Comeback

 

 

“Amber! Have you seen the teasers yet?!” My best friend, Min bursts through my bedroom door.

“Don’t you ever knock? And what teasers? You don’t mean…?” I say, my eyes going wide as my mouth.

“Oh yes. I mean it. They’re out. And the first teaser is….” Min opens my computer, smirking at me.

I can’t speak. I get up from my bed and proceed to sit beside her, looking over her shoulder. They’re out. The teasers are out. Oh my lord. I can’t keep my knees from shaking.

“Here it is.” She says, opening a picture.

I drop my pen and I’m unable to move. Holy… Blonde. OH MY GOODNESS. KRYSTAL JUNG IS BLONDE. THAT’S IT. I LOST IT. I CAN’T. MY FEELS. WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO PERFECT?

“Amber? Earth to Amber? Okay. She’s lost it.” I hear Min say but everything is a blur. I could only focus on her picture.

That perfectly creepy photo of hers. Wearing that dark eyeliner with her other eye being concealed under those beautiful blonde locks. Those beautiful cat-like eyes staring up at me in a very scary way. She looks like a Goth here but I couldn’t care less. She looks so perfect as always.

“Amber! Come back to me, buddy!” Min says while shaking my limp body.

“Ugh…” I manage to say.

“Amber. I know. My feels too. But damn, dude. Get a hold of yourself!” She says, shaking me violently.

“Why is she so beautiful, Min?” I ask with eyes full of wonder.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask her?” She says, crossing her arms.

“As if I could. I wish I could.” I say, looking at her.

“Amber…” She says, getting a hold of my shoulders.

I look at her weirdly. O…kay? What is she doing?

“The time has come to empty our bank accounts.” She says with a wide grin plastered upon her face.

“Not another feel trip, Min!” I groan.

“Really! They announced it! F(x) will be having a solo concert next month!”

That’s it. Goodbye world. I felt my soul leave my body.

“Amber!? Ambeeeeer! Man, she really fainted.” Says Min, scratching her head.

 

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Finally! We have the tickets! VIP tickets to boot! Thanks to Min’s mom who has a friend in the ticketing company, we were able to get these babies before they got sold out. Wow. That’s the power of f(x) for you. Sold out in just an hour. Though our bank accounts became empty…

“I regret nothing. Yep. Regretting nothing.” Min says as she stares at her ticket.

“Stop staring at it. It might melt.” I say while surfing the net.

She snorts and continues on blabbering about how awesome the concert will be. Of course it will be awesome. Not just awesome, but epic. Come on, it’s f(x)’s first solo concert after god knows how long. I can’t wait to see the four of them perform on stage, right before my eyes. We have the VIP seats so meaning we’ll be near the stage. Really near. I could see my long time love, Krystal Jung. Yeah, not crush, but love. I don’t know. It’s so hopeless of me to fall in love with a person who doesn’t even know I exist. But I can’t help it. She’s just so perfect despite her flaws. I could only watch her from afar. By afar meaning my computer screen.

“Hey, Amber. What are you gonna do when you see them up close? Especially Krystal?” Min suddenly asks.

“I don’t know. Faint maybe?” I reply.

“Again?!” She raises her voice.

I just shrug. What would I do if Krystal Jung is in front of me? Honestly speaking… I don’t have a single clue. Of course if I tell her that I love her with all of my heart, she’ll see me as this creepy stalker fan. I don’t want that. I just want to get to know her and be her friend at least.

“Amber Josephine Liu! The music video’s out!” Min suddenly screams.

“Wha-?” I say.

“Suzy just messaged me and she’s already fangilring! Hurry open youtube and search for ‘f(x) red light’!” Min says while nearly knocking me out of my seat.

I didn’t complain and continue to access youtube since I’m already on my computer. Let’s see… f(x) Red Light…

…..

HERE IT IS. FFFFFFFFFFF-

“Amber. Breathe.” Min says, massaging my back.

“I’ll try.” I press play.

The video starts to play and we hold our breath. It starts out with a telephone ringing and a cat. Wait… Is that Krystal burning a book? That’s so badass! Okay now… They start singing… The concept is really cool! As expected of them! Unique. That’s why they’re my favorite group. They stand out from the sea of cutesy and overly y K-Pop girl groups. They’re great. Of course I can’t take my eyes off of the ice princess Krystal Jung. She’s just divine. Oh my goodness. Being blonde suits her very well. Please. More screen shots of her. Ahhhh. I’m fangirling again. The music videos end with still the telephone ringing, but this time it wasn’t answered. Then there’s Krystal closing the burning book. Damn. Save the trees!

“That was….” I mumble.

“AWESOME AS PUDDING!” Min finishes.

“Pudding?” I look at her with a ‘what the heck’ expression.

“Yeah. Pudding. Anyways… Their concert is in two in a half weeks. Are you ready to finally meet Krystal Jung?” She says, grinning.

