Rosé had needed to escape. The breakup with Hyunjae had been more than just the end of a relationship—it had been her sign to leave everything behind. She booked a one-way ticket to Los Angeles, California within days after final argument. L.A. was far enough away from Seoul that she could disappear, at least for a while. She needed to be somewhere where she wasn't constantly recognized, where she could breathe without the weight of her past pressing down on her. As the plane took off, she stared out the window, watching the city she knew so well fade into the distance. She wondered if she would ever return—or if she even wanted to.
The decision to go on hiatus had been in her mind for a while, long before her breakup with Hyunjae, though that had certainly been the breaking point finally make her leave.
The truth was, Rosé was tired. The pressures of fame, the constant scrutiny, the never-ending cycle of performances, and public appearances—it had all taken a toll. There was a time when music had been her sanctuary, her one true passion. But somewhere along the way, that passion had been overshadowed by the demands of her career. The breakup had only intensified the cracks that had been forming for a while now.
Arriving in LA, Rosé was hit with the realization that she was in a city of strangers, a place where no one knew her story. It was exactly what she needed. She rented a modest apartment in a quiet neighborhood, far from the bustling heart of the city.
One of the first things she did was dye her hair dark brown. The once vibrant blonde that had been a trademark of her idol image was gone, replaced with a deep, dark shade that made her almost unrecognizable. She could hardly recognize herself whenever she looked in the mirror. It felt strange at first, but also right. This was a new life, and she needed to shed the horrors of her past.
Life in LA was quiet. The days blended into one another, filled with slow routines that were a far cry from the hectic schedule she had been used to. She spent her mornings walking along the empty streets with her dog, her evenings curled up with books she had never had time to read before. She would venture out to the beach, watching the waves crash against the shore, feeling the cool breeze on her face. For the first time in years, she wasn't Rosé the idol; she was just Rosé, another face in the crowd.
But the peace she sought was not always there. Even in this new city, thousands of miles away from home, the shadows of her past followed her. The rumors had started almost immediately after she left. Some said she was on hiatus, taking time to regroup before her next big project. Others speculated that she had retired, unable to handle the pressures of fame any longer. The most dramatic claim she had died, with conspiracy theories sprouting up in dark corners of the internet. Rosé tried to ignore it all, but it was impossible to completely shut out the noise.
She sank into a chair on the balcony, letting the silence of the night envelop her. She scrolled through her phone, catching up on the latest news from Korea. Her name was trending again, and not for the reasons she wished. Headlines blared about her sudden disappearance, and, of course, her breakup with Hyunjae.
"Rosé Missing in Action—Has the Star Disappeared for Good?" one headline read. Another speculated, "Is This the End of Rosé's Career?" she sighed, setting the phone down.
"Let them think what they want," she muttered to herself, but the words felt hollow. Despite her best efforts to move on, she couldn't escape the world she had left behind.
When she left Seoul, she had hoped to find peace, to rediscover who she was outside of the idol persona that had been crafted for her. But even here, thousands of miles away from the spotlight, the burden of her past still clung to her.
Her thoughts drifted back to the night she left. She hadn't told anyone, not even Mrs. Choi, about her plans until the last minute. She simply packed her bags and booked a flight, needing to escape before she lost herself completely. Mrs. Choi had been worried, but Rosé assured her it was something she needed to do. And it was—more than anything, she needed to breathe again.
She also thought back to the early days of her career, when everything had been new and exciting. The thrill of performing on stage, the joy of connecting with her fans, the satisfaction of creating music that resonated with so many people—those were the moments she had lived for. But as the years went on, the demands grew heavier, the expectations higher. The constant need to be perfect, to maintain her image, to always be "on" had become exhausting.
Rosé sat on the floor of her apartment that evening, her back against the wall, staring at the pile of notebooks she had brought with her. They were filled with lyrics, melodies, ideas for songs that had never been completed. She picked up one of the notebooks and flipped through the pages, the familiar handwriting bringing back memories of late-night writing sessions, moments of inspiration that had struck at the most unexpected times.
She stopped on a page where she had written a few lines that had never made it into a song:
"In the quiet of the night, when the world is fast asleep,
I search for the pieces of me, lost in the noise of my dreams."
The words struck a chord within her, echoing the feelings she had been struggling to articulate. She had lost herself somewhere along the way, buried under the expectations and pressures of the life she had chosen. Or maybe it had chosen her. She wasn't sure anymore.
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Reaching My Star | A Chaennie AU
FanfictionIt's been years since Jennie last attended a concert of her former idol, Rosé. She went to relive her past and have some fun, but everything took a turn when Rosé recognized her in the audience. An Original Story. A Non-Fanfiction Version will also...
