Kobe, Japan

Tzuyu brought sleeping pills.

Obviously, she kept it a secret so Chaeyoung wouldn’t worry about her too much. But she knew that if she didn’t take them, she wouldn’t be able to sleep for days.

So, she drank some on the first few nights in Mina’s house; another reason was so that she wouldn’t be awake if ever Mina and Chaeyoung decide to have sex as a way to catch up from their one week away from each other.

Anything else, it helped her a lot.

Tzuyu was able to sleep soundly, wake up pretty early to jog around the neighborhood and when Chaeyoung would leave for work, she helped Mina around the house.

She honestly liked Mina. Maybe because Mina was like Jeongyeon, but gentler. They shared a comfortable silence and Mina never forced her to open up about what happened. Just the usual ‘how are you’ or ‘are you hungry’ every now and then. It made her feel right at home.

Tzuyu liked Mina for Chaeyoung as well. Chaeyoung used to be a mess when they were growing up. Always falling in love with a girl that showed the littlest form of affection, or hooking up with girls that seemed to be walking red flags. So seeing her friend be so in love and well taken care of by someone so pure and loving made Tzuyu happy.

It just wasn’t helpful when she got reminded of Se-Ri when she saw them being sweet together. She didn't blame her friends, she just couldn't stop her heart from aching at each thought of her ex.

But the house chores did help her distract herself. Mina was inside the house cleaning the living room while she was outside in the backyard, helping Mina set up her garden. Mina told her that she wanted to plant flowers and make the house look colorful again.

Luckily Tzuyu knew how to help since she would do the same thing with her grandmother when she visited her in Taiwan. So, she dug out some patches of grass surrounding the yard, tilled the soil and added bricks to separate the grassy areas.

Tzuyu stood up a bit when her knees started to ache from crouching down for too long.

Then she felt her phone vibrate. She took it out of her pocket and when she saw who texted her, her chest felt heavy.

3:26 PM

Se-Ri: Tzuyu?

Se-Ri: I went by your apartment today and the receptionist told me you took a trip. How long will you be gone?

Se-Ri: I wanted to talk. I want to tell you how sorry I am and that I want us to try again. I need you. I fucked up, I know that, but we love each other right? Isn’t that enough for us to try again?

She stared at her phone for a while, not entirely sure how to stomach in all the words she was reading. Yes, she wanted to be with her again. But the fact that Se-Ri had been cheating on her for so long and with so many people made it easy for her to resist it.

Her heart ached again. Tzuyu loved her, but it wasn't enough for her to be stupid and just brush everything under the rug.

3:30 PM

Tzuyu: Ri, I don’t think I can be with you. I can’t trust you anymore. You said that you cheated on me with so many people and it happened for too long, so I don’t think I can let you do that to me again.

Tzuyu: I’m going to get over you. I want to stop loving you. Because I know it’s the only thing I can do right now. You should too.

Tzuyu: Like what you said. It really isn’t going to work out for us. Goodbye Ri.

She felt tears fall out of her eyes again when she hit send. Tzuyu quickly pocketed her phone and dropped herself on the grass, letting the coarse surface itch her back.

The sun was out, the breeze was cold, and she just wanted to sink into the ground and not get up.

She wiped her tears away with the back of her arm and let out a sigh. She knew she did the right thing. She didn’t want to be fooled again and let her heart be weakened by Se-Ri's words. There was nothing that Se-Ri could do that could change her mind. Tzuyu decided then and there that she was dead set on leaving all of her feelings behind and will start fresh.

“Tzu?” She could hear Mina’s voice approach her and the Japanese stopped a few steps away from her. “You okay? I brought you water.”

Tzuyu picked herself up and tried to smile at Mina. “Thank you, unnie.” She accepted the glass and gulped down the drink. Then she tried to stand up, wanting to bring the glass back to the kitchen but the way Mina was looking at her made her stop.

“Did something happen?” she asked carefully.

Tzuyu looked down at the ground and held the glass tightly in her hands. “Se-Ri texted me.”

“Oh.” Mina scratched the back on her arm. “What did she say? If you want to talk about it.”

Tzuyu looked up at her and couldn’t hide her sadness. “She said she’s sorry and wants to work things out. She even went to my apartment to look for me.”

“Do you want to come inside and sit down?” Mina asked, pointing towards the house.

Tzuyu shook her head. “It’s okay, unnie. I want to finish up the garden before I do so,” she said politely.

Mina pursed her lips and nodded. Then she carefully took the glass away from Tzuyu and smiled at her. “I’ll be going to the groceries. Maybe you can talk to Chaengie when she gets home.”

Tzuyu smiled again. “I can do that. Do you want me to go with you though?”

“No, it’s okay. I need someone to be here when Yuki gets home,” Mina said and she took a few steps back. “Do you want anything from the grocery though?”

“I’m fine. Thank you again, unnie.”

With that, Mina went back inside the house to pick up a few things before she left for the grocery trip. Tzuyu walked with her to the gate and closed it for her.

Tzuyu walked back in the house and decided to do something to get her mind off of things.

She could leave a few messages to Jeongyeon or Dahyun, but she didn’t want to disturb them while they were at work. She hated feeling so handicapped, seeking comfort from her friends every so often and then feeling bad right after.

Tzuyu wasn’t used to this. But she had to try to be better for herself. So if she wanted the feelings to be over as soon as possible, she needed to make the extra effort. It was for her and that was more important than anything.

“Tzu,” Chaeyoung called when she walked towards the living room.

Tzuyu was reading the paper again and she lifted her head up to look at Chaeyoung. “What’s up?”

Chaeyoung was holding something in her hand and then showed it to her. Her face couldn’t be drawn, and she waited for Tzuyu to understand what she was holding.

“Mina found this in your pants while she was doing the laundry.” She walked closer to Tzuyu and handed the container of sleeping pills to her. She crossed her arms and tried to keep a calm expression. “How long have you been taking these?”

Tzuyu felt frozen when she looked at the container. She probably forgot to take them out when she bathed last night. She sighed and looked away, accepting her fate. “After the break up.”

Chaeyoung nodded her head. She sat on the living chair next to Tzuyu and rested her elbows on her knees. “Are these prescribed by the doctor?”

Tzuyu shook her head, which made Chaeyoung sigh.

“Okay, I don’t want to nag you cause you’re a grown ass adult and you do whatever you want.” Chaeyoung looked at her. “But taking these without a prescription isn’t safe.”

“I know...” Tzuyu mumbled. “I can’t sleep if I don’t take them.”