Constant and Changing (kryber)

Chapter 50: Pretty Girl

A light rain fell onto Krystal's shoulders as she headed toward the parked van in front of the SM building. An extreme amount of anxiety was keeping Krystal's heart from beating comfortably as she approached the rear passenger door to let herself inside the van. This was not another instance of her managers picking her up for a nighttime schedule. Tonight was the night of the "4 Walls" Vapp live session--Krystal's very first Vapp live session and a solo one at that--and her fears about entertaining the audience for an hour on her own worried her to no end.

Krystal regretted not bringing Amber with her as her hand closed on the door handle. Amber had actually been available to do tonight's Vapp session with some schedule juggling, but Krystal, on a sudden burst of ambition, decided that she wanted to do the Vapp on her own. This was a rare opportunity for Krystal to address f(x)'s fans in a more intimate one-on-one manner, and she had been filled with an overwhelming desire to showcase f(x)'s new album by herself. That logic had made sense to her at the time and even Amber had been touched by Krystal's wish to be alone with their fans. But now that Krystal was actually on her own and just moments away from the live stream, Krystal seriously wondered how she would fill up the next hour on her own.

With a deep breath, and with no other choice, Krystal pulled open the van door and carefully climbed inside. The camera had already been prepared for her and she smiled nervously at it, not realizing that it was on.

"Is it live now?" Krystal wondered, turning to look at manager Lee Wongyun, who sat off screen in the next seat. He laughed kindly at her and confirmed that the live had already started.

With a nervous giggle, Krystal smiled and introduced herself and the Vapp session. They were headed for the "4 Walls" exhibit where their new music video would be unveiled before a live audience at midnight. It was a chance for Krystal to greet their fans and make memories with them and she was excited about the opportunity, but first she needed to get through a rather awkward monologue with the camera in order to introduce their album.

"Is it right for me to talk by myself like this?" Krystal asked the camera, feeling extremely self-conscious. She turned toward Wongyun for help. "Manager-oppa is with me... Can you talk a little bit?" she asked him with a smile.

For the last few weeks, Krystal's relationship with Wongyun had been strained, to say the least. After the incident on Jeju Island where Wongyun had stumbled upon Krystal and Amber making out with each other, the sibling-like relationship that Krystal and Wongyun previously shared had dissolved into a heartless, professional relationship.

From Krystal's perspective, Wongyun's negative feelings toward her relationship with Amber were the driving force behind the cold way that they now treated each other. Since Krystal and Amber were not willing to bend and give up their relationship just to mend their bond with Wongyun, both sides had resigned to not speaking to each other unless absolutely necessary. But ever since her unexpected conversation with Wongyun a few days ago at the SM building, their silent feud had slowly begun to warm up again.

"Soojung-ah..." Krystal heard a deep voice call out as she walked down the hall toward the practice room. The young girl had stopped and turned around to find Wongyun standing sheepishly a short distance away, beckoning her to come over. The situation struck Krystal as odd since Wongyun had been resolutely avoiding unnecessary conversation with both her and Amber since the music video filming last month. Krystal eyed her manager nervously before following him into an empty conference room nearby, hoping that Wongyun was not about to threaten to reveal her secret relationship with Amber.

"Soojung..." Wongyun said again after the conference room door was closed. Krystal stared at the older man suspiciously. The nervousness in his voice heightened the fear in Krystal's heart and she waited with baited breath for her manager to say something more. "I...I'm getting married," he confessed at last.