Intertwined Souls (JiTzu)

Chapter 25

Tuesday Evening: 10:00 P.M

3rd Person POV

Jihyo and Tzuyu came home after hanging out with everyone like usual. Tzuyu had noticed Jihyo's sudden disappearance and sudden reappearance after lunch. She asked Nayeon and Jeongyeon about it, and they told her that Jihyo was doing an errand for them. She accepted what she was told, but there was a weird feeling in the pit of Tzuyu's stomach that told her there was more than meets the eye. She decided to wait until coming home to ask Jihyo.

"Ji-Ji," Tzuyu called out to get Jihyo's attention as they walked into the living room, "Where did you go earlier today after lunch?"

"I went to do an errand for Nayeon and Jeongyeon-unnies. They asked me to pick up some supplies for the restaurant," Jihyo replied with a confident smile.

Tzuyu let out a sigh as she frowned, "I know that you are lying to me Ji-Ji."

"What are you talking about? Why would I lie to you?" Jihyo replied while mentally panicking.

Tzuyu stared Jihyo directly in the eye, "Because your eyes lack the shine they normally do. Plus, you walked into the restaurant without anything. So, I ask once again, where did you go?"

Jihyo swallowed the lump in her throat as she realized she could not hide the truth from Tzuyu, "Please don't get mad at me but... I went to see your mom."

Tzuyu was shocked upon hearing what Jihyo said. It took her a couple of seconds before she fully processed what Jihyo had done. Anger washed over Tzuyu's face as she started breathing heavily. Jihyo became worried as she tried to decide what to do.

Jihyo reached out a hand towards Tzuyu, "Chewy? I am sor---"

Tzuyu swatted Jihyo's hand away, surprising Jihyo, as she became blinded by anger, "How could you betray me like that?! How could you go see that monster of a woman?! The one who ruined my life! The one who made me suffer till this day!" she paused as she started to hyperventilate, "Why?! Why?! Why?! Why would you see her?! I hate her! I hate what she did to me! I hate how my life turned out!"

Jihyo stood in silence as she took in everything that Tzuyu shouted. She wanted to stay silent and let Tzuyu release the well-deserved anger towards Tzuyu's mom, but the last thing Tzuyu said completely destroyed Jihyo. She tried her best to be understanding of how Tzuyu was feeling but could not bring herself to do so.

Tears started falling from Jihyo's eyes, "You... hate how your... life turned out? You... hate meeting... me?"

Tzuyu became shocked by Jihyo's tears and clearly hurt tone of voice. Tzuyu's mind cleared up of her anger as she realized what she had said. She sighed out of frustration as she pulled Jihyo to sit on the couch. She wrapped her arms around Jihyo and let her girlfriend sob into her chest. She hated hearing the sound of Jihyo crying and hated the fact that Jihyo's tears were because of her. She could feel tears glistening her eyes as she pulled Jihyo closer to her.

"Ji-Ji," Tzuyu softly said, "You know I would never hate nor regret that I met you. You have brought so much joy and meaning into my life. I can't even imagine a reality that I never met you. I love you so much that part of me was scared that something bad had happened when you disappeared. I know it's unreasonable of me to think that way, but I just can't stay 100 percent calm without knowing that you are safe. There isn't a moment where I don't think about you or how you are doing even though we live and work together. I am sorry for hurting you with my words; there is no excuse for what I said just now, and I don't deserve forgiveness, but I just want you to know how much I love you."

Tzuyu paused to see how Jihyo would react. She continued to speak after Jihyo continued to cry into her chest, "What I said just now was how I felt prior to meeting you. I hated my mom for making me go through everything I did. I always wanted to have a normal life and a good mother-daughter relationship. I dreamed of being able to go on mall dates with my mom and talking to her about the person I love. I have come to realize that meeting you gave me a semi-normal life. I wouldn't trade what we have for anything else in this world, even a good mother-daughter relationship."