The Angel Next Door (Rosé X Female Reader)

Bonus: 02

Word Count: 1,571

"What are you writing?" you asked.

After dinner, you took care of the dishes. When you finished, you saw that Rosé was sitting on the sofa jotting down some kind of note. Initially, you wondered whether it might be a school assignment, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

It would have been rude to brazenly read the contents, so you couldn’t get a good look at it. Glancing at it as you passed behind her, you saw what looked like a list of dishes, written in neat letters. Rosé was used to you sitting beside her, and she didn’t react to you taking the adjacent seat.

She continued moving her pen in silence. "It’s the menu from last night’s dinner. It’s helpful later if I make a note of what I cooked," her slightly delayed answer was quite matter-of-fact. "As the person who does the cooking, I decided I have to keep track of these things."

"You’re so meticulous," you said.

"I’m just writing down what I made, so it’s simple enough. I’m the kind of person who will pretty much eat the same things all the time, but that’s not so great as far as nutritional balance," Rosé explained. When it came down to it, you were also the type who would be perfectly fine with eating the same thing over and over. But there was nothing better than getting to eat a variety of dishes.

Since Rosé had a varied repertoire, she always tried to avoid repeating the same dishes. At most, she used the previous day’s leftovers, such as curry or meat sauce, to make something new.

Without even having to think back on it, you knew that she had been incorporating a good mix of vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, soy, and dairy into your meals. You were grateful when you thought about how much care she put into these kinds of details, but on the other hand, you also felt bad about it.

"How do I put this, Rosie? I’m really grateful for everything you do. You have my respect," you said.

"Stop that. I’m just doing this for my own satisfaction. It’s easier to have a record when I’m trying to manage our nutrition. Plus, if anything ever happens, I’ll be able to check whether there was anything strange in what we ate," Rosé explained.

"I guess that’s true, but it’s still very thoughtful. Admirable, even."

"I’m not doing it because I want your praise, though. It’s convenient to have later, so I’m making a habit of it. That’s all," Rosé said.

"Even so, I think it’s impressive."

"Well, thanks," Rosé replied. You really thought she was amazing.

Without exaggeration, she was terrific and so sincere. "As someone who basically specializes in eating and can barely recall the names of dishes, I find it incredible that you came up with an idea like this."

"...Now that you mention it, for someone who specializes in eating, you do know a fair number of dishes once they’re laid out on a table. And you have a good sense of taste, especially considering that before I started cooking for you, all you seemed to eat was instant ramen and ready-made food,"

"At home, my parents…well, if I had to say, I guess it was my dad—my dad made me try all sorts of things, so I got to eat lots of good stuff," you explained.

You knew that your palate wasn't necessarily dull just because you didn't cook. Just like how food critics aren't always expert cooks, it was possible to hone your sense of taste, even though you couldn’t prepare the dishes you were tasting.

Your parents were good cooks, especially your father, and they were the type of people who had regularly taken you to various restaurants. This gave you plenty of opportunities to taste and compare a wide variety of foods.