《Whatever It Takes | Rosekook ✓》12: faint
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"Is she waking up?"
"I've never seen anyone faint before."
"Your ugly face must've scared the crap out of her."
Roseanne's eyes widened to see Jungkook, Eunwoo and Jaehyun sitting around her. She was sprawled on an emerald sofa. She shook her head to free herself from the webs of confusion cluttering her mind.
"Are you okay, Ghost Hunter?" Jungkook leaned forward, his eyes looking worried.
She heard Eunwoo and Jaehyun snickering behind him. Was it because he called her ghost hunter? Had he forgotten her name?
She pushed herself in a sitting position. "I-I'm fine. W-what happened?" The fear in her voice annoyed her.
"Well," Eunwoo chuckled. "You got caught sneaking in. I'm not going to lie, a chick who likes to break the law is a total turn on for me. You got a boyfriend?"
Jungkook's eyes narrowed at Eunwoo. "Shut up, Eunwoo."
"Yeah," Jaehyun shoved his friend away from Roseanne. "Haven't you heard of the Me Too Movement? You can't hit on girls anymore. They have to hit on you first."
"What?" Eunwoo pouted. "Are you serious?"
"That's not what the Me Too Movement is about," Roseanne mumbled. She turned to Jungkook. "I know why I'm here...but what are you three doing here?"
Jungkook's mouth curled up. "We rented the place."
"How else do you think we were able to throw the biggest party around?" Jaehyun asked.
Roseanne's mouth fell open. She pointed at three of them. "Y-you guys threw that party?"
"It's a shame about what happened to Tzuyu," Eunwoo whispered, his eyes glancing between Jungkook and Jaehyun. "Not to be insensitive, but it kind of killed the mood."
"Really?" Jaehyun hissed. "Killed the mood? Can you just shut up for two minutes?"
Eunwoo frowned, his back straightening. "I've told you before-don't talk to me like I'm an idiot."
"Well stop acting like one."
"You think you're all that just because-"
"Enough!" Jungkook's voice rose above their arguing. He was dressed in black jeans and a white t-shirt with a black leather jacket. He turned back to Roseanne. "We saw you through the security cameras."
"People actually watch those?"
He shrugged. "As renters, we get alerted when someone steps onto the property. It's late and I was curious who would be so bold as to break into a mansion in the middle of the night. Imagine my surprise when I saw you. You sure do live on the edge, Ghost Hunter."
"My name is Roseanne."
"I know."
"Of course he knows," Jaehyun muttered.
Roseanne's eyes darted to Jaehyun and back to Jungkook. "Are you going to call the police on me?"
"That depends. Why are you here?" He asked.
"Why do you think I'm here?"
"Don't answer my question with a question. Breaking in was stupid for a lot of reasons but it's also dangerous. For all you know, this mansion could've been rented by murderers."
"Or porn-makers," Eunwoo raised a finger. "Porn-makers who would've forced you to make a movie with them. Jungkook is right. As hot as it was, breaking in was a bad move."
"I'm sorry. I know you're right. My friend Mark told me I was acting stupid but I wouldn't listen," she sighed. "It's been a rough night and I needed to get lost in a ghost hunt. I was here the night of the party and tried making my video-"
"The one where you told everyone where Tzuyu was murdered," Jaehyun barked.
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"No, the one where I hunted for Park Jihyo's spirit. She was murdered in her room the day of her wedding. She was choked to death. There are some accountants that say Jihyo's ghost tried choking them. I wanted to do the video over again."
Eunwoo shuddered. "Why do you want to hunt a ghost that kills?"
"It's not real, idiot," Jaehyun shook his head. "It's all fake to drum up excitement for people to spend one-hundred grand renting this place. It's like a novelty."
Jungkook stood up, ignoring his friends. "So, you expect me to believe you came up all the way here and break in on a stormy night just to make a YouTube video?"
She shrugged. "It's the truth. Did you really rent this place for a month just to throw a party?"
Again, the corner of his mouth kicked up. He picked up her bag from the floor and handed it to her. "Let me see your ghost hunting equipment."
