Performing in a club was something Sunyoung hadn’t done in quite a while. It was usually something the rookie idols did if it fitted their concept and after seven years, f(x) was everything but a rookie group. She had therefore been surprised that their manager had gotten them a gig in Busan – in a night club.
It was just her and Amber. They had just brought out a single collaboration with a DJ called R2hab and even though it was meant for SM Station, they wanted them to promote it a little bit. It was a good song, even Sunyoung had to admit that. It might be more Amber’s style than hers, but it was a good song and she loved the beat. During the recording, both of them had been psyched to sing, mainly because it was so damn energizing.
The song is perfect for a club, but that didn’t take away Sunyoung’s nervousness when they were backstage, preparing to perform. She couldn’t help but to constantly fumble at her nails, scratching off the black nail polish she had applied the day before. Whilst the people around her made sure everything was ready, Sunyoung was trying hard not to listen to the excited yells of the audience.
Amber was completely in her element, though. The girl was bouncing on her feet, rocking back and forth in excitement. There was a grin on her face that hadn’t faded since the beginning of the night. Every time the music got louder and the cheers grew, she would enthusiastically touch Sunyoung’s arm.
“Do you hear that? Amazing, right?” she asked her, with twinkling eyes. Sunyoung just nodded in agreeance, even though her heart was pounding in her chest.
With her loose tank top, that revealed just a little bit of her sports bra underneath, a snapback and just some dark blue jeans, she looked like she belonged in the audience rather than on stage. Amber’s tattoos stood out on her slightly tanned skin and appeared even more prominent in the semi-darkness backstage. Sunyoung, on the other hand, wore a black, off shoulder dress that accentuated her figure. It was a lot more comfortable than some of the other outfits she had worn on stage, but part of her also just wanted to wear some jeans.
After they had gotten their makeup done, it didn’t take long before mics were pressed into their hands. Sunyoung confidently wrapped her fingers around the device, knowing that as soon she’d be back on stage, that it’ll all be okay. Next to her, Amber was almost jumping of excitement, muttering along to the lyrics of the medley of the DJ that was currently playing. Sunyoung couldn’t help to smile a bit also at seeing her best friend like that.
It had been a while since Amber had grinned that widely for so long. It was a pure sight and a blessing to see her laugh. Their promotions for 4 Walls were ending soon and Sunyoung noticed that, now that Amber had more spare time again, her mood was worsening. Being with the other members and performing was something she loved, but now that she had time to compose again, all of her previous struggles with the entertainment flared up again. She was being ignored, pushed to the side like she was nothing. Sunyoung knew all about it, but Amber was more affected by it. She took it more personal that the company was willing to invest more in the ‘big money makers’, like EXO and NCT than their other groups and soloists. She didn’t want to do a big comeback, but she at least wanted to promote one of her songs, get back on the stage again.
And not only the stress of performing and not-performing affected her friend: everything that has been going on with Soojung was probably even worse.
Amber hadn’t wanted to tell her much about the struggles she had with their youngest member, but the sad, empty expression in her eyes told Sunyoung that it was bad. All she knew was that during a night out, Amber had told her something shockingly. Soojung had clearly reacted negatively.
And even though Amber hadn’t wanted to tell her what was going on, Sunyoung had a strange feeling that she knew that this was about her never-dying love for Soojung. Ever since their debut, the two had been inseparable, having many things in common. Soojung helped Amber with her Korean and was the first one she had bonded with. Their bond had grown only stronger over the years and even Sunyoung had to admit that sometimes they went pretty far in showing their affection, even for two best friends.
Sunyoung wondered if Amber’s feelings were different than Soojung’s; whether Amber longed for something more than just friends. It would explain everything: Amber’s flirty behaviour, Amber’s sad state at the moment and the cold air that had slipped between the two girls after the confrontation.
Sunyoung hadn’t dared to confront Amber about it. If it was true, then the girl is having a hard time already. Being rejected and completely abandoned by your best friend was something she didn’t wish upon anybody. It was simply too cruel. And on top of that, she had to figure out her feelings and try to get over her.
But she did try to make her feel a little bit better. Because of her miserable state, Amber tended to spend a lot of time inside her apartment – which was so unlike her – but Sunyoung tried to get her out ever so now and then. Taking her out for lunch, going to the movies together or just asking her to help her bake cookies for her mother. Amber always agreed, probably because she craved care from someone that wasn’t called Jung Soojung.
It pained Sunyoung incredibly to see her like that, but she had to admit to herself that there was little she could do to help her. She didn’t want to expose her and her feelings because that might bring her in an uncomfortable situation, but she wanted to provide help as much as she could.
Perhaps going to a party was the kind of help she needed. Just letting go every bit of stress, every sad feeling, was something that would feel incredibly liberating.
A night out to a club was something that would do her good, it seemed, especially if there was a whole crowd cheering for her.

