The school bell rang to indicate the end of class.

Before Professor Han leave,

“Oh! Donghae! I forget to tell you.”

“Yes, Professor Han?” Donghae acknowledged.

“We are having a group project where you will have to pair up. Since the class is now in odd numbers, there should be 1 group with 3 people. Will you be okay?” Professor Han explained to Donghae.

“Yah! Donghae! Just join our team.”

The voice is too recognizable that Chaerin smirked and bang her desk with her fist and stood up.

“Yah! You must be crazy Heechul ah.” Chaerin turned and stared at Heechul.

“Oh! I’m in deep trouble.” Heechul swallowed his saliva.

Few seconds later after the awkward silence,

“Oh look! I got her to talk after 8 hours.” Heechul laugh hesitantly trying to joke around in the midst of the tense atmosphere.

Donghae put his finger on his lips signalling Heechul to keep quiet.

“That’s not a bad idea.” Prof Han said.

“Isn’t it Lee Chaerin?” Prof Han continued, raising his eyebrows.

There is another person Chaerin would never go against and it’s her own professor.

She looked at Donghae with a clear look of irritation on her face. Meanwhile, Donghae is there smiling like a little kid who is waiting for their mom to give permission to play outside.

Chaerin quickly packed her bag and stormed out of the class.

“Who the hell that guy thinks he is? He thinks that his smile can make me feel appeal to him? No way. I’m not like other girls.” Chaerin mumbled to herself while walking away from school.

“Yah! Lee Chaerin!” “Chaerin ah!” Heechul called her name 2 times before she finally turned.

“What do you want?” She said in her normal stern tone of voice.

“Sorry just now, I just said without thinking.” Heechul sincerely apologize for making his own decision without asking his team mate.

Few seconds later, Chaerin laughs so hard till she teared,

“Yah! Why are you laughing?! I’m serious here.” Heechul confused.

“Heechul ah? Is this Heechul I’m talking to? Not some random nice guy?” She slaps her cheeks to check the reality.

She pinches Heechul’s cheeks. Heechul moved because he felt uncomfortable.

“Yeah! It’s you, Kim Heechul. Kim Heechul saying sorry? That’s new.” She continued laughing before becoming serious again in a split second.

“I have no time to talk about that now. I have to rush to work!” Chaerin said and she walked away while waving her hands to Heechul who seems confused with what just happened.

“Yah! Our project! And what about that guy?” Heechul shouted.

“We’ll do it tomorrow after school. The guy?! Yeah. Just get him on our team.” Chaerin shouted back.

Lee Chaerin secretly works part time at a fried chicken shop near her school, YG High School. She has been working for 2 weeks without her mom knowing. Reason being Chaerin wants to be independent and do not want to rely on her mother too much.

“Aigoo. Sorry Aunty!” Chaerin apologized for being late.

“It’s okay Chaerin. I understand that you have school. Furthermore, it’s not yet dinner time so I can still manage the customers.

Chaerin is thankful that she has a kind and understanding employer.

“Put on your apron and get to work!” Her employer instructs Chaerin.

While Chaerin is busy putting on her apron and mask to disguise herself, a group of girls came in. Even their scent is so familiar to Chaerin. They are the ones who spreads bad rumours on Chaerin.

The so-called leader of the group Kang Hanna notices Chaerin who seems to look away from them not wanting to make eye contact.

“Trying to hide Lee Chaerin ah?” Hanna purposely raised her voice. Other students looked in the direction of Chaerin.

“Aigoo. Girls! Note this down. We’ve got a new rumour about her. Cheap girl working at a cheap fast food restaurant.” Hanna tried to annoy Chaerin.

At that moment, Donghae was about to take away some fried chicken and coincidently saw the incident.

As Chaerin do not want to cause a ruckus and disappoint her employer, she grabbed Hanna’s wrist and heed outside.

“You don’t touch me and stay here!” Chaerin warned Hanna’s friends who was about to stop her.

