Rosé POV
At long last, Sunday came around—my day off. This week took forever to pass by, so today's the day to relax. Sadly, that wasn't the case. Lisa woke me up around noon and dragged me out of bed by the legs. We ate lunch then she forced me to go to her nightclub with her to run some errands. I tried to argue my way out of it but I think I love her too much and I couldn't say no.
"Tequila Fushion! My baby, I'm home," Lisa said as we walked into the club. I shook my head at her as we were escorted into the place by security.
Being one of the well known nightclubs of Seoul already, it was booming in there. It was only the afternoon and the place pretty much packed with an entrance line down the street. Entering carefully, I saw some new editions to the place. In one section, I saw more billiard tables, Majong tables, and other tables you could gamble at. In another section, the rowdy side, there were new bands on the playlist.
"Rosie, this way. Don't get lost in the crowd," Lisa said and held my hand safely.
She guided me through the place until we passed the VIP rooms and went into the VIP access area. It was much quieter back here with a live band that played slower music. It seemed more like a bar scene than a nightclub. This was where I was for the grand opening.
"Ehh, the boss is here!" some shouted and glasses were raised to greet Lisa.
"Yes, yes. I'm just here to run some errands. Enjoy yourselves, but not too much," she teased and went up to the bar. There was a man waiting for us there and he handed her some documents and mail. As Lisa dealt with that, I sat around and waited patiently until she was done. When the man left, Lisa ordered some water for us at the bar.
"Good call. We shouldn't be drinking in the afternoon," I said and thanked the bartender for my water.
"Only because we're in boss-mode and not party-mode," she replied. "So what happened with Tony? You still never told me about it."
"Ah..."
I didn't want to mention that night after it happened. I wanted it to just be unspoken of and after sneaking out in the morning, I haven't spoken to Tony ever since. It might've been a little embarrassed, remembering the bits of pieces of our time together. Just thinking of Eris made me shy. And realizing I wore a double denim outfit made me even more shy because both her and Tony wore an outfit like this before.
"Tony's friend was there too. Apparently he called her after me and she went. When he woke up, the three of us just played truth or dare and drank until we passed out. Nothing else really happened."
Lisa looked unconvinced and I was afraid she'd ask more, but she just shrugged it off. "Sounds like something you'd do."
"Hey..." I said, taking her words into offence.
"I'm kidding," she smiled and sipped her water. "Who's the friend? His girlfriend?"
I shook my head, "Just some girl he was friends with..." I had more to say in the back of my mind but I wasn't sure if I should give into the urge. I had a weird question and I knew Lisa would be confused about it.
"Okay, now, how's Asa?" she asked with a smirk.
"Have you ever kissed a girl?" I asked, avoiding her question and fulfilling my curiosity.
She seemed surprised then turned skeptical, "Why?"
I shrugged, "I don't know. Just curious about what that's like..."
"Is there a girl you want to kiss or something?"
"Not particularly. I never thought about kissing a girl but... let's just say I thought about it recently. Is that weird? Does that say something about my sexuality?"
"No, it's not weird at all," Lisa laughed lightly, "And just because you kiss a girl doesn't mean it'll change your sexuality. It's just out of curiosity, right? You've only ever been with your ex for your entire life basically so it's not like you could've experimented."
"That's true. I guess you're right." Being with Eris was just for fun and it didn't mean I was physically attracted to women in general. That made sense.
"Look here," Lisa said and leaned in to kiss my lips. "See? It's just a kiss. It doesn't mean anything."
I covered my mouth with my hand. "Why did you just kiss me?" I asked in shock and she smiled.
"Come on, it's not like it's a big deal. I've kissed Jennie before," she said nonchalantly and drank her water.
"You what? Who else have you kissed? Have you kissed Jisoo?"
She shook her head, "No, but I should, right? She's pretty cute."
"What are you saying?"
What the hell's going on??? When did she kiss Jennie and why?
"It's just a kiss, Rosie. No big deal. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Here, I'll give you another one," she said and I moved away. She laughed.
"I'm okay..." I told her. It's not the kiss I was horrified at, it was the casualty of it. Did kisses not mean anything anymore? But actually... I shouldn't be one to talk. I had casual sex with Tony before, but that's different, no?
