Constant and Changing (kryber)

Chapter 63: Step

Soon after the side dishes were finished and Papa Jung had prepared a grill on the table for cooking the beef, Jessica and Amber arrived to the Jung household together. The older Jung sister had come to dinner directly from work, picking up Amber along the way. And it was now with mild apprehension that Krystal sat the dinner table with Amber on one side of her and Mama Jung on the other. Papa Jung was on Amber's other side while Jessica sat across from Krystal on the opposite side of the table.

Krystal was undeniably tense at the beginning of dinner, but she needn't have worried. As the table ate and laughed their way through a mountain of lettuce wraps filled with Korean beef, the young girl was amazed at how... normal the situation seemed. Amber had eaten with the Jung family before when Krystal and Amber were friends and band mates, and tonight's dinner felt just like those past dinners, calm and comfortable.

"What happened to the tension and drama?" Krystal wondered as Mama Jung laughed at Amber's very corny joke while Papa Jung heaped freshly cooked beef onto a dish that Jessica held for him. Was this what dating was supposed to be like? Were things meant to be this simple, this easy? Krystal had imagined an awkward dinner filled with uneasiness from every person at the table, but the only negativity here seemed to be contained within Krystal herself.

"Then I'll just have to wash away my negativity with beef!" Krystal told herself, taking a delicious bite of the latest batch of cooked meat at her sister's urging. Amber smirked at Krystal as a trail of grease dripped down the younger girl's chin. Amber brushed it away with a napkin before Krystal could react, causing her Krystal to bat her girlfriend's hand away in embarrassment.

"Aigoo, always so messy, Soojung!" Amber teased.

"She's been like this since she was a kid," Mama Jung teased with a laugh.

Krystal said nothing but smiled shyly to herself and savored the delicious bite of beef.

The plate containing the final batch of meat was passed around until only a single piece of beef remained. Krystal eyed it with hunger despite having eaten her fair share of the meal. Traditionally in the Jung household, the final piece of beef belonged to Krystal. Everyone knew that beef was their maknae's favorite food, so everyone wanted her to have the last piece. This had been the norm for so long that Krystal never bothered to offer the last piece to anyone because they would always urge her to eat it. So when Krystal received a light smack on the arm from her mother as she picked up the final piece of beef with her chopsticks, she furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Krystal asked, inadvertently dropping the beef back onto the plate after being hit on the arm.

"Offer it to your guest," Mama Jung said, chastising Krystal gently while nodding in Amber's direction.

Krystal turned to Amber and smiled slyly. "It's OK mom, Amber always lets me have the last piece anyway."

Amber nodded in confirmation to Mama Jung. "It's OK, omoni. She can have it."

"What?" Mama Jung asked Amber in surprise. "She always gets the last piece?"

"Er... well yeah," Amber responded after thinking about it for a bit. "When it comes to food, Soojung's usually hungrier than I am," she laughed.

"Well that's not right. Shouldn't you two at least take turns on getting the last piece?" Mama Jung asked. The older woman showed more concern than Krystal thought was necessary given the situation.

"It's not a big deal," Krystal told her mom with a smile. "Amber's always happy to let me take it." The young girl went to pick up the beef again with her chopsticks, but was stopped by another slap on her arm from her mother. "Ah! What?"