03
that's just the way we roll
6364; pg-13
krystal/luna; f(x)
a/n: my entry for themedpop's mv challenge. a big thanks to permutate for being my beta :)♥ the music video used was shinee's a.mi.go, and the title was taken from the jonas brothers' song of the same name. cross-posted to unniefic and mrboogie.
luna really dislikes struggling with the morning rush hour on the train. everyone pushes and jostles, all crammed together like sardines in a can with practically no room to breathe, and there’s always that one person with body odour. it is almost inevitable that one would emerge sweaty and exhausted even before the day has begun, which is why luna wakes up an hour earlier than she should. taking her morning shower is a bit of a struggle due to the slightly lower temperature in the early hours but she enjoys the calm that greets her when she boards the train.
this morning, though, her alarm malfunctions and doesn’t go off at the usual time. instead, luna’s frightened awake by her mother bursting into the room yelling, “you’re late, luna, late late late!” whilst simultaneously pulling luna’s blankets off her. she gropes around for the clock located on her bedside table and squints at it before jumping out of bed in a mad rush for the toilet. she forgoes her usual shower, washing her face haphazardly and quickly changing into her school uniform before running to the kitchen and grabbing a slice of toast and then dashing out the door in the direction of the subway, mouth full of plain bread and laces still untied.
she’s not late, per se, just that she ends up boarding the train in the midst of rush hour, trying to keep her balance as the train moves - the lack of a handle and the complete and utter lack of space between her and the people around her means that if she falls, there’s a high chance she’ll bring someone down with her. her backpack seems a little heavier than usual and she tries to inch it into a more comfortable position, only to realise that the added weight’s due to the lady behind her leaning slightly on it. she probably doesn’t take too kindly to having to accommodate luna’s wriggling, because she pushes back a little with each of luna’s movement, causing luna to pitch right into the lap of the girl sitting in front of her.
“sorry! sorry!” luna apologises immediately as she scrambles to pull herself up. the other girl raises an eyebrow at her but doesn’t make any comment. luna notes absent-mindedly that the girl smells quite nice for someone who’s had to squeeze in with hundreds of sweaty commuters. after a few more moments of trying to regain her balance, the train pulls into a station and to a halt, and luna’s able to right herself, apologising a few more times and smoothing down the pleats of her skirt. it’s a few more seconds before the other girl finally speaks.
“might wanna be a little more careful there, can’t have you falling into people’s laps all the time,” she comments. luna jerks her head up at the girl’s voice, and then flushes when she realises that the other is addressing her. “erm, yeah, haha, yeah... i guess,” she responds rather lamely, ducking her head and resolutely looking everywhere else but at the girl.
when luna gets off at her stop, she realises to her utter horror that the girl also gets off. that’s when she notices that the other’s wearing the same uniform she has on, and she wails a little on the inside at her utter lack of luck. she purposely hangs back, sitting down in the seats near the escalators and taking her own sweet time to do her shoelaces up properly. only when she’s certain that the other girl’s out of sight does she start walking to school.
-----
it’s clear to luna that she must have offended some higher being up there this morning, when she walks into the classroom where her remedial english class is usually held after school, only to find that her usual tutor has been replaced with ‘the girl from this morning’, as luna has dubbed her, never mind the obvious lack of creativity in coming up with that name. luna smiles weakly, waving a limp hand as she takes a seat from across the other girl and winces at the spark of recognition that crosses the girl’s eyes. she jumps a little when there’s a hand thrust out suddenly at her.
“my name’s krystal. i’m your tutor for english, i guess. at least until your grades improve. mrs jung asked me to help you with this because she’s busy with other commitments.“ krystal smiles kindly at her, eyes curved in half moons, and luna sags a little in relief. she feels a lot more relaxed now that she has a name to the face and krystal seems like she isn’t going to harp on the morning’s incident. she reaches over and grasps krystal’s hand and shakes it.
“i’m luna, year three, and er, well i’m obviously here because i failed english.” she can’t help pouting a little to herself at the thought; while she’s never been top of her class or level, she’s always done relatively well for her subjects. all of them, except for english. it’s the one frustrating barrier she’s yet to cross. jieun tried tutoring her for a period of time but eventually gave up because they both confused and frustrated each other.
“i’m your junior then,” krystal muses. “i’m in year two,” she clarifies at luna’s enquiring look. normally luna would be a little embarrassed at the thought that a junior would be tutoring her, but she’s so desperate to pass english she doesn’t really care at this point. she nods at krystal in understanding and then starts pulling her pencil-case and exercise book out of her backpack, showing that she’s ready to start their session.
krystal, luna learns, grew up in america but moved to korea at the age of seven, hence her proficiency in the english language. she also realises that it’s easier learning things when krystal’s teaching; where jieun and mrs jung would go too fast for her to catch up, krystal seems to understand exactly which parts luna needs further explaining and sometimes she makes up hilarious analogies to try and get luna to understand meanings of words and phrases. when it’s time to leave at the end of their two-hour session, she realises that she’s had a lot more fun learning english than she’s had in a while and that she’s looking forward to the next lesson.
-----
"hey, luna!" jinki greets the moment she and jieun step in.
"good afternoon, oppa," she returns shyly. behind her, jieun rolls her eyes and nudges her toward the direction of the counter before moving off, in search of an empty seat.
this cafe is her favourite, not only because of its delicious pastries and wide variety of books available for customers to peruse but also because of its owner, one lee jinki, twenty-one and in possession of the most charming smile luna's ever seen. she spends most of her afternoons after school in this cafe, doing homework and studying with jieun. her crush on jinki is glaringly obvious, in how she blushes every time he passes her her regular drink and her occasional stutters when he strikes up conversation with her. she's pretty sure jinki knows about her crush, but he hasn't said anything and she's not about to.
“got your green tea latte right here,” jinki informs luna as she approaches him. he sets the mug on the counter along with a plate of the cream cheese bagel she always orders. “oh no, this one’s on the house,” he tells her when she pulls her wallet out to pay, “this one’s on the house.”
“but-” she protests feebly, though she knows it’s not much use when jinki starts shaking his head at her in a no-nonsense manner.
“no buts, young lady,” he frowns at her, “just drink your tea and eat your bagel. you’ve been looking so tired lately. you’re gonna get premature wrinkles if you keep working so hard.” at this he pulls at his cheeks in mock horror. she giggles a little and thanks him as he helps her put the plate and mug on a tray so she can carry them back to her table.
she doesn’t want to say anything to jinki because she has a feeling he's already taken for, if the silver band on his ring finger is any indication.
---
when krystal arrives for their english session smelling of stale cigarettes. luna wrinkles her nose in distaste.
"have you been smoking?" she demands, "have you any idea how harmful that is to your body? lung cancer!" she almost tells krystal to hand her cigarettes over, but changes her mind at the thought that they've only known each other for two weeks and waves her arms for emphasis instead. krystal grins at her and pulls a chair out and seats herself on it.
"relax," krystal says lazily, "it's not an addiction, just a stick every now and then." reaching into the pocket of her skirts, she pulls out a packet, shaking it at luna's face. "wanna try?" she ventures, and pockets it when luna pulls a face at her.
"but it destroys your throat!" luna continues her tirade, aghast at the thought, and it's krystal's turn to make a grumpy expression at her. she nudges luna lightly with her elbow, and when she's got luna's attention, mouths soundlessly while flailing all over the table and almost scattering luna’s notebook, worksheets and pencils. it takes luna a moment to realise that krystal's imitating her.
"yah, i don't do that!" she tells krystal grumpily who promptly sticks out her tongue. “seriously, though,” luna continues, “don’t smoke.” she nods for added emphasis.
