Scared to Love Again (JiTzu x SaHyo)

Chapter 21

We looked around and saw no one. I looked towards Tzuyu's room and saw that the door was closed. I rushed over to the door with Chaeyoung following behind me. I opened the door, and we barged into the room.

We found Tzuyu sitting on her bed. She was hugging her knees with her head down. Her phone was sitting beside her. She didn't react at all when we entered the room.

Chaeyoung and I looked at each other and communicated silently. We nodded before walking over to the bed and sat down on either side of Tzuyu. We each placed a hand on Tzuyu's back and started rubbing her back.

"Tzuyu, are you okay?" I asked with a soft voice.

"Where is Jihyo-unnie?" Chaeyoung added on.

Tzuyu looked up at us the moment Chaeyoung mentioned Jihyo-unnie. She had a looked of despair on her face. Her eyes were devoid of any emotions, and it looked like she had given up on everything. On top of that, exhaustion was clearly written all over her face. It was very obvious that whatever happened to cause Tzuyu to be like this was related to Jihyo-unnie.

Chaeyoung and I instantly pulled Tzuyu into a hug. Tzuyu hugged us back and started breathing heavily while hiccuping and a few choked sounds of sadness. She was trying her best to not let herself cry. It was so painful to see Tzuyu in this state. I have only ever seen her like this one other time in our whole friendship, and it was not a pleasant memory.

"It's okay to let your tears out," I whispered gently to Tzuyu.

"It will only hurt you more the long you hold it in," Chaeyoung whispered softly.

Tzuyu shook her head, "You know why I won't."

I let out a sigh, "Please Tzuyu, it hurts to see you like this."

Tzuyu shook her head again, "Never again. I will never let tears fall."

"Can you at least tell us what happened? I know it's going to hurt but you will feel a lot better if you let it all out sooner rather than later," Chaeyoung suggested to convince Tzuyu to tell us what happened.

Tzuyu gently pushed us to break the hug. A little bit of life was now showing on Tzuyu's face, but her eyes couldn't hide the true pain behind her outward mask. Tzuyu let out a sigh before looking down at her knees. It was still very clear that she was trying to hold back her tears.

"I am an idiot..." Tzuyu paused for a moment, "I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up."

I started caressing Tzuyu's back again, "What do you mean?"

"Jihyo... Jihyo... Jihyo-unnie went back to Sana," Tzuyu explained, repeating Jihyo-unnie's name two times before addressing her as unnie on the third repeat.

Chaeyoung was surprised by what Tzuyu said, "What? Why?"

Tzuyu let out a sigh, "Sana has been visiting Jihyo-unnie at the café for the past three weeks. She gave Jihyo-unnie flowers and letters. Jihyo-unnie kept the letters and finally decided to read them two nights ago. It was enough to convince her to give Sana another chance."

Chaeyoung and I looked at each other with sad smiles on our faces. It was honestly heartbreaking to see Tzuyu like this. Tzuyu has never really expressed her true feelings when it comes to love, so it was a surprise when she admitted that she was in love with Jihyo-unnie. I was really happy with the positive changes that Jihyo-unnie brought out of Tzuyu, but, now, I am not so sure how I feel anymore.

"Is there anything you want us to do?" I asked Tzuyu.

Tzuyu looked up and it was clear as day based on her expression that she was holding herself back from breaking down, "Can I just get a hug?"

Chaeyoung and I instantly pulled Tzuyu into another hug. The both of us started rubbing Tzuyu's back. Tzuyu's body started shaking in our embrace as she let out some of her sadness without shedding a tear. I could feel myself shedding a tear at being powerless to alleviate Tzuyu of this pain.

The three of us stayed in this position for around 10 minutes. Tzuyu's body stopped shaking, but she was still hiccuping periodically. Tzuyu broke our hug on her own. I got a good look at Tzuyu's face and could see that she was trying her best to smile, but her lips were quivering.

"I was such an idiot for thinking I had a chance," Tzuyu said, finally managing to form a small smile.

I shook my head, "You are not an idiot, Tzuyu. You trusted your heart for once and you became a better person because of it. You've made progress and that is something to be proud of."

"How can I be proud of it when the person I love goes back to their cheating ex?" Tzuyu asked with a bitter laugh.

"Sometimes, the world has this cruel way of testing you. You never know what could happen in the future. Maybe this is just one test that you have to pass," Chaeyoung explained.

"How do you know that?" Tzuyu asked with a sigh.

Chaeyoung thought for a second before shrugging, "I don't know for sure. I just know that love can be a painful experience sometimes. Don't let this be a setback; take it as an experience that helped you grow as a person."

"How can I when it hurts so much?" Tzuyu asked with a sad sigh.

I placed a hand on Tzuyu's shoulder, "Not all experiences are painless. Sometimes the most painful ones are the ones that help you grow as a person the most."

Tzuyu let out yet another sigh, "But the only reason I changed was for Jihyo-unnie..."

I took my hand off of Tzuyu's shoulder and pumped it into the air in a supportive manner, "Then you can't give up, Tzuyu. I know this may not make sense, but you may have another chance in the near future."

"Bu---" Tzuyu started speaking but was interrupted by Chaeyoung.

"No 'buts'. Is this the Tzuyu that you want to be? One that just gives up after a setback? The answer is 'no'. You are the Tzuyu that declared she loved Jihyo-unnie; you are the Tzuyu that declared she would become a better person for Jihyo-unnie; and you are the Tzuyu that I know will get through this with her head held up high," Chaeyoung said to motivate Tzuyu.

Tzuyu finally had a genuine smile on her face, "You're right! I can't give up just because I was knocked down. I have to get up and try again!"

I smiled at Tzuyu, "Exactly! And we will be there beside you to support you."

Tzuyu's smile became wider. "Thank you, you two."

Chaeyoung let out a chuckle, "Now that's the Tzuyu I like to see. How about we go back to Dahyun and my place for some tofu that Dahyun was making?"

"Alright, let me just go to the washroom real quick before we leave," Tzuyu said before standing up from the bed and leaving the room.

Chaeyoung and I both looked at each other and let out a heavy sigh.

"What the hell is Jihyo-unnie thinking?" I questioned aloud while rubbing my temples.

Chaeyoung shook her head, "I don't know, but we need to talk to Nayeon and Jeongyeon-unnie about this."

I nodded my head in agreement, "Alright, but maybe we should also talk to Momo and Mina-unnie"

Chaeyoung nodded her head in agreement, "Maybe, but let's just talk to Nayeon and Jeongyeon-unnie first."

We left Tzuyu's apartment after she came back from the washroom. We went back to Chaeyoung and my place for lunch. Tzuyu then fell asleep on our couch. I covered her with a blanket before Chaeyoung and me left the apartment.

---TWICE---

A/N: Hello everyone! I am back with another update! Aw man, my heart broke thinking about Tzuyu being in this vulnerable state. The good thing is that Dahyun and Chaeyoung were there to comfort Tzuyu when she needed it most. I am kinda mad at Jihyo for doing this to Tzuyu, but part of the blame lies with Tzuyu. Anyways, until next time, thank you for the support!