Present…

Jessica took a moment to close her eyes and take a sip of her coffee. After listening to her sister’s story, she became concerned with the relationship with Krystal and Sooyoung. As far as she was aware, the two of them were never that close, merely keeping the usual sunbae-hoobae relationship, but maybe there was more it that she didn’t know. Sooyoung’s odd behavior was also a concern because walking away like that was something Sooyoung normally wouldn’t do. Jessica would know after knowing her for so long.

“While I’m wondering why Sooyoungie would act like that towards you,” Jessica began while setting down her mug. “Why do her actions bother you when you aren’t close to begin with?”

Krystal’s gaze remained downcast at her own cup of coffee as her brows knitted together in thought. “I… I wish we were close,” the younger Jung simply said.

“You wish you were close to Sooyoung,” Jessica reiterated to which Krystal nodded. Exhaling softly, Jessica leaned back into her chair and cleared loud enough to get her sister to look at her. “Okay. I get you don’t want to tell me the whole truth, and I’m not going to pry it out of you.” Suddenly, a wistful and gentle smile curved on Jessica’s lips as nostalgia could be heard in her tone. “But I will say that Sooyoung is a kind person, the kind of person who may appear to be loud and straightforward to the point of being too blunt for a normal person to handle but has a heart full of sympathy and empathy for others. In reality, she’s too selfless for her own good because she always puts others before herself, and it has made me and the other girls wonder if she ever hides her suffering sometimes.”

The older Jung reached out and took a hold of her sister’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as she gave Krystal a smile. “I feel like there’s something up with Sooyoung from the things you’ve told me, and my intuition is telling me that you’re the key to finding out what that something is.”

Biting down on her lower lip, Krystal looked into her unnie’s eyes and squeezed her hand back, answering in an almost inaudible voice. “What do you think I should do?”

Jessica smiled.

“Do whatever your heart is telling you.”

In her apartment, Sooyoung was laying down on the couch in the living room, only clad in a simple t-shirt and nicely fitted sweat pants. At the moment, only Bori was at the apartment sleeping comfortably on her bed while the rest of her dogs were staying at her parents. On a typical day off, Sooyoung would be spending her time more wisely by being productive whether it was in her language studies or practicing her acting. But she couldn’t concentrate on either of those and after several attempts with no success, Sooyoung gave up and decided to lounge around. The apartment felt quieter than usual and Sooyoung was tempted to join Bori and snuggle back under the covers.

Just when she was about to head back to the bedroom, the doorbell sounded which prompted Sooyoung to check who the visitor was. To her surprise, the person at her door was Girls’ Generation resident eyesmiling mushroom. Sooyoung opened the door and smiled. “Tiffany. What brings you—“ She paused briefly when she noticed the box the other woman was holding. “What did you bring?”

Wearing a smile of her own, Tiffany pushed herself passed the taller woman and removed her shoes before answering the question. “I brought over two delicious slices of strawberry shortcakes for us to enjoy!”

“What? Only two? Why didn’t you buy the entire cake?” Her answered earned her a laugh from Tiffany as she led the latter to the dinner table. While she was distracted by the sight of the delectable cakes Tiffany was placing on paper plates, Sooyoung couldn’t hide her curiosity. “Not that I don’t mind your company, but why are you here?”

The smile on Tiffany’s lips waned slightly, handing over Sooyoung’s slice along with a plastic fork while she slowly met her eyes. “You seemed down lately and you haven’t been yourself either. And don’t lie to me, I’m Manager Hwang, you know. I can see when something is wrong.” Tiffany gazed at Sooyoung with concern when the taller woman broke eye contact, her eyes completely fixated on the cake and picking at the piece of strawberry on top of the frosting with her fork. Picking up her own cake, Tiffany scooped a small bite and took it into , savoring the sweetness before speaking up once more. “I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at Krystal.”

The statement caught Sooyoung off-guard, she almost choked on the piece she just swallowed. “I’m not…”

“You’re not exactly the greatest liar.” Tiffany paused eating to place down her cake on the table and took a step forward with eyes filled with concern once more. “Sooyoungie… About Krystal. She isn’t—“

“Don’t.” Sooyoung’s tone was sharp and harsh, her lower lip trembling. “Don’t stay it.”

