Monday Evening: 10:00 P.M
3rd Person POV
Jihyo and Tzuyu came home after another night of hanging out with everyone from the restaurant. They went to their shared room to drop off their things before Tzuyu instantly headed to the kitchen. She looked through their refrigerator and pulled out the ingredients to make tonkatsu donburi as Momo, Sana, and Mina taught her how to make it and she wanted to try making it for Jihyo.
Jihyo walked into the living room as Tzuyu was in the middle of chopping some ingredients, "Hey, Tzuyu. Ummm... I wanted to discuss moving places," she said, having finally made a decision over the past week.
Tzuyu instantly froze upon hearing this. The smile that she had on her face while she was thinking of what Jihyo's reaction to her cooking was going to be was replaced with a frown. She feared that she was about to be kicked out just as things were looking up for her.
"Am I... being kicked out?" Tzuyu asked quietly while still facing away from Jihyo.
"Of course not!" Jihyo exclaimed, surprised that Tzuyu thought she was going to kick her out, "I have just been thinking that this apartment is a bit small for the both of us, so I think we should move to a bigger place."
"I'm just being a burden," Tzuyu replied sadly with a sigh, "Just like always, a burden."
"You're not a burden!" Jihyo quickly reassured, "I have been thinking of moving since before meeting you. This apartment has been feeling claustrophobic lately even when I was living alone. I wanted to move but the burden of a bigger apartment for a single person wasn't something I wanted to take on. This is the much-needed push to move apartments. So please don't think I want to move just because you moved in."
Tzuyu nodded slowly as she continued to chop ingredients, attempting to signal to Jihyo that she understood what was being said. However, she could not get over the idea that she was being a burden. It seemed way too coincidental that Jihyo wanted to move just as Tzuyu moved in. She wanted to believe Jihyo's words and reassurance, but her brain convinced her that it was lies. She felt utterly terrible but was used to hiding this feeling from others.
Tzuyu finished cooking dinner and served it on the dining table with two glasses of water for Jihyo and her. Jihyo thanked her for the meal before digging in. Her eyes instantly widened in surprise as she paused for a moment. She started shoveling the tonkatsu donburi into her mouth. Tzuyu forgot about her negative thoughts as they were replaced by the happy feeling that she got from watching Jihyo devour her cooking.
"Unnie, don't eat so fast. You could choke," Tzuyu lightly scolded Jihyo.
Jihyo swallowed hard to clear her mouth of food before downing her glass of water and slamming the empty cup onto the table, "Sorry, it's just that this is so good! I couldn't help myself," she chuckled with a wide smile.
Tzuyu smiled after hearing Jihyo explicitly saying that she liked what she had cooked for her, "I just want to make sure you don't hurt yourself. I can make you more of anything I have made for you if you request it."
Jihyo nodded her head, "Thanks for the concern. I would love that. Honestly, your cooking is amazing," she replied, causing Tzuyu to blush ever so slightly that went unnoticed by Jihyo.
Jihyo and Tzuyu continued to eat dinner. Jihyo ate at a regular pace, now savouring every bite she took. Tzuyu washed the dishes as Jihyo went to take a shower. She finished washing the dishes as Jihyo finished her shower. She took a shower before joining Jihyo in bed. The two of them talked for a little bit before going to sleep, separated by a couple of pillows.
Tuesday Afternoon: 1:15 P.M
It was now lunch break for the staff at 2Yeon Restaurant. Tzuyu was still eating in the kitchen to avoid the bar and its rows of alcohol bottles. Jihyo normally joined her but decided to eat with everyone else for a bit as she wanted to discuss her plans to move to a different apartment with Tzuyu.
Jihyo brought up what she wanted to say, and everyone started getting excited of the prospects of a housewarming party. She laughed a bit before saying that she would host a housewarming party if everyone helped Tzuyu and her move apartments. Everyone agreed and started discussing what they were going to bring to the housewarming party.
Jihyo shook her head playfully at the antics of her co-workers. She brought up that she wanted to move on Friday night if she is able to find an apartment with Tzuyu. Everyone agreed and Jihyo started to smile widely. She thanked everyone before excusing herself and going to the kitchen to eat with Tzuyu.