"Hey, Lisa~ Back already?" some guy said and sat on the other side of her.
"Mhm, have you been running the place well?" Lisa asked.
He laughed and gestured around, "There's no fire to put out so I think I'm doing a pretty good job. Ah, but there was a fight last night. I assume Asa told you about it."
Lisa looked at me in confusion then back at the guy, "What fight?"
"Oh... I don't know if I should say," he replied and scratched his head. "Well, while Asa and I had a few drinks, someone came in and picked a fight with him."
"With Asa?!" I asked abruptly, startling the both of them. "Uh, sorry. Go on."
"Yeah, with Asa. It all started when this handsome guy came in, huffing and panting. He spotted Asa and pulled him out of the seat and got all up in his face, sayin' Asa needed to learn his boundaries."
"Geez, did you call the police? Where was the security?" Lisa asked.
"Nah, Asa said it was all good and took the guy outside. It seemed like they knew each other. But after a while, Asa came back with a scratch on his face and a bloody nose. I asked him about it but he only wiped his face, finished his drink and left."
Who the hell would want to hurt Asa? Was there another side to Asa that I didn't know because I've only seen his cute side? Surely, the Asa with Areum was much different than the Asa with tattoos and silky unbuttoned shirts. What was Asa really like? Why didn't I know?
"Who the hell is that guy? Rosie, remind me to check the camera footage tonight," Lisa said angrily.
"But don't tell him I told you. I don't want the boss to think I'm spreading rumours, you know."
"I'm the boss too, you know?"
"Yeah, that's why I told you."
Lisa smiled and pet the guy's shoulder. "Next time, just tell me right away if a fight happens."
"Got it," he nodded and headed away shortly.
"Well, if you're ready to go, let's head back home," Lisa said to me and stood up with her documents and mail in hand. "I only came here for my money." She smirked and waved the envelopes in her hand.
I chuckled, "Okay, so my next shopping spree is on you then?"
"Ha ha," she said and pushed me along, "This is for the club, not my pocket. Not yet at least. I gotta handle things with the bank and Asa first."
Walking out of the club, there was a group of paparazzis with cameras. They weren't looking my way at first but as soon as they noticed the security around Lisa and I, the picture flashes began. I was a little more used to the light now, but it didn't mean I wasn't still affect by it.
"Rosé, rumour has it you're caught in a new scandal with one of the other Saint Laurent models! Is it true?"
"Miss Park, have you heard much from your ex husband since you've been back in Korea? Or from Tony?"
I turned to look at the speaker with the mention of Tony but Lisa pulled me away before I could say anything.
The security was helpful but they couldn't hold back the growing crowd of paparazzis that began to surround the front of the nightclub. I was forced to stay close to Lisa and while the world felt like it was spinning, someone grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the crowd.
"Stand back."
I looked around to see, what looked like, bodyguards creating a barricade so the paparazzis couldn't reach me. Lisa was beside me and there was another person.
"Hey, you okay?"
I blinked a few times and Asa appeared in my vision, blocking most of the paparazzi's view of me with his back facing them. His hazel brown eyes were soft and looking into them, I felt relieved. "Yeah..."
"God, all these people are for you, Rosé?" Lisa asked about the huge crowd of people with cameras who were shouted and pushing to get my picture. It was like I was an art exhibit that everyone wanted a photograph of. "Asa, keep her safe. Bring her somewhere else. I'll deal with the banking today."
Asa looked at the stack of documents and letters in Lisa's arm and sighed, "Okay. Call if you need me."
"Geez, your face looks pretty bad," she commented. I noticed the scrape on Asa's face in which she was referring to, then I elbowed her side as a warning to behave. "Ow, nevermind. I'll see you guys later," she said and left in her car.
Asa held my hand and pulled me towards a black Rolls Royce. He opened the door for me and entered after I did. The driver took off without any instructions, and Asa didn't say anything to him either. Where were we going?
I looked over at him, paying close attention to the scrape on his cheekbone. "What happened over here?" I asked, pointed to my own face as reference.
