f i v e .

Krystal’s eyebrows furrow as she watches the boys play basketball--they’re completely immersed in the game and none of them seem to notice her presence as they play. Finally, with her patience reaching its limit, she strides forward and seizes the ball from one of them before holding it at her side and scowling at the large group of boys. “Let me play.”

“You can’t, you’re a--” one of them, who Krystal recognizes as Chen, begins.

She glares at him, eyes narrowing quickly. “Because I’m a girl. That’s weak. I’m as tough, if not tougher than most of you.” she claims, her eyes challenging the boys. Kai scoffs from the sidelines, hands on his hips as he catches his breath. His olive skin is dotted with beads of sweat, and his shirt had long since been peeled off, revealing a soaked through white wife beater.

“Don’t bother with her, guys,” he laughs. “She’s an idiotic maid, and trust me, she’s insane.” The boys laugh at this, exchanging highfives with Kai like he’s some kind of superstar. Krystal pushes past them and stands in front of the hoop, after lining up, she lobs the ball and it bounces off the rim. Extending her arm, she catches the ball and bounces it quickly before shooting again, this time from a farther distance. The ball hits the rim once more and circles it before going through the net with a firm swish.

Shrugging, one of the older boys decides to let her play. Krystal soon learns her mistake. Although she tries to stand her ground, she realizes that these boys are much taller than her and in much better shape. They zoom past her, they hit into her, they treat her just as she asked to be treated--like one of them. After being knocked into by one of them, she twirls before landing on the ground, her palms scraping the asphalt and causing her to hiss.

Such a minor injury shouldn’t hurt this much, and she knows that. But she also knows her limits. She’s lived a sheltered life for upwards of eighteen years. She’s weak and doesn’t know how to brush off injuries; she doesn’t know how to pretend like it doesn’t hurt. So she frowns at her injury and walks away, desperate to get away before they see her cry. She shouldn’t cry--she knows that. But she simply can’t help it.

“Aww, are you hurt?” Kai sneers.

Krystal bites her lip and pauses, if only for a second, before speaking. “I just think I should get back before the chores pile up.” she shouts back, praying that they didn’t hear her voice crack. With that said, she walks out, brushing past the blonde-haired Sehun as she goes. He had been especially cold to her, for some unknown reason. Which is why she’s surprised when he comes running after her.

Desperately wiping away her budding tears, Krystal clears as she faces him. He looks bored, almost as he glances down at her hands before looking at her. “You seem intent on doing something and I have a feeling I know who it involves...” Sehun begins, eyes narrowing. Krystal’s mouth falls open as she looks for the right words, but nothing comes to mind but pure shock. “If you plan on hurting him, I want you to make it sting. No matter how.”

With that, he runs back to his friends, leaving Krystal very puzzled.

She thought they were friends.

Two sharp knocks on her door awakens Krystal from her thoughts, and she sits up in her bed, rubbing the back of her neck as she calls out hoarsely, “Come in!” Seconds pass before the door finally opens, revealing the olive-skinned Kai. He carries a delicate white tray in his arms, and upon that tray is a glass of water, a mug of tea, and some vanilla cookies. Kai refuses to make eye contact as he sets the tray on her dresser before stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“Don’t let the tea get cold,” he mutters, “it won’t taste very good then.”

That said, Kai leaves without another word, and the door shuts with a soft click. Krystal tilts her head to the side as her gaze casually drifts from the door to the tray. It seems that Jessica left out one thing about Kai; he’s bipolar. How is it that a person can be so awfully cruel one second and then completely sweet the next? A bittersweet feeling lingers as Krystal proceeds to stand up and approach the tray. She picks the mug of tea up and examines it--it doesn’t seem all that bad. Lifting the mug to her face, she lets the warm porcelain press against her supple lips for a second before tilting the mug back and taking a sip of the steamy tea.

Upon first tasting it, she realizes that it’s sweet yet herbally. A fine mix of earthy undertones cascade over tongue as she takes yet another sip. A twinge of sugary delight hits the tip of her tongue and she shuts her eyes, basking in the pleasant taste. It’s a taste that, surprisingly, she knows all too well. As Jessica has never been a big fan of tea, she would always give the canisters of it that Kai made for her to Krystal. The taste of the tea was addictive to Krystal, who desperately tried to find out how to make it.

It never tasted quite the same, though.

Mug in one hand and a vanilla cookie in the other, Krystal returns to her bed and sits down. Sighing, she thinks of a time years ago, when her sister was still around. When Jessica and Kai were dating was arguably the best time in Krystal’s life. She enjoyed the pleasant personality Jessica had come to adapt, but above that, she often had the whole house to herself as her sister was always out with Kai. Although, as Jessica delved deeper into her relationship with Kai, all of that changed.

Everyday was a challenge for Jessica, who desperately sought to prove herself as worthy to Kai. As much as the two seemed to care for each other, there was a definite push and pull between them. Jessica believed that she wasn’t good enough for Kai, although he didn’t share those thoughts. As a result, Jessica took a turn for the worse and nearly drove herself crazy in order to impress him. Krystal, who had always looked up to and cared for her sister, tried to help. She gave everything she had to Jessica--including her own time. Krystal made food for Kai so Jessica could rest. Krystal bought things for Kai so Jessica didn’t have to fret.

It was a wicked cycle that eventually spun out of control.

Kai didn’t like who Jessica had become--he wasn’t a fan of how on-edge she was and how hard she tried. He wanted her to be natural and loving, while all she wanted to do was be fit for him. So, one day, he just broke it off. A heartbroken Jessica fled the country, deciding that she’d rather finish her schooling in America. But Krystal knew that it was all to get away from Kai. The boy who had destroyed Jessica. The boy who had made Jessica go crazy. In Krystal’s eyes, Kai played with Jessica--she was a toy that he planned on breaking so that no one else could have her.

Kim Jongin was--and is--a sick bastard.

Krystal looks down upon feeling a hot splash on her leg, and sure enough, the pale white skin there is stained red. Her hand had been shaking so much that she spilled her tea and therefore, burned herself. Hissing, she wipes the remaining liquid off of her leg before setting the mug down and standing up. She looks into the mirror with hard eyes, and is surprised to find a person much unlike herself staring back at her. That girl doesn’t seem like her, and yet, it is her.

A sharp jawbone leads to thin, supple lips, high cheekbones and deep brown eyes. Her slender nose seems to fit perfectly onto her slim face. With her fists clenched and her jaw set, Krystal looks brooding and menacing. “I’m not Jung Soo Jung,” she breathes. “I’m Jeon Soo Jung--Krystal.” she continues, sounding almost as if she’s assuring herself. Eyes flashing, she glances over at the door temporarily before staring back at her reflection. Her goal is clean cut and simple.

“I want to break him like he did Jessica,” she says, “I want him to hurt.”

Author's Note;

► And the plot thickens. I know this is short, but I'm just...Ugh. I don't know how to describe it, lol. Well, this story is officially crazy. I've only uploaded four (now five) chapters and I already have 50 subbies! Guise, that's crazy for me! Thank you~ I know I'm not the best writer, but I hope I can improve and give you all better updates! As far as all the Kris drama goes, I don't plan on talking about it. So, yeah. Well, remember to comment, subscribe, and upvote as well!

►Peyton