Krystal rubbed her eyes while yawned. She didn’t remember what time did she fall asleep last night, she was too nervous since today she’ll perform a solo piano in front of the professor and her friends.

 

‘Wait…’, Krystal frowned when she found Amber’s bed was empty, ‘it’s weird… Amber always wakes up late everyday……………………….WAIT!!’, Krystal grabbed her cell phone and her eyes were getting wider as she saw what time it was.

 

“GOSH I’M LATE!!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Krystal ran through the corridor in hurry because the class would be started in few minutes. She cursed her self for being too nervous last night so that she couldn’t sleep well.

 

 

 

 “BUMP!!”

 

 

“Ouch!!”, Krystal fell on the floor as she hit on someone. She rubbed her while whined.

 

 

“Are you blind?!!”

 

 

Krystal’s expression suddenly changed as she heard the voice—sounded so familiar. Krystal looked up and yes—she just hit her roommate—Amber Liu—that was glaring at her right now.

 

 

“Look, I’m sorry Amber I’m in hurry”, Krystal took her bag and got up.

 

Amber scoffed, “You’re always like this aren’t you?! You gave me troubles in my life!”, Amber snorted. She grabbed her guitar case and was about to leave.

 

“I said sorry!”, Krystal shouted.

 

“’Sorry’ is a word for morons”, Amber said and left.

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile—not far from the two bickering girls—there was someone watching them.

 

Jong Suk narrowed his eyes.

 

“Amber Liu…… she really treats her bad, I knew it. And I won’t let it happen again”

 

 

 

 

 

*********

 

 

 

 

 

Krystal finished her song perfectly. All her friends and the professor gave her a big round of applause for the perfect performance. Krystal bowed politely to the ‘audience’, her smile told that she was really satisfied with her performance.

 

 

“Good Job, Krystal. That was really beautiful, the rhythm was perfect, so was the tempo”, the Professor commented.

 

 

Somehow Krystal smiled as she remembered Amber gave her the digital metronome to help her controlling the tempo, and it did really help.

 

“Thank you, Professor”

 

 

 

 

 

 

*********************    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amber put her guitar case on the ground before she unlocked it and pulled out the guitar. She brought her acoustic guitar today. The guitar was an old guitar. She got the guitar from her father when she was eight—it was her eighth birthday.

 

Amber started plucking her guitar. The backyard was really quiet just like usual, and Amber really liked it that’s why she often came to that place.

 

“How… gentle is the rain… that falls… softly on the meadow…”

 

Amber sang as she kept plucking the strings gently. But then she suddenly stopped as she realized—she sang that song again… Amber smiled while looked down, “I miss you, Dad”

 

 

 

 

-San Fernando Valley, California, 1997-

 

A little kid played her little fingers on the piano keys—showed her best playing to her Daddy that was watching next to her. She was still five, she couldn’t even place her foot on the piano sustains since her legs were too short, but the melodies that she was playing were really beautiful.

 

The father clapped proudly as his daughter finished the song.

 

“How was it, Dad?”

 

The father lifted the little kid and put her on his lap, “perfect”

 

“Yaaayyy!”, the little kid shouted happily. Suddenly the kid realized that her father’s eyes were a little bit teary, “Daddy…… you crying?”, she asked as she wiped her Dad’s eyes with her tiny fingers.

 

“No… I’m just too happy”, he ruffled his daughter’s hair gently.

 

“Daddy is lying… your eyes are wet. Are you sad, Dad? Did I make any mistake?”

 

“No, Amber. That was perfect, too perfect, and it reminded me of your Mom. She really liked this song. I bet she’s smiling happily up there, and she’s really proud of you”

 

“………Daddy…”

 

“Yes, Dear?”

 

“Let’s play this song together for Mom, and sing it together”

 

Dave nodded with smiled before he put his fingers on the piano keys.

 

“How gentle is the rain… that falls softly on the meadow…… birds high up on the trees… serenade the clouds with their melodies…”, the father and daughter sang the song together beautifully while played the piano, “Ooh… see… there beyond the hills… the bright colors of the rainbow… some magic from above… made this day for us… just to fallin love…”

 

 

 

 

 

Amber felt her eyes became a bit warm. She shook her head, no, she didn’t want to cry. Amber took a deep breathe before she got up and put her guitar back into the case. She needed to do something to forget her sadness. Usually, Amber always drinks coffee to make her feel better.

 

 

 

Amber walked to the cafeteria, she still had about twenty minutes before the next class started.

 

 

“Amber Liu”

 

Amber stopped and turned around as she heard someone called her name. Amber narrowed her eyes when she saw a guy was standing in front of her. To be honest, she didn’t remember if she ever met the guy before.

 

 

"Amber Liu”, the guy walked toward Amber, “don't you dare to hurt Krystal you understand?"

 

Amber furrowed her brows, "Who the hell are you"

 

"You might forget me... but I won't forget you... the one who ruined my performance......”

 

“I don’t know da hell are you I’m leaving”, Amber turned around and continue to walk.

 

 “You think you’re special? A genius musician huh? Listen, you're weird you know nothing about music. I’ve never found a musician that hating a sound of piano"

 

"SHUT THE UP!!", Amber threw down her guitar case, she couldn’t hold her anger anymore.

 

"What?! You wanna punch me?? Do whatever you want... but don't you dare hurt Krysta..."

 

Amber pulled the guy’s collar roughly, “listen you moron… don’t you ever mind my business you know nothing about me!!!”

 

 

 

"Jong Suk Oppa!!"

