Rosé Yang abruptly sat up in her bed, her heart hammering against her ribcage.
She ran a shaky hand through her hair and squeezed her eyes shut. Her lips wobbled as tears pooled behind her eyelids. No matter how much she tried to brush the haunting past away, the pain would always catch up.
Soon, droplets of salty tears fell from her eyes. She struggled to properly breathe, hiccuping for gasps of air.
In the cold, dark, and lonely room, she broke down. She wished it had been just a nightmare and not a memory from the past.
Her heart ached with the painful memories from two years ago. Surrounded by the country’s top socialites, she was utterly humiliated and embarrassed. Her heart was torn into pieces, stomped on, and thrown into the ocean like disposable trash.
Rosé Yang still remembered the pain of watching the love of her life choose a woman he’s known for less than a year over her. She had stood by his side for twenty-one years, wasting her youth futilely chasing after a man who never spared her a glance.
When he was too fatigued to bother with work, she took a position as Vice President of his company and worked her body to the ground. She expanded the company to its fullest potential.
Rosé Yang did everything she could to support him, and he repaid her by cheating and ripping their marriage certificate.
She had naively fallen in love with Jeong Jaehyun and dedicated her entire life to him. She was willing to run to the opposite side of the world for him, but he wasn’t willing to. She was willing to sacrifice her limbs, health, and womb for him, but he would sacrifice everything for someone else.
Collapsing onto her bed, Rosé Yang stared at the bleak and endless darkness.
She had sworn she would forget the past and move on. To some extent, she did. But nightmares, like the one she just experienced, forced her to become aware of the painful past that would forever haunt her.
Chou Tzuyu... even her name sounded innocent and beautiful. Just like the characters [1] of her name, she was an untouchable dream of a real-life Cinderella. Growing up in a pitiful family whose father left her at a young age, forcing her mother to single-handedly raise her, she had a very sad story. Her mother used to be a janitor in the Jeong Corporation and after successfully pulling some strings, Chou Tzuyu was able to land a job as Jeong Jaehyun's private secretary.
By becoming his private secretary, she was with him 24/7.
Jeong Jaehyun's interest in her started with a naive and shy smile that seemed to light up the room. Chou Tzuyu was unaware of her beauty and potential, which sparked his curiosity. Then that spark became a fire that ignited Jeong Jaehyun heart, and soon, Chou Tzuyu found herself with a priceless diamond ring.
Because the darkness allowed Rosé Yang to reminisce without any distractions, she didn’t hear the knocking from her door.
The light knock became harsher and louder. It echoed throughout the hollow, empty room. One knock turned into two, then three, then four, until it became excruciatingly rapid. Without warning, the door slammed open.
A beautiful woman strutted into the room, her hips naturally swaying side to side. Long, slender legs, seductive eyes, perfect body, it wasn’t hard to see she was a world-renowned supermodel.
Lalisa Park stopped in front of Rosé Yang's bed with a scowl. She crossed her arms and glared down at her like a mother waking up her daughter for school. "It’s two in the afternoon, and you’re still in bed?!" She tugged and pulled at Rosé Yang's blankets.
"Lisa, let me sleep a bit longer..." Rosé Yang mumbled, snuggling into her blankets.
Lalisa Park was the only friend that stood by Rosé Yang's side when Jeong Jaehyun practically blacklisted her.
When Rosé Yang's "friends" discovered she had no more power, benefits or the title as the Jeong Madam, everyone abandoned her. After many of the socialites realized Chou Tzuyu importance to Jeong Jaehyun, they immediately flooded to her side.
Rosé Yang wasn’t surprised when her friends left her for Chou Tzuyu. Two years ago, she was supposed to be the vengeful antagonist in Chou Tzuyu's life. She was supposed to be the woman that tried to frame Chou Tzuyu for cheating and the horrible person that tried to force the loving couple apart.
Rosé Yang will not deny the fact that she used to be a horrible woman whose very name was supposed to be a sin. She couldn’t change the past, but she knew she could change her future, which was why she worked so hard to become a better person.
"Are you daydreaming again? Did you hear what I just said?" Lalisa Park fumed when Rosé Yang didn’t respond back to her.
"You said it was two in the afternoon, but my room doesn’t feel like it. It might be morning— hey!" Rosé Yang yelped when lalisa Park flung the blanket off of her.
"No, it’s cold..." Rosé Yang moaned, curling up into a ball.
"Ugh, why are your curtains so thick and dark? There’s no natural lighting in this room!" Lalisa Park walked to the long curtains that covered the tall windows.
"No, wait! I’m not ready for the light—" Too late. Lalisa Park had already pulled the curtains open.
Immediately, the bright rays of the afternoon sun soaked into the room, washing all of the melancholic darkness away.
Because Rosé Yang's condo was on the fifth-highest floor of the tall apartment complex, the sunlight was stronger than ever.
Groaning at the intrusion of light, Rosé Yang buried her head into her pillow. She refused to get up, but she knew lalisa Park would force her out of the bed regardless. "Can’t you leave me here to wallow in my sorrow?" Her voice came out muffled.
"A high-class lady such as yourself should not be sleeping until sunset. Now get up!" Lalisa Park chided, adjusting the curtain strings.
"A high-class lady without friends, a good reputation, and amazing connections is just a simple woman with money." Rosé Yang huffed.
Lalisa Park sat on top of the bed and sighed, running a gentle hand through Rosé Yang's hair. "Did you have the same dream again?" She softly asked, stroking her friend’s air.
After a few seconds of silence, Rosé Yang said a meek "Yes."
Lalisa Park's expression grew soft. "Just so you know, I didn’t like Jeong Jaehyun in the first place; he was utter trash."
Rosé Yang had a small smile on her face. "You only disliked him at first because he stole your pudding on the first day of Kindergarten."
"I have a billion more reasons for hating him. He was such a jerk." Lalisa Park retorted. "And for the record, I still hold him accountable for that!" She pouted, crossing her arms like a stubborn child.
Rosé Yang let out a peal of light laughter, the pain in her heart momentarily gone.
"Thank you, Lisa... I don’t know what I would do without you." Rosé Yang softly whispered. Her voice was quiet and broken, like a lonely child abandoned by the world.
Lalisa Park's face became gentle. She reached down and pulled her best friend into a very tight hug. Together, they’ve experienced so much hardship in this world, there was nothing that could push them apart.
"My dear, I should be saying that, not you." Lalisa Park mumbled into Rosé Yang's shoulders.
When lalisa Park was faced with any crisis, Rosé Yang was always there for her. From taking the blame of punching a boy in Kindergarten to the days of high school where Rosé Yang consistently covered for lalisa Park's mischievous deeds. They had seen each other at their worsts, their bests, and everything in between.
"We’re reminiscing too much into the past when we should focus on the present and future. Now come on, get up." Lalisa Park patted Rosé Yang's head and watched her finally sit up on her bed.
"Hurry up and get dressed, so that we can go eat brunch." Lalisa Park hurried Rosé Yang off the bed. With each step Lalisa Park took, her silky red dress flowed behind her.
"It’s two in the afternoon, brunch has already ended." Rosé Yang, the pessimist, grumbled to her friend who laughed.
"Alright, party-pooper, we can get lunch then." Lalisa Park mused, pushing Rosé Yang into the bathroom.
When Rosé Yang began her morning routine, Lalisa Park sat in the corner with a hidden, and mischievous smile.