Broken

29

"Hey, Ji."

"How are you guys? On that note, where is Chae?"

"Oh, we are at her room, but she has just begun another one of her projects yesterday and being social is never on her plans when she is working." Mina answers with a chuckle.

Jihyo has been abroad for a little over a month, today she had scheduled with Mina a few days prior, to make sure they all could catch up a little, time zones were annoying. Tzuyu was a bit overwhelmed, the sensitive kid she was, eyes wet and sniffing a little. But Jihyo was missing them, and seeing Chaeyoung was not about to be dropped from her plans.

"Okay, get that midget to stop and talk to me." Jihyo demands.

"First, you both are the same height." Tzuyu defends her girlfriend.

"I'm still taller." Jihyo fights back with poorly faked smugness.

"Second, I'm not about to get in that studio." Tzuyu ignores her.

"Now you guys HAVE to show me."

"I'll do it, you stay here and get ready to call the ambulance, Yu." Mina says as she gets up.

"Wha-"

"I can't let you risk yourself like this, Micchan. I'll do it." Tzuyu cuts Jihyo's question.

"No, Yucchan, just be ready to pull me out if things get bad." Mina says dramatically as she exits to the studio.

"Is this really that bad or are you two just having a lot of fun mocking me?" Jihyo gets suspicious.

"Oh, you'll see, alright. I'm going to switch the camera now." Mina says and just switches to the back camera.

Jihyo could make out the door to Chaeyoung's art room (she refused to call it a studio, just to contradict the smaller girl), and Mina suddenly gets very quiet. She makes out a deep breath and sees a hand reaching for the nob. The door opens to a (really surprisingly) brightly lit room, Jihyo figures an art room should have good lighting anyways, so she shouldn't be so surprised. What does surprise her, is a shadow perched on a high stool, in the far corner, avoiding sunlight. The image shakes a little, Mina is nervous.

"Chaeyoung, are you going to talk to Jihyo, now?"

There is a high demonic screeching, the figure in the corner seems to ball up on itself, Jihyo figured that was Chaeyoung.

"Understandable, have a nice day." Mina answers and bolts out of there.

Changing back to the front camera, Mina's face shows up completely void of color, a look of fear and horror distorting her features. Jihyo can't help but chuckle a little.

"Mina, does Chae has her phone with her in there?"

"I think it's in her room, why?"

"Go back there and wait a bit, I'm calling back on her phone."

Confused, Mina just goes back. Tzuyu gives her a questioning look, she just explains Jihyo said to wait a bit and that she was fine. On cue, Jihyo calls again, so Tzuyu gets up and answers.

"Ji? Why are you calling again on Chae's phone?" The youngest asks, still confused.

"We'll get to that on a second. First you two talk to me."

"So, you sound much better, how is the new school?" Tzuyu asks.

"Oh, it's great. A little harder than I thought it would be, but I'm loving it. I got the option to take the advanced course, so I have to study a little harder, but nothing I can't handle. And the people here are so nice." Jihyo blurts out.

"Well, you ARE in Canada, isn't being nice like a requirement there or something?" Mina laughs.

"Maybe, but not the point. Also, I got a job here with one of my teachers, she got her husband to hire me on his restaurant, it's really close, so I also save on the bus fare."

"Oh, got a job already? You are not overworking yourself, are you?" Tzuyu tries to sound stern.

"I'm not, I promise. It's just that i had too much free time during the week, so I decided to get a job and, maybe, save a little more before I go to college." Jihyo promises.

"So no weekend shifts?" Tzuyu is still doubtful.

"Only saturday mornings, but never during exams."

"Better. I guess that's your teacher making sure you don't get yourself too busy." The youngest concludes.

"She's a really good woman, her husband is very nice too. He saw that I don't speak that well yet, so he let me work the counter instead. His caffé is really pretty too." The older one beams a little.

"Uuuhhh, you are treating us when we come over to visit." Tzuyu declares, with a very serious look.

"Yes ma'am, but I'm across the ocean?"

"The three of us are going over to visit my older sister, during vacations, and thought of going to see you as well." The tall one reveals.

"That's great news, I'll be very happy to have you over."

"Just don't tell the pigs." Mina asks, and they all laugh.

"Promise. Yucchan, tell me about you."

"Huh?" Tzuyu was zoning out a little.

"What have you been up to, lately?"

"Oh, that. Sis is coming to visit soon, she's staying for a week." Tzuyu gets too excited.

"The mysterious Chou senior. I hope we meet sometime." Jihyo encourages.

"Oh, she is great! And she is coming to visit, and she will stay for a week, and we are going to hang out together an-" Tzuyu goes on a rant about her sister.

"Yu, why don't you get us some water?" Mina interrupts, knowing it will never end if she doesn't.

"Sure, I'll be right back. Don't hang up, Ji." The youngest says as she goes out.

"She is really happy, isn't she?" Jihyo chuckles.

"It's getting annoying, honestly. But I love her and she will never know I said that."

"I figured, and how are you holding up, Minguin?"

"It's been a while since I heard that. I'm great, a little worried about my girlfriends, but it's manageable."

"You have your hands full, alright. But they are cute, and you are whipped, nothing to really worry about."

"I am not whipped, mind you."

"Whatever you have to tell yourself, hun." The mockery in Jihyo's voice is obnoxious.

"You are insufferable. But you are cute, and far enough that I can't go over and hit you right now."

"Thanks, I do try. On that note, have you guys met Chou senior already?"

"We had a video call with her a while ago, but it seems like she calls on odd times, so we are never really with Tzuyu when it happens. She's really nice, and funny. You two would work great together."

"So I heard. We'll meet when we meet. But now, let's not talk about her anymore, Chou junior is coming."

Jihyo could see Tzuyu coming back in the hall behind Mina and decides to change the subject before the younger one goes back into her sister adoring mode. Jihyo found it cute, but Mina was onto something when she said it got annoying. They just talk a bit more, catch up with each other and Jihyo shows them around her dorm, a two bedroom, kitchen/living room unit, she had a roommate that was out at the time.