Chaeyoung found herself alone at the dorm, having arrived earlier than usual after her last class for the day didn’t push through. Both Dahyun and Tzuyu weren’t going to be home for a few more hours too, so she decided to blast some music in the living room while she did some cleaning. It was her turn to clean up around the dorm anyway, so she took the time she had that day to do it.

 

After breaking out the vacuum cleaner, she connected to her bluetooth speaker and proceeded to blast “Thank You For The Venom” by My Chemical Romance as she began to clean up. There was just something about the song that made her want to move around, and she did move around. A lot. Thankfully she didn’t knock anything over as she continued cleaning.

 

“So give me all your poison, and give me all your pills! And give me all your hopeless hearts and make me ill!” She sang along as she pretended the vacuum’s handle was a microphone. “You're running after something that you'll never kill, if this is what you want then fire at will!” 

 

After taking a bit longer to clean than she should have (she managed to finish both the “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge” and “The Black Parade” albums in the process), she was finally done. As she was stowing the vacuum though, she was startled after hearing footsteps come from upstairs. Letting her fear get the better of her, she quietly headed there to investigate. Luckily, she had left her room’s door open just enough that she could sneak in and take her baseball bat. They didn’t have any P.E. classes anymore but she insisted on bringing it as a self-defense weapon in the dorm.

 

It’s coming from Tzuyu’s room… Chaeyoung thought to herself as she slowly made her way there. Whoever you are, you better say your prayers. I watched enough zombie movies to know how to swing a bat.

 

She quietly gasped as she heard the footsteps inside approaching the door. Gripping the bat tightly, she prepared for a swing, and just as the door opened…

 

“Gah! What the hell, Chae!” Tzuyu yelled in shock as she fell backwards on the floor.

 

“Oh my God, Tzuyu! I-i didn’t know that was you!” Chaeyoung said, stopping herself mid-swing.

 

“How could you not know it was me?!” Tzuyu continued. “You didn’t hear me when I got home?”

 

“Ah, hehe, well…” Chaeyoung said, scratching her head in embarrassment as she lowered the bat. “Uhh, I guess I didn’t?”

 

Tzuyu sighed as she got back on her feet and brushed herself off. “Maybe next time don’t play your music at full volume.” She said as she headed for the stairs.

 

“C’mon, I’m sorry- wait, where are you going?” Chaeyoung said as Tzuyu walked past her.

 

“Well, before you nearly gave me either a concussion or a heart attack, I was just about to head out to buy some bread since we just ran out.”

 

“Oh! I’m coming with you.” Chaeyoung said as she headed to her room to return her bat. “You’re going to see the baker girl, right?”

 

“What? No! I didn’t mean that bakery.” Tzuyu pointed out. “There’s one just a few blocks over. I don’t wanna go that far just for bread.” 

 

“Yeah, for bread.” Chaeyoung said as she peeked from her room. “Don’t you want to see her again?” 

 

“I mean, yeah, but…” Tzuyu said as her voice trailed off. “I, I don’t know. Besides, there are more important things to worry about.”

 

“I thought you wanted to try, though?” Chaeyoung asked as she exited her room and closed the door behind her. 

 

“L-look, what about this Saturday? I’ve got a lot to do this week and I don’t have the time to mess around.” Tzuyu said. 

 

“Oh, yeah, I understand. So uhh, want me to head out to buy instead?” Chaeyoung offered.

 

“Aww, really? Thanks Chae.” Tzuyu said as she handed Chaeyoung the money she was gonna spend for the bread. “Maybe I might forgive you sooner for almost knocking me out.”

 

“We both know you can’t stay mad at me for too long.” Chaeyoung said, smirking as she took the money and headed off. 

 

Sure, but I’m not Dahyun. Tzuyu thought as she headed into her room to get back to work. Oh who am I kidding. I’m just as soft for you as I am with Dahyun.

 

She headed over to her desk to get started with her work. I better get this done quick, or I might end up regretting more things that I should.

--

“Come on now, double time! Time to carpe those diem’s!” Chaeyoung said, walking ahead as they approached the bakery. 

 

“How are you more excited about this than I am?” Tzuyu said, already imagining how everything could go wrong.

 

“What, can’t I be happy for a friend?” Chaeyoung said as she slowed down to walk next to Tzuyu. “Relax, Tzu. I got you.” 

 

“I sure hope you do.” Tzuyu responded as they finally arrived outside. “Are you sure Dahyun’s okay with you canceling your date with her to do this?”

 

“Well, technically, I didn’t cancel the date. We just decided to watch movies at the dorm later in the evening instead.” Chaeyoung said. “You could hang with us too! Have some snacks, maybe some booze? You look like you’re in need of a break.”

 

“Thanks, but I don’t think I wanna take care of two lightweights tonight.” Tzuyu responded, earning her a scowl from Chaeyoung. “What are you planning on doing when we get there? I mean, we aren’t even buying anything.”

