pairing: Jihyo x Tzuyu

summary: Sometimes love is a puzzle only two people can piece together.

 

 

 

Momo

The bowl in her arms is like a globe.

 

As soon as the popcorn had been ready she had taken the bowl and carried it to the living room like a worshipper of a new cult. This way she could make sure that she could always take a handful when she wanted one - it would be often.

 

With the popcorn right under her nose and a friend on each side, she couldn't help but grin.

 

"Aww, look how happy Moguri is," Jihyo exclaims, sitting on the floor like a chief.

 

"All she needs is popcorn," Jeongyeon says from the other side of the couch.

 

"And you guys.” She tries to do aegyo, but it is nothing but an awkward mess. Momo drops her gaze back to the popcorn, trying to hide her blush.

 

Tzuyu acts as if she has been hit by Momo’s attempts at aegyo and slumps on to the couch next to her.

 

When a movie begins, the room turns quiet. Every once in a while someone makes a comment and others murmur their approval.

 

"Jihyo," Tzuyu says halfway through the movie.

 

"Hm?"

 

"Come sit here," the maknae says and pats the floor in front of her with her bare foot.

 

Just then the male lead gets a blow which looks painful. He recovers fast and throws an iron-like fist into the air and punches the assaulter.

 

Momo gets a small adrenaline rush. She wishes she could be a movie star so that she could beat people up, without hurting them. Driving fast cars and looking endlessly cool, that would be so much fun.

 

She notices that Jihyo has come to sit next to the couch, between Tzuyu's legs. The maknae is busy braiding Jihyo's hair into an elegant braid that starts from her forehead and extends all the way around her head.

 

The Japanese girl stuffs more popcorn into , but it's a mistake. The protagonist says a witty punchline and soon she is choking with popcorn itching down .

 

Once she recovers the next action sequence takes over. She admires the choreography of the fight and wonders if some of it could be included in a dance. Because really, fighting in movies isn't much different from dancing. Both try to look impressive and both take copious amount of time to get perfect.

 

Practice, practice, practice...

 

"Done," Tzuyu says and pats Jihyo's shoulders. The leader turns her head and shoots Tzuyu with a flying kiss.

 

The maknae makes a catching motion with her hand, sealing the kiss in her fist and then throwing it away.

 

Jihyo pouts dramatically, while Tzuyu giggles against Momo’s shoulder. It’s cute.

 

But then the popcorn ends. What a tragedy.

 

 

 

Sana

Awareness comes to her slowly. First she can’t tell the difference between the dark of the room or her closed eyes. Then from somewhere comes the realization, who she is, where she is and what is happening.

 

Sana wakes up to a faint noise coming from the living room.

 

She gets up and heads to a bathroom.

 

Once she comes back she walks to the living room door and sees the source of the noise. The tv is on and a lonely figure sits by herself on the couch.

 

“Why are you still up?” Sana says and watches as Jihyo jumps slightly.

 

The younger girl sits up straighter, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

 

“I couldn’t sleep so I came to watch tv.” The leader’s voice is hushed, tired from the edges.

 

“What are you watching?”

 

“I um- I’ve just surfed channels.”

 

Sana sits down next to her and wraps her arms around the younger girl and rests her head on her shoulder. Jihyo smiles and holds Sana’s arm with both hands.

 

For a moment they remain quiet. Sana can tell that the other girl’s thoughts are already drifting away.

 

“Have you heard anything new?”

 

Jihyo’s shoulders tense ever so slightly.

 

"Not since this morning," Jihyo says, pain flickering in her eyes. "She is with her mother so..."

 

"So she is fine," Sana says, trying to sound as sure as she can.

 

Jihyo doesn’t say anything.

 

"Tzuyu is strong," she continues, other hand drawing circles on Jihyo's back. "Besides, she didn't do anything wrong."

 

"I know," Jihyo says and smiles weakly, clearly wanting to believe but unsure if she can.

 

"I'm going to go back to bed now," she says eventually. "Will you come?"

 

"I'll stay a little longer."

 

Sana gets up, patting Jihyo's shoulder on her way out. At the door she turns around for the last time.

 

"You can't worry about each member like this, you know that?" she says quietly, so that her voice won't carry into the other room where Mina is sleeping.

