“Aww crap.” Krystal suddenly said with a voice so loud, Amber thought the world was ending.

“What?!” Amber sat up immediately as she heard the distress in her boss’ voice. “What’s wrong princess?” She made her way towards Krystal and looked up and down at her body to see if anything was wrong.

She instantly blushed when she realized what she was doing. Lucky for her, Krystal was too busy whining.

“I didn’t bring a change of clothes!” Krystal facepalmed herself. Amber looked at her for a second before bursting out into laughter.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT AJ LIU?! ‘CAUSE RIGHT NOW I DON’T FIND ANYTHING FUNNY!”

“It’s just…nevermind.” Amber said in between her laughs. “I’ve got some spare clothes… I’ll go get it for you.”

She walked into her walk-in wardrobe while shaking her head to recover from her laughing fit and pulled out a pair of black track pants and an oversized plain grey shirt.

“Here. I think these would fit you.” Amber said as she handed the clothes over to Krystal.

The latter took the clothes and held them in front of her as she nodded in approval.

“Thanks. I’ll go shower first, okay?” Krystal took off her jacket and got into the bathroom.

Now alone, Amber sat outside and looked round her room to see if there was anything she didn’t want Krystal to see while her turn in the shower came. She walked around and searched every nook and cranny.

“Hmm…nothing out of the ordinary.” She said to herself and walked back to her bed and lay down until it’s her time to shower.

Fifteen minutes passed.

Krystal stepped out of the bathroom while drying her hair. “Hey.Your turn, stinky.”

Amber chuckled as she shook her head. She grabbed her clothes made her way into the bathroom.

It was Krystal’s turn to look around Amber’s room as she looked for a hair dryer. She went to the JD’s walk-in closet and randomly opened drawers.

Just as she was finally going to give up and just rely on the towel to dry her long hair, which was a tedious task, she decided to open one last drawer and found a bunch of facial products neatly lined up from smallest tube to biggest. It looked like a department store’s display rack.

Krystal furrowed her eyebrows as she took a night facial cream which looked a lot like hers.

‘Wait. Isn’t this a girl’s night cream?!’ Krystal thought with her eyes now wide as saucers.

She took one product after another, and almost instantly, Amber’s organized drawer looked like it was ransacked by a tornado.

‘Everything in here are girl products! Don’t tell me she brings girls in here?!’

Before Krystal could storm towards the bathroom to interrogate Amber of her womanizing ways, she suddenly thought of Key and their past conversation about some guys having sensitive skin. She stopped on her tracks, her left foot almost tripping on her right and remembered how Amber’s face looked feminine and indeed softer than a guy’s.

“Hmm…” She pondered out loud.

“No wonder AJ’s face looks so flawless all the time. He uses girl products.” Krystal smiled, her former homicidal thought left her mind.

She went back to the drawers and abandoned her search for the hair dryer. Krystal was seriously stepping on Amber’s privacy, that she knew for sure, but the temptation was too great to ignore.

Krystal opened the next drawer and found some more girl products. She chuckled to herself as she had found another thing to tease ‘AJ’ about. She was about to close the drawer when something in particular caught her eye.

“WHY THE HELL ARE THERE TAMPONS IN HIS DRAWER?!”

Krystal had to slap to shut herself up. Her head immediately snapped towards the bathroom door and waited if ‘AJ’ would storm out.

A few seconds passed and nothing happened. Krystal can still hear the shower water running and AJ’s soft humming and it made her breathe out in relief.

Krystal turned back to the box of tampons in her hand. Something was creeping in her mind, and she can’t put her finger on it.

Couldn’t it be that AJ was just acting sweet to her just so ‘he’ could get in her pants? Was AJ just like those straight guys that don’t think about anything else except than to sleep with all the girls he can in his lifetime?

The girl started to think about all the worst possible things. The tampons in her hands might belong to one of AJ’s one night stands.

Just then, Krystal remembered one of the movies she got to watch at the theatre downstairs when they had another movie night with the others.She can clearly recall how Brian dragged her towards the elevator and almost tied her to himself when she refused to watch with them because of a pending project that was not needed until three months later.

It was about a girl who posed as a guy just so she could play football onthe men’s team. There was this particular scene where the guy he’s rooming with used her tampons to reduce the bleeding of his nose.

