“So what you’re saying is…I’ll be her slave?” Amber asked, sitting back on the sofa, sipping her banana milk. She was dressed in basketball shorts and a plain black t-shirt. Wonbin had just finished showering and was drying his hair with a towel beside her.

          “Bodyguard, Am. Not slave.”

          “Right, but still.” The younger shrugged and stretched her leg, poking Wonbin with her toe, a mischievous smile on her lips. "I still have to work for that rude girl with a princess complex."

          He leaned away just in time, pushing her foot away.  For the past hour, he had fed Amber and talked about her future job as well as what Krystal usually does. He had already asked  countless of people to be Krystal’s bodyguard in the four years she’s been a celebrity but no one lasted longer than a month. Krystal made sure of that by testing their limits.

          She was persistent. Many times she’s told Wonbin that she felt as if Satan was hovering around her, choking her to death.  She had also caused quite a stir when she disappeared frequently, only to be found a few hours after. The company eventually decided that they would not allow her to have a bodyguard. Enough money has been wasted and Heechul's patience regarding the matter was non-existent.

          Wonbin leaned heavily against the sofa, taking his own strawberry milk and started drinking. “Look…I understand if you can’t do the job. She is a hard person to deal with. But I…I just thought that you’ll be the one to finally change her, you know? You’re one of the few people that have that ability. You remember...”

          “Hyung,” Amber said in a warning tone.

          The older let out a sigh, pinching the bidge of his nose. Amber looked at him and saw the worried lines in his face. He looked exhausted. How can four years change someone this much? Last time she saw him, he was so happy to become a manager for a potential star. He said that he was going to help make someone’s dreams come true because his didn’t. Now, instead of looking like someone on his late twenties, he looked older. 

          “I’m sorry.” Wonbin put his head in his hands, ruffling his hair in frustration. “If Krystal doesn’t change, everything that she has worked for will go to waste. It’s like…acting and modeling are parts of her. She can't live without doing them. If she doesn't change within a month, the company will make her join a girl group.”

          The younger stared at him. “And so? Girl groups seem to be pretty popular these days. They can act too and heck, they have more CFs than most actresses anyways. What’s wrong with that?”

          Wonbin threw his hands up in the air. What can she say that would make Amber understand? “You don’t know her, Amber. This was her dream since she was little. When everything crumbled down around her and expectations were hard to meet, she excelled in this. This is who she is.” His tone was pleading and desperate. Never had she seen him in this state. She truly cared for the spoiled girl she met earlier. “ Without this, she'll be nothing. You would know how that feels out of all people.”

          “Don’t compare me with her. She’s just like them,” Amber answered, gritting her teeth.

          “Give her a chance,” Wonbin pleaded once more. “If you don’t like her after spending say…this week with her then I’ll help you find another job. If you do change your mind then be her bodyguard for a month. Please, Amber. You know what this job means to me.”

          The Taiwanese weighed the pros and cons of accepting this offer. In her head, the cons outweighed the pros. But seeing the only person who picked her up when she was down and helped her without asking for anything in return like this, she couldn’t say no. For him to stay around someone like Krystal…she wanted to know why.

          “Okay. I get it, I get it. Aish,” Amber said irritably, a frown permanently on her lips. “How much is the pay?”

          Wonbin would’ve hugged Amber if he didn’t feel awkward hugging any female. So all he did was ruffle the younger’s hair, grinning. The tension in his body seemed to have disappeared and his facial features relaxed a little.  “We’ll have to discuss that with the president. Come with me to the company tomorrow.”

          “Wait.” Amber held a hand up, furrowing her eyebrows. “Krystal doesn’t know about this, right?”

          The older shook his head, smiling a little. “But she’ll have to say yes. It’s for her own good. She may be spoiled, but she’ll do anything for her goals.”

          Amber thought she should already prepare herself for the worst possible outcome once they revealed it to her. But she didn't say anything. Instead she suggested they clear up and go to bed so they were early tomorrow.

