September 10, 2013  |  Taipei, Taiwan

AMBER’S POV

It’s been a while since Krystal and I had actually had a real conversation. Texts have been slow, and both of us have been too busy and exhausted to take the time to video chat. Krystal has been especially busy teasing her upcoming album and doing promotion for that. As for me, C2C is now in full on Korea prep mode, and my days are filled from top to bottom. In the morning, our brains are worked to the brink of overdrive with Korean practice — while the three members learn their Hangul, I struggle to answer difficult questions, translate Korean phrases that only a Korean would understand, and memorize prepared Korean answers to the basic questions. The afternoon is where the physical work comes in. The group heads to the dance room and practices choreography to some of our more popular songs. The catch is, the choreographies have all changed ever so slightly — enough to look pretty much the same, yet enough to make us all mess up a hundred times before getting the whole thing down. Thrown in the mix some days is the recording of our new Korean single, to be released a few days before we go to Korea.

In the midst of all this, I keep thinking about Krystal, thinking about the few hours we’ve spent together, and thinking about the complete lack of photos of her on my phone (well except for the ones I found when I Googled her and saved a picture of her wearing a leather crop top and booty shorts, showing off her amazing abs). Despite how tired I am and the fact that it is 12:23 am, my thoughts trail off to her amazing body and I instinctively pull out my phone to text her.

You’ve been on my mind a lot, lately.

I miss you…

Can’t wait to see you

Not expecting a reply, my eyebrows shoot up as my phone buzzes a reply.

What exactly have you been thinking of?

I debate whether or not to tell her the truth but end up spilling the beans.

I keep wishing I could have gotten some pictures of you that night.

And tonight, I can’t stop thinking about your body…

The delay in her response makes me worry I’ve said too much. As I am about to type out some sort of apology, her message comes through. It’s a photo of her lying in bed, one hand propping her head up. Her pink lips are parted ever so slightly and the coy look in her eyes tell me she’s been thinking of me too. Her damp hair falls in messy waves, drawing my eyes down to her s, which are threatening to be revealed with just a slight shift of her bra.

Sorry we didn’t take any pics that night, Am.

Hope this makes up for it… ;)

September 10, 2013  |  Seoul, Korea

KRYSTAL’S POV

It takes me a little bit to take the perfect picture, a perfect balance of naughty and nice. I anticipate Amber’s response.

You naughty, naughty girl…

Suddenly, her FaceTime request pops up. I let it ring a couple times, then accept the call.

“Someone’s been a bad girl,” she says. The y glint in her eyes is something I haven’t seen before.

Giving her an innocent, doe-eyed look, I pretend, “I have no idea what you’re talking about…”

I see her prop herself up in bed. She’s wearing a sports bra and some boxer briefs, and her flat stomach flexes in her dim bedroom light. “God the things I would do to you…” She bites her lips, not bothering to finish her thought. 

I angle the camera more so she can see that I’m only in my bra and , “Tell me where to start.” I tug a strap of my bra slightly off my shoulder.

I see her breath catch in . “Take it off,” she commands, voice turning slightly more gravelly than usual.

As I slip the other strap off my shoulder, Amber opens to speak. “Amber!” A voice in the background calls out.

My phone screen turns black, and I sigh, slipping the straps back up my shoulder. I guess nothing’s going to be happening tonight. I hear Amber call back “Yeah, Luna?” A string of Mandarin follows as her member asks her some sort of question and her door opens. I hear a tinge of frustration in Amber’s voice as she replies in English, “Here, you can have mine.”

Luna’s voice turns super cutesy and I hear her speak English for the first time, “Thank you, Amber!”

Amber’s huffs some air out of her nose, “Mhm.”

As the door closes, her face appears on the screen again, “Sorry ‘bout that Princess.”

Laughing, I answer, “Honestly, I should have seen it coming.”

“That picture’s going to be my phone background.” She winks at me thought the screen.

