She took a moment to memorize how amazing it is to be standing close to the nature. To be able to hear the soothing sound of the water flow through the river, Amber could also sense the difference of air freshness between a crowded city and an excluded place like that.

She was so busy with worldly things and yet almost to forget that making an escape to the green forest sometimes could heal her soul.

"What's in your mind? Is there something special you see in the water?" a familiar voice greeted from her back. Amber furrowed her eyebrows before turning her body around.

"Ah, its you uncle,"

Mr. Kim grinned as he approached the niece and threw his right arm around Amber's shoulder, joining the latter on nature-admiring moment. "I thought you were sleep walking,"

"Isn't now is too early to start the day?"

Amber pocketed both her hands, "I know," she said, "I just want to enjoy this breathtaking view by myself, uncle. I found the peace in it,"

He studied Amber's face for a while and muttered back,

"Of course, water is the purest element of all," and tightened his grip. "Before that, I should say I'm sorry, Yiyun,"

"You've done nothing wrong, uncle, why should you apologize to me?" Amber stated, eyebrow lifted.

"Because I wrongly paired you with other girl," Mr. Kim said and made her chuckled as response afterwards.

"Frankly speaking, I see Joo Hyun is the prettiest girl here since my son said you're dating a goddess type of woman,"

"She is pretty, uncle, no doubt on that," she claimed. "But... I don't share a love connection with her. For me, she is a wise and generous friend,"

His mouth changed to 'o' shape then. "I see... So... who's the girl?"

Amber didn't utter a thing in millisecond because she's taking a tiny courage of the time to confess correctly.

After a set of breathing session, the niece replied, "Krystal, the girl I'm sharing a tent with. She's...my date now,"

"O-oh?! So its her?!"

The boyish girl just hummed at his uncle's surprise expression.

"Haizz... That fortunate son should just tell straight her name! And... actually, she's kinda of pretty too,"

"Kinda?"

"Kinda for me, not for you...right?"

Amber can's resist a huge grin from her face. "Yeah, definitely,"

They sanked in silence in a while, inhaled together to the cold morning air and used the peace of beautiful scenery to relax their crowded minds.

For the younger, she can't run from thinking about what she said to Krystal last night while for Mr. Kim, his brain still lingered on family business although he's hundred miles away from the workplace.

"Uncle," Amber called.

"If you're seeking for love advice, I'm telling you I'm the expert," said Mr. Kim, flashing his proud smile.

Half-laughing, Amber retorted, "Since when?!"

"Since I've officially married to your aunt,"

"Okay.. that make sense," commented Amber, satisfied enough.

"What is it, young girl?" his tone changed soft at that moment, and he already opened his heart wide. He's all ready with whatever question that Amber going to ask.

"I'm.... afraid," she looked down on the spot she's standing. Watching over the hard surface of the rock and breathed a sigh.

"You are cool about this but not my parents," she stopped and furthered, making eye contact with her uncle,

"Do you think..that they-they gonna accept me as who I am... if I tell them the truth?"

"About what? This whole relationship thing?"

She just nodded weakly.

"Yiyun, you want to hear an honest answer or... a straightforward one from me?"

"Both, probably,"

The man released the air from both his nostrils and mouth and muttered, maintaining his calm tone. "To be honest, your parents are the most complicated parents in the world. They're not going to be easy on you, dear. I've known them for years, the faith and gospel have the highest spot in their lives, always. Conservative, but warm and kind hearted woman and man at the same time too," he looked at Amber and curved a little smile. "uality... and love beyond gender norms, I'm sure they're still clueless about that, Amber. Your mother, perhaps she's going to understand it if you let her know but your father... his enthusiasm in practicing everything from the Holy Book seems.. can not be stopped, in certain condition,"

"Yeah, my father is that kind of guy," she snorted.

"That's my honest answer," he stated. "Otherwise, another version of answer, I can explain it to you as well if you're willing to listen,"

"I'm just right here, uncle. Your loyal listener, as always,"

"Okay," Mr. Kim nodded and added further,

"It is their life's grip, Amber- not you. They already spent half of their lives while you, still in your early adulthood. So long to go, yet so many things going to happen to you. Why bother much about what they gonna say if they find out about this? Why you're afraid to accomplish your own life goals if their perception not gonna harm you?"

"Because...they're my parents... My life bounds to them, uncle. They sacrified a lot to raise me,"

Mr. Kim flinched, "There, there, clearly you're making them as the reason you're not living your life to the fullest,"

He caressed Amber's shoulder gently, "Bear it in your mind, my child. They did their best to fulfill your needs because they're responsible for those things. But they can't decide on what will you be happy about, aren't they?"

Her tomboy daughter-like bobbed her head twice.

"Are you sure... you like that girl very much?" his question sounded firm and stern plus his serious look showed enough of it.

"I love her, uncle," Amber confessed, saying those words eye-to-eye with Mr. Kim.

The man figure could clearly see Amber's sincerity through her glistening eyes. He saw no urge to interrogate anymore.

"You're very sure of your feeling then what are you afraid of?"

She took a short time to swallow a lump in before referring to herself,

"I'm afraid to be happy, uncle. My experience, I've through it alone,with pain," shifted her face to face Mr. Kim straight, Amber said, "I'm scared if this happiness of loving someone will come to end, soon. I'm scared if all of her feelings to me only temporary,"

"Then fix it, make it endless," replied Mr. Kim.

He let out a small chuckle when Amber's flabbergasted face greeted him at the moment.
"Why? You'd never think of this before?"

