Scared to Love Again (JiTzu x SaHyo)

Chapter 15

Friday Evening

Jihyo's POV

Tzuyu stayed for a little bit after I talked to her about the incident with Sana. She was all smiley with me until Nayeon and Jeongyeon came over to join our conversation. She then went back to her cold expression and only switched to smiling happily when Nayeon and Jeongyeon went back to work.

Tzuyu didn't stay for long as she apparently had some errands to run. The rest of the workday was rather peaceful after the whole incident between Sana and Tzuyu. I finished work and walked out of the café to find Tzuyu leaning against a lamp post near the café.

"Tzuyu?!" I asked in surprise.

Tzuyu stood up and smiled at me, "Hey, Jihyo-unnie."

"What are you doing here?" I questioned.

"I came to pick you up in my car," Tzuyu replied, showing me her car keys.

Tzuyu led me to her car that she parked close to the café. She opened the door for me, and I smiled at her before getting into the passenger seat. She jogged around to the other side of the car and got in the driver's seat. She started the car and started to drive.

"So why did you decide to pick me up?" I asked as I turned towards Tzuyu.

"I didn't want you to walk home late at night," Tzuyu replied, keeping her eyes on the road.

"Awwweee, that's so sweet of you," I cooed, noticing that Tzuyu was trying to hold back a smile a moment later, "You know, you look better when you smile," I chuckled.

Tzuyu finally let herself smile, "You know what? I've decided that I'm going to drive you to work every morning and pick you up on Fridays when I don't have work."

I reached over to kiss Tzuyu on the cheek, causing her to start blushing and smiling widely, "Thank you, I appreciate it."

We arrived at the apartment after a few more minutes. Tzuyu quickly got out of the car and jogged over to my side to open the door for me. She was still wearing her wide smile from earlier. I thanked her and got out of the car.

We walked into the apartment and went our separate ways to our rooms to drop off our things. We then met back up in the living room and decided to have dinner together. Tzuyu said she would make us dinner and decided to try something new. She searched some recipes on the internet and declared that she would make some presto and linguini, which she apparently already had the ingredients for.

I leaned against the island counter and watched Tzuyu move around the kitchen. She was wearing a plain apron and tied her hair back into a ponytail. She wore a serious expression as she followed the recipe on her phone. She masterfully executed each step as if she was a master chef. I was both mesmerized and taken aback by yet another side of Tzuyu that I didn't know about.

"You know, Tzuyu is honestly girlfriend material," I thought to myself, as I went to sit down at the dining table.

Tzuyu finished cooking and took off her apron. She plated the pasta onto two plates before tossing all of the cooking utensils she used into the sink. She then brought the two plates to the dining table with forks and placed a plate in front of me before sitting down across from me.

I eyed the delicious food in front of my eyes, drooling at the sight. I gave it a quick whiff and was instantly struck with a delectable aroma, "God, this smells and looks delicious. Thanks for the food!"

I picked up the fork, took some of the pasta, and placed it in my mouth. I chewed for a bit before swallowing the food. My eyes widened in surprise at how delicious this tasted, "This is so delicious Tzuyu! I could never make something this delicious!"

Tzuyu let out a chuckle, "I just followed the recipe; that's all."

I quickly shook my head, "You don't have to be so humble. I follow recipes and could never make something this delicious! You are like a master chef!"

Tzuyu started to blush, "Stop that. I am not that good. I just picked up how to cook since I live by myself."

"Praise should be given where it is deserved," I simply replied before continuing to eat.

We talked about our week as we finished eating dinner. I grabbed our plates and went to the kitchen to clean all of the dirty dishes as a way to thank Tzuyu for the dinner. I came back to the dining room to find that Tzuyu wasn't there. I noticed that her room door was closed.

Moments later, Tzuyu came out of her room wearing a cap and mask. She changed out of her clothes and was wearing more loose-fitting clothes meant for doing work. I would assume she would wear something more appropriate for a bar if that is where she is planning to go.

"Where are you going?" I asked Tzuyu as she approached me.

"I am going out," Tzuyu replied before heading towards the door, "I will be back late, so you don't have to wait for me. Have a good night, Jihyo-unnie!" she said before walking out of the door.

I really wonder where she is going.

Midnight

Tzuyu's POV

I looked up at the arch that greeted me to the factory that I was about to enter. The words "Chou's Factory" were written with pieces of metals as a welcoming message for people. I walked through the arch and made my way to my destination.

Many of the employees greeted me as I have already been here before. I replied with a simple nod while showing no emotion to them. I walked up to the top floor of the factory where a big office sat.

I stopped in front of the door and knocked, getting a reply to open the door a moment later. I opened the door and walked into the office. There was an empty chair in front of me with a desk behind that and beyond that was a chair facing away from me.

I sat down in the empty chair as the person in the chair finally decided to turn around, "My dear Tzuyu it is great to see you again," a man greeted me

I pulled down my mask, "It's great to see you too, uncle," I replied with a small smile.

My uncle leaned forward to place his left elbow on his desk and rested his chin on his left hand, "I was really surprised when my favourite niece called me asking for work."

I chuckled at the fact that he called me his favourite niece because I was his only niece, "Yeah, I need to make some extra money, so I decided to come here."

"Doesn't your bartender job and freelancing work make you enough money?" my uncle asked.

"I only work enough to cover all the bills, necessary purchases, and have just enough for a little bit of money to put into my savings. I could work to make more money with these jobs, but I'm still finding myself in the world," I replied.

My uncle started nodding his head, "Right, I still remember you telling me that," he then leaned back against his chair, "You know that I am willing to give you the money as a gift, right?"

I nodded my head, "I know, but I already told you on the phone."

My uncle started to smirk, "Yes, my favourite niece is finally in love. You told me all about it. I am just saying that the money could be a gift for you for finally falling in love with someone."

I started to blush, "Stop teasing me uncle!"

My uncle put his hands up in a defensive manner, "Alright, but I'm serious about my offer. I honestly don't mind just giving you the money for free."

I nodded my head before smiling, "I want to take Jihyo-unnie to Paris myself. It will have no meaning if I don't put my own blood and sweat into it."

My uncle nodded his head, understanding what I desire, "You've really grown up, huh?"

---TWICE---

A/N: Hello everyone! I am back with another update!  I honestly think Tzuyu should always smile instead of only smiling when she is with Jihyo. We also now know that Tzuyu is planning to take Jihyo to Paris. I wonder what that could mean... Anyways, until next time, thank you for the support!