Constant and Changing (kryber)

Chapter 39: Summer Lover

Amber was lying to her again and Krystal knew it. Krystal had forgiven the first lie that occurred during the Osaka fanmeet a few days ago, but Amber was at it again just three days after making that promise to never lie again.

The second lie occurred at the airport after returning from Japan. Upon seeing Luna and Amber's odd reactions to a fan letter that Luna had received as they walked though Incheon, Krystal had questioned the pair about the letter's contents.

"It's nothing," Amber said quickly, cutting off Luna, who looked like she was about to say something different. Even if Krystal hadn't noticed Luna's look of confusion, the lie wouldn't have escaped her detection. The unease in Amber's eyes as she turned away and the haste at which she stuffed the questionable letter into her pocket confirmed the lie for Krystal.

The first lie had hurt Krystal's feelings simply because it had been an intentional lie. This second lie from Amber was also an intentional lie, but Krystal's hurt was replaced by understanding. The older girl had previously lied because she was afraid of looking weak in front of Krystal. With all the trust and faith that Krystal had in Amber and in their relationship, Krystal knew that Amber wouldn't go back on her promise about lying unless there was a good reason. Krystal was certain that the fan letter contained more hurtful words toward Amber, and that Amber was trying to deal with the problem on her own again. A phone call from Luna on the evening they returned from Japan confirmed her suspicions.

"I don't want to cause problems between you and Amber-unnie, but the letter I got earlier was a hate mail for her," Luna admitted over the phone. Krystal could sense Luna's reluctance to tell her this, but she was grateful for the information. "I know Amber-unnie doesn't want to tell you, but I think you should know..."

"What exactly did the letter say?" Krystal asked.

"A lot of things..." Luna replied slowly, struggling to recall specific details. "Like how Amber-unnie shouldn't be dressing like a guy. How girls need to grow their hair long and act feminine and stuff."

"Hmm..." Krystal growled. A dozen angry and annoyed thoughts crossed her mind, and she didn't know which one to express first.

"I know you don't agree with that kind of thinking. You know I don't agree with it either," Luna said almost pleadingly. "I tried to cheer her up, but I think she's taking the letter pretty hard."

Krystal sighed, easily picturing Amber taking every word of the twisted letter to heart. "Thanks for telling me, unnie. Don't worry, I'll talk to Amber about it."

After the two girls said their goodbyes, Krystal hung up the phone and thought about what to do. Amber could be very sensitive about her appearance at times, mainly due to the bullying she endured when she was younger. Krystal knew that it bothered Amber when she was mistaken for a guy due to her masculine style. But this was who Amber was, and there was nothing wrong with the way she looked or dressed or acted.

Krystal wanted to encourage the older girl to be confident about herself and her chosen style, but Krystal was worried that Amber might feel betrayed to find out that Krystal knew about the fan letter. Rather than admit that she had seen through Amber's lie, Krystal thought it might be best to take an indirect approach via text message.

[Krystal to Amber]: What are you doing now?

[Amber to Krystal]: Thinking of you.

The young girl rolled her eyes at the message but smiled. It was a very typical response from Amber.

[Krystal to Amber]: Are you free now? Can I come over?

[Amber to Krystal]: Sorry, I'm busy tonight. Maybe tomorrow?