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When Tzuyu wakes up, it’s to the disgruntled realisation that it’s not yet morning.
At first, she wonders why she’s awake. She usually only starts to stir when the sunlight streams through the window, but the alarm clock next to her tells her that it’s just past 1AM. The only sound in the room is Dahyun’s gentle snoring, so it’s not likely that a loud noise woke her up either.
Then she sees a dark figure looming above her, and suddenly her disturbed sleep makes sense. Usually she would scream at the sight of someone hovering over her bed, but even in the dark Tzuyu can recognize Chaeyoung’s shape, cute and petite even when hunched over stuffing things into one of Tzuyu’s bags.
As much as she wants to continue admiring Chaeyoung’s everything, the curiosity is too much to bear. She sits up in bed, and Chaeyoung glances over at her. Her smile is visible in the moonlight, not looking very surprised that Tzuyu is awake.
“What’s going on?” Tzuyu whispers, careful not to disturb Dahyun.
One of them should get a good night’s sleep. They have a schedule at nine tomorrow, and if Tzuyu didn’t love her so much she’d be grumpy at Chaeyoung for doing this.
Whatever this is.
“Packing your bag.” Chaeyoung whispers back. “We’re going on an adventure.”
See, it’s moments like this where Tzuyu questions if she has a masochistic streak. Because normal people wouldn’t find this endearing, any of the other girls would probably laugh in disbelief and throw a pillow at Chaeyoung for bothering them. Deciding that you’re going to drag your friend out in the middle of the night without asking them should not be an admirable quality, but Tzuyu’s heart feels warm with affection nonetheless. Or maybe she’s overthinking things, maybe the others girls would also laugh and go along with it. Maybe she’s just judging the way Chaeyoung’s cool confidence makes her feel, like a starry-eyed girl with a pounding heart.
Yeah, she’s definitely overthinking it.
“It’s too late for this.” She flops back into the bed, because despite how red her cheeks are Tzuyu knows how to play it cool. “Go back to sleep Chaeng, we can go on an adventure tomorrow.”
“Not this one we can’t!” Chaeyoung crawls over and takes Tzuyu’s hands, dragging her up and out of the bed. “We only have twenty minutes to make it, so get up and get dressed.”
Tzuyu’s annoyance is at war with her awe at how easily Chaeyoung can tug her up. She’s lucky she can’t see the shorter girl’s muscles clearly in the dark, or she’d be a complete goner.
“Can you at least give me a hint as to what this is about?”
Chaeyoung stops throwing snacks into her bag, and the sudden stillness is jarring. Tzuyu sees the playful gleam in her eyes, and it draws her in so easily.
“It’s a birthday surprise for you.”
It’s really not fair, how a girl who barely reaches Tzuyu’s shoulder has the exact right type of charisma to make her go weak at the knees. She can’t stop the smile that reaches her eyes, nor the way she flounders for a response. Chaeyoung’s smug grin makes her wish she wasn’t so obvious about her crush. Yes, Chaeyoung was smooth in all the best ways, but Tzuyu refuses to be constantly inflating her ego.
Or at least, she tries. But then there are moments like this when Chaeyoung has a plan in mind for Tzuyu and is brimming with eagerness and Tzuyu… she just can’t resist. Not that look in Chaeyoung’s eyes or the genuine love behind this ridiculous gesture, Tzuyu was just too…
Whipped was the term Momo had used once. Tzuyu had sulked for hours about it, but Momo wasn’t exactly wrong.
(However, if she ever made a whipping motion again when Tzuyu went along with Chaeyoung’s shenanigans, Tzuyu would sneak into her room and bleach her hair until it was back to the blonde of Like Ooh Ahh era.)
All Chaeyoung has to do is hand out Tzuyu’s bag, filled with what she could now recognize as different types of candy, and with a sigh Tzuyu takes it, trading her pride for the happy grin Chaeyoung gives her. She’d be lying if she said it wasn’t worth it.
It turns out that Chaeyoung’s plan involves sneaking out the window. Somehow Dahyun doesn’t wake up as they fashion a rope out of clothes and toss one end down onto the street. Shimmying down the drainpipe, Tzuyu thinks about how fictional romances lied to her. Whenever the hero sweeps the love interest off her feet it’s always this exciting journey of amazing experiences. No one ever talks about how scary and uncomfortable it must have been for Princess Jasmine to climb out of her bedroom window onto a piece of cloth for the first time. Or how the hell Wendy learnt to fly so easily when Peter Pan shook his magic flying dust onto her.
