Imperfectly Perfect 2

53 : Agreed Upon

"Are those engagement rings?" Mr. Chou asks while eyeing the hands of Nayeon and Jeongyeon that happened to be both on top of the dining table when the two girls drank water at the same time.

"Ahh." Jeongyeon wipes her mouth, glances at her girlfriend, then awkwardly chuckles. "No, dad."

"Not yet." Nayeon quickly comments while flashing a grin to the council treasurer.

"Oooh." Mr. Chou loudly chuckles. "I don't think my daughter here has any plans on letting you off the hook, Jeong."

"I agree." Jeongyeon answers with an unamused tone. "And I actually sometimes experience nightmares because of that."

Nayeon immediately hits her girlfriend's arm. "Hey, babe! What are you saying?"

The three other people at the table burst into laughter at the soccer manager. The Chou sisters together with their father plus Jeongyeon are now waiting for their food at a fancy restaurant not too far from the girls' schools.

Mr. Chou glances at Tzuyu, giving her a knowing look. "The younger daughter here has to learn a thing or two from you two."

The cheer captain quickly protests. "Dad, that is not—"

"Ah! Why haven't I thought about it earlier?" He cuts her in with an idea that just popped on his head. "I should've asked Chaeyoung to join us! We would've been a complete, happy family if that's the case."

"For the second time around today..." Tzuyu lets out a frustrated sigh. "As we have told you and Mr. Son on the dinner we had last Valentine's day, Chaeyoung and I would like to take it slow with our arranged marriage."

"And for the second time around today..." Mr. Chou squinted at her. "As I have told you earlier, I'm not buying that lame excuse, Chou Tzuyu."

Nayeon clears her throat and joins in the conversation. "They are both young, dad. They are just both in their second year in the university. What's with the hurry?"

"I'm not hurrying your sister and her fiancée up." He replies in elaboration. "It's just that I'm not seeing any progress with them at all. Romantically, I mean. I know that you see it too. They still act like the same friends I saw years ago."

Tzuyu butts in. "Chaeyoung and I are in our closest point in our friendship right—"

"I know that I can't push Chaeyoung because she is not my daughter." Mr. Chou cuts the cheer captain's statement. "She is Mr. Son's responsibility. But you, Chou Tzuyu, I've been nothing but full of reminders to you about how you should give the relationship more thought."

Nayeon speaks again for her sister. "Isn't friendship a very good foundation of a relationship, dad?"

He promptly scoffs. "While that is right, that is also exactly the problem with Tzuyu and Chaeyoung. Those two are just good friends! Nothing more and nothing less."

"But, Dad—"

The soccer manager was cut off when Mr. Chou continued to speak, this time directing to his younger daughter. "Come to think of it, Tzuyu. You haven't answered the question I asked you earlier when we were in the car."

Tzuyu shakes her head a bit. "Dad. You don't understand. It's not what you think."

"Then, answer the question, Chou Tzuyu."

"Dad—"

"Which is it, huh?" Mr. Chou is now seriously looking at his daughter. "Is Chaeyoung already in love with someone else or are you still attached to that childhood friend of yours?"

Jeongyeon and Nayeon gave knowing looks to each other, staying silent and deciding to stay out of the heated conversation. On the other hand, Tzuyu and her father just stared at each other fiercely like in some quiet battle.

They were only interrupted when the restaurant's server came to bring their food. "Here's your food, sir... ma'am."

The table was quiet for a while with the obvious tension from the earlier conversation.

It was about after about ten minutes when Mr. Chou started talking again. "I actually looked into her."

Tzuyu quickly shot her gaze in his direction with visible annoyance. "You what? Dad! Haven't we agreed that I won't get a private investigator to know her whereabouts when we come back here only because you will also do the same?"

"Don't worry. I did not look further into her personal details." He looks back at her nonchalantly. "All I know for now is that she has never left the country's residency. I also did not ask her to be tailed or something."

The cheer captain scoffs and shakes her head. "I can't believe you're not holding what you promised at your end in our deal."

"You're not one to talk, Chou Tzuyu!" Mr. Chou raises his voice a little. "We agreed that you will do as I say in your fixed marriage while you can't fulfill your end of the deal."

"I—" The cheer captain purses her lips to pause for a second and calm herself a bit. "Don't do anything to her. I promise to put more effort into the engagement with Son Chaeyoung from now on."

"Wow. I still can't believe it, Tzu." He fakes a short laugh. "Why are you so attached to that girl, huh? If only I'd known you would be so devoted to her like this, I would've prevented it when you were always playing friends with her in grade school."

"And why are you so against her?"

"Because your attachment to her was hopeless! How could you hold on to some promise over a kiddie keychain for years? You are a Chou, Tzuyu. You should know better than that."

Tzuyu exhales deeply. "You don't know anything about her."

"I don't need to know a grade schooler by heart. She was just a kid back then and so were you!"

"We are now both adults!"

"And where is she, huh?" Mr. Chou continues in a taunting voice. "Where is your prized Minatozaki Sana, huh? I hope she's not drunk in someone else's bed right now after partying all day."

Tzuyu's voice is now also beginning to get louder. "She's not like that!"

"And how could you be so sure, Tzuyu? Have you found her already?"

The cheer captain opens her mouth, then closes it again. "No— not yet. Unfortunately." She looks down to her plate. "So you can't get any information from me."

"Ahh. Really? If I had you tailed by one of my men, could you guarantee me that I can't find out anything?"

"Dad—" Tzuyu heaves in a deep breath, then exhales generously. She suddenly shifts her tone into something calm and collected. "I will ask Chaeyoung to have a vacation in one of our beach houses after this semester. The summer break will be in just a little over a month."

Mr. Chou raises an eyebrow to her, then nods a couple of times. "Good."

"But— but I will also ask some of our friends to come." The cheer captain adds. "Is that enough for you now? Will that make you happy?"

"It would've been better though if it's just the two of you."

"That's not going to happen!" Tzuyu quickly replies. "At— at least— at least for now. Just— Please don't look further into Sana's profile. I beg of you."

He pauses to look at her momentarily, then lets out a sigh. "Okay. As long as you behave and do as I say because that's what we agreed upon. Mind you. That was a formal deal we had, Tzu."