Eunwoo made a whooping noise. "Are you serious? Are we going to do a ghost hunt? That would be amazing! I've always wanted to do one."
"You can't be serious," Jaehyun frowned. "Maybe Eunwoo and I can collaborate with her but not you, Jungkook."
"Why not?" Eunwoo asked.
Jaehyun's eyes widened. "Are you serious? Tzuyu just died."
"So?"
Jaehyun shoved Eunwoo and stole a glance at Roseanne before whispering to him. "How's it going to look? Her boyfriend posting YouTube videos when she just died?"
"Boyfriend?" Eunwoo repeated as if the word had a sour aftertaste.
"Enough," Jungkook shook his head and pulled at some of his hair in frustration. "You two need to relax. I never said I was going to collaborate with our Ghost Hunter here. I just wanted to see her equipment."
"That sounds dirty," Eunwoo whispered before making a giggling sound.
"You're so immature," Jaehyun rolled his eyes.
Eunwoo leaned towards Jaehyun. "Tell me something I don't know."
Roseanne couldn't help but laugh at their banter. She'd heard rumors about them being friends since they were in high school. Their videos always landed on the trending page of YouTube and almost always went viral. These three boys were the epitome of a YouTuber's dream.
"Have you ever heard of Park Jihyo before?" Roseanne asked.
They all shook their heads.
"Why are you so obsessed with the Park's murder? Didn't it happen ten years ago?"
Roseanne nodded. "Yes, but it's still unsolved. Somewhere out there, a murderer is running loose. For all we know, he's killed again."
"Or she," Eunwoo interjected. "Equality and all that. We can't just assume it was a guy. A woman would have murdered her. Maybe her cousin with a crooked nose killed her."
"What are you talking about?" Roseanne swallowed a laugh. Eunwoo wasn't making any sense.
He shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just making this up as I go but for all I know, I'm right and it was a woman. A woman with a crooked nose."
"I'm going to give you a crooked nose if you don't stop saying weird stuff," Jaehyun threatened. "It's crazy how we have so much technology but we can't catch a killer."
"Like Tzuyu's murderer?" Eunwoo asked.
Jaehyun frowned. "You heard the news, Eunwoo. The police said it was an accident."
"Because the police are always right," Eunwoo said sarcastically.
"Guys," Jungkook turned to face them. "If you're going to argue, do it somewhere else. I want to talk to Rosie alone."
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"Why?" Jimin asked suspiciously.
Roseanne was wondering the same thing. Why would Jeon Jungkook need to talk to her alone?
"Isn't it obvious," Eunwoo smiled. "He's going to confess to her."
"Just go," Jungkook pointed to the door.
Both Eunwoo and Jaehyun grumbled as they exited the room. Eunwoo looked back. "We'll be in the other room. Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll choke me like some kind of dominatrix. I've always wanted to try some BDSM kinda stuff."
"You're disgusting," Jaehyun groaned as he pushed his friend out the door.
After they were gone, the sound of the rain tapping against the windows filled the room.
She wasn't sure what to say to Jungkook. He wasn't acting like someone whose girlfriend just passed away. Not that she knew what he should be acting like. She remembered the piercing pain she felt when her mother was murdered and her father passed away. After dialysis stopped helping and he couldn't get a matching donor, his kidneys gave out. Her mother's death, on the other hand, was an unsolvable case altogether.
Roseanne was left alone and picked up by the state. Her social workers weren't too concerned and placed her in one group home after another until she met Mark. They aged out of the foster system together, practically siblings.
Now they live together in South Korea. Sometimes Roseanne wondered if Mark was the reason she stopped feeling so much pain after her father's death.
"Are you sad about Tzuyu?" She asked. She never had a real boyfriend so she couldn't imagine what losing one to death would feel like but she definitely knew what it was like to lose a loved one.
Jungkook studied her for a moment before breaking eye-contact. "What do you think?"
"I think you're answering my question with another question."
"You did the same earlier."
