Despite being a relative term, Krystal wondered when life would return to "normal". For Krystal, normal meant being able to go home at a reasonable hour, which her filming sessions for "Bride of the Water God" were currently stopping her from doing. It meant being able to see her sister Jessica, who was always out of the country on work lately. It meant being able to spend time together with her girlfriend Amber, who had taken an extended trip to the US for the past month. And it meant performing with her members as f(x), a phenomenon that hadn't happened since the Dimension 4 encore performances in Yokohama almost 8 months ago.
Well one thing in her life had returned to normal at least. Her "relationship" with Kai was finally over. Dispatch announced the news 2 months ago. Even though the fake romance hadn't really affected her life much after the initial disruptions when the news was announced, it was a relief to finally know that it was over.
But one spot of normalcy did not negate the other abnormalities. The most important people in Krystal's life were currently scattered around the globe, and Krystal was stuck on set feeling a bit disconnected from everyone for the past few weeks. FaceTime and KakaoTalk kept the young girl in contact with her sister and members from the United States to China and everywhere in between, but it wasn't quite the same as seeing everyone in person on a regular basis. f(x) was always described as a multinational group, and Krystal mused that the description was more true now than it had ever been before.
Still, they were all keeping busy. And more importantly, they were all keeping in touch. Even though solo activities were reigning supreme these days, the f(x) members were happy for each other's success from afar. Since November, Krystal had cameo'd in "Legend of the Blue Sea", released a solo track ("I Don't Wanna Love You" with June One Kim), and was now acting in "Bride of the Water God", her first Korean drama since "My Lovely Girl" almost two years ago.
The young girl relaxed in her trailer on the set of her drama and waited to be called for her next scene. Krystal was in a nostalgic mood today as she flipped idly through her script, and she was reminded of the loneliness that she had felt while sitting in her trailer on the set of "My Lovely Girl" after learning that Jessica had been kicked from Girls' Generation.
It was Amber who had saved her from her loneliness that day, like a knight in shining armor. Even though that had been a difficult day for Krystal, opening the door of her trailer to find Amber standing outside with a box of pizza in hand and the warmest smile on her face had become a cherished memory for Krystal.
As she continued to flip through her script while lost in her memories, there was a sudden knock on her trailer door that brought Krystal's mind back to the present.
"Coming!" Krystal called out, standing up to answer the door, expecting that it was one of the drama staff coming to fetch her for the next scene.
She opened the trailer door and found Amber standing in front of her with a pizza in hand and the warmest smile on her face. Krystal blinked in confusion at the extreme feeling of deja vu, her blank expression drawing a mild look of concern from her girlfriend.
"What year is this?" Krystal asked Amber with utmost seriousness.
"Uh, what?" Amber replied, mirroring Krystal's look of confusion. She cupped Krystal's chin in her free hand and peered into the younger girl's eyes. "You aren't high, are you?"
Krystal laughed and smacked Amber gently on the arm.
"It's just... This was exactly what happened last time, remember?" Krystal asked, taking the pizza from Amber's hands and leading her into the trailer. She set down the box and opened it. Pineapples and Sriracha, the same pizza that Amber had brought last time to cheer her up after Jessica's bad news. Deja vu indeed.
Amber pulled a warm slice from the box and held it out for Krystal to take a bite. "What do you mean? What happened last time?"
"You came and cheered me up on set with a pizza when I was sad. It was like two years ago, remember?"
It was Amber's turn to wear a blank look on her face. "No, I don't remember."
"It was right after the news about Jess getting kicked out of Girls' Generation. I was crying and you were so kind to me and you brought me this exact pizza," Krystal explained. The familiar taste of pizza sauce, Sriracha, and pineapple was suddenly nostalgic. "You made me feel so much better about everything in an instant when you showed up at my trailer out of the blue. When I needed you the most, you were there for me, Am."
Amber's brows furrowed as she tried to recall the hazy memory. "I think I remember that day..."
Krystal smiled. "I hope you do remember it. Because I think that's the moment I started falling in love with you."
"...you were crying," Amber said slowly, concentrating deeply. "And I hugged you. And then we laid down on the bed and I held you while you napped."
"She remembers!" Krystal observed, casting Amber an affectionate smile. The older girl lifted her arms in triumph before returning her attention to her pizza.
"So what exactly about that day made you fall in love with me?" Amber asked through a mouthful of pizza.
"Honestly? You being there when I needed someone to confort me."
Amber looked slightly disappointed by Krystal's response. A sudden wave of insecurity hit her. "Then... it could've been anyone? Like if Luna had appeared instead of me, would you have fallen in love with her instead of me?"
A bewildered expression crossed Krystal's face. "No, I can't believe you would think that!"
"Then what was it?"
"It's not one thing that made me fall in love with you, Am. It's not like an instantaneous event switched my heart from thinking of you as a friend to a lover. It was a billion little things from even before that day and after that day and up to now that made me fall in love you."
Amber smiled and held up a sign that she brought to support Krystal and her drama. "Little things like this?"
[Hey Soojungie, you're weird!]
Krystal's read the words on Amber's homemade sign and her heart melted. "Yeah, just like that. Something about that day finally made me start to see you differently, and it wasn't just because I was lonely and vulnerable. You caring for me that day really struck a chord with me and slowly I began to see you in a new way."
Amber smiled at her girlfriend, feeling reassured. "I bet it was because I tucked you in bed and took a nap with you. I'm irresistible in bed."
Krystal laughed, but she had a feeling that Amber tucking her in bed, along with a billion other little things, was definitely one of the key moments that made her fall start to fall in love.
Author's Notes: Kryber stans, C&C fans, are you still there? Are you still awake? Good. Let's finish what we started. :)
3 chapters to go!