After a few more minutes, they got a sign from the DJ on stage. As their introduction played, Amber and Sunyoung entered the stage under the loud cheering of the audience.
It shocked Sunyoung how tiny and low the stage was. Any dedicated fan could just take a jump and land on stage if they wanted to. Amber didn’t seem to mind it and actually love how close she was with the party-goers. She eagerly gave them high-fives and interacted with them like a true idol did.
Behind them was a panel for the DJ, underneath an enormous digital screen which displayed their names. The dance floor was tightly packed with people, each of them holding up their drinks so that if someone bumped against them, their beer would not spill immediately. The room smelled of sweat and alcohol and the heat only intensified the scent. It made Amber only more excited, though, and when the 4 Walls remix started, she was the one who screamed along the hardest. Sunyoung at least tried to get the notes right, but after a few times, it seemed futile to even proceed to try. The audience didn’t care – they only wanted to hear the beat – and Amber certainly wasn’t here to sing or dance prettily. She danced on stage, letting the music guide her body and seemed almost drunk even though she had not drunken anything heavy... yet. Both of them had had a glass of wine, but that wasn’t enough for even Sunyoung to feel tipsy. Amber didn’t need alcohol to party and continued to hop around the stage like a young puppy.

Sunyoung still had to adjust a little bit, but she started to let herself go little by little. When the props came on stage, she finally managed to have some real fun. One of the staff members had brought in bottles of champagne and – after quickly asking if she could take one – she eagerly grabbed one. She opened it, facing the audience. When the cork of the bottle sprang away, she was met by loud cheering. The people on the front row were hiding under their arms when the beverage started to pour out of the bottle. Sunyoung simply grinned and took a large sip, straight from the bottle.
Not long after that, she felt Amber throw her arm around her neck. With a grin that displayed pure joy, she took the champagne from her and took a sip as well. Sunyoung laughed and Amber did as well.
Their fun with the champagne came to a when Sunyoung kneeled down and Amber tried to pour the beverage in . It was messy and sloppy but the audience loved it, and after gulping it down, Sunyoung grinned as well. Amber helped her stand up again and to her surprise, she noticed that she was getting kind of wobbly on her heels already.

After 4 Walls, Wave came up. They had to tone down a little bit. They were there to promote the song after all. Since it wasn’t adjusted a lot, they still needed to sing a lot and their voices needed to be clear and pure, instead of the unflattering screaming they had produced during 4 Walls.
It worked and as Sunyoung sang, the audience jumped wildly along to the beat. The response was great, at least, until Amber took up one of the other props. When she was met in the face with a beam of water, the audience went from happy to psyched. Sunyoung let out a yelp, which made Amber even laugh harder.
Sunyoung immediately put her mic down and didn’t take it up for the rest of the song. She took one of the water guns and hit Amber on her back. The other girl yelped like she had just been struck by a bullet. She turned around with a devilish grin on her face and their water fight began.
At the end, both of them were soaked and Sunyoung was glad she wore a black dress. She brushed her bangs back and ran her hand through her dripping hair. Amber laughed at her and continued to play with the water guns, only this time wetting herself and the people on the front row. Sunyoung just laughed, shaking her head slightly at her dorky friend.