"True, but I eventually answered."
"Why do you want to know if I'm sad about Tzuyu?"
Roseanne shrugged. "Never mind. I know the answer."
Jungkook stretched his legs before moving towards her on the couch. "Do you? And what's the answer, Rosie?"
"You're not," her voice was as fragile as the seeds of a dandelion swept up in the wind. Before he could ask her another question, she continued. "If you were sad, you wouldn't have answered me with a question. Why aren't you sad, Jeon?"
"Call me Jungkook." She stared at him and he rubbed his hand over his hair in frustration. "Maybe I'm sad. Maybe I'm just not the type of person who goes around saying he's sad. Have you ever thought of that?"
"It's possible I suppose."
"You suppose? What do you know about losing someone?"
"I lost my mother when I was eight and I lost my father when I was a fifteen. I know a lot about losing people, Jungkook."
He seemed to relax at the use of his name. His shoulders slouched forward and he rubbed one of his knees with the palm of his hand. Roseanne looked out the balcony doors. "The rain isn't going to stop anytime soon. It really was dumb of me to come here."
"Most people wouldn't take the risk," Jungkook agreed. "I'm sorry about your parents."
"It wasn't your fault."
"So, what did you do? I mean...after they passed. Did you live with your grandparents or something?"
She couldn't help but smile that crossed her face. "No, I wasn't that fortunate. My grandparents passed away years ago. I became a ward of the state. When I turned eighteen, my friend Mark and I took what little money we had and moved to South Korea."
"You lived in Australia, right?" Jungkook asked to which she nodded. "That's pretty brave."
"Or stupid but as you can tell by tonight...I don't exactly have a track record of doing smart things."
Jungkook gave a single nod. "What happened tonight? You said you had a tough night and needed to hunt for ghosts to get your mind off of it. What happened?"
Roseanne traced the edge of her backpack with a single finger. "Someone broke into my apartment."
Jungkook's laugh disturbed her. She shook her head. "It wasn't an innocent break-in like mine."
Jungkook tapped his chin. "Is there such a thing as an innocent break-in?"
"I didn't sneak in and took pictures of you while you were sleeping, did I?"
"What the hell? Are you serious?"
"They sent me texts, too. Calling me a liar. Earlier today someone scratched the word into my door. Liar. I don't even know what I did to deserve to be called that."
"Do you really think Tzuyu was murdered?" Jungkook asked. He was staring at the floor. "I saw your video with Yerim. I actually laughed when I watched it because Tzuyu hated your channel. RoséRade. She would've been pissed knowing you were getting views off her. Not to mention her best friend collaborating with you."
"Wow, she hated me that much?"
Jungkook grinned. "Hate is a strong word. She hates spooky content and you only ever talk about that on your channel. Also, the only time Yerim was allowed to use Tzuyu for views was when Tzuyu controlled how her name was being dropped."
"She sounds like a real peach," Roseanne jokes. "I can see why you two stayed together for so long. You even bought her that fancy necklace. I took it to the police station. Someone sent it to me at my apartment." His eyes widened but she continued before he could speak. "I'm guessing it was after I posted the first video. Maybe it fell off that night and someone found it. I really don't know. I remember you two fighting about it the night of the party."
Jungkook tapped his fingers against his thighs. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"I don't remember."
Roseanne frowned. "Seriously? That's what you're going with? You were angry about her wearing it."
"If I'm being honest, I was mad about a lot of things. Tzuyu shouldn't have been at the party."
"What do you mean?"
"The bouncer let her in because she told him she was my girlfriend," his laughter was cold and angry. "We were very specific about who we invited."
Roseanne gasped, remembering she was invited. She scooted to Jungkook on the couch. "Does that mean...I mean...did you..."
"Spit it out, Ghost Hunter."
"Was I really invited to the party? After running into you and Tzuyu I started to wonder if someone was trying to prank me by sending me a fake but really real looking invite. Or maybe there was some kind of mistake or mix up. YouTubers like me don't get invited to fancy influencer parties."
"And what kind of person are you, Rosie?"