“Amber!” I protest, “People are going to see!”

“You’re right,” she smirks, “Only I get to see that.”

I cringe, “Ew, I wasn’t expecting you to go there…”

“I mean, the other alternative would be flirty, and apparently, we’ve already failed at that,” she laughs.

I feel a twinge in my heart when I see the corners of her eyes crinkle, “Seriously though, I miss you, Am.”

“Miss you too, Krys,” she sighs and changes the topic, “So how are album promos going?”

“Fine,” I say. It’s all I can say. She knows what I mean.

“Am I going to get to hear a sneak peak, before it comes out?”

I laugh, “I can sing a bit of one of the songs if you want.”

“Which one’s your favorite?”

“The answer is supposed to be the title track, ‘4 Walls’, but honestly, ‘X’ is my favorite. The vibe of the song is so my style, and the lyrics remind me of you.”

September 10, 2013  |  Taipei, Taiwan

AMBER’S POV

Her light, sensual voice sings out the chorus of “X”.

Chemical-X / Our hands touched, our hands touched

My thoughts drift back to the moment I grabbed her hand. Her warm grip matched mine, and I can almost feel it now.

I can’t recover / Chemical-X / Our hands are holding, our hands are holding / I think I’m melting / Chemical

The chemistry between us had been there from the very start. From the moment I laid eyes on her, there was no turning back.

From the first time I saw you / Lost count of all my fantasies / What do I do, this is so much more that I expected / I’m going to be in big trouble

I think back to when I asked her to be my girlfriend. I knew it was going to be difficult, and I’ve been facing the hardships since she left and went back to Korea. As much as I miss her and fantasize about her, I know that the “something” we have is much more than any that I’ve had with anyone else. A heavy silence falls on the both of us as her voice trails off. I know she’s thinking about the same things I am — the few memories we have together. Words start to formulate in my head, words that I thought I would never think, let alone say out loud… I think I love her…

September 10, 2013  |  Seoul, Korea

KRYSTAL’S POV

I see a look in her eyes, one that tells me she’s about to say three words that I’m not at all ready to hear yet. Saving her from saying something she might regret (after all, we only just met 8 days ago and this whole thing was kind of a whirlwind romance), I say quickly, “Hey, babe?”

“Huh?” She replies dreamily.

“It’s almost 2am here. I should go to bed. I’ve got another round of promotions early in the morning.”

Giving me an adorable Llama pout that I almost can’t resist, she says, “Fine, Princess. Sleep well. I’ll talk to you… later, I guess.”

“I’ll let you know as soon as I’m free so we can talk, okay?”

She looks slightly distracted, “Sure. Goodnight Krys.”

My phone screen turns black. Her sudden coldness leaves me going to sleep unsettled.

September 10, 2013  |  Taipei, Taiwan

AMBER’S POV

As soon as I hang up, I regret giving her the cold shoulder. I just miss her. Couldn’t she have stayed up just a bit longer? I shake my head — I’m being unfair. She must be exhausted. I would know, my own album had come out just a couple months ago, and promotion was intense. I realize that I need to get myself out of this funk. I go to my contacts list and scroll through, trying to think of someone who understands me well enough that I won’t have to explain this whole Krystal situation to. My finger stops at a familiar name — Ellin, one of my closest friends. A half Korean, half Taiwanese girl group member under the same entertainment company as C2C, Ellin has known me since my trainee days. Early on, we had a “thing”, but that ended quickly and we still remain friends to this day. I send her a quick text.

Yo, Ellin. You asleep right now?

Her quick text reply answers my question.

Nope. Can’t sleep either?

I sigh. I not after all this push-and-pull between Krystal and I.

Meet me at our spot in 10?

