Chou Tzuyu

Somehow that name managed to escape Jun’s lips as he stood in front of Chewy. He wasn’t sure how he got that name; he was certain that he didn’t know anyone who went by such. It was like a brief flash of epiphany that was quickly taken away from him, he felt as if he was a completely different person for a few seconds.

“T-Tzuyu?” the half- girl in front of him muttered. The name seemingly affected her in a way that Jun couldn’t determine, but it’s not like she wasn’t too bothered by it at the same time.

Realizing that Chewy was still barely clothed, Jun immediately picked up her dress and helped the young woman into it, all while avoiding eye contact with her the entire time.

The kiss still lingered in his mind, the feeling still lingered on his lips, and Jun wondered why his heart pounded excessively at the thought of it.

‘Hold yourself together’ Jun thought as he waited for Chewy outside the changing stall only to be greeted by a line of customers with peculiar looks on their faces. Some of them whispering amongst themselves while the others shook their heads. Realizing what the people might’ve thought, Jun felt his cheeks burn up for the second time that day.

After paying for all the clothing, Jun decided to bring Chewy to a nearby ice cream shop to calm down his mind. It was a high-end company that served gourmet desserts and was largely popular around the area. Jun helped himself to his usual mango-graham mix and was about to get Chewy the same thing ‘til the girl rushed towards an ice cream fridge situated near the counter. She returned with a piece of strawberry popsicle in her hand which Jun habitually payed for.

As they sat in an isolated corner of the shop, Jun watched as Chewy happily on her popsicle, a sight grin never leaving her lips as she did so.

For the first time since he met the enigmatic woman, Jun felt curious as to why she loved popsicles so much. Considering Chewy didn’t have much in life, Jun wondered how something as simple as a frozen sweet treat, out of all things, can make her seemingly forget all the problems in her life.

Could it be a remnant of her past? Was there something in the dessert that he wasn’t getting? Either way, the frozen treat seemed to hold some significance to her and so Jun took it as an opportunity to find out more about her background.

“You know, I’ve never really minded until now but, why do you like popsicles so much?” Jun asked. Chewy paused from her delightful trip, the glimmer in her eyes shifting to a more melancholic tone. It was the same look that always presented itself whenever Jun would ask the young woman something serious. Sometimes, he wouldn’t even get an answer at all and he would just let her be as he didn’t have the guts to explode at her.

“What do you like, Jun?” Chewy replied. Jun didn’t expect to receive an answer, but he might’ve as well not receive well as Chewy diverted his question back at him. Nevertheless, he found it pleasant to be having an almost typical conversation with her for once.

“Well uhm-” Jun struggled to answer the vague question. His mind began thinking of the things that could lift him up on a gloomy day.

“I like the smell of wet plants when it rains, I like it when I hear the birds in the morning, I like rock music, and uhm… I really like this flavor of ice cream” he continued.

“Why?”

“Because it calms me down” Chewy seemed content with his answer as she was seemingly about to help herself to another of her now much smaller popsicle. But what she did next caught Jun off guard.

She bent over the table and inched her face closer towards his, leaving only a few inches between their noses. Chewy looked at Jun’s eyes as if she was trying to read them as hard as she can. The angle of their faces flustered Jun as he still hasn’t recovered from the kiss.

Fortunately, the young woman sat back down on her chair and began finishing off her dessert, allowing Jun to breathe a little easier.

“How can you tell if someone likes a certain thing?” Chewy blurted out of the blue. Jun was surprised at her child-like question, taking some time to think before speaking again.

“Well, you can tell by just looking them in the eyes…” he began.

“When someone is experiencing joy in a certain thing, their eyes light up. Not in a literal sense, but in the way that the warmth and excitement in their hearts can be seen through their eyes. It would seem as if their pupils are sparkling” he finished off, recalling the look that he would see in Chewy’s eyes whenever she dug into a popsicle. It was one of the only times that she would express true joy, a side of her which she rarely brought out so it stuck to Jun’s mind like super adhesive.

Little did he know, the next words to come out of the young woman’s mouth would be even more unforgettable.

“Then… do you like it when you kiss me?” Jun’s already rapid, beating heart stopped the moment he heard those words. The very thing that he seemingly wanted to forget didn’t look like it was going to slip through Chewy’s mind either.

