CHAPTER 13
Young & FreeIt’s another quiet, rainy Saturday in Seoul where Krystal finds herself in front of Hwang Estate’s foyer.
She has been to this house a total of three times and you would think by now she would be used to it. Yet she finds herself still in awe, her eyes wandering at the modern fixtures, the grand ceiling, regal chandelier, and the timeless paintings in the hallways whenever she visits.
It was late Saturday afternoon. They decided to work on their project at this time, which was atypical of their meetings. Amber is a morning person. Krystal has taken note of that fact.
And Amber didn’t show up at the after-party. You bet Krystal has also taken note of that fact.
Krystal timidly knocks on the door that leads into Amber’s study.
“Come in,” she hears faintly through the door.
She walks in finding Amber in the corner of the room holding two cups of coffee from the counter walking towards her.
“Coffee?” Amber holds up the cup for her.
Krystal nods her head as she follows Amber to the couch and the tea table where books and a laptop are laying out.
A short “good afternoon” and a trite small talk of how their day was spent so far ensued. A minute later, it’s straight to business. Although Krystal is curious of a list of things, she knows to leave the questions in the backburner for now.
They discuss their project, a fundraiser event they are planning for the orphanage. They rally their ideas back and forth and their conversation flow seamlessly through time. Krystal isn’t sure if it’s because Amber is just in a really good mood but Amber seems to listen well today and agree with her opinions much quicker than she normally would. Amber is usually much more stubborn than that. She’s quick to challenge Krystal even if it’s to be a smart . But not today.
Amber seems…happy.
Krystal carefully observes Amber, stealing glances every now and then. Krystal sees the lightness in Amber’s mood in the way she would fiercely concentrate at her work while subtly nodding to a beat of a song that only Amber could hear in her head. She sees the elusive smile hidden underneath the neutrality of her expression and Krystal knows how to connect the dots.
There is probably only one reason for that smile.
Perhaps maybe now would be the time to ask.
“Hey…so last night…I thought you were going to Kai’s? Where were you?”
Amber looks up at Krystal, rubbing her chin, while answering in an ordinary cadence, “Yeah about last night…Sorry I couldn’t be there. Kai and Joohyuk filled me in about it. I heard you guys had fun.”
“Yeah it was fun…I kind of wished you were there. I kind of missed you.”
Krystal didn’t mean to say those things outright. It just naturally came out.
Even Amber is taken by surprise, her heart momentarily fluttering.
Krystal scrambles for recovery, “I-I m-mean. W-We missed you. A-All of us looked forward to seeing you…y-you k-know…because you were the game hero of the night after all.”
Amber regains her composure as well. “Ah…actually Joohyuk was more of the hero last night.”
“Well you were pretty incredible.”
Damn it. Krystal mentally punches herself in the face for the slip up.
A proud, yet subtle, smile crept in the corner of Amber’s lips. For the first time, Amber is noticing something different about Krystal. She’s noticing a certain kind of nervousness that she’s never seen her give off.
Krystal tries to backpedal again, “T-The t-team…was pretty incredible.”
Amber leans a smidge forward and directs her stare at Krystal.
“You’re finally impressed,” Amber baits.
Krystal presses down on her nerves and catches on to the playfulness of Amber’s tone.
“Just slightly.”
“I don’t know. Incredible implies more than a slight kind of admiration.”
“And admiration is not the same thing as getting impressed, especially the slight kind, so don’t get it twisted.”
“Yet you said that I—I quote—was incredible last night.”
Krystal rolls her eyes, “I said the team.”
“I’m pretty sure you said ‘you’ first.” Amber wears a proud smug.
“Fine. I rescind. You win. You were incredible and I was very impressed.” This time, as soon as those words came out, Krystal didn’t feel the tug of regret.
A second later, “I’ve always been impressed.” Krystal shoots for the void, her stare teetering the fine line of light and serious.
The flutter in Amber’s heart is back and this time it lingers and itches at Amber for more than a fleeting second. And it wasn’t just Amber. It was as though the air in the room is suddenly out of oxygen, and the certain nervousness that emanated from Krystal for a brief moment earlier is now radiating in the room.
Suddenly, four quick knocks on the opened door of the study shatters the silence, bringing the two back to reality.
Without permission, the person at the door enters.
Amber’s attention immediately shifts.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
The two stand up immediately. Krystal stands up in good manner. Amber stands up to meet the person with a hug. It’s Tiffany after all.
“I thought you left?”
“Well the weather isn’t very accommodating right now so I decided to reschedule with my friend.”
Tiffany shifts her attention to the other person in the room and with a big smile she approaches Krystal.