          After they cleared up, Wonbin told Amber where to find extra pillows and a blanket. She settled herself on the couch after washing up. Wonbin said he needed to get as much sleep as he could and informed her that they leave at five am. Krystal had to film for a drama tomorrow and she wanted to be early on set.

          “Thank you, Am,” Wonbin said gently as he turned off all the lights except for one lamp. The younger was afraid of the dark and couldn’t sleep without at least one source of light on.

          Amber looked at him, nodding. They exchanged goodnights and he entered his room. Soon, she could hear his snores, making her laugh a little. He hadn't changed much, it seems. Although she wouldn’t admit it, she missed this. A few hours in Seoul made her realize that here was where she truly felt at home.  Even the air seemed lighter here compared to where she ran away from.

          She slipped her hand inside her pocket, taking out her phone. The light blinded her for a bit, and she blinked for a little. No calls or texts from her. Even after she had sent a message telling her she was here. Maybe she had changed her number. Amber wouldn’t know. It’s been almost a year since they last spoke.

          “Do you remember me?” She whispered.

          Sighing, she placed her phone face down on the table and pulled the covers up. She slept soon after that and dreamed again.

           I can’t sleep.

          Another sleepless night. She was glad that it didn’t take a toll on her performance both as an actress and a model. The sleeping pills were on top of her bedside table as always but she didn’t want to take them tonight. They tasted foul and she felt dizzy after taking them. 

          Her chest heaved as she inhaled, letting out her breath in a sigh. She sat up, looking out at the balcony. Seoul’s city lights still twinkled in the night. Faintly, she could hear the sounds of car horns outside and music that was blasting from the apartment above her. Again. She wanted to attempt it again.

          She opened the glass doors to the balcony, stepping outside. Barefoot, the marble felt cool against her feet as she walked towards the fence. Gently, she placed her hands on the bars and looked down. Krystal lived in the highest floor of the building as per her request. Her manager had told her not to attempt it again though at nights like this, she wanted to.  A part of her wondered if all she needed was a push from someone to truly end it all.

          Like every single night when she couldn’t sleep and she felt like nothing, she pushed herself away and looked at the cityscape. It was breathtakingly beautiful. She always liked the city view. No one knew that, though. From this view, she could see familiar billboards with her face on it. Some moved while others were still, capturing her beautiful face smiling.

          “People are so shallow,” she whispered.

          She walked back to her room, closing the balcony’s glass doors. Tomorrow was her first day shooting for the drama. If she does well, she’ll be able to do more of them. By next month she’ll be able to have her own drama. With her as the main lead, hopefully. If she worked hard, she’ll be able to do what she loved some more. And no one would take away her freedom. Until then.

          Krystal slipped back inside her covers, hugging an old teddy bear that was given to her a long time ago. “You can do it, Krystal.”

          “You’re fashionably late.”

          Amber bit her bottom lip, scratching the back of her head. She had overslept. No matter what Wonbin did, she couldn’t wake her up. She tried playing loud music, hitting pans against each other. Even slapped her awake but she gave up soon after. Despite wanting to wait for her, he couldn't. So he drove Krystal to the set and Wonbin texted Amber to rush her way to the company for their meeting. He laid out what  she had to wear for it which was his old suit and his little brother’s dress shoes.

          “Sorry, hyung. I—“

          Wonbin shook his head. “No time for that. The president is in the middle of a meeting right now but he’ll be done soon.”

          Amber nodded and gave him a silent sorry again which he accepted with a generous smile. Being around Wonbin in his “working” state was always cool to see. They worked at the same grocery store before and it was amazing to see a guy so serious even when he was only stocking up. Even his tone changed when he talked with Amber about what the job qualifications are and what she was expected to do.

          “In the end, all I ask is for you to set her straight and protect her at the same time,” he said finally.

          “I got it, I got it. We talked about this last night, right?”

          Sooyoung rose from her seat,