Krystal stood at the table of Victoria's kitchen and carefully poured brownie batter as Victoria prepared their dinner at the nearby counter. It was late January, exactly 48 hours before the first "Dimension 4" performance. Victoria returned to Korea a mere four days ago, but the older girl had managed to make up a month's worth of choreography practice in that short amount of time.
Having their leader back was a big boost to f(x)'s morale. Victoria had always set the tone for the younger members, leading them well both on and off stage. She became busier than ever in China this past year and the members had felt her absence, so they were all extremely happy to have Victoria back. However, no one was happier to have Victoria back than Krystal.
To Krystal, Victoria was a special existence. Whereas Luna was like a sister and Amber was now her lover, Victoria had always been like a mother to the youngest f(x) member. There was a 7 year age gap between leader and maknae, but the age gap did nothing to hinder their relationship. The two girls were closer than friends, closer than family. Besides Krystal's family, in this world, Victoria was the person that Krystal wanted to protect most.
In light of the conflict with her mother lately, Krystal was reminded of how supportive and understanding Victoria had been after discovering that Krystal and Amber were dating. Victoria was the first to find out and the first to offer them encouragement in the early stages of their relationship. Always kind and always understanding, Victoria's attitude was everything that Krystal had wanted from her mother and more.
"What if Victoria-unnie had opposed our relationship?" Krystal wondered to herself while watching Victoria cutting vegetables for dinner. Krystal placed her brownies into the over and then wiped her hands on a dish towel. Her eyes wandered over to the f(x) leader and the younger girl couldn't help but analyze the past. Krystal and Amber had been together for less than a month by the time Victoria discovered their relationship. If Victoria had been against their relationship, would the young couple have survived that kind of opposition?
Remembering how difficult it had been to adjust to viewing Amber as her girlfriend, and remembering all the advice and support that Victoria had offered her, Krystal felt that having Victoria on their side made all the difference in the world. Victoria's acceptance was crucial to Krystal and Amber staying together, for Krystal to find the courage to tell Luna about her sexuality, for Krystal to have the confidence to accept her love for Amber.
Feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude toward Victoria, Krystal leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, startling the leader slightly.
"What was that for?" Victoria asked curiously, looking up from her knife and cutting board.
"Nothing... I'm just happy to have you back, unnie."
Victoria smiled and kissed Krystal on the cheek as well.
"What's that for?" Krystal asked.
"Because I'm happy to be back."
f(x) was working hard to prepare for their concert, but they were playing hard as well. In addition to their endless practices, f(x) had been filming for their concert VCRs, too. The VCR shoots amounted to playing around with each other and laughing in front of the camera, providing the four girls with a good outlet to relieve their stress. And now that they were only two days away from their first concert performance, finding relief from their stress was more vital than ever.
For f(x), relaxation meant 3 things: food, alcohol, and good company. For that reason, the members were gathering at Victoria's apartment for dinner that night. The eldest member was preparing a bulk of the food with Krystal's help at the moment, but the others were planning to bring food as well.
After the cooking was complete and the dishes laid out on the living room table, Krystal stepped back with Victoria to admire their hard work.
"It looks good!" Krystal declared, giving Victoria her seal of approval.
"I'm glad we've met your high standards, Chef Jung," Victoria joked. There was a knock at the door and the leader smiled brightly. "We finished just in time!"
Victoria rushed toward the door, waving at Krystal to join her. "Come here, come here."
The young girl opened the door, revealing Amber, Luna, and Amber's older sister, Jackie. The non-f(x) member had arrived in Korea two days ago in order to attend the first concert, and had been invited to the f(x) dinner by Victoria.
"Hey guys, come on in!" Krystal greeted in English. She smiled and stepped back, welcoming in their guests. Amber and Luna carried in covered dishes of food, while Jackie carried a bottle of wine that was graciously passed to Victoria.
In her slightly clumsy Chinese, Jackie thanked the f(x) leader for inviting them for dinner. "Thank you so much for having us over."
Victoria smiled in response, and then pulled Krystal towards her and forced the younger girl to bow. A confused Krystal played along, not knowing what was going on.
"Thank you for accepting my daughter into your family," Victoria said in slow, practiced English. Krystal, Amber, and Jackie snorted with laughter at the unexpected greeting while Luna looked at everyone in confusion.