"Not once in my lifetime,"

"You heard from me already. I gave to you my point of view, and now, you're the one who will decide the steps you'll be making next," he slightly shook the younger's shoulder again.

"You got me, daughter?"

Amber thought, if that is the best effort to find happiness in her life, then the next thing to be afraid of is how she's going to rekindle her vague relationship with Krystal.

Maybe, Mr. Kim was right.

Everyone is attached to her life, but not all of them are the same.

"Amber? Did you... listen to me???" her uncle voiced out as she left him hanging without a word.

She sighed a smile and stared back at the crystal clear water, calmly replied,

"Copy that, uncle,"

***

(Listening to Baby Steps by Girls' Generation TaeTiSeo)

Wendy, Seulgi and Irene looked at each other before turning their heads to Krystal, who's in verge of tears. The older motioned her body closer and gave a gentle on the youngest's back as she exhaled, "You can cry, Soo Jung. We don't mind, really,"

Holding back herself, she forced a smile and shook her head off.

"No...I'm fine,"

"Suddenly I feel bad for you, Krys. I thought, Amber is... mature enough to deal with her whirlwind feelings," Wendy expressed with a slight of disatisfied tone. She repeated Irene's action and pouted long, "Now I agree that she's a senseless llama,"

The duo kept showering Krystal with motivational words and tried hard to convince her to move on from Amber while Seulgi stayed in her mute mode.

Noticing the girl was zoning out alone, Irene asked, "Seulgi? Are you okay?"

She snapped out from her deep thoughts and quickly moved her head from left to right repeatedly.

"Nothing, I'm okay," she stated.

Seulgi stared at Krystal, eyeing close on her flawless face before she let out,

"Give her another chance,"

That made three of them automatically stared at her.

"I'm dead serious, you should really give Amber-unnie another chance," she sounded more confident this time, "Don't you give up easily on her, Krystal-ah. I know what she said to you last night was... unclear about your relationship with her but still, you must fight for your feeling too,"

Sniffing, Krystal replied, totally upset, "I don't know..... she wanted us to be that way,"

Irene, hearing of Seulgi's advice came to think of the same thing too.

"She's probably right, Soo Jung-ah. Why don't you confront her again and make she believes that your feeling for her is... real? Convince her that you like her too?"

The sudden reversal plot made Wendy's face contorted in confusion. She pushed her brain hard to download every single word that both Irene and Seulgi had delivered to her bestie.

She ended up being clueless and totally lost as the two kept urging Krystal to fight for what she feels.

"Maybe because she's unsure either you really like her or you just confused, that is why Amber drew the line between two of you. She have an awful dating history back then, but that doesn't mean she has doubt on your feeling," added Seulgi again.

"Yeah, I agree with her right now," Irene intruded.

"And, instead of you keep saying you understand her, why don't you make your move to make she understands you too? Give and take, Krystal," another idea came out from Seulgi's mouth and entered Krystal's mind.

"Push and pull, you mean," Wendy finally expressed her thought, starting by correcting Seulgi's term.

"Krys, to be honest, make up your mind. Go with the decision you made and fix this vague bond between you and Amber unnie. Nothing is impossible, you know?"

"But..." she grumbled, releasing a deep sigh and gazed into Wendy's orbs. "H-how...to.. I mean, I can do that...?"

Seulgi put her hand onto Krystal's,

"Of course! This unforeseeable relationship must be explained in details, Soo Jung-ah!"

Even she's a bit astounded on Seulgi's rise of voice, Krystal still able to put a straight face. Another sigh followed as she immersed into a deep thoughts again.

Firstly, she's very sure that Amber, the charming tomboy likes her very much and she, also feel the same amount of fondness.

Second, she has no reason to deny the first statement above.

But now, what is the problem?

"Aaaaackkkkkkkk!"

The girls including Krystal herself snapped and screamed on top of their lungs when Dahyun's face appeared suddenly from the zippered door.

"Oops! Sorry-sorry, I thought Krystal unnie is sleeping!" the fair-skin girl quickly apologized and grinned, showing the row of her cute teeth. "Never expect you guys to be here though,"

"Haish! That really surprised me!" Irene whinned while calming the rapid of her heartbeats.

Dahyun bowed her head then,

"Hehe, sorry unnie,"

Krystal snickered a chuckle as she shook, "Why dubu-yah?"

"O-oh," Dahyun finally recalled her intention. "Amber unnie tell me to inform you to dress up, put raincoat on because we're going to cross the thershold of forest after breakfast. And please, flat shoes, no heels,"

Seulgi scoffed, "Who the hell still have gut to wear heels in jungle huh? Must be a pabo (fool)," the girl flashed her cutie-bear eye smile then.

Irene and Krystal simultaneously pointed their index fingers at Wendy, and made Seulgi's stupid grin grew wider.

Dahyun contained her laugh, looking at the oldest's girl glaring face before she bowed again and said, "Excuse me unnie, I'm going to help Amber unnie to prepare breakfast, see you guys later,"

When the girl left, Wendy smacked Seulgi's head and shot a glare. "Shut up! That's my right to wear heels! Is that bother you by the way?!"

"Omo! Is it because you are short?" Seulgi teased and made Krystal joined Irene to laugh at Wendy's flat face.

Pouting, Wendy pushed herself up, wanting to leave the laughing girls in the tent but Irene was fast to grab her wrist and muttered in her coaxing tone, "Aish, don't mind her, Seung Wannie. You are right, heels definitely give you confidence to walk,"

Another laugh cracked as Wendy grunted in frustration, retaining the long pout from the corner of .