Manager Maknae (ChaeTzu / ChaeYu)

Chapter 6. Heart Beat

Ever since her talk with Jeongyeon, Tzuyu has analyzed her feelings over and over again. She's been zoning out whenever she isn't doing something and has been over analyzing Chaeyoung's interactions with her. Some part of her was desperate to know if Chaeyoung liked her, she kind of just wished that Chaeyoung could just tell her. Of course she knew that's not how it works so she kind of just...

...dies inside...

Or commits gay panic.

Her strange behavior over the past few days have not gone unnoticed, especially by Chaeyoung. So while Nayeon is getting ready for her performance at a music show and they're all back stage with her, Chaeyoung goes over to Jeongyeon while Tzuyu helps the idol. 

"Hey...Jeong...can I ask you something?" The shorter girl asks and Jeongyeon nods, gesturing for her to continue, "Is Tzuyu okay? She's been acting strangely lately."

"Ah, indeed she has," Jeongyeon sighed and shook her head, "She's just trying to figure some internal things out, ya know?"

"Internal things? Like...feelings?" Chaeyoung asked wide-eyed, "Does she like someone?"

Jeongyeon stared at her incredulously and the younger girl went from surprised to confused in 0.2 seconds. Before Chaeyoung can ask more questions, Tzuyu called for Jeongyeon to help Nayeon as she herself walked away from Nayeon. 

"H-hey," Tzuyu said to her, shakily, catching her breath.

"Hey, you okay?" Chaeyoung asked, placing a hand on her shoulder causing Tzuyu to flinch.

"I, uh, um, yes," Tzuyu smiled nervously, "I just, need sleep, ya know? And food. I'm hungry."

"Ah ok! Want to grab something to eat later?" The blonde haired girl asked and Tzuyu's inner self screamed.

"Yeah, sure, if you want," Tzuyu's smile widened, causing Chaeyoung to blush a little. She found the taller girl's bright smile went to her eyes, causing them to twinkle in a sense. 

And so, when Jeongyeon returned from helping out her girlfriend, she walked in on two idiots smiling and blushing at each other like crazy. 

A few hours later, it was nearly 2 AM and the award show had just ended. Everyone was packing up and leaving and Jeongyeon and Jackson drove Nayeon home when the other two said they wanted to get something to eat.

"Have fun you too!" Nayeon screamed out her window before rolling it up and driving away.

"Damn, why do I feel like I've been ditched?" Chaeyoung mumbled and Tzuyu nodded in agreement.

"So...what can we get at 1:52AM?" Tzuyu asked as they walked to her car. 

"McDonald's? Convenience store food? Street food in the city?" Chaeyoung suggested, "I don't really want to see people right now, though. I just want to relax."

"...You want to come over then?" Tzuyu asked mustering up every shred of courage she could find.

"Oh? yeah sure, whatchya got?" The shorter girl smiled as she got into the passenger seat of the car.

"I got some cheese wontons, dumplings, and fried rice," Tzuyu replied as she started the car and backed out of the parking spot, "For dessert, I have like this fruit tart cake thing that my friend Elkie gave me the other day."

"Elkie? Like, from the idol group CLC?" Chaeyoung asked, wide-eyed. 

"Eh? Yeah, we're childhood friends, our parents knew each other," Tzuyu chuckled before saying, "I didn't know she was an idol until I came here, we kind of lost contact for a few years but we saw each other at the first Inkigayo I went to for Nayeon."

"Oh wow..." Chaeyoung muttered, her voice trailing a bit. She felt a strange feeling in her stomach and frowned at the sensation but put it off as her stomach growling. 

When they arrived at Tzuyu's place, they immediately shed their shoes and started to heat up the left overs in the fridge. They talked, watched some YouTube videos on her TV, and ate leisurely. There was something about the whole set up that felt different to Chaeyoung. She was having fun talking about basic things and felt happy just eating next to the taller girl on her couch. When Chaeyoung glanced over at Tzuyu, she couldn't help but get lost in thought as she admired Tzuyu's side view. When Tzuyu laughed at whatever they were watching on the TV, the dimple on her cheek appeared and it caused her heart to skip a beat. Without thinking, she touched the dimple on her left cheek and it caused Tzuyu to turn to her.

"Hm?" Tzuyu's laugh was dying out but a dazed smile lingered.

"Ah, nothing..." Chaeyoung said and she cleared her throat, "I just noticed you dimple is on the opposite cheek of mine."

"Eh?" Tzuyu said turning to her and Chaeyoung smiled to show her what she meant and the taller girl poked her dimple too.

They both sat there in silence, poking each other's dimple before falling into a fit of laughter. They then turned back to the screen and when they were both finished eating, they just sat there, comfortably. As the early morning went by slowly, Tzuyu found herself fighting sleep. Chaeyoung saw the taller girl's head nodding up and down, so she chuckled, leaned her head against her shoulder and let Tzuyu's head rest on hers. She could tell Tzuyu was sleepy due to the fact that within a minute of resting her head, her breathing changed and became lighter yet breathier. Soon enough, Chaeyoung herself was succumbing to sleep and as it began to envelope her she thought the thing that had been on the back of her mind...

Tzuyu...who do you like?