October 23, 2013 | Seoul, Korea

AMBER’S POV

Krystal and I sit on the couch wordlessly, both trying to calm ourselves down. “Just so you know,” Krystal says, breaking the silence, “I didn’t want you to meet them so soon.”

I laugh, “It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s already set to happen, so we might as well just go with the flow — I mean what else can we do? It’s just your parents after all.”

“We can… I don’t know. Maybe, we can think of a good excuse not to go…”

“Krys, it’ll be okay. All we have to do is pretend we’re just good friends sharing a birthday dinner, right? That’s not so far off from the truth.”

“But I don’t want to pretend,” Krystal whines cutely, “I wanted them to meet you as Amber, my girlfriend, not Amber, my girl-friend-who’s-actually-my-girlfriend.”

I lean over and squeeze her thigh gently, “We do what we have to. I have to graduate from your sister’s imaginary school, right? All I have to do is get your parents to like me as your friend. It should be easy.”

Krystal inhales sharply, “Like I said, they’re very conservative so… I wouldn’t bet on that. After all, you don’t look like the stereotypical feminine girly-girl that they’re used to.”

I smile and feign confidence, “I’m just going to be the best version of me that I can be — the real me. I’m sure that they’ll see that a good heart trumps a non-sterotypical outward appearance.”

Giving me a forced smile, Krystal tries to shake off her nervousness and says, “You must be tired from everything that’s happened today. Let me get this couch set up properly, at least, if you still insist on sleeping here.” As Krystal opens a closet to take out an extra blanket and pillow, I try not to imagine all the hypothetically horrible things that could happen tomorrow. Placing a pillow under my head and another under my knee, Krystal tosses a medium-weight, fuzzy blanket on me. “This should keep you warm enough. Goodnight, Am.”

As Krystal walks away I suddenly feel a sense of loneliness sweep over me, like I am back in Taiwan without her by my side. “Krys! Wait!”

Krystal turns her head around quickly, her hair flipping naturally over her shoulder. “What?” Her worried expression deepens, “Everything okay?”

Hesitantly, I ask, “If I asked you to stay with me, would you?”

KRYSTAL’S POV

“I-I…” I stutter. Her sudden question catches me off guard so I shoot a question back to her in return, “Do you want me to stay?”

Amber’s tough exterior melts and she nods at me like an innocent child with wide eyes, “Stay, please.”

I melt under her gaze and say, “How about this, I leave, but you leave with me?” Amber raises an eyebrow, confused. “What I’m trying to say,” I blush, “is that my bed’s bigger than the couch.”

Amber nods slowly, “I haven’t slept on a bed in a long time, let alone someone else’s.”

“Don’t worry. I’m a clean person — no bed bugs, I promise,” I tease. Helping her up, I lead her to my bedroom.

As we pass through the doorway, she says softly, “Your room — it smells like you.”

“And what does that smell like?”

“Strawberry shampoo and… princess,” she finally jokes.

I set up the bed for two people while Amber stands to the side, poking around the bathroom attached to my room. “Yah! What are you looking for? My strawberry shampoo?”

Amber one-ups me and jokes, “I’m just looking for the toy drawer.”

Blushing, I walk over to her and shove her gently, making sure she doesn’t put weight on her knee. “It’s not there, stupid.”

Her eyebrows raise, “So… you’re not denying you have one?” I shrug and throw her a teasing glance before turning around and taking my shirt and bra off. I hear her breathe in deeply, “Yah, Jung Soojung. What are you doing?”

I giggle and grab a large, white t-shirt. I slip the shirt on and slip off my pants. “I only sleep in a shirt. You don’t mind do you?”

AMBER’S POV

I glue as turns around. I can see a faint trace of her s through the almost see-through, white shirt. Quickly averting my eyes, I stutter, conflicted, “M-maybe t-this wasn’t…”

Krystal looks down and sees what I was looking at. A trace of pink flits across her cheeks, but she says nothing and climbs into the bed, “You coming?” I nod numbly, still standing by the bed and she giggles, “They’re not that stunning, are they?”

I feel my face heat up as I climb slowly into the bed. Half of me burns in desire and the other half of me screams to hold back. “Yah, Princess. Why are you teasing me?”

She laughs, “So you don’t like it?”

“N-no I just…” I stutter as we lay face to face.