‘Didn’t AJ said he loves playing basketball? That must be it, for accidental nose injuries…’

Krystal nodded her head in agreement to herself as she dismissed the AJ-is-a-big-womanizer theory she had a few moments ago while returning the box of tampons inside the drawer.

“Okay, enough snooping around, Krystal. You seriously need to dry her hair.” She said to herself.

The girl continued to rummage around the walk-in closet in search for the hair dryer.

“Oh wait…” Krystal stopped as she opened a drawer halfway.

“He’s a guy. Why should he be using a hair dryer? Tsk. So silly of me.” Krystal said and slapped her forehead.

She was about to close the half-opened drawer when she saw the contents. It was filled with letters, alongwith a bunch of other things.

A certain glint from the farthest corner of the drawer caught Krystal’s eye and she had to see what it was. Opening the drawer fully, she rummaged her way to retrieve the shiny object and later discovered that it was a silver ring, or maybe white gold, she thought.

She held the ring in between her index finger and thumb before laying the piece on her palm. She then notices the engravings on the inside surface of the ring.


“I’ll love you this much in this lifetime.” Krystal read out loud.

Just then, Amber stepped out of the bathroom andsaw Krystal holding onto the ring she never wanted anyone else to see.

Especially not Krystal.

“What are you…” Amber started.

“Omg…I’m so sorry AJ! I didn’t mean to pry. I-I was just, uh, looking for a hair dryer!” Krystal explained, her voice a little high pitched than usual.

“Uhm.It’s in the bathroom.” Amber pointed at the bathroom with her thumb.

“I’m really so sorry!” Krystal said as she bowed multiple times before retreating back to the bathroom, locking the door with a click.

Again, Amber was left alone.

Everything just became awkward.


------------------------


Both now laid on the bed staring at the ceiling. It has been a handful of minutes since Krystal got out of the bathroom, her hair now dry.

Awkward silence still fill the room and Krystal’s starting to regret what she did earlier. She never meant to pry on AJ’s privacy but she just couldn’t resist it. The ‘guy’ is too secretive, not to mention refuses to open up to her, so she had the feeling that she had to take matters into her own hands.

A few more minutes and Krystal decided to break the silence first.

“So… Uhm… that ring…” Krystal turned and started her subtle interrogation.

The girl purposely held the sentence unfinished, hoping that AJ himself would complete it.

“I’m sorry, but… I don’t really like talking about my past.” Amber answered without even turning her head to look at Krystal.

Krystal sighed inaudibly. It was worth the shot, she thought.

“About what you saw earlier… I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to—“ Krystal began to apologize when Amber suddenly cut her off.

“The ring was from my first relationship.” Amber spoke, much to Krystal’s surprise.
Amber kept her eyes on the ceiling while Krystal continued to stare at her side profile.

“She was a really nice girl. We were 17,in our Junior year. We really loved each other, a lot.” Amber closed her eyes as she continued. “We lasted for a year. We were really happy. Until graduation came and she told me that she was going to London to finish college.” Amber sighed.

The silence was back but the awkwardness is no longer present.

After a few seconds, Amber opened her eyes and sat up. She eased towards the headboard before leaning her back.

“She left you?” Krystal was careful with her questions.

Amber pondered for a while before answering.

“Sorta. I mean…it was a mutual break up, I guess.” Amber looked at Krystal who was now also on a sitting position.

“I’m sorry I asked.” Krystal apologized again.

Amber eyed Krystal for a while before coming to a decision.

“You know what? I don’t think it’s fair that I keep so much from you. I mean, I always asked you about your life, your past. You. And you always answered.” Amber started. “I think it’s time I share some of mine too. If we’re gonna remain as friends, we should get to know each other better. It can’t be one sided forever, right?” She grinned.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’d understand.” Krystal said, a little unsure and still feeling guilty.

“I’m being selfish, Krystal.” Amber smiled as she shook her head. “I don’t want to when it comes to you.”

“Fine.,” Krystal faked annoyingness but deep inside she’s squealing.“Continue with your story then.”

“Where should I start…” Amber asked more to herself than to Krystal.

