Eternal Devotion of Manifest/Chaennie

Chapter 20

The room was bathed in pastel, golden light from the ornate chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. The walls were lined with rich, velvet drapes, and the scent of expensive incense filled the air. Rosé stood by the window, the city lights twinkling in the distance, a stark contrast to the turmoil within her.

"She won't come, Chae. Business comes first for people like Jennie," Lisa stated, rolling her eyes as she meticulously selected a gun from the array of weapons laid out on the mahogany table.

Rosé nodded absently, her fingers tracing the intricate patterns on the hilt of her dagger. "I know," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lisa chuckled softly. "Your eyes seem to yearn for her," she remarked, her tone ridiculing but with an edge of concern.

Rosé's gaze flickered to the door, the same doorway where Jennie had promised to return. She didn't understand why Jennie affected her so deeply. It wasn't love, but it wasn't mere indifference either. She felt caught in a web of the notion of love she couldn't untangle, a fire kindled by Jennie's presence that threatened to consume her.

"You're imagining things," Rosé scoffed, endeavouring to mask her turmoil with a veneer of indifference.

Lisa sighed, diverting to face her friend. She was polishing her sword, the blade gleaming under the light. "You do realize you're in love with her," she said, her voice gentle but firm.

Rosé halted mid-motion, staring into the space in front of her. "She's a criminal," she murmured, more to herself than to Lisa.

"Doesn't mean criminals can't love. And as much as I've seen, Jennie is madly in love with you," Lisa replied, handing Rosé her rifle shotgun, its gold plating reflecting the room's opulence.

Rosé stood up, sliding the polished sword back into the scabbard at her waist. "That was the plan, Lisa. Gain her trust and break it. I don't just want to stop her after everything she's done to our people and the world. I want to destroy her from the inside," she said, her voice steely with determination, but her eyes betraying a tinge of doubt.

Lisa watched her friend with an assortment of respect and pity. She knew Rosé was caught in a battle between commitment and devotion, a conflict that might tear her apart before this war with Jennie even reached its climax.

Lisa agreed, "But she loves you, and as much as I can see, you don't love her any less—"

"Enough!" Rosé took a step towards Lisa, glaring into her eyes. "You know perfectly well who I like or don't. Jennie is merely some girl who killed our people. Her dad killed your mother, and here you are defending her." Her voice trembled with a mix of rage and frustration.

"Yes, her father, not her. And what if she doesn't want to do all of this? What if she was forced to?" Lisa's plea was interrupted as Rosé snatched the rifle from her hand.

"Why are you defending her? You hate her," Rosé snapped.

"So do you!" Lisa exclaimed before softening her tone, gently placing her hands on Rosé's shoulders. "Look, I know what you feel for her. We don't have to kill her."

Rosé rolled her eyes, jerking away from Lisa's touch. "You think I would kill her? I won't, Lisa. She'll burn in the flames of the destructive fire she set for our people. From today, her life is mine."

"Chaeyoung, you love her. Hate me or whatever, but you..." Lisa pressed her index finger into Rosé's shoulder. "You feel something for her."

Rosé chuckled bitterly, "I'm in love with Jisoo. It's always been her, and you know that."

"And I also know that you're using Jisoo as a shield to block out your feelings for Jennie. You're forcing yourself not to love Jennie by clinging to Jisoo, but it won't work, Chae. The heart wants what it wants, and yours wants Jennie."