 

Jihyo only waves her hand dismissively, eyes back on the tv screen, not even seeing what she is watching.

 

 

 

Jeongyeon

It hasn't been that long since their debut, but already she is starting to become accustomed to all sorts of famous people swarming around her. There are still some that make her stomach flutter from nervousness, but they are usually those who are much older than her. MCs and actors, rarely idols.

 

Definitely not these rookie boys who are fooling around in the waiting area.

 

She leans against a wall and watches as her members practice some final moves. Tzuyu, Sana and Momo spin around with concentrated faces, doing their choreography perfectly, yet without much enthusiasm. They are saving it for the stage.

 

Nayeon is trying not to fall asleep on her left side, while Jihyo reads notes on her right. The leader seems tense.

 

The boys next to them burst into a loud laughter, patting each other on the back like price winners.

 

Jeongyeon sees Jihyo pursing her lips.

 

She lets her mind drift away. She thinks about the meal she is going to have later, and the softness of her bed. Now that’s a love affair to remember.

 

Suddenly Jihyo jumps up from her seat, agitated.

 

“What did you just say?” she growls, and Jeongyeon’s mind struggles to fill in the blanks. What’s going on?

 

Jihyo has already made it to the group of boys and is staring at one of them – he is tall, towering over the small leader. She looks like she could beat someone up right about now.

 

They boy looks half-horrified, half-confused, opening his mouth like a fish.

 

"What - did - you - just - say?" she repeats, oddly quiet. Somehow it is much more threatening to hear her talk like this, when she is normally so loud.

 

The boy still doesn't answer, having closed his mouth by now.

 

"He didn't mean-" one of his group members interferes, but it's a mistake.

 

Jihyo throws her head back like a lion.

 

"If I hear any of you talking about my members like that ever again you'll be very sorry you did."

 

Just as Jeongyeon is finally coming to her senses, realizing that she has to take Jihyo away before the situation escalates, the leader turns on her heel and storms out of the room.

 

“Crazy ,” Jeongyeon hears as she turns to chase after her friend. It makes her blood boil, but she doesn’t turn around to lash out as she hears one of the boys reply “shut up.”

 

Jeongyeon finds Jihyo from the bathroom. She is just standing there, looking like she is ready to bolt anytime.

 

When she walks in Jihyo lifts her eyes, which are shining with angry tears.

 

“Jihyo, you can’t-“

 

“I could strangle him,” Jihyo says, voice shaking. “How ing dare he!”

 

“You are our leader, you can’t act like a-“

 

“I couldn’t care less,” Jihyo shouts, her whole body tense with anger. “I don’t care who that dirty bastard is, just leave Tzuyu alone!”

 

Jeongyeon stares as the tears finally spill all over Jihyo’s face. She turns around, hiding her face.

 

“What did he say?” Jeongyeon whispers.

 

“It doesn’t matter,” Jihyo says, sounding calmer, but more hurt. “I won’t repeat what he said.”

 

They stand there reflecting, both in their own spaces.

 

“Jihyo unnie?”

 

Jihyo turns around, hastily wiping away tears. Jeongyeon sees a multitude of emotions pass in her eyes.

 

As Tzuyu comes in, she walks right past her and straight to Jihyo who is doing her best to smile. It looks awful.

 

Jeongyeon goes, leaving the two of them alone.

 

“You’re ruining your make-up,” Tzuyu says, hands on Jihyo’s cheeks.

 

 

 

Chaeyoung

She watches as Nayeon spins around, stumbling at the end of her spin. The eldest falls into Jeongyeon's arms, half-squealing, half-giggling.

 

On the other side of the room she can see Sana swaying against Mina's sober stiffness. It would look like the most perfect slow dance ever, if the sound system wasn't playing the latest summer hit by Pitbull.

 

Who ever thought that it was a good idea to give champagne to these idiots?

 

Dahyun on her left side sighs.

 

"I think sugar overdose would have been more than enough," the older girl says, glancing from her phone to the direction of her unnies.

 

Chaeyoung grins. She had declined the drink, not because she couldn’t drink, but because tomorrow would be long enough even without a headache.

 

"Let them have fun. It's not like they can go out partying anywhere else," she says, feeling a giggle bouncing in her chest as Momo dances alone with a goofy grin on her face, somehow not spilling any of her drink.

