(SQUEEE. NEW AND PRETTY POSTER FROM BarbieYeoja~ I love it ;-; Thanks once again~ hehe. In honor of this poster...well, I got excited from seeing it, and decided that I needed to update so I could show it off. xD

OH, OH, OH, WHO SAW TAESTAL ON HIGH KICK? I freaked out when I first found out~ hehe. So cute~~ <3 ...even if they only lasted for...23 hours... and only had 4 minutes worth of cuts...>< but anyway...

Now, without further rambling from me...I present the next chapter~ and I hope that you all like it~ hehe.)

- j, k, or l! -

Liu Household, 7:00 PM

Krystal Jung stabbed angrily at her salad (home made, by her servant Amber herself) and chewed fiercely.

"I didn't think the meeting was that bad, all things considered~" Amber stated this with a sheepish, dork smile (teeth showing and everything. "And he was a model. You like models, don’t you~?”

(A/N: Alright. How many of you thought of this smile? Right after I typed that part, I went to go find a .gif of it. LOL. xD)

Amber and Krystal were sitting at the dinner table in the house of Liu and (in Krystal's case more-so than Amber's) were trying to forget all the memories of the past two hours.

Krystal took her attention off of the food that she was consuming (attacking?) and blinked hard, her tone incredulous. "Amber, you know I am all for hot male models, but that guy...J or K or L or whatever his name was!"

"It's L~" Amber quipped. “At least know the letter of your new “boyfriend”, Krys.”

Krystal rolled her eyes and pouted. "Whatever. Just thinking about him makes me angry! Even you didn't like him!"

"She's kind of okay."

Krystal couldn’t help the twitch that came with the, “Yah, who do you think you are?” that just slipped from .

It should be stated now that Krystal didn’t have much of a word filter. ._.

"L, that’s not something you should say to someone that’s going to help you out." Park Taejun frowned slightly, and then figured that this meeting wasn't going to go as picture perfect as he wanted.

"She's just a call up girlfriend, right?" asked L, quirking an eyebrow.

"She is~ Amber referred her to me, and I called right away for you~" stated Sungjong, cute smile in place. ("Thanks, Amber." "It's your job, Krys!" could be heard in the background.) 

L smiled slightly at his favorite dongsaeng and murmured, "Thanks, Jongie." the boy beamed in response.

Krystal stared at the slight smile on the model's face and found herself mirroring it. "He looks kind of cute like that..." she mused thoughtfully.

And then he turned to her fully and started looking at her with a critical eye.

Krystal’s small smile slipped off of her face and she froze, thinking, "Aw man, he heard my thoughts." He continued to look over her, while the president TOP Entertainment looked pleased at L's interest.

"She's pretty, isn't she? You're her oppa, unless she lied on her work profile, so treat her well~"

Krystal unfroze at that moment, and turned to her "best friend" with a critical eye of her own. "Since when did I have a work profile?"

Amber chuckled nervously, given the whole nervous atmosphere of the situation, and answered with an, "I needed something so that people would for sure want you for the job!" Krystal rolled her eyes at Amber, but did nothing more. She crossed her arms (it was a nervous habit of hers) and decided to be polite. She bowed (slightly) to L and said, “I hope we’ll get along well.”

He, to his credit, returned the bow, but said something that she didn’t quite like. “I honestly don’t think we will.”

Krystal looked bewildered for a moment, but before she could say anything, Sungjong cut in.

“Why not, hyung?” asked Sungjong. Krystal apparently wasn’t the only one bewildered. 

He shrugged lightly and started to stare at his “girlfriend” again. “Someone who will willingly be the girlfriend of many for just twenty dollars an hour? I don’t see us getting along.”

Krystal gritted her teeth and retorted, “Well ex-cuuuse me, Mr. Model! Some people can’t make big bucks that easily!” It was easy to hear the irritation in her voice.

L looked at her in distaste for a moment before remarking in a bored tone, “Some people aren’t meant to make big bucks at all.”

Krystal scoffed and was about to give “Mr. Model” a piece of her mind, but was surprisingly stopped by Amber (who didn’t really get confrontational).

Amber held on to Krystal’s arm as a precaution, because who knew what the younger would do, but had a frown of her own on. “Can you not talk about Krystal like she’s nothing?” Amber’s tone was polite, but it was also cutting. “Your company called her, and she took the job. She’s helping you.”

Sungjong, from the side, wondered when Amber gained that tone of voice.

“Who are you?” asked L, curious. He looked over the tomboy (who he disregarded since the beginning) and confused himself for a moment. Girl? Boy?

“She’s Krystal’s best friend, hyung.” said Sungjong, waving his hand to get L’s attention.

Ah, female~ L nodded and said, “A friend shouldn’t have anything to do with this.”

Amber looked appalled for a moment and sputtered, “I-I’m also her manager!”