If one of the staff members hadn’t come up the stage to pick up the empty bottles of champagne and take back the water guns, Amber would have played with the toy until the end of the evening. The short haired girl pouted when they took it away from her, even though she was already soaked. Their eyes met, and her pout immediately turned in a mischievous grin, one that only Amber could produce. It immediately made Sunyoung laugh as well as she inched closer to her.
“You’re all wet!” Sunyoung screamed to her when the two friends had met again. Amber let her eyes trail over Sunyoung’s body for a moment, then laughed.
“You too!”
Sunyoung didn’t hear her well, but she could read from her lips what she wanted to say and chuckled.
“Your fault!”
Amber apologetically shrugged, but her twinkling eyes betrayed that she didn’t mind it that much.

They danced and sang and partied the rest of the night on stage until their bodies were too tired to stand and the alcohol’s adrenalizing feature had worn off.
Near an hour or one, they gave up, thanked the audience and went off stage.
“That – was – freaking – a – ma – zing!” Amber chimed, as soon as they had given off their mics and thanked the staff for creating such a night. Sunyoung nodded agreeing.
“We should do club performances more often, I loved it!” she went on. “Do you think they’ll let us do this another time?”
“With 4 Walls you mean? I don’t think these kinds of people are waiting for that,” Sunyoung laughed. “But perhaps we can promote Wave another time.”
Amber immediately re-found her energy and bounced on her feet at the thought of doing this another time. They walked together back to their dressing room. Sunyoung was aching to get out of her sticky, semi-wet dress and put on something more comfortable.
“Do you still want to stay? I believe they reserved a spot in the V.I.P lounge for us,” Sunyoung asked her, as she zipped down the zipper and let the black, sticky fabric fall past her legs. She stepped out of the dress and hung it back up on one of the clothes hangers.
Amber just took off her tank top when Sunyoung turned around. The contours of her friend’s body weren’t unfamiliar, but this time it made her clench her jaws tightly upon each other. Still wet from playing with the water guns on stage with little drops of water rolling down her chest when she breathed, it was a sight that took your breath away. When she hung away her tank top, Sunyoung could see her strong muscles work underneath her skin. Amber turned around and looked at her with a child’s innocence. Sunyoung quickly lifted her eyes to meet her gaze and smiled.
“Only if you want to,” she answered. “I know you’re not much a fan of clubs.”
Sunyoung shrugged. She couldn’t help to smile at Amber’s caring nature. Even though the girl loved to party, she would have easily given up the rest of her night if Sunyoung had admitted that she preferably went back to their hotel.
“I don’t mind to stay a little longer,” she said. I know how much you need this.
Amber immediately grinned broadly when she heard her answer.
“Amazing! I would love to try more of that champagne.”
“Trust me, it’s good,” Sunyoung laughed.

After both of them having changed out of their wet clothes, they headed back down to the party. The women were immediately met by their staff members whom – after they had cleared up everything on the stage – came to party with them. Having worked with them for years, both Amber and Sunyoung knew them all by name at least and had bonded with several of them.
They indeed had a spot in the V.I.P lounge reserved for them. It was a small balcony with free drinks and a nice view of the stage and the immense crowd underneath them. Now that Amber and Sunyoung had left the stage, the DJ was proudly dominating again. With his hand in the ear and his headset on, he played the best remixes any of them had ever heard. The horde of people jumped along to the heavy beat, drunk on as well alcohol and the beat.
Amber also responded well. Her grin had grown broader as soon as they had set foot in the club again and it hadn’t faltered from her face yet. In her own clothes, she was even more in her element. Sunyoung, on the other hand, had to adjust once more. But she knew that as long as she stayed close to her friend and just drank a little more, it’d be alright.

Their group settled with the handful of other people who also had access to the V.I.P lounge. They took up almost the whole lounge couch, but that created an even cosier and happier atmosphere. Amber immediately took a bottle of champagne out of the mini bar. Under loud cheering – in which Sunyoung created one of the loudest sounds – she opened the bottle and started pouring glasses for everyone, including the other strangers. They happily, although a bit surprisedly, took the glass from her, thanking her with a small, polite nod and a friendly smile.
In the end, the club lost already three and a half bottles of champagne, only to their group.
Sunyoung took her glass with a broad smile and gestured that Amber should come sit next to her again. With still half a bottle left, Amber hadn’t bothered to pour herself a glass, but just sat down next to the brunette whilst taking the bottle on her lap. They started the evening by clinking their glass and bottle together and both taking a huge sip.