“geez, you sound like my mother,” krystal mutters, but she grudgingly pulls the packet back out and tosses it into the bin with a snap of her wrist.. luna blinks in surprise at the fact that she actually listened to her as krystal grouses, “happy now?” and grumpily pulls luna’s notebook towards her. luna pats the other encouragingly on the shoulder.
“come on, look at it this way, you won’t be sounding all raspy and gross when you’re sixty.”
“ugh.”
----
luna invites krystal to join her for lunch one day. it’s usually only her and jieun sharing one big lunch table, and it can get a little lonely. she worries at first that it would be awkward, that perhaps krystal and jieun won’t get along too well and possibly end up being mortal enemies. or something like that anyway.
what actually happens though, is this: krystal turns up with her tray and sits down with a just a “hi”. jieun stares at the newcomer then cocks her head in luna’s direction, widening her eyes as if she’s going, “who’s this?” luna worries for a second, fiddling nervously with chopsticks, before clearing her throat.
“jieun, this is krystal. krystal, jieun. krystal is my new english tutor, jieun-ah.”
jieun goes “ahhh” in understanding. it’s a good thing that jieun likes to make new friends, because it’s not long before the two are holding a steady conversation. luna sighs in relief at the sight of the two of them getting on so well and joins the conversation as well.
-----
krystal, it turns out, takes the same english class luna and jieun are in. it does get a little embarrassing having a junior be in the same class and still get lower marks then her, but luna and jieun soon learn that there are benefits to having krystal there. for one thing, she lets them copy off her exercise book for homework, though it’s usually done with much reluctance and grumbling and shoving at their shoulders to do their homework themselves. for another she teaches them how to pronounce vocabulary they have difficulty with. it’s saying something about their school when krystal’s pronounciation turns out to be a lot better than their teacher, at least in their opinion anyway.
it’s not that luna dislikes english, it’s more like she’s indifferent to it. it isn’t easy to like a subject you do terribly in no matter how hard you try, luna thinks morosely to herself. after a while she finds that she stops paying full attention in class, preferring instead to make up for it through krystal’s tutoring sessions. mostly she doodles on her notepad, or naps.
“luna? luna!” she’s jolted out of her reverie when jieun gives her a sharp jab with a pencil. luna looks up to see the teacher and the rest of the class staring at her, and she mentally pinches herself for not paying attention.
“well, luna?” the teacher asks, obviously having directed her previous question to her. in the next seat over, krystal sighs inaudibly. she signals for luna to look over while scribbling the answer down on her notepad. luna watches her out of the corner of her eye and then repeats the answer back to the teacher, who accepts it and moves on to torture her next victim. when she turns back to krystal the latter’s miming knocking her on the head with her waterbottle. luna smiles sheepishly in thanks. on her other side, jieun tsks obnoxiously.
another good thing about krystal being in the same class is that she helps her out of sticky situations, luna tells herself as she heaves a sigh of relief.
-----
it takes a lot of coaxing and almost-begging to get krystal to come with her to the cafe. jieun backs out on her at the last minute because of family issues and luna doesn't dare go alone.
"please, krystal, for moral support?" she pleads.
"no, i don't like coffee" krystal doesn't even look at her, only bothers to flip the page of the book she's reading. luna crawls underneath the book and pulls herself up so she's right in front of krystal and blocking her view of the book.
"there's more than coffee! i'll get you a chocolate shake! a super thick and cold chocolate shake, with lots of foam, just nice for this hot weather!" she thinks krystal might look just a little swayed. "please, please, please? i need someone there just in case i faint after talking to jinki oppa. wouldn't that be embarrassing?" she wraps her arms around krystal and clings on, making a grimace just to prove her point. she knows she's won krystal over when the latter sighs and shakes her head before putting her book down.
half an hour later and they're in the cafe, krystal drinking her promised chocolate shake and luna clutching her green tea latte between her hands.
"is that him?" krystal questions out of nowhere.
"hmm?"
"the guy you like?" krystal repeats, gesturing to jinki who’s just come out from the kitchen, patting his hands on his apron. luna goes pink.
"well, yeah. i know he's not exactly the most handsome, but he has a really nice smile! and he's so kind, and-"
"does he know?" krystal interrupts, her eyebrow raised in question. luna colours even further, if that’s possible, and sinks down in her seat, covering her face with her hands. krystal pushes them away impatiently, clearly waiting for an answer.
“no, he doesn’t,” luna tells her miserably. she grunts in surprise when krystal tosses her messenger bag onto her stomach. it’s light because krystal prefers leaving her heavy textbooks in her school locker, but it still hurts a little nonetheless. “what was that for?” she asks indignantly, massaging her sore stomach, “that hurt!”
“and you deserve it,” krystal informs her haughtily. “serves you right for not telling him. you’re stupid.”
luna sulks a little. “well, i’m sure he knows already and doesn’t like me that way. and besides-” she automatically stops at the tinkle of the door bell as it signals someone stepping in and turns around in its direction. krystal turns around too when sees luna turn around. luna gets a sinking feeling in her stomach as she watches the newcomer go behind the counter and surprise the unknowing jinki by wrapping her arms around his waist. jinki whirls around and laughs delightedly when he sees who it is. “i think he’s taken,” she finishes, looking back at krystal sadly. she turns back, watching as jinki hugs the woman before him and taking her her hand to lead her into the kitchen, continuing to stare even when the kitchen doors have closed behind them. she starts when krystal wraps an arm around her in a one-armed embrace, but then sags in the embrace and turns her head inwards, rubbing her cheek against krystal’s sweater. she’s always liked this sweater, even though it’s a little old it’s still the softest sweater she’s ever touched.
“okay, i’m sorry for calling you stupid, because you’re not. he is, because he can’t see you in front of him,” krystal tells her, ignoring the steadily growing patch of wetness near her shoulder. they sit in silence as krystal rubs her hand up and down luna’s arm soothingly, before krystal suggests, “hey, let’s go to macdonald’s. i bet you haven’t eaten there in a while.” luna nods against her. “we’ll have the greasiest fries you’ve ever seen before finishing it off with a chocolate fudge sundae each. maybe if i ask nicely they’ll sprinkle nuts on top for us too.” luna nods again and pulls back, wiping her tears and snot away with the back of her hand.
“oh ew,” krystal grimaces and hands her a napkin, “now you’ve got germs all over.” luna laughs tearfully in response as she makes a swipe in krystal’s direction. the latter slings her bag on one shoulder and hefts luna’s one on the other, then ushers luna out the door.
looking back on it, while the situation was heartbreaking at best, it really was what brought them a lot closer.
-----
on a rare occasion that luna and krystal share a free period together,they sit in one of the benches near the football field, shielded from the sun by the strong tree next to thm. luna glances at krystal who’s sprawled out next to her. she’s kicked off her shoes and her legs dangle over the arm of the bench, legs swinging back and forth lazily. luna leans back and closes her eyes, enjoying the slight breeze. she opens them again when she hears some rustling, and finds krystal pulling a paper bag out of her pocket. she struggles with the ribbon around it for a moment before pushing the bag towards her.
“candy?” she asks. luna peers inside curiously; the bag is half-filled with tiny rock candy, each individually wrapped in their own transparent wrapper. she “oohs” before reaching in and grabbing a red one, pulling the wrapping off and popping it into her mouth. she beams at krystal as she sucks hard on the sweet and it clicks satisfyingly against her teeth. watermelon, her favourite.
