a/n: I don’t think I ever made this clear but Jieqiong is nine years old :)

Now, you’re probably wondering how is 2yeon doing in Taiwan, being forced to share a room together and breathing the same air for the rest of the summer? Well, Jeongyeon could say that it feels like they went back on that friendship level but she’s scared to admit to it. Nayeon’s scared to admit to it as well, being friends again meant that they would both have to ignore their own feelings for each other and Nayeon was tired of doing that. She wanted Yoo Jeongyeon to herself and she was going to do whatever it takes to do so. 

 

Jeongyeon tapped Nayeon’s shoulder, they both sat on opposite sides in their shared room and the younger one was the first to approach the girl who was reading this book that she really got interested after finding it in the resort’s gift shop. Jeongyeon held the paper in her hand, getting nervous on how the latter was looking at her almost seductively. She had to shake off the bad thoughts and cleared , shoving the paper in the latter’s hands. 

 

“Here, it’s my list.” She quickly said and Nayeon looked at it curiously, placing her book down. Then, the med student looks at the “List of Things That I Hate about Im Nayeon” in satisfaction as she started to read out loud with Jeongyeon carefully watching her reaction. 

 

I hate that she called me “oppa” during the time I cut my hair short. I hate that she’s a perfectionist  I hate how she’s so full of herself  i hate how she’s so good at everything she does  I hate how Im Nayeon makes me feel 

 

Nayeon stopped reading and placed the list down, hesitantly looking at Jeongyeon who was panicking to herself. The girl did not mean to write that reason down, she swore she was only going to write it once to relieve some stress and then erase it but it turned out she forgot. Nayeon mischievously looks at her. “What does that mean?” She teased, possibly having an answer in her head and Jeongyeon stammered out. 

 

“I-I don’t know…” Jeongyeon lied and Nayeon quirked a brow at her in return. 

 

“You’re lying, you’re getting feelings for me after all.” She stated in a blunt voice, feeling she had just won the best prize and Jeongyeon gulped in nervousness, thinking this side of Nayeon was sort of hot. 

 

Jeongyeon waved her hands all over the place in denial, feeling the confidence build up as she admitted. “I do not have feelings for you and I only wrote that because you make me uncomfortable, okay?” She slightly scoffed with her arms crossed and immediately regretted saying the small truth when she saw the hurt on the latter’s face. 

 

Nayeon’s eyebrows deeply frowned and glanced at the latter. “Oh…” That wasn’t the answer she had expected from the Psychology major. Jeongyeon was about to apologize for hurting the girl but Nayeon stops her by shoving a piece of paper she used as the bookmark for her book she was reading. Jeongyeon instantly recognizes it as she opened it with hesitance and Nayeon aggressively points at her very last point before slamming the door and leaving the room. Jeongyeon wanted to go after her but her feet just couldn’t move. She stood, waiting another moment and then read out the number.  

 

“30…” Jeongyeon gulped as she eyed the writing beside the number, feeling a guilty expression form on her face and now she wished she did go after her ex-best-friend. 

 

“I hate how Yoo Jeongyeon makes me feel.” 

 

A few light knocks were heard from the door and Jeongyeon almost jumps in her spot as she randomly threw the paper away and sprinted to go open the door. The Psychology major was disappointed to see one of the resort workers with his broad smile. “Oh… Hi, Jackson…” She greeted in a weak tone and the man furrowed his brows at the other’s mood. Jackson is one of the workers who the two Koreans were very familiar with, considering he knew how to speak Korean as well. He was personally chosen by Tzuyu (his childhood friend) to look after the two along with another worker he was close with. 

 

The worker was dressed in a white collared shirt and khaki pants for his uniform and rubbed his neck, sensing the idea that Jeongyeon wasn’t expecting him at all. “Miss Tzuyu has arrived and is expecting you in the restaurant outside on the beach. I have already told Miss Nayeon of this news.” He announced in his deep voice, remembering that he passed by the mentioned girl from earlier and the latter meekly nods as she brushed past Jackson. The man was baffled for a second until he ran to catch up with her before closing the door. “W-wait!” He whispered in a hushed voice, not wanting to cause disturbance to the surrounding rooms and walked beside the girl. 