 

“Well, I’m buying something. Just sit tight and let me do the talking.” Chaeyoung said as she stood at the door. “Do they sell sourdough bread here, by the way?”

 

“Uhh, yeah they do. What about it?” Tzuyu asked as they went inside.

 

“Perfect. Everything’s gonna go according to plan.” Chaeyoung remarked.

 

I’m already afraid of whatever “plan” you have in mind, Tzuyu thought to herself as Chaeyoung headed over to the counter. The worry in her mind was momentarily sidetracked by curiosity, however. The last few times she visited, there were almost little to no people each time, and today was no exception. It seemed that they were still earning enough to keep the store running though, but it piqued her interest nonetheless.

Meanwhile, at the counter…

“Hi, uhh, is there any chance that I could buy some sourdough starter?” Chaeyoung asked the baker girl.

 

“Starter? Hold on, let me ask.” The baker girl said as she turned to face the door leading to the back. “Ma?!” She called out. “Somebody’s asking if they can buy some of our sourdough starter!”

 

“Really?!” Her mom responded. “Hold on, I’ll be right there! I just need to finish up here.”

 

“Quite a nice little operation you got going on here.” Chaeyoung remarked to initiate a conversation. “You get a lot of customers regularly?”

 

“Well, sort of, I guess. Nowadays, it’s been a bit rough with sales, but we get by.” The girl answered. “Lots of competitors opened up around the vicinity of the nearby school, so I guess you can see why.”

 

“Ah, I see. That’s gotta be tough to deal with.” Chaeyoung said before looking back at Tzuyu and giving her a thumbs up.

 

Oh no, she just looked at me and even gave me a thumbs up, and now the girl’s looking at me too! Tzuyu thought to herself. Okay, stay calm, you can do this. You can’t get flustered every time you’re around people you like.

 

In an attempt to respond, she gave a slightly shaky thumbs up to Chaeyoung as well. Apparently, Chaeyoung thought it was funny and chuckled as she turned to face the girl once again. “Sorry, my friend just gets really nervous around people she likes.” Chaeyoung said softly so Tzuyu wouldn’t hear.

 

“Really now?” The girl said as she looked over, making Tzuyu feel all the more nervous.

 

“Okay, Jeongyeon, I’m here.” Her mom said as she arrived from the back. “Now, who’s asking for starter?”

 

So her name is Jeongyeon. Neat. Chaeyoung thought to herself. 

 

“Umm, I am.” Chaeyoung answered before quickly looking back at Tzuyu to beckon her to come closer, which Tzuyu refused to do.

 

“Oh! Okay then. Well, people don’t usually buy starter from us. In fact, you might be the first to do so.” The mom remarked. “Are you planning on baking your own sourdough bread?”

 

“Yep. Actually, my friend and I…” Chaeyoung said as she pointed backwards at Tzuyu “...we’ve been trying to make our own starter but it always seemed to go wrong. We’ve already looked stuff up on the internet, but none of the solutions worked either.”

 

“I see. Well in that case, maybe we can just teach you how to take care of your starter properly!” The mom suggested. “It’s always nice to see youngsters getting interested in baking.”

 

“Sweet! Hey Tzuyu! Come over here.” Chaeyoung said as she looked over at Tzuyu. “They’re gonna tell us how to take care of the starter!”

 

Starter? What the hell is going on?! Tzuyu thought, but trusting Chaeyoung’s plan, she obliged. 

 

“Oh! It’s you again! It’s been a while, dearie!” Jeongyeon’s mom remarked, recognizing her from her last visit. 

 

Oh no, her mom recognized me. It’s fine, it’s fine. As long as she doesn’t recognize me, things might just work out.

 

“I see you and your friend here are planning on baking. Good for you two!” Jeongyeon’s mom continued. “If you don’t mind me asking, what made you want to start?”

 

“Well, you see, my friend here…” Chaeyoung said as she nudged Tzuyu with her elbow. “...wants to impress a certain someone. I, on the other hand, just want to have a new hobby, so to kill two birds with one stone, we decided to get into baking together.”

 

This was your plan?! Tzuyu just wanted to melt into a puddle and disappear after realizing what Chaeyoung was saying. The amused look on Jeongyeon’s face didn’t help either. Just what the hell did you say, Chae? 

 

“Aww, that’s adorable. Your “someone” is a very lucky man if you’re gonna take the time to learn this.” Jeongyeon’s mom remarked.

 

“Uhh, i-it’s a woman, actually.” Tzuyu stuttered. If everything was going to fail, then at least things were clear between all of them.

 

“Oh! I see. Well, you know, Jeongyeon here likes girls too.” Jeongyeon’s mom said as she put her hand on Jeongyeon’s shoulder.