Tiffany was startled by the way Sooyoung interrupted her, but she simply nodded and didn’t continue on. Instead, she carefully took Sooyoung’s plate and placed it down next to her own plate before standing next to the younger woman and resting her head on Sooyoung’s shoulder. “I just don’t like seeing you so down. It isn’t like you, but I understand how you feel. But please remember, you’re not the only one who feels that way.” She paused, biting down her lip and debated on whether or not she should continue, but she went on anyway. “And I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the way you look at Krystal. I think it’s hurting her.”

Sooyoung said nothing, only listened to the words of advice given to her by her fellow member, but everything she heard was slowly sinking into her mind, the delectable sweetness unable to distract her from her own thoughts.

f(x) Dorm…

Victoria watched as Krystal retreated into her room, shutting the door behind her. Luna stood next to her wearing a worried expression that mimicked her own. Without realizing it, Victoria exhaled the breath she had been holding in and began rubbing her temples.

“Unnie…” Luna said, turning towards Victoria. “What are we going to do? She’s been like this for the past month. I can’t get through to her.”

“Neither can I. I wish she would speak to us about what’s going on.” Victoria sighed dejectedly, but a smile temporarily curved on her lips when f(x)’s llama returned to the dorm. “Welcome back, Amber.”

“Yo, Vic unnie!” Amber greeted cheerfully. However, the cheerfulness in her voice soon faded when she felt the heavy hair hanging in the dorm, giving a confused look at Victoria and Luna. “What’s wrong, guys? Wait. Don’t tell me… Krystal, right?”

Victoria nodded, feeling dejected. “Yes. She secluded herself in her room again. I feel so helpless. I’m supposed to be the leader, but I can’t even get her to talk about her problems.”

“Amber, have you tried talking to Krystal? Maybe if you’re the one talking, she’ll open up,” Luna suggested. “The way she’s keeping her problems to herself isn’t good for her. It’s making us worried even more.”

The Taiwanese tomboy nodded firmly and completely agreed with the rest of her members. Before now, Amber never felt compelled to talk to Krystal about what’s bothering her friend, firmly believing she needed some space first before confronting her. Now was the time for Amber to intervene and force the maknae to open up. “ Don’t worry guys! I got this! Soojungie is going to talk to me, whether she wants to or not!”

“Thank you, Amber,” Victoria flashed a soft smile, relaxing somewhat. “Don’t be too hard with her though.” Amber nodded and gave a peace sign to Victoria and Luna before making her way to Krystal’s room.

Standing right in front of the door, Amber knocked in a string of fast and soft knocks, calling for Krystal using aegyo that could rival Sunny from Girls’ Generation. “Soojungieeee! Soojungieeee! Open up! Open up!” No response. Puffing her cheeks out, Amber changed her tactic and decided to take the comically dramatic approach. “K-Krystal… Help… I’m dying..! The only way to save me is if you open this—“

“Go away.” The weak voice sounded from the other side.

That made Amber stop what she was doing and turned serious instantly. Everyone knew when Amber wasn’t joking around anymore, she meant business. “Krystal. We need to talk. I’m coming in.” To her surprise, the door was never locked and Amber pushed herself into Krystal’s room. She found Krystal sitting on her bed, knees brought to her chest and her ebony locks covering her face. Amber felt her heart cracked whenever she saw Krystal like this, and quietly made her way to the bed and sat next to the younger. “Krystal…” The only response to her words was the sound of sniffling. Amber rubbed the nape of her neck before placing a hand on Krystal’s shoulder. “Hey… Talk to me. You know you can tell me anything. Moping in your room and crying isn’t going to solve your problems. If it did, I’m pretty sure more people would be doing just that.”

To Amber’s delight, Krystal slowly lifted her head and pushed back her hair to reveal her tear-stained face before her hands to wipe away the tears that were about to fall. “I don’t know what to do, Amber…”

“That’s why you gotta tell us what’s up,” Amber insisted. “Victoria unnie and Luna are outside worrying about you, and they want to help you too, but you’re not letting them. You should know that if you can’t do something on your own, you have us.” Amber smiled gently and reached over to ruffle Krystal’s hair a little. “Now. Tell Amber unnie what’s wrong!”

Krystal couldn’t help but laugh softly when Amber referred to herself as unnie, since the two felt comfortable enough with each other, they didn’t need to use honorifics. After calming down, Krystal fixed and patted down her hair and sat parallel to Amber. She began to explain how Sooyoung’s strange and cold behavior has been hurting her throughout the span of several months, although the younger Jung didn’t explain her feelings completely, just enough for her friend to understand. The more she talked about it out loud, the more she had to hod the tears back that were welling inside .