 

Jeongyeon raised a brow at the worker who still sported a broad smile. “Yes, Jackson?” She asked in a stoic voice and the latter decided to shut up at the uninterested look the girl gave him. They sped walk through the halls and into the elevator where Jackson of course allowed the lady to go in first and pushed the button for her. There was an awkward silence in the fancy elevator and Jackson cleared his throat. 

 

“Is everything alright, Miss?” He carefully asked and heard Jeongyeon sigh to herself as she glanced over to the worker. 

 

“Please call me by my name, Jackson.” She wished the man would stop being so polite and he nodded like a bobblehead as he bowed ‘till his back was parallel to the ground. 

 

He then clasped his hands and smiled again. The Psychology major noticed that Jackson really loved to smile and wondered if it was because of his job of being a full-time resort worker or if it was just natural for the man. “I’m sorry— “ He paused and hesitantly looked at her in the eyes. “Jeongyeon.” The worker finished his sentence and felt happy when he saw the mentioned girl smiling to herself. Jackson ends up forgetting his worries about the girl because of her radiant smile and they walk in silence to the beach to go to the outdoor restaurant that was on this huge bamboo patio that overlooked the beach. Jeongyeon notices Tzuyu silently sitting by herself with an empty seat beside her as she watched from across the table, Nayeon interacting with a little girl that had similar features to Tzuyu. 

 

Jeongyeon quirked a brow as they entered the restaurant and Jackson pulled out a chair for her to sit on and she hears a glimpse of the little girl’s conversation with Nayeon. “—And then Gucci made a hole in my shoe!” Tzuyu crossed her arms at Jieqiong, hearing enough of her talking about her precious dog. 

 

“You deserved it! You probably annoyed Gucci like always!” Tzuyu defended the little dog and Nayeon and Jeongyeon watched the oldest Taiwanese in amusement since this is their first time seeing the girl all riled up. Jieqiong steps up from her seat, leaning on her dominant foot as she accusingly pointed at her older sister. 

 

“That’s the twentieth shoe!” She complained out loud, having enough of their family dog biting all of these shoes and particularly, it was always the left shoe. Tzuyu glared at her with squinty eyes as Jeongyeon raised her hands to gesture the two to calm down. 

 

A thin smile appears on her face as she eyed the unknown girl who went back to sitting on her seat and murmured at Tzuyu. “Who the heck is that?” Nayeon furrowed her brows at the evident attitude that is heard from Jeongyeon’s voice, getting annoyed since she knew the latter never really liked children. 

 

“Her name is Jieqiong and she is the cutest thing in the whole world.” Nayeon cooed with a firm tone and side-hugged the life out of the little girl who tensed at the contact. Tzuyu smirks at her little sister, knowing she was never a fan of skin-contact with strangers and then looked at Jeongyeon who was seen glaring back at Nayeon. She then quirked an eyebrow at the odd behavior, not even expecting for the two to act like that to each other because she thought her plan to make their relationship stronger was actually working. 

 

“She’s my little sister.” Tzuyu added in a bored voice, not very interested in introducing her sister. She only brought the girl here today because Jieqiong badly wanted to come and visit the resort, and her mother forced her to bring the girl for “sister bonding”. Jackson was awkwardly standing as he watched everyone who all seem tense in their own way. He cleared his throat to indicate he was still there and announced the meal that was currently being prepared for the four and then left for them to talk to each other. Tzuyu glanced at Jeongyeon who kept playing with her napkin. “What happened between you and Nayeon?” She asked in both curiosity and slight confusion. 