“W-What makes you say that?” he mentally cursed himself for stuttering. He was baffled at the power she had over him, it was like he couldn’t function properly whenever they were together. He was a tad bit nervous as to why Chewy was asking him, his mind fought to convince himself that she wasn’t too bothered by it, despite his subconscious telling him otherwise.

“What you just said, I saw it in your eyes after you kissed me.” She innocently said.

Jun was baffled at her childlike personality. He wondered how she could be so casual about something so serious.

But then again, he wasn’t ruling out the possibility that he was the only one overreacting.

“I think we should head home; it’s getting pretty late and I have a visitor later"

Once the pair reached home, Jun immediately began preparing a meal on his dining table. Without even changing her clothes, Chewy went straight to the table to observe the scene in front of her; pasta, fruits, and wine were all spread out across the mahogany surface. The young woman couldn’t help but feel water at the sight, a faint drool escaped the left side of her lip which she failed to notice. It wasn’t until she felt a soft rub on her lower chin than she snapped out of her trance.

“I know it looks delicious, but it’s for my visitor” Jun chuckled as he arranged napkins beside each plate. Chewy felt herself getting dangerously curious about who was coming over at such a time.

“Who’s coming over?” she asked.

“My boss, she said she wants to discuss something” somehow, hearing the word “she” caused an uncomfortable feeling to stir up in Chewy’s stomach. She didn’t understand it very much, but all she knew was that she wasn’t so excited to meet their visitor.

“Don’t look at me like that, I made you dinner as well” Jun said before heading to the kitchen and making Chewy her own serving of the pasta.

The pair sat down on the living room and decided to watch TV to kill time. By coincidence, the first thing that appeared once Jun pressed the remote was a teen drama that Chewy always liked to watch.

And in appropriate time, the scene displayed the two lead stars walking down a dark street with their arms wrapped around each other. At the same time, Jun felt a light tug by the sleeve of his shirt.

“Why do people do that?” Chewy asked, still full of pasta. Her hand was pointing towards the TV screen.

“It’s because they’re in love” Jun said, wanting to add on the fact the two were just actors doing their job, but he did not want to overcomplicate things. He observed how Chewy was watching the scene as if it was her first time witnessing such acts. The young man still found her innocence to be one of the most fascinating things he has ever come across.

“Have you never been in love?” He asked, his question resulted in Chewy putting down her fork on the plate that was only half eaten.

“How do you know if you love someone?” Chewy asked, leaving her seatmate speechless for a few minutes and it wasn’t because he didn’t want to answer the question, but because he wasn’t sure what to answer.

Despite being 21, and having been with at least two women in the past, Jun felt that he was still relatively young and had a lot to learn about the world. Coincidentally, love was one of the things that he still couldn’t understand. But seeing how Chewy was just as confused as he is, he tried his best to answer.

“Love makes you do weird things. You’d always want to be by a person’s side no matter what, you hate seeing them feel sad and you’d do anything just to make happy no matter what. Even if… it means sacrificing your own wellbeing” Jun didn’t know exactly how he was able to pick those words up. He had never been in a serious relationship but somehow, he felt that he had already experienced that feeling at some point in his life.

“A few years ago,” Chewy began before cutting herself off, as if she was hesitating to speak up. Jun’s ears perked up at her words, his curiosity rising like a child waiting to open his first Christmas gift.

“I met this boy on the street” and suddenly, Jun’s mood shifted the opposite direction in an instant. For some reason, the idea of Chewy being with another man made his blood race uncontrollably. He disliked it very much, especially since he didn’t understand why he was feeling such way. But more than anything, he wanted to hear more of Chewy’s story and urged her to keep going.

“I was really hungry. He had some food but he didn’t want to give it to me since I didn’t have enough silver coins.” Chewy spaced out before continuing.

“So, I begged for more money from people. When I got enough, he finally gave it to me. But…” her voice suddenly broke. Jun noticed the look on Chewy’s eyes, there was an awful mixture of pain and fear that made Jun’s stomach turn just looking at them.