It was Krystal’s turn to look bewildered and she whispered to Amber in an almost exasperated tone, “When did this happen?”

Amber turned to Krystal and whined softly, “Just go with it~”

“You need to stop thinking of things on the spot.” said Krystal, arms crossed and half-pout in place. Amber just smiled at the typical Krystal response.

L rolled his eyes and decided from that moment that these two wouldn’t survive in the model world. At least, he was pretty sure that they wouldn’t.

They were all soft-heartedness and emotions, and that would destroy them in the world that he lived in. The world that they were going to enter (because of him).

So he was going to test them. By being as much of a diva model as he could, to see their reaction.

He walked to them in quick steps and stopped about a foot away. He sneered and his face was upturned as he crossed his arms and stated, “I wouldn’t have to treat her like she was nothing if she was actually something.”

“You-”

Now, it should be said that Amber wasn’t one for fighting. She tripped a lot, had weak ankles, and was a llama that derp-ed around.

She took criticisms and questions about her appearance daily, and many took advantage of her nice personality. But she didn’t care. She was a lover, not a fighter.

However, when things (bad things) were said about Krystal…

It isn’t that surprising, if Amber did get a little violent when the people she loved were messed with, but, imagine Krystal’s surprise when their positions are reversed, and Krystal has to suddenly take hold of Amber’s arms before Amber does something she will regret, because Amber isn’t supposed to hit people. It's Amber, after all. 

“Amber!” yelled Krystal, her bossy tone coming out. Amber froze suddenly and stopped moving.

It was like a shock to her senses, to hear that tone of voice coming from Krystal. Admittedly, that tone was why she started to call Krystal “Princess”, but she hadn’t heard it in a while (directed to her, at least).

Sungjong went to push L away from the duo softly, and directed him to the other side of the room while Taejun cleared his throat and asked, “Why don’t you two wait outside in the hall for a while? I’ll be with you shortly.”

Krystal pulled on Amber’s arm (one fierce tug was all it took) and they left quietly, although not without slamming the double doors.

As soon as the doors were closed, L turned to his president, and couldn’t help asking, “You can’t be serious about her right? Why do you even want me to have a scandal?”

“I’ll tell you what I told your manager. You need excitement in your admittedly stressful but boring life. And I think she’s it. Did you see the hate radiating off of her and her friend?” asked Taejung, the last part coming out with a beaming grin.

L scoffed as he looked at his president straight in the eyes. “Don’t expect me to like her or anything. She won’t even survive the media.”

“Is that concern I hear~?” teased Sungjong. He knew right after L decided to test them what his hyung was doing. He had his acting face on, after all.

“No.” he pouted slightly and went back to talking to his president. “She’ll be destroyed.”

Taejun tsk-ed and said, “I think you’re underestimating her.” L could only scoff at the statement. “So if she turns out to be able to handle the situations ahead….She’ll more than do, right?” asked Taejun, beaming. 

“I guess…” muttered L, now thinking his whole situation over.

"And she's pretty, right~?" asked Sungjong, his tone still teasing. Taejun looked at his model, eagerly awaiting the answer.

L stayed silent and stared at the two blankly. Sungjong had started whining lightly, and Taejun started pouting. "Come on! We chose her for a reason! She's just your type, right~?" L rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of his boss and best friend, and turned to leave. 

“You might not want to do that. They’re still outside, remember? There’s no insurance for models being hurt by call up girlfriends or their best friends/managers.” warned Taejun with a teasing laugh.  

L paused in his walk, stiffened slightly, turned around and sat on the nearest seat with a loud thump, with his facial expression and actions giving him away. Even he knew that he crossed the line…but it was indirectly for their sake!

“Your face looks stiff.” Sungjong commented, looking at his hyung curiously. The pretty boy with a lemon candy obsession didn’t think he had anything to worry about. He knew Amber, and she was cool and fun, and Krystal seemed pretty nice when he met her. And she called him adorable, so she can’t be all that bad, even if his L hyung made them both a little mad...right?

Taejun couldn’t stop his laughter at Sungjong’s comment as L looked even stiffer because of the comment, and patted both of their heads affectionately. “I’ll go talk to them~” He walked out of his office and into the hall to go talk to two girls that would change his top model’s life forever (even if Taejun didn’t know it at the time. Although he could have guessed).

He saw them sitting in two chairs, talking quietly to themselves in fast-paced, irritated English. He could barely make out a “Sulli” and “shady job” and “kill me”. Taejun didn’t want to intrude on them, but after hearing the long-haired girl call L a name that should never have left her lips, he felt himself coughing awkwardly.

Their attention was on him in an instant, and strode over to them with an easy smile. “At least your first meeting with L will be memorable~”

“I don’t think memorable is the word I would use to describe this meeting.” said Krystal, her tone flat.

“Aww, don’t be like that~” whined Taejun, pouting and using aegyo.

