When she awoke, it was to Miri's cries of shock and Da-hee's hands on her shoulders. Miri was screaming in her ear, her hands patting—No—slapping her cheeks repeatedly. There was a white noise ringing in her ear, and she could hear her steady inhales and exhales of breath.
It took a second for her to register the sudden change in environment and when she did, her hands reflexively pressed against her chest. The feeling of her heart thrumming under her skin was somewhat soothing. The steady beat provided her with a solace she didn't know she needed.
Miri continued to slap at her cheeks like a seal slapping its God damn belly. Was this what the girl had been doing to JieMi the entire time?
"HI! YOU OKAY? BRO?" Miri screamed into her eardrums and Amber winced at the loud, painful pitch. Her best friend's falsetto stabbed into her ears, painful and irritating, like her alarm clock at 6 AM blaring rock metal Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Being back in her own body provided her with a familiarity that snapped her out of the initial daze. It gave her a sense of control and safety. She'd never been so thankful to feel the lumps of flesh on her chest and the lack of additional appendage between her legs.
Damn, she never thought she would miss her penis-less crotch. Amber licked her lips at the thought of the throbbing snake that once dwelled between her thighs. Seriously, that thing had a freaking mind of its own.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by a different kind of scream emitting from the surrounding fans. It completely overpowered Miri's already thunderous voice, reaching a pitch that was very, very different compared to the sounds that they made in support of IDOL. What was going on? Amber glanced up, craning her neck forward.
There were fans pointing to the stage; fans raising their phones to take pictures; fans sobbing tears and yelling their outrage. The stadium reverberated with confused shrieks and cries, but there were also some cheers and claps from the crowd. It was a sudden burst of mass panic. The anxiety that flowed through the crowd mirrored the one pounding in her own heart.
She dislodged herself from Da-hee's grip and like a mechanized robot she numbly moved forward. Her taller than average body gave her the advantage of height, as she deftly pushed through fans to reclaim her previous position at the railing.
It was easy to spot the fairy prince.
The flower crown remained as beautiful as always, decorating MinJae's hair and accentuating his already gorgeous features. He looked confused, turning to see what the fans were screaming about. His eyes were huge as he glanced up at his friends only to be met with the sight of their equally surprised faces. Amber watched as Sieon pointed to his head, his lips moving quickly as he gestured.
MinJae stiffened, his eyes widening as he brought his hands upwards slowly. Unlike her previous interaction with him, the brush of MinJae's hand over his hair did not result in the disappearance of the bundled petals. Instead, his fingers now rested on the beautiful petals, gently grazing each flower.
Amber watched as he gingerly plucked a stalk from the flower crown weaved into his hair, bringing it up close to his face. The instant his eyes locked onto the beautiful flower, his expression transformed into one of utter confusion and—
Amber inhaled sharply. Oh God.
Those dollops of cream that he had for lips, they trembled and moved as he stroked the flower. Like a starving man staring at a plate of roasted chicken, his eyes were glued to the flower in his hand. He had a face of intrigue, of confusion and of shock. Then his lips twitched and curved upwards, his eyes disappearing into happy little moons.
His smile was so raw and so, so full of emotions. It was unadulterated joy that bloomed across his face, spreading from soft plush lips to his pretty moon eyes.
It was a happiness that was more than that of a kid who had been given a whole bag of chocolate bars. It was a happiness that was more than that of a student who had received straight As on their report cards. It was more than that of a freshman receiving his first paycheck.
Hell, Amber had only seen this expression on a person's face once or twice in her lifetime. It was the same look on her cousin's when he saw his wife walking down the aisle. It was the same look on her uncle's face when he had met his baby daughter for the first time.
It was warm and fuzzy. Like melting ice cream...like drizzles of caramel syrup on whip cream...like the soft rays of the morning sun on the snow. His smile sent her heart soaring in her chest, warmth pooling deep within her.
Then his face crumpled, brows twitching and furrowing. She watched enraptured as he placed a shaking hand to his lips. Even from here, she could see the tremble of his shoulders as he took huge inhales and exhales of breath from parted lips. His face portrayed his struggle to prevent tears from spilling from his pretty eyes.
He was clearly trying his best to keep emotions in check. But like a bubbling pot of porridge kept too long at the stove, with the lid dancing as rice spilt from the tips of the metal pot. MinJae was crying.
Yet, he continued to stare down at the flower, unbothered by the tears that streaked down his face. There was so much adoration and warmth in his eyes, so much tenderness and love. Amber's heart was yet again sent beating faster than a hummingbird's wings.
Then, he was bringing the lilacs to his lips. He inhaled, closing his eyes to savour the fragrance. The glittery sequins on his jacket sparkled under the spotlight and the colours spilt over his skin, illuminating the single tear that dripped from the corner of his eye.
Beautiful. Her lips parted, wanting nothing more than to go up to that stage and hold him in her arms.
She frowned as she felt a peculiar sensation in her hair. Something weaved through her short locks and the scent of flowers permeated the air. It was a soft pretty floral fragrance of lilacs that had a tinge of musk that reminded her of roasted tea leaves. Her fingers scrambled to her head, sifting through her hair. She stiffened at the feeling of smooth petals under her fingertips.
Shit.
The crown on her head didn't feel like anything. Unlike normal flower crowns, there was no weight whatsoever. She was only feeling it because when the flowers bloomed, they parted and moved her short locks of hair.
It didn't even take her another second to picture her impending doom. Her eyes darted around anxiously to look at the surrounding crying, angry, confused women who were still too busy filming MinJae and lamenting on their losses.
It was clear that they believed that he had just found his soulmate. It was also clear that she had her own flower crown which looked just like MinJae's crown. Amber's mind flashed back to the crazy fan who had dug her fingers into her skin. A quick glance at said fingernail prints sent a jolt of fear through her racing heart.
Oh fuck.
She swooped down into a squat, disappearing from view. She reached for her tote bag that was haphazardly discarded on the floor between her legs. With trembling fingers, she pulled out her scarf, wrapping it over her head to conceal her hair.
Crouched down like this, covered in the shadows of fans, it was easy for her to spot the red glowing trail of fire attached to her pinkie. It was like a beacon, a pathway of lava that turned and twisted between legs, heading straight to the stage.
As she stood, it was even easier for her eyes to follow the string that travelled towards one Kim Sieon who was looking particularly fierce as he stalked behind MinJae. His expression had clamped down, as if he were struggling to contain his emotions. His jaws were clenched as he brushed his right thumb over the fingers on his left hand.
Fans would say that he looked as if he had injured his fingers, rubbing out a bruise on his digits. They would say that maybe he was jealous of MinJae or maybe he was concerned for his best friend's dropping popularity. But Amber knew that he was playing with the red string. She knew that he was wringing his fingers to hide the real reason behind his current obsession with his pinkie.
He could see it. Her breath hitched as she stared at him. He was looking at the rose tattoo, scrutinizing it. The muscles at the sides of his jaw were twitching as he gazed at his hands. He was clenching and unclenching his teeth, looking giddy and a tad uneasy. Then his eyes snapped up and he turned to stare heatedly at her direction.
It was a quick sudden movement that caused Amber's heart to leap into her mouth. She knew he couldn't see her, knew that he was only looking her way because of the red string. Exhilaration and nervousness hummed in her chest. Her heart flew out of her mouth as he took a step in her direction. Then he broke into a quick jog, heading straight towards her with smouldering eyes.