Stigma [Book 1]

Chapter 8 : Cocoa

"I came here thinking about you. I came here to figure out what I felt for you. I wasn't sure if it was right or not. For sure, there's no denying the love I never lost for you. But... was it right for me to feel this way? For me to act as if the past never happened between us? I came here to figure that out. But instead, I found you. Funny, isn't it?" Taehyung thought to himself.

He was now seated in front of Tzuyu. Taehyung looked over to see her drink.

"Cocoa? That's my favorite." he said.

"I wonder if she remembers..." he thought.

"Oh yeah... I don't like cocoa too much. It just reminds me of someone.." she said softly.

He smiled at that.

"So... she does remember" he thought.

"Anyway, what brings you here Tzuyu? This seems to be a weird time to grab a drink. Don't you have to be somewhere early tomorrow?" he asked her.

She sighed.

"Can I trust him?" she asked herself.

".... I'll have to just wait and see..." she thought.

"Today's just been really stressful is all..." she said.

"What's bothering you?" he asked.

She looked up. For a second... it felt like Jae Won was sitting in front of her again. Holding her hand in times where she was afraid. She smiled.

"He reminds me of him so much... maybe.... it won't hurt to trust him..." she thought.

She then remembers her encounter with Jeongyeon earlier. Her words still rang through her head. She still remembers the impact of her slap, the impact of her falling onto the floor. She had never been in any type of conflict with any members before. Jeongyeon's behavior only came up recently... ever since they came face to face with BTS... but why?

"I... got into an argument earlier with Jeongyeon," she said.

He tilted his head to the side with concern.

"Jeongyeon... she knows who I am... is that why she's so cold towards her now?" he thought.

Taehyung had noticed Jeongyeon acting irritable towards Tzuyu when TWICE went to visit them in their dressing room, but he didn't think much of it. He hadn't realized that they were still on bad terms up to now.

Tzuyu thought she could relax around him. If she was gonna tell him her problems, she may as well get comfortable around him. Since it was late, she too took off her face mask.

Taehyung had his breath taken. Even at this stage of the morning, she still looked stunning to him. However, something caught his attention this time. Something that drew concern...

"Tell me more about it. But wait for me to be back. I'll go grab something really quick" he said.

He stood up and went to the lady at the counter.

Tzuyu sat there. She still recalled her encounter with Jeongyeon. Not only did it hurt her physically but emotionally as well. She never had any problems like this before. What set her off?

Here We Go w/ Tzuyu's Imagination Again

She looked up from her seat again. This time, Jeongyeon was seated in front of her.

"Unnie... I'm sorry for what I did..." she whispered.

Jeongyeon just shook her head. She pulled her hand back once more, ready to slap Tzuyu again. Tzuyu braces for impact, even if it was just her imagination again. But suddenly, something happened as Jeongyeon's hand was about to come into contact with her face.