A painful headache woke her up way before her alarm even rung. That was something people would most consider unusual of her since its been known that despite being a hard worker, waking up wasn't really her forte. It was just that her choices for the past two days of drinking seems to have taken a toll on her already. She wasn't throwing up like a pregnant woman that suffers from morning sickness but it felt more as if she was hit in the head with a baseball club with one forceful strike. Memories of the previous night were bleak but she does remember a man's voice constantly speaking in her dream. It was a gentle voice that spoke to her, reminding her to remain safe.

She had one semester remaining and it was dedicated to her on the job training. As a science major in Genetic Engineering, it wasn't entirely a struggle to look for facilities. The problem she had to deal with was to look for a facility that offered short term jobs that were open to students such as her. Luckily, she found one in the form of Gamma Mu Science Research Institute. The laboratory wasn't too big but it wasn't small time as well. It's an independent biotechnological company that didn't have any affliations with any university. It's because of this that there are a variety of individuals working in the institute.

The headache Luna was suffering from had to be brushed aside. She was tasked to monitor the change in cell growth of cells for an entire week and see if these transformed cells already express the protein they desire. It sounded easy but it was a tedious task; transforming the cells is one.. maintaining them and seeing expression is another. Luna got on with her routine; bathe, dress, prep and head on to work. It wasn't far since the place was accessible by bus or train. But having to deal with a headache is another. 

She got there and the station she has marked as hers surprsingly had materials that were not supposed to be there. She rushed over and saw that a student from another university placed her things on her station.

"Yah.. Jaekyung-ah! Can't you read? Can't you see that this is my station?"

"Ohh. Sorry. I didn't realize you've arrived. I thought you won't time in for work today since your experiments have always been such failures." Jaekyung replied in a conniving tone.

"Shut up!"

"What in the world is going on here?" It was the lab manager. He was an old man that they say is closely related to the owner of the company. He didn't finish a science degree so some of the people in the laboratory are annoyed of him since he tends to intervene in matters he is not aware of.

"Manager! We're just having a bad morning here.. I'll take care of this. Go on now. I heard we're running out of some supplies. Why not coordinate with them?" It was Amber. She covered for Jaekyung and Luna by playing coy; saying that the supplies were running out. Amber dragged Luna away before the discussion escalate to a cat fight. The best option was to stay near the vending machine that was placed in an isolated staircase.

"I could've pulled out all of her hair if you didn't stop me!"

"That's the exact reason why I stopped you, idiot. Are you okay? You don't look your usual 'fresh' self.."

"I have a headache and it's pretty bad. Went out drinking last night."

"Aishh.. Is this because of that Jonghyun guy again? Luna.. get over that jerk!"

"So easy to say but so hard to do. We've known each other for so long and let alone we've shared a lot of time together. It's not easy to throw away all those memories."

The two clicked immediately the moment Luna stepped in the laboratory. In a weird sense, they seemed to be able to balance each other since Amber can be a loud one while Luna can add the feminine touch Amber needs. Amber remembers that Luna was so shy in approaching all of them when she first came in. It was as if she was a lone puppy in a sea of cats ready to gang up on her. That situation was the very reason Amber went on and helped Luna to adjust to the laboratory. It wasn't necessarily that they were enemies in the lab but the cutthroat situation where all of them desire results can take a toll on them sometimes.

Amber and Luna were enjoying a short conversation about Jonghyun; on how Luna almost purposedly spill a large cup of soda on Jonghyun when Victoria came in her clunking heels as she glared at Amber. The two of them knew that it wasn't looking good so Luna opted to just leave the two alone. Victoria practically has Amber cornered. She dragged Amber by the collar and the two of them headed to the bathroom. It was only then that Amber noticed Victoria holding a folder.

"What is this?"

"I thought we already talked about this, eonni.. I don't want to talk about it anymore. It's too redundant."

"It's a file from the prison. You were housed in the clinic yesterday? Are you for real? And I found just now that you have been running samples that came from case box of that guy. Do you even know what you're getting yourself into? Do you even realize that that guy is a killer!"

"He is not a killer. Believe me when I tell you I know the eyes of a killer. He does not have those.. Go to him and talk to him.. Look him in the eyes and then you tell me he is a killer."

"I am just worried for you. We don't know the underlying truth behind the story of this guy. Let alone, you have a project you are working on but you are working on a case and samples not related to what we do. I know we are not affliated with the police but what you're doing.. Is it even legal?"

"I already consulted a lawyer about this. He told me that what I was doing was perfectly legal since the prisoner that wishes to have the decision of the case reconsidered gave his consent. The lawyer has also filed the motion for reopening the case. We have yet to receive the decision but he said that I can work on the evidence so that we have something to present once they ask for a basis as to why the case has to be reopened."

"What do you have so far?"

"Well, it is true that murder weapon found in the crime scene had Key's fingerprints but while I was reading throught the case box, I found that there was another trace of blood found in the scene but they dismissed it saying there was no use in checking it since the murder weapon already points to Key."