Not to be outdone, Jackie pulled Amber to her and made her little sister bow as well. She spoke a phrase in Chinese, and only Victoria and Amber laughed this time while the two younger f(x) members looked around in confusion.
"What did she say?" Krystal asked Amber in Korean.
The rapper laughed and offered a translation. "I'm not sure she said it right, but Jackie said, 'Thank you for accepting this idiot.'"
Victoria nodded in approval and gave Jackie a thumbs-up in response, a universal sign of "good job" that everyone in the multi-lingual group could understand.
"Is this supposed to be a meeting of families?" Krystal joked to Victoria in Korean. "Are you giving me away then?"
"A mother can see when her daughter has chosen a good partner," Victoria joked in return.
"If this is a meeting of families, then what's my role?" Luna asked, wondering how she fit into their little scenario.
The leader winked at Luna. "You can be the minister who marries them."
The group moved to the living room where plates and utensils were passed around and the meal was eaten casually as a family. f(x) was a melting pot of cultures and languages. They spoke in English, Korean, Chinese, and even in Japanese for fun. With the addition of Jackie, there wasn't a single language that was common between the five of them. But rather than have Amber translate everything from Korean to English, Victoria and Luna attempted to communicate with Jackie in English and Chinese.
"I missed you," Amber murmured softly to Krystal so that no one else could hear them. Although the language barrier was a bit troublesome, the others were occupied by their own conversation and they paid no attention to the two young lovers. Amber scooted closer to Krystal and intertwined their fingers. "Did you miss me, too?"
Krystal laughed and nudged Amber shyly. "Am, we were together the entire morning and afternoon for practice. When would I have time to miss you?"
"I know, but it's lonely waking up without you," Amber whispered back. Krystal had stayed with Victoria the last two nights since Jackie arrived. She wanted to give the Liu sisters their space since they were rarely able to spend time together.
The younger girl smiled and gave Amber a bratty yet affectionate smile. "I guess you'll just have to suck it up until Jackie goes home."
"Wow, you're so stingy Jung Soojung," Amber said with only mild sarcasm. "Can't I get a hug or kiss or anything?" The older girl playfully leaned towards Krystal with pursed lips.
The younger girl laughed and pushed Amber back, too embarrassed to kiss her girlfriend with a live audience nearby. "Get away from me, stupid!"
"You guys don't have to be so shy. Do whatever you want," Jackie idly suggested, looking over at the noisy couple. "We don't mind."
Krystal looked over at Victoria and Luna, who looked back at her with curious smiles. "Hah, how about no," Krystal shot back sassily in English.
"What are you guys saying?" Luna asked in Korean.
Amber began to translate the exchange, but Krystal quickly stopped her. "Don't. It's not worth translating."
Jackie smirked, catching the gist of the Korean exchange. She turned to Victoria and said something to the older girl in Chinese.
"Jackie told them to make out," Victoria informed Luna in Korean.
Luna nodded eagerly. "That's a good idea!"
"She didn't say that!" Krystal retorted in embarrassment.
Amber laughed and put her hands comfortingly on Krystal's shoulders. "She probably didn't know how to say it in Chinese. But that's what you get for not letting me translate in the first place!"
Luna pulled out the wine that Jackie brought over and started to pour glasses for everyone. "Here, this will help loosen you up, Soojung-ah!"
Krystal glared at Luna with mild annoyance. "What's gotten into you?"
"Nothing," Luna replied innocently, pushing a filled glass closer to Krystal, "just shipping my favorite couple."
With the wine that Jackie brought and the bottle that was already at Victoria's place, it took two and a half glasses of wine before Krystal found herself sitting comfortably in Amber's lap, tightly wrapped in Amber's arms. Sensing that Krystal was becoming noticeably sloppy from the alcohol, Victoria decided to cut off the younger girl by taking away the unfinished half of her third glass.
"Nooo, I'm OK," Krystal whined, reaching toward her wine glass. "At least let me finish what's left." Amber smiled and held Krystal back, allowing Victoria to confiscate the glass.
"Nope, we've got more practice tomorrow, so that's enough for you," Victoria said kindly. "You'll thank me in the morning when you don't have a hangover."
"Fine," Krystal relented, clinging onto Amber with a pout.
Amber smiled but struggled under Krystal's tight hold. "First I couldn't get her to touch me, and now I can't get her off. Someone help?