She reaches the ground without falling, and all her complaints die on her lips when Chaeyoung takes her hand. The streetlamps fill the path in front of them with light, and Tzuyu’s practical concerns about wandering the streets of Seoul at night wither and die as Chaeyoung’s dark eyes glisten, cold moonlight and warm streetlights mixing to reflect back something beautiful. Tzuyu doesn’t realise she’s been staring until Chaeyoung tugs her along. She stumbles, feeling herself blush once again as Chaeyoung giggles.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
The cryptic answers are growing old, but there’s enough of a Disney romantic left in Tzuyu to appreciate the mystery of it all. Chaeyoung walks with confidence, striding down these streets like they all exist solely for her to use. It makes Tzuyu feel more confident about not getting mugged and ending up in a ditch somewhere.
Chaeyoung leads her through various streets and alleys, holding Tzuyu’s hand the entire time. They never go anywhere too dark or anywhere too crowded, and the sound of cars and sirens in the distance somehow adds to the dreamlike atmosphere. It’s just the two of them in this little bubble, everyone else existing far away.
A car blazes past them and Tzuyu jumps, the illusion shattered. Chaeyoung pauses, laughing too hard at Tzuyu’s abrupt shock to continue. Tzuyu breaks down into giggles too, her racing heart changing from fear into something very different.
They continue walking, passing various takeout stores closed down for the night. Tzuyu’s stomach rumbles, and she wonders when she’ll get to eat all the snacks Chaeyoung packed. Chaeyoung somehow seems to sense her desire, because she stops again, this time reaching into her bag to pull out a stick of Pepero and handing it to Tzuyu.
The logical explanation is that she heard Tzuyu’s stomach rumble. The non-logical explanation is that they’re soulmates who can sense each other’s feelings and that’s why Chaeyoung practically read her mind. Tzuyu would never breathe a word of that second explanation out loud, but in her own head, well… it’s safe to fantasize a little.
As much as her internal musings are filled with dreamy thoughts of her best friend, externally Tzuyu is normally quite good at acting casual. It’s just when Chaeyoung touches her, whether it be a hug or a handhold or anything in between, Tzuyu feels herself melt. This time Chaeyoung gives her a quick squeeze for reassurance and then takes her hand again, and any sarcastic complaint Tzuyu was about to make vanishes, as if it had never existed in the first place.
It’s really unfair. She has to work so hard to make Chaeyoung flustered and blushing yet all the other girl needs to do is give her that dimpled grin, trying to twirl Tzuyu as they cut through the bandstand in a park. She fails, because her arm doesn’t reach high enough for Tzuyu to twirl under, but Tzuyu can’t even make fun of her for it, too many butterflies in her stomach.
When did she get like this, so hopelessly in love? She always thought Chaeyoung was pretty and cool and a little intimidating at first, but it wasn’t love at first sight or anything, right?
No, it was friends first, that’s what Tzuyu remembers. The warmth in her chest when she and Chaeyoung grew closer as friends, and then a different kind of warmth as she realised that her friend-crush on Chaeyoung wasn’t going away. She’d been so confused at first, because this is what she’d wanted right? To be best friends with the same-age member who had a cool attitude and a sweet smile?
They’re deep in a residential area of the city now, apartment blocks towering all around them. Chaeyoung still walks forward like she doesn’t have a care in the world. Maybe she doesn’t, at least not now. She’s always been free in a way that Tzuyu admires, and envies slightly if she’s being honest.
She’s good at that nowadays. Being honest with herself. Like how her awe at Chaeyoung’s charisma is nowhere near as platonic as she originally thought. She wasn’t wrong about wanting to be Chaeyoung’s best friend, but she did deny the full picture for a while.
“This is kind of romantic isn’t it?”
Chaeyoung’s abrupt words pull Tzuyu out of her thoughts. She blinks twice, unsure if she’d heard that right. Romantic? Where the hell had that come from?
Chaeyoung doesn’t elaborate, or even seem to expect an answer. She pulls Tzuyu into the lobby entrance of one of the apartment buildings, and Tzuyu’s nerves immediately shoot up when she sees a security guard staring at them.
Her anxiety increases when Chaeyoung walks over to the guard, but then for some reason the guard smiles, and hands Chaeyoung a key. Chaeyoung gives him a small two fingered salute as thanks, and then turns back to Tzuyu. Tzuyu knows she looks like a deer in the headlights when Chaeyoung smirks, but it’s the smirk that means she thinks Tzuyu’s being cute, so Tzuyu finds it hard to take offence.
“How did you set this up?” Tzuyu asks, as she follows Chaeyoung up the stairs of the building. “Do you just have a bunch of connections none of us know anything about?”
“I like to come her to think sometimes. Hajoon’s nice and he never tells anyone, so I know I won’t be bothered.”
It makes sense, in a ridiculous Chaeyoung sort of way. Of course she had secret hideaways that only friendly security guards working the night shift knew about. How silly for Tzuyu not to see this coming.