Even though Sunyoung was much more a fan of spending a night on the couch with a bowl of popcorn instead of partying, she had to admit that being in Busan with Amber literally tipped any of her movie-nights. Not only the people she was with were incredibly fun, it was even better to be there with Amber.
Since the f(x) members were all a fan of staying at home – dear god, especially Soojung – they barely went out to a club together. She had therefore never been able to behold Amber in a club before. It was a sight for sore eyes.
The girl wasn’t a lightweight, but as soon as she started to get tipsy, she became incredibly loud and overly loving and touchy towards other people. Especially her close friends, like Sunyoung, were kept close by the possessive short-haired girl.
Unlike Amber, Sunyoung was easily affected by alcohol and even though she tried to go slow it was in vain with Amber ‘I like to drink fast’ Liu next to her. Amber had bottomed half a bottle of champagne at the same pace Sunyoung bottomed her glass. After that, she got up to get more alcohol, this time strong liquor. The others cheered, but Sunyoung already knew that at the end of this night, she’d be hanging over a toilet, trying to get all of it out again. This evening, it was a risk she was willing to take. Amber needed a good night out and the longer she thought about it, the more she convinced herself that she also needed a night out.
After two shots, Sunyoung started to feel light-headed and she decided to stop pacing along with Amber. She noticed a lot of other staff members declined too when Amber offered them another shot or mixed drink. She was glad she wasn’t the only one. A few of the males were still in the game and Amber was stubborn enough not to give up, even if that resulted in getting way too drunk way too fast. There was no way she’d be able to out-drink her male competitors.
Sunyoung switched over to beer and decided to watch over her friend a little, trying to keep track of how much she was drinking. But being tipsy herself, it was harder than expected.
She couldn’t help to let out a sigh of relief when Amber decided that she wasn’t being able to put on with the men anymore and switched to water, but not before she was so drunk that she could barely distinguish whom she was going out with. Amber’s normally caring and outgoing personality turned flirtatious and everyone in the lounge was getting their shot, men and women alike. Amber barely seemed to know what she was doing, but since they were in – sort of – a safe place, Sunyoung let her hit on the rest. They all brushed it off as something funny or joked along with her, so there was no harm done.

Near the end of the night, Sunyoung left to pay a visit to the bathroom. When she returned, Amber had changed seats and was chatting up to one of the strangers; a woman. From her position, Sunyoung could conclude that it wasn’t entirely friendly. Sunyoung had still been able to excuse her flirty behaviour when she was talking to the staff members, because most of them were at least ten to fifteen years older than she was, but now that her friend was smiling so mischievously and laughing so attractively to a stranger of her age, Sunyoung immediately led this back to Soojung. Amber – believe it or not – tended to treat herself badly, especially when she thought she deserved it. She would go through fire to help someone else but would rather slap herself than compliment herself if she needed to. The brunette knew that this was all about Soojung. About being turned down and feeling miserable and lonely. Amber longed for human contact and a person who was able to give her the kind of love she required. Sunyoung hated not being able to, but she hated it more to see her chat up to a stranger like that. It wasn’t Amber’s style to have one night stands, mostly because she was way too sweet for that. On top of that, Sunyoung knew one hundred percent sure that she would feel even more miserable and lonelier the morning after.
But she realised that this night was not about her. It was about Amber. And there was nothing she could do to stop her without limiting her in her freedom.
Therefore, she sat down and took her half-filled glass with beer in her hand, a few inches away from Amber. Instead of stopping her, she just engaged in the conversation between her hair stylist and makeup artist. Both of them were good friends of her and since Sunyoung’s interests also laid with beauty products, it wasn’t difficult to get along.
But as she was talking, she couldn’t help to overhear parts of the conversation Amber was having with her beautiful stranger. It was downright cringy and nothing like Amber’s usual behaviour. But the girl liked it; the girl liked her, and that was what mattered to Amber.
Sunyoung had always thought that Amber’s normal, bubbly way of doing was pretty attractive. Her jokes, her smiles, her way of caring for people. They were traits you didn’t often see combined in a person. Especially with a cheesy smile and twinkling eyes, she was attractive to as well males as females. As the person who had always had her back, she knew the way people looked at her. Amber failed to see that with being herself, she attracted the most people, not by trying hard, like she did now.
But this girl didn’t know Amber like Sunyoung did, and she fell for the act pretty easily. The cocksure smile, the somewhat Bad Girl kind of vibe Amber gave off with her tattoos, tank top and black, short hair was enough to make her inch closer and closer to her until she was practically sitting on her lap. Sharing looks, smiles and touches that were almost considered . It was a sight that made the brunette gag.