Luna nodded at Amber sympathetically. She went over to the sofa, sat down next to the entangled couple, and held her arms open. "Soojung-ah, come!"
Without any additional coaxing, Krystal crawled out of Amber's lap and into Luna's for a hug.
"Woohoo, I'm free!" Amber celebrated, jumping to her feet. She then quickly escaped the room. "Bathroom~!"
Luna laughed and hugged the maknae sitting in her lap. "Sorry I got you drunk, Soojung-ah. Forgive me?"
"No problem," Krystal said with a warm smile. She snuggled against Luna's cheek. "I'm happier like this anyway."
Luna smiled gently in response, but Krystal's words made her feel a bit sad as well. She and Victoria were well aware of the conflict that had befallen the Jung household due to Krystal and Amber's relationship. "Have things been hard with your mom?"
"Yeah," Krystal sighed, shaking her head. "But it's no one's fault, not even my mom's. She can't help but be who she is, just like I can't help but be who I am."
"I wish I could do something to make things better for you," Luna murmured, hugging Krystal supportively.
Krystal returned the hug with great affection. "You already are, unnie. Just by supporting me and Amber, you already are."
Amber returned to her seat, happily welcoming back Krystal into her lap. Luna gave Krystal and affectionate pat on the head before joining Victoria and Jackie in the kitchen for post-dinner cleanup.
"You OK?" Amber wondered, peering into Krystal's flushed face.
"Yup. Like I told Luna-unnie, I'm just happy," Krystal replied. She squeezed Amber around the neck with much more force than her hugs to Luna.
The older girl laughed. "Drunk happy?"
"Nope, full-of-acceptance-about-myself-and-about-my-life happy," Krystal corrected. She leaned into Amber and kissed her swiftly on the lips, catching Amber off guard. "I love you, Amber."
Before Amber could respond in kind, Krystal loudly called out for the others.
"MEMBERS~! Gather 'round!"
Victoria, Luna, and Jackie came back from the kitchen and gathered around the couch as Krystal had demanded.
"MEMBERS~!" Krystal said again grandly, throwing her arms up in excitement as she sloppily leaned onto Amber. The rapper smiled in amusement at her drunken girlfriend, wondering what Krystal had in mind. "This is one of the final days where we can say that f(x) has never had a solo concert! Is there anything you want to say before we make that step into Dimension 4?"
"It's about time?" Amber responded, causing Victoria and Luna to laugh.
"True, but put more heart behind it," Krystal reprimanded, nudging her girlfriend. "Go, try again."
Amber paused and thought about what to say. She grew a bit pink in the face since she never particularly enjoyed speaking from the heart. The rapper was easily embarrassed when situations turned too sentimental, like this situation was becoming now.
"Argh, you guys know how I feel about you!" Amber complained, throwing up her hands in defeat. "Let's enjoy these three days and make a lot of good memories together, OK?"
"Acceptable," Krystal deemed after seeing Victoria and Luna nod at Amber's words with approval. The maknae gestured toward Victoria.
"I just wanted to say that I'm grateful that the four of us have been able to stay together for so long. Our road was difficult and long and tiring, but we made it to this point together. I'm proud of everyone's hard work and I'm proud to be able to call myself f(x)'s leader."
Krystal smiled affectionately at her leader unnie, and then gestured to Luna.
"Having this concert means a lot to me because it's the four of us. It wouldn't have been the same if I was doing this on my own," Luna said sincerely, looking around at her members. "I've dreamed of this moment since the day SM put us together, the day our passion and hard work turn into one. Being with you all is the reason why I can still stand tall. I love you guys."
"That was beautiful, everyone," Krystal decided with a smile.
"And now your turn, princess-nim," Amber urged, nudging her girlfriend. "Don't think you're going to get out of this.
"I have to say something too?" Krystal asked, surprised.
"Hah, yes you have to say something," Victoria responded incredulously. "You're the reason we said this stuff in the first place. If you make us do embarrassing things, you have to do it too. Now go!" the f(x) leader demanded.
Krystal thought for a moment before speaking. "You guys have protected me as the maknae of the group for so long. Even though I'm as old as Vic-unnie when she debuted, you guys will probably always treat me as the maknae and I'm grateful for that. It means that you'll always look out for me, just like I'll always look out for you guys, too. I love you always, and I can't wait to experience our first concert together."
