What is love?

Dahyun types on her laptop. The clicking of the keyboard brought satisfaction to her ears. It's a question that has been haunting her for days, or maybe years since she started noticing the gross couples making out on the streets. She hit the search button, her internet taking its lovely time to load.

Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure.

Yeah, screw that. Dahyun already knew what love is. In her own dictionary, there are two meanings of love.

1. It's a horrible feeling that gives you false hope and leads you to heartbreak.

Or 2. It's a great feeling after your suffering has now ended since your feelings got reciprocated.

Both of which she ended up feeling despite not being the one who fell in love with that person. She had an ability, something that makes her different from all the students that surrounded her right now.

Dahyun hated her ability. Being able to hear someone's actual intentions or their thoughts that played a role in powerful emotions like fear, anger, or sadness. Strong enough for Dahyun to feel it herself, she had to bawl her eyes out, even if she wasn't the one who got unrequited love. She was able to take half of those painful emotions and suffer with the victim.

Why?

Dahyun doesn't know why she is cursed with something like this. But she knew how it was helpful to the people who were connected to her, as she reduces their pain and suffering.

But the primary cause of everything was because of love.

She dreaded it so much she wanted it to go disappear from this world as her eyes observe the slowly predictable falling out of such a tight friendship. Dahyun wasn't part of them, rather a simple observer as she watches their interactions inside these school walls and its magnificent unprotected system.

Maybe you would call her creepy for watching people that closely, but Dahyun had her reasons. It's not like she would do anything to affect the group since she's only a mere spectator of how things would play out. And she refuses to meddle with such dramatic lives, especially involving people who are known under this school roof.

It's just that her ability had chosen to be connected to these strings of people as they undergo heartbreak. Dahyun was the only one who could ease the pain without actually interacting with them.

And since love has two meanings, there are also two types of people that she observed. The two stupid fools and two lucky bastards.

The half-sisters Chou Tzuyu and Hirai Momo were deemed as the school aces, considering how they placed the school's name above everyone. From any academic competition or tournament, these two would excel and would accidentally put everyone else besides them to shame, as their scores were perfect. Not only that, both were also aces in the sports that they play. With Momo scoring many golden trophies in heavy sports and Tzuyu holding the record with the most gold medals in archery.

They were almost perfect.

Almost.

Except that they fell in love. So Dahyun called them the two stupid fools.

Another pair of half-sisters were Son Chaeyoung and Yoo Jeongyeon. The two excelled in stupid jokes and art. They failed to keep up in the progressing academic year, yet were still popular around the school. Each subject was a fail, fail, and fail, even compliance doesn't save them from extreme scolding for such poor grades. Happy and go lucky was their motto.

They were imperfect, but somebody fell in love with them. That's why Dahyun called them the two lucky bastards.
____

Dahyun's POV

I felt my small legs shake as I finally walk out of the teacher's faculty. My uniform was crumpled, my hair messed up in a bun, and sweat was dripping down my neck after carrying stacks of books back and forth. As I tried to cool down myself, my eyes spot a tall familiar figure, leaning on a wall that was beside an opened classroom.

It was almost 5:30 in the afternoon and I wasn't surprised to see Tzuyu still wandering around the campus, she's a hard-working student, but I found it strange that she was waiting outside a classroom of seniors.

She was desperately hiding behind the wall, melancholic eyes were almost on the verge of tears, they were staring inside the senior's classroom. I immediately hid beside the lockers, as I felt my heart start to slowly break to pieces.

"Why why why?"

Tzuyu's strained voice rang inside my head like she was begging for help, begging that someone would make them end this misery. I felt my eyes water as I finally saw what made Tzuyu connect to me.

Here I was, watching Tzuyu slowly break down as I catch Mina squealing with Chaeyoung, holding her so tightly around the waist. Their smiles reached their eyes, and they shared a small kiss that made Tzuyu inflict rage and misery, affecting my entire mood.

I knew how desperately in love the tall student was with the elegant black swan, Myoui Mina. I have always observed how Tzuyu steals brief glances towards the senior, how her eyes were filled with love, longing, and happiness. And now her eyes were only filled with despair as she silently falls to the ground, tears streaming down her face.

"I was the one who did everything yet you chose her... you chose someone who just looked your way while I wasted my blood, sweat, and tears for you."

My heart ached, and my breathing became shallow as I share the same heartbreak Tzuyu was going through right now.

I can see Tzuyu was trying so hard not to spill out necessary yet dangerous emotions through her gritted teeth. She was crouching, hands gripped around her uniform, almost wanting to rip them apart as her heart could not cope with the unbearing pain. It was killing Tzuyu, slowly and surely, like poison running through her veins.

My tears start to drip down to my messy uniform, as I felt mixed emotions towards Mina and Chaeyoung because of Tzuyu. I heard the tall student's thoughts inside my head that made me ache for the poor ace even more.

"I wish that was me. I wish I told you sooner how I felt. I wish I never hid. Because everything that you thought was sweet, the efforts, the small letters, the chocolates, and the flowers were all by me, but you thought it was Chaeyoung. I loved you, and I thought you do too. But I forgot you only know me as Chaeyoung's best friend. Not as someone who secretly gave their everything for you."

And I knew Tzuyu was a stupid fool for love. And Chaeyoung was the lucky bastard who did nothing but was loved, anyway.
____

I went home, immediately plopping down on my bed before wailing into my pillow. I may not be the one who saw my crush kiss my best friend and got heartbroken, but my ability had taken its effects as it eases the unbearable pain that Tzuyu was going through.

Oh, fuck love right now. It's the only reason I'm suffering. Tzuyu's thoughts cross my mind, hearing the hoarse voice after crying so much.

