Lately Krystal found herself playing a countdown game in her mind. How many more appearances would f(x) make with an incomplete roster before f(5) was allowed to perform on stage again? Krystal didn't know the exact number she was counting down from, but she knew that the count was quickly approaching zero with each passing event. 

After SMTOWN Tokyo had successfully been completed earlier in the month, Krystal had reduced the count by two. And in two more days, after SMTOWN Osaka was done, the count would decrease by two more.

A finish line had finally been drawn in the sand for f(x)'s return. The title song for their 4th album hadn't been chosen yet, but the demo tapes were in f(x)'s hands and they would pick from them in early August. And after the title song was chosen, the MV would be filmed with all five members for a late September comeback. 

Krystal honestly couldn't wait for f(x) to be whole again. She felt like their stages lacked a special kind of spark since Sulli's hiatus. When all five members took the stage once again, Krystal was certain she would find the sense of completion that she was longing for.

...but Krystal was getting ahead of herself. She knew there were many more steps before f(x) reached that finish line in September, such as the Osaka fanmeet today. This fanmeet was f(x)'s first fan event in nearly two years. Victoria was busy filming in China and Sulli was still on hiatus in Korea, but the remaining three active members had enough star power to make the crowd scream with excitement. 

Krystal was in a good mood as she stood next to Luna and Amber and handed out photocards to their Japanese fans. It was almost unbearably hot in Osaka and Krystal felt like she was suffocating from the heat at times, but she couldn't help but smile happily at the crowd. After handing out what seemed like a thousand photocards, Krystal glanced at her members to see how they were faring.

On her left, Luna was still going strong despite the heat. The cheerful vitamin greeted each fan with a warm and sincere smile. Krystal turned to her right, expecting a similar performance from Amber. However, to Krystal's surprise, one of their managers was leading Amber off the stage. The older girl wore a weary expression that Krystal found disconcerting. What in the world could have happened that would force Amber off the stage mid-event?

Krystal glanced back towards Luna and found that she had also noticed Amber's unexpected departure. The two girls shared a look of confusion, but silently agreed to continue passing out cards and leave Amber to their managers. Krystal did her best to keep smiling for the devoted fans that had come to see them today.

Amber stayed off the stage for the remainder of the event until Krystal and Luna finished handing out their cards. Only then did Amber rejoin the two younger girls in thanking their fans for supporting them. Amber looked relatively cheerful again, but Krystal was extremely curious about what happened earlier when their manager escorted her away.

"OK, tell us," Luna demanded as soon as the three f(x) members piled into their van to go back to the hotel.

"Tell you what?" Amber asked.

"Tell us why you left the stage earlier," Krystal specified. "What else could we be talking about?"

Amber smiled sheepishly. "Oh that? It was mild heatstroke. I just got a little dizzy from the heat..."

"Really?!" Luna exclaimed. She reached over and placed a concerned hand on Amber's forehead, feeling for an unusual temperature.

"I'm feeling better now, just a little tired," Amber explained. She turned to Krystal with an apologetic smile. "You might wanna room with Luna tonight. I think I'm just gonna sleep when we get back to the hotel, so I won't be much fun to hang out with."

Krystal shook her head. "That's fine. I'd rather stay with you in case you need me to take care of you."

"Wow, I can't believe you'd choose to room with a boring, sleepy person over Luna," Amber joked, wearing a shocked expression on her face. "How is Luna supposed to feel after hearing that?"

"I feel very proud that my Soojungie is responsible enough to take care of the people she loves." Luna patted Krystal on the head and Krystal smiled at her kind unnie. Luna then stuck her tongue out at Amber. "I'm less proud of the person trying to make her feel bad."

"Just stay with Luna tonight," Amber insisted, ignoring Luna's last remark with an amused smile. "You two haven't shared a room together since last year. Don't you guys miss your little late night chats?"

"I do miss that," Krystal admitted, giving Luna a sideways glance. Her smile was retuned and she knew that Luna felt the same. "But are you sure you wanna stay by yourself tonight...?"

Amber nodded and affectionately tapped her girlfriend on the nose. "I'm positive. You guys have fun tonight."

Upon Amber's insistence, Krystal spent the night in Luna's room and they stayed up late talking about anything and everything of importance. Krystal couldn't have imagined that something was actually wrong with Amber as the two girls spent the evening laughing with each other. Krystal was blissfully unaware that Amber was suffering with her own thoughts, and she went to bed trouble-free while Amber lay awake, unable to sleep.

In the morning, a sleepy Krystal woke up far earlier than she had intended. Luna was snoring lightly in the nearby bed, keeping Krystal from falling back to sleep, so the young girl began to check her social media on her phone. Krystal saw a new Instagram post by Amber just hours ago, and her eyes widened in surprise as she read the message it contained.

"I never want to be forceful but there comes a time where i need to put my foot down on something i strongly believe in. Due to recent events i want to address something: I've been a tomboy pretty much all my life and honestly, to put it short, it really sometimes. Haters can and will hate, but insulting me in front my face is totally different thing. I personally believe girls and boys are not limited to one specific look. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. We are all different. If we all sang the same melody how can there be harmony? Dont judge someone just because they're different. Hopefully we can all grow to respect each other's differences. Im always trying to stay positive and happy. I love my life, my work, and the people who are constantly supporting me. I am always thankful because i know i cant be here on my own strength. With every mistake, i analyze my fault and then try to better myself. I know i can't be perfect but i will always try to be my best. In regards to that, i want thank everyone again for constantly encouraging me and believing in me. To put it simply, love and help one another. And for people who are struggling, always be yourself. Being true and real to who you are is the biggest thing you can do for yourself. Love life, work hard, and chase your dreams. Thank you again."

Krystal re-read the post, alarmed by its contents. Amber was not one to speak out like this without something prompting her to do so. In an instant, Krystal knew that Amber had lied yesterday when she claimed that heatstroke had forced her off the stage.

The realization made Krystal's heart ache with sympathy for Amber, who was likely the victim of some sort of slur about her appearance during the fan event. But at the same time, selfishly, Krystal was a little hurt that Amber had lied to her yesterday. Obviously Amber had been bothered by whatever happened during the fan event if the Instagram post was any indication. But if that w