The remaining group started discussing the wide smile that appeared on Jihyo's face. They thought back to before Tzuyu came into Jihyo's life. Jihyo was devoid of any emotion outside of good customer service. She avoided having discussions with them and avoided hanging out with them. Nayeon and Jeongyeon were understanding of Jihyo's personality, but everyone else felt a little bit hurt by Jihyo's repeated rejections.
In general, the group was just happy to see this side of Jihyo. The entire staff's moods have raised ever since Jihyo started interacting with them. Her smiles have been really bright as of late just like the one that she showed as she went back to the kitchen. Momo still believed that something was going on between Jihyo and Tzuyu, but everyone else told her to not meddle in their affairs until they explicitly talked about it with them.
Jihyo walked into the kitchen to find Tzuyu reading something on her phone. The two of them decided to spend all of their free time today to research some potential apartments and then go look at them tomorrow. Tzuyu still felt herself to be a burden but knew that she had to pull her weight in this plan.
Jihyo sat down beside Tzuyu and told her that all of their co-workers agreed to help and that they would be hosting a housewarming party. Tzuyu nodded her head before showing Jihyo a listing that seemed to be interesting. Jihyo read over the listing and was instantly pulled towards it. She said that they should reach out to the agent to express their interest. Tzuyu agreed and said that she would send the email for it. Jihyo nodded her head as she went to look at other listings on her own phone. The two of them ate, looked at listings, and sent out emails until the end of lunch break.
Wednesday Evening: 7:00 P.M
Jihyo and Tzuyu went to look at the apartment that had interested them as it was the only one that they could find that fit their needs. They met with the agent in front of the apartment building who led them up to the apartment. This potential apartment was closer to the restaurant, and Nayeon and Jeongyeon's apartment than Jihyo's current apartment. The rent was also only slightly more expensive than Jihyo's current rent. Everything about this potential apartment on paper made it an obvious buy.
"This is the entryway; it has a closet to the right if you want to store shoes or jackets," the agent showcased as she led Jihyo and Tzuyu into the apartment, "The dining area, living room, and kitchen are all connected in an open concept design. You will immediately hit the dining area and then the living room if you go straight. To the right is the kitchen. Across from the kitchen and slightly to the right is the first bedroom. If you follow the hallway, there will be another bedroom going straight and then a bathroom on the right," she explained as she gave Jihyo and Tzuyu a tour of the apartment.
"I heard there was a balcony, what about that?" Jihyo asked as the three of them went back to the living room.
"Oh, yes," the agent replied as she walked to the blinds and moved it to the side, "It is right here. It is a bit small and was used for a bit of storage, but you can easily fit two people comfortably and up to four if people don't mind being cramped. You also have the option of not using the balcony for storage and could then easily fit four people with ease."
"I remember reading on the posting that some furniture and appliances will be provided. Can I ask which ones?" Tzuyu asked.
"Everything you see here will be given to you if you decide to rent this apartment. The former renters decided to leave everything behind as they could not take anything with them to their new destination," the agent replied.
"Speaking of the past renters. Could you tell us a little bit about them?" Jihyo asked.
"Of course," the agent nodded, "All of my information is from talking with the neighbours, so I am not sure how much of it is accurate. They told me that it was originally a single woman living in this apartment. She was really cold and didn't seem super friendly with the neighbours. Another woman moved in with the first woman. Not much is known after that though."
Jihyo nodded her head, "Alright, I think we would like to sign a lease for this place. Can we do a 50/50 split on the lease?"
"Of course. Let me just go get some paperwork and we will fill it out and sign some documents," the agent replied before leaving the apartment.
"Jihyo-unnie, are you sure about this split?" Tzuyu asked once the agent left the apartment, surprised that Jihyo had suggested a 50/50 split on the lease.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Jihyo replied while nodding her head with a gentle smile on her face, "I want you to have something that you can call your own. It's not much in value and it's not like we own the place, but I think it's still a good start. Don't worry though, I don't expect you to pay an equal amount of rent. We can discuss that at home later."