"Hm? Ah... It's nothing. Don't worry," he replied dismissively. He was looking ahead, avoiding my eye contact. It also seemed like he was nervous about something because he played with a ring on his finger, spinning and turning it around.
I placed a hand over his and he looked down at them before finally making proper eye contact with me. "I know we might not be as close as we were before but if there's something bothering you, you could still tell me."
He moved one of his hands to put it over my now, then smiled pretty, "I'm okay. Nothing's wrong."
"I... Are you sure?" Something must've happened but why won't he tell me? Did he not trust me? If so, why not?
"You don't have to worry about me. I'm really okay," he chuckled. If only his beautiful smile was convincing.
I knew how easily Asa could hide his emotions behind a smile. I guess, from where we stood with respect to each other, I didn't exactly deserve to know what he was hiding. I wasn't his girlfriend nor was I his best friend.
"I hope you don't mind spending some time with me today. I actually changed my route to pick you up because someone from the club told me about the paparazzis looking for you. I didn't want to let them trample you so I came right away, but if you want to go home, you can borrow my driver."
It made me a little sad that he'd think I didn't want to be around him. I didn't want him to think that way. At the end of the day, I loved being around him, thus, I smiled at him, "I'd love to spend time with you, Asa. Where were you headed?"
He looked ahead again and bit his bottom lip gently, "You'll see," he teased and I pouted, "Don't be so sad. We're already here."
He opened the door and held out his hand to help me out of the car. I took his hand and hopped off. He let go once I was steady and I followed him into a pale stone building. It was a large place, and we even had to go through security. From the looks of the signs inside the place, it was an art museum of some sort.
"This way," Asa said and tilted his head in a direction.
We walked down the echoing halls and entered the first gallery room. It was such a noise contrast from the nightclub because now, it was almost pin-drop silent.
I watched as he looked around the artwork with a neutral face. It seemed as if he was an art critic, he looked so serious. Yet as soon as he caught me staring, his lips curled into a smile.
"Am I much to admire?" he asked in his raspy voice. "If you still didn't realize, this is an art gallery. I came here for the main exhibition but it can wait. I want to explore some other work first."
He stepped closer to me and held my shoulders to turn me towards a portrait on the wall. He let go and stood behind me.
Leaning over my shoulder, he spoke again. "What do you think of this?"
I started at the portrait. It wasn't anything special to me. I wasn't really interested in it so I couldn't say much. "It's... nice."
He chuckled, "Pretty subtle right? I figured. Let's just head to the exhibit then. It's this way."
I turned to follow him but he didn't walk away yet. He stood a meter away from me and held out his hand for me to hold. I smiled shyly at it and walked past his offer to playfully tease him. "Which way did you say it was again?"
A smile grew on his face and he laughed softly at what I did. "That way," he gestured with his chin and I smirked at him over my shoulder. I guess we were back to usual now—no awkwardness, just us as we were before.
Approaching the entrance marked Exhibition A, I saw how popular it appeared to be. Walking closer to the main attraction, I was stunned. The sculpture was life-sized and enclosed in a large glass case. It composed of a cherry blossom tree and on one of the branches sat two white doves. The back wall had a large painting of an incredible sunset over water, and being enclosed, cherry blossom pedals were free falling from above.
"Wow..." I said because I was too speechless to say anything else at first. "It's absolutely magnificent."
Asa was smiling at me on the side, not even paying attention to the beauty in front of us. "I'm glad you like it."
Coming over to me, he guided me with a hand on my upper back to get closer. On the exhibit label read the work's title, Distant Love. Underneath it was the artist's name. I stared at Asa in disbelief and he was still smiling at me happily, "You made this?"
He shrugged, "You seem shocked."
"Asa... This is... incredible." I didn't even have words to describe what was going on. When did Asa do this? I remember him telling me about art classes but I didn't know he was this spectacular at it.
"I made this in the span of time you were in New York. I thought of it after taking you to my safe place—by the shoreside, remember?" I nodded at his words and he continued, "The sunset represents the end of light and the oncoming of a darkness, as what happens every day. The cherry blossom tree is a symbol for how the beauty of something can slip out of your grasp so easily, since these trees only bloom for about two weeks before wilting away. And white doves are birds of love, ready to fly away when necessary."