Giggling she cups my cheek, “You’re cute when you’re nervous, you know that?”

Trying to get her back, I push my face as close as I can to hers without kissing her. I feel her breath become shallow and I smirk, “You’re cute when you’re nervous too, Jung Soojung.”

“Just kiss me stupid,” she whispers, her breath hot on my lips.

Leaning forward, I capture her lips with mine. Our kiss is sweet and hot, and lasts for minutes. As Krystal’s eyes flutter shut and her breathing slows, I slowly and carefully climb out of bed and settle myself on her couch for a good night’s rest.

October 24, 2013 | Seoul, Korea

KRYSTAL’S POV

I wake up to an empty bed. “Amber?” I moan softly, wondering where she is. I miss her warmth already. Climbing out of bed to search for her, I hear shuffling noises in the kitchen. Walking through the living room, I see blankets neatly folded and stacked on the couch. So she had slept here last night… “Am,” I call as I near a delicious scent.

Amber turns back, black tank top revealing her broad, muscular back and toned arms, “Morning, Princess.”

“I like your glasses, Am.”

She reaches up to her face and touches her black, rectangular frames, “Oh, yeah. You’ve never seen me wear these in person, have you?”

I shake my head and remove her glasses to plant a kiss her her lips. “What are you making?”

“Pancakes.”

I purse my lips, “I don’t remember having the ingredients to make those…”

“You didn’t have ‘em. I went out earlier and got some.”

“Amber,” I berate, “Your knee is weak! You should have told me! I would have got them for you, or at least I would’ve gone with you! What if you had gotten it hurt again?”

Ruffling my hair gently, Amber coos, “Aigoo, my little princess is worrying about me now? Sorry I made you worry. You just looked too cute sleeping, so I didn’t have the heart to wake you.”

She makes a cute llama face that makes it impossible to forgive her, “Just don’t do it again. Anyways, what time is it?”

“It’s 11:30 already,” she laughs, “You slept well, huh?”

“Already?” I asked, shocked, “When did you wake up?”

“Earlier than you,” she says vaguely.

“When?” I press her.

“Uh… 8,” she admits.

I feel bad for making her wait for me for three and a half hours. “I guess, pancakes are going to be lunch then, huh?” I say bashfully.

She laughs, “Breakfast for lunch is my favorite anyways.” She plates her pancakes and adds in eggs and bacon to the plate as well. As we eat, she asks, “Can we go out to the mall later? I want to buy proper clothes for tonight and a gift for your parents as well.”

“We can go to the mall to get you clothes, but no gifts for my parents, okay? You’re just supposed to be my friend, and friends don’t give their friend’s parents gifts.” Amber starts to protest, but I shake my head firmly.

AMBER’S POV

On the way to the mall, Krystal teases me about last night. “You got up and went to the couch as soon as I fell asleep, didn’t you?”

“I waited a little, just watching you sleep, but eventually, yeah.”

She smirks, “Was I too much for you? Remember, you were the one that wanted me to stay.”

“You’re never too much for me, Jung Soojung. I just have to… watch myself. I don’t want to take this too fast, if you know what I mean.”

Krystal agrees, “Fine. I guess I should thank you then. If you had stayed, who knows what would have happened.” She winks then grabs my free hand, “Let’s get you something nice for tonight.”

Browsing through the female section, Krystal frowns, “These aren’t really your style.” Grabbing my hand, she drags me to the men’s section and finds a well-fitting, white dress shirt. Then, she unfolds a pair of skinny, navy dress pants, “Try these.”

I fumble in the fitting room, trying to keep my knee brace from tearing through the pants. After about five minutes, I give up and come out of the room. “Do they fit well?” Krystal asks.

I nod and pay for the clothes. She’s going to have to help me with the pants once we get home…

KRYSTAL’S POV

My phone screen flashes the time, 6:00pm. As I put the opal earrings on to complete my outfit, fingers already trembling out of nervousness. I smooth out my long, white dress, adjusting the silver belt around my waist. I look in the mirror and make sure my off-the-shoulder dress is not too revealing.

“Princess I-” Amber stands in the doorway of my room, stunned.

Giving her a shy smile, I ask, “Do you like it?”

Amber shifts her gaze slightly and nods, before saying, “You’re stunning.”

Giving her a satisfied smile, I jokingly demand, “So, what do you want, huh?”