“Are you sure it’s ok for me to be here then? I don’t want to bother you if it’s your private space or something.”
And now Chaeyoung’s looking at her like she’s the ridiculous one, and Tzuyu feels her lip jut out because she was only trying to be considerate. Chaeyoung’s face softens at the sight of Tzuyu’s pout. She’s two steps ahead of her, almost face to face and in the dim light of the stairway Tzuyu almost thinks she’s looking…
No. Why would Chaeyoung be staring at her lips? That’s projection right there. Tzuyu is the one who dreams about kissing her , not the other way around.
Chaeyoung turns around, and the moment, whatever it was about, is over. Tzuyu takes a breath and tells herself to get a grip as they start walking up the stairs again.
“Of course you’re welcome here.” Chaeyoung’s voice is light, almost too light. “It’s your birthday, and I wanted to take you somewhere special. I know it’s not a fancy restaurant or anything, but just wait and see.”
It takes them fifteen flights of stairs to reach the roof access door, which is apparently what Chaeyoung’s key opens. She’s lucky Tzuyu trusts her, because hiking up all those steps when they have to go on stage and dance their feet off tomorrow is not a fun concept.
But then they step out onto the roof, and there’s a blanket with cushions and hot packs waiting for them, a candle on either side. It’s an obvious fire hazard but at the same time Chaeyoung clearly put a lot of effort into this and Tzuyu is touched.
“You like it?” For the first time, Chaeyoung sounds slightly nervous.
“I love it.” Tzuyu whispers.
There’s a beat that passes between them, a silence where it feels like something is lingering, unspoken. Then Chaeyoung clears her throat, and Tzuyu is once again left wondering if she’s just projecting her own feelings onto a sweet birthday gesture.
“This isn’t even the full surprise!” Chaeyoung walks over, flopping down onto the blanket. She unzips her bag and tosses Tzuyu a sweet cake and a can of beer. Tzuyu wrinkles her nose, but opens it. Just for tonight, they’ll be young and wild.
She doubts Chaeyoung would consider this wild. This is probably an average Tuesday for her. They’re so different, her and Tzuyu. But maybe that’s why she’s drawn to her.
She deliberately stops herself from going off in another tangent about how much she loves Chaeyoung. Her own brain is tired of it at this point. Instead, she leans back against the cushions and gazes up into the sky.
“So what’s the second part of the surprise?” she asks, not really expecting an answer.
“You’ll see in around…” Chaeyoung checks her watch. “…three seconds.”
Tzuyu doesn’t even have time to respond to that before the sky lights up. Fireworks explode in front of her in a dazzling array of colours, and for a second she is too astonished to do anything but stare up in wonder. The fireworks are coming from the park they walked through, and this rooftop gives them the perfect vantage point to watch them explode, close enough for the display to truly amaze Tzuyu but not too close that either of them get scared.
There’s no doubt that Chaeyoung coordinated it all perfectly, and while the Disney princess in Tzuyu wants to say it was all for her, she knows that’s not true. One look over at Chaeyoung and she can see how much she’s loving this, a gentle smile on her face as she watches the sparks come and go, brighter than the stars. This was a birthday present for Tzuyu, but it was more than just a charming idea. This is Chaeyoung’s hideaway, her place to watch the world go by and look up at the stars, and tonight she’s sharing it with Tzuyu.
That’s what gets to Tzuyu the most. This is the gift Chaeyoung is giving her, a precious memory that only they share. A piece of Chaeyoung’s soul, that only Tzuyu is trusted enough to keep. It feels like if someone were to ask Chaeyoung her ideal date, this would be what she’d choose. And now she’s choosing to share it with Tzuyu, and why wouldn’t she? Tzuyu loves everything about this, not because it’s her ideal date, but because it’s all she’s come to adore about Chaeyoung.
It feels… indescribable. Love in its purest form. The late night, the fireworks, the solitude of just the two of them alone, high up above everyone else, every inch of this adventure has Chaeyoung’s fingerprints on it and to Tzuyu’s that’s wonderful.
Tzuyu’s brain has been frantically pumping the breaks since the word ‘date’ because, calm down there buddy, you’re headed into delusional territory. But looking at Chaeyoung, all her worries fade into the background. None of them matter, not right now.
Chaeyoung is beautiful. She looks up at the fireworks with a longing, a wildness that Tzuyu has never truly felt but only seen fragments of. If there was a sketchpad up here, Chaeyoung would be painting right now, capturing the moment and the emotion as best she could. There is a hunger in her gaze, to see more , do more, grab every second of life and live it to the fullest. Fireworks tonight, a waterfall tomorrow, maybe a beach on the other side of the world soon, who knows?
Tzuyu knows what passion feels like, but witnessing Chaeyoung’s version has always left her breathless.