She replies back with a smiling emoji and I jump out of bed. Slipping on a gray, patterned hoodie, a pair of black skinny jeans, and my black and red Jordans, I grab my skateboard and head out the door. Plugging my earphones into my ears, I put on some loud rock music to drown out my thoughts. The wind whips through my hair as I skate out into the night. With every building I pass, my heart feels a little more alive. The city streets still glimmer with lights and I can feel the energy of the young adults still out and about, having drinks with their coworkers. I slow down as I arrive at a little corner store —  the local boba shop. Ellin is already sitting outside on a white plastic chair, her feet kicked up on a wooden stool. Nodding towards the cup of boba on the table, she sips on her tea, “I ordered for you.”

Grinning, I pull the earbuds out of my ears, tuck my phone into the pocket of my hoodie and sit across from her, “Thanks.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

I shake my head, “Nope.”

“Good, because I didn’t want to hear about it,” Ellin jokes.

Smirking at her, I say pointedly in Korean, “Yah, Minyoung. Care to share the details of your love life?”

Ellin shoots back, “Why would I? You’re my ex!”

Laughing I bring back an old memory of her trying to get back together with me after we had already broken up, “Well, that’s not what you said when you were trying to kiss me in the pool that one time!”

Ellin slaps me in the arm. “Yah, you punk! I already told you I was drunk and to never bring it up again! Anyways,” Ellin sits up a bit more seriously, “What’s going on with your love life?”

I ruffle my already windswept hair. “I told you — don’t wanna talk about it.”

She raises an eyebrow in my direction, “Look. People don’t just call other people out at 1:30 in the morning just to ‘not talk about it’, okay? Either you wanna talk about it, or your subconscious is telling you, ‘You need to talk about it’. ”

I sigh and give in. “Alright. You’re right,” I take a sip of boba and continue, “I’m kinda in this long distance thing… and… I miss her.”

Ellin bursts out laughing, “That’s it? Who’s the person that’s finally captured my llama’s wild heart, huh?”

“Her name’s Krystal…”

“Jung?!” I nod and she pouts, “Of course it had to be someone prettier than me.”

I laugh, “Hey, when there’s love involved, anyone can turn into the most beautiful person in the world.”

She puts a hand on my arm and says seriously, “Do you love her? Like love, love?”

Without even hesitating, I reply, “I do.”

Ellin shakes her head with a smile, “That’s more than you ever had with me, that’s for sure.” We both can’t help but laugh. Between us, things had been purely physical, and we both knew it. “Yah, Amber,” she asks seriously, “Why don’t you call me Unnie? I’m like three years older than you!”

I roll my eyes, “I don’t call anyone I’ve slept with my sister, okay?”

“Fine,” she gives in, “But I still don’t think it’s right. You should still call me something…”

I can tell she’s thinking of something for me to call her, so I add a dash of sarcasm, “Like what? Ex Gal pal? My Favorite Ex? My Old Partner in Crime? My Other More Brokenhearted Half?”

Smiling at the floor she decides, “I like that — My Other More Brokenhearted Half…” For once, I can’t tell if she’s serious or joking. I see a flash of sadness flit across her face.

“Hey,” I ask cautiously, “You don’t… still have feelings for me, do you?”

“No! Of course not,” she protests, “I never even had feelings for you in the first place!” The lady doth protest too much, I think to myself. I try to ignore the possibility that Ellin might still have feelings for me, and we continue to laugh, joke, take selfies, and tire ourselves out until almost 3am. When I get back into bed, I pass out almost immediately.

Morning comes, and Qian is yelling at everyone again. “Wake up! Luna! Amber! Xue Li!” She sighs exasperatedly, “Why do I have to be the group alarm clock?” As I drag myself out of bed and get ready for the day, I hear her moan dramatically, “As a single mother of three, I demand respect! Wake up when I call you!”

Chuckling, I walk out of my room and to the kitchen, “I’m awake, Ma.”

Qian swats at me with a spatula, “Good, at least one pest is awake. Go make sure everyone else is ready.”