"Who was the murder victim anyway?"

"It was Key's girlfriend then, Heo Gayoon . The crime happened in the girl's house."

Victoria fell silent when Amber revealed who the murder victim was. Scenarios started playing in her head as if she was imagining whether or not a it could've been a crime passion.. That it was possible Key found something about Gayoon and got enraged and was capable of killing his own girlfriend.

"Have you found a match for the blood sample?"

"It was a pool of blood and there were a few traces. The amount of the traces are too little for me to able to extract anything and the way that they stored the samples wasn't really the most ideal way. My only hope is to actually isolate individual profiles from the pool. It was mostly of the victim's but I'll have to run through several more electrophoresis setups for me to achieve a high resolution profile. By then, maybe I can isolate bands and have them sequenced to see if there is a match in the police database."

The two wanted to discuss the case further but the comfort room door has been knocked on several times already. Because of this, they headed back to their respective stations and carried on with their work. Alongside her project, Amber started working on the blood sample to see if she can isolate distinct profiles. It'll take time to process the results but she expects she'll have something to present in three weeks when the court hearing on reopening the case will be held. Things will become more hectic but she also has to meet Key every now and then for questions and updates on the case. In fact, she was bound for the prison later that afternoon. 

The bruises were really blue. The fist of Jiyong left a mark on his cheeks that it was only then he felt the actual pain of it. The bandage provided enough pressure but a slight touch to the bruises would make them hurt up to the point of almost unbearable. Key found it unusual to have himself feel pain as much as he did that day. Let alone, he found it even more unusual to involve himself with Amber. He always said to himself that Amber was being stupid for diving in to his messy life. He said it to her countless times that she is involving herself in a world she'd rather not get involved in but inspite of this, she continued to herself and even making her involvement deeper and deeper. 

However, even if Key didn't want to admit it, he has grown fond of Amber and her pushy personality. He sees that Amber is a girl that pushes herself to the limits to get what she wants. He appreciates Amber's persistence in a way other people can't. Also, she had some sense in conversations and Key can talk to her about science matters he can't really discuss with other people. The other prisoners would either walk away from him or stare and laugh at him if he talks of science jargon.

The clock has struck 2:00PM and Key had a scheduled meet-up with Amber about the case. He didn't necessarily ask for it. It was more of the lawyer's decision to have the regular visits since it would be more crucial this time around. Asking the court to reopen the case is like a less forceful way of telling the court that they made the wrong decisions and did faulty procedures in settling the case. The lawyer insists that they have to establish a strong case that the court cannot refute their request. 

"31391.. You have a visitor."

News on what happened to him yesterday quickly spread in their wing. Jiyong was a prominent figure in the east wing so opposing him and actually landing a bruise on him was of big deal for the other prisoners. Even if he sustained more of the damage, the bruising GD received was no joke either. As expected, Amber was the visitor. To his surprise though, the lawyer wasn't there to accompany the scientist.

"I have some updates regarding the case. I believe it'll be pointless of me to explain things to you since you'll understand it. I can't show you the case file so I'll just have to ask you some questions to help with the case. This is the procedure I plan on doing."

Key read through the file and didn't have any complains on what Amber plans on doing. It was the most logical thing to do at that moment. Looking through the murder weapon would be pointless. The authorities would most probably have cleaned it before storing it in the case box. Also, his fingerprints were the only ones on the knife anyway. Key read through the file carefully but he felt Amber's gaze towards him. 

"Staring at me won't solve the case."

"Sorry.."

"You said you had questions?"

"I might not be in the position to ask this but Gayoon was your girlfriend, right?"

"Uh-huh.."

"My curiosity had me looking through the case file and some of the photos.. I don't want to really talk about it but she was really pretty. You met her on campus or something?"

"She was a good friend in high school. We went to different universities but things somehow developed. I mean, you get the idea.."

"High school love.. Gosh, that must've been so great."

"Why? Didn't you have a boyfriend or something?"

Amber shook her head. "Nope.. I'm a NBSB; no boyfriend since birth type of girl. I was too busy with sports and studying in high school before I decided to move here at Korea to study. I mean, I don't really regret it but sometimes I feel like I missed an integral part of my life. I am such a dumb fart when it comes to love. Sometimes, I can be so fickle as well. I won't know or I can't tell if a guy actually likes me or not."

"That's pretty sad though."

"Well, enough about me. Do your bruises still hurt?"

Amber reached out her hand and slowly started touching over Key's bruises. He expected the pain but to his surprise, it didn't hurt as much as when he touched his very own bruises. He looked at Amber and he saw the worry build up on the girl's face. He didn't blame her but she partly responsible as to why he had those bruises in the first place.

"How is your research going?"

"I have some problems expressing my protein of interest. Transforming the cells isn't a problem but expressing the protein can be such a bother."