“Of course I’m not!” I enthusiastically say.

I’m already getting nervous by just thinking of it.

 

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The lights flash outside the concert dome. Min and I are in awe. There’s so many people. Most of them wearing f(x) shirts and brought f(x) merch with them. Well I’m wearing my ‘Pink Tape’ shirt and we brought our light periwinkle light stick so we should be fine. Wait… Are those JungLi banners?

“Let’s go!” Min drags me to the VIP section.

We get inside quickly since the VIP section is only limited to thirty people. Can you believe it? Thirty people! And we are two of those lucky fans who get up close to our idols! Yeah. This night is gonna be epic! Everybody’s in place and the only thing to wait for is the grand entrance of our beloved f(x). The dome suddenly turns dark. Screams and squeals could be heard all over. Light periwinkle light sticks shed light to the dark dome. Finally… A light periwinkle ocean for f(x). We also light our sticks and wave them around. Suddenly music starts to play… Is that… LAchATA?! Ohooo! Their debut song is playing! Here it goes!

Victoria emerges and the crowd goes wild. The fans begin to chant. Victoria smiles and waves at us. Then here comes Sulli, blowing a kiss to the crowd. The crowd lost it. Victoria and Sulli are now walking around, holding the fans’ hands as they go. Luna comes out and gives the crowd big high wave. She walks around, her short blue hair glowing electric under the lights. She looks amazing. They all look amazing. Such natural beauties. Wait… So the three’s already out meaning…

“Krystaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!!!” The crowd roars.

The world slows down as the girl of my dreams emerges on stage. Her pinkish white skin glowing with radiance. Her platinum blonde locks swaying as she walks. She gives the crowd a bright smile. A smile that could melt my heart in an instant. There she is, walking across the stage like a goddess. I could only watch her as she interacts with other fans. She’s so beautiful…

“Electric! Electric Shock!” The speakers start to boom.

The crowd roars with excitement as they perform their first number of the night. Light periwinkle lights fill the dome.They performed numerous favorites such as “Danger” and “Hot Summer”. They look so happy. I look beside me and see Min crying while jumping along the beat. I look around… Everyone is having their emotional moment. They’re all happy to be here, watching this group perform on their first solo concert ever. I’m happy to be here. It’s a night to remember.

“Hey, everyone!” Krystal says to us fans.

The crowd replies with a lively cheer but I could only stare at her, unable to move. Krystal Jung is right in front of me. I’m looking up at her. I can’t believe my eyes. It feels like I’m dreaming.

“Are you guys enjoying the party so far?” She asks.

The crowd once again reply with a thundering cheer.

“We’ll take that as a yes then!” She says, laughing.

“We’re really happy that you all came to our very first concert!” Luna beams.

“Yes! Thank you so much, everyone!” Victoria bows.

“Thank you!” They all say in unison, bowing.

The crowd cries out and the people around me start to cry. We are all so overwhelmed by the emotions going through the arena.

“Hey! Don’t cry! We're gonna perform for you some more. So please smile, okay?” Krystal says, smiling at us.

Thus that was the cue. “Rum Pum Pum Pum” starts to play. That cutesy f(x) song about describing first love as an annoying wisdom tooth. The crowd dances with them and bobbing their heads along the boat. There they are having fun, moving around but here I am… Just standing here, taking it all in. Then a mixtape intro starts to play. The bass starts to drop and we all cheer… It’s “Red Light”!

“Let’s go!” Sulli shouts.

The crowd once again dance like there’s no limitation to their energy. I finally snap out of it and scream.

“Ey ey it’s a red light!” I shout while jumping.

“You finally join the party! I’m starting to think you were so star stricken that you forgot to move!” Min says to me.

We chant along the lyrics and scream at the appropriate time. The song ends with red fireworks and confetti flying in the air. The four of them line up and bow deep while holding hands. They straighten up and wave to us goodbye. The crowd erupt in cries and cheers of support for them. They say their thanks to all of us and slowly go back stage as the outro ends. That’s how the "f(x): The First Concert" went. If you ask me, it was epic. I couldn’t move after all of that.

“Hey. The concert’s over. Oh my god. I still can’t believe it. I feel like I’m going to break down. That was so epic!” She says while dragging me out of the arena.

We find ourselves on the street. Other fans start to go home as soon as the concert ended. While some decide to stay and wait for f(x) at the backstage entrance.

“Hey, let’s wait for them at the back. I bet we would see them.” Min says, pointing at the crowd of fans not far from us.

“Uh… I’m sorry, Min. You go. I’ll just go walk this off. I feel a little dizzy.” I reply, holding my temple.

“Are you sure about that? You won’t get to see Krystal.” She says.

“It’s fine. I’m already happy that I got to see her smiling so genuinely.” I say, unconsciously smiling.