And eventually, it made her step up too.

When the dark-haired beauty wrapped her arms around Amber’s neck and muttered a sensual: “Perhaps you should kiss me then…”, Sunyoung got in between. Without a second thought, she inched closer to Amber, put her arm around her shoulders and looked the girl straight in the eye.
Sensing a disturbance of her plans, the girl looked up, one of her perfectly lined eyebrows raised high in annoyance.
“Uhm, hello?” she said. Amber turned around to her, shooting her a look that was the perfect embodiment of the ‘GTFO’-augmentation. Sunyoung ignored her and kept her gaze upon the girl.
“I think there must be a misunderstanding here. Amber will not do anything with you.”
“Sunyoung-”
She shushed her friend mercilessly. By now, the girl had gotten off of Amber’s lap, but her stubborn and annoyed expression in her eyes told her that she wasn’t done with her yet.
“Who are you to tell us that? She can do anything she wants, and so can I!” she hissed back. “C’mon.”
She stood up, taking Amber’s hand in hers so she could pull her up from the couch. Sunyoung placed her hand on Amber’s arm, making sure that she would not get up. By now, Amber also let out an annoyed sigh, trying to shrug her off.
“I can kiss whoever I want,” Amber muttered. Sunyoung nodded and shrugged.
“Yes, you can, but you shouldn’t kiss her.”
“Excuse me?” the girl shrieked. She let Amber’s hand go and by her body language, Sunyoung knew that she would not live ‘till the morning if she said something like that again. The girl was ready to charge at her but stopped when Sunyoung swayed her legs over Amber’s lap. She turned away and instead looked Amber in the eye. Her friend looked at her like an angry teenager who was forced to come home by her mother, but there also was a sense of worry in her eyes. Even drunk Amber knew that Sunyoung would never pester her for fun. There had to be a reason, a reason that she might not like to be called out upon.
Sunyoung knew this was about Soojung, and that was exactly why she was going to take the blame for whatever would happen for the rest of the night.
“She should kiss me instead.”
Sunyoung saw Amber’s eyes grow wide with shock before she placed her hand in her neck and leaned in. Their lips touched and Sunyoung immediately deepened the kiss. Within seconds she felt Amber kiss her back. Her hand slid around her waist, pulling her closer and the brunette willingly pressed herself closer to her friend. Sunyoung smiled to Amber’s lips when she heard the girl mutter a ‘whatever’ and hear her walk off.