 

“Ma, come on. What are you trying to do?” Jeongyeon said. “She just said she’s doing this for her “someone””

 

Technically, Chaeyoung said that, not me.

 

“Well, it was worth a shot at least.” Her mom said as she let go of her. “I’ve been telling you to find yourself a nice girl but stubborn as you are, you insist on waiting until you graduate.”

 

She’s graduating this year?! Then that means...

 

“I don’t mean to assume, but you do seem the type that can ba-”guette” a girl’s number easily.” Chaeyoung remarked.  

 

Oh no, she’s starting with the puns. I’m definitely going to kill you when we get back...

 

As corny as it was, Jeongyeon laughed at the pun, much to the confusion of her mom. Like, genuinely laughed. Not even Dahyun laughed at Chaeyoung’s puns, so as if Tzuyu hadn’t already been attracted to her in the first place, she may have fallen even more.

 

...or maybe not?

 

“Hey, why the long face, Tzuyu? You don’t need to look so sour, dough.” Chaeyoung continued, eliciting yet another hearty laugh from Jeongyeon. “It’s a step by step process! You have to go through it bun by bun.”

 

“Knock it off, Chaeyoung. Don’t you wanna learn how to make a working starter?” Tzuyu interrupted to finally stop her puns.

 

“Ah, you youngsters and your jokes. Anyway, listen close. First, here’s how you can make sure your starter is working properly…” Jeongyeon’s mom proceeded to tell them how, and amazingly, Chaeyoung was actually taking notes. But Tzuyu could care less about that, not when Jeongyeon occasionally looked to her and flashed a bright smile.

 

After about fifteen minutes, the short lesson was done. They thanked her for her time and, not wanting to leave empty handed, Tzuyu decided to buy some brioche custard buns before they left.

 

As Chaeyoung and Tzuyu headed back to the dorm, Tzuyu still couldn’t quite process what had just happened. 

 

“Seriously? Sourdough starter? That was your plan?” Tzuyu asked after a few minutes of walking in silence.

 

“Pretty smart, right?” Chaeyoung answered. 

 

“Where’d you pull that idea from?” Tzuyu continued.

 

“I’ve been watching a lot of cooking and baking on Youtube recently, so it just felt appropriate, I guess.” Chaeyoung said. “Oh and her name is Jeongyeon, by the way.”

 

“Y-yeah, I heard…” Tzuyu muttered. “You told her that I liked her, didn’t you?”

 

“Yes I did!” Chaeyoung said in an upbeat manner. “And judging from her expression, I’d say you have a pretty good chance if you keep going.”

 

“But she’s graduating this year! That means she’s in her senior year.” Tzuyu pointed out. “Now I feel weird for liking her.”

 

“Oh, come on. Isn’t it normal to catch feelings for somebody in a higher year?” Chaeyoung remarked. “Besides, we’re basically adults now, and three years isn’t that big of a gap.”

 

“I know, but…” Tzuyu took a moment to think about it, but it still felt weird, and contrary to what Chaeyoung thinks, Tzuyu actually felt a lot less hopeful. What would she see in me, a struggling freshman? Maybe this was pointless after all.

 

“Hey Tzu, what’s the matter?” Chaeyoung said after noticing the change in expression on Tzuyu’s face. 

 

“It’s just… I don’t know. Should I keep going with this?” Tzuyu said as they slowed their pace.

 

“Aww, come here.” Chaeyoung said as she held Tzuyu by her shoulders. “It’s okay to feel things! You might be telling yourself that you should stop feeling the way you do, but lemme tell you, it’s just gonna hurt you in the long run.”

 

“Don’t stop yourself from liking her just because you think it’s not worth it, okay?” Chaeyoung continued.  

 

“Okay...” Tzuyu said as Chaeyoung nodded, letting go of her as they continued to walk. A few more silent minutes of walking passed until Tzuyu spoke again.

 

“Hey Chaeyoung.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“I think I’m taking you up on your offer.” Tzuyu said, making Chaeyoung’s eyes light up with excitement. 

 

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Chaeyoung said as she playfully hit Tzuyu on her shoulder. 

 

“Should we get some extra alcohol on the way? There might not be enough for all three of us.” Tzuyu asked.

 

“Don’t worry, we were ready for this. We bought enough in case you wanted to join in.”

 

“But what if I didn’t?” Tzuyu asked.

 

“Well, it’s always good to have some alcohol stocked up anyway. I’m sure Dahyun and I can’t drink all of it by ourselves in one night.” Chaeyoung answered. “Now let’s keep going. Dahyun’s probably bored as hell being alone at the dorm.”

 

And so they quickened their pace to get back to the dorm quickly. Tzuyu still wasn’t feeling too upbeat about her feelings, but maybe some alcohol might help her for the time being. 

 

She may have forgotten how tough it was to deal with Dahyun and Chaeyoung when they were both drunk, though.