Tzuyu felt her heart drop as a cold chill ran through her body. She was crippled by the idea of having ownership in the lease. Having never owned anything of significant value, it was a foreign concept to ever think of one day owning anything like this. Fear spread through Tzuyu's consciousness as worries of what this arrangement could mean ran around her head. Tzuyu was left in a self-imposed tough situation in accepting this arrangement.
Jihyo intertwined hands with Tzuyu, snapping the younger woman out of her thoughts, "Hey, are you okay? You had the same look on your face as the look when you saw the alcohol at the restaurant," she asked in a gently soothing voice.
Tzuyu let out the breath of air that she did not realize that she was holding, "I don't know about this lease arrangement. It feels like I am taking advantage of you," she explained sadly.
Jihyo squeezed Tzuyu's hand and gave her a warm reassuring smile, "You are definitely not taking advantage of me. I know where you are coming from, but you can't always think like that. I know your past isn't good and that it can be scary when you meet a drastic change in your life, but you will only be able to change your life if you grasp these opportunities. You now have many friends, a job, a place to live, and soon own half a lease for an apartment. Think about it, Tzuyu. You've come a long way from where you were a couple of weeks ago, and your future can only get better from here."
Tzuyu found herself feeling calm and completely at peace after hearing Jihyo's reassuring words. Her heart was beating rapidly as she smiled at Jihyo. She had never felt this way before in her entire life. Dahyun and Chaeyoung made similar reassurances as Jihyo did, but it only caused Tzuyu to feel worse. Jihyo had some sort of magical calming effect on Tzuyu that neither of them realized.
The agent returned to the apartment with the paperwork that needed to be signed. She asked Jihyo if she had money for the first and last months of rent. Jihyo reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope of money. The agent counted the money to verify that Jihyo had given the correct amount of money. She then gave two copies of the lease to Jihyo and Tzuyu.
Jihyo and Tzuyu read through the lease to verify that everything was in order before signing where they were told. The agent double checked over all of the paperwork before signing in a few other places. She then gave Jihyo and Tzuyu each a key to the apartment and told them that they could move in whenever they wanted. Jihyo and Tzuyu thanked the agent before heading home.
"I guess we should discuss rent payment before we have dinner," Jihyo suggested as Tzuyu and her entered Jihyo's apartment.
Tzuyu's mood instantly fell upon hearing Jihyo's suggestion. Her previous euphoric calm was now replaced with the same fear she felt earlier. She agreed to the discussion and suggested that the two of them drink hot chocolate. Jihyo was about to ask why Tzuyu suddenly wanted to drink hot chocolate but saw the gloomy look in the younger woman's eyes. She agreed and the two of them walked to the kitchen. Jihyo started a kettle of water on the stove, while Tzuyu went to get the hot chocolate powder and two cups. Jihyo poured the hot water into the cups and the two of them each grabbed a cup and sat down at the dining table.
"Alright," Jihyo said after taking a sip of hot chocolate, "I was thinking that I will pay 2/3 of the lease, while you can pay 1/3 and continue what you are doing now plus buying groceries."
Tzuyu took a sip of her hot chocolate to calm her nerves, "I... don't know about this..." she trailed off hesitantly, "Is that really enough? I feel like I am not doing enough."
Jihyo nodded her head, "It is definitely enough. If anything, I feel like I am not doing enough. Cooking can be quite the burden when you do it for your job and then have to go home and do it as well."
Tzuyu quickly shook her head, "No, no. It's not a burden at all. I quite enjoy it actually. I guess I can accept this new arrangement then," she confirmed as part of her heart still felt like she was being a burden to Jihyo.
---TWICE---
A/N: Hello everyone! I am back with another update! Jihyo and Tzuyu are going to move to a new apartment! Tzuyu still thinks so low of herself even with Jihyo's reassuring words; however, there seems to be a change in that as Jihyo is able to make Tzuyu forget about her thoughts for a little bit. Anyways, until next time, thank you for the support!