Amber exhaled loudly through her nose and leaned back on her palms while she allowed the explanation to sink in. The tomboy wasn’t expecting such a complicated situation, much less between Krystal and Sooyoung. She had her suspicions why there was a rift in their friendship, but right now, the younger Jung needed advice and Amber figured the problem had to be solved between Krystal and Sooyoung. Flashing a comforting smile, Amber gave Krystal a one-armed hug, holding her tight. “Listen, Krystal. I think it’s time for you to confront Sooyoung unnie. Considering this has been going on for months now with no change between the two of you, it looks like it’s going to have to be you to make that change. If Sooyoung unnie won’t talk to you, then you make her talk to you.” Amber noticed the way Krystal’s face scrunched in thought, as if the idea sounded like a bad idea. With a soft voice, the tomboy whispered. “Do you really want things to continue as they are?”

Krystal quickly shook her head and wiped away the tears that were starting to form in her eyes. “No…”

With a small chuckle, Amber carefully wrapped an arm around the younger girl’s head and brought it close to rest on her shoulder, petting Krystal’s hair. “Then you know what to do now. All you need to do is take that first step and do it.”

The younger Jung nodded and gave her friend a tight hug, feeling a heavy weight lift from her body and felt lighter than before.  “Thank you, Amber,” she whispered.

“No problem, Soojungie,” Amber replied, smiling brightly

It had been hours since Amber convinced her on what she had to do and left her room so Krystal could think about it. She knew she should be sleeping, but how could she when she was suddenly filled with determination to fix her relationship with Sooyoung? Exhaling a long sigh, Krystal shifted onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, a favorite memory of hers flooding into her mind. Soon enough, her eyes shutting on their own and she allowed herself to be immersed in the memory before falling asleep peacefully.

With their comeback approaching in a few months, Krystal knew she had to get herself in shape. She had been slacking lately due to a variety of reasons, most of which consisted of eating lots of delicious food despite what her manager had been telling her to do. She had been working out whenever she could, sleeping late due to schedules and waking up early to get a head start on exercising. One of her favorite routines was an intense aerobic dance workout because it was more fun dancing to her favorite music while burning the calories.

Krystal reserved one of the practice rooms in the SM building to work out. She always stretched before she began, then started slowly to get her heart pumping and to get her body prepared. She kept the slow pace until the first song ended, her playlist centered around her regiment, and then once the second song started, the tempo picked up and her movements sped up to match the beat.  The music soon dictated her workout and she soon lost herself in the music, her body moving on its own, doing the usual moves.

However, something was different. Krystal was trying to focus on keeping her movements in time, but she was half a beat off. Her vision gradually became blurry the more she pushed herself, and she struggled to maintain her balance during the routine. When the darkness enveloped her vision, Krystal cursed herself for letting herself get to this point and out.

Krystal wasn’t sure how long she was out for but when she finally opened her eyes, she met the worried brown eyes of Choi Sooyoung. The older woman was fanning her with a Japanese folding fan, wearing a concerned expression on her face that soon brightened with relief when she noticed the younger awakened. “Thank God you’re awake! How are you feeling?”

All the younger Jung could manage was a groan at first, but the cool air being blown by the other helped regain her senses. It took her several moments to realize that her head was on Sooyoung’s lap and Krystal desperately hoped her cheeks weren’t red. “I-I am… I’m okay. What happened to me?”

“You passed out, most likely from exercising too hard. I was looking for Hyoyeon and Yuri because they told me they were working on a routine for our next concert so I was looking through all the practice rooms to find them, and good thing I did or else I wouldn’t have found you. Here, you should drink. You probably weren’t keeping yourself hydrated.” Sooyoung gently pushed Krystal upright and handed her a bottle of water with a smile. Krystal took the bottle and twisted the cap off before drinking the water, soon realizing just how thirsty she was, practically chugging the water. She noticed the way Sooyoung was looking at her and felt the blush returning to her cheeks, even more so when the older woman tucked some of her hair behind her ear with a smile.

After finishing the bottle of water, Krystal placed the cap back on and gave Sooyoung the empty plastic. “Thank you…”

“Really, Krystal. You need to take better care of yourself,” Sooyoung scolded lightly as she placed the plastic in her tote bag. “What would have happened if I didn’t find you? Everyone would have been so worried about you, especially Jessica.”