Perhaps it was the alcohol speaking, perhaps it was the loneliness that drove both girls together; it didn’t matter when their lips were connected. Amber’s need for love and Sunyoung’s need to make her happy again drove them closer and closer, not only by heart but physically as well. Their kiss had grown heated, with their tongues battling for dominance, by the time their colleges noticed what was happening. Their cheers made Amber lift her up and place her on her lap. Sunyoung swirled her arms around her neck, breathing in the familiar scent that she knew so well.
Amber always smelled like something sweet, mixed with something salty. It reminded her of tropical fruit and a fresh sea breeze. She smelled like utter freedom, and that’s how she felt right now. The longer they kissed, the harder it became to keep the promise she had made herself that what she was doing right now was for Amber and that she herself did not enjoy it. It had been a while since she had kissed someone so sensually like that and right now it didn’t even matter that it was Amber.
When their breaths became too fast and their bodies a bit too willing, Amber was the one who pulled back. With large eyes and an amazed expression that had her let hang open, she looked up to the brunette. Seeming to realize what just had happened, she wanted to take her hands back, but Sunyoung took them and placed them back on her hips.
“Luna, I-” she stammered, but the brunette shook her head to silence her.
“Tonight, it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters. Only us,” she muttered, as she bowed down again until their faces were only inches apart. She swore she could have seen Amber’s pupils enlarge.
And with those words, she gave Amber new energy. The short-haired girl was the one who initiated the kiss, which was much to Sunyoung’s liking.

With alcohol running through their veins, their heads dizzy by the scent each other’s perfume and their hearts filled with love, the evening passed smoothly.
Eventually, they came to a point where the others wanted to leave. At an hour or three at night, most of them liked to go back to the hotel. Having worked all day, their energy levels had gotten low despite the cocktails and strong liquor. Sunyoung and Amber agreed to go with them but took their own cap to the hotel. The others let them and Sunyoung’s friends shared a knowing gaze with her. She didn’t return it. She didn’t want to admit that there indeed was something going on because if she said it out loud, or confirmed it any other way, she was afraid that she was not able to ignore her fluttering heart and the excited goosebumps on her arm anymore.
During the ride, their fingers were intertwined. Now that they had left the club and the energizing beat had fallen away, Sunyoung started to feel drowsy. With her head leaning on Amber’s shoulder, she looked out of the window, letting the bright city lights of Busan rush past.

Sunyoung had almost fallen asleep when they arrived. Amber had paid for the taxi before she could even realize what was going on. The girl seemed to have sobered up a little already.
They went upstairs and were painfully reminded that they did not share a room. During their rookie idol days, f(x) had always shared a room. Often it came down to Soojung and Amber sharing a bed, but when Amber and Sunyoung did, it was mostly because Jinri had claimed the princess. Qian chose whoever was left but often got a bed of her own. Now that they had grown older, SM always booked separate rooms. If only they knew that exactly tonight they wanted to curl up together like they used to…
They stopped in front of the front doors of their adjacent rooms, Amber didn’t waste a second and opened hers. Sunyoung was ready to turn around and walk to her own, but Amber didn’t let go of her hand. She didn’t complain when Amber pulled her along with her.
They landed on the bed and noticed that even without the mysterious air of the club, their bodies were still needy for each other. Sunyoung landed on top, again sitting on Amber’s lap, with her hands wrapped around her face. She kissed her long and tenderly and within a few seconds, Amber noticed that there was nothing ual about it. It was a kiss, just a kiss. But hell, it was filled with enough emotions to make her go crazy.

The brunette did not remember how long they kissed until finally, Amber pulled back. Whilst panting just a little bit, she looked up to her, with pleading young puppy eyes that made her heart ache.
“Don’t treat me like Soojung did,” she whispered. Her voice cracked of the amount of emotions that she felt. “Please.”
Sunyoung did not know what to say. She had known all along that it was about Soojung, but at the same time, she did not know whether she was able to fulfil Amber’s wishes. Sunyoung could not give her the love she deserved. Only tonight. Only now that they were both drunk and would forget it in the morning. There was so much they’d risk if they went through with this. Even if it meant to tie down her own heart, then so be it.
“Let’s go to sleep,” Sunyoung muttered before she pressed a long kiss on Amber’s lips. The other girl sighed and nodded.
They undressed until they were both in their underwear and crawled underneath the blankets. Sunyoung wrapped her arms around her friend from behind, taking her body close to hers, wanting to reassure her one last time before she’d fall asleep.
Within minutes, Sunyoung could make out soft snoring. With pain in her heart, she slowly took her arm back. To make sure Amber wouldn’t wake up, she tried to get up as quietly as possible from the bed. She waited a few seconds before she walked to the front door again, so she could make out the small snores again. When the coast was clear, she grabbed her stuff and a bathrobe. She wrapped the garment around her body and looked over her shoulder one more time to the peacefully sleeping girl that meant so much to her before she left the room.
With her lower lip caught between her teeth, she opened the door to her own room, let her wrinkled clothes fall on one of the chairs and fell on her own bed. It was dark and the sheets lacked the warmth of Amber’s body when she crawled under. With her knees pulled up ‘till her chest and guilt filling her heart faster than she had imagined was possible, Sunyoung tried to fall asleep. She noticed that it was a lot harder than she had reckoned it to be.
She wished she had stayed.

