(ROSÉ x SUZY) Papilefiko

2. small changes in primary conditions

Park Chaeyoung never thought she would meet Suzy in real life, let alone Rosé secretly falling for Bae Sooji.

She understood exactly why she had such a sharp distinction between the personas within herself. Part of it stemmed from using the identity of Rosé to approach Suzy. Another part, perhaps, was because she didn't have enough confidence to face the pure essence of Park Chaeyoung. And finally—though being just a small part—Rosé was everything she showed to the world, while Chaeyoung was the core of her existence. If Chaeyoung got hurt, all of Rosé's defenses would crumble. At that point, her life wouldn't feel worth living.

And Suzy was an incredibly precious presence in Chaeyoung's life. She entered it with meticulous, calculated perfection. People often say things like,"Man proposes, but God disposes" or "Let love unfold naturally," implying that destiny should decide romantic matters. But Chaeyoung didn't believe in that. After all, everyone else doesn't have Hyeri as their best friend, so their first love couldn't possibly be the nation's first love.

Chaeyoung has always been good at cherishing and leveraging the relationships she had. Hyeri wasn't just the perfect bridge connecting her to Suzy; she was also the spark that ignited the explosion of Chaeyoung's feelings.

"Acting? Are you serious?"

"I might look silly, but once I get into character, you'd be stunned."

"But why are you asking about Suzy? I'm right here."

"What was your first drama?"

"Tasty Life, why?"

"And Bae Suzy's debut was in Dream High."

"Damn it, you little dumb motherfucker."

Chaeyoung often answers questions with another question—not because she wants to make things difficult, but because she dislikes straightforward endings to conversations. Like Socrates, she enjoys leading people through questions, letting them arrive at their own answers.

Over time, perhaps from spending so much time around Chaeyoung, Suzy picked up this habit of turning every question into a twisty challenge, especially when dealing with reporters she deemed not particularly bright.

Hyeri, on the other hand, reacts differently after hanging out with Chaeyoung and Suzy for so long. Hyeri had two main reactions. One was to get angry and scold her best friend immediately. For example, on days when Seoul heat was unbearable, Chaeyoung and Suzy would provoke Hyeri, enjoying the cool relief of her sharp retorts. The other reaction was to ask, "How interesting!" and leave the conversation hanging with people not on her level. Of course, nothing was interesting; the real amusement came from knowing that those people wouldn't understand her and would end up thinking negatively. She just let them stew in their frustration.

After seven long years, Hyeri probably realized Chaeyoung's sudden interest in acting back then was an excuse to meet Suzy. If her best friend had been a pottery artist instead, Chaeyoung would have insisted on following her to pottery classes.

"Hyeri's too drunk to even walk... What are you gonna to do?"

"Sunbaenim, you drank too. You should head home. I'll take Hyeri back to my place. We usually have sleepovers anyway."

"A'ight, I'll leave her with you then. Take care on your way back."

"Sure! Can I have your number? I'll text you when we get home."

And just like that, Suzy couldn't refuse Chaeyoung. The younger girl was clever, knowing how to save Suzy's face. Suzy truly cared about her friend's safety, but it was also true that a senior asking for a junior's number was a breach of an unwritten rule. Chaeyoung handled it perfectly. Anything Suzy hesitated to do, whatever the matter, big or small, she would do instead. Even if their lives had no natural intersections, Chaeyoung would find her way to steer things in Suzy's direction.