“Mommy… I think you’re the luckiest woman on earth”

 

“Really??”

 

Little Krystal nodded cutely.

 

“And why is that Soojungie?”, her mom her little girl’s reddish cheek.

 

“Because you are married to daddy. Daddy is a perfect man you know…”

 

Her mom chuckled, “why do you think so?”

 

“Daddy can play piano beautifully, and he knows a lotta great songs. He looks really handsome when he plays music because he plays music with all his heart”

 

“You’re right, little princess”

 

“When I grow up I wanna get a husband like daddy, who knows a lotta beautiful songs and plays music with all his heart”

.................................

 

..................................

 

“George Gershwin 1924”

“Try ‘Solomon The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba’ by George Frideric Handel, it suits your personality when you played piano”

.......................................

.......................................

 

Krystal shook her head in disbelief, ‘what am I thinking’, she shrugged her shoulders.

 

“Miss Jung”

 

Krystal looked up as she heard the professor called her family name. She wasn’t sure that the professor meant her name until he said, “Yes, you, Jung Krystal”

 

“Uh? Yes, Sir”

 

“I have a question for you. Tell me, what’s the most important thing when you play music?”

 

“……… Heart”

 

The professor smirked, “how about theories and techniques?”

 

“For me, Sir, when you play a music instrument, you’re not just showing off your skill, theories, and techniques, but you’re also telling the listeners the message of the song. You’re telling the story of the song by playing it. And listeners can get the message if you play the song with all your heart. The emotion between the player and the listener will be connected automatically”

 

The Professor gave Krystal applause, “great answer Miss Jung”

 

 

 

 

*************                

 

 

 

 

“Amber!”

 

Amber turned around. It was Jonghyun—her cousin—who called her.

“Oh, hey”

 

“Yo!”, Jonghyun patted Amber’s shoulder as he caught his breathe, “let’s discuss about the songs for the concert while have coffee break?”

 

“Kay”

 

 

 

******  

 

 

 

“Five classical songs and five modern songs how do you think?”, Jonghyun asked his cousin, he was holding a pen and a paper note was prepared on the table.

 

Amber sipped her cappuccino, “How many players do we have for the concert?”

 

“Pianists you mean?”

 

“Hm”

 

“Five as I remember”

 

“And we’re gonna play ten songs. Each player will play two songs. But we can’t put too much modern songs because it’s an orchestra concert. Make it seven and three, seven classical songs and three modern songs”

 

“Okay, it’s decided. It’s enough for now, we’ll decide about the songs later”

 

Amber nodded.

 

“What are you up to after this?”, Jonghyun asked while grabbed his coffee cup and took a sip.

 

“Dorm, sleep”

 

“Anyways… will you pick The Toys’ song to be played in our next concert?”, Jonghyun smirked.

 

“…… I won’t. Still don’t have trust in people to play that song”

 

 

 

 

********           

 

 

 

 

Feeling tired of today’s activities, Krystal lied her body down on her bed. Suddenly she heard someone knocked on the door.

 

“Soojung aaahh… I have snacks for you!”

 

 Krystal hopped happily and she immediately opened the door. There was Sulli standing right next to the door, she lifted up a bag of snacks that her mom gave to her before she went back to the dorm. Her smile was so bright.

 

“Yay! Come in hurry! Why didn’t you bring Luna unnie here?”

 

Sulli stepped in, “she’s busy remembering a new material song. Where’s hyung?”

 

Krystal shrugged. She closed the door before sat her self on her bed, “she’s not here”

 

“Too bad. I have some snacks for her too”

 

“Just put it on her desk”

 

“Ah you’re right”, Sulli walked toward Amber’s desk happily. She watched Amber’s desk while put some snacks on it, “hmm… it does look like a musician’s desk”, she said before went back to Krystal’s bed and had a seat.

 

“Gimme”, Krystal snatched the snack-bag from Sulli’s hand.

 

“Yah! Can you be more patient?”

 

“Nooo”, Krystal opened the packet excitedly. “How’s aunty doing anyways?”, she asked as she put some crackers into her tiny mouth.