“Krystal Jung Soojung,” Tiffany says with delight in her voice. “The Jung genes were definitely not spared on you.” She extends her arms for a hug to which Krystal responds amicably.
“You were just a shy little girl the last time I saw you. Now look at you. You have absolutely grown to be a stunning young lady.” Tiffany showered her with praise.
Krystal blushes as she bows her head. “Thank you unnie.”
Tiffany affectionately pats Krystal’s head as she turns to Amber, “I bet the boys in JL Academy are happy.”
Krystal watches for Amber’s response. Amber simply nods without saying a word.
Tiffany turns her attention back to Krystal once again. “How are you finding JL Academy?”
“It’s a bit intense at times but I’m surviving, unnie,” Krystal answers politely.
“I hear you’re more than surviving. You’re in the top ten of you class. That’s pretty remarkable.”
“All thanks to the help friends who caught me right up to speed.”
“That’s good to hear, Soojung.” Tiffany squeezes her arms tight around Krystal’s shoulder. “I hope this kid is not a pain in the ,” Tiffany points a finger at Amber, “how is she as a partner?”
The corner of her lip curls upward as she answers, “She was a pain at first…but we managed to work through our differences.”
Looking at Amber, Tiffany’s eyes widens in surprise, “Really now?”
“What are you trying to say?” Amber jabs back.
Tiffany reaches her free hand to pinch Amber’s cheek, an endearing action that seems to galvanize that itch.
“Oh come on Amber. You don’t necessarily have a nice reputation. You’re pretty arrogant and that was something I could never help you fix about you,” the lightness of Tiffany’s tone suggests her sarcasm.
Amber rolls her eyes. “Well guess what?”
Both Krystal and Tiffany waited for Amber with provoking grins.
“You guys are not very nice people either—ganging up on me, using my weakness as fuel to your bullying.” Amber looks at Krystal. “I’m slightly disappointed Krystal. You’re my partner. You should be backing me up instead of teaming up with her.”
Krystal and Tiffany giggle victoriously while Amber sulks at the presence of two girls she can’t seem to edge.
Tiffany lets go of Krystal and scoots towards Amber, caressing her cheeks, with a huge smile that is painted clearly on her face. “Oh cheer up. You know we were just teasing.”
Krystal swallows and feels drying simultaneously. She knew the two are close. But she didn’t know they were that close. And the closeness did nothing more than unsettle her.
“Anyways, I’m going to leave you two to your work. I’m feeling a little jetlagged so I’ll head up to my room and rest,” Tiffany says with her arm around Amber.
“It’s good to see you Soojung. Again just let me know if this one gives you trouble,” Tiffany adds, squeezing Amber’s cheek once more then following it with an innocent peck that enamors Amber and intensifies the envy underneath the translucence of Krystal’s smile.
After Tiffany leaves the room, the atmosphere slightly stiffens while questions with mixed emotions in Krystal’s mind continues to stir.
Why am I feeling like this?
Why do I feel jealous?
What is it about Amber that keeps making me feel this way?
“Let’s continue?” Amber motions to their work.
“Yeah.”
They continue to work in silence with minimal conversation kept less casual and more professional. There is a slight tension in the air but the kind of tension the two would rather avoid than confront. Instead, they proceed to keep things leveled and normal minus the itch that was plaguing them both.
While Krystal suppresses her questions, Amber chooses to ignore the urgency to look…to linger.
The storm continues to grow stronger. The heavy rains drummed against the windowpane and the hounding wind sways the tall branches like a puppeteer. A fierce thunder cracks, frightening Krystal from her deep thoughts.
Krystal’s jaw clenches, squeezes her eyes shut, and stiffens in her seat as another loud thunder shatters through the sky.
Amber’s attention goes to Krystal. “Are you okay?”
Krystal mumbles in fret, “Y-Yeah…I’m fine.”
She lets out a tiny squeal as two consecutive thunders resounds in a rumble.
Amber notices Krystal’s unease and no second later does she reach out for Krystal’s hand without thinking.
She squeezes as Krystal remains stiff.
“Hey…you okay?” Amber whispers.
Krystal grips Amber’s hand unknowingly as she bridles the anxiety she is experiencing from the thunders.
When she was five years old, her family vacationed in Italy over the summer. They unfortunately encountered the worst thunderstorm that Verona ever had in history during the time where they were touring through the country. The thunderstorms were so chilling and so violent that the hotel that they stayed at, as well anything that was within a fifty-mile radius, experienced a blackout. Poor little Krystal Jung, always a bright and brave little girl, never felt that scared in her life that she cried through most of it with both her parents having to embrace her to calm her anxiety. Ever since then, she has never liked the thunders or the storm or the rain. Needless to say, California was a perfect fit for her.