Krystal hung her head in shame, feeling embarrassed her sunbae and her unnie had to reprimand her for her actions. “I’m sorry… I was too determined to be prepared for our comeback.”

Sooyoung gazed softly at the younger woman and wrapped an arm around Krystal’s shoulder, pulling the other beside her in a one-arm hug. “Your work ethic and determination is really admirable, Krystal, it really is, but you shouldn’t your healthy at risk. Not only would you make your members and Jessica worry, you’ll also make the fans worry too. You already have a history of passing out on stage, you know.”

As Sooyoung spoke, Krystal slowly rested her head on her unnie’s shoulder. She found comfort listening to Sooyoung’s voice despite the fact she was receiving a lecture. Despite how close her sister and Sooyoung were, Krystal couldn’t really say the same thing between her and the woman beside her. Due to conflicting schedules and the occasional missed opportunities, Krystal wasn’t able to bond with Sooyoung. There were times she was jealous of Amber for being able to speak to the older woman so effortlessly, as if they’ve been friends for years. But this time, as well as a few other rare moments, it was just her and Sooyoung, and it was these moments she really wanted to cherish.

Looking down at her side, Sooyoung noticed Krystal’s eyes closed and how her body relaxed against hers. “Krystal?” Sooyoung whispered softly.

“Hm?” the younger Jung replied just as soft.

“Are you still feeling tired?”

“A little… Can I stay here like this for a little longer?”

Although the younger Jung couldn’t see, Sooyoung smiled and pushed some stray hairs away from Krystal’s face.

“Take as long as you need.”

The next day, after doing her usual morning routine, Krystal called Im Yoona of Girls’ Generation. Yoona was one of the Girls’ Generation members she was rather close to because of Jessica, and figured her sunbae was the best person to ask for Sooyoung’s schedules for that day. She considered calling to ask for Sooyoung’s number, but she feared the older woman would instantly hang up on her if she tried to ask to meet up through the phone.

“The only thing I know Sooyoung unnie is going to do today is to visit her unnie while her unnie is at work. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful than that,” Yoona said over the phone, an apologetic tone dripping from her voice.

“It’s okay, Unnie. I’m still thankful for your help anyway,” Krystal replied with a soft voice trying to mask her disappointment.

“I know what I can do! I can you the address to Sooyoung unnie’s apartment. If you want to see her, it’s probably best to find her at her apartment. I don’t know when she’ll be home, but it’s better than nothing right?”

Krystal’s expression brighten and broke into a wide smile. “That’s perfect. Thank you so much, Yoona unnie. You’ve been a big help.”

“You’re welcome.” There was a brief pause before Yoona spoke again in a softer tone. “I hope you and Sooyoung unnie will be able to make up.”

“Thank you… I hope so too.”

Krystal wrote down Sooyoung’s address on a notepad as Yoona recited the location several times for her, thanking her sunbae before hanging up the call. She was already dressed for the day and simply put on some sunglasses and her purse before walking out the door, making sure to say her goodbyes to her members who were in the living room. After heading over to the streets, she went over to a taxi cab and entered the vehicle before giving the driver the address to take her to Sooyoung’s apartment. Krystal made no effort to hide her face, but she was thankful the driver didn’t seem to concern with her or wasn’t aware of her status in the idol industry.

The drive to the apartment was going smoothly with the exception of some traffic. Krystal connected her earphones to her phone and listened to music to pass the time. The songs that played were on shuffle, but when Girls’ Generation’s How Great Is Your Love began to play, finding the timing too perfect as the lyrics were written by Sooyoung herself.

When I hear the sound of spring coming, I walk on the path with the bloomed flowers
When the rainy summer comes, I walk as I see the rainbow
When autumn passes and winter comes, with the warmth from our hands
We walk together – how great is your love

Krystal closed her eyes while she listened to the lyrics and hoped after the storm between her and Sooyoung cleared there would be a rainbow waiting for them. She placed the song on repeat until they arrived to her destination, letting the lyrics settle in her mind. Once the taxi pulled over by the apartment complex, Krystal paid for the raid and thanked her driver for his service before getting out of the vehicle. The raven-haired girl took a deep breath and entered the complex then navigated her way the building to find Sooyoung’s residence. Much like her sister, Sooyoung’s room was on the top floor and only took Krystal minutes to find the room number. To her dismay, there was no answer.