 

Jeongyeon shrugged her shoulders in annoyance and glanced at the med student who was animatedly talking with Jieqiong. “I messed up.” She grumbled in response and ripped the corner of her paper napkin off. 

 

Tzuyu looks at her with wide eyes. “What do you mean you messed up?” She asked in concern and then stopped herself, realizing that she shouldn’t be so concerned for Jeongyeon. Tzuyu still had mixed feelings about the Psychology major. She saw the pained look on the latter’s face and placed her hand on her lap to stop the girl from talking. “Actually, you don’t have to answer.” Tzuyu quickly spoke, feeling guilty for asking and Jeongyeon shook her head in denial. 

 

“No-no, you dragged me all the way here and I guess you deserve the right to know…” She slowly states with Tzuyu, wanting to show her how thankful she is for the Taiwanese to give her this action and the latter carefully looks at her in shock. 

 

“Really?” Tzuyu whispered in a faint breath. She couldn’t believe that out of all of the people, Jeongyeon wanted to tell the girl her struggles. Ever since Tzuyu first moved in the guest-house, she always thought Jeongyeon was more conservative than Momo. She was normally a bright person (with the exception of Jeongyeon being grumpy to NaTzu for the first two weeks of this trip) and she was also very mysterious. 

 

Jeongyeon slowly nods at the younger girl. “Yeah…” Nayeon glanced at the two who were whispering to each other, looking like they were bonding and she felt a tinge of jealousy as she continued to watch them. “Maybe, it’s not best to talk when they’re in front of us.” The Psychology major whispered in the latter’s ear and then met eyes with Nayeon. They both tensed at the direct stares and then quickly looked away, directing their attention back to the people beside them.

 

“Maybe, we can talk privately after this meal.” Tzuyu suggested carefreely and then stopped again to notice what she was doing. 

 

WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING SUGGESTING THIS!?

 

Jeongyeon doesn’t notice Tzuyu’s panicked expression and nodded in response as she took a sip of her mango shake. “I would like that…” For the past two weeks that she has been here, Jeongyeon has felt like she’s been bottling all of these feelings she’s been getting because of the older girl that was sitting across the table. 

 

Aside from her thoughts telling her that she was crazy, Tzuyu subconsciously smiles at Jeongyeon as Jackson and another worker comes back with the meals in their hands. 

 

Tzuyu glanced at the two workers and they all grin at each other. “Hello, Miss Tzuyu.” Jackson politely grinned, getting excited of re-encountering with his childhood friend and the worker beside him also gets excited. 

 

“Zhou Ziyu!” The female worker exclaimed and placed the plates on the side where Nayeon and Jieqiong sat while Jackson did the other side.

 

“Cheng Xiao!” Tzuyu exclaimed back and they shared another look, making it evident that they missed each other. 

 

Jieqiong perks up and then pulled sleeve of the female worker, also getting excited after hearing the familiar name. “Cheng!” She shouted out and earned a chuckle from the latter. 

 

Cheng Xiao lovingly pats her head and smiled at the little girl who has grown since she last saw her. “Look at you, you’re becoming prettier like your sister.” The sibling duo blushed at the bashful comment and Nayeon eyed Tzuyu whose cheeks were red. 

 

“I didn’t know the three of you knew each other.” She voiced out her thoughts, looking at the workers that she has gotten close and then at Tzuyu.

 

The Taiwanese chuckled in her spot, reminiscing of memories with the two workers. “We go way back.” She dragged out the “way” and Jackson shot a smirk at Nayeon and Jeongyeon. 

 

“We were like the Three Musketeers, always causing trouble.” He stated with a mischievous look before greeting the four off to give them space and lovingly patted Jieqiong’s chin. Cheng Xiao also does the same as she doesn’t fail to show her adoration for the little Chou and squeezed her cheek. Tzuyu doesn’t fail to notice the adorable grin (but she will never admit that about her little sister) and as expected, Jieqiong’s reaction towards Jackson and Cheng Xiao’s act of affection is different from Nayeon.