“thanks,” she says, fingers wrapping around krystal’s wrist and toying with the charm bracelet she has on. krystal smiles back as she pockets the paper bag. then she pulls her legs up and shuffles closer to luna before leaning against her.
“your hair’s tickling me!” luna complains though she makes no move to push krystal away. she does swat krystal’s hair away from her nose though, and the latter wiggles against her annoyingly, squashing her against the arm of the bench. “oi!” luna huffs, and krystal stops and rests her head on luna’s lap instead.
“hi,” she grins insolently at luna. luna takes the opportunity to pinch her nose shut, enjoying the way krystal flails in her grip.
-----
luna makes it a point to take the train back home together with krystal on thursdays. mondays to wednesdays are now her studying-at-jinki-oppa's-cafe days, and fridays are always set aside for church commitments. jieun lives in the complete opposite direction, so she has never taken the same train as luna. it isn't a very long ride so they don't talk much. most of the time krystal hands over one side of her earbuds and they spend the entire journey sharing krystal's ipod. luna's stop is first so she gets off and watches the train as it disappears into the dark tunnel before turning to trudge up the stairs.
this thursday, krystal tells her to go home first; krystal does a little subpar on her math test and requires remedial for the next two weeks till the make-up.
so luna takes the train by herself. it's a little too lonely and silent despite the lunch hour crowd and muffled chattering of passengers.
---
sometimes people stare at them, this luna knows. krystal stands out in their group, with her height and long legs that go on for forever. there are moments when luna catches herself comparing herself to krystal; the obvious disparity in their figures and looks. sure, jieun’s short, but she’s also skinny and has a slim face. luna looks down at her legs, suddenly seeming so short and thick next to krystal’s and jieun’s as they rest on stone steps. her mother’s always told her that it’s natural to have curves, that women look better with some curves instead of being stick-skinny, like someone could just snap you in half is how luna’s mother calls it. but luna can’t help but despair over how thick her thighs are, how her tummy juts out a little when she sits down, how the school blouse seems tighter on her than on krystal.
krystal nudges her, and she turns halfway with a “hmm?”, blinking in surprise when she receives a playful knock on the head in return.
“earth to luna? now stop thinking whatever you’re thinking and tell me, what do you think about this pair of heels?” krystal shows her phone to her, nudging her to push up right against her. luna lets her, smiling to herself; she knows that this is krystal’s way of trying to get her mind of things she shouldn’t even be thinking about.
“well, if you ask me, it doesn’t look too nice in that colour...”
-----
the fact that krystal calls jieun 'unnie' but doesn't apply it to luna has always been a sore point in their relationship.
"but i'm older than you!" is how luna always starts her argument.
"but you're short!" is krystal's (admitedly not very logically-sound) retort.
"so is jieunnie!" is the point at which luna screws up her face so she can sufficiently express how silly she thinks krystal's reasoning is.
"oi!" is jieun butting in to show her indignation at being dragged into this argument.
it never comes to a head; luna doesn't get called unnie while jieun does. in luna's mind, she gives way to krystal like the big-hearted magnanimous unnie she is. krystal just likes seeing luna swell up in sore indignance and work herself into a frenzy over the issue and then deflate rapidly like a balloon pricked the moment krystal offers her one of her favourite candies.
what luna doesn't know is that krystal likes taking the honourific out of the equation of their relationship because she feels that they're a lot closer than that.
---
for the millionth time, luna curses her lack of height as she jumps for the ball only to have it be intercepted by a much taller classmate. she likes gym because she enjoys sports, enjoys working in a team. only problem is, her gym teacher has a tendency to pick basketball for the term's sport - this term being the third time in two years. basketball, which would be a lot more favourable to luna if she were tall. which she isn't.
not that luna's always despairing at her lack of height. she had moaned and groaned at her growth spurt being practically non-existent by fifteen, but she'd stopped harping on it after a while. why bother complaining about something you can't get, she had reasoned.
though really, being tall would be absolutely useful right now.
"look sharp, park!"
luna hastens to get the ball, not wanting to look like she hadn't been paying attention to the game. she makes one more valiant swipe in the ball's direction only to be blocked by an obstacle in the form of another overzealous classmate, who sidesteps her quickly before going back the direction she had come from, dribbling the ball with ease as she yells directions to her teammates. caught off-balance, luna teeters, and in the split-second before she falls, she thinks, "oh dear."
---
from: krystal <3
received 3.10pm
so i hear someone fell 2day @ gym
to: krystal <3
sent 3.15pm
><
it pays to be tall, krystal
from: krystal <3
received 3.16pm
lol told u so
from: krystal <3
received 3.16pm
is ur knee alright?
to: krystal <3
sent 3.18pm
i knew u cared T___T
<333
from: krystal <3
received 3.19pm
dun be too happy
from: krystal <3
received 3.19pm
i just nid someone 2 b there during lunch tmr
from: krystal <3
received 3.20pm
dun tink jieun unnie likes me 2 much
to: krystal <3
sent 3.23pm
>o< wat!! no jieunnie likes u!!!!!!
dun tink that way!!! ㅠㅠ
krystal picks up on the second ring. "hello?" she sounds amused.
"jieunnie really likes you," luna whines into the phone, pouting even though she knows krystal can't see her. there's an outburst of laughter from krystal's end and that's all it takes for the ball to drop. her lips turn even further down to their limits. "you were fooling me again!"
"it's not my fault you're so easy to play around with," krystal defends.
"humph!"
"sorry, sorry," krystal apologises, though luna can still hear the laughter in her voice. luna lets it pass. "so how's your knee?"
"just a bruise, nothing serious."
the next day when luna opens her locker, she finds a card with hand-drawn crutches and a cast on the front. she flips it open and it reads, in krystal’s handwriting, always being so clumsy. get well soon~ :D. she goes around school grinning like an idiot for the entire day, spirits greatly lifted.
---
it’s a thursday when krystal and luna walk out of school together towards the train station. so engrossed is luna in talking to krystal that she doesn’t watch where she’s going and promptly bumps into someone. luna bounces back from the impact, disoriented, and almost falls if it isn’t for krystal catching her from behind. luna looks up to find a girl in her year though she can’t really remember her name. she’s about to apologise when the girl huffs in irritation.
“watch where you’re going, shorty!” the girl tells her, voice laced with anger and malice, “if you can’t find your own way around without knocking people over with your weight then do us all a favour and stay at home!”
luna stares, wide-eyed and unsure of what to say. there’s an odd feeling in her throat and all she wants to do right now is disappear into a hole in the ground. she starts to apologise again when krystal steps in front of her and she falls silent. krystal towers over the other, cutting a strong and imposing figure, and luna suddenly feels a lot safer behind her.
“fuck off, bitch,” krystal tells her harshly. the other girl starts looking a little afraid at this sudden intruder. “it’s none of your business how tall she is and what she does. now are you going to shut up and get lost, or do i have to make you?”
the other girl scuttles off without another word. krystal’s eyes soften when she turns back to see luna trembling where she stands. “come on,” krystal tells her, pulling her books and folder off the floor, “let’s go home.” she holds luna’s hand in hers and leads her towards the train station again.
krystal’s hand feels warm and it envelopes hers, and a feeling of being protected washes over her. if krystal notices that luna grips her hand a little tighter, she doesn’t say anything.
-----
luna doesn’t see krystal for the next week because the music teacher coerces luna into signing up to sing at the school’s founder’s day ceremony. she’s swamped with trying to juggle homework and practices, and has to stay back late almost every day because the teacher-in-charge schedules multiple rehearsals in the days leading up to the actual event.
