winter. （jaerosè）

Chapter 13: A Sense of Familiarity

ROSÉ

Eyes wide open, Rosé examined the wide space before her. The room felt more of a suite that had brought her so much sentiment for the finely designed interior looked identical to the room she had in their dorm, only fancier. Rosé's body laid in the middle of her new King-sized bed, its bedsheets hold the calm shades of blue, and right in front of her was a modern fireplace, lit on. Above it was an enormous OLED TV attached on the pearl-white wall.

To her right were colossal picture windows, revealing an astonishing view of the sea and winter's snowfall. Apart from that, there was another building that towered over where she's located at, a sign depicting "Neo HQ" in which she effortlessly spots, with gifted vision. By the windows, there's a working area with two connected monitors placed on a wide table, and other kinds of devices she is yet to know of, organized on the cases placed east of the desk.

Before she could turn to her left, she finally noticed the oxygen mask she has been breathing into. The faint feeling of tight bandages wrapped around almost every part of her body brought her to utmost discomfort. All the while, her back ached with the strange feeling as though the wounds were starting to open again as she lightly shifted right and left. Her arms were weak, she couldn't even lift them up without wincing.

Curiosity has been wanting to be acknowledged ever since she woke up and that made her want to get up. She attempted to, but it only made her groan in pain.

"Careful," told a soft, familiar voice from her left, "Don't move too much. You're still recovering."

Rosé turned over to her best friend who wore a white coat, and a stethescope hung around her neck. For a moment there, she hoped that she has been in a coma for years for Lisa to have finally completed med-school. But then, she remembers all the factors she kept in mind before this day, only to lead her to an answer that in which she fears to be true.

"You're one of them?" wailed Rosé, wearily.

Lisa tilted her head downwards, genuinely expressing shame and remorse as she stood up from the chair next to the door. She tucked her hands inside her pockets and said, "It was the only way to survive in this country."

"God," Rosé whispered, her eyebrows furrowed as she batted her eyes somewhere else. She used all her might to move her hand to remove the oxygen mask off her face.

"Where's Jaehyun?" she asked, her voice breaking. "Is he safe? Was he hurt?"

"He's safe. He got hurt, but he's safe. But Rosé," Lisa told as she made her way to her best friend's side, "Your heart was abnormally palpitating. Diagnostics confirmed anxiety attack."