At the age of 23, Tzuyu had listened to Jihyo’s wishes and avoided her like she suggested. It tore her into tiny pieces and she was honestly shattered but there was nothing she could do. It was stupid; Tzuyu knew how illogical Jihyo’s reasoning was but she couldn’t force her company on her. Sana, at first, wanted to go out on a rampage and talk some sense into Jihyo but Tzuyu prevented her from doing so. She also decided to temporarily move out of the place she rented with Jihyo because she couldn’t stand seeing her face with the anger inside of her. She knew she was going to say something she’d regret later.

It was so easy for Jihyo to turn her back on the two people who had been there for her. What hurt Sana more was that she assumed things before letting Tzuyu explain. Tzuyu, who stood by her, who helped her through her hardest times, who listens to her when she needs her, who would drop anything she was doing just to come to her – Sana didn’t understand how Jihyo could be so selfish. Was it even selfishness? It was just… stupid. Why could she not see that she loved Tzuyu and that she was dating Nayeon to suppress those feelings.

The past few months of the year have been terrifyingly long. Despite being at the same campus, Sana and Tzuyu have done their best to avoid Jihyo as much as they could. Tzuyu’s departure wasn’t for two days and Sana was starting to think that maybe she should tell Jihyo about it. She was unsure if she should help out or just let her suffer. She doesn’t want to be the bad guy between them and she sure as hell wants Jihyo to realise what she’s about to lose if she doesn’t get her act together.

“Tzuyu, have you finished packing?” Sana asked barging into her room.

“I have a door you know. You should try knocking.” Tzuyu huffed as she pulled on a shirt.

“Where’s the fun in that? I can’t scare you that way.” Sana teased.

“Did you come here to tease me?” Tzuyu sulked, collapsing against her bed.

“No, just to check up on you. I can’t believe you’re leaving in a few days.” Sana sighed softly.

“Have you talked to Jihyo?” Tzuyu muttered.

“I thought we were going to avoid talking about her. You said yourself that you didn’t want to think about her before you left. Is everything okay?” Sana questioned, worrying about Tzuyu.

“I don’t know what it is. I feel like I should tell her but then I also remember how I was treated and that makes me feel angry all over again. A part of me feels like what Jihyo did was for a certain reason. It was way out of character.” Tzuyu shook her head.

“You mean that someone might have told her what to do or she was pressured into doing that? Jihyo also has a mind of her own though.” Sana argued.

“But Jihyo is also the type of person that can be careless with her actions and decisions. She doesn’t think before she acts and you know that.” Tzuyu retorted.

“Do you really want to think about Jihyo now, before you go? I know you want to be hopeful and I know you care a whole damn lot. I’m the same. I want to think that something else was the cause of her reacting this way but it feels like I could also be lying to myself.” Sana explained.

“I just feel unsettled. You’re right. I should take this chance to start fresh and make the best of my situation. Things happen for a reason.” Tzuyu encouraged herself.

“Let me swing by my apartment tomorrow and I’ll have a chat with Jihyo about things, alright?” Sana offered, patting Tzuyu’s head.

“Mhmm.” Tzuyu hummed, kicking something into her bag next to her bed.

“Tzu, finish packing soon! You’re going to forget something at this rate.” Sana scolded, chucking a teddy at Tzuyu’s head.

“I’m almost done. I just have one shelf left to pack!” Tzuyu groaned, feeling awfully sleepy from all the packing that she was doing.

“Hey, you better not be sleeping!” Sana hissed, climbing on the ladder that led to Tzuyu’s bed.

---

Jihyo lay in her empty room, sighing as she realised how screwed up her life became. She broke up with Nayeon over a month ago but that wasn’t enough to get rid of the heavy feeling in her chest. She thought that it would release the burden that was tearing her apart but that wasn’t the case. Sure, it feels like some of the burden was lifted off her shoulders but the largest pain resided in her heart. Jihyo glanced at the bed next to her that remained empty; it was like a constant reminder of the biggest mistake of her life. The photo of herself and Tzuyu added to the guilt that was tearing her into tiny pieces.

What was on her mind when she told Tzuyu to stay away from her. Jihyo couldn’t even form a proper reason for it. She didn’t think things through like she always does. How many times had she been scolded by both Tzuyu and Sana about her impulsive actions. And now look at where it had led her. She thought she was protecting Tzuyu but it turned out that it only pushed her so far, there was no return. She owes an explanation but how is she even going to face either of the two after the way she behaved when she’d last seen Tzuyu.

Jihyo hid under her blankets and cried herself to bed for another night. Her eyes must be looking so swollen but the tears can’t stop. Nothing could help her with the pain because it was technically self-inflicted. Thinking about it just made her angrier at herself each time. Her carelessness and her stupidity was to blame. She never meant to hurt Tzuyu but that’s all she ever did. She pushed her away when all she wanted to do was pull her closer.