“how many more rehearsals do you have to go to?” krystal frowns one day during break. they’re at their usual bench beside the field again. jieun’s off running some errands for their form teacher in her capacity as class chairman. it’s the first time krystal’s seen luna in a while because the latter usually uses lunch or break time to catch up with homework, since she’s too tired to do anything but bathe and fall into bed by the time she gets home. the teacher-in-charge of this year’s event is quite the sadist, luna reflects gloomily as she pokes at the lunchbox her mother had prepared that morning .
“depends on how many more rehearsals mr kim wants to schedule,” luna tells her tiredly, then perks up when krystal pulls out a bag of candy. she reaches out for it like an excited child, her own lunchbox forgotten. krystal laughs and holds it further away, far too far out of luna’s reach.
“give me, give me!” luna whines pathetically, leaning on krystal’s shoulder leverage. in her excitement, she pulls her knee up and plants it on krystal’s thigh to pull herself up further. krystal yelps and bows over instinctively, knocking luna off balance, and then falls off the bench when luna grabs for something to hold on to and grabs krystal’s school blouse instead. the two of the land on the ground in a heap.
it’s like one of those dramas that luna’s mother likes to watch, where the female lead falls onto the male lead and they look into each other’s eyes and there’s a confession scene and the the other accepts and they live happily ever after in korean drama land. only this isn’t a drama, this is real life. krystal puts an arm around her, a warm and heavy weight, and leans up, closer and closer, and luna’s heart beats faster and faster and she holds her breath. they’re so close, but then luna pulls away abruptly and stands up, the bubble’s popped and the spell’s broken, and she’s smoothing down her uniform and looking at anywhere but at krystal, whose eyes are fixed on her as she too slowly pulls herself up.
“erm, i think, mr kim...he asked me to go look for him at this time. right. er. see you later,” luna stutters, ready to turn heel and run, but krystal grabs her wrist, grip firm and unyielding.
“luna,” she starts, looking a little unsure, and krystal, krystal never looks unsure, she is confident, reassuring, sometimes surprised, but never unsure, and luna really doesn’t like that look on her. she wrenches her arm from krystal’s grip.
‘“i, i can’t, i’m sorry,” she babbles.
she runs back into the school building, leaving krystal standing by the bench, alone and pensive.
-----
luna avoids krystal as much as possible and refuses to tell jieun what happened when she asks and probes.
“you know what, fine, don’t tell me,” jieun tells her earnestly, “but the two of you better get this settled quickly. it’s awkward being stuck between the two of you. no, scratch that, it sucks.”
luna buries her head in her arms when jieun leaves and sniffles miserably to herself.
-----
she enters english class to find the lunchbox she’d left behind on that day sitting on her table. krystal sits at her desk, writing notes down on her notepad. she doesn’t look up or do anything to acknowledge that luna’s there.
luna does what she does best, she smiles and goes around her daily schedules like nothing wrong has happened. she gives her all during rehearsals, continues passing up homework on time and being congratulated for good work done.
krystal starts hanging out with amber liu, a new transfer student from america. luna’s heart clenches angrily every time she sees them walk by, amber’s arm slung casually around krystal’s shoulder and the two of them laughing heartily.
on founder’s day the teacher-in-charge showers upon her praises for her beautiful singing voice, but all luna can feel is the soreness in her throat and the prickling of her eyes.
-----
“oppa,” luna greets when jinki takes the seat next to her. she stirs her cooled-down drink and smiles faintly at him then falters when she notices how closely he’s looking at her.
“is something wrong, oppa?” she asks, patting her face self-consciously. jinki smiles good-naturedly and shakes his head.
“that’s a question i should be asking you.”
luna ducks her head, almost withdraws herself again. but then she remembers this is jinki. he’s kind and gentle and he’ll surely give her good advice. so she tells her about krystal.
“...and now she won’t even look at me or speak to me, and it’s like i’m not there and it’s all my fault and i just,” she leans her chin on her hands, “i just want to make things right. but it’s too late for it, isn’t it, oppa? krystal’s never going to forgive me.”
jinki pushes his chair next to her and gives her a one-armed embrace. whereas once she would have been squealing internally for joy if he had done this to her, now all she can do is compare it to krystal’s one-armed hugs. it’s so different, and luna finds that she really does prefer krystal’s hugs. for now though, she leans into jinki, liking his smell of cookie dough and cinnamon spice.
“well, what i do when my girlfriend gets angry,” she can feel the vibrations of jinki’s voice reverberating through her, and she giggles a little childishly, even more so when jinki “harrumphs” and pinches her on the side, “what i do is i buy her something she likes, and then i apologise.”
luna twists around. “that’s it?” luna asks in disappointment even though she doesn’t really know what she expected either. jinki chuckles and taps her on the nose.
“really, luna, if this girl likes you, then i’d think she would be more than willing to forgive you if you did it sincerely, wouldn’t she?” he asks.
luna thinks of krystal smiling at her, krystal bringing candy to school every now and then just because she knows luna likes those, krystal standing up for her and defending her, krystal making fun of her in that non-malicious way only krystal can. she throws her arms around jinki in gratitude before grabbing her bag and running out of the cafe.
-----
when she sits down in english the next day, krystal’s still ignoring her, but luna doesn’t let that bother her. instead she busies herself with taking out her school supplies and setting them on the table. then when class is well underway and all’s silent except for the teacher’s marker screeching on the whiteboard and the scratching of students’ pens on paper, she reaches down again and pulls out a wrapped package.
krystal denies it but luna knows she has a weakness for chocolate fudge; she’s seen, after all, the way krystal lights up every time they walk past the confectionery and chocolate fudge is on display. krystal denies it because she claims that it’s unhealthy, quite ironic considering her smoking stint as luna had pointed out. but the fact is that krystal loves it no matter how much she pretends or tries to hide the fact.
in the package is all the fudge luna could have bought with the money she had on her. it isn’t much since it’s near the end of the month and she’s running low on her allowance, but she hopes it’ll be enough. when she thinks the teacher isn’t looking, she quietly slides it onto krystal’s table along with a note.
i’m sorry.
krystal glances at it, a mere flick of her eyes from her note-taking to the package and then back to her notes again. luna doesn’t let that deter her though. instead she slides another note over.
i’m sorry for reacting the way i did. i was just shocked and confused.
krystal pauses longer on this one, and luna knows she’s reading the note. she quickly slides the last one over.
i’m willing to give this a try... if you are too.
luna waits with bated breath as krystal completely stops whatever she’s doing and stares at that slip of paper. she squirms in her seat, anxious to know krystal’s answer. her face falls when krystal picks up her pencil, flips open a new page on her notepad and starts scribbling. squeezing her eyes shut, she mentally counts from one to ten, forcing back the impeding tears and telling herself not to cry. she opens her eyes to see a new sheet of paper in front of her. all it says is one word.
yes.
hardly daring to believe what she’s seeing, she lifts her eyes towards krystal, who’s looking directly at her and smiling softly, eyes crinkled in half-moons. it’s the most beautiful smile luna’s seen in a while.
luna smiles back.
-----
luna's never been in a relationship before, so she can't say for herself how she expects this one to turn out. she'd be lying if she says it's like the ones she's read in fairytales (if only with two princesses instead of a princess and her prince); krystal gets grumpy at times and luna goes into one of her mood swings every now and then and sometimes neither don't feel like compromising which always leads to petty quarrels, why are you being like this stop being so irresponsible grow up. but every couple has their moments and luna is smart enough to know that to despair just because that happens is really dumb. what she does know is that krystal makes her happy, a lot happier than she's been in a while, and that's enough for her.
really, they're young and only sixteen-going-on-seventeen and seventeen-going-on-eighteen; they can afford to take their time.
