Constant and Changing (kryber)

Chapter 54: Glitter

Krystal stood on the crowded stage of M Countdown and waited with her members for the winners announcement. Today was f(x)'s first chance to win a trophy for their "4 Walls" comeback and Krystal had been battling with the butterflies in her stomach all day. It was understandable that f(x) was nervous about this moment. Since this was their first comeback as four members and because they had promoted an EDM track rather than a pop track, the members had prepared their hearts for seeing someone else take home the trophy today. They wanted to win, of course, but it was better to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

Therefore, when the scores were revealed and they heard the announcement, Krystal was startled to find that f(x) had won the trophy by a landslide.

Krystal immediately looked toward Luna on her right to ask if she had heard the announcement correctly, and Luna's ecstatic smile was confirmation enough. The truth sunk in slowly, surreal yet satisfying. They had won. f(x) had won. Krystal's heart felt like it was soaring in that instant.

Victoria's kind voice filled her ears as their dependable leader-unnie thanked the many people who made this win possible: Lee Sooman-teacher, their producers and composers who worked hard for their album to come out well, and, most importantly, their fans. Krystal was so grateful to their fandom who had given them this precious first win. And it wasn't just for f(x). This win was for every fan cheering them on and supporting them during their difficult times this past year.

Krystal turned to Amber who stood on Victoria's other side, just out of her reach. She could see Amber holding the trophy like a precious gift, smiling as radiantly as the trophy in her arms. At the sight of Amber's joyous smile, Krystal felt tears of pride welling up inside of her. Krystal turned back to Luna and saw that the vocalist was already crying, causing her to cry as well. It was always like this between Krystal and Luna. The two fragile hearted members tended to influence each others tears. When was the last time they had cried on stage over a win? Was it for their first win for Pinocchio, their first win ever, back in 2011?

The thought of f(x)'s first win caused Krystal to lower her head in sadness as memories of Sulli reemerged in her heart. Their last f(5) stage had taken place more than a year ago, but the feeling of performing as five members was oddly vivid in her mind. Knowing that they would never be able to return to a time where Sulli was still with them, the memories were still painful to Krystal. Five members had become four, but they were a strong four now. They had struggled to rebuild themselves, and their hard work had finally been rewarded.

With tears in their eyes, Krystal and Luna embraced each other quietly in a supportive and understanding hug. No words were needed to convey the depth of this meaningful first win. Even if she wanted to, Krystal was unsure how to describe the emotions that she was feeling now. It was a mix of happiness, sadness, gratitude, regret, and love all at once. The feelings were so overwhelming that they could only be expressed as tears. One after another, countless glittering tears rolled down Krystal's cheeks and told the story of f(x)'s hardships with more poignancy than words could ever hope to convey.

Amber finally noticed Krystal's tears and reached around Victoria to hug the younger girl briefly. Once the thank you speech ended, Krystal turned to give Victoria a hug as well. Their precious leader had been busy in China throughout their comeback preparations and continued to be busy even while the comeback was underway, but their time apart had made her appreciate Victoria's hard work and dedication to f(x) that much more.

Victoria pulled her tearful daughters together for a heartfelt pep talk as the stage cleared. Huddled together with their arms around each other, Victoria spoke encouragingly to the f(x) members while their song played in the background. Victoria thanked them for always believing in f(x) and in each other, and reminded them that there was more to come for their team. They had a solo concert to present to the world, a fandom name to deliver to their fans. This win was just the beginning. Smiling from the bottom of their hearts, the f(x) members faced the audience and gave them a tearful encore performance.