Chaeyoung turns to look at her, the colours of the fireworks shimmering in her gaze. She opens her mouth, likely to ask about Tzuyu’s soft expression. But before she can, another firework goes off, and as it reaches its peak Tzuyu leans over and kisses her.
She doesn’t know why she grew so bold. Maybe she’s absorbing some of Chaeyoung’s attitude, seizing the moment and taking life as it comes. Either way, she doesn’t regret it. Not when Chaeyoung’s mouth tastes like sweet cakes and strawberry lip gloss, and she’s reaching across to kiss Tzuyu back with the same passion she had while looking at the fireworks.
Tzuyu’s never been good at kissing, only did it twice back in Taiwan and felt shy the whole time. People offered once she moved to Korea, other trainees who found her beautiful, but she’d always turn them down, too scared about any nasty rumours it might create. She may have made the first move this time, but it’s Chaeyoung that takes control, deepening the kiss and pushing Tzuyu backwards. She ends up with both hands on the ground behind her, keeping her upright.
All the worry Tzuyu had that her kiss was unwanted is mostly gone by now, but she still can’t help that twinge of anxiety when Chaeyoung pulls back. The fireworks are finished, but Chaeyoung is still smiling like she’s looking at something worthy of reverence. Tzuyu waits nervously for the verdict. Has she ruined their friendship? Does Chaeyoung want to be her girlfriend? Does Tzuyu even want that?
The last question is easily answerable, the other two not so much.
“I’m glad I brought this music now.” is what Chaeyoung says.
That answers absolutely none of the questions swirling through Tzuyu’s head. Chaeyoung reaches into her bag and takes out her phone and a Bluetooth speaker. It takes her a few seconds to set it up, and then some slow, romantic French song Tzuyu’s never heard before begins to play.
She doesn’t understand a word, but she loves it from the very first second.
“Chaeyoung.” she says, as the crooning French man hits the chorus. “Can I kiss you again?”
The flickering candlelight dances, illuminating Chaeyoung’s face in shades of orange. Tzuyu can’t see her blush, but she can tell, just by the wide-eyed look on her face.
“Please.” Chaeyoung whispers.
Tzuyu leans over, crashing their lips together. This time, she is the one to gently ease Chaeyoung down onto the cushions. She’s never heard Chaeyoung beg for anything before, and she’s determined not to let her down.
“Just so you know.” Chaeyoung gasps as Tzuyu kisses her neck. “I didn’t plan to seduce you like this. I’m glad it’s happening, no complaints here, but I swear I was just planning a nice birthday surprise.”
“I know.” Tzuyu whispers back, kissing all along Chaeyoung’s jawline. “If it were anyone else with the fireworks and the romantic music I’d think it was a set up, but you…”
Chaeyoung grabs her head and pulls her in, and Tzuyu forgets what she was going to say, lost in the way Chaeyoung’s mouth moves against hers. Her fingers are tangled in Chaeyoung’s hair and Chaeyoung suddenly moves, pushing upwards and flipping them over so that she’s straddling Tzuyu’s lap. Tzuyu’s never felt like this before, so out of control, kissing and kissing and kissing with no thought to any consequences, just a fervent desire to love Chaeyoung.
Because that’s what it is, beneath the tinge of embarrassment as they finally break away for air, the shy laughter as the song changes from sultry and romantic to heavy metal, beneath all the nerves and the thrill of oh my god did that really happen, it’s love that Tzuyu feels. Love for this world, this life, the rooftop and the fireworks and Chaeyoung’s dimple as she flops backwards onto the blankets, just pure love for all of it.
She lies down next to Chaeyoung, snuggling in and staring up at the stars. Part of Tzuyu is still reeling from how quickly they’ve gone from friends to… something else. She feels like she should be questioning this more, wondering when Chaeyoung fell for her, or if she’s as serious about this as Tzuyu is.
But she can’t. Not when Chaeyoung takes her hand, threading their fingers together and staring at their intertwined hands with this soft, amazed look. All the hesitation and doubt and assumptions she had prior to Chaeyoung kissing her are gone. As Chaeyoung turns to stare into Tzuyu’s eyes, one hand coming up to gently push back a strand of hair, Tzuyu knows with absolute certainty that Chaeyoung loves her, loves her with all the passion Tzuyu feels for her.
In one night Tzuyu’s gone from unrequited pining to feeling like equals on the same wavelength. It’s a lot to take in, but she’s too euphoric to really feel how dizzying it is right now.
There will be time for that tomorrow, when they walk into the practice room holding hands with small giddy smiles. There will be plenty of time for Tzuyu to look back on this night, and wonder how they somehow both got everything just right . But for now there’s no self reflection, no inner musings.
For now it’s just her and Chaeyoung, and the night sky above them.