6364; pg-13
krystal/luna; f(x)
a/n: my entry for themedpop's mv challenge. a big thanks to permutate for being my beta :)♥ the music video used was shinee's a.mi.go, and the title was taken from the jonas brothers' song of the same name. cross-posted to unniefic and mrboogie.
luna really dislikes struggling with the morning rush hour on the train. everyone pushes and jostles, all crammed together like sardines in a can with practically no room to breathe, and there’s always that one person with body odour. it is almost inevitable that one would emerge sweaty and exhausted even before the day has begun, which is why luna wakes up an hour earlier than she should. taking her morning shower is a bit of a struggle due to the slightly lower temperature in the early hours but she enjoys the calm that greets her when she boards the train.
this morning, though, her alarm malfunctions and doesn’t go off at the usual time. instead, luna’s frightened awake by her mother bursting into the room yelling, “you’re late, luna, late late late!” whilst simultaneously pulling luna’s blankets off her. she gropes around for the clock located on her bedside table and squints at it before jumping out of bed in a mad rush for the toilet. she forgoes her usual shower, washing her face haphazardly and quickly changing into her school uniform before running to the kitchen and grabbing a slice of toast and then dashing out the door in the direction of the subway, mouth full of plain bread and laces still untied.
she’s not late, per se, just that she ends up boarding the train in the midst of rush hour, trying to keep her balance as the train moves - the lack of a handle and the complete and utter lack of space between her and the people around her means that if she falls, there’s a high chance she’ll bring someone down with her. her backpack seems a little heavier than usual and she tries to inch it into a more comfortable position, only to realise that the added weight’s due to the lady behind her leaning slightly on it. she probably doesn’t take too kindly to having to accommodate luna’s wriggling, because she pushes back a little with each of luna’s movement, causing luna to pitch right into the lap of the girl sitting in front of her.
“sorry! sorry!” luna apologises immediately as she scrambles to pull herself up. the other girl raises an eyebrow at her but doesn’t make any comment. luna notes absent-mindedly that the girl smells quite nice for someone who’s had to squeeze in with hundreds of sweaty commuters. after a few more moments of trying to regain her balance, the train pulls into a station and to a halt, and luna’s able to right herself, apologising a few more times and smoothing down the pleats of her skirt. it’s a few more seconds before the other girl finally speaks.
“might wanna be a little more careful there, can’t have you falling into people’s laps all the time,” she comments. luna jerks her head up at the girl’s voice, and then flushes when she realises that the other is addressing her. “erm, yeah, haha, yeah... i guess,” she responds rather lamely, ducking her head and resolutely looking everywhere else but at the girl.
when luna gets off at her stop, she realises to her utter horror that the girl also gets off. that’s when she notices that the other’s wearing the same uniform she has on, and she wails a little on the inside at her utter lack of luck. she purposely hangs back, sitting down in the seats near the escalators and taking her own sweet time to do her shoelaces up properly. only when she’s certain that the other girl’s out of sight does she start walking to school.
-----
it’s clear to luna that she must have offended some higher being up there this morning, when she walks into the classroom where her remedial english class is usually held after school, only to find that her usual tutor has been replaced with ‘the girl from this morning’, as luna has dubbed her, never mind the obvious lack of creativity in coming up with that name. luna smiles weakly, waving a limp hand as she takes a seat from across the other girl and winces at the spark of recognition that crosses the girl’s eyes. she jumps a little when there’s a hand thrust out suddenly at her.
“my name’s krystal. i’m your tutor for english, i guess. at least until your grades improve. mrs jung asked me to help you with this because she’s busy with other commitments.“ krystal smiles kindly at her, eyes curved in half moons, and luna sags a little in relief. she feels a lot more relaxed now that she has a name to the face and krystal seems like she isn’t going to harp on the morning’s incident. she reaches over and grasps krystal’s hand and shakes it.
“i’m luna, year three, and er, well i’m obviously here because i failed english.” she can’t help pouting a little to herself at the thought; while she’s never been top of her class or level, she’s always done relatively well for her subjects. all of them, except for english. it’s the one frustrating barrier she’s yet to cross. jieun tried tutoring her for a period of time but eventually gave up because they both confused and frustrated each other.
“i’m your junior then,” krystal muses. “i’m in year two,” she clarifies at luna’s enquiring look. normally luna would be a little embarrassed at the thought that a junior would be tutoring her, but she’s so desperate to pass english she doesn’t really care at this point. she nods at krystal in understanding and then starts pulling her pencil-case and exercise book out of her backpack, showing that she’s ready to start their session.
krystal, luna learns, grew up in america but moved to korea at the age of seven, hence her proficiency in the english language. she also realises that it’s easier learning things when krystal’s teaching; where jieun and mrs jung would go too fast for her to catch up, krystal seems to understand exactly which parts luna needs further explaining and sometimes she makes up hilarious analogies to try and get luna to understand meanings of words and phrases. when it’s time to leave at the end of their two-hour session, she realises that she’s had a lot more fun learning english than she’s had in a while and that she’s looking forward to the next lesson.
-----
"hey, luna!" jinki greets the moment she and jieun step in.
"good afternoon, oppa," she returns shyly. behind her, jieun rolls her eyes and nudges her toward the direction of the counter before moving off, in search of an empty seat.
this cafe is her favourite, not only because of its delicious pastries and wide variety of books available for customers to peruse but also because of its owner, one lee jinki, twenty-one and in possession of the most charming smile luna's ever seen. she spends most of her afternoons after school in this cafe, doing homework and studying with jieun. her crush on jinki is glaringly obvious, in how she blushes every time he passes her her regular drink and her occasional stutters when he strikes up conversation with her. she's pretty sure jinki knows about her crush, but he hasn't said anything and she's not about to.
“got your green tea latte right here,” jinki informs luna as she approaches him. he sets the mug on the counter along with a plate of the cream cheese bagel she always orders. “oh no, this one’s on the house,” he tells her when she pulls her wallet out to pay, “this one’s on the house.”
“but-” she protests feebly, though she knows it’s not much use when jinki starts shaking his head at her in a no-nonsense manner.
“no buts, young lady,” he frowns at her, “just drink your tea and eat your bagel. you’ve been looking so tired lately. you’re gonna get premature wrinkles if you keep working so hard.” at this he pulls at his cheeks in mock horror. she giggles a little and thanks him as he helps her put the plate and mug on a tray so she can carry them back to her table.
she doesn’t want to say anything to jinki because she has a feeling he's already taken for, if the silver band on his ring finger is any indication.
---
when krystal arrives for their english session smelling of stale cigarettes. luna wrinkles her nose in distaste.
"have you been smoking?" she demands, "have you any idea how harmful that is to your body? lung cancer!" she almost tells krystal to hand her cigarettes over, but changes her mind at the thought that they've only known each other for two weeks and waves her arms for emphasis instead. krystal grins at her and pulls a chair out and seats herself on it.
"relax," krystal says lazily, "it's not an addiction, just a stick every now and then." reaching into the pocket of her skirts, she pulls out a packet, shaking it at luna's face. "wanna try?" she ventures, and pockets it when luna pulls a face at her.
"but it destroys your throat!" luna continues her tirade, aghast at the thought, and it's krystal's turn to make a grumpy expression at her. she nudges luna lightly with her elbow, and when she's got luna's attention, mouths soundlessly while flailing all over the table and almost scattering luna’s notebook, worksheets and pencils. it takes luna a moment to realise that krystal's imitating her.
"yah, i don't do that!" she tells krystal grumpily who promptly sticks out her tongue. “seriously, though,” luna continues, “don’t smoke.” she nods for added emphasis.
