Stuck With You

sixteen

Inside the emergency room, the surgeon carefully worked on closing the wound on Tzuyu’s head.

The pickup truck driver who had helped them out of the wrecked vehicle was the one who had called the ambulance.

Between the two, Tzuyu had taken the worst injuries. At the last second, she had wrapped her arms around Dahyun before the car crashed into the tree, shielding her with her own body.

Now, Dahyun sat outside the emergency room, staring blankly at the wall as tears streamed down her face. She had already informed their family, her brother, and Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung arrived first. “What happened?” she asked gently.

Dahyun explained everything, her voice shaking as she blamed herself.

“It’s not your fault,” Chaeyoung said firmly. “It was an accident.”

“You don’t understand,” Dahyun sobbed. “That was supposed to be me. I was driving. She hugged me right before we hit the tree. She saved me like my life mattered more than hers.” Her breathing became uneven. “If I had just focused on the road… none of this would’ve happened. Her head was bleeding. What if it’s serious? What if-”

“Hey,” Chaeyoung cut in, her own voice trembling as she pulled Dahyun into a hug. “Don’t think like that. Tzuyu will be fine. She’s strong. She’s a fighter.”

Dahyun cried into her shoulder.
“I’ll never forgive myself if something bad happens to her.”

Then she froze. “Wait… Tzuyu was supposed to meet Sana tonight, right?”

Chaeyoung’s eyes widened. “Oh no. Sana-unnie must be waiting. What do we do? We can’t tell her she’s here.”

Dahyun reached into Tzuyu’s pocket, pulled out her phone, and handed it to Chaeyoung.

“Take this,” she said, wiping her tears. “Just make an excuse. Tell her Tzuyu can’t make it tonight.”

Meanwhile, Nayeon couldn’t stop shaking as she read Dahyun’s message about Tzuyu’s condition. Jeongyeon noticed immediately when she entered the room after basketball tryouts.

“Hey, bunny,” she asked softly. “What’s wrong?”

Instead of answering, Nayeon pulled her into a tight hug and broke down.
“Hey, hey,” Jeongyeon murmured, rubbing her back. “What happened?”

“Tzuyu…” Nayeon cried. “She’s in the hospital. They got into an accident.”

Jeongyeon froze, but only for a moment. She grabbed Nayeon’s hand and dragged her out of the room. They checked the next room, but the three Japanese girls weren’t there.

“They must already be at the hospital,” Jeongyeon said.

Without changing clothes, they left and drove straight there. When they arrived, they saw Dahyun, Chaeyoung, Momo, and Mina sitting outside the emergency room. Jihyo wasn’t there, she was still in Busan, representing the school.

“How is she?” Jeongyeon asked urgently.
“She’s still unconscious,” Mina replied. “The doctor’s still inside.”

Moments later, the door opened. The surgeon stepped out, followed by a few nurses.

“Doctor,” Nayeon said anxiously. “How is Tzuyu?”

The doctor sighed. “She’s stable,” he said. “However, she lost a significant amount of blood. There’s also a possibility of temporary amnesia. We’re still observing her condition.”

After explaining, the doctor excused himself. Not long after, Tzuyu’s parents arrived, along with Dahyun’s family. The girls quietly stepped aside, giving them privacy, promising to visit the next day.

While the rest of her friends were worried, Sana on the other hand had no idea her longleg was in the hospital and just assumed her seatmeat Taehyoung was also sick noticing he was absent, even though they had a short.

After class, she excitedly went to the school garden, just like they had planned the night before. She looked around.
No one was there. Checking her watch, Sana sat on the bench by the fountain and waited.

“Where is she…?” she murmured, checking her phone. No messages.

An hour passed. Then two. Then four.
Still nothing. Her chest tightened as thoughts flooded her mind. 'Did Tzuyu ditch me? Is she upset about last night?

"I didn’t even mean the dating thing,” Sana whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. “If you didn’t like it, you could’ve said something…”

Her phone suddenly vibrated. She quickly opened it. Finally a message from Tzuyu.

After reading it, Sana steadied herself, wiped her tears, and headed back to the dorm. When she entered their room, Momo immediately noticed her expression.

“Sana, are you okay?” she asked.

Sana nodded weakly. “Just tired.”
She went straight to her bed, pulling the blanket over herself and skipping dinner entirely.

The next day, Chaeyoung arrived first at the hospital, followed by the others, just as they had promised. Tzuyu was already awake, standing by the window and staring outside when they entered.
Nayeon rushed forward and hugged her tightly. Dahyun followed, then Momo, Jeongyeon, and Mina.

Behind them stood Chaeyoung, holding a tray with two cups of hot chocolate and a few sandwiches. Tzuyu turned toward them. Her gaze moved slowly from one face to another—careful, distant. Then she spoke, her voice soft and confused.

“…Who are you?”