“I was attacked, by two guys. They took away my food and tried to kill me” Chewy’s was now on the verge of tears. Despite the traumatic feeling that the moment brought her, the thought of the mysterious boy was something that gave her strength all this time.

“He saved me and gave me more food for free. I never saw him again after that” Chewy finally finished.

Jun felt like it was his first time going to class that day. For he had learned so much in a few minutes that he ever did in all his years of school. But now, the identity of the boy lingered on his mind like a pest. He was suddenly curious to find out who he was, and why he had such an impact on Chewy all these years.

“He must be very important to you” Jun said, suddenly wishing that he never asked her the question in the first place.

Without letting Chewy answer, Jun grabbed her unfinished plate, seeing that she was no longer in the mood to eat. As he washed the ceramic plate, he couldn’t help but mutter things to himself.

‘Why am I feeling this way’

‘How can you fall in love with someone you’ve only known for a day’

‘Should I find him? Would it help bring her old life back?’

‘I just want her to be happy’

He was suddenly caught off guard as he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. Jun turned around to see that Chewy was back hugging him. For a moment, he felt as if his heart stopped and his entire body froze unable to continue his task.

“W-What are you doing?” he asked, trying his best to feign indifference despite his head feeling like it was high above the clouds. Chewy gave no answer in return, only resting her head on Jun’s back.

“Yah, have you been watching too much dramas? Maybe I should limit your TV time” despite sounding irritated, Jun couldn’t deny that the feeling that Chewy’s arms brought him was something that he wanted to experience everyday.

Chewy suddenly lifted her head to look at Jun, as if responding to his false threats. The look in her eyes hinted that she was trying to tell the young man something that she had been holding in for a very long time and he was very anxious to hear it.

“Jun… I-” unfortunately, Chewy was cut off by the sound of a ringing doorbell.

Jun forced himself back to his senses and hesitantly left Chewy alone in the kitchen. Once he arrived at the door, he took a deep breath before pulling on the bronze-plated handle, revealing a petite blonde waiting on the other side.

“Evening” she said with a faint smirk and a hint of suggestiveness in her voice.

“Please, come in” Jun forced himself a smile as he made space within the gap of the doorway.

“Don’t mind if I do” Wendy says as she steps in. The shorter woman took her time taking in the scenery of Jun’s urbanized abode, glancing at every corner and giving slight nods in the process. Jun trailed awkwardly behind, stuffing his cold hands within his pockets to calm himself.

“Not bad, Jun. But I’ve been through better” Wendy remarks and turns around to face her co-worker who was turning stiff a few meters from her. She was taken aback and approached the young man.

“Relax, I’m just kidding” she playfully slapped his arm hoping that it would lighten the mood a little.

“Now, where should we begin?”

“Uhm, care for some dinner? Maybe we can discuss it while eating?” Jun said as he gestured Wendy to the neatly-prepped dining table.

“How sweet, I hope you have wine” she smirked as the two of them made their way to supper. Before Jun could pull a chair for Wendy however, the pair were distracted by the presence of a slim woman dressed in a white, oversized shirt.

“Who’s she?” Wendy asked.

“Uhm, this is… this is Chewy?” Jun meekly said.

Wendy gave the girl a grimacing look, making the latter uncomfortable on the spot. She stared at the younger woman as if the younger woman had done her wrong in the past.

“Is she your… girlfriend?” Wendy continues, still trying to melt Chewy with her gaze.

“N-No, she’s my… cousin” Jun replied as he felt the fabric of his dress shirt start to moisten up in his upper back region.

He wasn’t too sure why he felt the need to hide Chewy’s true identity from his boss, but the look that the latter gave her somehow convince him to do just that.

The tension was high within the room, and it only rose fast by the minute. When the silence became too uncomfortable, Jun cleared his throat to break it.

“You must be hungry, Wendy. Let’s eat” he said as he pulled on Wendy’s chair, fortunately breaking her eye contact with Chewy. Despite the two co-workers readying their plates, Chewy still felt the effects of the blonde’s gaze still linger on her psyche.

“Chewy” she heard Jun call to which she responded with a wide-eyed glance.

“Rest up in your room, it’s been a long day” he said. Chewy didn’t necessarily want to leave Jun alone with someone she barely knew, but the discomfort that Wendy’s presence brought and the insistence that was present in Jun’s eyes left her with no choice but to obey quietly.