 

"I thought you were Catholic," Dahyun quips, mischief sparkling in her eyes.

 

"And I thought you were an eagle."

 

Dahyun punches her shoulder.

 

"What is this, a book club?" Jeongyeon shouts from the "dance floor" aka the empty space they have managed to clear in the middle of the room.

 

She walks closer to them, arms crossed over her chest. She is trying to pull a stern look, but is too tipsy to look anything but amused or confused. Sometimes both at the same time.

 

"We are just resting our brain cells for tomorrow," Dahyun answers dryly, looking like she will not rise from the sofa without extreme measures.

 

"You are supposed to be the funny one," Jeongyeon scoffs, raising a finger at Dahyun. Finger that doesn’t stop swaying no matter how much Jeongyeon stares at it.

 

Chaeyoung wishes there were hidden cameras in the room as she feels the corners of aching from another grin that wants to turn into a giggle.

 

"Why don't you go bother them?" Dahyun says absentmindedly, waving a hand at the direction of the maknae and the leader who are huddled together on the couch. They seem to be talking about something serious, which is in a stark contrast with the rest of the events going on at the same time.

 

Jeongyeon's face becomes bright from the realization and she spins around.

 

"Jisoo, my old pal!" she shouts.

 

Chaeyoung finally laughs out loud as she sees Jihyo's stormy eyes piercing Jeongyeon with a lightning like glare.

 

 

 

Dahyun

She hates fighting.

 

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that every time someone starts shouting, she starts crying. She could never raise her voice against anyone. She would rather hide her hurt, than accuse anyone of it.

 

So it’s understandable that she finds the current situation rather awkward.

 

There has been fights for a week now. Or maybe it is just one fight, that doesn’t seem to ever end.

 

And it’s just so strange that it’s Jihyo and Tzuyu. It’s almost as if the two have transformed into some other people. They are angry and all they manage to do is have awkward silences, followed by heated arguments.

 

Jeongyeon and Nayeon had tried to settle the fight between them, but they couldn’t even properly understand what they were fighting about in the first place. Something about what Tzuyu had said, which had made Jihyo upset.

 

The whole thing just doesn’t make any sense.

 

Dahyun turns the music louder on her ipod, but it starts to irritate her ears. But it’s either that or the fight.

 

“-even say anything,” Tzuyu’s voice comes from the living room, surprisingly sharp.

 

“How stupid do you think I am?” Jihyo’s much louder voice booms over the music Dahyun is so desperately trying to cling to.

 

The next lines she can’t hear properly, but she can still distinguish Tzuyu’s voice.

 

“You didn’t have to be so cold about it,” Jihyo shouts and Dahyun could swear that there isn’t a soul in the dorm who didn’t hear that.

 

Then there is silence.

 

Dahyun waits for a minute to make sure that the fight is over before she relaxes. She turns the volume off and still she can’t hear anything, which is strange.

 

Suddenly, Tzuyu walks into their shared room and Dahyun pretends that she is sleeping. She watches through nearly closed eyelids and wonders why Tzuyu is her lips with shaky fingertips.

 

The maknae lays down and starts staring at the ceiling, her face completely still.

 

It is so boring to watch that eventually Dahyun falls asleep.

 

 

 

Nayeon

"Me and Chinese, we just don't get along," Jeongyeon sighs and drops a notebook from her hands.

 

"Tell me about it," Nayeon says and closes her own book.

 

"No matter how hard I try, it just won't stick," Jeongyeon continues and stares out of the car window.

 

They have a new habit of learning languages while they are in the car. English, Japanese and Chinese. Nayeon has been proud of the progress they have made so far, especially with Japanese, but Chinese is proving to be tricky.

 

Maybe it's the fact that they have three Japanese members who are constantly talking in Japanese with each other. They are so used to hearing it that it is somehow natural to start understanding it, as well.

 

Their English is also improving, but it wasn't too bad in the first place.

 

But Chinese...

 

"Maybe we should take private lessons from Tzuyu," Nayeon says and almost adds: just like Jihyo does.

 

Couple of days ago she had seen the leader and the maknae coming from one of the rooms, after one of their Chinese lessons. It made sense that Jihyo was practicing hard as she is the leader, but she was already so good that Nayeon wondered why she still tried so hard.