Krystal’s eyes are sealed shut and her lips are pressed tight. Amber can feel the unsettling angst that is surging through Krystal with every strike of the thunder. She almost feels…sorry.
Amber leans forward, her face merely inches from Krystal’s.
Krystal hasn’t let go of her hand and she has yet to open her eyes.
Amber mimics the same familiar words, “Hey…you’re okay…you’re okay…open your eyes…I promise you’ll be okay…”
Hesitant at first but Krystal reluctantly opens her eyes. She is immediately struck speechless as she finds Amber’s at eyelevel, less than a foot from hers.
Amber smiles. It isn’t the forced smile that she would normally wear that Krystal is familiar with. It was a soft smile that delivered on the promise that yes, all will be okay…because you’re here.
Krystal’s emotions spiral in order: from anxious to shock, from shock to calm, from calm to…confusion.
“See…I told you you’re gonna be okay.” The soft smile stays.
Krystal’s heart flurries into every corner of her soul.
Am I okay?
Amber doesn’t break her stare either while Krystal’s thoughts escalates.
I don’t think I’m okay.
I think I’m falling for you.
The thundering in her chest has successfully silenced the storm out of the window even as it continued to roar. The anxiety from her childhood phobia is displaced by the flutters she’s experiencing in her chest. She forgets why she was afraid of the thunders in the first place as she fears for something greater…falling in love with you…
Seeing Krystal calm down, Amber lets out a soft chuckle before scooting back, Krystal’s grip still firm on her hand.
Amber tilts her head downward at her hand to which Krystal follows. She immediately snaps out of her thundering thoughts and lets go.
“I’m sorry,” Krystal mutters.
“You don’t need to be sorry.”
Krystal senses her cheeks heating up so she keeps her head down. “I-I don’t really like thunderstorms.”
“Yeah, I think I got that,” Amber tries to keep it light.
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying sorry.” Amber unprecedentedly leans forward once again meeting Krystal’s drooped head.
It shocks Krystal causing her to pull backwards to avoid Amber’s stares.
“I-I’m sorry…I-It’s just that—”
“I know. We all have something we’re afraid of and that’s nothing to be sorry about.”
Krystal quells her emotions, taking a deep breath so that she can meet Amber in the eyes. As she does, she finds the same softness to her expression and it only affirms the fear in her heart…that she’s fallen and she just realized it.
But perhaps that fear is only the tip of the iceberg.
Amber opens up to Krystal, “When I was younger I would have episodes all the time. It’s usually after a bad nightmare that triggers a memory leaving me almost helpless to deal with my extreme anxiety…”
Perhaps this is Krystal’s greater fear…
“So…Tiffany would do the same trick for me. She would hold my hand, promise me it was going to be okay, and then she would hold my face close to hers, and simply just smile at me. And somehow…it made everything better. And she was right…everything was okay because she was right there.”
…I’m falling for someone who has already fallen for someone else.
Tiffany forces herself to push through the jetlag, to acclimate her sleep pattern back to normal. She hops out of her comfortable bed and decides to visit the kitchen to get a snack instead.
On her way to the kitchen she passes by the study. She left the door open earlier and she decides to take a peek at the two students. She’s curious to see how she’s working with Krystal.
She finds Amber leaning forward in front of Krystal, while Krystal held onto Amber’s hand. Tiffany immediately feels a slight prick in her chest.
It is almost like déjà vu. She has always imagined the time in her future where someone else would finally take her place in Amber’s life. She just didn’t expect it to come this soon.
She ponders as she watches the most precious person in her life. There are a lot of questions she that filled her thoughts prior to coming back, questions that addresses her feelings. For a moment she feels like blaming herself for being a step too late. But that moment lasts for a fleeting second as she comes to a more profound realization…that maybe this…her…Krystal...might be the answer that she has been waiting for…the answer that they’ve both been waiting for.
Regret is sure an aftertaste. But the way Amber is able to show the kind of care that is glittered by this secret, yet potent affection—the kind that has always been exclusively reserved for her—for someone else…maybe this is what she needed to see to put a closure to questions that were never meant to be asked.
Tiffany looks away in regret and relief at the same time. She smiles upon this revelation…
Soon she won’t need me anymore.
Tiffany pulls out her phone and presses on the screen.
From: [email protected]
Subject: BCG Internship
Hello Dr. Walter,
I was wondering if the offer for the internship position is still open. I’d like to reconsider my decision.
I hope this message finds you warmly.
Best,
Tiffany H.
The dining hall chatter is louder than usual. The topic of interest is none other than the Seoul Winter Gala that is coming up in a few weeks.
