Say You Love Me (ChaeYu / ChaeTzu)

Ch. 33 Confrontation pt.2

"You..." Tzuyu's Uncle started, "You shouldn't be here. Get out."

"I will if you answer my questions," Tzuyu says stepping forward, closing the door behind her and the two elders step back.

"We won't tell you a thing," Her Aunt hisses, "You better leave right now, it's bad enough that we're related to you. We've lost too much."

"Tell me what you lost," Tzuyu says, "Who you lost."

"Now why would we do that? Your brother protects us but you doom us," Her Uncle scowls, "We'd be dead along with our son if it weren't for your brother."

"So you lost a son, brother and sister-in-law," Chaeyoung notes as she eyes Tzuyu's Aunt's hand reaching for something.

The two look at each other surprised, they did reveal something. But in that moment when their guard was down, Chaeyoung quickly grabbed the phone in Tzuyu's Aunt's hand. Her aunt was about to jump at her but Tzuyu stopped her and the two were cornered onto the couch. 

"Now, next question, what is my brother like? Is he really as merciful as you make him sound?" Tzuyu asks, "I'm here to stop whatever cruelty him and the council do so people who want a good life, like my parents did, can have it."

"...he's certainly more reasonable than the other six on the council," Her Uncle answers before frowning at her, "You can try to help us but you're just hurting us and we've already hurt enough."

"I'm still going to try though," Tzuyu says and she backs way from the two, "I understand why you're bitter and cold towards me, but I'll still do everything in my to make sure you and everyone else here will have a better life."

As Tzuyu turned to walk away, her Aunt stands up and grabs her wrist. Nothing is said between them for a few seconds but when Tzuyu finally turns her head to her relative, softer words are spoken.

"You look just like your mother," She says and let's go of her arm. They all watch her Aunt walk over to the little fireplace in the living room area and she opens a little drawer to a music box on top of the stone. She pulls out a single, what appears to be, photo and hands it to Tzuyu. 

"Hon..." Tzuyu's Uncle stands up but her Aunt shakes her head and gestures for Tzuyu to take it.

When Tzuyu takes the photo and her eyes widen. It's a picture of her and her entire family, including her brother. Tzuyu is a little toddler, her brother looks like a boy version of herself when she was his age, and their parents are also smiling but there was pain hidden behind their eyes.

"This picture was taken a few days before your brother went to the Capital to be an apprentice," Her Aunt explains, "It's the only photo we have of all of you together. There were others but when your parents were discovered to be traitors, they burned your home down and..."

Her Uncle touches the scar on his face before swinging a comforting arm around his wife.

"Public humiliation," He says, "They were originally just going to kill us but your brother offered an easier punishment, if we don't die in a fight against criminals, we get to walk away with our lives...our son...your cousin...he was thirteen at the time...he didn't make it."

"I...I'm sorry for your loss and the pain we have put upon you," Tzuyu bows, "It ends now."

"I want to believe you, Tzuyu," Her Aunt shakes her head, "But many have tried and have failed."