"What kind of cells are you using?"

"Yeast cells.. I have tried bacterial cells before but I think the necessary post translational modifications have to be met so that I can successfully express the protein"

"Maybe try to use mammalian cell lines or insect cell lines. Perhaps that could help in expressing your protein. I mean, yeast cells have post translational but maybe you need higher eukaryotes to do the job."

"That's what I actually plan to do once I finish with the yeast cells. A culture has expressed the protein but I have problems reproducing the results. If I don't get to reproduce the results with this batch, I'll be moving on to insect cells."

"I checked your profile but not so much was written about you; just your address and birthdate. Were you a science major?"

"That's pretty obvious isn't it."

"Aissshh. You don't have to answer with so much hostility. We're on the same page here, you know?"

"Sorry.. But can you blame me? I have been dealing with this kind of hostility for the past three years of my life. And don't mind my bruises.. This is nothing really. Getting to talk to you is pretty refreshing. In fact, you're the only refreshing and fun thing that has been happening to me as of late. I'd rather have you annoy me than talk to other prisoners."

Amber smiled at Key's words. She hasn't told him but other than the true desire of helping Key prove his innocence, Amber enjoys talking to Key about her experiments. Getting the chance to talk to a person outside the laboratory is so refreshing for her. Amber also gets to talk to Key about other matters regarding politics, sociology and other sciences. It is the very reason that her supposed two hour visit turned into four. The prison isn't really restricting her visiting hours because she is considered as part of the case but it was just a lame excuse for her to talk to Key. Time drifted so fast that Amber failed to realize that the sky has turned dark. It was only when one of the guards informed her that someone was calling her cellphone did she realize the time. It was Luna.

"Sorry.. I took a lot of your time."

"It's okay.. I had fun and thanks for the update on the case."

"Sure thing. I'll do my best on this case Key.. I know you're innocent and I'll prove that."

"Thank you."

Amber left and headed to meet Luna near her apartment. She invited the girl for dinner. Amber felt a slight disappointment in cutting short her conversation with Key but she felt it was needed as well. If they went on, they might finish the next day with so much to talk about. 
Luna and Amber met and they headed to the chicken restaurant Luna has been hanging out for the past two nights. Onew saw Luna from afar and somehow he started to panic inside. The image of a drunk girl kissing him out of the blue was embedded inside his mind that the mere thought of it made him blush and smile like an idiot. He was so immersed in this thought that the ahjumma was the one that welcomed the two.

"Aigoo.. You are here again Miss. And you brought a friend? Are you two going to drink the night away? Omo.. I can't have my employees keep bringing you home."

"Ani eommoni! We'll just have dinner and maybe a bottle each but nothing more. I've learned my lesson. I had a really bad headache this morning. I don't want to experience that on a work day."

"Good! Anyway, sit down. I'll have them take your orders."

The ahjumma went back to the kitchen as she ordered Onew to get the orders. He went near the two but couldn't look Luna in the eyes. He was avoiding her gaze somehow hoping that she doesn't necessarily remember his face. Unfortunately though, Luna pointed at her.

"Omo! Last night.."

"Aigoo.." Onew whispered.

"I forgot to get your name, oppa.. I really wanted to thank you."

"It's Onew.."

"Oohh.. Thank you Onew oppa! I am Sunyoung but just call me Luna! This here is my friend, Amber."

"Ye.. Uhh.. What's your order?"

"A chicken bucket and two beer bottles please. That would be all.."

"All right."

Onew tended to them all the while avoiding Luna's gaze at him. He was baffled as if Luna acted that the kiss didn't happen the previous night. Not that it was a big deal for him but he just found it a little funny. It just goes to prove that she was really drunk from drinking. It would be a lie if he'd say that he didn't find the girl cute. He kept uttering her name over and over in his head. She suited the name, he thought. He finds Luna's smile attractive. It might be shallow for him to say it but he is attracted to Luna. He'd love to talk to her but even if she opened herself to him, Onew felt that there was some sort of distance between them. He then realized to himself that maybe it was because of the fact that he came from prison. He believes that it would be ultimate limiting factor for him in trying to establish relations.

"She's adorable isn't she?"

"Hmm? Who, eomma?"

"That girl.. The drunk girl you brought home last night. She looks better if she smiles. The last two nights she's been here, she's just frowning all the time. Now that she's smiling, she looks a lot better. Don't you agree?"

"She does.."

Onew stayed put. The two finished their dinner and stood up. It was then Onew rushed himself out of the counter and ran after Luna and Amber who were already a block away from the store. Amber was the first one to notice and tapped on Luna to stop from walking. Out of breath, Onew was speaking incomprehensible words for Luna. Once he caught up his breath, he looked Luna straight in the eyes.

"I like you.. Will you go on a date with me?"

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After a month.. I finally got to update. Suffered from writer's block for this one and it was pretty bad. Hope you liked the update!^^