It’s not a JL Academy event, however, one can pretty much categorize it as that. The Seoul Winter Gala invitation is only extended to the highest elites of society, which happens to be represented by many of the teenagers that attend the academy. It is the notable event that kicks off the winter vacation for these young elites and it is treated by many of the students as their winter formal.
“Who are you taking to the gala this year, Joohyuk?” Irene pokes the friend next to her.
“Mmm…I haven’t thought about it. I’ll most likely be going with my family so I’ll just have my sister as a date.”
“Yah,” Kai taps the crown of his head, “It’s our senior year. Can you take a real date this time?”
Chuckling at her friends, Irene pointed out, “In fact…I don’t think your sister is going to want you as a date this year.”
“Why? What makes you think that?”
“Look,” Irene points across the dining hall towards Jooyeon who was sitting with a boy and other group of friends. Clearly the boy and Jooyeon were all smiles and giggles exposing the kind of “closeness” that could be mistaken for flirting. “I believe that kid’s name is Mark Lee. I hear he’s an athlete too and a pretty good one for a freshman.”
Joohyuk stands up from his seat immediately.
“Yah Nam Jooyeon!” Joohyuk yells across the dining hall, grabbing the attention of the entire student population. “Get away from that boy!”
Kai shoves a piece of bread in his friend’s mouth, almost choking him, but saving him from the social embarrassment.
Irene poked, “You’re gonna embarrass your sister!”
Meanwhile, Amber munched on her lunch and smiled occasionally at her friends’ antics.
Kai lightly elbows Amber and probes, “Are you and Irene going together this year again?”
Irene’s face turns a quick shade of pink. She reaches across the table and hits the top of Kai’s head.
“Yah! Why are you bringing it up like that?”
Kai retorts, “What? You two have gone together for the past three years. Why wouldn’t that be the case now?”
Like Krystal, envy is an understatement in Irene’s mind these days. With Tiffany back, there is no question whom Amber will be clinging to the entire night. Irene is definitely jealous but what is she going to do? She knows her place very well. And she knows Tiffany is someone she cannot compete with when it comes to Amber’s heart.
Meanwhile, Amber notices the blushing of Irene’s cheeks. She reaches and squeezes Irene hand, gaining her full attention, and kindly tells her, “I’m actually going to be with my family this year…you know…since Tiffany is here.”
Irene puts on her best smile, “Of course. I understand.”
A tinge of awkward invaded the Top Elite table. Joohyuk picks up on it and attempts to salvage the good lunch. “So it’s settled then.”
The three friends look at him.
“Irene…want to go with me?”
Joohyuk is a good friend and he knows his friends best.
Irene, in the same manner, although she’s perfectly aware of Joohyuk’s kind intention, Irene is also a good enough friend to evade any drama between them.
“Yeah! That sounds like a plan Joohyuk.”
The two give each other a friendly high five to cap the awkwardness properly.
Afterwards, still trying to avoid eye contact with Amber, Irene turns her attention this time to Kai. “So what about you Kai? Who will be the lucky girl this time?”
Kai wears a huge grin, pushes his chair back, and stands up. “I think you guys already know.”
Of course they know.
Joohyuk steals a glance at Amber and see her neutral bravado before looking back up at Kai. “Where are you going?”
Kai tosses a quick wink and walks away from their table. He approaches the middle of the room where Krystal and her friends were seated.
Both Irene and Joohyuk watch carefully. Pretty soon as Kai nears his destination, many of the other students have caught wind. They are now staring at the same group of students, waiting at the edge of their seats for something grand to take place.
Kai stands dashingly behind Krystal. Kai clears his throat eliciting the attention of the girl in front of him. Krystal turns her head slowly, unbeknownst to her that the entire dining hall’s attention is affixed in her direction.
“Kai. Uhh…what’s up?”
Kai extends a hand towards her. Krystal stares at it confusingly. She looks up momentarily to find a handsome smile that matched perfectly with that coiffed hair.
Kai clears his throat a second time and finally lets out, “Krystal Jung. Would you give me the great honor and the kind pleasure and go with me to the Seoul Winter Gala? Be my date?”
It’s funny because Krystal and her friends were also just talking about the Seoul Winter Gala and potential date candidates. She kind of already expected Kai to ask her, with all the flirting, the extra text messages she’s been receiving within the last week, and the extra attention he’s showering in front of their other classmates lately.
Kai’s a nice boy and he definitely has his charms but for Krystal…well…
She glances towards the Top Elite table. In the same moment, Amber tips her head ever so slightly towards her. Not much can be said about her expression. This time, Amber’s eyes only lingered for a brief second before looking away.
Krystal isn’t sure why she had to look over in that direction as though to ask for some kind approval. She isn’t sure why the first person that popped into her head with Kai’s question is Amber. Well…she kind of knew why…but…
“Yes.”
