Krystal poked her head out of her hotel room cautiously and looked up and down the empty hall. The floor was deserted, but she knew better than to trust what she saw. With this being the day following an SMTOWN concert, specifically the SMTOWN LIVE WORLD TOUR IV in Taiwan, there were sure to be fans lurking about. As she was trying to see off Victoria and Luna very early this morning, it felt like their managers were holding back endless waves of fans. And although Krystal was usually grateful towards her fans, there were times she just wanted to hear herself think.

 

After a moment of listening to the silence, Krystal felt more reassured that the hallway was in fact empty. She quickly sprinted down the hallway and knocked on the last door to her right. With every second that passed, Krystal felt more exposed and more nervous. Her eyes scanned the area around her, praying that fans weren't hiding and watching her every move.

 

"Come on, come on," she thought, lifting her hand to knock once more. But there was a rustling sound from within the room. Moments later, a familiar mop of blond hair appeared and Amber greeted her with a smile.

 

"About time," Krystal said, rushing into the room without invitation. She brushed past Amber's outstretched hands and dove for the couch, kicking off her shoes deftly in the process. Amber shut the door quietly and approached the couch, her arms still outstretched as though waiting for a hug. Her expression was one of playful indignance.

 

"Uh, good morning?" Amber said pointedly, clearly implying, "what about my hug?" 

 

Krystal flashed a haughty smile and dismissively waved her hand. "Hugs are for people who open doors in a reasonable amount of time."

 

Amber laughed. "You realize that it took me like 5 seconds to open the door just now, right?"

 

"Yeah, that's 5 seconds too long. The paparazzi was eating me alive out there," Krystal whined. She was in full-blown brat mode and she knew it, but she also knew that Amber would allow her to play out her bratty mood without complaint, so she acted to her heart's desire. "Make it up to me!" she demanded, pouting as much as she could without making herself laugh.

 

As expected, Amber, forever her loyal servant, smiled and bowed 90 degrees to her. "I apologize Princess-nim, it won't happen again. Please allow me to continue to serve you!" 

 

"Good, apology accepted." Krystal laid down on the couch and made room for Amber to lie down with her. "Come here," she said, opening her arms for the hug she had previously denied.

 

"One sec, I was in the middle of practice."

 

When Krystal shot her a pitiful look, Amber rolled her eyes and approached the couch. But rather than lie down, she picked up the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch and tucked it around the maknae. "Stay warm until I finish, OK?"

 

Krystal giggled as Amber wrapped her tightly like a burrito. Her arms were pinned to her sides and she could barely move, yet she enjoyed the feeling of having something snugly wrapped around her. But as Amber planted a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose and her giggles blurred into silence, so too did the line between friendship and romantic love.

 

Their eyes met briefly as Amber pulled away to stand up. Krystal said nothing, but she wondered if Amber could read her thoughts through her eyes. "What are we?" It was a question Krystal felt herself asking more often these days. The easy answer was "friends". They were friends who bickered and teased each other, who supported each other through tough times and shared triumphs together. They were friends who laughed and cried together and yes, they loved each other. But were they IN love with each other? Were they lovers?

 

As if to answer Krystal's unspoken question, Amber offered her a gentle smile and a small shrug of her shoulder. There had been no real reason or motivation behind her action. She had kissed Krystal's nose just because she felt like it.

 

"One sec," Amber said again, closing her eyes.

 

Krystal watched Amber take a deep breath before the lyrics began to roll off her tongue. She recognized it instantly; Amber was singing "Beautiful". Amber had started at the beginning of her rap verse and Krystal realized that she had interrupted Amber's practice with her unexpected arrival. Even as acapella, especially as acapella, Amber's voice was simply beautiful. The powerful lyrics effortlessly filled the room. The end of the song was near, but Krystal couldn't bear to hear so little of the song when Amber had given her only a taste.

