Hawái (Chaesoo)

Chapter One: Fractures in the Spotlight

Jisoo leaned back against the soft leather of the car seat, the city lights of Seoul blurring into streaks outside the window. Her manager sat beside her, scrolling through his phone, oblivious to the silence that had settled over her. In her hands, Jisoo clutched her phone, staring at the lock screen. The background was still a picture of her and Rosé, taken on a rare day off months ago. They were laughing, windblown by the seaside breeze, a memory of a time when everything felt simple.

That simplicity was now a distant memory.

It had started small, like a crack in glass. Missed calls. Texts left unanswered for hours. The laughter that used to flow so easily between them had grown strained, replaced by the weight of unspoken feelings. Jisoo told herself it was the pressure of their careers. It had to be. Between photoshoots, rehearsals, and endless interviews, how could they possibly have time to nurture something as fragile as love?

But deep down, she knew it wasn’t just the schedule.

Rosé had always been fire—bright, intense, and consuming. She gave everything her all, whether it was writing music, performing, or loving Jisoo. Lately, though, her fire had turned inward, a shield to protect herself from the coldness she felt creeping into their relationship.

Jisoo’s quiet nature, once a source of comfort, now felt like a wall between them.

---

The argument came like a storm, unexpected but inevitable.

“You don’t even talk to me anymore, Jisoo!” Rosé’s voice cracked, her Australian accent thickening with her frustration. They were backstage after a performance, the distant hum of the crowd still ringing in the air.

“I’m trying, Rosé,” Jisoo replied, her tone calm but defensive. “But it’s not easy for me. You know that.”

“I know it’s not easy, but I can’t keep being the only one fighting for this.” Rosé’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “It feels like you’ve already given up.”

Jisoo didn’t respond immediately. She wanted to tell Rosé that she wasn’t giving up, that she was just afraid—afraid of what would happen if their love became a weakness in the unforgiving world they lived in. But the words wouldn’t come.

Instead, she said, “Maybe you should stop fighting then.”

Rosé stared at her, stunned. Her lips parted as if to say something, but she only shook her head. Moments later, she turned and walked away.

---

The days after the breakup were a blur for Jisoo. She threw herself into work, keeping up appearances as the unflappable "Miss Korea" fans adored. But late at night, in the quiet of her apartment, the emptiness hit her like a tidal wave.

Then came the photos.

It started with one: Rosé standing on a pristine beach, the sun setting behind her. She wore a flowing white dress, her radiant smile brighter than the sun. The caption read: "New horizons."

The next post sent a jolt through Jisoo. Rosé was with Jaehyun. They stood close, holding tropical drinks, their faces glowing under fairy lights. The comments exploded with speculation, fans gushing over the potential romance.

Jisoo stared at the image for what felt like hours, her heart pounding. She knew Rosé. She could see the forced nature of the smile, the slight tension in her posture. But it didn’t matter. To the world—and to Jisoo—Rosé looked happy.

And Jisoo couldn’t say the same about herself.

---

Sitting in her dimly lit room that night, Jisoo opened her journal, something she hadn’t done in months. Her pen hovered over the page before she finally wrote:

"You’re everywhere, and I can’t escape you. Even in her smiles, I see pieces of us."

As the ink bled into the paper, Jisoo realized this was the first honest thing she had said—to herself or anyone—since Rosé walked away.