 

Amber and the guy turned to the voice direction. It was Krystal, she was running toward them.

 

“Amber what are you doing?!”

 

Amber pushed Jong Suk so that he fell on the ground.

 

“AMBER!!!”

 

Krystal shouted but the tomboy ignored her. Amber grabbed her guitar case and left.

 

 

“Jong Suk Oppa… are you okay?”, Krystal asked as she helped Jong Suk to get up.

 

“I’m okay, Krystal sshi, don’t worry”

 

 

 

 

 

**********        

 

 

 

 

 

“Dude! You’re here!”, Jonghyun tapped Amber’s shoulder. He didn’t expect that he would meet his cousin here in the cafeteria.

 

Jonghyun took a seat next to his cousin, “hot coffee”, he said to one of waitresses, “so what’s up? Where have you been?”

 

“Work, study, sleep”

 

Jonghyun chuckled, “Taemin invited us to watch his mini-drama”

 

Amber looked at Jonghyun with furrowed brows.

 

“Taemin will perform a mini drama in with his classmates in the auditorium hall. Let’s watch it together”

 

“Oh”

 

 

 

 

*********          

 

 

 

 

 

“Whoah?? Really?? You’ll be casted in drama TV??”, Luna asked excitedly.

 

Sulli sighed at the older girl, “no unnie… it’s not a drama TV but a mini-drama. It’ll be performed in auditorium hall though”

 

“Aishh…… I thought it’s a drama TV… I wanna see you in television you know…”

 

Sulli rolled her eyes. Suddenly she realized that her best friend hadn’t said a word about her invitation, “Yah Soojung ah! Don’t you wanna come to watch my performance?!”

 

“Uh? What performance?”

 

Sulli rolled her eyes again, “I just invited you and Luna unnie to watch my performance. I’ll perform a mini-drama in auditorium hall”, she explained.

 

“Oh really? of course I’ll come!”

 

Sulli starred at her best friend suspiciously.

 

“Yah… why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“What were you thinking…”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I know it. Something bothers your mind”

 

“I bet it’s about Amber Liu again”, Luna said abruptly.

 

Krystal raised her brows and then sighed.

 

“What did she do again?”, Sulli asked.

 

“………… No…… I just saw her… attacked on Jong Suk Oppa”

 

“Really?? why? I mean…”, Sulli said in disbelief.

 

“I don’t know why… but I remember Jong Suk Oppa told me… Amber is his enemy since she ruined his performance once”

 

“Omo… why did she do that?”, Luna questioned.

 

“I don’t know unnie… maybe… because…… Jong Suk Oppa is a good pianist”

 

 

 

 

 

************     

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last class finally ended and Amber immediately headed back to her dorm. She just wanted to take a nap before she works. Amber preferred work in the night since it’s quieter and she would be able to work in that kind of situation.

 

As Amber reached her room she unlocked the door and got in. She noticed that her roommate was already in—she was sitting on her bed while holding a magazine. But she was starring at Amber intensely and it annoyed the tomboy.

 

“What?!”, Amber raised her brows to the younger girl as she took off her sneakers.

 

“……Am… I know you hate me… but please don’t hurt my friends”

 

Amber snorted while threw one of her sneakers.

 

Krystal was surprised with Amber’s reaction and she was a little bit scared.

 

“Didn’t you ask your idiot friend why I hurt him?!! Are you an idiot too for judging me hurting your friend?!! Why would I hurt your friends when I don’t care about them and I don’t care about you?!! Please use your brain!!”, Amber stood up and went to the bathroom.

 

She leaned her hands on the washing stand and watched her face on the mirror.

 

“You think you’re special? A genius musician huh? Listen, you're weird you know nothing about music. I’ve never found a musician that hating a sound of piano"

 

She remembered the guy said. How she really wanted to punch that guy, if Krystal wasn’t there, she would break his neck and kill him for sure.

 

Amber felt her head is getting hotter so she immediately watered her face.

 

 

 

 

 

Krystal was still dumbfounded. She didn’t expect that Amber would be that mad, did she say something wrong?

 

But Amber was right, Krystal hadn’t asked Jong Suk why Amber attacked on him. What if Jong Suk was the one who attacked on Amber first?

 

 

Krystal looked up when she heard the bathroom door opened.

 

 

“Am…”, she encouraged her self to call the tomboy.

 

Amber walked straight toward her bed, didn’t bother to look at Krystal.

 

“Amber I’m sor… I know you told me ‘sorry’ is a word for morons whatever I just wanna say sorry for judging you… I didn’t mean to. I’ll ask Jong Suk Oppa if…”

 

“Shut up I want to take a nap”, Amber interrupted as she covered her head with pillow and closed her eyes.

 

Krystal closed her eyes. The tomboy was really rude and it pissed her off, but in this case—Krystal did feel guilty because she was the one who judged the tomboy first.

 

Krystal pulled her bag, she ped it before d something from it. As she got that something, Krystal took a glance to the tomboy that was still covering her face with a pillow. Krystal stood up and walked toward the her.

 

“Amber, I know you aren’t asleep”

 

Amber removed the pillow from her face, she looked at Krystal was standing right next to her bed, “and why if I’m not asleep? What do you want?”

 

“I just wanna give it back to you”, Krystal said as she handed the digital metronome to the short haired girl, “Thank you, Am. it did really help”, Krystal smiled.

Amber felt something weird in her chest when she saw that smile but she immediately grabbed the digital metronome and covered her face with the pillow again.

 

 

“Good sleep”, Krystal said before went back to her bed.

 

 

 

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________