Constant and Changing (kryber)

Chapter 38: Kick

Lately Krystal found herself playing a countdown game in her mind. How many more appearances would f(x) make with an incomplete roster before f(5) was allowed to perform on stage again? Krystal didn't know the exact number she was counting down from, but she knew that the count was quickly approaching zero with each passing event.

After SMTOWN Tokyo had successfully been completed earlier in the month, Krystal had reduced the count by two. And in two more days, after SMTOWN Osaka was done, the count would decrease by two more.

A finish line had finally been drawn in the sand for f(x)'s return. The title song for their 4th album hadn't been chosen yet, but the demo tapes were in f(x)'s hands and they would pick from them in early August. And after the title song was chosen, the MV would be filmed with all five members for a late September comeback.

Krystal honestly couldn't wait for f(x) to be whole again. She felt like their stages lacked a special kind of spark since Sulli's hiatus. When all five members took the stage once again, Krystal was certain she would find the sense of completion that she was longing for.

...but Krystal was getting ahead of herself. She knew there were many more steps before f(x) reached that finish line in September, such as the Osaka fanmeet today. This fanmeet was f(x)'s first fan event in nearly two years. Victoria was busy filming in China and Sulli was still on hiatus in Korea, but the remaining three active members had enough star power to make the crowd scream with excitement.

Krystal was in a good mood as she stood next to Luna and Amber and handed out photocards to their Japanese fans. It was almost unbearably hot in Osaka and Krystal felt like she was suffocating from the heat at times, but she couldn't help but smile happily at the crowd. After handing out what seemed like a thousand photocards, Krystal glanced at her members to see how they were faring.

On her left, Luna was still going strong despite the heat. The cheerful vitamin greeted each fan with a warm and sincere smile. Krystal turned to her right, expecting a similar performance from Amber. However, to Krystal's surprise, one of their managers was leading Amber off the stage. The older girl wore a weary expression that Krystal found disconcerting. What in the world could have happened that would force Amber off the stage mid-event?

Krystal glanced back towards Luna and found that she had also noticed Amber's unexpected departure. The two girls shared a look of confusion, but silently agreed to continue passing out cards and leave Amber to their managers. Krystal did her best to keep smiling for the devoted fans that had come to see them today.

Amber stayed off the stage for the remainder of the event until Krystal and Luna finished handing out their cards. Only then did Amber rejoin the two younger girls in thanking their fans for supporting them. Amber looked relatively cheerful again, but Krystal was extremely curious about what happened earlier when their manager escorted her away.

"OK, tell us," Luna demanded as soon as the three f(x) members piled into their van to go back to the hotel.

"Tell you what?" Amber asked.

"Tell us why you left the stage earlier," Krystal specified. "What else could we be talking about?"

Amber smiled sheepishly. "Oh that? It was mild heatstroke. I just got a little dizzy from the heat..."

"Really?!" Luna exclaimed. She reached over and placed a concerned hand on Amber's forehead, feeling for an unusual temperature.

"I'm feeling better now, just a little tired," Amber explained. She turned to Krystal with an apologetic smile. "You might wanna room with Luna tonight. I think I'm just gonna sleep when we get back to the hotel, so I won't be much fun to hang out with."