“geez, you sound like my mother,” krystal mutters, but she grudgingly pulls the packet back out and tosses it into the bin with a snap of her wrist.. luna blinks in surprise at the fact that she actually listened to her as krystal grouses, “happy now?” and grumpily pulls luna’s notebook towards her. luna pats the other encouragingly on the shoulder.
“come on, look at it this way, you won’t be sounding all raspy and gross when you’re sixty.”
“ugh.”
----
luna invites krystal to join her for lunch one day. it’s usually only her and jieun sharing one big lunch table, and it can get a little lonely. she worries at first that it would be awkward, that perhaps krystal and jieun won’t get along too well and possibly end up being mortal enemies. or something like that anyway.
what actually happens though, is this: krystal turns up with her tray and sits down with a just a “hi”. jieun stares at the newcomer then cocks her head in luna’s direction, widening her eyes as if she’s going, “who’s this?” luna worries for a second, fiddling nervously with chopsticks, before clearing her throat.
“jieun, this is krystal. krystal, jieun. krystal is my new english tutor, jieun-ah.”
jieun goes “ahhh” in understanding. it’s a good thing that jieun likes to make new friends, because it’s not long before the two are holding a steady conversation. luna sighs in relief at the sight of the two of them getting on so well and joins the conversation as well.
-----
krystal, it turns out, takes the same english class luna and jieun are in. it does get a little embarrassing having a junior be in the same class and still get lower marks then her, but luna and jieun soon learn that there are benefits to having krystal there. for one thing, she lets them copy off her exercise book for homework, though it’s usually done with much reluctance and grumbling and shoving at their shoulders to do their homework themselves. for another she teaches them how to pronounce vocabulary they have difficulty with. it’s saying something about their school when krystal’s pronounciation turns out to be a lot better than their teacher, at least in their opinion anyway.
it’s not that luna dislikes english, it’s more like she’s indifferent to it. it isn’t easy to like a subject you do terribly in no matter how hard you try, luna thinks morosely to herself. after a while she finds that she stops paying full attention in class, preferring instead to make up for it through krystal’s tutoring sessions. mostly she doodles on her notepad, or naps.
“luna? luna!” she’s jolted out of her reverie when jieun gives her a sharp jab with a pencil. luna looks up to see the teacher and the rest of the class staring at her, and she mentally pinches herself for not paying attention.
“well, luna?” the teacher asks, obviously having directed her previous question to her. in the next seat over, krystal sighs inaudibly. she signals for luna to look over while scribbling the answer down on her notepad. luna watches her out of the corner of her eye and then repeats the answer back to the teacher, who accepts it and moves on to torture her next victim. when she turns back to krystal the latter’s miming knocking her on the head with her waterbottle. luna smiles sheepishly in thanks. on her other side, jieun tsks obnoxiously.
another good thing about krystal being in the same class is that she helps her out of sticky situations, luna tells herself as she heaves a sigh of relief.
-----
it takes a lot of coaxing and almost-begging to get krystal to come with her to the cafe. jieun backs out on her at the last minute because of family issues and luna doesn't dare go alone.
"please, krystal, for moral support?" she pleads.
"no, i don't like coffee" krystal doesn't even look at her, only bothers to flip the page of the book she's reading. luna crawls underneath the book and pulls herself up so she's right in front of krystal and blocking her view of the book.
"there's more than coffee! i'll get you a chocolate shake! a super thick and cold chocolate shake, with lots of foam, just nice for this hot weather!" she thinks krystal might look just a little swayed. "please, please, please? i need someone there just in case i faint after talking to jinki oppa. wouldn't that be embarrassing?" she wraps her arms around krystal and clings on, making a grimace just to prove her point. she knows she's won krystal over when the latter sighs and shakes her head before putting her book down.
half an hour later and they're in the cafe, krystal drinking her promised chocolate shake and luna clutching her green tea latte between her hands.
"is that him?" krystal questions out of nowhere.
"hmm?"
"the guy you like?" krystal repeats, gesturing to jinki who’s just come out from the kitchen, patting his hands on his apron. luna goes pink.
"well, yeah. i know he's not exactly the most handsome, but he has a really nice smile! and he's so kind, and-"
"does he know?" krystal interrupts, her eyebrow raised in question. luna colours even further, if that’s possible, and sinks down in her seat, covering her face with her hands. krystal pushes them away impatiently, clearly waiting for an answer.
“no, he doesn’t,” luna tells her miserably. she grunts in surprise when krystal tosses her messenger bag onto her stomach. it’s light because krystal prefers leaving her heavy textbooks in her school locker, but it still hurts a little nonetheless. “what was that for?” she asks indignantly, massaging her sore stomach, “that hurt!”
“and you deserve it,” krystal informs her haughtily. “serves you right for not telling him. you’re stupid.”
luna sulks a little. “well, i’m sure he knows already and doesn’t like me that way. and besides-” she automatically stops at the tinkle of the door bell as it signals someone stepping in and turns around in its direction. krystal turns around too when sees luna turn around. luna gets a sinking feeling in her stomach as she watches the newcomer go behind the counter and surprise the unknowing jinki by wrapping her arms around his waist. jinki whirls around and laughs delightedly when he sees who it is. “i think he’s taken,” she finishes, looking back at krystal sadly. she turns back, watching as jinki hugs the woman before him and taking her her hand to lead her into the kitchen, continuing to stare even when the kitchen doors have closed behind them. she starts when krystal wraps an arm around her in a one-armed embrace, but then sags in the embrace and turns her head inwards, rubbing her cheek against krystal’s sweater. she’s always liked this sweater, even though it’s a little old it’s still the softest sweater she’s ever touched.
“okay, i’m sorry for calling you stupid, because you’re not. he is, because he can’t see you in front of him,” krystal tells her, ignoring the steadily growing patch of wetness near her shoulder. they sit in silence as krystal rubs her hand up and down luna’s arm soothingly, before krystal suggests, “hey, let’s go to macdonald’s. i bet you haven’t eaten there in a while.” luna nods against her. “we’ll have the greasiest fries you’ve ever seen before finishing it off with a chocolate fudge sundae each. maybe if i ask nicely they’ll sprinkle nuts on top for us too.” luna nods again and pulls back, wiping her tears and snot away with the back of her hand.
“oh ew,” krystal grimaces and hands her a napkin, “now you’ve got germs all over.” luna laughs tearfully in response as she makes a swipe in krystal’s direction. the latter slings her bag on one shoulder and hefts luna’s one on the other, then ushers luna out the door.
looking back on it, while the situation was heartbreaking at best, it really was what brought them a lot closer.
-----
on a rare occasion that luna and krystal share a free period together,they sit in one of the benches near the football field, shielded from the sun by the strong tree next to thm. luna glances at krystal who’s sprawled out next to her. she’s kicked off her shoes and her legs dangle over the arm of the bench, legs swinging back and forth lazily. luna leans back and closes her eyes, enjoying the slight breeze. she opens them again when she hears some rustling, and finds krystal pulling a paper bag out of her pocket. she struggles with the ribbon around it for a moment before pushing the bag towards her.
“candy?” she asks. luna peers inside curiously; the bag is half-filled with tiny rock candy, each individually wrapped in their own transparent wrapper. she “oohs” before reaching in and grabbing a red one, pulling the wrapping off and popping it into her mouth. she beams at krystal as she sucks hard on the sweet and it clicks satisfyingly against her teeth. watermelon, her favourite.
“thanks,” she says, fingers wrapping around krystal’s wrist and toying with the charm bracelet she has on. krystal smiles back as she pockets the paper bag. then she pulls her legs up and shuffles closer to luna before leaning against her.