“Yes?” Kai sound almost surprise by Krystal’s quick answer.
Krystal flashes Kai a sincere smile, suppresses her true thoughts, controls her real feelings, and affirms her answer.
“Yes Kai. I’ll go with you to the gala.”
From: [email protected]
Subject: RE: BCG Internship
Tiffany,
Glad to hear you’re reconsidering the offer. As of right now, none of the candidates have impressed them the way you have; therefore, the position remains unfilled. I’m sure BCG will be overwhelmed to hear your sudden reconsideration.
I have sent them your portfolio so I’m sure they will contact you soon.
Please do update me on your future plans. I am assuming, since you are now considering the internship, that I will see you after the winter break? I will be looking forward to it.
Best,
David Walter, DBA
Director of School of Business
Harvard University
James Hwang and Amber are both standing, waiting at the bottom of the staircase for two more ladies. Both are dressed in a classic black-tie fitted tuxedo, poised and ready for the winter festivities.
“Are you guys ready?!” Amber’s uncle James belts to no avail towards the second floor bedrooms.
As expected, they are given no answer. Instead, one of the housemaids emerges from the upstairs hallway, “They both wanted me to tell you that they will be ready in fifteen minutes, sir.”
Amber voices, “They said fifteen minutes fifteen minutes ago.”
The housemaid just smiles and bows before returning to where she came from.
“Come on. There’s no use trying to hurry those two,” uncle James pulls on Amber’s shoulder. “Come. I have something to show you.”
Amber obliges obediently and follows her uncle James down one end of the hallway towards her uncle’s study.
They enter and uncle James sits behind his desk while Amber sits across from him. He pulls something from behind the table and it is a small black mini briefcase. The edges look worn and the coarseness of the leather indicates it as antique.
Uncle James opens the briefcase and pulls out a small sleek black casing. He slides it across the table towards Amber. “I have been meaning to give this to you.”
Amber takes the case and opens it. Inside of it is a diamond-encrusted pen, 30 karats to be more exact.
“I was able to recently retrieve this case and that pen from your father’s private Swiss vault. He had so many that this one slipped under the radar just until recently. I was going to give it to you on Christmas—you know, save a couple of bucks this year on Christmas presents,” he joked, “But I figured since it’s your fathers, it’s actually already yours.”
Amber wields the beautiful pen between her fingers as she admires the intricate details, the fine craftsmanship, and the mesmerizing diamonds that covered it.
“It’s the very first of its kind. The Aurora Diamente Fountain Pen. Custom made for your dad himself. In fact, it was a birthday present from your mom.”
Amber looks up to her uncle to find him smiling with a tiny hint of sadness in his eyes.
“That is probably the most expensive pen in the world. Famous aficionados and collectors would always try to make a bid for that pen but…it was priceless to Joseph because it was your mother’s gift to him.” Uncle James moves from behind his desk and took the seat next to Amber instead.
“So take care of that pen. It was very important to your father. Plus,” he leans closer to Amber and grins, “That pen is valued around $4.9 million in the collectors market.”
Amber’s eyes bulge. “You’re kidding. For one pen?”
“Yeah. Ridiculous right?” Uncle James nudges back.
Amber chuckles as she carefully puts the pen back in its casing. As she places the case back to the table she couldn’t help but notice the small briefcase and the other content inside of it. There is photograph in a frame that catches her attention.
“Ah…” Uncle James reaches over and pulls the briefcase closer to both of them. “The rest, of course, are old photos and memorabilia. Old pictures of your mother and him and of us when we were younger.”
Amber takes the pictures and looks through them. It has been a while since she has thought about her late parents. Amber hardly has full recollections of her childhood. She has snippets of it but they were clips of nightmares that she has learned to compartmentalize in her mind a long time ago. As she’s perusing through the pictures there is a slight tinge of fear of those memories getting triggered but at the same time curiosity of her past, her parents, who they were, and what kind of people they were overwhelmed that fear.
She stops at an old picture of her parents and two other couples. She stares closer and realizes who the other two were. She grins and looks up at her uncle.
“Woah, you had hair back then?”
Uncle James chuckles and he glances at the picture. “Believe it or not, I did have a full black set of hair back then.”
He gently takes the photograph and stares at the picture intently. Nostalgic memories fill his thoughts. “We were only in our twenties back then. Your father and your mother just got engaged. That’s your aunt Michelle and I and your uncle Kevin and aunt Jieun. We were the best of friends all throughout our university days. And let me tell you, those were the days…those were the days it all began.”
Amber looks up curiously at her uncle, “What were they like?”
