‘

‘Gosh, unnie is always late’ Krystal thought as she lounged on the outdoor swing that decorated the deck of F(x)’s dorm room.  Her long, jean-clad legs were outstretched over the sides of the swing which swayed gently at any slight movement.  With a pout, she took another glance at her GUESS watch.  11:22 am.  Jessica was supposed to pick her up at 11:15 so they could meet the other girls for brunch but had undoubtedly forgotten to account for traffic.  Krystal closed her eyes to properly feel the toasty warmth of the sun sink into her pale skin.  In the distance she could hear Victoria and Luna arguing over what to make for lunch for the umpteenth time.  Eventually, she might have to step in and decide for them but she hoped that Jessica got there before she would be forced to do so.  Honestly, it was too early in the day to deal with anything requiring even the least bit of effort.  Also, she was exhausted from the four hours of dance practice the group had had to endure last night, all in preparation for their next comeback.  When Jessica suggested that they have a girl’s night, Krystal was overjoyed as she felt she could really benefit from the down time.  Although, it had taken a lot of begging to convince her manager to give her a day off. 

“And I know she’ll be the death of me…” Her ring tune song, ‘Can’t Feel My Face’, started to play in her dark brown handbag.  She immediately sprung up off the swing and dashed to the edge of the deck to check for Jessica’s car awaiting her arrival.  When she saw the familiar dark gleam of Jessica’s Mercedes, she hurried to the front door, forgetting all about the ringing phone in her bag which she now slung over her shoulder.

“Vic, Luna unnie!  I’m leaving now to brunch.  Please don’t kill each other while I’m gone.  Love you guys, bye!” Krystal yelled as she slipped on her black and navy converse shoes.

“Have fun Krys!” they both called out from the kitchen at the same time and started laughing at the coincidence. 

‘Phew, it looks like they’ll be okay by themselves…for now’ she thought with a small smile and picked up her bag of sleepover essentials as she stepped out the door. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Yah!” Jessica shouted as soon as Krystal opened the passenger door, “why do you never pick up your phone?”

Krystal gave her a blank look and looked down at her handbag.  Then she smiled sheepishly and said, “Oh.  Sorry, Unnie.  I got overexcited when I saw your car and forgot all about my phone.”

“Tsk, tsk,” Jessica admonished as she tapped Krystal’s head.  Then she noticed how tired and worn out she looked and asked worriedly, “How’ve you been?  Why do you look like you’re on the verge of death?”

Krystal let out a short and only semi-sincere laugh, “Is it really that bad?  I tried to cover it up with makeup…they’ve been killing us in practice lately. We got to go home at 12:00 am last night.  Four hours of dance, three hours of vocals, three hours of recording and two hours of meetings; that’s been my life for the past two weeks.  I mean how do they expect us to be so damn perfect all the time with these work conditions?” Krystal rambled, letting out all the bottled up feelings she had been unable to express to anyone but her other members.

Jessica nodded along as she started the engine, understanding her sister’s feelings to the core.  After all, that was exactly what she’d endured for seven+ years.  She reached one hand out and squeezed Krystal’s shoulder sympathetically. 

“This is what the entertainment industry is, Krys.  I know it , I’ve been through it too.  But there’s also a lot of perks, *cough*cough* like all the hot men around you all the time, that you should focus on instead of the negatives.  Plus after the comeback you’ll have a couple months of inactivity where you can rest,” Jessica advised.

Krystal smirked and whipped her head around to face Jessica, “Omo, omo.  Did you just say “hot men”?  Which men do you find hot?  This is some information I’ll need for a very interesting conversation I’ll have with brother-in-law when he comes back from his tour.”

Jessica rolled her eyes, “Stop calling him that!  He’s not your “brother-in-law”.  He’s just…Jiyong,” she said, her heart fluttering when she spoke his name.

“Close enough,” Krystal remarked and continued to tease Jessica for the entirety of the car ride.