“your hair’s tickling me!” luna complains though she makes no move to push krystal away. she does swat krystal’s hair away from her nose though, and the latter wiggles against her annoyingly, squashing her against the arm of the bench. “oi!” luna huffs, and krystal stops and rests her head on luna’s lap instead.
“hi,” she grins insolently at luna. luna takes the opportunity to pinch her nose shut, enjoying the way krystal flails in her grip.
-----
luna makes it a point to take the train back home together with krystal on thursdays. mondays to wednesdays are now her studying-at-jinki-oppa's-cafe days, and fridays are always set aside for church commitments. jieun lives in the complete opposite direction, so she has never taken the same train as luna. it isn't a very long ride so they don't talk much. most of the time krystal hands over one side of her earbuds and they spend the entire journey sharing krystal's ipod. luna's stop is first so she gets off and watches the train as it disappears into the dark tunnel before turning to trudge up the stairs.
this thursday, krystal tells her to go home first; krystal does a little subpar on her math test and requires remedial for the next two weeks till the make-up.
so luna takes the train by herself. it's a little too lonely and silent despite the lunch hour crowd and muffled chattering of passengers.
---
sometimes people stare at them, this luna knows. krystal stands out in their group, with her height and long legs that go on for forever. there are moments when luna catches herself comparing herself to krystal; the obvious disparity in their figures and looks. sure, jieun’s short, but she’s also skinny and has a slim face. luna looks down at her legs, suddenly seeming so short and thick next to krystal’s and jieun’s as they rest on stone steps. her mother’s always told her that it’s natural to have curves, that women look better with some curves instead of being stick-skinny, like someone could just snap you in half is how luna’s mother calls it. but luna can’t help but despair over how thick her thighs are, how her tummy juts out a little when she sits down, how the school blouse seems tighter on her than on krystal.
krystal nudges her, and she turns halfway with a “hmm?”, blinking in surprise when she receives a playful knock on the head in return.
“earth to luna? now stop thinking whatever you’re thinking and tell me, what do you think about this pair of heels?” krystal shows her phone to her, nudging her to push up right against her. luna lets her, smiling to herself; she knows that this is krystal’s way of trying to get her mind of things she shouldn’t even be thinking about.
“well, if you ask me, it doesn’t look too nice in that colour...”
-----
the fact that krystal calls jieun 'unnie' but doesn't apply it to luna has always been a sore point in their relationship.
"but i'm older than you!" is how luna always starts her argument.
"but you're short!" is krystal's (admitedly not very logically-sound) retort.
"so is jieunnie!" is the point at which luna screws up her face so she can sufficiently express how silly she thinks krystal's reasoning is.
"oi!" is jieun butting in to show her indignation at being dragged into this argument.
it never comes to a head; luna doesn't get called unnie while jieun does. in luna's mind, she gives way to krystal like the big-hearted magnanimous unnie she is. krystal just likes seeing luna swell up in sore indignance and work herself into a frenzy over the issue and then deflate rapidly like a balloon pricked the moment krystal offers her one of her favourite candies.
what luna doesn't know is that krystal likes taking the honourific out of the equation of their relationship because she feels that they're a lot closer than that.
---
for the millionth time, luna curses her lack of height as she jumps for the ball only to have it be intercepted by a much taller classmate. she likes gym because she enjoys sports, enjoys working in a team. only problem is, her gym teacher has a tendency to pick basketball for the term's sport - this term being the third time in two years. basketball, which would be a lot more favourable to luna if she were tall. which she isn't.
not that luna's always despairing at her lack of height. she had moaned and groaned at her growth spurt being practically non-existent by fifteen, but she'd stopped harping on it after a while. why bother complaining about something you can't get, she had reasoned.
though really, being tall would be absolutely useful right now.
"look sharp, park!"
luna hastens to get the ball, not wanting to look like she hadn't been paying attention to the game. she makes one more valiant swipe in the ball's direction only to be blocked by an obstacle in the form of another overzealous classmate, who sidesteps her quickly before going back the direction she had come from, dribbling the ball with ease as she yells directions to her teammates. caught off-balance, luna teeters, and in the split-second before she falls, she thinks, "oh dear."
---
from: krystal <3
received 3.10pm
so i hear someone fell 2day @ gym
to: krystal <3
sent 3.15pm
><
it pays to be tall, krystal
from: krystal <3
received 3.16pm
lol told u so
from: krystal <3
received 3.16pm
is ur knee alright?
to: krystal <3
sent 3.18pm
i knew u cared T___T
<333
from: krystal <3
received 3.19pm
dun be too happy
from: krystal <3
received 3.19pm
i just nid someone 2 b there during lunch tmr
from: krystal <3
received 3.20pm
dun tink jieun unnie likes me 2 much
to: krystal <3
sent 3.23pm
>o< wat!! no jieunnie likes u!!!!!!
dun tink that way!!! ㅠㅠ
krystal picks up on the second ring. "hello?" she sounds amused.
"jieunnie really likes you," luna whines into the phone, pouting even though she knows krystal can't see her. there's an outburst of laughter from krystal's end and that's all it takes for the ball to drop. her lips turn even further down to their limits. "you were fooling me again!"
"it's not my fault you're so easy to play around with," krystal defends.
"humph!"
"sorry, sorry," krystal apologises, though luna can still hear the laughter in her voice. luna lets it pass. "so how's your knee?"
"just a bruise, nothing serious."
the next day when luna opens her locker, she finds a card with hand-drawn crutches and a cast on the front. she flips it open and it reads, in krystal’s handwriting, always being so clumsy. get well soon~ :D. she goes around school grinning like an idiot for the entire day, spirits greatly lifted.
---
it’s a thursday when krystal and luna walk out of school together towards the train station. so engrossed is luna in talking to krystal that she doesn’t watch where she’s going and promptly bumps into someone. luna bounces back from the impact, disoriented, and almost falls if it isn’t for krystal catching her from behind. luna looks up to find a girl in her year though she can’t really remember her name. she’s about to apologise when the girl huffs in irritation.
“watch where you’re going, shorty!” the girl tells her, voice laced with anger and malice, “if you can’t find your own way around without knocking people over with your weight then do us all a favour and stay at home!”
luna stares, wide-eyed and unsure of what to say. there’s an odd feeling in her throat and all she wants to do right now is disappear into a hole in the ground. she starts to apologise again when krystal steps in front of her and she falls silent. krystal towers over the other, cutting a strong and imposing figure, and luna suddenly feels a lot safer behind her.
“fuck off, bitch,” krystal tells her harshly. the other girl starts looking a little afraid at this sudden intruder. “it’s none of your business how tall she is and what she does. now are you going to shut up and get lost, or do i have to make you?”
the other girl scuttles off without another word. krystal’s eyes soften when she turns back to see luna trembling where she stands. “come on,” krystal tells her, pulling her books and folder off the floor, “let’s go home.” she holds luna’s hand in hers and leads her towards the train station again.
krystal’s hand feels warm and it envelopes hers, and a feeling of being protected washes over her. if krystal notices that luna grips her hand a little tighter, she doesn’t say anything.
-----
luna doesn’t see krystal for the next week because the music teacher coerces luna into signing up to sing at the school’s founder’s day ceremony. she’s swamped with trying to juggle homework and practices, and has to stay back late almost every day because the teacher-in-charge schedules multiple rehearsals in the days leading up to the actual event.