Donghae hid behind the pillar nearby at the next shop and was analysing the situation that is happening in front of his eyes.

“Yah! You let go or I will report to the police for harassment.” Hanna shouted.

“That is all you got? Threatening me? Aigoo. Cry baby ah.” Chaerin .

“Tsk! I will never ever be satisfied with you as long as you are still happily living.” Hanna sternly warned her.

“So now, what are you going to do? Cry back to your mom? What’s your problem actually? What do you want from me? You spread stupid rumours about me, I keep quiet. You asked your dad to put me in disciplinary action for so called copying your work when you are the one who took that thumb drive away from me, I keep quiet. You threw water at me on purpose, you tripped me in school once. I keep quiet. Now to the extent of embarrassing me in public, my workplace. I cannot accept it. Now tell me. What do you want you idiot?!” Chaerin anger keeps boiling to the point she was so frustrated and raised her voice in the end.

Just when Hanna was about to slap her, a hand stopped her.

“What the hell are you doing?” Donghae asked Hanna.

“Wow! Prince charming saved you? You’re lucky. I wonder if this guy even knows your ugly past and the rumours about you.” She said that and left the place with her group.

“Saved me? Stupid girl. You think I’m not capable? I could have stopped you and pinned you down already.” Chaerin mumbled to herself.

She turned to Donghae.

“You’re welcome.” He said.

“You foolish. Since when did I say thank you?” Chaerin said in a sarcastic tone.

Chaerin then get back to work even though people were staring, she is just her normal calm self, ignoring all the negative stares she gets from the rest of the students.

Donghae waited for the shop to almost close at 8pm and buy the chicken to have a chance to talk and get to know Lee Chaerin.

“I would like to have 3 drumsticks for take away please.” Donghae ordered.

“That would be 20,000 Won.”

“This pabo again.” Chaerin mumbled to herself.

“Sorry, what did you say?” Donghae asked.

“Nothing. Here’s your change. Wait for a moment yeah, you may take a seat there.” Chaerin speaks in a polite tone.

“That is not like her in school and few hours ago.” Donghae thought to himself.

Donghae waited outside the shop. Five minutes later Chaerin stepped out to head back home.

“Can we talk?” He asked.

“What are you even doing? Why are you always appearing of me?” Chaerin asked, confused with his actions.

“I just want to get to know you and be friends with you. Furthermore, we will be grouped together right for a project with Heechul?” Donghae explained his intention.

“This guy got a point.” Chaerin thought to herself.

“You want to be friends with me? You must be joking. It’s not like you never heard all those rumours about me. You’re not afraid of me?” Chaerin asked.

“No, I’m not afraid of you and I really don’t know don’t know about those rumours.” Donghae bewildered at Chaerin’s response.

“You know. I stole someone’s boyfriend, I copied someone else’s work, I’ve been in the detention room for countless of times that I lost count, I like to badmouth about people. I…”

“Stop. I don’t want to know. What I know is that right now is the present and not the past. I want to be friends with you and get to know you better. I’m sincere.” Donghae said in a heartfelt tone of voice.

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. Chaerin stared deep into his eyes that seems to be glistening and speaking to her.

She wakes up to reality.

“What the hell. You must be kidding me.” Chaerin gives an absurd laugh and left Donghae there.

Chaerin cannot stop turning her body on bed trying to sleep.

She kept thinking about Donghae’s words about wanting to be friends with her.

“Nobody in my life has ever said those words to me before. Nobody ever wants to be friends with me because of the rumours. Why him? What is his real intentions. He seems sincere. The way his eyes speaks. His tone of voice…” Chaerin reflect and feel confused.

Chaerin then slapped her face to wake her up to reality.

“This cannot be happening. I’m definitely not falling for him.” Chaerin in denial.

“But my heart. This heart beats so fast the moment he stopped Hanna from slapping me.”

“What the hell is wrong with you Chaerin?! Wake up! Why would he want to be friends with you?”

Chaerin had those thoughts and eventually fell asleep minutes later.