The two girls sat there, shocked into submission for five seconds.

And then they couldn’t stop laughing.

Yeah. TOP Entertainment President had aegyo. And he was proud.

“Yes, I know, my aegyo is wonderful~” he accepted their laughter with grace and nodded accordingly. Krystal and Amber were showing gleeful, happy smiles and Taejun couldn’t help but think, “Ah, if she showed L this smile…”

“Both of you have very charming smiles, you know~” He meant every word that he said in that statement. Amber thanked the man quietly, while Krystal rewarded him with a small smile. “Anyway, I hope this meeting doesn’t deter you from doing your job as L’s fake girlfriend?”

“You know, I don’t know how well-” Amber had started out with the intent of declining the job, but of course Park Taejun wouldn’t let that happen.

“You act as a fake girlfriend for 20 dollars an hour, right?” he asked, staring directly at Krystal.

Krystal nodded at him slowly, pursing her lips. “How about 40 dollars for every hour you spend with L outside, an extra 10 for every interview, and 5 for every picture that makes a headline? Of course, it will be the normal 20 when you guys aren't in the public eye.”

Krystal could feel drop open as she stared at him in shock. Knowing the model’s reputation (or what Amber said of it, anyway), there were bond to be plenty interviews and even more photos! She couldn’t help but picture all the money she would get from this job, and went on to imagine all the clothes, shoes, and places she could go to.

So her imagination was getting the best of her.

She figured it was okay, since she was going to make money.

To Krystal, she was just imagining what she was going to do with her future money. To Park Taejun, she was staring at him sharply. And to Amber…

“Krys, you’re starting to drool.” The best friend stated, holding back a smile.

She was ignored.

And then Amber took a tissue out of her handy dandy tissue bag and stuck it in Krystal’s open mouth. It took about two seconds to register.

“AMBER!” Krystal shouted, taking out the tissue in disgust.

“Sorry Princess, you were spacing~”

Taejun couldn’t help his laughter (once again), but controlled himself as he felt the duo look at him.

“I’m guessing that you’re accepting still?” KryBer shared a glace with each other, and it was decided in that glance that Krystal would do it. Krystal Jung wanted the money. Even if she thought L was kind of an . She nodded an affirmative to the man. “Great! So I’ll send the contract to your house, and I will be looking forward to meeting you more in the future!” He stood up with a flourish and smiled gallantly at them. “And I hope that you’ll enjoy being L’s girlfriend for the next nine months~” He fled the scene quickly, to get back to L, but not quick enough. He still heard a shrill scream of, “NINE MONTHS? WITH THAT ?”

And he knew that it didn’t come from Amber. He wondered if L could hear that from his office.

"I'll never get along with him for as long as I live!" Krystal declared, slamming the fork that she was holding into the table.

"Krys! My table!"

Amber now had to come up with an excuse for Mama Liu as to why there were literal fork marks on her brand new dinner table.

(She didn't think telling her "Krystal had a bad day" would cut it.) 

---chapter end.

So MyungStal is off to a bad start. Because Myung’s kind of an . But he’s an with good intentions! And Amber might even dislike him more than Krystal does. But he’ll get better, I promise! >< ...maybe Krys likes money a little too much...but she needs motivation for all of this, right~? I tried to show off the KryBer closeness~ Did I succeed? Hehe. And I have a poll for you lovelies~ I have two choices with this story: Show more of Myung and his blooming (?) relationship with Krystal, or kind of show Myung, but start on the appearance of the next male lead. And by the way, to all the comments about pairings...To be honest, it's all up in the air. I ship all three, so I'm conflicted whenever I think about it. LOL. Please comment and vote~ :D

Comment replies: 

@Min_stal: MinStal is very cute~ :D 

@Miss_aRt: Amber's the best at making excuses~ LOL. And no problem about the font <3 

@minstal_1: I'm actually not sure about final pairing yet ^^;;

@Gayong: LOL, I WISH I WAS JESSICA JUNG. xD And I hope you liked the JungLi~ the rest of f(x) will show up more in the later chapters~ 

@fanatix: Sadly, Myung and Stal will continue to clash...until one falls for the other...and then I think that they'll still clash, even then...LOL.

@taeng_sicc: hope you liked the update~ :D

@Kaiser Kawaii: TaeStal is cute <3 (I loved their four minute interaction on High Kick~ LOL.)

@xQueenHanniex: Indeed she does get a legit contract...that will be shown later. xD haha. And she does indeed have her back~ :D <3

@KhunKrystal: I hope you liked my update~

@Minhokrystal2000: I updated~~ ^^ Hope you like it~

@nikatsu: hehe, i like that it got you interested! <3 please read in full soon~ (and my face went O_O (in the good way) when i saw that you subscribed. LOL. the author that got me into changyoon! <3) 

Thank you to all the people that subscribed and commented~ :D <3