 

"From the top," Krystal said abruptly, causing Amber to stop mid-word. Amber's eyes had been closed as she lost herself in the music, but she opened her eyes and met Krystal's in surprise. "Please?"

 

Amber smiled the same gentle smile and began "Beautiful" from the start. Her voice sent shivers down Krystal's spine and she hid her face under the blanket in embarrassment. She closed her eyes and drowned herself in Amber's voice, letting it caressed every inch of her soul.

 

"I should have asked you to give that song to me," Krystal said after Amber's private concert for her ended. "You could do the rap part while I sing and it could have been our debut duet."

 

"Well why didn't you?" Amber asked, coming to kneel beside the couch where she laid. "I'd have given it to you in a heartbeat."

 

"Because I know how much that song means to you." She sat up and made room on the couch for Amber. "No one gets to sing that song but you. You made the song because the song made you." A simple yet deep explanation that Amber understood and appreciated.

 

"Why thank you, Princess-nim. I'm glad my performance pleased you." As she sat down, Amber comically made it clear that she was not worthy of sitting so close to Krystal and sat on the other end of the sofa.

 

"Hey. You sit here," Krystal said, motioning the empty spot next to her. Without warning, Amber launched herself at Krystal, pressing her back onto the cushions amid squeals and laughter. Once they had finished untangling themselves and the blanket, they were comfortably lying down side by side under the blanket with Amber holding Krystal tightly. They giggled and complained about the lack of space, but they were happy and comfortable. Krystal rolled over so that she faced outward and started to reach for Amber's phone on the coffee table, but Amber pulled her back.

 

"What do you think you're doing?" Krystal asked with playful annoyance as she struggled to free herself from Amber's hold.

 

"Getting comfy. What are you doing?"

 

"Trying to get your phone."

 

"Eh? How come?" Amber asked, loosening her grip on Krystal's waist. Krystal's hand finally closed around the phone and she settled back against Amber's body.

 

"Selca," she responded, as though the answer was quite obvious. She unlocked Amber's phone and opened the camera app. "Smile!" But as she pressed the button and took the picture, she saw Amber lean over and place a kiss on her cheek.

 

The line blurred again, the separation between friendship and romantic love. Krystal felt scared, but at the same time she felt thrilled. Like every time the line blurred, her heart raced, filling with uncertainty and questions she didn't know how to articulate.

 

"What are we doing?" Krystal asked, lowering the camera.

 

"Selca," Amber responded, mimicking Krystal's previous tone, as though the answer was quite obvious.

 

"Amber..."

 

"We're being us," she said. "I don't know how else to say it, except that I like being us the way we are."

 

"Amber..."

 

"I know what you're asking because I ask myself the same question, but I don't what the answer is. If it makes you uncomfortable, I'll definitely stop--" to which Krystal immediately shook her head in the negative, "--but if not, I'm happy just... being us."

 

Krystal sighed as she looked back at Amber. It was a very Amber-like answer, uncomplicated and sincere. The love she felt for Amber was reflected back in Amber's brown eyes. With all her heart, Krystal wished she could share the same innocence and optimism that Amber always had. And so she tried. Lifting Amber's phone back into selca position, she snapped another picture as she gently leaned up to kiss Amber's cheek.

 

"I'm happy just being us, too," Krystal said, giving Amber a genuine smile. The pair of complementing kisses would remain on Amber's phone forever, hidden from prying eyes. She locked the phone and dropped it back onto the table as Amber returned the smile. Amber wrapped her arms around Krystal, becoming a blanket that enclosed her tightly. The line blurred again, but Krystal let it.

 

The line would blur again in the future, but Krystal would worry about it then. And one day when the line threatened to disappear forever, Krystal would worry about it then as well. For now, she was happy with them just being themselves. Within Amber's arms, the one who always promised to protect her, there was no need to worry about anything. With Amber humming "Beautiful" into her ears, Krystal let herself drift off to sleep.