__« ...remind you, dear listeners, that the contest to win a date with a member of the soccer team ends tomorrow. Don't forget to enrol, ladies, you won't regret it ! And now, the new single of one of my favorite band : it's the handsome boys of C.N.Blue, of course, with ' Hey You', followed by 4Minute's 'Volume Up'... »

__Chae In pressed the red button in front of her and took off her headphones. She got up from her chair and immediatly headed for the coffee machine in the back of the little studio, silently thanking the head master for this wonderful idea. She grabbed the hot cup in front of her and took a sip. Closing her eyes, she warmed up her hands with a sigh.

__« Feeling tired ? »

__She turned around and smiled at Minhyuk, her handsome colleague. She stepped aside so that he could take a cup in his turn then leaned against the white wall.

__« Exhausted, she eventually answered, but the coffee helps. A lot. »

__He laughed and nodded in agreement before sitting back behind his desk. She followed him with the eyes and watched him play with the plastic spoon, trying to hide her amusement. Her eyes remained stuck on him as she let her thoughts fly away, like it would always happen when she was in front of him.

__She had a crush on him, obviously. Well, a slight crush. She wasn't head over heels for him, he simply had everything she basically was looking for : he was good-looking, smart and funny. When she had been chosen to run the school radio with him, she had first hesitated, not really sure whether it would work. However, as she had got closer to him, she had found a talented partner but also a great friend in him. And sometimes, that would really help her holding on.

__« Did you enrol for the contest ? » he suddenly asked as she took another sip.

__Taken by surprise, Chae In almost choked. She slightly coughed, clearing , then blinked at him.

__« Do I look like I would wanna do this kind of thing ? »

__Yes, she would, and for one simple reason : Minhyuk was a member of the soccer team. But Chae In, who hated those idiot, boastful but popular people, considered him as the only one who actually had a brain, in other words the only one worthy of her interest. He was different and she liked it.

__Minhyuk giggled as she rolled her eyes, saying he knew she would answer that. She simply shrugged and took another sip of coffee. She didn't care about the contest, it was only a chance to draw the students' attention to the school radio. The only thing bothering her was the fact that some stupid girl would have a date with Minhyuk. And that stupid girl would unfortunately not be her.

__« Are you excited to be one of the prizes ? » she ironically asked without looking up from her cup.

__He laughed then scratched his head, embarrassed.

__« I don't really have the choice, but I'm ready to sacrifice myself for the good of our radio. » he joked.

__Chae In giggled and nodded before giving him a word of encouragement. She knew Minhyuk was one of the top choices for the contest, his popularity was nothing new. The school radio was working well thanks to him : a lot of students was listening to it because he was one of the persons in charge. The headmaster knew exactly what he was doing when he had chosen him. And being friend with the principal's son had enabled Chae In to get some attention too.

__« I should go back to work now, she finally said while throwing her cup out. See you later !

__- Mmh, Minhyuk nodded. Im Chae In fighting~ »

__She smiled at his cute face and sit back in front of her mike, wishing for this day to end quickly.

*

__Chae In tied her hair up in a ponytail, removing her fringe away from her forehead. She crossed her arms on her chest and stared at the empty fridge in front of her with a frown. She racked her brain while biting her lip but saw no solution to her problem. She shook her head and tried to smile with conviction.

__« Chin-ah. » she called while turning to her little brother.

__He looked up from his book and smiled back at her, waiting for the rest of the sentence.

__« What do you wanna eat tonight ? »

__He put his finger on his chin and thought for several seconds before going back to his reading.

__« Anything is good, he answered with a shrug. Don't worry, Noona. »

__She nodded then smiled to herself. He was such a nice kid, she was proud to make such a good job at taking care of him. He was the only one she had, and she was the only one who could raise him. They couldn't count on their parents, they had never have. When Chae In had entered high school, she had decided to take him with her so they could live together. And she had no regrets.