“Alright. I’ll text you when I’m done okay?” She says, heading off.

I wave at her and walk off the opposite direction into the deserted streets. It’s already midnight and the air is cold. I sit at the sidewalk, rubbing my forehead. Man, what a rush. I didn’t do much at the concert yet I’m dead beat. My head perks up as I hear footsteps coming at my direction. I look to my left and see a girl wearing a tank top under a red plaid shirt and a pair of jeans. Why is she wearing a cap in the middle of the night? Is that a face mask? O…kay? Who is this girl? I can’t see her under the dim light. I stare at her until…

 “Whoa there!” I get up before she crashes to the ground.

I think she didn’t see me because she just walked straight to me then tripped as if I’m some kind of rock.

“Hey! Ahhh! Kidnapper! !” She cries out.

“What!? Hey! No! Come on. You tripped. I think you mistook me for some inanimate object, miss. So to prevent you from falling I held you steady.” I say, waving my hands in front.

 “Oh… I thought you were a ert… I’m sorry. I didn’t look onto where I was going.” She says, bowing down.

“Oh no. It’s fine.” I nervously laugh.

I notice her cap fall off, revealing long silk like platinum blonde locks. My eyes go wide. C-could it be. Oh my lord. She notices that her hat fell off and frantically try to cover her hair. But it was too late… I know who she is… Why didn’t I notice sooner? Maybe it was the dim light of the lamp post, casting shadows over us.

“Y-you're…” I stutter.

She straightens up and looks at me with piercing cat-like cold eyes. Beautiful…

“Krystal Jung…” I manage to croak.

“Well… Looks like I’ve been caught.” She says, smiling.

“Uh… May I ask… What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be back there?” I say, pointing at the backstage door that’s surrounded by fans.

“I snuck out to get some food.” She says blankly.

Some food? They must be hungry back there. Ah, these mistreatments.

“Okay? Oh no. You manager is surely looking for you right now.” I say.

“Please! Don’t take me back yet.” She says, holing my arm.

My heart skips a bit at her sudden action.

“A-alright. Uh… Want me to help you out?” I offer.

“Really? Thanks! It’s a big help since I don’t know my way around here.” She says, grinning.

Oh lordie. I think my heart stopped. She’s so gorgeous up close.

“Oh yeah. I don’t know your name yet.” She says, looking friendly.

Awww… She looks like a friendly cat.

“I’m Amber.” I introduce myself, bowing.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Amber. Shall we go?” She says, linking her arm around mine.

There it goes again! Stupid heart! Stop beating so fast! She might hear you! Ohhhh. I feel like I’m going to faint. Krystal Jung has her arm around mine. Is this a dream? Don’t wake me up please!

“So where do you want to get food?” I ask her while we walk. She put her cap and mask on again so people wouldn’t recognize her and start a dating rumor.

Wait… A dating rumor… With me. MY HEART.

“I see McDonalds. I want meat.” She says. I could imagine her pouting. So cute.

“To McDonalds it is!” I say.

We arrive at the nearest McDonalds and we enter the place. I look around if people would find Krystal’s outfit suspicious. Someone might recognize her. But to my relief nobody seems to bother. We approach the counter and list our orders. Man… These girls sure do eat a lot. Look at these orders. I look over Krystal and see her taking out her wallet to pay for all of this.

“Hey. It’s on me.” I say, gently touching her hand.

“What? No. I can’t do that.” She protests.

“It’s fine. Take it as a thanks from me for doing such a great job at the concert. Everybody’s really happy.” I say, giving her a sincere smile.

She looks at me with eyes that I couldn’t read. Wait… Is that a blush? Is she blushing? Nah… I’m just imagining things. Krystal Jung wouldn’t blush over me. That’s just the make-up.

“Okay… Thank you, Amber.” She says. I could feel her smile.

I grin at her in response. I pay for all of their food and we go out of the establishment. I look at my watch and it’s already one in the morning. Why isn’t Min texting me yet? She should be done by now. But no… Please, Min. Don’t text me yet. I’m with the girl of my dreams here!

“Let me help you, Am.” Krystal says while grabbing a bag.

Am? That’s so cute. She gave me a nickname already. I blush at the thought.

“Thank you.” I mutter.

We walk in silence back to the concert arena. The walk seems to take longer than usual. Did the time slow down for us then? I look at Krystal and see her taking off her cap and mask.

“Why did you remove them? People might see you.” I say.

“It’s fine. If I didn’t remove it, I’ll be having a hard time looking at you.” She smiles.

My heart. Oh nooo. I’m falling in love even more. I look away to hide my blush and I hear her giggle. I look back at her and she gives me a grin. She really is beautiful inside out. Wow…

“Say, Amber. You’re from around here right?” She asks.

“Yes.” I reply.

