Song of the Chapter: Eyes Nose Lips cover by Lydia Paek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h683wMosy0

3RD PERSON'S POV

December 4, 2022, Sunday, Sunny. That one day was Chou Tzuyu, an engineering genius' only day off. She lives in The Fort, which is like the Gangnam of the Philippines. She lives in that big house with her younger sister.

As soon as she woke up, she heard a knocking on her bedroom door. She was brushing her hair when she heard the knock.

"Who is it?" Tzuyu said.

"Unnie, it's me." Teri, her sister said.

"It's open, Teri." Upon hearing this, Teri entered her sister's room. "What is it?"

"You have a visitor, Unnie." This piqued Tzuyu’s interest so she stood up then let down her brush.

"Okay, Teri. Stay in your room." She instructed then left the room. When she went out of her room, she approached her maid. "Kashia-unnie, who's my visitor?"

"Oh, Tzuyu. He's gorg-"

"Please cut to the chase, Kashia-unnie."

" Tzuyu, he calls himself JiSoo. He told me you were a good friend. I tested him if he knew your birthday, and he does! So he's in the sala." Upon hearing the name of the visitor, Tzuyu 's knees trembled. The memories started rushing on her head.

'What does he want now?' She asked herself, nervous and pissed. She decided to put up her Ice Queen Facade and see what does the man from her past want from her.

As much as everyone loves Tzuyu, Everyone in the household fears the Ice Queen Tzuyu. It was as if her personality can shift 360 degrees when she's mad or if she's reminded about the past. Now, the household is about to face the Ice Queen again. As she went down the stairs, her servants trembled in fear. On the bottom of the staircase stood a handsome, gentle-looking man. The man who stole her heart nine years ago.

"Kim Ji Soo." She greeted. It has been six years ever since she called out to that name. She looked at the calendar on the wall. "Happy Birthday." She greeted with a half-smile.

"Hey, Tzuyu." He greeted with a wide smile.

"Please, take a seat." The girl said as she took a seat, herself. "How long has it been?" She said, coldly. "Six, seven years?" She sternly asked. "What do you need? I'm sure you don't need any help in Maths as it is not needed in your profession." As she sounded like a totally annoying person, she didn't care at all, because right now, the person she wanted to see the least was Jisoo.

"Sorry about that, Tzu. It was seven years. How are you now?" He said with a smile.

"I'm good, no thanks to you." Tzuyu replied with evident rudeness.

"Why, that's rude, Tzu."

"Not as rude as you." This time, she said that with a glare.

"So, it's true." He said with a sad smile.

"What's true?"

"That you've changed badly. Rumors have been circulating during alumni meetings, that you've become an ice queen. Why oh why?" He .

"Don't talk like that. You're acting as if you don't know anything."

"Oh, but you didn't tell me about it seven years ago and you just disappeared into thin air." Tzuyu rolled her eyes on Jisoo's remark. "Hey, at least tell me something about it."

"Tell you what?"

"What happened seven years ago? Why you shut the door from me." He answered with all sincerity.

"I shut the door because I wanted to. My answer is obviously going to be sarcastic so if you don't want to hear my sarcasm, cut to the chase."

Jisoo nodded then stood up. "Before I cut to the chase, do you mind if I hug you before that?"

'It's just a hug, right? What can go wrong?' So she stood up, melted her heart once last time before it'll freeze again. And with all the love left for him, she hugged him. She hugged him with all the love that she left just for him, just in case he might come back once more.

"I'm sorry, Tzuyu-ah. I know you shut your door from me. I'm sorry if I wasn't able to talk you out of it. And I'm sorry if I made this decision without you knowing." On hearing the last four words, Tzuyu’s head shot up to meet his eyes. She pushed him away, like she did seven years ago.

"What the hell do you mean?"

He reached for the inner pocket of his suit and bought it to her hands.

"You are invited to Eunji and Jisoo's Wedding..."

Tzuyu stared at Jisoo and then at the wedding invitation over and over. She cursed mentally and thought of two hundred ways to murder Eunji and Jisoo.

"So this is how it's going to end, huh?" She smirked.

"Tzu, hey, sorry. Mianhae. I didn't consult you --"

"When did you get back together?" She asked as tears started to form on her eyes.

"What?"

"I said, when? Did they ever tell you in English class to answer a question with another question?!"

"Seven years ago, Tzu. Seven years ago!" With that, Tzuyu’s heart reached to a short stop, much to her annoyance. But she recovered her composure and calmed herself.

'Please, Chou Tzuyu. You prepared yourself for this.' But she knows deep inside, it still hurts like hell. She told herself not to show any kind of emotion. "Alright." She managed to say. "When's the date?"

"It's on the 14th of January. I'm expecting you, Tzu."