__« Then how about we order some pizzas ? »

__He smiled, showing his white teeth, and nodded happily. She laughed then sat next to him. He closed his book and blinked at her.

__« Sorry, Chin-ah, she apologized while grabbing his hand. Noona will go shopping tomorrow, I promise.

__- It's okay. I can go if you want. »

__She shook her head while her face broke into a grin.

__« That's sweet, but you can't. You have to go to the hospital tomorrow, remember ?

__- Oh, that's right. I'm going to see Doctor Jung ?

__- Mmh, she nodded. He will take care of you until I come get you, okay ? »

__He agreed with a smile and she ruffled his hair. Since she had turned 18, she had become his legal tutor and he the most precious thing she had. It was them against the world. Chin Ho had brought her so much along the years. His spontaneity, his freshness and his courage had lit up her world and made her stronger. And she would do anything to protect that.

*

__Chae In closed her locker with a sigh before heading for her dance class. She still had time before it started, but she liked to arrive early and get ready. Knowing that her brother was having tests would always make her nervous and stressed because she couldn't help but imagine the worst. She hated to see his pale, tired face at the end of the day, it only broke her heart. But she had no choice if she wanted him to be healthy -well, as healthy as possible. In days like this, she was too sensitive to put up with any disagreement or anyone who would get on her nerves, like she wasn't in her right mind.

__A faraway look in her eyes, she almost bumped into a student who was walking towards her.

__« Chae In sunbae. »

__Chae In startled and looked up at the cute girl with short red hair blinking at her, obviously waiting for a reaction. Chae In cleared and shook her head to collect her wits.

__« Yes ? » she answered with a forced smile.

__The student giggled and played with her fingers, looking at her feet.

__« I-I just wanted to thank you f-for the contest. T-thanks to you, I have a date with Him-Himchan oppa... » she told her while blushing.

__Chae In did her best to hide her irritation and simply nodded, scratching her head.

__« Ah-yes, no problem. Anything to make our listeners happy. »

__The student seemed to gather all her courage to finally look up at her interlocutor and grin.

__« Chae In sunbae fighting ! » she firmly said before bowing and walking away, her hands on her face.

__Chae In giggled and thanked her before passing on. On her way, she thought about the student's words, nervously laughing to herself. The power of popular students over people was beyond her. Just because they were well-known, they thought they had the right to do everything they wanted. Okay, so they were talented and handsome sportsmen, but then what ? There was more to it, but it's like those poor girls refused to see the truth. Those popular kids were still brainless boasters who would even get special treatmen. And Chae In hated that. It wasn't even jealousy, it was more like annoyance.

__And Kim Himchan was part of this category, just like the rest of his group of friends. There were seven of them, all unbelievably good-looking and really good at what they were doing, she had to admit it. But they thought they were the kings of their school and -the worst part- the students would agree : girls were mad about them and boys were afraid of them. Chae In didn't know these boys personally, she had only heard about them and watched them from afar. Usually, she wouldn't care, they all live in their different worlds. And that was perfectly fine with her.

__« Sunbae-nim ! » Chae In suddenly heard a voice.

__She looked up and saw one of her hoobaes running towards her with a worried look.

__« What's going on ? » she asked with a frown.

__He swallowed then scratched his head, hesitating. She blinked at him, waiting for his explanation.

__« They're doing it again...

__- Wha- »

__She didn't finished her sentence as she realized who he was talking about. Of course, they would. She sighed and cursed between her teeth, clenching her fists. She tried to inhale deeply and calm herself before walking to the dance class, assuring her hoobae she was going to take care of it.

__They had made a wrong choice choosing their day to mess with her. And unfortunately for them, she wouldn't let them get away with it this time.

Maybe illusions do rule this world, after all...

How are we supposed to see through them then ? (Her)

» Ȧut hør’s nøte.

Hello everyone !

I hope you like this first chapter ^.^

I'll try to update as soon as possible.

Don't hesitate to leave a comment & share your impressions~

Thank you  ♥