Intertwined Souls (JiTzu)

Chapter 14

Monday Afternoon: 3:00 P.M

3rd Person POV

Tzuyu was standing in the kitchen at the restaurant. She had just finished cooking an order and started to stare off into the distance. Her heart has been confused since the date with Jihyo yesterday. Her brain did not think about her usual negative thoughts, but they suddenly came back when she came to work. It almost appeared as if Jihyo had an effect on the way she thought just by the older woman's mere presence.

Tzuyu's thoughts dived down the rabbit hole of what has happened in the past couple of weeks. She felt like a complete burden no matter where she went. She always has to depend on others and could not do anything on her own. Tzuyu felt her heart sink with every passing thought.

"Are you okay?" a voice asked, snapping Tzuyu out of her thoughts.

Tzuyu turned around to find Momo, Sana, and Mina standing in front of her. She let out a sigh before shaking her head, "Not really."

Sana gave Tzuyu a worried look, "Do you mind telling us about what has been bothering you?"

"Did Dahyun and Chaeyoung say anything about my past?" Tzuyu asked. She gained three nods in reply and let out another sigh and looked towards the ground, "Well, I just started thinking about the past couple of weeks. I have been a burden to everyone around me, and I can't do anything on my own. I just feel useless and wished that I could be of use to people."

Momo stepped forward to stand beside Tzuyu before starting to rub the younger woman's back, causing the younger woman to look at her, "None of what you said is true. Especially the part about being a burden. Just look at us," she said before pointing at herself, Sana, and Mina, "You helped the three of us become better cooks."

"But... I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Jihyo-unnie's help. I would still be on the streets living day to day trying to survive," Tzuyu replied with a dejected expression on her face.

Mina stepped forward to stand on the other side of Tzuyu before starting to rub the younger woman's back as well, "It is perfectly fine to depend on others. Especially, if they are someone close to you like your friends. I mean, the real question is, do you consider Jihyo someone close to you?"

Tzuyu thought about Mina's question for a moment before nodding her head while a very small smile formed on her face, "Yeah, I would consider her someone close to me."

Sana stepped forward and smiled, "Then there are no problems depending on Jihyo. People who are close naturally depend on each other. Sometimes it's explicit and sometimes implicit. If I had to take a guess, Jihyo depends on you too."

"I'm... not sure she does. What can I offer to her? Anyways, I just hate bothering people close to me. It was one of the main reasons that I left Dahyun and Chaeyoung. I just felt like a burden and that I was taking advantage of our friendship," Tzuyu explained.

"Dahyun and Chaeyoung always hated that you say that," Mina started to explain before looking towards Sana.

"They never once thought of you as a burden. On the contrary, they always said that they wanted to see you happy and hated that they couldn't accomplish their goal," Sana finished the explanation.

Tzuyu let out a sigh, "I know all about how Dahyun and Chaeyoung feel, but I can't stop myself from thinking that I am a burden."

"We understand where you are coming from. We just want to say that we will never think that you are a burden. If you need someone to talk to about how you are feeling, we are here for you," Momo said with a reassuring smile.

Tzuyu gave everyone a wide smile, "Thank you, unnies. I appreciate it."

Monday Evening: 8:00 P.M