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23

Chaeyoung started subtly dodging Mina, their usual hangouts mysteriously disappearing from the calendar.  She’d show up at the hospital, ostensibly to visit Jeongyeon, but would vanish, leaving Mina and Jeongyeon alone together with suspicious frequency. Mina found it weird, but decided she wasn't going to push it.

Chaeyoung spent hours on the rooftop, humming the song she'd written for the event, then letting out a long, exasperated sigh as the realization hit her – the song was all about Mina.  Great. Just great.

 

Meanwhile, in the cafeteria, the girls were hashing out their event plans, a notable absence of Tzuyu and Dahyun hanging heavy in the air.

"You guys haven't seen the juniors lately, have you?" Momo asked, her voice a little sharper than usual.

"Chaeyoung and Mina are at the hospital again, visiting Jeongyeon," Jihyo replied, her tone weary.

Nayeon frowned, the name Jeongyeon completely unfamiliar.

"Jeongyeon?  Who's that?" she asked, a hint of impatience in her voice.

"Oh, right. You haven't met Chaeyoung's sister yet," Jihyo said, launching into the story of their impromptu stakeout at the hospital, the whole Jeongyeon drama unfolding like a poorly-written soap opera.

Even Nayeon was surprised Dahyun and Tzuyu hadn't been filled in.  Just then, Dahyun walked in, her eyes scanning the room.

Sana's gaze locked onto Dahyun instantly.  Dahyun marched straight to their table, her face a thundercloud.

"Dubu, where have you—" Momo started, her words cut short by Dahyun's sharp interruption.

"Where's Tzuyu?" Dahyun demanded, her voice like ice.

"She's in the library, I—" Jihyo tried to answer, but Dahyun was already turning on her heel, shooting a quick, worried glance at Sana before disappearing.

"Whoa… what was that?" Nayeon breathed, completely bewildered. Dahyun had never looked so furious.  The barely-contained rage in her eyes was seriously unsettling.

Sana knew this was bad.  She shot to her feet.

"We need to find her.  I have a really bad feeling about this," Sana said, her voice tight with anxiety.  "I think she might do something to Tzuyu."

"Why?" Nayeon asked, her own apprehension growing by the second.

"Oh… is it because… she saw you… that night?" Momo blurted out, the pieces suddenly falling into place.

"Holy crap, you're right! She wouldn't be this worked up otherwise!" Momo exclaimed, her voice rising in alarm.

"Wait, what actually happened?!" Jihyo demanded, her eyes wide, taking in Sana and Momo's horrified expressions.

"No time for explanations, Unnie! We have to find Dahyun before she does something crazy," Sana insisted, practically dragging Nayeon along. Momo did the same with Jihyo.

They practically sprinted back to campus, ignoring the shouts and bewildered stares of passing students. They burst into the library, creating a small disturbance. Sana headed straight for Tzuyu's usual spot.  But someone else was already there.

"Mark!" Sana exclaimed, a little breathless.

"Hey Sana… and… uh… friends...?" Mark said, closing his book, looking slightly overwhelmed by their sudden arrival.

"Have you seen a tall girl, or a pale girl, about this height?" Sana described Tzuyu and Dahyun, trying to keep her panic under control.

Mark paused, thinking.  "Yeah, I saw two girls who fit that description leaving just before I got here."

Sana let out a frustrated groan.  "Great."  Just then, Momo pointed excitedly towards the window.

Sana and Nayeon rushed over.  They saw Dahyun and Tzuyu talking outside.

Sana didn't waste a second, thanking the increasingly bewildered Mark and taking off after them.

Fifteen minutes earlier:

Dahyun found Tzuyu in the library, not studying, but sound asleep.  Dahyun didn't bother with a gentle nudge; she shook her awake roughly.

Tzuyu jolted awake, annoyed, her irritation quickly replaced by concern. She'd been blowing up Dahyun's phone for three days straight.

"We. Need. To. Talk," Dahyun said, each word clipped and sharp.

Tzuyu saw the simmering anger in Dahyun's eyes. She followed Dahyun to a secluded garden.

"I saw you and Sana Unnie," Dahyun stated, her voice dangerously calm, the stillness more terrifying than any outburst.

Tzuyu went rigid.  Dahyun's words hit her like a physical blow.

Dahyun let out a short, humorless laugh, enjoying Tzuyu's visible discomfort.  "So, Tzu, spill it. How long have you been sneaking around with Sana behind my back?"  Her words were dripping with sarcasm.

"N-no Dahyunnie, it's not like th—" Tzuyu stammered, her voice trembling.

"Not like that?  Enlighten me. What's 'not like that'?" Dahyun's face was a mask of barely-controlled fury, her eyes blazing.

Tzuyu stared at her shoes, completely tongue-tied. She liked Sana, yes, but two major things were holding her back: her confusing feelings for Chaeyoung and the fact that Dahyun had liked Sana first.  Talk about rotten luck.

"Is this your payback?  After years of friendship, this is how you repay me?!" Dahyun's voice cracked, raw with pain and betrayal.

Tzuyu flinched. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"You know what, Tzuyu? Forget this friendship. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. And honestly? I don't even care about Sana anymore. I'm way more hurt that my best friend would lie to my face like this!" Dahyun yelled, shoving Tzuyu's shoulder hard.

"It's not the kiss, Tzuyu. It's the betrayal. The fact that you didn't trust me enough to tell me. I would have understood," Dahyun's voice was thick with unshed tears.

Tzuyu stayed silent, unable to defend herself. Dahyun was right; she hadn't considered how Dahyun would feel.

"Dahyunnie… please, just lis—" Tzuyu tried again, her voice pleading.

"No, Tzu… just… just go," Dahyun choked out, turning away.

Dahyun stormed off, leaving Tzuyu alone, her head bowed, tears silently streaming down her face.  She was on the verge of losing both her best friends.

When Sana and the others arrived, they only saw Dahyun's retreating figure and Tzuyu standing there, devastated, tears streaming down her face, fists clenched. Sana reached out, but Tzuyu flinched away.

"Don't. I feel terrible, and you're the last person I want to see right now," Tzuyu said, her voice cold and brittle.

Tzuyu turned and walked away, leaving Sana, Jihyo, and Nayeon standing there, completely helpless, watching her go. Momo took off after Dahyun.  The silence that followed was heavy, a stark contrast to the emotional storm raging inside Tzuyu's heart.