“Yoona unnie did say she would be out,” Krystal muttered to herself. “Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.”

Uncertain of what else to do, Krystal pressed her back against the wall by the door and slid down to the floor. She was lucky she had no practice for her comeback and had the day to herself. Krystal waited around for about an hour, listening to music and browsing the internet on her phone, however, as time went on Krystal felt her stomach growling for food. She sighed to herself and decided to grab a quick snack at the Starbucks nearby. She swiftly left the complex and made her way inside the coffee shop to order herself a panini and a small caramel macchiato. Krystal hummed to herself and decided to order a slice of coffee cake for Sooyoung in hopes food wouldn’t get her kicked out or ignored once she’s able to confront the older woman. After getting her drink and warmed up sandwich, she placed the cake into her bag before grabbing her purchases to sit by the window, keeping watch on the building. As she ate and sipped her coffee, there was no sign of Sooyoung and a feeling of discouragement settled inside her. Did she come all this way for nothing? Was all her efforts and determination pointless? Krystal tried not to think about it any further while she finished up her food.

Krystal tossed her trash away and stepped outside, only to be hit with numerous raindrops. “What the—“ Raindrops landed on her face as she looked up and caused her to flinch, soon realizing the rainfall was getting heavier. “Aaaah, you got to me kidding me!” She bolted back to the complex and made it inside but not without getting wet head to toe. Her outfit wasn’t made for rain and the rain soaked through the thin fabric of her clothes. Krystal hugged herself tightly and shivered to the elevator back to Sooyoung’s room. The younger Jung sat back down to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her face into them. Suddenly, she could feel tears welling inside and the desire to cry escalating. What was she doing here? Was any of this worth it? Was Sooyoung worth it? Was she dumb for wanting to reconcile with someone she isn’t even close to?

“Krystal?!”

At the sound of her name, Krystal lifted her head with eyes brimmed with tears, soon widening in response when Choi Sooyoung was standing before her. The slender woman was dressed in casual clothing, clutching an umbrella that was drenched from the pouring rain outside. Sooyoung looked just as surprised as Krystal and bent down to place her hands on the younger girl’s shoulders. “Oh my God. You’re wet. You’re going to catch a cold if you stay in those clothes. Come on.” Krystal couldn’t even protest as Sooyoung grabbed her wrist and tugged her back on her feet before unlocking the door to her apartment.

Krystal followed right behind Sooyoung and closed the door behind them, the automatic lock clicking loudly. Sooyoung let go of her wrist and went into a room without a word, giving Krystal a moment to take in her surroundings. Besides a few sweaters tossed on some chairs at the couch, the apartment was relatively clean and tidy. Krystal removed her shoes and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, uncertain of what to do.

Luckily for her, Sooyoung turns holding a large white towel and carefully placed it over Krystal’s head then ruffled the younger Jung’s hair a little. “You can use this towel for your hair. I’ll see if I can find some clothes for you to change in.”

Krystal scrunched her nose while her eyes peeked out from under the towel, locking eyes with the older woman in front of her. “Okay.” It was that moment Krystal realized how close the other woman’s face was closed to hers and she could feel her cheeks beginning to warm up. It appeared that Sooyoung noticed too and pulled back while clearing her thought, turning her back to the younger Jung.

“I’ll be back… Please make yourself at home.” With that said, Sooyoung walked into a room and closed the door behind her, the sound of drawers opening and the sound of rustling could be heard on the other side of the door.

Still dazed from the eye contact, Krystal staggered her way to the couch and plopped onto the cushion, leaning forward and ruffling her hair with the towel to dry off. Her heart was gradually beating faster as she knew it was only a matter of time before she could confront Sooyoung. It was already a good sign Sooyoung didn’t push her away and was actually grateful for the sudden rain to pour on her to earn pity from the other woman. But now she had to decide when she had to confront Sooyoung. It would come up one way or another since Sooyoung would eventually ask her why she was sitting outside her apartment wet from the rain, but Krystal wanted to make sure she was the one to initiate the conversation.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Sooyoung stepped out of the room with a shirt and pajama pants neatly folded into a pile on top of her hands. She came over to Krystal and handed them to her. “Here. You can go change in the bathroom.” Krystal noted how Sooyoung was avoiding eye contact with her.