When they finally reached the classy restaurant, Jessica’s eyes scanned the parking lot for an empty spot.  She noticed a cluster of four familiar looking cars and excitedly zoomed into the empty parking spot beside them.

“It looks like they’re all here!” Jessica squealed as she turned off the engine. 

Krystal and Jessica both jumped out of the Mercedes and started goofily speed-walking to the restaurant entrance. 

“Race you!” Krystal challenged as she sprinted towards the door.

“YAH!” Jessica yelled after her as she continued to speed-walk.  Krystal threw her an “I win” look as she disappeared into the restaurant, her dark brown hair swishing throw the door like a heap of melted chocolate.

Jessica stepped into the familiar, elegant restaurant she’d discovered a couple years ago.  It was a modern space with interestingly simple art pieces meaningfully spread about.  Each table surface was made of dark, glittering marble and the chairs which framed them were lavishly carved from dark mahogany wood.  The centerpieces of the tables consisted of eleven white roses and one red rose.  A comprehensive look at the restaurant would tell that the only pop of colour came from the red roses, save for some vibrant paintings.  It was completely her and her girls’ style; simple, yet classy.  That’s why they frequently met up there, making sure to reserve a private table every time they did so.  They’d grown attached to a certain table in the far left corner of the VIP area and had collectively labelled it as ‘their table’.  As a hostess led Jessica upstairs to the VIP section, Jessica couldn’t help her eyes from lingering to the little, hidden table in the other corner of the room which was where Jiyong and Jessica had shared numerous dates, jokes, food, and kisses…

“Yah, Sooyeon-ah!” Park Minyoung shouted, breaking Jessica out of her reverie. 

“Minyongieeee,” She squealed as she reached the girls’ table and reached around to give Minyoung a warm hug. 

“Pshh, I know you were staring at your ‘love’ table,” Minyoung teased, pointing to the table Jessica had been staring at.

“Like, we know you miss your beau and all but you can at least pretend that you missed us too,” Goo Hara, who was the next person to hug Jessica, said with a fake glare.

“Miss you?  Yah, I see you all the time,” Jessica joked, earning scoffs and laughs all around the table.

“But Boa Unnie I really did miss,” Jessica said cutely as she greeted Kwon Boa with a hug.

“Should I leave?” Hara joked, getting ready to leave and earning laughs from everyone.

“Sit down, drama queen,” Kang Minkyung said as she embraced Jessica. 

“But in all seriousness, I really did miss you all,” Jessica said as she ruffled Krystal’s hair and took the seat next to her.  “So, tell me, what’s new?”

With just that one simple question, the table was engrossed in conversation.  Their laughter rang in the air like velvety, but loud, music as they joked and teased each other.  Most of the time, they made fun of each other for the stupid pictures and messages they sent to one another and shared random stories.  They could talk about literally anything for hours without becoming bored which is why they loved spending any time they could afford together.  When their brunch finally arrived, it definitely quieted them down but didn’t silence them completely.  Nothing really could. 

“Have you guys ever made brunch for a guy before?” Minyoung asked after taking a sip of her orange juice.  Almost all of the girls started nodding at that question, all except Krystal that is. 

“Chincha??  You guys have all done it?” Krystal asked incredulously.

“Sure.  When I was still living at home, I made breakfast all the time for my brother and dad,” Minkyung said with a laugh.  Her comment was met by a series of choked laughter and annoyed jeers. 

“Yah!  That doesn’t count, pabo!” Minyoung shouted as Hara threw a grape at her. 

“Why?  They’re guys!” Minkyung joked and dodged another grape that was aimed towards her.

“I made breakfast for my ex almost every time I was over,” Boa said with a hint of disgust. 

“Seriously? You must be an expert by now then,” Jessica joked.

“Ya, actually!  Next time, save your money kids and come over to my house.  I’ll make the best brunch you’ve ever had,” Boa said with a confident smile and fist bumped an eager Minkyung.