 

When they had come through the door, Jihyo's hair had been messy. It made Nayeon wonder if Tzuyu was pulling Jihyo’s hair as a punishment every time she would get something wrong. It didn’t even seem that ridiculous.

 

It was exactly the sort of thing that Tzuyu would love to do. Especially to Jihyo.

 

But why did Tzuyu look like she was sleepwalking? Usually she was always so alert, but then she had looked like she was walking on a cloud, odd little smile ghosting her lips.

 

One could almost think that-

 

"I think Tzuyu would get annoyed at us," Jeongyeon says, bringing her back to the present.

 

"Besides, we have God Jihyo," Jeongyeon says and puts her notebook into her purse. "We don't have to speak all the languages of the world, when she is the one giving speeches anyway."

 

"You're right," Nayeon says and smiles, giving up with her own studying for the day.

 

One day, sooner or later, she would practice something so hard that she could beat Jihyo at least in one thing. It really was unfair that she had to be so good at everything.

 

 

 

Mina

Out of all the photoshoots that she has done, this must be the most special. Of course, she has worn all sorts of beautiful dresses during her idol years, but none of them could quite compare to this.

 

Besides, it might be the only time in her life that she could wear something like this. She wouldn't be foolish enough to believe that everyone could afford real love during their lifetime. No matter how beautiful, wealthy or famous you are, the one might never walk your way.

 

It would be fine. Just because she might not get married, wouldn't mean that she would have failed in life.

 

That sort of thinking would be destructive.

 

Mina watches as Tzuyu comes out of the dressing room, the wedding gown pooling around her feet, her darker skin glowing against the white of the dress.

 

She has seen Tzuyu in countless amazing outfits through the years. So much so that she has become almost numb to her beauty in some sense.

 

Now she gets a reminder just why the youngest is the visual of the group.

 

Even one of the photographers stops getting her camera ready and stares, her hands stilling for a moment.

 

Tzuyu walks to her, oblivious of her own beauty, just like any other day, as long as Mina has known her.

 

"Unnie, you look beautiful," Tzuyu says with awe in her voice. She extends a hand and feels the fabric of Mina's dress with her fingertips.

 

"Have you seen yourself?" she asks, amused that Tzuyu is the one giving compliments.

 

"Yeah, it's a lovely dress," the maknae says and smiles.

 

The dress...

 

"I think Jihyo would like it," the younger girl adds so quietly that Mina gets an impression that she wasn't supposed to hear it.

 

"Jihyo?"

 

Tzuyu raises her gaze, eyes wide for a split second.

 

"Ye-yeah, I mean- she once talked about what sort of dress she would like to wear for her wedding so-" Tzuyu says, uncharacteristically unsure.

 

Mina nods. She has never heard Jihyo talking about weddings before, but then again she isn't as close with her as Tzuyu is. The two seem to know each other inside and out.

 

"Speaking of which..." she says and nods to the direction of the door.

 

Jihyo walks out, carefully carrying the hems of her dress in her hands. She has a long braid and flower crown made of white roses on her head.

 

Mina can't do anything, but stare.

 

When she finally breaks free from the moment, she can see that Tzuyu hasn't. The maknae is completely still, her face blank. It is as if she has been hit by an invisible force.

 

Jihyo realizes that she is being watched and smiles brightly from the other side of the room, quickly glancing at Mina and then meeting Tzuyu's stare with one of her own.

 

Jihyo says something in Chinese as she walks closer and Mina feels like she is watching something from an audience.

 

"Perfect," Tzuyu croaks.

 

Jihyo smiles again, eyes filled with something other than amusement.

 

The strange feeling won't leave Mina alone. It is almost as if she is seeing something private and she is being an intruder.

 

"I'm going to get some water. I'll be right back," she says and walks away.

 

At the changing room door she glances back and sees Tzuyu and Jihyo holding hands like they are getting married for real.

 

An incoming thought itches at the edge of her mind, but she can't grasp it as Momo calls for her from the changing room.

 

Whatever she was supposed to realize, she forgets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A/N: *incoherent suffering noises* I tried to do something different, but... Anyways, Jitzu is magical. Be still my heart!