The answer was easy. "A nobody."
"A nobody?"
She nodded. "Nobody knows who I am. You can search me up on Google and my name wouldn't even be mentioned."
"Hmm. I wonder what would happen if I was googled?"
"South Korea's sweetheart of the internet."
"That makes me want to gag," Jungkook admitted.
"There's nothing wrong with having a good reputation. Besides, after you bought Tzuyu that necklace, it became official. All the teenage girls became obsessed with you. You are like the perfect internet boyfriend."
"All the teenage girls? So you're saying you were obsessed with me?" Jungkook smirked.
Her playful words felt stuck in the air. Was Jeon Jungkook flirting with her? How had her night gone from creepy stalker scaring her to mega-rich guy flirting with her? The fact that Jungkook's girlfriend was still cold in her grave made it seem even more impossible. Her smile faltered. "I'm twenty."
"So twenty-year-old girls are also obsessed with me?"
Part of her wanted to wipe that smile off his face. "I don't obsessed over anything but ghosts," she answered. "So, tell me about the invitation. Was it a mistake?"
Jungkook chuckled. "It wasn't a mistake."
As the rain continued to drum against the ceiling, Roseanne couldn't help but wonder what Tzuyu and Jungkook's relationship was like. Why wasn't he crying in a corner somewhere, beside himself with grief? Sure, he was wearing black but he always wore black. If Roseanne had died, she'd definitely expect her boyfriend to grief.
Roseanne couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something about Jungkook that felt...off.
"Were you friends with Yerim?"
His smile fell. He clearly wasn't expecting her to bring up Tzuyu's best friend. Jungkook shrugged. "I'm probably closer to her boyfriend, Sehun, than I am to her. We did a few videos together. He's a gamer and my channel covers everything. We thought it would be funny for us to have a tournament and film it."
"I remember that," Roseanne said. "Eunwoo and Jaehyun lost. They had to dress in baby outfits and walk through Target. An old lady called them perverts and hit them with her purse. All of you were kicked out."
He grinned. "Yeah. We were banned from that Target but we got over fifteen million views."
"So you're not friends with Yerim?"
He shrugged. "She's okay. I didn't really hang out with her too much. Tzuyu liked to be the star wherever she went. Honestly, I'm surprised Yerim put up with her as much as she did. Tzuyu used to call Yerim her stalker."
"Are you serious?"
He nodded. "Yerim always wanted the limelight. I felt bad for her so I let her be in a few of the Trinity's videos. I can't imagine being friends with someone who's popular but isn't willing to help your channel grow."
"I talked to Yerim. Well, I made that ouija board video with her. She seemed to really miss Tzuyu."
"Maybe. Like I said, I wasn't really close to her. Why are you asking me about Yerim?"
Roseanne cleared her throat. "I just wondered what your relationship was like."
His eyes narrowed on her but he nodded. Roseanne wondered if Jungkook had anything to do with Tzuyu's death. The thought flashed through her mind like lightning but he didn't seem to have a motive.
"So you meant to invite me to the party," Roseanne slightly smiled. "That means you probably watch my videos."
He nodded. "Eunwoo loves ghost hunting videos...if you hadn't noticed."
"Tzuyu made it seem like there was no way I could've been invited."
"Like I said, she was the one who hadn't been invited."
Roseanne's forehead furrowed in confusion. "You mentioned that before, but why is that? Why didn't you invite her to the party?"
Jungkook stood up, heading towards the door. "We should really catch up to Jaehyun and Eunwoo. They've probably already started filming without us."
Roseanne gave up on waiting for an answer. She walked out to the hall to join him when a shrieking sound came from down the hall. Jaehyun's voice cut through the silence. "Help!"
Jungkook and Roseanne ran forward while Jimin jumped out of a room. He pointed inside. "Something's choking him! Help!"
Jungkook pushed past him to enter the room. Jaehyun's eyes were wide as he stared at Roseanne and whispered to her. "She's real. We should've listened. Park Jihyo is trying to kill him."
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