The next morning, she woke up with a painful headache and a painful heart. Today was one of those days she’d rather spend in bed and otherwise on the couch with a good movie, a bowl of popcorn and tons of blankets. But idols were barely ever granted that kind of life and today as well, Sunyoung dragged herself out of bed, forced herself to shower and do her makeup just so she’d be ready for whatever today would bring her.
On top of that, she was worried about what would happen between her and Amber. She knew that once her friend got drunk, she basically became the stereotype of drunk people. A lisp, having difficulty walking and forgetting what had happened the evening before. Sunyoung had counted on that when she had kissed her, but it wouldn’t surprise her that even though she had drunk so much, that something big like a kiss would stick.
With a stomach aching of nerves, she left her room that morning with a full suitcase. Their team had agreed to meet in the lobby at twelve and Sunyoung arrived just a little bit before the agreed time.
The other staff members started to appear one by one as the minutes passed. When half an hour had passed, everyone had arrived… except for Amber.
“Has anyone seen her yet?” someone asked.
“She doesn’t answer her phone.”
They started to get worried. Sunyoung was sweating and not just because of the high temperature. Like a mother who’s lost her child on the playground, she looked around and around, trying to be the first to catch a glimpse of the girl.
It was not only until a few minutes later when she heard someone let out a relieved sigh. Sunyoung immediately turned around.
Amber had hidden her hair under a cap and made sure that the dark circles of her eyes were invisible to any paparazzi by wearing dark sunglasses. She quickly apologized for being late and was the one to lead the group out of their hotel and to the taxi vans that were waiting for them in front of the building. When Sunyoung tried to catch up with her, Amber walked faster and faster. She directed everyone to her place and was the last one to sit, which happened to be in the taxi Sunyoung wasn’t in.

The brunette couldn’t help to wonder what was wrong. Did she remember what had happened between them? Had she knotted it together that Sunyoung had left herin the night, giving off a clear message that this had been a one-time thing? Or did she not remember anything and was a nagging headache the only thing that bothered her?
Sunyoung didn’t know and she decided not to ask. What if she did not remember?
At the airport, Amber’s mood didn’t improve. In fact, she only became more and more quickly agitated. Not directly to Sunyoung – who knew well to keep her distance – but other staff members had to watch their tongues around her. Only some of them had seen Amber different from her usual bubbly behaviour and it was a shock to them that even this cheerful girl could have a bad temper as well.
But Amber’s bad mood probably unsettled Sunyoung the most, mostly because she knew more.
Right before they boarded, she pulled the other girl apart.
“You’re not mad at me, are you?” she asked her quietly, but directly. Amber took off her sunglasses, revealing her eyes for the first time that day. They were colder than usual and did not bright up when she smiled. It was a somewhat sour smile.
“No, of course not,” she answered. “You didn’t do anything wrong, did you?”
And with those words, she left through the tube to the aeroplane. Sunyoung watched her, following a few seconds after.

Their flight had been silent and when they arrived in South Korea, they both went their own way. Sunyoung watched her go withpain in her heart. Eventually, she had to turn around too and walk to her own car, with a painful heart. It hurt her to let Amber go like that, but there was nothing she could do.
Because of that, she missed that Amber stopped in her walk, turned around and watched her with a longing, wishful glance. She looked at her until she drove away in her car. Letting out a deep sigh, Amber also turned around, resumed her way and forbid herself to ever think of the previous night and their intimately shared kisses ever again.

They never spoke about it, both assuming that the other person simply had forgotten.
But how could they forget?