“Great! Let’s keep in touch okay? Let’s be friends. I want to get to know you better.” She says, smiling once again.

Seriously, Krystal. How many times do you intend to make my heart stop?

“You have a phone right? Let’s exchange numbers!” She says, putting down the bag she’s holding on the bench we passed by.

“Sure.” I say, taking out my phone.

I give her my phone and she inputs her number then she saves mine into hers. I HAVE KRYSTAL JUNG’S NUMBER. I want to scream. Yes!

“How long are you planning on standing there, Am?” I hear Krystal say from afar.

Oh I spaced out again.

“Coming, princess.” I suddenly blurt out. I cover my mouth, catching myself.

Krystal raises her eyebrows for a moment then melts into a warm smile.

“I like the sound of that.” She says.

“Come on, let’s get back before our manager kills me.” She adds, holding out her hand for mine to take.

I take her hand and my face turns red like a tomato. This is like what I’ve always dreamed of. Hand in hand with her. I hope my hands aren’t sweaty. Ohhh. Don’t faint yet, Amber! We walk in silence, only our entwined hands that are keeping us warm. Finally we arrive at the concert arena. The people at the backstage door are fewer. Krystal starts to put her cap and mask on again.

“Okay. Where do we go now?” I ask.

“Follow me.” She says, towing me to the side.

I follow her and there we find a door. Huh. Maybe the fans doesn’t know about this one.

“This is a door that leads to the storage room. I’m sorry Amber… But we part ways here. But still… Let’s keep in touch okay?” She says, taking off her cap and mask.

“Alright. You take care, princess. Say hi to the other girls for me. Thank you for a wonderful night.” I say, giving her a warm smile.

She grins and gets the other bags from me. I watch her go inside the storage door. I sigh. Well… There goes my dream girl. I’m about to turn around when suddenly the door opens again revealing Krystal.

“What’s wrong? Did you forget something?” I ask, checking my pockets.

“As a matter of fact… I did forget something.” She says.

“What is-” I’m cut off because of the smell of strawberries suddenly infiltrating my senses.

It takes me a moment to realize that Krystal is hugging me. Oh… I’m melting. She hugs me tight for a moment then she pulls away.

“Thank you, Amber.” She smiles then gives me a kiss on the cheek before letting go completely.

I watch her run back to the storage door. Then she’s gone. I’m just standing here, processing everything that just happened. I touch my cheek where her lips made contact. I let that sink in. I let the fact that Krystal Jung Soojung just hugged and kissed me on the cheek.

“Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!” I finally scream.

I’m so happy. This turned out to be the best day in my entire life! I go back out at the street only to find Min impatiently dialing on her phone. I take out my phone and find that I have thirty missed calls and twenty three messages. All from her.

“Hey, Min!” I call out to her.

She looks at me with fury and barges right on to me. Oh no.

“You! Where have you been! I’ve been looking all over for you!” She says while hitting me with her bag.

“Ow! Sorry! I was just out for a stroll.” I reply, shielding myself from her attacks.

“A stroll?! For nearly two hours!? Seriously, Amber!” She says.

“Come on, I’m sorry. What happened at the backstage door anyway? Did you see them?” I ask.

“No… We didn’t”. She replies, sounding a little bit disappointed.

“Awwww. It’s alright, buddy. Come on. Let’s go home.” I gesture her to come with me.

She jogs to my side and we proceed to walk home. Then I feel my phone vibrate. I got a message from an unknown number. I open it and almost drop my phone.

 

“Hi, Am! It’s Krystal! The girls says thank you for the food! Take care on your way home okay? Don’t leave your princess just yet. ;)”

 

That’s what the message says. Along with it is a selca of her smiling and doing a peace sign.

“You’re so cute.” I think to myself.

“Hey. Are you okay?” Min says, looking at me.

“Yeah I’m fine.” I reply, grinning.

She raises and eyebrow as if saying “Really?”.

“Trust me. I feel great. I had the best night of my life.” I say as I’m setting Krystal’s picture as my cellphone background.

 

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Meanwhile at f(x)’s van on their way home….

 

“Unnie… Is it possible to like someone in just two hours?” Krystal suddenly asks Victoria.

“Well… That depends. Maybe it’s love at first sight, baby Jung.” Victoria replies.

“Why, Krystal? Did something happen?” Sulli, leans over Krystal with a big grin on her face.

“N-nothing.” She says, looking away.

“Come on, Sulli. Give the girl some space.” Luna says.

Sulli retreats and sits back.

“Krystal… Did something really happen?” Victoria asks in a motherly tone.

“Well… I never knew that I could like or even fall in love with someone in just two hours.” Krystal says with a blush on her cheeks while fiddling her phone which now shows a stolen shot of a certain smiling tomboy that made Krystal’s heart flutter countless of times.

“EEEEEEEHHHH?!” The three girls react upon hearing what their youngest member just said.