She woke up to the sound of keys jingling at the front door. Sana’s keys. Jihyo shot up in her bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she waited to greet her when she came in. What was she going to say? Where was she going to start? Her mind spun with the questions she was asking herself as she tried to concentrate. The least she could was give Sana an explanation.

“S-Sana.” Jihyo stuttered as the Japanese girl walked into the room. She looked nonchalant as she roamed around, gathering some items.

Was she really going to leave again?

“Can I talk to you?” Jihyo whispered.

“Did you let Tzuyu explain? Did you let her talk to you?” Sana scoffed.

“I had my reasons. I had to do what I did.” Jihyo replied tearily, bringing her knees up to her chest.

Sana frowned as she noted the change of Jihyo’s tone. Why was she upset with what happened when she didn’t seem to care when she said those words? She sighed, but climbed onto Jihyo’s bed, placing an arm around the girl to provide some comfort.

“What are you talking about?” Sana mumbled.

“Nayeon and I were never together, truly.” Jihyo started, immediately confusing Sana.

“Huh? But you guys–”

“Let me continue.” Jihyo pleaded. “Ever since I was in high school, my parents have always watched over me, my academics and my relationships. Tzuyu has been with me throughout the entire time and it’s really hard not to notice how she feels, even if she’s trying to be subtle.”

Sana laughed at the accuracy of that statement. Tzuyu couldn’t hide her feelings if her life depended on it. Especially around those who meant the most to her. She was easy to read.

“And also, it’s not hard to fall for such an amazing girl like Tzuyu. She’s smart, she’s kind, she’s sweet and she’s just absolutely beautiful. She’s a total dream girl. I know you picked up on my feelings quite quickly so I always questioned if Tzuyu could see through me as much as you did. So, I asked my parents to find me a person I could date.” Jihyo added.

“They were more than thrilled to help out. There was this one time I suggested Tzuyu as a partner for myself but they shot it down immediately.” Jihyo chuckled bitterly. “They never gave me a reason and I honestly never had a choice. Nayeon was my parent’s suggestion. I thought that maybe I’d give it a try and see where it took me. But Tzuyu’s doe eyes were all I saw.”

“What the hell Jihyo! You’re telling me, that Tzuyu has been crying for endless nights because of your parents and you? You’ve loved her all this time and you really hurt her like that?” Sana scolded.

“… I honestly don’t deserve her. Ever since we had that deal all those years back, I know she never dated anyone. She protected me all the time and she held me when I told her about everyone I dated. The amount of pain I put her through can’t be justified. I didn’t want my parents to hurt her. I didn’t want them to ruin her life. They told me that I needed to date Nayeon. It wasn’t until everything started going downhill that I realised the cause.” Jihyo sniffled.

“Do you think that she would be less upset knowing that you tried to protect her?” Sana countered, patting Jihyo’s head.

“I know I was stupid. I regret everything because I pushed her so far away. Do you know how much it hurt me to walk by her trying to ignore her? Or ignore her calls and messages? It tore me apart. But I realised I have no worth without Tzuyu by my side. I guess it took too long for me. I broke up with Nayeon and didn’t even talk to my parents. I’m sure they know why I acted the way I did.” Jihyo sighed.

“You broke up with Nayeon… so your parents must be mad? What are you going to do now? What about Tzuyu?” Sana bombarded.

“Well, if they continue to push me to date, I’ll be leaving them – they’ll probably disown me sooner or later because I’ve become so ‘rebellious’. And with Tzuyu? I have no right to do anything. I love her but I’m sure she hates me. Maybe I’ll try to fix things if I see her on campus.” Jihyo smiled, burying her face in her knees.

It was now or never for Sana. Should she tell Jihyo about Tzuyu’s plan to go overseas? She can make it sound like she’s going forever and that way, Jihyo would be inclined and motivated to run to the airport to talk to Tzuyu.

“Jihyo… Tzuyu isn’t going to be on campus.” Sana muttered, biting her lip. She could only pray Tzuyu wouldn’t kill her for this later.

“What are you saying?!” Jihyo whipped her head up as Sana spoke.

“With everything that happened between you two, she thought you wanted nothing to do with her… so she’s going overseas.” Sana exposed Tzuyu’s plans, making Jihyo panic.

“Oh shoot. What do I do now? I can’t let her leave with her thinking about me like that!” Jihyo cried out.

“Hey, hey, Jihyo! You have a chance. Go to the airport. Talk to her. There’s still time before she leaves.” Sana encouraged, getting an earnest nod from Jihyo.