As the taller woman ascended the first set of stairs, she gave spared a glance at the two. Seeing as they were peacefully enjoying their supper, she took a deep breath and thought to herself.

Maybe her confession can wait a little longer.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"Jun asked as he shoved a fork of pasta in his mouth.

“Well, it concerns a certain patient of ours” Wendy replied.

“He claims to know you and has been requesting to see you for a while now”

Jun felt like he had an idea of who the blonde woman was referring to. However, he had to make sure.

“Who is it?”

“A man named, Yoo Ji Cheol” Wendy replied, causing to Jun to choke on his pasta.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, darting a peculiar look across the table.

“Do you know him?”

Jun took a deep breath before replying.

“Yes, I... I met him when I was a child” he replied before sipping from his glass of water. Wendy was visibly affected by his statement as she halted her motions. Her eyes drifted to several parts of the room before setting back on her co-worker.

“You remember?” she said, the tone of her voice shifting to a more concerned one.

“Remember?” Jun replied, making Wendy realized that she might have assumed dangerously. The blonde took a quick gulp before replying.

“Y-Your childhood. It’s quite amazing how you can remember something so far back” she said, trying her best to sound calm and composed.

“Honestly, it’s the only thing I remember” Jun said. The melancholic shift in his voice perking Wendy’s interest and concern.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well… I don’t really tell this to just anyone but-” Jun paused as he took a sip of water, leaving Wendy as curious as ever.

“I have amnesia” he says, not noticing the smirk that was slowly forming on Wendy’s face.

“Oh my, what happened to you?” somehow the tone in the blonde’s voice wasn’t as natural as Jun expected it to be.

“I’m not quite sure either. My father told me that I got into a car accident about a year ago. The only thing I remember is waking up in a hospital bed feeling like I lost half of my life” Jun said. The pain and confusion that those days brought him was still fresh inside his mind. The agony evident in his voice was enough to get through Wendy’s tough exterior.

“I’m so sorry that happened to you, Jun” she said as she reached her hand to grab Jun’s. He was surprised at the gesture but quickly adapted to it, despite the fact that he found her chilly hands to be mildly bothering.

“Thanks” he said sincerely.

“Gosh, there’s so much negativity in here. How about we pop open one of these bottles” Wendy said as she grabbed one of the wine bottles on the table. Jun let out a relieved smirk as he found her suggestions on the same boat as his thoughts.

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea”

The two wine bottles that Jun had set onto the table were now nearly depleted of all their contents.

Jun was struggling to keep his head upright as he used his right hand to prop his chin up into the table.

“Are you alright Jun? We haven’t drunk that much yet” Wendy teased, although she was feeling a bit tipsy herself but was still able to think coherently.

“I just… I want to protect her all the time” Jun struggled to keep his eyes open, his words slurred as they barely slipped from his mouth.

“Who?” the blonde replied.

“Ch-Chewy”

“I just want her to be happy all the time.”

“But do you even know who she is?” Wendy leaned in closer. The tone in her voice was no longer that of concern, but that of bitterness.

Unbeknownst to Jun, Wendy had slipped something in his drink while he was in the restroom.

Jun felt a pair of arms wrap around his wrist, pulling up from his seat as they dragged him across the room.

“Come on, let’s get you upstairs” he heard Wendy’s voice faintly echo in his ears. Jun felt like the world was spinning around him, making him unable to balance himself. His vision was blurring drastically as he couldn’t even make out the furniture of his own house.

The next thing he felt was the weight of his own body crashing against a soft surface and a pair of hands ing his top.

The drunken man struggled to open his eyes for the last time that night, seeing the faint image of a blonde woman undressing in front of him. He felt her lips trailing the side of his face as she whispered in his ear.

“I’ll make you remember everything, babe”

Somehow in his weak state, Jun had the slight urge to resist.

But he was too powerless to fight back.

Just outside the slightly agape door of Jun’s room, a pair of eyes were witnessing the events transpiring inside.

And it broke her heart in more places than she could imagine.

Well that escalated quickly.

Will they ever find out that they were never incognito throughout the night?

What affiliation did Jun possibly have with his boss?