With a gentle smile, he answers, “They were both brilliant. And they both had this charismatic drive to create, innovate, and invent. They worked harder and smarter than anyone else I knew. So I—we—ran with them. We ran as fast as we could with those two and without even realizing it, the small little tech company that we had evolved into this massive empire.”
Uncle James pats Amber’s back approvingly. “And you, my child…you are just like them.”
Amber smiles with a little apprehension. Finding new facts about her parents is only forming new questions in her head.
“There you guys are!”
The two heads perk up towards the door. She is a stunning scene, an elegant white ball dress and hair curled and tied to one side. Amber forgets to breathe for a moment.
“We came downstairs and you guys weren’t there. I thought for a second you left without mom and I,” Tifanny pouted.
“Wow. My daughter is too beautiful,” uncle James says as he swoops her for an embrace.
“Thanks dad,” she pecks her father’s cheek.
Amber walks over to the father-daughter and stretches her elbow out. She smiles gallantly at her princess and adds, “Are you ready?”
Tiffany takes Amber’s arm with delight.
A highly anticipated night paired with the most revered families in all of Korea, such is the Seoul Winter Gala grazed by the gloriously prominent and staunchly pretentious plutocrats of society.
It is the first time for Krystal to attend this gala. She is not surprised to find the excessive display of wealth lavished upon every touch point of the event. The Cristal, the Baccarat, the custom-fitted suits, the haute couture ball gowns, and the endless list of vanity go on.
Kai is her date. He picked her up at her house not too long ago and had the honor to meet her parents, her sister, and Yuri (who is Jessica’s date for the night). Although she arrived along with her family, Kai stuck very close by, making sure to keep it that way for the most part of the evening.
Families arrive respectively. Those with dates arrive as couples arm in arm and the festivities of the night begin with such elevated expectation. The place is glitterati. The atmosphere is subtly intoxicating.
The Hwang family arrives and the attention of the room is pulled to one direction. James and Michelle Hwang enters with their daughters not too far behind. As always, people are reverent in the presence of the wealthiest family of the country.
The night resumes in classic fashion—formal handshakes, conceited side-glances, hollow small talks, and glasses of champagne…lots of it.
Amber is already sick of it.
She inhales long and exhales slowly to soothe her growing discomfort. Tiffany senses it and delicately rubs the younger girl’s arm. Tiffany always knows Amber’s soft spot and Amber is immediately calmed.
Meanwhile, her other friends are with their respective dates and families. Amber has spotted them a while ago but was immediately dragged away before she could say hi. It was the perk of being the highest honored guest of the party, if one can even call it that.
As the night draws on, most of the adults do their things while some the younger attendees troop together. Krystal and Kai eventually find their group of friends and pretty much stay with them for the rest of the night.
Krystal is becoming more known in JL Academy as a chic beauty and with Kai standing next to her, the two make a very powerful visual force. Yet amidst the frenzy and the groveling of others over their unrivalled looks, Krystal’s mind still wanders around the room, stealing glances here and there at the person that captivated her most.
The feelings that she has so recently defined are all but foreign. It has occupied her thoughts too much in the last few weeks. In fact, she really tried. She tried really hard to push the itch—the feelings—away. She even let Kai drive her home one school day. She agreed to meet up for coffee with him. She spent most of her days focused fiercely in her studies but none of it cured her of the feelings she had for her.
“Would you like a drink?” Kai asks.
Gathering herself, she tips her head with a classic smile, “Sure. Thanks.”
Kai and a few guys leave their respective dates to head over to the refreshments. Sulli sees the opportunity and pulls Krystal aside away from the group.
“Okay, spill it. I’ve let you keep things bottled up to yourself for the past weeks without asking any questions. Two weeks is long enough. So spill it or I’ll start asking questions.”
Sulli looks serious with her arms crossed.
Krystal hesitates as she scans her surroundings. She lets out a sigh and mutters, “I’m fine, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
Sulli rolls her eyes, “You might say you’re fine but clearly there’s something on your mind. Plus, I already know you went on a date with Kai and I was gonna be mad at you for not telling me about it but I’m gonna let it slide because I know you haven’t been you lately.”
“What? That—Date?—okay…no. It wasn’t a date. It was just coffee.”
“Yeah. Coffee-Date.”
“No—Sulli. It wasn’t a date.”
“Then what was it?”
“Just coffee.”
“Do you like him?”
“Huh?—What?—it’s coffee.”
“It’s a simple question Krystal. Do you like him or not?”
“I—” for a moment Krystal finds it difficult to answer. She could tell exactly where the conversation is going and the questions that will prompt a set of new ones.
“Krystal, I’m your close friend. I care about you and I’m here to listen,” Sulli softens her tone. “You don’t have to figure everything out on your own, you know? That’s why I’m asking all of these questions.”