Jihyo grabbed her keys off the counter, leaving Sana smirking on the bed as she was successful with her plan. If Jihyo sped enough, she’d reach the airport at the same time as Tzuyu; possibly even earlier than her even.

Jihyo slammed her steering wheel as she got stuck in traffic towards the entrance of the airport. She was so close and she had about five minutes till Tzuyu got there, according to her calculations. She spotted a side road and she pulled out of her lane, speeding down the other track and towards the airport. Jihyo bolted through the entrance of the airport, looking for signs of her tall stranger. Huffing and puffing, she finally spotted her, running over and grabbing her hand to turn her around.

Before Tzuyu had a chance to say anything, Jihyo had placed her hands on Tzuyu’s cheeks to pull her face down to hers as she placed her lips on hers. Tzuyu froze in her spot – her mind was not processing what was happening. Why was Jihyo here? Why was Jihyo here kissing her? How did she know she was at the airport? She was thinking of so many questions in her head. But, Jihyo pulled back, breathing heavily as if she just ran a marathon.

“Don’t leave.” Jihyo pleaded. “I know I shouldn’t have done any of what I did but I had my reasons, I swear. You know how mum and dad are.”

“What are you on about Ji? Take a breath.” Tzuyu asked in confusion.

“Don’t go. Don’t go overseas. I’m sorry for everything, I didn’t mean to say any of it but mum and dad were threatening to hurt you, I couldn’t do anything.” Jihyo cried. Tzuyu looked around, noting a lot of people were staring. They were probably going to blame her for the crying mess of the girl standing in front of her.

“What about Nayeon?” Tzuyu pondered, still trying to understand their situation.

“We broke up the same night I told you to stay away…” Jihyo sighed.

“Then how did your parents react?” Tzuyu questioned.

“How do you think? I’m basically on my own now.” Jihyo answered.

“And what is this about them hurting me?” Tzuyu grilled.

“Well, to put it short, they’ve been trying to set me up with Nayeon for a while and I kept rejecting them because I never wanted to be in a relationship with her. I always wanted you but they strictly said that it was Nayeon or no one else.” Jihyo explained.

“Why are you telling me this now!?” Tzuyu demanded.

“I’m sorry! I know you’ve been in so much pain because of me and my words probably were the worst things you’d ever heard in your life but I had to do it. They were threatening to ruin your future career and I can’t let that happen when you’ve been working so hard for it.” Jihyo sniffled.

“Ji, what are you saying? Why are you such an idiot?!” Tzuyu groaned, engulfing Jihyo in a much needed hug. “Why did you suddenly come here and kiss me? I’m just going overseas for a year.” She added.

“What? Just a year?” Jihyo looked shocked as she pulled back from the hug.

“Yeah, it’s just for my master’s degree.” Tzuyu replied, clarifying her situation.

“But Sana said you were leaving…” Jihyo muttered. “That goddamn snake!”

“Hey, you know… we still have a year to go.” Tzuyu contemplated.

“Huh?” Jihyo frowned.

“We said we’d be in a relationship at 24 if we didn’t have anyone – do you think one more year would be too much to ask for since I’m not going to be here?” Tzuyu hesitated to ask.

“I’d be willing to wait years more.” Jihyo shook her head.

“I have to get used to this side of you.” Tzuyu chuckled as she tilted her head to observe Jihyo, who blushed at the comment.

“Don’t make me take back my words.” Jihyo muttered.

“Okay, okay. But actually… I don’t think I can last an extra year without knowing you’re mine.” Tzuyu teased. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

“Long distance…” Jihyo murmured. “I’ll be okay with that as long as I get to see you.”

“Well then, my beautiful girlfriend; I have a flight to catch. I’m not going anywhere far. And I’m going to be back as soon as I can. I’m also making Sana keep an eye out on you.” Tzuyu smirked, placing a kiss on Jihyo’s forehead.

“She’s not even going to let me go out anywhere!” Jihyo whined.

“It’s just a little bit of a punishment.” Tzuyu winked.

“Being without you is more of a punishment.” Jihyo snickered, hiding herself in Tzuyu’s embrace.

After all that heartbreak, we’re finally in a relationship.

A/N: Bet no one expected that xP
Do you guys still find Jihyo so annoying now? Hehe.
Thank you for joining me on this small journey to finishing this story!
I know it's relatively short but I hope I'll be able to make better stories this year.
Thank you for the constant support for this fic!
It was the first time I wrote a JiTzu multi-chapter story so it means a lot.

See you in the next story :D
Thank you again, for all the upvotes, comments and subscriptions <3
You make me smile and you cheer me up when I doubt myself :)

Maybe there'll be an epilogue, who knows.