Krystal began to sniffle as she spoke, the alcohol driving her to be a bit more emotional than she normally would be. She was a bit sloppy, but her unnies found her behavior to be quite endearing, like they always did, like they always would.
"Ah, sorry," Krystal mumbled, letting Luna dry her tears with a tissue. "This is why I should never drink," she chastised herself.
Victoria smiled and pat Krystal gently on the head. "That was really nice, Soojung-ah. For ourselves and for each other, let's work hard until the end."
The four f(x) members held out their fingers so that their fingertips touched. Smiling into each other's faces, the members pulled their fingers back quickly and then shouted encouragingly at each other.
"1-2-3, f(x)!"
Author's Notes: Sorry for slow updates. :(
In the next chapter, we finally head to Dimension 4! I regret being unable to incorporate Amber's Snapchat where she asks Krystal what's she's (Amber) is doing and Krystal says "You're embarrassing me." I really wanted to include that moment, but it didn't fit in... Here's a link to it though, just because it's awesome and you must watch it again. :D
Amber to Krystal, "What Am I Doing?":
https://twitter.com/llama_ajol/status/683535666584535042
Connections To Reality:
Victoria returns to Korea on 1/23/16:
https://functionlove.net/2016/01/23/160123-fvictoria-beijing-capital-airport-going-to-korea-1-34p/
Krystal's feelings for Victoria:
"Besides my family, in this world, unnie is the person I want to protect the most."
http://omonatheydidnt.livejournal.com/4903902.html
Luna/Amber/Vic social media posts for practicing (linking everything to functionlove.com because of the translations :) You can get a direct link to their original posts from there)
https://functionlove.net/2016/01/23/160123-fluna-instagram-update-practice-practice-practice-practice/
https://functionlove.net/2016/01/23/160123-famber-instagram-update-d-6-till-dimension-4/
https://functionlove.net/2016/01/23/trans-160123-fluna-instagram-update-we-are-fx%E2%99%A5/
https://functionlove.net/2016/01/24/trans-160124-fluna-instagram-update-thank-you-to-my-dear-vic-unnie%E2%99%A5/
https://functionlove.net/2016/01/26/trans-160126-fluna-instagram-update-in-3-days-itll-be-fxs-concert/
https://functionlove.net/2016/01/26/trans-160126-fluna-instagram-update-fx-is-practicing/
https://functionlove.net/2016/01/26/160126-famber-weibo-update/
https://functionlove.net/2016/01/27/trans-160127-fluna-instagram-updates-find-the-hidden-drawing/
https://functionlove.net/2016/01/27/160127-fx-beatburgerjaes-instagram-update/
https://functionlove.net/2016/01/27/trans-160127-fluna-instagram-updates-2-follow-fx%F0%9F%8D%91/
https://functionlove.net/2016/01/27/160127-famber-instagram-updates-its-name-is-klav/
https://functionlove.net/2016/01/28/trans-160128-fvictoria-instagramweibo-update-wait/
Luna's IG post, "The day our passion and hard work turn into one.":
https://functionlove.net/2016/01/28/trans-160129-fluna-instagram-update-the-day-our-passion-and-hard-work-turn-into-one/
Jackie arrives in Korea on 1/25/16:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BA9RirGTFVG/
Krystal's Drinking Habits
http://krystaltrans.tumblr.com/post/141587526030/trans-krystal-gq-march-2016-interview
GQ: Did you wait for that day to come?
Krystal: No. (laughs) I really can't drink alcohol. My face becomes so red. I tend to just have sips of wine when I'm eating with family. I can't go to parties and drink all that. But I have been drunk before.
GQ: I hope you're not the type that falls asleep or becomes really immature when you're drunk.
Krystal: Nope. (laughs) I don't like being drunk, so I don't drink. People say I tend to lean on people and start having a lot of aegyo. (laughs) But I don't like that. I think it's weird to lean on and do that to somebody I don't even know.
GQ: You don't like leaning on somebody?
Krystal: I tend to avoid it unless I'm really close with someone.
GQ: Do you like it when someone else leans on you?
Krystal: I like that. I like being there for other people. (laughs)
There was an article or interview where the members said that they bring food when they get together and drink. Victoria usually makes Chinese food and Krystal bakes something. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? XD
(link to come if someone can find it!)