"Okay." Tzuyu said, calmly. "Now get out." She twisted her heel then went up the stairs. She motioned one of her servants to come to her and she says, "Faye, make sure that that guy leaves this instant."

"Yes, Tzuyu unnie."

She entered her room and quietly grabbed her phone. She sent a text message to Krystal as she went back to time to remember everything that happened seven years ago.

Second year of middle school. 8th grade. It was St. Mary's Academy's General Orientation, as everyone anticipated. Mr. Calvin Uy, 8-C's adviser made sure that his students sit alternately.

"Kim Ji Soo, sit next to Bianca Lee. Then Chou Tzuyu, sit next to Jisoo." Chou Tzuyu, the said girl, has a personality far from the Ice Queen she is now. She's noisy, cheerful and she laughs out loud.

"Hey!" She greeted Jisoo.

"Uh, yeah, hi." Jisoo greeted shyly. Kim Ji Soo was the opposite of Tzuyu. He is a man of few words, and he barely smiles.

"Uh, Chou Tzuyu. Annyeong."

"Kim Jisoo. Annyeong." It was an awkward silence between the two, even after the General Orientation. After the General orientation was the classroom orientation. Their adviser must've felt chemistry, so he decided to sit them together.

"So for your first activity, pair up with your deskmate and well, get to know each other. That deskmate of yours will be your partner in your Filipino Research paper." Tzuyu stared at her partner

'Does this guy speak anything?!' She thought in her head.

'Is she gonna ram me with questions?' He thought.

"So--" they spoke at the same time. Tzuyu frowned and gave him a 'go ahead' look.

"I am Kim Jisoo. I am full Korean. Unlike most Koreans in this school, I can't speak Filipino fluently. I was born on the 4th of December 1999, uh, I'm from Baguio City. My parents are retired, as I am a menopausal baby, but I have three older siblings. Jin, a pharmacist, Jiah, an accountant and Jiwon-noona, a computer engineer. That's all." He said bashfully.

"Yah, you're flushing" tzuyu said with a cheerful smile and a loveable laugh. "I'm Chou Tzuyu. Some people call me Tamia Chou. That's my english name, but I prefer to be called Tzuyu. And like most foreign pips here, I can speak Filipino. I'm not Korean at all. In my blood runs a half of Filipino-American blood but my Dad, who's a Taiwanese, has genetics that are powerful. I was born on October 13 1999. Ha! I'm older than you! My mom's self-employed as she manages a company. My grandma's company. Then my Dad's a nurse at the port. I have two sibs. And two cousin-turned-siblings-but-turning-back-to cousins. Minho-oppa is an architect, Minjun oppa is a third year, then my two dongsaengs, Baron and Teri are also students." Tzuyu frowned. "I doubt you'd want to know what's my blood type, because dear, I also don't know."

"No, that was a brief explanation for me."

"Really now?" She laughed out loud, but this time, he laughed along with her.

"You're funny." He remarked.

She frowned cutely. "I'm not a clown!"

Soon, Jisoo himself opened up to the young woman, as they became good friends and this was evident, especially during class time.

“So, Hammurabi is the one who implemented the code of Hammurabi and …” As the History teacher was discussing, the two were quietly talking.

“So your mom really was just bored?” Jisoo asked quietly.

“Yup, so in an instant, I had an instant older brother. How great, right?” She said with a mixed sarcasm.

“That’s how your family runs?”

“Yup, technically.”

“Didn’t your oppas parents even want to take them back?”

“Minho-oppa’s umonim died years ago, and he’s already an adult. And then Minjun-oppa’s parents divorced and then his Mom was excommunicated from the family and then his dad married another woman, so, he and his other family went to Canada.”

“Wow, your life is like in the dramas.”

“Our life is a drama. We just get a different script.”

“And we have here Miss Chou would like to state what does the code of Hammurabi state. Now, since it looks like you know about it, please tell us what the code of Hammurabi is.” The history teacher, annoyed that two of his students are chatting while he is discussing asked Tzuyu, so she stood up.

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” The history teacher, impressed of Tzuyu’s actions smirked.

“Okay, good. You answered therefore you’re saved from detention.” Then the bell rang, so the students said goodbye to their teacher.

“Byul-yah, you going out to eat?” Hwasa Grace, Tzuyu’s friend asked.

“No, thank you, Hwasa.”

“Oh, okay. Kaja, Den.” Hwasa and Den left the room.

“Hey, Jisoo!” Tzuyu called.

“Nae, Tzu?”

“Can you buy me a Gatorade, the blue one and then some fries?”

“Yeah, sure.” Tzuyu gave him some money and then Jisoo left with Terrence, his friend. Surely, the two have gotten closer as time passes by.

“Wheein!” Tzuyu pouted with a smile. “Wait for me!”

“Tzuyu! I’m late for class!”

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