The Baker's Daughter | satzu

28 | restart and re-do

T Z U Y U

"Mum!" I squealed as I entered the bakery. "How are you?!"

"I'm great, Tzu. Business is thriving and I have more employees now." My mum grinned.

"Is it only thriving because I left?" I sarcastically asked, and she pinched my ear.

"Perhaps."

"Ouch, mum!"

Chaeyoung laughed at my mum's painful stab and helped me bring some of my luggage upstairs, and I went to go help her out. However, a surprise awaited me in my room.

"MOMO UNNIE?! JEONGYEON UNNIE?!" I laughed and we all joined together for a group hug. "You guys are here!"

"Well duh. We wouldn't be here if we weren't." Jeongyeon replied, and we all raised our eyebrows. "Yeah, that made more sense in my head."

Momo ruffled through my hair. "How's our American girl?"

"Sobbing." I teased. "Maybe go to my luggage to get me some tissues."

They both dashed to the luggage and opened it, seeing a stash of American snacks they both really wanted.

"Aw, Tzu!" Momo hugged me tight. "I love you so much!"

"You only love me because I bought these for you." I jokingly glared at her.

"I mean, that's part of it I guess."

Chaeyoung stretched out across my bed. "I haven't been on here in agessss." She yawned. "Why don't we have a sleepover here tonight? Tell each other some juicy stories or whatever they do at American sleepovers."

"I'm pretty sure the only difference between American sleepovers and Korean sleepovers are the languages." I commented, and Momo and Jeongyeon both mumbled a yes.

"Well, I'll start off first then." Chaeyoung turned over to lay on her stomach, resting her head on her hands. "We saw Sana at the gas station."

"What?" Momo and Jeongyeon immediately lunged forward, eager to hear what had happened.

"She doesn't go by Minatozaki anymore, because of her damn evil father."

"Chaeng-" I spluttered, but the older girls al held out their fingers to silence me. "I'm going downstairs. Let Chaeyoung tell you the rest of the supposed, juicy details." As per usual, engrossed with the dramatic retelling of how I saw Ms Jung at the gas station, they ignored me, and I headed down to the bakery.

"Mum, need any help?" I asked as I came out of the kitchen with gloves and an apron.

"Yeah, just out front. Help at the till if you will."

"Wow, rhyming. Never thought I'd hear it from you, mum."

"I'm no Jane Weir but I sure know how to put a few nice sounding words together." She gave me one of her evil grins. "Now go out and serve those damn customers. They're waiting."

"Okay...?" I raised my eyebrow and headed to the till, facing my head down and focusing on opening the money box. "Hello, sir or ma'am, what have you got....today." I looked up and met eyes again with Sana.

Damn it, mum.

"So, can we, like, talk?"

*****

"So, you're here to stay now I'm guessing?" I asked her, and she nodded, taking a sip of her hot choco. "I'm going back in a month so I guess it's just pure luck we both came back at the same time." I laughed, and Sana chuckled along.

"Things at home - Australia - have been different since Euntae died. I now have two run two huge monopoly businesses and I have hundreds of meetings with people who want to either invest, or simply takeover." Sana admitted, giving a bitter smile. "But I'm thriving. I could be dead by now, for all I know."

"Life sure isn't a given." I fumbled with my fingers.

There was some sort of silence between us for a few minutes, before both of us looked up at each other and laughed again.

"Hey-" We both said simultaneously, and the both of us entered some sort of laughing hole.

"You first." Sana directed at me, and I nodded so I could speak.

I took a deep breath in and looked straight into her eyes. "I'm sorry that I didn't attend your wedding." I apologised, and she responded with a nod.

"It's fine." She let out a soft angelic chuckle. "I think I might have objected to my own wedding if you were there."

A small snigger left my mouth, and I saw Sana grin from the corner of my eye.

"So what do you have to say then, Ms Jung?" I coughed as I turned back to look at her.

She sat up straight and held out her hand.

"Let's restart."

"Restart?"

"Everything." She explained in such a short manner. "Let's put the past behind us. Let's pretend that we just met now."

I took her hand and shook it. "Will do. Hello, my name's Chou Tzuyu. And you?"

"Jung Sana, at your service. It's great to meet you, Miss Chou."

"Same goes for me, Ms Jung."
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[Two Days Later]

S A N A

I handed Tzuyu some files that I had found from the archives in the basement of my company building, and she took a sip from her Americano.

"What's this?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow at me. I motioned for her to open the files, which she hesitantly did.

I looked at her face, which was plastered in shock.

"This is me?" She looked up at me curiously. "How'd you get this photo of me?"

It was a side view of Tzuyu in the crowd at my wedding, accidentally captured by someone who had been shoved a little, and took a photo at the wrong time. Luckily for me, I found the newspaper and the photo, and kept it for future reference.

"You knew I was out there in your wedding."

"I only knew a week later." I admitted, taking a seat across from her. "Heard you went to Cali."

"How'd you know that?" She quizzed me, and I smiled.

"Minsoo told me." I exhaled. "He's doing well, if you were wondering."

"Where's he now?"

"Well," I looked around. "He moved to Dubai. Got offered a job as a bodyguard there."

"Wow," She tittered. "Sounds fancy."

"Yup." I smiled. "Told me to give you this as well." I took out a familiar red mask.

She held out her hand in shock, and began to stutter a few words, in a feeble attempt to make a sentence. "Sana, I can explain-"

"So you were my cinderella after all." I placed the mask on the table. "And I found you."

She laughed nervously. "You're not mad?"

"Mad?" I chortled. "Why would I be mad? A part of me had known it had been you. Areum wasn't a baker's daughter after all. You were."

We both laughed for quite a while, and began to catch up on each other's lives.

It felt comfortable to have her here.

It felt comfortable to be with her here.
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