Krystal’s expression softens too. “I know. I know. I’m sorry for being distant lately and I’m sorry for not telling you about Kai. And I promise it was just coffee. Not a date.”
Sulli reaches for Krystal’s hand and persists, “But do you like him?”
She can’t seem to push the answer out of her lips as she stares at her feet, “I—I…”
“I know. I know you don’t like Kai. And I know why you don’t like him.”
Krystal looks up at Sulli.
“You don’t like him because you like Amber.”
“How’d you—”
“Like I said…I’m your close friend. And I’m close enough to see the way you look at her.”
Sulli flashes her huge smile, “It’s okay, Krystal. I know how to keep secrets too. It comes with the close-friend feature.”
Krystal finds relief in that. It’s like someone has finally unlocked that room in her heart and she has found the courage to talk about it.
“Sulli…”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t know what to do. I’ve never had these feelings before. Worse…I already know that the person I have feelings for has feelings for someone else. I mean…look,” both girls turn their heads at the Hwang family. “How do I compete with that? She’s perfect inside and out. And I can tell…she has Amber’s heart and she’s had it for a while now.”
Sulli rubs Krystal’s arm, “First of all, you never me as an insecure girl so I don’t understand why I’m sensing that tone from you now. Secondly, let’s be honest. Their relationship is not cut and dry, crystal-clear simple. Their relationship is complicated from the start so I wouldn’t count a battle lost before even entering the battlefield. Lastly, you’re Krystal Jung. Yeah, Tiffany unnie is perfect in her regard but you are too. And to compare yourself to someone else is an insult only to yourself. Like I said, why are you giving up without giving yourself a chance?”
She smiles at Sulli’s kind sincerity. It’s a nice way of putting things in perspective but is she totally persuaded? Not really. Not when she can’t logically fix her feelings. Not when no matter how hard she tries she can’t shake herself from thinking about only her.
“Dad,” Tiffany whispers, “I’m just gonna say hi to my friends. We’ll be back, I promise.”
Both Tiffany and Amber are use to this. It’s like doing practice drills. At important events they are at their most prim and proper behavior. People expect a lot from their parents, therefore, a lot is expected from the two of them too. They are to stay in close proximity with as they greet each guest one by one. It gets tiring and annoying after the first hour.
Tiffany pulls her and Amber away for an escape. Yuri and Jessica meet them along the way.
“Phew. Thank God I didn’t give dad the chance to answer back or we would be stuck there for the next half an hour with the Choi’s. They talk way too much,” Tiffany rants as she reaches for the champagne that Yuri hands her, “Thanks Yul.”
Yuri turns to Amber and offers the other champagne in her hand, “And for you?”
Amber reaches for it and Tiffany pushes it away before she could grab it. “Yul! Amber is not of age.”
Both Yuri and Amber scrunch their faces. Amber scoffs, “Are you serious?”
“Yeah Tiff, give the kid a glass of champagne. She deserves at least one glass for having to tolerate a night like this. By the way, I don’t get how the two of you do it—stand there, shake hands, smile, and pretend that you’re actually fascinated with their pretentious commentaries.”
Jessica pinches Yuri, “Yul, you know you’re a bad influence. And you’re suppose to be the reasonable one.” Jessica turns to Amber and adds, “Stay away from this bad unnie.”
“But Yul’s right. I absolutely hate these parties.” Amber reaches for the glass but is blocked again.
“Nope. I’m not letting you break the law,” Tiffany eggs with a smug. “And Yul, stop being such an enabler.”
Yuri shrugs her shoulders and sips on the glass instead, “Sorry Am. I can’t win again princess Hwang.” The three older friends chuckle while Amber rolls her eyes.
A moment later, Jessica nudges Tiffany. “You’re dad is trying to get your attention.”
“Ugh,” Tiffany sighs. She turns around and finds her dad motioning for them to come back. The two recognize the person standing next to their parents. It’s the mayor of the Seoul and his wife.
Tiffany smiles at Amber, “You stay here and take a break. I got it. I think one of us is good enough.”
“I can go with you, it’s fine.”
In an endearing fashion, Tiffany lightly touches Amber’s cheek, “I know it’s been making you tense so just stay here and take a break. Think of it as my compensation—for not letting you drink alcohol tonight.”
A genuine smile forms in response. There really is no one like Tiffany who knows her and can take of her the way she lovingly does. This is why she loves her—yes in a sisterly way but perhaps even more than that.
Jessica and Yuri have seen this countless of times to understand how complicated things are between the two. It’s a subject that even for them is a taboo.
Amber nods obediently and lets Tiffany go.
“Now that she’s gone, want a drink?”
“Yul!” Jessica smacks Yuri.
Amber chuckles, “I’m okay, thanks.”