“how many more rehearsals do you have to go to?” krystal frowns one day during break. they’re at their usual bench beside the field again. jieun’s off running some errands for their form teacher in her capacity as class chairman. it’s the first time krystal’s seen luna in a while because the latter usually uses lunch or break time to catch up with homework, since she’s too tired to do anything but bathe and fall into bed by the time she gets home. the teacher-in-charge of this year’s event is quite the sadist, luna reflects gloomily as she pokes at the lunchbox her mother had prepared that morning .
“depends on how many more rehearsals mr kim wants to schedule,” luna tells her tiredly, then perks up when krystal pulls out a bag of candy. she reaches out for it like an excited child, her own lunchbox forgotten. krystal laughs and holds it further away, far too far out of luna’s reach.
“give me, give me!” luna whines pathetically, leaning on krystal’s shoulder leverage. in her excitement, she pulls her knee up and plants it on krystal’s thigh to pull herself up further. krystal yelps and bows over instinctively, knocking luna off balance, and then falls off the bench when luna grabs for something to hold on to and grabs krystal’s school blouse instead. the two of the land on the ground in a heap.
it’s like one of those dramas that luna’s mother likes to watch, where the female lead falls onto the male lead and they look into each other’s eyes and there’s a confession scene and the the other accepts and they live happily ever after in korean drama land. only this isn’t a drama, this is real life. krystal puts an arm around her, a warm and heavy weight, and leans up, closer and closer, and luna’s heart beats faster and faster and she holds her breath. they’re so close, but then luna pulls away abruptly and stands up, the bubble’s popped and the spell’s broken, and she’s smoothing down her uniform and looking at anywhere but at krystal, whose eyes are fixed on her as she too slowly pulls herself up.
“erm, i think, mr kim...he asked me to go look for him at this time. right. er. see you later,” luna stutters, ready to turn heel and run, but krystal grabs her wrist, grip firm and unyielding.
“luna,” she starts, looking a little unsure, and krystal, krystal never looks unsure, she is confident, reassuring, sometimes surprised, but never unsure, and luna really doesn’t like that look on her. she wrenches her arm from krystal’s grip.
‘“i, i can’t, i’m sorry,” she babbles.
she runs back into the school building, leaving krystal standing by the bench, alone and pensive.
-----
luna avoids krystal as much as possible and refuses to tell jieun what happened when she asks and probes.
“you know what, fine, don’t tell me,” jieun tells her earnestly, “but the two of you better get this settled quickly. it’s awkward being stuck between the two of you. no, scratch that, it sucks.”
luna buries her head in her arms when jieun leaves and sniffles miserably to herself.
-----
she enters english class to find the lunchbox she’d left behind on that day sitting on her table. krystal sits at her desk, writing notes down on her notepad. she doesn’t look up or do anything to acknowledge that luna’s there.
luna does what she does best, she smiles and goes around her daily schedules like nothing wrong has happened. she gives her all during rehearsals, continues passing up homework on time and being congratulated for good work done.
krystal starts hanging out with amber liu, a new transfer student from america. luna’s heart clenches angrily every time she sees them walk by, amber’s arm slung casually around krystal’s shoulder and the two of them laughing heartily.
on founder’s day the teacher-in-charge showers upon her praises for her beautiful singing voice, but all luna can feel is the soreness in her throat and the prickling of her eyes.
-----
“oppa,” luna greets when jinki takes the seat next to her. she stirs her cooled-down drink and smiles faintly at him then falters when she notices how closely he’s looking at her.
“is something wrong, oppa?” she asks, patting her face self-consciously. jinki smiles good-naturedly and shakes his head.
“that’s a question i should be asking you.”
luna ducks her head, almost withdraws herself again. but then she remembers this is jinki. he’s kind and gentle and he’ll surely give her good advice. so she tells her about krystal.
“...and now she won’t even look at me or speak to me, and it’s like i’m not there and it’s all my fault and i just,” she leans her chin on her hands, “i just want to make things right. but it’s too late for it, isn’t it, oppa? krystal’s never going to forgive me.”
jinki pushes his chair next to her and gives her a one-armed embrace. whereas once she would have been squealing internally for joy if he had done this to her, now all she can do is compare it to krystal’s one-armed hugs. it’s so different, and luna finds that she really does prefer krystal’s hugs. for now though, she leans into jinki, liking his smell of cookie dough and cinnamon spice.
“well, what i do when my girlfriend gets angry,” she can feel the vibrations of jinki’s voice reverberating through her, and she giggles a little childishly, even more so when jinki “harrumphs” and pinches her on the side, “what i do is i buy her something she likes, and then i apologise.”
luna twists around. “that’s it?” luna asks in disappointment even though she doesn’t really know what she expected either. jinki chuckles and taps her on the nose.
“really, luna, if this girl likes you, then i’d think she would be more than willing to forgive you if you did it sincerely, wouldn’t she?” he asks.
luna thinks of krystal smiling at her, krystal bringing candy to school every now and then just because she knows luna likes those, krystal standing up for her and defending her, krystal making fun of her in that non-malicious way only krystal can. she throws her arms around jinki in gratitude before grabbing her bag and running out of the cafe.
-----
when she sits down in english the next day, krystal’s still ignoring her, but luna doesn’t let that bother her. instead she busies herself with taking out her school supplies and setting them on the table. then when class is well underway and all’s silent except for the teacher’s marker screeching on the whiteboard and the scratching of students’ pens on paper, she reaches down again and pulls out a wrapped package.
krystal denies it but luna knows she has a weakness for chocolate fudge; she’s seen, after all, the way krystal lights up every time they walk past the confectionery and chocolate fudge is on display. krystal denies it because she claims that it’s unhealthy, quite ironic considering her smoking stint as luna had pointed out. but the fact is that krystal loves it no matter how much she pretends or tries to hide the fact.
in the package is all the fudge luna could have bought with the money she had on her. it isn’t much since it’s near the end of the month and she’s running low on her allowance, but she hopes it’ll be enough. when she thinks the teacher isn’t looking, she quietly slides it onto krystal’s table along with a note.
i’m sorry.
krystal glances at it, a mere flick of her eyes from her note-taking to the package and then back to her notes again. luna doesn’t let that deter her though. instead she slides another note over.
i’m sorry for reacting the way i did. i was just shocked and confused.
krystal pauses longer on this one, and luna knows she’s reading the note. she quickly slides the last one over.
i’m willing to give this a try... if you are too.
luna waits with bated breath as krystal completely stops whatever she’s doing and stares at that slip of paper. she squirms in her seat, anxious to know krystal’s answer. her face falls when krystal picks up her pencil, flips open a new page on her notepad and starts scribbling. squeezing her eyes shut, she mentally counts from one to ten, forcing back the impeding tears and telling herself not to cry. she opens her eyes to see a new sheet of paper in front of her. all it says is one word.
yes.
hardly daring to believe what she’s seeing, she lifts her eyes towards krystal, who’s looking directly at her and smiling softly, eyes crinkled in half-moons. it’s the most beautiful smile luna’s seen in a while.
luna smiles back.
-----
luna's never been in a relationship before, so she can't say for herself how she expects this one to turn out. she'd be lying if she says it's like the ones she's read in fairytales (if only with two princesses instead of a princess and her prince); krystal gets grumpy at times and luna goes into one of her mood swings every now and then and sometimes neither don't feel like compromising which always leads to petty quarrels, why are you being like this stop being so irresponsible grow up. but every couple has their moments and luna is smart enough to know that to despair just because that happens is really dumb. what she does know is that krystal makes her happy, a lot happier than she's been in a while, and that's enough for her.
really, they're young and only sixteen-going-on-seventeen and seventeen-going-on-eighteen; they can afford to take their time.