“I… I need help with this,” she says, holding up the pair of dress pants we just bought.

I raise an eyebrow, “You need help wearing pants?”

Pointing to her knee, she says, “Embarrassingly enough, yes, I do.”

“Right, your knee… I forgot.” I help her take off her basketball shorts, trying not to look at her underwear. My eyes can’t help but be drawn to v-shaped muscles that make their way up past the waistline of her boy-shorts. She lifts her white dress shirt up slightly, revealing the bottom of her cut abs. I fumble for her pants as I can’t take my eyes off of her.

“Baby, focus,” she teases, “I know I’m y, but we’re also going to be late if I don’t get these pants on.”

I look away shyly and help her step into her dress pants, before pulling them up, “There you go. Do the rest on your own.”

She tucks her shirt into her pants and buttons them up, before grabbing her crutches, “Let’s do this.”

AMBER’S POV

We walk into the restaurant and find Jessica and her parents already seated at the table. Immediately, I walk forward and reach to shake Mr. Jung’s hand. Bowing low, I say in Korean, “Hello, sir. I’m Amber. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Mr. Jung stands up respectfully and gives me a light bow, before laughing cheerfully in acknowledgement, “Call me Mr. Jung.”

I give the same greeting to Mrs. Jung, who remains seated and only gives me a slight nod.

“Jessica,” I say in Korean, “Thank you for the invitation.”

“Anytime, Amber. Anytime.” I notice Jessica’s eyes dart nervously between me, Krystal, and Mrs. Jung.

I pull out Krystal’s seat, next to her mom. Krystal shoots me a friends-don’t-do-that look and I back down quickly. Sitting between Krystal and Jessica, I feel really out of place in this setting, but I try my hardest to remain calm and level headed. Mr. Jung clears his throat, “Amber, we already ordered. I hope you don’t mind.”

I shake my head vigorously, “I don’t mind at all, si-Mr. Jung.”

“So Amber,” Mrs. Jung starts her interrogation in a stern Korean voice, “What happened to your knee?”

“It's an old injury, ma'am.”

“You seem fairly… tomboyish,” Mrs. Jung says, looking me up and down.

“I am, ma’am.”

“Why?”

“I feel more comfortable this way, ma’am. Having short hair is easier to manage and saves shampoo too.”

Mrs. Jung raises an eyebrow, then continues questioning, “You’re Chinese?”

“No ma’am. I’m American. My parent’s were Taiwanese, but my dad was born in Korea.”

“Is that how you know Korean?”

“Yes, ma’am. I also studied a lot when I lived in Korea.”

“You lived here before?”

“Yes, ma’am. About two years ago.”

“How long did you live here?”

“A little less than a year, ma’am.”

“And why did you leave Korea?”

I hesitate. Should I go into detail about my past, or just make up a random excuse? Before I can answer, Krystal laughs nervously and pats her mom’s arm, “Mom, is this a police station? Why are you interrogating her?”

Her mom whispers loud enough for everyone to hear, “I just want to know if she’s good for you!”

I pat Krystal’s arm gently, “It’s okay, Krystal. I left Korea because a good friend of mine became seriously ill and needed to be taken care of.”

Mrs. Jung goes quiet for a moment, then asks softly, “Is your friend okay?”

I shake my head, “Unfortunately, ma’am, she had stage four cancer. She fought hard for the few months that she did. She was a talented singer and inspired me to become a singer myself.”

Mrs. Jung shakes her head solemnly, “The straight, upright tree is the first to get cut down.”

As the meal comes, Mr. Jung says, “Why don’t we all go around the table and say a few words? I’ll start. Today, we come together to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. Soojung-ah, my daughter, you’ve worked hard. I know this year was not easy for you. Jessica, my Sooyeon-ah, you’ve gone through a lot too. Just know that I will be by both of your sides to give you strength. And I would like to thank you, Amber for joining us today, and for being a good friend to my daughters. I’ve heard a lot about you from Soojung in particular. Please take care of her well.” Mr. Jung winks at me.

I nod, slightly confused at what his wink means, “Of course, Mr. Jung.”

Mrs. Jung goes next, “My love, Soojung, I wish you a very happy birthday. Now that you’re 20, you’re officially an adult now, but you’ll always be my baby.”

Krystal holds her mom’s hand, “Thank you for raising me, mom. I love you.”

“I love you too. You and Sooyeon both.”