I lumber around the dormitory, checking up on the girls, then reporting back to Qian, “Everyone’s doing their thing, Sis.”

Finally, Qian quiets down, satisfied, and I get some peace and quiet. As I click my phone screen on, I am shocked by the amount of notifications from Krystal — a bunch of texts and a missed call.

Amber Liu. What is this?

I click on the image she sent me and a screenshot of a picture from Ellin’s Instagram page fills the screen. I am biting my lip looking kind of dorky while Ellin is flashing a coy smile as her chin rests on my shoulder. The caption says “My other half” in English and “Brokenhearted” in Chinese. Below are two hashtags: #llama and #deer. The timestamp is marked 3am, right after I had gotten back to the dorms last night. I read the rest of Krystal’s message.

Why are you hanging out with some cute girl at 3am?

Who is she, huh?

Your Taiwanese girlfriend?

Why aren’t you answering your phone?

Are you with her right now?

I rub my face, frustrated. Last night’s meeting with Ellin wasn’t supposed to turn out like this. It was supposed to be a stress reliever, but it is definitely giving me way more stress now. I call Krystal, hoping she’ll answer. “Hello?” I speak into my phone when the ringing sound stops. The silence on the other end tells me she’s mad for sure. “Look Krystal, she’s just a friend,” I say, waiting for a response.

“Do friends call each other ‘My other half’?” The tone of her voice sends chills down my spine.

“That’s an inside joke, Krys. The Chinese says brokenhearted, obviously because we’re not together!”

There is a pause on her end, then, “So what you’re telling me is that she likes you, so she’s brokenhearted that you guys aren’t together.”

My mind spins rapidly, trying to get out of telling Krystal that she is my ex-girlfriend, “Uh, I don’t know if she likes me or not. Look Krys, I just went and got boba with her after we video chatted. Nothing more, nothing less.”

September 10, 2013  |  Seoul, Korea

KRYSTAL’S POV

It’s not that I don’t trust her. It’s just that I’m seeing it right in front of my eyes, clear as day on my computer screen. I had been scrolling through Amber’s Instagram, looking at photos of her and things that she’s been tagged in, and lo and behold, this picture pops up. Since I had already been insecure from how last night’s conversation ended, this just made me feel even worse. Nothing more, nothing less. How was I supposed to believe her? “You guys look like you’ve got history,” I say into the phone.

“Uh,” Amber hesitates and I get more worried, “Well, she’s known me for a long time. We’ve been friends since we were trainees. She’s in the same company. I’m going to be honest with you, because I value what we have. Minyoung and I… We had a ‘thing’ a long time ago. But I promise you, it’s over now. You trust me, don’t you Krys?”

Minyoung… As much as a part of me wants to believe her, the part of me that wants to protect my heart makes me blurt out, “So are Korean girls just like… your type, or something?”

I immediately regret my words as I hear her choke out, “Krystal…” But I can’t stop the jealous rage that has formed in the pit of my stomach.

“Why don’t you just go back to her then? Obviously I’ve only known you for 8 days, and we’ve only actually physically been with each other for a couple hours. Go back to Miyoung or whatever her name is. Seems like she knows you best. Just go be her girlfriend. I don’t want to deal with you anymore!” I spit out my words angrily.

As I hang up, I hear her sniff and whisper, “Krys, I know you don’t mean that…” As I stand up and head back to work, the weight of regret lays heavy on my shoulders. I shouldn’t have done that. I should have believed in her — after all, she did pinky promise.

———

Author’s Note: Hey, everyone! Sorry for the late (and short) update, I had a pretty busy day today but still wanted to get something out. Hopefully you enjoyed part 1 of this chapter and please look out for part 2 coming out tomorrow! Thanks again for all those who subscribed, upvoted, and left a comment. Let me know how you felt about this chapter — I want to get your thoughts and opinions (do you want more y times, more angsty drama, and/or more of Ellin?).

See you in part 2 of this chapter!

- RYTK