“Okay… Well, I come from a pretty well off family. I have an older sister and I’m very close to my parents. They supported me on everything I wanted to do.” Amber smiled as she recalled how loving her family was.“Uhm… Ever since I started college, I moved out of my parents’ house and moved in with my best friend. We went to the same college,” she continued.

“I’ve had two relationships before coming here. My first girlfriend’s name was Hanbyul. Last I heard, she went abroad. And my last girlfriend…” Amber paused.

“The one you mentioned during lunch on your first day?” Krystal tried guessing.

Krystal saw Amber’s face turned into disgust.

“Uh, yeah. About that one... I’d rather not… talk about that relationship. It was the hardest four years of my life. For my best friend too. I don’t even know why we even dated that long.” Amber shook her head. “I must’ve been stupid.” She facepalmed herself.

“No, you’re not.” Krystal told Amber in a soft voice. “Maybe you were just trying to be nice.”

Amber withdrew her hand from her face and gave a Krystal an appreciative smile.

“Thanks for saying that. But that doesn’t matter anymore. That’s no longer part of my life and I would like to move on,” Amber said with a smile as she laid back on her bed.

“Well, what matters now?”

Krystal followed suit and laid beside Amber. She shifted to lie on her side and looked at the JD.

“Work. Les Chic...You.” Amber turned her face towards her boss, her gaze intense and unwavering. “You make my stay here every bit satisfying and worth it,” she said with a grin.

Krystal tried to hide the blush coming up but failed to do so.

“Uhm. AJ… can I be honest with you?” Krystal got up and rested her body on her right arm as she looked down at Amber.

“Yeah, of course. You can tell me anything.” Amber placed her hand on Krystal’s shoulder then turned her body so that she was lying on her left to pay attention to Krystal’s story.

Krystal cleared with a small cough as she prepared her speech.

"You’re not to speak a word of this outside of this room. If I find out that you did... Let's just say that you're not going to enjoy the rest of your life here and I'll make sure to that your stay in Les Chic will be a living hell. Understood?” Amber gulped as she nodded in understanding, albeit a little weak.

“AJ, what I’m about to tell you is a secret… So please don’t tell this to anyone, especially Sooyoung-unnie." Krystal said as she stared at Amber as if she was digging a hole on the latter's soul.

She then lifted her hand and stuck out her pinky, forcing Amber for a pinky swear.

“I swear princess. With my life.” Amber said to stop Krystal’s worries, their pinkies now joined.

“It’s just that… I’ve never told this to anyone. If my parents found out, they’d… disown me for sure. B-but AJ, you... you have to understand that I’ve never told anyone this secret of mine. Not even to my sister who I’m so close to or even to BoA-unnie.”

Amber can feel a trickle of sweat running at the back of her neck. She didn't know what it was and what to expect. As far as her stay in Les Chic, Krystal seemed to be a normal girl. But right now, it seemed that her princess is also hiding some skeletons in her closet.

“Yes princess. Then I should feel honored that I am the only person who will know of this secret of yours.”

Amber braced herself for the worst. Krystal can be some sort of murderer for all she knows. Suddenly, she felt a little lightheaded as her stomach churn in an uncomfortable twist.

'Oh my god, am I gonna die--' Amber began to silently pray.

“Okay… I really hope you don't think I’m disgusting or any sort. It was just a tiny crush,” Krystal shyly started.

'--tonight?!... Wait... A what...? A crush?' Amber stopped her unreasonable thinking and paid attention to Krystal.

“Huh? I don’t think I’m entirely sure of what you’re saying.” Amber furrowed her eyebrows in question.

“I used to like this girl I knew back in high school. I was a freshman and she was a senior.” Krystal sighed. “She was really charming... I don’t know. I was really young and new to a lot of stuff plus, it was my first year in high school so I guess she was just doing her job as a senior and welcoming us in… and I sorta fell for that,” Krystal tried to cover the blush that was forming on her cheeks.

“It’s okay…” The JD tried to sound comforting and understanding, when in reality, her feelings are far from calm.

Little did Krystal know, Amber was having a celebration in her head complete with fireworks and party hats.

“No, it’s not. Not with how I was brought up.” Krystal finally looked Amber in the eye.