 

“She’s doing fine… Aish… you look like a hungry puppy you know… hey soojung ah! Look what I brought from home”, Sulli d her pocket, “TADAAA!!”, she showed a set of playing cards in her hand.

 

Krystal looked like a little kid who got a toy from her parents, “whoaaah!! It’s been a while! Do you bring the powder too?”

 

“Don’t worry”, Sulli d her pocket again, “tadaaa…”

 

The two best friends laughed happily. These two really loved playing cards since they were younger, it was really fun and could make them laugh like the happiest people on earth.

 

The two girls stopped laughing when they heard someone entered the room.

 

“Hyung? Hyung you’re here!”, Sulli smiled brightly to Amber, “look, I brought some snacks for you”, she pointed to Amber’s desk innocently.

 

Amber let out a deep sigh, “hey can you move to her room? I wanna sleep”, she told Krystal.

 

Krystal raised her brows, “sleep? So you don’t have any work?”

 

“I said I wanna sleep. You two get out of here”

 

Krystal took the playing card set, “We’re about to play this, wanna join?”

 

“Are you deaf? I said I wanna sleep!”

 

“No. You have to join us, come on, Am, it’s really fun”

 

Sulli stared at her best friend in disbelief. How can she ask Amber to play with them? Amber? Play?

 

“Soojung ah…”, Sulli whispered.

 

“I won’t. play. anything, Krystal Jung. Now go”

 

“…… fine…… hey, Ssul, do you know what? Amber is a tickl…”

 

“Yah!!”

 

“What?”

 

“You…aish! What do you want huh?!!”

 

“……Play with us…”

 

 

 

 

Sulli still couldn’t believe what she was seeing right now. Amber, an Amber, The Grumpy Amber Liu, agreed to play with them. PLAY, she agreed to PLAY. Sulli shook her head again and again.

 

“You got it?”, Krystal just finished explaining Amber how to play the game.

 

“Hm”

 

“Are you sure? I can explain it again if you…”

 

“I know do you think I’m stupid?”

 

“Fine… if you lose we will put this powder on your face”

 

“I won’t lose”

 

 

 

 

The two younger girls tried their best not to laugh. Amber lost for the third time, her face was already full of powder and now Sulli and Krystal would put some powder again on her face.

 

“I’m sorry, Hyung”, said Sulli before she put the on amber’s forehead.

 

Amber tried not to get mad although it was so hard for her.

 

It was Krystal’s turn, “Sorry, Am”, she said as she Amber’s cheek with the powder.

 

 

 

Luna just finished practicing a new song. She closed the musical note book and put it back on her desk.

 

“Sulli hasn’t come back from Soojung’s room, what is she doing there? Ah maybe Amber isn’t there so they can chitchat… Imma join them…”, Luna talked to her self.

 

 

As she arrived in front of Krystal’s room she found out that the door a little bit opened, so she decided to get in,

 

“Sulli ah are you…………here………”, Luna covered and goggled her eyes. She her eyes to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming. She saw Krystal, Sulli, and Amber were sitting on Krystal’s bed. They sat so close to each other, they were holding cards, and Amber…… Amber the most arrogant person in the academy, was playing with her friends, her face was full of powder.

 

 

“Luna unnie! Come join us!”

 

 

 

 

“Amber, your turn, throw your final card”, Krystal said.

 

Yes, it’s a rarest thing that ever happened in the academy—Amber Liu playing cards with other students. At the first Luna wasn’t sure to join them, she was actually afraid of Amber, but now she was enjoying the game, seems like she forgot that Amber that was playing with them is the famous scary Amber in the academy.

 

“My turn”, Amber said as she threw her final card. Learned from the first, second, and third game, finally Amber could pick her final card properly; she won the game this time.

 

“I won”, a smile formed on Amber’s face, she looked like a little kid who won a game.

 

Krystal, Sulli, and Luna looked really surprised. It wasn’t because of Amber won, but………………………… it was the first time they saw Amber’s smile.