The Angel Next Door (Rosé X Female Reader)

06: Cake

Word Count: 1710

"Well, guess that's how it goes," Y/N grumbled as she looked the list of names up and down. The rankings for the previous week's tests were out, so Y/N had shown up to check them like the rest of her class.

Coming in at twenty-first, Y/N was situated around her usual score. It was a good enough ranking but hardly a result that stood out. She hadn't found this exam any more challenging than previous ones, though it was still a relief to see she'd done as well as she'd expected.

Surprising no one, Rosé reigned over all the rest from her typical first-place position. She truly was a genius, but Y/N knew perfectly well that she didn't attain that position without applying herself. Y/N had often seen her studying after dinner. She wasn't about to argue that Rosé wasn't smart, but she felt confident that it was the hard work that put her at the top more than anything else.

"Rosé is first again, huh?" I mumbled.

"Of course she is. The angel's on a whole different level," Jennie commented, causing Y/N to make a sour face.

"What's with that look? Was your rank that bad?" Jennie came over, puzzled by her friend's odd expression.

Only the top fifty test scores had been posted. As such, Jennie hadn't come to see her own score, but rather, to accompany Y/N.

"It's nothing. I'm twenty-first."

"Oh? Isn't that better than last time?"

"Only by a little. Gotta consider the margin of error."

"Whoa, you clever people even speak differently compared to us common folk," Jennie grinned.

"Yeah, yeah." Y/N ignored her friend's sarcasm and turned back to the class rankings.

She knew Rosé really gave it her all when it came to studying. She didn't like all that effort to show, however, so she worked tirelessly in secret to make her success look like it came naturally.

Others might've praised her or called her a genius, but since they didn't know about all the behind-the-scenes struggling, they couldn't recognize her actual accomplishments.

That must have been an oppressive way for Rosé to live.

"I should at least do something," Y/N whispered.

"Hmm? What did you say?"

"Nothing. Come on, let's go back to class."

"Kay."

-

"Huh? What's this, Y/N?"

Rosé had gone to the supermarket and returned with dinner ingredients.

When she had started to put them in the refrigerator, a conspicuously unfamiliar white box had caught her eye. "Hmm? Ah, it's a cake."

It was likely that Rosé already had an inkling as to the box's contents based on its shape, but she'd gone ahead and asked anyway. Y/N had gone to a patisserie that Lisa talked about a lot on social media to buy the cake. "Do you like cake?" Rosé asked.

"Not really. I bought it for you."

"What? Why?"

"I thought it would be nice as a little celebration because you were top of our year on the test. It's to congratulate you."

Rosé quickly blinked a few times, unable to process that the cake was for her. She looked quite taken aback.

"But I get the top rank every time, so it's not really something to celebrate," she protested.