Constant and Changing (kryber)

Chapter 32: Beautiful Stranger

Krystal heard a bump in the hallway of her parents' home and the dull sound roused her from her sleep. Tired as she was, the curious girl climbed out of bed and peeked her head into the hallway. She was surprised to find her mother dragging a large suitcase up the stairs.

"Mom?" Krystal mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "What are you doing?"

Her mother quickly brought a finger to her lips to shush her daughter. "Jess is sleeping. I'm bringing her stuff upstairs," she quietly whispered with a smile.

"Unnie's here?" Krystal whispered back, surprised by the news since Jessica wasn't supposed to return from overseas for another few days. And the fact that her sister had brought luggage into the house meant that Jessica would likely be staying there for a while instead of staying at her own home. The realization made Krystal's heart twitter with delight. Jessica had visited them just last week, but Krystal never got tired of seeing Jessica no matter how much time they spent together.

"You think she'll stay with us until her birthday?" Krystal asked, helping her mom lift the suitcase up the last few stairs. Jessica's 26th birthday was over a week away, longer than Jessica normally stayed when she stayed at their parents' home, but Krystal would love to have her sister around the house for that long. She missed having Jessica around, especially since her sister's new business and lack of time at SM meant that they rarely saw each other these days.

Her mom patted her gently on the cheek. "She didn't say, but it'd be nice if she stayed over that long." She handed Krystal the suitcase and nudged her towards Jessica's room. "Put that in your sister's room. I'm going shopping so that I can make her a nice dinner later."

"Are you trying to sway her into staying here longer with good food?"

"Exactly," Mama Jung replied, tapping Krystal gently on the head with affection. "I'll be gone for a while. Let your sister sleep, OK? She was exhausted when she got here."

Krystal nodded and waved as her mom retreated down the stairs. Quietly, she rolled the luggage into Jessica's room and stopped beside the bed. Her sister was curled up on it like a ball, fully hidden beneath the covers. Krystal knew she shouldn't disturb her tired sister, but she couldn't help herself; she missed the physical closeness with Jessica.

Moving cautiously, Krystal lifted a corner of Jessica's comforter and crawled into the bed. She felt her sister stir upon her entrance, but Jessica did not complain.

"Soojung-ah?" Jessica murmured sleepily.

"Sorry," Krystal whispered back, scooting closer to her sister. "Go back to sleep."

Jessica silently sidled up to the younger girl, threw an arm over her, and hugged her like a teddy bear. Moments later, Krystal heard Jessica resume her deep breathing, indicating that she had fallen back asleep. Feeling warm and comfortable in this position, Krystal closed her eyes and went back to sleep as well.

A few hours later, Krystal woke up from her nap feeling refreshed and happy. She looked over to Jessica, who was still sleeping, and smiled gently. There were few people in this world that made her smile unconditionally like this. Her parents, all four of her f(x) members (her girlfriend Amber in particular), and her sister Jessica. In Krystal's eyes, Jessica was the prettiest and most amazing sister in the world, and she couldn't be more grateful to have Jessica in her life.

Krystal glanced over at the clock on her sister's night stand and saw that it was nearly 1pm in the afternoon. She was shocked that it was so late in the day, and perhaps even more shocked that her mom had allowed her to sleep this late. Jessica might have needed the extra sleep, but it was well past time for Krystal to get up. The younger girl tried to extract herself from the bed without making any noise. However, less than five seconds into the attempt, Jessica stirred and glared at her mildly.