“Amber!” A deep voice calls.
Amber turns to see who called her. It’s Kai and Krystal followed by Joohyuk and Irene.
This is the first time Amber is seeing Krystal and for a moment I think she did take her breath away. The moment was so sudden and so unprecedented that she couldn’t control herself from not staring.
Wow. She’s…
“Dude!” Kai hugs her, “I thought you’d never get out!”
That breaks her line of sight and snaps her out of her thoughts.
As her other friends gather, they realize the sunbaes that are with Amber. They all bow and greet Yuri and Jessica politely.
“Aigoo look at these kids,” Jessica greets them back affectionately, “Were we also this pretty when we were their age?”
“I have to admit,” Yuri clicks her tongue and grins, “This is a pretty good looking group of seniors.”
Amber completely zones her focus towards the sunbaes and as much as possible keep her line of sight away from Krystal.
The conversation resumes with Yuri and Jessica asking them friendly questions about their high school lives. All the while, Krystal is also trying not too hard to make it too obvious that she’s actually nervous being around a particular person.
“So what are your plans for the break?” Yuri asks the group.
Kai’s the first to answer, “I’ll be vacationing in Australia for one week with my mom but I’ll be back in time for New Year’s Eve.”
Joohyuk follows, “Nothing out of the regular. The soccer playoffs and the Olympic trials are coming up so I have to train and stay in shape for that.”
“And you Amber? I’m sure you’re gonna want to spend a lot of time with Tiffany before she leaves again?”
Amber’s face tightens as her heart drops.
“Sica,” Yuri’s eyes widen as she looks at Jessica. Jessica gasps as she realizes what she just had managed to slip.
Amber’s face start to scrunch as she’s balling her fist. Everyone in the circle immediately notices the shift in temperature.
If for the recent weeks Krystal has observed the bubbling happiness that Amber has been radiating, she’s observing the extreme opposite now. The coldness of a thousand winters has replaced it.
“What do you mean…leave?”
Yuri is the first to act. She places a warm hand on Amber’s shoulder in hopes to keep her cool, “Amber, I’ll explain it to you. Just remain calm for me, okay?”
She’s leaving?
She was never gonna stay?
She was planning on leaving from the beginning?
Anger. Rage. Disappointment. Pity. Sadness. They erupted inside of her and she was never one a master of her own emotions.
Amber charges out of the circle towards Tiffany. Her friends call out for her but Amber has officially hit the mute button in her mind.
“Uncle, I need to talk to Tiffany now.”
She pulls Tiffany in the middle of their conversation without giving her uncle a chance to protest. Her grip squeezed tight around her wrist and Tiffany knows that something is up.
She drags Tiffany out of the hall and to a secluded parking lot. Far in the distance but close enough within hearing proximity are Jessica, Yuri, Krystal, Kai, Joohyuk, and Irene just waiting with bated breaths to make sure nothing bad happens.
“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Amber snaps.
Tiffany, still puzzled, keeps herself steady, “Please calm down, Amber. What are you talking about?”
“Why didn’t you tell me that you’re leaving again?!”
It finally clicks for Tiffany. But before she could get a word of explanation in, Amber erupts.
“So you’re just gonna leave without saying anything again?! Was that your ing plan?!”
“Amber calm dow—”
“No! You promised! You promised me you wouldn’t do that again! You promised!”
“I was gonna—”
“And why do you keep doing this to me?! Why are you always leaving?! Did I do something wrong?! Because if I did—please tell me! Please tell me so I could fix it so that you don’t have to leave!” Amber couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. She looks away and uses her sleeve to wipe it.
In the same manner of brokenness and madness, though a few decibels lower, she cries, “I don’t understand. Why do you have to leave when you know…when you know how much I love you.”
Those who just heard Amber are now stunned. And the one astonished of them of all is the one who is standing in front of her. That red line that is never to be crossed…Amber just crossed it.
“I know you know,” with tears falling, Amber continues desperately. “You know how I feel about you.”
Tiffany gasps as tears falls out of her eyes too. Her lips quiver as she, in turn, confesses, “That’s why I had to leave…”
Amber’s head drops as she shakes her head, “No…”
Amber walks slowly towards Tiffany. And just like the way she lets Tiffany hold her face, this time, she’s the one to do it. She inches slowly and lets her heart win over her head for the first time.
“I know you know. But I know it too. I know that you feel the same about me too.”
Amber leans in and takes her lips. And for some reason only God knows, Tiffany doesn’t stop her.
Author's Note
Woo! There was A LOT to this chapter! I hope it was worth the wait.
And yes, I am aware of the mess I made XD <3 <3 <3
What do you guys think?! Hit the comments--I'm ready for it!
Z
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