Amber was lying to her again and Krystal knew it. Krystal had forgiven the first lie that occurred during the Osaka fanmeet a few days ago, but Amber was at it again just three days after making that promise to never lie again.

The second lie occurred at the airport after returning from Japan. Upon seeing Luna and Amber's odd reactions to a fan letter that Luna had received as they walked though Incheon, Krystal had questioned the pair about the letter's contents.

"It's nothing," Amber said quickly, cutting off Luna, who looked like she was about to say something different. Even if Krystal hadn't noticed Luna's look of confusion, the lie wouldn't have escaped her detection. The unease in Amber's eyes as she turned away and the haste at which she stuffed the questionable letter into her pocket confirmed the lie for Krystal.

The first lie had hurt Krystal's feelings simply because it had been an intentional lie. This second lie from Amber was also an intentional lie, but Krystal's hurt was replaced by understanding. The older girl had previously lied because she was afraid of looking weak in front of Krystal. With all the trust and faith that Krystal had in Amber and in their relationship, Krystal knew that Amber wouldn't go back on her promise about lying unless there was a good reason. Krystal was certain that the fan letter contained more hurtful words toward Amber, and that Amber was trying to deal with the problem on her own again. A phone call from Luna on the evening they returned from Japan confirmed her suspicions.

"I don't want to cause problems between you and Amber-unnie, but the letter I got earlier was a hate mail for her," Luna admitted over the phone. Krystal could sense Luna's reluctance to tell her this, but she was grateful for the information. "I know Amber-unnie doesn't want to tell you, but I think you should know..."

"What exactly did the letter say?" Krystal asked.

"A lot of things..." Luna replied slowly, struggling to recall specific details. "Like how Amber-unnie shouldn't be dressing like a guy. How girls need to grow their hair long and act feminine and stuff."

"Hmm..." Krystal growled. A dozen angry and annoyed thoughts crossed her mind, and she didn't know which one to express first.

"I know you don't agree with that kind of thinking. You know I don't agree with it either," Luna said almost pleadingly. "I tried to cheer her up, but I think she's taking the letter pretty hard."

Krystal sighed, easily picturing Amber taking every word of the twisted letter to heart. "Thanks for telling me, unnie. Don't worry, I'll talk to Amber about it."

After the two girls said their goodbyes, Krystal hung up the phone and thought about what to do. Amber could be very sensitive about her appearance at times, mainly due to the bullying she endured when she was younger. Krystal knew that it bothered Amber when she was mistaken for a guy due to her masculine style. But this was who Amber was, and there was nothing wrong with the way she looked or dressed or acted.

Krystal wanted to encourage the older girl to be confident about herself and her chosen style, but Krystal was worried that Amber might feel betrayed to find out that Krystal knew about the fan letter. Rather than admit that she had seen through Amber's lie, Krystal thought it might be best to take an indirect approach via text message.

[Krystal to Amber]: What are you doing now?

[Amber to Krystal]: Thinking of you.

The young girl rolled her eyes at the message but smiled. It was a very typical response from Amber.

[Krystal to Amber]: Are you free now? Can I come over?

[Amber to Krystal]: Sorry, I'm busy tonight. Maybe tomorrow?

Krystal frowned at the message, hoping that she could have gone to Amber's apartment to subtly comfort the other girl. But short of telling Amber the truth, there wasn't much Krystal could say now to invite herself over after Amber already said she was busy.

[Krystal to Amber]: Ok, tomorrow! Text me when you're free!

But that text never came the following day. Amber made excuses about being busy during the morning and afternoon. By the evening, the older girl was blatantly avoiding Krystal's calls.

[Amber to Krystal]: Sorry I was busy all day. Maybe tomorrow.

Krystal read the text anxiously while curled up in bed for the night. She had spent the entire day worrying about Amber, debating with herself about whether she should respect Amber's wishes to deal with the fan letter on her own, or to step in and offer Amber her support. The young girl knew she couldn't handle another day of waiting around and wondering if Amber was OK, and so Krystal vowed to visit Amber in the morning whether the older girl welcomed her visit or not.

The next day, much earlier than Krystal normally woke up on a day off, Krystal left her parents' home and drove herself to Amber's apartment. Amber had not responded to any calls or texts by the time Krystal parked and exited her car. The young girl walked to the apartment entrance and looked at the key in her hand, the emergency key to Amber's apartment. Although Krystal had been freely using that key with Amber's permission for a while now, Krystal felt uneasy using it so brazenly right now when Amber was trying to avoid her.

She hesitantly rang Amber's doorbell, something she hadn't done in while. Krystal waited, but there was no response. Krystal rang the bell again and still nothing. With a heavy sigh, Krystal decided that she would have to enter without permission for Amber's own good. But to her relief, she received Amber's text moments before entering the building.

[Amber to Krystal]: Just come inside.

Krystal made her way up the familiar staircase that led to Amber's apartment and then knocked lightly on the door before letting herself inside.

"Amber?" Krystal called out softly, stepping into the apartment quietly and shutting the door.

"I'm in here," Amber called back from the bedroom. Her voice was weak and unenthusiastic, and Krystal frowned in concern at Amber's response. The younger girl crossed the living room and headed toward Amber, pausing only to look at Amber's dogs. Gongju, who had been sick lately, was sleeping on a doggie bed with Jackjack lying loyally nearby. Krystal and Amber liked to joke that Krystal resembled Gongju while Amber resembled Jackjack, but today Krystal felt that the roles were somewhat reversed.

"Thanks for letting me come in," Krystal said softly as she sat on Amber's bed.

Amber was lying on her pillow with her covers pulled up over her head. "Mhmm," came the muffled reply. "Thanks for coming over."

"Are you OK?" Krystal's question dripped with concern. Amber pulled back the covers and looked up at Krystal and the younger girl could see the unmistakable sadness in Amber's expression. The dark circles under her eyes made Krystal wonder if Amber had slept at all since returning from Japan. "What's wrong?" Krystal asked gently, placing her hand on Amber's forehead to check for a temperature.

"It's nothing, just jetlag," Amber shrugged. She pulled away from Krystal's touch and retreating back under the covers.

"Liar, the flight was 2 hours long and it was 2 days ago. Tell me what's wrong."

Amber shook her head. "Nothing's wrong."

It broke Krystal's heart to see Amber suffering yet still trying to act strong in front of her. "Swear that's nothing's wrong and I'll believe it," Krystal demanded. "Swear it on your love for me."

As expected, Amber remained motionless and silent where she lay, unabl