 

The med student notices this and pouted in disappointment as she stared at Jieqiong with puppy dog eyes. “Why don’t you smile like that when I show you my love, Jieqiong-ah?” She cutely asked and the latter shows a playful look. 

 

“You’re not my favourite yet.” She says to make the latter anticipate and Nayeon frowned and then glared at Tzuyu, thinking in her head the sisters were alike from their doe eyes to their playful personality.

 

“There’s a striking resemblance in both looks and personalities.” Nayeon stated and made Tzuyu chuckle as she glanced at her little sister. 

 

“When she gets older, she’ll probably grow up to be a crazy ugly cat lady.” Tzuyu commented with a smirk on her face. 

 

“Oh yeah?” Jieqiong tilted her head as a sign to challenge the girl. “You’re already ugly and a crazy dog person.” She stated with genuine honesty, making Jeongyeon and Nayeon laugh like crazy at her comment. Their mealtime ended up with Nayeon and Jeongyeon ignoring each other and the sibling duo constantly arguing with each other but they also tried to get the two Koreans in the conversation when they weren’t insulting each other. After the meal ended, Tzuyu offered that Nayeon looked over her little sister and play on the beach while she stayed at the restaurant’s patio to talk alone with Jeongeon. 

 

Nayeon weirdly eyed the two whom she’s never seen have an actual conversation with each other but her thoughts were interrupted when she felt Jieqiong tugging her hand and she was suddenly pulled to the beach. 

 

Tzuyu guided Jeongyeon to stand at the area where they could see the view of the tides that reflected the sunset that was occurring and they could clearly hear the water crashing with each other and occasionally sounds of birds flying across. They peacefully watched Nayeon play with Jieqiong from afar, the med student splashed the girl with water and Tzuyu knew that her little sister would get scolded if she came home with her clothes all soaking wet but that wasn’t her concern in the moment. They both leaned on the rails that were made out of artificial bamboo and took a deep breath, feeling themselves relax because of their surroundings, although the situation they were both in was about to become very tense. 

“So what happened?” The Taiwanese repeated her question from way back and Jeongyeon lets out a sound of frustration. 

 

She waved her hands around, clearly showing her frustration as she explained herself. “We were trying to bond by making these stupid lists of what we hate about each other.” She grunted and it made Tzuyu raise a brow at the weird approach but she chose not to question it as Jeongyeon continued. “And then I wrote I didn’t like how she made me feel and then she starts being such a narcissist thinking everything is about her— “

 

Tzuyu stops her before she insults Nayeon again. “I don’t think the lists worked at all…” She softly whispered, waiting for the latter to calm down and Jeongyeon raised her hands in the air. 

 

“Tell that to the internet!” She shouted to the sky, not calm at all before Tzuyu shoots her a look to be quiet considering they were out in the open on a restaurant’s patio. Jeongyeon shows an apologetic look before rubbing the side of her face. “Anyways, I just ended up saying that she made me feel uncomfortable.” The latter swore she could’ve slapped her own forehead by how stupid the older girl was. 

 

“You’re not supposed to say that!” She expressed and then imitated the Psychology major’s voice. “You’re supposed to say, “Oh, I love you Nayeon!”, not that!” Tzuyu refrained the urge to slap the latter’s arm and Jeongyeon could tell that the younger girl was not happy that her plan of trying to reconcile their friendship was not working. The Taiwanese took deep breaths to calm herself from raging at Jeongyeon and then placed a hand on the railing in front of her with the latter watching her every move. 

 

“Did you at least apologize?” She quietly asked in defeat. 

 

“No.” Jeongyeon answered in a blunt voice and Tzuyu squinted her eyes at the latter. 

 

“But when you were saying that she made you uncomfortable, you meant it in a good way… Right…?” Tzuyu tried to be optimistic but Jeongyeon shoots her down with another answer of denial. 

 

“Well, I don’t think that’s what happened.” Jeong