“My parents are, uhm... a little... Conservative. So it is their belief… and I somehow grew up with it too so..."

Krystal stared at Amber and saw the latter's unreadable expression. She started to panic. She didn't want to be labelled a homophobe... Not in AJ's eyes.

"B-But ever since I started working here, I... I’ve seen that there's nothing wrong with being gay. And honestly, they are more fun than straight ones. BoA-unnie is gay herself. And it made it easier for me to accept them since I grew up with her and she has become an inspiration for me.” Krystal said, well, more of babbled as she was still agitated with Amber's blank face.

“Krystal. Princess…” Amber's gaze soften as she thought of the right words to say.

She had put into consideration her present predicament and as much as she tried so hard to avoid it, the time for Krystal to discover the truth will eventually come.

Amber can never escape the fact that's she's a girl... and that she's gay.

“Love… knows no boundaries. Not age, not gender, not race,” she smiled as she picked her words carefully. “I know it's cliché but if you do fall in love with another girl one day, I promise I won’t be angry at you nor will I look at you differently. You'll always be 'Krystal' to me, my boss... my princess. You should just yet nature take its course.”

It was the most honest thing that Amber had said ever since she stepped foot at Les Chic. She had been there. In fact, she had also questioned her uality while she was still young. But fortunately for her, unlike Krystal, she had a very supportive family surrounding her.

“No…but I can’t…” Amber heard Krystal said and it snapped her back to reality.

“Why?” Amber questioned.

“Because… I think I like you.” The words slipped out of Krystal’s mouth and the girl had instinctively drew her hand to cover it, but it was too late.


Silence.


Nothing was heard except for the continuous humming of the air condition unit. Krystal held her breathe as she mentally pounded herself for letting that one crucial information slip from her lips. The awkward silence is killing her and what seemed to be just a few seconds felt like years.

She was about to say something when Amber beat her to it.

“I…” Amber sighed as she got off the bed.

She walked towards the window and stared outside. A breathtaking view of Seoul's city lights greeted Amber, but none of its beauty had managed to captivate her attention. She felt dry as she tried to breathe, but it failed to drown that nagging voice at the back of her head that kept on telling her of how deep she had managed to dug her own grave.

That lie, that simple omission of the truth, had finally grew out of proportion and there's no way out anymore. Amber's stuck and there's no other thing to do but hope and pray that there would be someone that could pull her out from the ground.

“Krystal--” Amber breathed shakily.

“I’m sorry… AJ… Please don’t start avoiding me because of what I just said. I wasn't supposed to... I-I'm sorry... It's just that you're so nice to me and I...” Krystal tried to explain herself as she tried to salvage the situation. “I’m not even entirely sure of my feelings…”

Amber turned her head towards Krystal and gave out a weak smile. She knew that Krystal was uncomfortable. There's nothing else she could do but calm the girl down, in spite of her own heart beating like crazy.

“No… no worries… we’ll just… uhm... We'll just pretend that this never happened, okay?” Amber said with a smile that didn't reached her eyes.

Krystal kept quiet as she felt a sudden sting in her chest.

'AJ' had just rejected her.

“Okay…” Krystal said almost inaudibly.

Amber detected the disappointment in Krystal’s voice as she made her way towards the girl.

“Look… Princess…”

“Stop, AJ… Just stop.” Krystal closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Don’t call me princess anymore… It only gives me hope.” It sounded bitter.

Amber halted her steps.

'Everything's my fault...'

“I... I didn’t mean to hurt you," Amber started. "If it makes you feel any better, I... I feel something too. It’s just that… It's too early for me to tell… if it’s for real.” Amber explained.

Another lie.

“Krystal, I... I just got out of a really rough relationship and I really don’t want to jump right in so fast.”

“I understand.” Krystal hung her head low and somehow, she felt guilty that she had almost pressured AJ into a relationship knowing that latter had just been traumatized by his previous one.

Amber walked back towards the bed and sat next to her. She pulled Krystal in an embrace.

“It’s not that I’m rejecting you. I just want you to give me more time…So that I can be sure enough of what I want," she whispered as she hugged Krystal tighter.

“Okay…” Krystal replied as she wrapped her arms around Amber's neck, allowing herself to drown in the latter's embrace.


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