Intertwined Souls (JiTzu)

Chapter 4

Tuesday Morning: 9:00 A.M

Jihyo's POV

It was too early in the morning when I woke up, so I quietly got ready for work and let Tzuyu sleep in. There was really no point in waking her up as she had all day to get the groceries like I asked. I only had time for some toast and butter as I woke up later than usual.

I was already at the restaurant getting the dining area prepared for service with Dahyun and Chaeyoung. Everyone else was getting the restaurant ready in their respective areas. Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and I had a system of our own to quickly and effectively prepare the dining area without much communication, something that I greatly appreciated. Although it feels like there will be some changes to our system from now on.

Nayeon and Jeongyeon-unnies called everyone into the dining area for a quick meeting after everyone was done with their tasks. Momo, Sana, and Mina walked out of the kitchen and we all gathered around a table. Nayeon and Jeongyeon-unnies revealed that they were looking into hiring one more staff member for the kitchen as the restaurant has been quite popular as of late leading to increased traffic into the restaurant.

"Does anyone have someone in mind?" Nayeon-unnie asked, gaining thinking looks from the rest of us.

"Not really," Momo answered on behalf of the kitchen staff, "The only people we know are present in this restaurant right now."

Dahyun and Chaeyoung glanced at each other before shaking their heads, "No one comes to mind," Dahyun answered.

All eyes turned to me and I shook my head, "I got no one either."

"Well, if anyone comes across someone that they think would fit with the restaurant then please let us know," Jeongyeon-unnie said as she adjourned the meeting.

We all went back to work. I started wiping some silverware as my thoughts turned to Tzuyu. I think she might be a potential candidate for the kitchen staff position, but I still wanted to watch her actually cook. Her stir-fry was hands down one of the best I've had for sure. Maybe this will be an opportunity for Tzuyu to get a job and help her feel like less of a burden. Not that I think she is, but I know that concept seems ingrained into Tzuyu's heart.

Tuesday Afternoon: 1:00 P.M

Tzuyu's POV

My morning was rather mundane and uneventful. Jihyo-unnie had already gone to work by the time I woke up. It was a bit lonely to be honest, but I was already used to it from sleeping on the streets for so long. I was just thankful that I had a warm bed to sleep in. My breakfast and lunch consisted of water as I didn't want to take food from Jihyo-unnie without her permission. I was also used to not eating anything for several days at a time anyways.

I dressed into the one pair of clothes that Jihyo-unnie had bought for me when we went shopping over the weekend. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was a lot better than the tattered rags that I was wearing for the past month. I took a moment to take in the scent of freshness of the clothes, reminding myself of what I have to lose if I relapse, before leaving the apartment.

I wasn't familiar with the immediate area around Jihyo-unnie's apartment, but Jihyo-unnie gave me some directions to the nearest grocery store. As I walked along the main street, I realized that I had been here before while I was living on the streets. It was then that I remembered there was an alcohol store not too far from where I was standing, and by that, I meant I was standing right in front of it right now.

My body completely froze. I suddenly felt like I was drowning in an ocean and couldn't escape from it. I knew that this was the precursor for one of my episodes. There were very few times that I have been able to escape it and those times were only because of Dahyun and Chaeyoung. This time, like many, I was all alone. I was about to succumb to the temptations of alcohol and lose the warm bed, hot food, and hot showers that I have been blessed with. I was about to be plunged into complete darkness until my thoughts suddenly turned to Jihyo-unnie. My world was then suddenly filled with light and I could move my body again. I realized then that I was crying and quickly wiped my tears.