It couldn't be that... this was it inspired by me, could it? It would make sense to our situation, and considering the fact that he thought of it after our first date, it made sense for it to be about me, no?
"I was inspired by my grandma."
Damn, I take my words back.
"After telling you about one of my memories, it made me miss her a lot so I decided to make something to represent the serenity of my safe place. Even though I couldn't share it with her, I feel like this piece really helped me feel as if she could be there with me. A feeling of distant love."
"That's wonderful, Asa. I'm so proud of you for making this. I'm sure your grandma would agree," I said. "Although, I was scared you were gonna tell me I was the inspiration on this," I teased with a honeyed voice.
He chuckled at the ground, "You'd wanna be my muse? Is Saint Laurent not enough?"
I chuckled too, "You know what I mean..."
He nodded then replied. "Nah, I had some sketches of you but I didn't want to... Uh, I-what?" he stuttered. My smiled grew and he seemed caught off guard by his own words. "I mean... Nevermind."
"You do not have sketches of me," I teased again, making him blush and look away.
"I lied. That was a lie. I never drew you before."
"Asa~"
"I was just kidding, you should really learn to take a joke," he said with a nervous laugh.
He tried to walk away but I pulled him back by the arm, "Can I see them? Your drawings of me."
He looked my way but blushed even harder when I smiled pretty, then he covered the lower half of his face with his sleeve. I could tell he was embarrassed by the constant movement of his eyes, and his inability to look at me directly. "It's really nothing. It's just a tiny sketch."
I let go of his arm and got closer to take his sleeve away from his face, he was beating red. Gah, he was so adorable when he was flustered. "You've got some blush on your face," I chuckled. He cleared his throat and hid behind his sleeve again, glimpsing at me through the corner of his eye.
Asa was way too cute. He was such a sweetheart, especially when he was with Areum. Thinking about how flustered I made him, my heartbeat quickened. I had butterflies in my stomach, imagining his smile, and replaying the sound of his raspy voice calling my name, I blushed. He made it so hard for me not to like him. Those long months in New York only made me realize how much I've missed him...
I heard some whispering from the side and saw two girls staring our way. They must've overheard me teasing Asa about his work and were probably swooning over him. When they came over, I felt a little more protective of him.
"Excuse me, a-are you Rosé Park?" she asked. My expression changed from a skeptical one to a surprised one immediately.
They were whispering... over me?
"Yes, I am," I replied.
"Oh my gosh, you're on that billboard down Brookside right? The one for Tiffany and Co? You're so much prettier in real life," the other girl complimented.
I smiled shyly, "Thank you."
"She's also the muse of Saint Laurent," Asa added. I looked over and his blushing face quickly looked away, as if his response was accidental.
"Ah, that's right! You recently came back from New York for Saint Laurent too right?"
"Ha, yes, I did. Are you a fans of Saint Laurent?" I chuckled.
"Definitely. We starting paying more attention to the brand because of you, actually. Is it okay if we get a picture? Or an autograph please?"
"Yeah, of course. Let's do both."
"I'll take a photo for you," Asa offered and the girl gave her phone to him. They stood beside me and smiled as Asa took the photo. They pulled out a sharpie and I signed their phone cases, then after a brief conversation, they were off. "A brand new woman, Rosé Park. Hey, can I get a picture with you too? I'm your biggest fan," he teased.
I rolled my eyes playfully, "Show me your sketches of my first and I'll consider it."
His eyes widened slightly and he ran a hand through his hair, "Nevermind. Maybe I'm not your biggest fan after all. Sorry."
"Liar~" I said then pulled on his sleeve, "I won't tell anyone about the sketches, I promise. Please, Asa?"
He turned his face away from me but I saw his small smile. He was embarrassed but I kind of liked it. It was fun to make him flustered, mostly because it was easy, but also because he was cute when his cheeks were pink from blushing. Then I thought about the time when Areum said Asa had a crush on me, and I wondered if it was true... I can't believe I was considering being with him again but maybe this time, we'd actually last.
You Were My
Everything