"Is she happy? I hope she is. Because I think that's the only thing that matters even if I wanna die right now. Just her smile. Just seeing her smile and laugh will be enough for me. As long as Chaeyoung makes her happy, that will be enough for me."

I never knew Chou Tzuyu could be this sweet. Mina-unnie is really lucky, but also unfortunate to have and lose Tzuyu at the same time. I turn to face the ceiling, letting my tears fall, feeling my eyes feel tired and puffy.

"It hurts... It hurts... It hurts... What did I do to deserve this?"

Absolutely nothing. It's just that you fell in love with the wrong person. Don't worry, we are sharing half of this painful feeling.

"I wasn't enough."

Oh, no. Stop that.

"I wasn't enough."

I forgot she can't hear me right now.

"I wasn't enough!"

It was like lightning when a surge of growing energy and determination suddenly hit me. The desire to improve myself was all that ran through my mind. It forced my body to stand up from my wailing position on the bed, now preparing for a jog as I put my hoodie on to shake off the energy.

Another thing that my ability made me do is that I will have to be connected to the person until they finally moved on from their negative emotions. Which means I will do the things that they will do to cope.

My legs lead me out of the front door, shouting to my mom 'I need to go out ' before finally meeting the chilly streets of South Korea at night. I started jogging around the neighborhood, ignoring the growing pain on my legs as Tzuyu's thoughts kept pushing through the limits.

"I won't stop until I feel satisfied. If I stop now, I can never improve myself for Mina-unnie!"

"This is such a wrong mindset, you darn junior!" I yelled as my heartbeat became faster from enduring three hours of intermittent jogging and running. Though my legs were almost jelly, the burning determination was still there, so I kept going, hoping that Tzuyu would finally stop. My hoodie felt sticky and wet from the dripping sweat from my pale skin. I can feel the weird stares of my neighbors.

At exactly 9:00 in the evening, I stopped at my front door, sitting down on the sidewalk concrete, too tired to move inside. Tzuyu's feelings have finally settled down, allowing me to stop rounding the neighborhood.

"I'm too tired. But I feel like it's not enough. Momo-unnie just texted me to come home--- Is that Mina-unnie?"

And exactly after I heard that there was Chou Tzuyu standing at the other side of the road, also drenched in sweat but was wearing a tank top instead, frozen. In front of her was Mina-unnie, who smiled at the tall junior, coming closer to her.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap! What am I going to do!? She's right here and I don't know what to say?! Why is she-"
____

"What are you doing here, Tzu? Your house is like on the other side of the city." Mina asks as she steps closer to Tzuyu, who was trying not to visibly shake from the cold and nervousness.

The tall junior scratches her nape, looking everywhere but in Mina's eyes. She chuckles nervously before releasing a heavy breath. "O-oh, I wanted to see you. Crap, no. I mean, I went for a jog and found myself here at your house." Tzuyu stutters, internally face-palming herself.

"You dumb ass! Why would you say that?!"

"You jogged from your house to mine?! You need to change! You're going to catch a cold." Mina exclaims, holding Tzuyu's wrist to pull her inside the extravagant mansion Tzuyu never had. But the tall junior kept her ground, gently removing the small hand on her wrist, before holding it in her own. She held Mina's hand, clinging to it as she pulled the senior closer to her with a respectable space.

"It's okay. I'll just change at home. I just wanted to tell you congratulations for... about Chaeyoung. That's all." Small tears fell down from her eyes as she heard her voice cracking. A painful smile showed on her features, not realizing the wetness that dripped from her cheeks.

I wish I was Chaeyoung instead...

"Tzu... You're crying." Mina said. Her voice turns into a whisper. Her eyebrows furrow in concern as the junior dryly chuckles, using her free hand to wipe her tears.

"I am? What the? I'm not crying... My eyes are just sweating because I jogged too far."

"Tzuyu..." Mina reaches out to cup Tzuyu's cheeks, helping her wipe the continuous tears that kept coming from the tall junior. The senior's eyes soften, feeling hurt that Tzuyu was crying.

Please, don't look at me like that. My heart can't take it anymore. You already have Chaeyoung but... I want you. I want to hold you so badly. I want you to be mine. But that can't be because you want Chaeyoung. And that's not me.

"I should feel happy for you right now. But I just can't stop it." Tzuyu whispers. Her voice was very hoarse, and her throat was dry as her hand shakes. It was now or never for Tzuyu. She wanted Mina to hate her, to despise her so that the guilt in her heart would ease as she prepares her next move.

"What? What do you mean?"

Closer and closer, Tzuyu puts her hand on Mina's chin. Eyes going down to the plump lips that she saw Chaeyoung taste earlier. It made her heartache and race at the same time.

"I'm so sorry, Mina-unnie. But I need to do this."

Tzuyu tilts Mina's chin slightly to the side before finally closing her eyes, capturing Mina's lips on her own. The feeling was bursting out of her heart as she savors the soft and feeling of Mina. This was it. Something that she only experience once, because she isn't-she will never be Chaeyoung. She kept her lips lingering, not wanting to let go of Mina. But Tzuyu pulls away with dazed and teary eyes, sighting the shocked senior.

Tzuyu steps away, letting go of Mina's hand as she was also letting go of her feelings of unrequited love.

"Goodbye, Mina-unnie. I hope you're happy."

She jogs away, slowly picking up speed as her small whimpers finally escape her lips, tears falling down again. Because deep inside she knew, she knew that kissing Mina was something that will forever be etched on her mind, as a sin, and as a bittersweet goodbye.

Dahyun widens her eyes at the scene she just witnessed. Did she just... She just watched a real-life K-Drama, and it was between two of her schoolmates. Dahyun hopes only she has seen Tzuyu kiss Mina, because if words get out to the school and it would cause drama.

"I'm so stupid."

Yep, Dahyun definitely agrees that Tzuyu was stupid.