Krystal stood up to take the clothes and while Sooyoung turned her back to her to walk to the kitchen of her apartment, the younger Jung set aside the clothes on the couch, letting the towel on her head to settle around her neck on her shoulders before calling out to the older woman. “I know you must be wondering why I’m here…”

Sooyoung stopped to turn around, facing Krystal and finally looking her in the eyes, and when Krystal saw how the way looked at her change, she suddenly wanted to cry, her eyes beginning to brim once more with tears.

“Why… Why do you have to look at me like that?” Krystal whispered harshly but still loud enough for Sooyoung to hear.

At the question, Sooyoung flinched, her voice wavering when she realized what Krystal’s intentions were. “I’m not—“

“Please don’t lie to me, Unnie… For the past several months, you’ve been doing this to me.” Krystal sniffled and took a step forward. “Every time you saw me, you gave me that look and pass by me without saying a single word, and every time you do that, my heart tightened and I felt like I did something wrong when I knew I didn’t.”

Sooyoung bit down on her lower lip and rubbed her arm uncomfortably. The Girls’ Generation member couldn’t deny anything Krystal was saying… because it was true, and Sooyoung knew that.

Krystal continued, a couple of tears rolling down her cheeks. “For the longest time, I didn’t know what to do. I wallowed in my sadness because I was already upset at the fact my sister was no longer in Girls’ Generation and Sulli leaving f(x), and with you acting so coldly to me, it just made it worse. I always admired you and wished for us to be close because Jessica unnie always talked fondly about you and how you are an amazing and kind person who she found dear to her, and I wanted to be close to you because of what Jessica unnie has said about you, but I was too shy to approach you most of the time…

The more she listened, the more pain Sooyoung felt in her heart. She could feel Krystal’s genuine feelings and admiration for her and the fact tears were now consistently streaming down Krystal’s face only made the pain worse. But she knew she had no right to cry, not after putting Krystal through all this torment. All she could do was listen and hold back her own tears.

To Sooyoung’s surprise, Krystal smiled a bit as she wiped her eyes. “But I was thankful for the few moments we shared together despite how brief they were. I felt what a kind person you and saw what Jessica unnie saw in you. You’re a beautiful person inside and out, and I felt more hopeful we could become closer.” The smile faded almost instantly as Krystal began sniffling again. “The thought eventually disappeared from my mind as you started acting coldly to me once Jessica unnie left. I hated that cold look you gave me, how you always seemed like you were in pain every time you looked at me, and it just made it hurt even more. Then realization dawned on me… You saw Jessica in me. Every time you looked at me, you saw Jessica. Well, guess what, Unnie? I’M NOT MY SISTER. I’M KRYSTAL!”

At this point, Krystal had already made her way to Sooyoung with her arms wrapped around the taller woman, sobbing loudly into Sooyoung’s chest. All the older woman could do was loop her own arms around the younger Jung and hold her gently, placing a hand on the back of Krystal’s head while Krystal continued to speak through her sobs. “I just… I just wanted you to look at me and see me, not my sister…”

Krystal continued to cry in Sooyoung’s arms and couldn’t speak anymore, closing her eyes shut while the tears fell onto Sooyoung’s shirt. The older woman simply Krystal’s hair in a lame attempt to calm the younger woman while trying to collect her thoughts. When it seemed like Krystal’s sobbing had eased somewhat, Sooyoung spoke quietly to convey her thoughts.

“All the things you’ve just told me, you were right, Krystal,” Sooyoung admitted, not a hint of waver in her tone. “After what happened with Jessica, I fell into state of depression. I wasn’t allowed to see Jessica or even talk to her through SMS because the media was all over the place looking for a story and twist the situation and feared my phone would be hacked somehow and any messages exchanged would be released to the public. It was so hard because I’ve been with Jessica half of my life and she still means so much to me, and yet because of our current positions, I can’t even ask how she’s doing. And seeing you whenever I went to the company building… it only made the reality hit me that much harder. It was wrong to see Jessica in you, and I knew it was, but looking at you made me wish Jessica was still with us and I could see her in you. You two are really sisters.”

Sooyoung could feel that Krystal had stopped crying, switching roles and being the one listening, waiting for her to continue. “I kept running because I was ashamed, and I feel even more ashamed now because I had to make you go through all this pain to the point you had to personally confront me about how you felt when I should have been the one stopping this from escalating. I’m the unnie… I should have been more mature about this, but instead I was blinded by my own sadness that I wasn’t aware of what my actions were doing to people. I’m really, really sorry for hurting you, Krystal… I hope you can forgive me.”