Jessica says, “Krystal, as annoying as you are, I still love you. After all, you’re not only my favorite sister, you’re my only one. Happy birthday. Mom, dad… you guys know how I feel.” Jessica makes a heart with her hands pushes it towards her parents. “Amber, thanks for coming — not that you really had a choice,” Jessica laughs, “Also, just call me Jess.”

“Thanks, Jess,” I beam.

“Amber, say something too,” Mr. Jung insists.

“First, I just want to say, Mr. and Mrs. Jung, thank you for raising such amazing daughters, Krystal in particular — no offense Jess.” Jessica laughs and shakes her head. I continue, “Jess, thank you so much for the push. I’m actually quite thankful.” Jessica gives me a wink, knowing that I’m referring to this very dinner. I turn to face Krystal, “Krys… I have so many things I want to say, but since you keep eyeing the steak, I’ll keep it short. Thanks for being my best friend.”

Krystal squeezes my hand under the table, before saying, “I really want to start eating, but I’ll say something quick to each of you. Mom, thank you for always being there, even when I’m too much for anyone to handle. Dad, thank you for raising me and for always supporting me. Jess, thank you for making tonight what it is — you know what I mean. Am… Thanks for being my best friend as well.”

I squeeze her hand back and she smiles, before pulling her hand away and attacking the steak in front of her.

The dinner goes by quickly, and although Mrs. Jung still seems unsure of me, Mr. Jung seems to be quite warm. He used to be a boxer and talks to me about sports throughout the evening. We talk about basketball and the Golden State Warriors, about San Francisco and LA. We talk about my work as a singer and actor and how I overcome struggles in the workplace. In the midst of it all, Mrs. Jung asks suddenly, “Do you keep in touch with your parents often, Amber?”

I freeze, not wanting to lie, but also not wanting to ruin the cheerful atmosphere. “I- uh…” The whole table stares at me intently, waiting for me to answer. I see Krystal start to panic, so I decide to just answer truthfully. “My mother passed away when I was four, and my father and I lost contact when I was six.”

An awkward silence settles around the table. Mrs. Jung presses, “Who did you grow up with, then? Relatives?”

“I grew up in foster homes, ma’am.”

I see judgement in Mrs. Jung’s eyes, “Foster homes?”

I hold Krystal’s hand down under the table, squeezing it gently to reassure her. Mrs. Jung looks at me with what seems like pity in her eyes, “You’ve had a hard life, haven’t you?”

“Yes, but it’s made me a stronger person,” I say boldly.

Suddenly, Mrs. Jung says words I didn’t think I was going to hear, “I can see that, Amber. The way you talk about your work and how you handle the stress of being a public figure all on your own, it is obvious that you are hardworking, dependable, independent, and strong. It must be hard for you, coming to this dinner to meet you friend’s family when you have none of your own. From today on, you are welcome to be a part of the Jung family. A best friend who takes care of Krystal so well should deserve that much.”

Without warning, tears flood my eyes. I choke up. A complete family was something that I had lacked my whole life. I had struggled to be a part of so many families and failed every time. The way Mrs. Jung put it makes me realize that it isn’t supposed to be difficult to be a part of a family, as long as you are accepted. “Thank you so much, ma’am. It’s an honor. It really is.”

Mrs. Jung’s face brightens. “From now on, call me mom and call him dad,” she points to Mr. Jung, “I am happy to be there for three daughters instead of two.”

Jessica pats my thigh and gives me a thumbs up from under the table. Krystal squeezes my hand and shakes it excitedly, so hard that I feel like it could break. Leaning towards me, Jessica whispers, “Congratulations. You’ve graduated Jung Training Academy.”

KRYSTAL’S POV

My heart feels like it’s about to burst with happiness. This dinner has gone much better than I could have ever expected. As the plates are cleared, Amber stands up and pulls something out of her pocket. Looking up at her, I ask, “What’s that, Am?”

“Your birthday present, of course,” she grins.

———

Author’s Note: Hello, everyone! So sorry for the delayed update! I’ve been going through some stuff, so I’ve been too drained to write. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this update!

Leave a comment below with what you think the present is — if you’re right, I’ll give you a shout out in the next chapter!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to those who left a comment, subscribed, and upvoted the story!

Hopefully I’ll be able to see you really soon in Chapter 10!

-RYTK