INSEPARABLE

Chapter 50

Seulgi, her eyes still glued to her phone, responded with a mischievous grin. "Oh, I see. Sneaky chipmunk, huh? I should call you that, can I? I heard Irene calling you 'chipmunk' sometimes. And since we're friends now too, I should have a pet name for you, right?"

Rosie, tearing her glare away from Nayeon who was still laughing, turned towards Seulgi with her most angelic smile.

"Of course," Rosie replied, her voice dripping with honeyed sweetness. "Call me whatever you want. You're not just Jisoo's best friend; you're my friend now too. Just call me whatever makes you comfortable."

The girls, however, were not having it. Their side-eye was so intense, it could've melted steel. They couldn't believe Rosie was okay with Seulgi calling her that pet name.

"Wow. If it's Seulgi, it's all good. But if we are the ones who came up with that kind of pet name, you get mad at us and glare at us like you're ready to murder us!" Nayeon out of the blue, scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Rosie slowly turned her head to Nayeon again and plastered on a saccharine smile. Then, just as quickly, she dropped the smile, giving Nayeon a withering look before turning back to Seulgi with her angelic smile. Right on cue, Seulgi glanced at Rosie and returned the smile.

( A/N: A saccharine smile is a smile that's overly sweet and insincere. It's like a smile that's been coated in sugar, making it feel fake and artificial. It's often used to describe a smile that's used to hide negative emotions or to manipulate someone.)

Even Irene, who totally loves Seulgi, is in disbelief. She thinks it's unfair that Rosie is cool with Seulgi giving her pet names, but if she and the other girls try it, Rosie gets all huffy.

So, Jisoo's friends are exceptions, huh? Irene thought to herself, her eyebrow twitching in disbelief.

"Well, that's very kind of you, Sneaky Chipmunk," Seulgi said with a totally innocent face, almost causing the girls to burst out laughing again. Rosie, however, quickly shot them a glare, making them hold it back.

Knowing full well that Rosie and her girls might erupt into their usual bickering if the teasing continued, Jisoo steered the conversation in a different direction.

"So, since we've got a whole spread of comfort food, what did everyone bring? I mean, I see a ton of food, but what did each of you contribute for tonight?" she asked, looking around the table.

The glares and playful teasing finally subsided as everyone turned their attention to Jisoo and her question.

Chanty's face lit up at Jisoo's question. "Oh! I brought a veggie platter, and since Chaeyoung Oppa is my partner for tonight, she'll be here with some light beers."

Jeongyeon and Seulgi practically jumped out of their skins at the mention of "light beers," snapping their heads up from their phones, completely forgetting about the intense game they were in the middle of. Jisoo whipped her head around to face Chanty.

Chanty, knowing her Oppas well enough to smell trouble brewing, quickly offered a "totally acceptable" reason before anyone could open their mouths.

"Light beers are just a lower-calorie, lower-carb alternative to regular beers, OGs. Nothing to worry about. Easy peasy, right Unnies?" she said, making calming hand gestures. Then, she glanced around at the other girls for their approval.

"Yeah, light beers are fine, right?" Nayeon chimed in, supporting Chanty. This prompted Jeongyeon to completely give up on the game, turning her cell phone off before looking back at Nayeon.

"Do you drink?" she asked.

"Duh, who doesn't?" Nayeon scoffed. "Of course, I do. But don't think I'm a heavy drinker. I just enjoy the occasional light beer, wine, or soju. I'm not a teenager anymore. And I've had my parents' permission to drink since I turned 18," Nayeon retorted sassily.