really. Cross my heart, I won't," she said and drew an 'X' over her chest.
"Make a big deal out of what?" Asa asked as he sat down next to me, even putting his arm around the part of the couch behind me.
I glared at Jennie to make sure she won't babble and she tightened her lips. "Nothing," Jennie replied and turned away from us to talk to someone else.
I rolled my eyes at how obvious she made it. When I made eye contact with Asa, he smiled at me. Then he leaned close to me and spoke in my ear. "You're even more beautiful when you're only half sober." His deep raspy tone sent chills up my spine. I almost forgot he had such an attractive voice too.
"So... if you're friends with Jennie and her husband, why didn't I see you at their wedding?" I asked.
"Hm?" he asked back. "I can't really hear you, sorry." Lisa and Jisoo were screaming on the top of their lungs so I couldn't blame him for that...
I moved closer and repeated my question into his ear. I saw that he had quite a few piercings on his right ear. Then the scent of YSL hit me and brought me back to that night at the bar when I hugged him tightly. Geez, that was an embarrassing thing to remember right now.
"Sadly, I had a family emergency at that time and couldn't make it. I'd loved to have met you three years earlier though..."
If we'd met three years ago, would it have changed the fact that I got married and divorced within the those years too?
"If I've yet to tell you..." he leaned close to my ear again to continue, "You look very sexy in black. It took a lot that night at the bar to stop staring at you like a creep before coming up to you," he said. The hot air from his breath as he spoke blew past my neck and I blushed lightly.
"I'm glad you did," I replied.
"Hm?"
I sat even closer and instead of leaning towards his ear, I moved my face closer to his. "I'm glad you came up to me at the bar that night. If I wasn't past my sixth tequila shot, I might've kissed you."
For sure, I would not have kissed him. That's just not who I was. But did I want to kiss him? Definitely. I wouldn't mind making out with him but I knew better than to kiss strangers I'll never meet again.
"Well, you don't seem like you're on the sixth shot of vodka right now. How about we make up for that night, babe?" he asked, inching his face even closer to me until I reached up and stopped him by my hand on his chest.
I smirked, realizing how good I felt knowing he wanted to kiss me. It was the first time in months since I would've kissed someone and the first time in forever since I've felt the nervous yet excited beating in my chest.
I tilted my head and grabbed his shirt, pulling him towards me not to kiss him but to whisper into his ear, "I'd hate to burst your bubble, but I'm really not interested in dating right now. Not even casually. I hope you can understand, Asa."
I heard his sad disappointment, accepting my decline. "It'll be hard to get over your rejection but in that case, let's just be friends."
"Sounds nice," I smiled softly.
Asa licked his bottom lip and bit on it gently. "Are you sure there's really no room for leniency in this friendship? No benefits of any kind?" I shook my head with an innocent shrug and he laughed to the side.
Benefits? I'm not that kind of woman.
He nodded, "Okay, okay. Just friends. I can try."
We sat in comfort for the rest of the night. Tony and Lisa's boyfriend came back and we all had a turn in the spotlight to sing. As everyone became progressively more drunk, we became friendlier with one another in a game of 'Never Have I Ever.'
"Never have I ever had sex with someone on the first date!" Jisoo said. Asa put a finger down, Jennie put a finger down and Lisa's boyfriend put a finger down as well. We all looked at her boyfriend in suspicion because Lisa didn't put hers down which meant he must've did it with other girl.
"It was way before I met you, baby," he said to Lisa who was dissatisfied with his excuse but overlooked it.
The game continued and soon it was my turn, "Never have I ever kissed a stranger I met at a bar!" I said and accidentally locked eyes with Asa. He put a finger down at the same time Tony put one down, and the two glared at each other.
"What's with the looks? Did you kiss the same girl or something?" Jennie asked and neither said anything.
Then Lisa's boyfriend put a finger down too prompting Lisa to ask, "When was this?!"
"A long time ago! I barely remember it!"
"Yet when I asked you that before, you said you hated going to bars?"
"I... I don't know! I remembered it just now, Lisa."
"Hey, hey, it's okay, Lisa. Don't worry about it," Asa said and put an arm around Lisa's shoulder. "It's just a game and he's drunk. He probably doesn't know what he's saying right now." Lisa took the drink from Asa's hand and finished the rest.
"Ah, okay, who's next?" I asked, "Tony, your turn!"
Tony stared at me for a moment and with uncertainty, he asked, "Umm, alright. Let's see. Never have I ever... lied about talking to my ex?"
After hearing the question, Lisa glared at her boyfriend who wore a look a guilt.
I slapped Tony's arm, "You couldn't have asked a different question?"
He shrugged, "I wanted to know some people's answers for that..."
"Lisa! Lisa, hold on!" Lisa's boyfriend shouted as she stormed out of the room.
Asa stopped him from going, "Let me go instead. I'll calm her down first," he said and went after her himself. Somehow, I didn't believe Asa had such good intentions with Lisa...
"It'll be okay..." Jennie mumbled. "She's probably extra mad because she's had a few drinks. It'll be okay by tomorrow."
"Yeah, she's just like this when she's drunk," Jisoo added.
I knew they were lying and just making up bullshit so Lisa's boyfriend wouldn't go after her and make it worse. It was a little suspicious that he lied to her about those questions but I shouldn't judge him just yet. There could be an explanation for it.
"Are you sure we should let Asa handle her? Why don't I go instead?" I offered but Tony didn't let me go.
"It'll be okay, Rosé. He can handle it," he replied.
That's weird. He didn't seem to like Asa yet he believed in him to console Lisa? I only wanted to check on them to make sure Asa didn't try anything on her. I trusted that Lisa wouldn't start anything but she was drunk and Asa was good at flirting. I'm sure he could get any woman to do whatever he wanted them to and Lisa would be no exception. It shouldn't be my business but I didn't want Asa to console Lisa. If he hits on Lisa and succeeds... No, I can't think that way. There was almost a feeling of... jealously that I had when I thought that way. Hm, jealously. That's new.
You Were My
Everything