Amber isn’t sure why this Krystal girl has so much power over her, she was looking her dead in the eye and waiting for a response but Amber couldn’t help but to try to understand Krystal’s motives. It was as if she was under her spell, waiting for commands. And damn she’s got to admit that Krystal was oddly enchanting and beautiful, covered in black and blue but still her pink lips were fascinating and almost inviting. Her long dark brown straight hair was hanging freely down her shoulders and her porcelain-like fingers tightened the grip around her arms. This can’t be love at first sight Amber thought to herself while still examining Krystal who is running out of patience.

“So… Are you staying or not?” Krystal said interrupting Amber’s daydreaming.

“I’m obviously not staying Krystal” She said walking again to reach the doorknob and finally be freed of this madness.

“Please, just five minutes. I promise I won’t waste your time” Krystal pleaded making Amber look for her phone and walk towards her.

“Here, I can borrow you my phone. Call your parents or something” She said handing her an iPhone to which Krystal just stared at it blankly.

“I- I don’t have anyone Amber…” Krystal said pushing the phone back to Amber, upon this scene all Amber could do was to chuckle and sigh.

“Don’t give me that Krystal, that’s so cliché” Amber said walking towards the bed and sitting. Since Krystal wasn’t being any cooperative, Amber thought that it was okay just for her to stay the five minutes, but only that.

After all, Amber was still curious about Krystal, she needed to know at least where the girl is from and if it is true that she was escaping the mental hospital. Amber can be naïve but she’s not stupid, she knows exactly that there’s something fishy about this girl and oddly enough she enjoys keeping her company, she enjoys seeing the girl’s hypnotizing eyes, trying to find an answer to this strange feeling of compassion.

“It’s true, I lived with my sister, she was all I had until a burglar tried to rob us and ended up killing her” Krystal said sitting beside Amber, facing her.

“I’m sorry to hear that” Amber awkwardly responded.

“So… Where are you from? Your Korean is a bit broken” Krystal asked.

“I’m form Los Angeles but my parents are from Taiwan. I just moved today” Amber said.

Krystal still seemed impatient and Amber doesn’t know why, she keeps on fidgeting with her fingers and looking straight at Amber almost not even blinking. I need to get her to open to me more Krystal thought. After the success of running away from the hospital Krystal still needed to get home, grab a fresh pair of clothes and start her mission to run away from Korea. If she was a fugitive she couldn’t stay here anymore. Although she is 25 it is impossible for her to leave her mental treatment because her parents admitted her and the only ticket out was to have a letter from her doctor approving her recovery. She had none of that so basically what she did is illegal.

“Hey that’s nice… tell me more about your parents” Krystal said moving closer to Amber and the later pulled herself back, her back now crashing on the bedhead.

“I think you’re not in the position to be asking that… Better yet, you tell me about your parents” Amber backfired, straightening her back and regaining her position.

“Well, nothing special. Died in a car accident when they were coming to visit me from Cali” Krystal replied emotionless, sending a shiver down Amber’s spine. How can she be so careless about it? Amber thought while raising a brow.

“So, you really have no one huh?” Amber asked.

“It’s just me, myself and I” Krystal replied. She stood form the bed and made her way to the kitchen, Amber was carefully looking at the way the younger girl was swaying her hips while she walks, the way her hands danced beside her nice body and the small breeze making her hair wave a little. She gulped. She was staying just five minutes because she knew that if she stayed longer there was no turning back, she’s feeling something towards Krystal, it’s not love but a weird feeling of protectiveness, she needs to make sure that Krystal is going to be alright, seeing her in that vulnerable state really ed her up.

Krystal on the other hand took a peek at Amber’s facial expression and thought to herself that her work here was done, she approached to the cabinets and took two cups.

“Want some coffee?” She asked Amber.

Amber sighed. “Sure, why not” She said shrugging her shoulders and Krystal happily started making the coffee.

“But don’t think I’m staying any longer. I’m just gonna finish the coffee and then I will go” Amber adverted and Krystal just nodded.

“Yeah, whatever” Krystal said coming to the bed and handing Amber her coffee.

The smell of the coffee mixed with Krystal’s strawberry perfume, before she knew it Amber was in a trance. She took a sip of the coffee and oh man, she was out of it. Everything started to get blurry, there wasn’t one Krystal anymore but two, then three, the whole world was funky and she felt really dizzy.

“Are you okay Amber?” Krystal asked her but she couldn’t even make out what she was saying.

“I- uh I’m not….. feeling well” She articulated before dropping the cup of coffee on the room’s carpet, she then let her body hit the soft mattress of the bed.

She put something in the coffee… I know it Amber said to herself while trying not to black out, her senses were failing her, all she could smell was the faint scent of coffee and the strong strawberry perfume intoxicating her even more. She knows this feeling, she’s drugged and about to either pass out or vomit. In a brink of consciousness she saw Krystal climbing on her lap, she saw her lips moving but she couldn’t hear a thing. She blinked once and Krystal was gone, she blinked twice and Krystal was tying her, she closed her eyes for the third time and that’s when she lost it.