Krystal said nothing, but simply held onto Sooyoung tighter and nodded her head.

After changing out of her wet clothes and into the spare garments Sooyoung provided, Krystal spent the next few hours at the older woman’s apartment. With the tension now lifted, they began chatting away nonstop at the table, only stopping to eat the ramyun Sooyoung made for the both of them or drink some water. Krystal smiled the entire time as she finally could admit she was happy. Sooyoung looked at her with such warm and caring eyes after months of the silent treatment. They smiled at each other, laughed together, and updated the other on their lives. Sooyoung smile softened when Krystal updated her on Jessica’s wellbeing, something the taller woman was thankful for.

Eventually, Krystal pushed back in her seat and stood up after looking at the clock hanging on the wall. “Thank you for everything today. I’m glad we’re on talking terms again. I think it’s time for me to head back to the dorm now.”

“That was all thanks to you. You’re the one who made me realize what I was doing was wrong, and I have you to thank for that,” Sooyoung smiled, standing up along with Krystal and leading her to the door. “Do you have your clothes?”

“Yes, I do. I have it in this bag. I’ll be sure to return your clothes as soon as possible,” said Krystal with a smile of her own.

“Take your time. It might be difficult since I’ll be busy with Lion Heart and You Think promotions, and I know you’re group is preparing a comeback as well.”

“We are, but I don’t want to wait too long. Otherwise, I’ll forget,” Krystal chuckled and slipped back on her shoes. Just as she was about to open the door, she dug into her purse and handed Sooyoung the coffee cake she bought earlier. “I forgot to give you this earlier, but it’s a slice of coffee cake from Starbucks. I know you love food.”

Sooyoung took the small bag, her smile only widening at the thoughtfulness of the younger Jung. “I do. Thank you for this.”

Krystal nodded and opened the door, giving Sooyoung one last smile. “Bye, Unnie. Good luck with your comeback.”

“Thank you. Good luck in your preparation and remember to take care of yourself.” Sooyoung waved goodbye before closing the door. She curious opened the Starbucks bag to get a whiff of the cake when she saw a single napkin inside. On the napkin was a note in pen with a single heart at the end of the sentence.

Let’s become closer, Sooyoung unnie ^^ <3

A week after Girls’ Generation’s comeback, Sooyoung and Tiffany were chatting backstage for MCountdown. They already finished dressing into their outfits and their makeup and were waiting on the others. While they were talking about their excitement to get on stage, Sooyoung heard her name being called and turned to find Krystal coming towards them holding a bag.

“Unnie! I finally have the clothes you let me borrowed all washed,” Krystal beamed, handing the bag over.

“Hey, Krystal! Nice to see you here! I hope you’re here to support us and not just to give me back my clothes, though I am grateful,” Sooyoung laughed, letting the bag dangle from her forearm.

“Of course! What kind of hoobae do you think I am?” Krystal playfully scoffed before smiling brightly. “I’ll even scream extra loud just for you, Sooyoung unnie.

Sooyoung grinned from ear to ear and gave Krystal a one-arm hug. “Don’t tell Amber this, but now you’re my favorite in f(x).”

While Sooyoung and Krystal were talking, Tiffany was off to the side taking a picture of the two of them before sending the photo to a certain Jung with a big smile.

[Message sent to: Jessie]

Looks like everything is okay now~ (^^)v

In another part of Seoul, Jessica picked up her phone after hearing it chime to let her know she received a new message. Jessica smiled fondly at the photo, staring at it for a long time before holding her phone close to her chest.

~~~

A/N: After SOOOOO many months, I have finally finished this lengthy one-shot and I'm VERY sorry it took me so long to do so. I'm in a very important time in my college life, and I have to put my studies before my desire to write fanfics now ): BUT I'll continue writing because I know there are some of you who want me to continue writing. I am forever grateful to you, my lovely readers.

I do have another story in the works that I just have to write because the inspiration for it is so strong. However, for readers looking for an update to The Roommate, I am sorry to say it is now on an indefinite hiatus. I am not sure if I'll ever go back to the story or if I may drop it completely, but I have lost the inspiration to continue it at this time. 

Still, I hope you all will anticipate my future story and future one-shots that I will eventually post. It's summer for me so hopefully that means more time to write. I hope you guys enjoyed this story and until next time!

-Writer Wooper