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Amber woke up to the worst headache she’s had in a while. She slowly opened her eyes to reveal that she is tied to the bed, half and still in the hotel. She grunted as she tried to untie herself but the knot was way too tight for her to break free easily. She roamed her eyes around the room looking for something that could help her, when her eyes landed on the night table, she saw a note that captured her attention.

“Hey Am, it’s me, Krystal

Sorry for everything you had been through but I needed a way out of this hole.

I bet you have a horrible headache but don’t worry I didn’t give you hard rocks, it was just a sedative, anyways my coffee tastes really good but it was a bummer that you couldn’t enjoy it… you know… because of the drug. Well, where was I? Oh yeah, it was nice meeting you, you really are y as hell, too bad I’m more into bad guys than silly girls who accept coffees from strangers.

Anyhow, I hope we can meet again.

Always yours, Krystal.

“That ” Amber cursed while gaining her strength and started pulling on the ropes again until she freed herself form the knot’s grip. When she finally stood from the bed she ran to her clothes and started looking in her jean’s pockets frenetically. “God damned it! She took my keys” She said slamming the jeans on the floor and running to the kitchen waiting for it to be a mistake, waiting to find her keys laying on the counter. But no, there were no keys, no wallet, no sign of Krystal beside the letter she just left.

She rushed to her jeans again realizing that Krystal didn’t take her phone, it was 8:00 am and her mother had left her a thousand messages, I’m screwed, she thought.

“Jackie” Amber said. She dialed her sister’s number to ask for help, she couldn’t let her mom know that not only did she help a stranger runaway from wherever the but also that she was so careless that the stranger ran away with all her money and her car.

“What’s wrong Amber? Is 8 am” Her sister sleepily replied through the other line.

“A girl took my car. Can you have one of your drivers come get me? I’m at Han Hotel” She said while putting her jeans on.

“Yeah sure. WAIT WHAT? A girl took your car??” Jackie said, she was now fully awake.

“I… uh It’s my fault. I was being careless” Amber said, tying her shoelaces.

“Are you okay?? Did she do anything to you?” Jackie panicked.

“Chill… I’m fine. I think so… Well now that you mention it, I woke up half … Is that alarming?” Amber asked scratching the back of her neck.

The last thing she remembers was Krystal climbing on her lap… No no no, she wouldn’t She thought.

“Oh my God you are a ing idiot Amber Liu. I’ll send Mr. Lee, don’t go anywhere” Jackie said and hung up on her sister.

Amber walked to the bathroom to freshen up and splashed her face with cold water. How could she had been so careless? Letting this Krystal girl getting away with this robbery, being sedated, it’s all like a bizarre action movie. She roamed the room still looking for a clue to where Krystal went but nothing was seemed to be found, she can’t still comprehend if she is worried about her car or if she is hurt about the fact that Krystal backstabbed her. She was kind and compassionate, why did she deserve to be sedated? Krystal could’ve asked her to drive her to the airport or train station, was it really that necessary?

Unless Krystal is hiding something. Amber knew it was way too cliché for her to have her sister and parents killed and for her to have absolutely no one in this big city. It was rather impossible for Krystal to be completely alone… or was she telling the truth?

“No, no. She’s a liar” Amber shook her head while looking trough the window. Seoul was a beautiful city; she remembered the first time she came for vacation when her father was still alive. They were feeding the llamas when her father came and scared her, she pouted at him and her father made fun of her saying that she looked like a llama. She was called to reality when a knock was heard on the door.

“Greetings Miss Liu, ready to go?” It was Mr. Lee, the driver her sister Jackie sent to collect her. She nodded and walked out of the room being escorted by other 2 men.

“So, I guess my sister told you about the thief” She said.

“Yes, she did, that’s why we decided to bring more assistance” Mr. Lee replied.

“Why does she have all this security? We’re just farmers” Amber asked. Her sister was never her mom type, she was almost as careless like her and humble.

“One year ago someone tried to hurt her, the economy here in Korea is decreasing. Someone found out she was the CEO of the Liu’s farmer corp. and tried to kidnap her” Mr. Lee said looking down at Amber.

“I didn’t know…” Amber sighed.

She came to Korea to have a peaceful life, the life style of Los Angeles was driving her crazy, work, traffic, crimes. She would never have thought that in nearly 20 hours her life would have a big change. She heard from friends that Korea was a country full of corruption, gangs and drug dealers and that the dramas and movies only picture the soft side of the country. Needless to say she still needs to go to the police and report the robbery, talk to her mom and clear things out with her sister. Suddenly she felt too exhausted, she hasn’t even emptied her luggage at home and she was already tricked, tied to a bed, undressed, robbed and backstabbed.

“Welcome to Korea Miss Liu”