Chin Ho rolled his eyes at his sister's behavior, shaking his head.

« Will you stop worrying ? At this rate, you'll get gray hair before turning 25. »

Visibly not calm, Chae In sighed and bit her lip.

« Are you sure yo-

- For the hundredth time, yes, he cut his sister off, tired of repeating himself. I think I can survive one night without you. And besides, you seriously need to go out and have fun. »

He was right. For the past weeks, she had spent her time running from school to work to the hospital. She hadn't been going out in ages. But it didn't keep her from worrying about her little brother, especially since his condition was degrading day after day. Will he really be okay if she left him ?

« You know, I can still stay h-

- Don't even think about it, Noona. You're one of the organizer, you can't miss it. Go and enjoy the party. »

She sighed and nodded with a weak smile.

« You promise you'll call me if anything's wrong ? I won't leave my phone.

- Aish, I got it, Noona ! he screamed, exasperated. Now go and quick, or you date will die waiting for you. »

Chae In chuckled and nodded. She squeezed her brother's hand with a smile before grabbing her bag and getting up. She waved him goodbye and walked to the door.

« Oh, and Noona ? he called, waiting for her to turn around. You look really beautiful. »

She smiled at his cute little face and blew him a kiss before going out.

*

All eyes turned in her direction as she walked in, but she knew this sudden interest wasn't meant for her. The young man beside her was simply outstanding in his black tuxedo. It was no secret that Lee Minhyuk was handsome, he had numerous fans -especially among women. But it was her first time observing the effect he had wherever he was going. Chae In smiled to herself, proud to see her partner drawing so much attention.

« Noona ! »

Chae In looked up with a grin as she saw her two favorite -unrelated- dongsaengs coming towards her. Junhong and Jongup greeted Minhyuk with a bow and turned to her with a smile.

« Sunbae, you look very pretty, Jongup complimented, his friend nodding beside him.

- Thank you, she slightly blushed. You guys are also very good-looking. You can't have come alone, where are your dates ? she asked, eager to see the girls escorting them.

- Ah, what dates ? Jongup said playfully.

- There's no one else but you, Noona~  »

Chae In chuckled, flattered by their words, while Minhyuk laughed. They were cute to death, and always so nice to her.

« You're very lucky, Sunbae. » Junhong said to Minhyuk.

The latter giggled and agreed, turning to Chae In with a smile.

« You did an amazing job for tonight, you worked hard. »

She thanked them and replied she had had a lot of help, smiling at her friend.

« Alright, enough with the compliments or you're gonna kill me, she laughed. Have fun tonight, kids~ »

The two boys bowed with a smile and walked away. Minhyuk and Chae In stayed at the entrance to welcome the students, talking to their friends from time to time. They received very good feedback on their organization, most of the students assuring everything, from the scenery to the music, was perfect.

Soon enough, her eyes inevitably fell upon the new couple walking in. Chae In knew she wouldn't avoid it, so why did she feel like this all of a sudden ? She tried to show no expression, but her stare wouldn't leave him, unable to look away. She hadn't talked to Bang Yong Guk in days, but he hadn't once left her mind.

When he looked up, she was the first thing he saw. How could he miss her anyway ? She was stunning. Her simple short black and white dress suited her perfectly, revealing her long and thin but muscular dancer legs, and her wavy hair were gracefully falling on her right shoulder. As soon as he laid his eyes on her figure, he completely forgot about the poor girl hanging on his arm and stared at the woman now in front of him, eventually finding her gaze.

She felt his eyes piercing right through her and her heartbeat instantly sped up. Their eyes remained locked for a few intense seconds before a voice pulled them out of their thoughts.

« Oppa, let's go sit over there. »

At that moment, Chae In looked away and turned to the girl hung on his arm. She almost choked in disbelief, clenching her teeth. The girl raised an eyebrow and looked at her from head to toe with a dirty look. Ridiculous. Out of all the girls in this school, he had to chose her. With whom he was badmouthing her just a few weeks ago in a café where she had overheard them. How dared he ? He could have only done this on purpose. To hurt her, to take revenge.

And the worst part was, it worked admirably.

Yong Guk blinked and nodded vaguely before following his date. His eyes skimmed the main object of his attention one last time and he suddenly noticed the hand gently placed on her back. He tried not to frown as he looked up to glance at her partner. Minhyuk held his gaze, not looking too happy himself. What was wrong with this guy ?

*

The evening went smoothly, although Chae In was fighting every minute to not go crazy over the fact that a stupid was clinging to the man she actually liked. She tried to enjoy the party as much as possible, but her anger was hard to conceal. Minhyuk soon noticed she was a little out of it, and there was no need to look far to know the reason. He had refused to face it, not admitting that simple fact, but reality had soon caught up with him. And it was slowly tearing him apart.

The music suddenly changed into something more slow and romantic. That was it. That was his cue. He had waited too long. He was going to tell her. It was tonight or never. He took a deep breath, gathering his courage. His palms were sweating but he managed to calm his heart beating like crazy in his chest and turn to his friend.

« C-Chae In-ah ? »

She looked at him with a smile, waiting for him to say something. He tried not to let himself be unsettled by her radiating beauty and took the plunge.

« Would you like to dan- »

He didn't see him coming at all. He was too fast. A second later, the silhouette moved forward and grabbed her wrist before dragging her to the dance floor. Minhyuk gasped and cursed between his teeth as he watched his date being taken away in front of him.

« Y-yah ! What are you doing ? » she screamed, not convincing at all.

It has all happened too fast for her to realize. One minute, she was sitting next to her date and the other, she was standing in the middle of the room, two strong arms clasped around her waist. Surprised, it took her several seconds to recover the use of her words. She realized everyone was watching them and immediately felt uncomfortable. She tried to escape his grip but his hands were firmly hung to her hips.

« Take your hands off, she ordered coldly.

- Just one song. That's all I'm asking. Then I'll let you go, I promise. »

His hoarse voice gave her shivers. She looked up, staring at his handsome and serious face. She sighed and gave up, putting her arms around his muscular neck.

« Just one song. »

They were only inches apart, slowly turning along the rhythm while the whispers eventually faded.

« You're beautiful, Im Chae In. »

Her heart skipped a beat and she almost tripped, not sure whether he was joking. She looked down to hide her slight blush and cleared to hide her embarrassment. It was the first compliment she had ever heard coming out of his mouth.

Yong Guk, on the other side, was enjoying every second of it with a smirk. She was surprisingly cute and he loved to see her blush because of him. He loved to be there with her, she fitted perfectly in his arms. She fitted perfectly with him.

But something was wrong. Yong Guk felt like something was piercing through his back and it didn't take him long to realize where it came from. If Minhyuk's eyes could kill, Yong Guk would have been dead long ago. He didn't look happy at all, much to Yong Guk's joy. The latter let out a nervous laugh, watching him over her shoulder.

« You and Lee Minhyuk make a great couple. »

Chae In frowned. What was he talking about all of a sudden ? She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head in confusion.

« We're not a couple. He's just my best friend. » she casually replied.

Seeing Minhyuk's reaction, Yong Guk was sure there was more than that. And it was driving him crazy.

« Well, you sure know how to chose your friends, Im Chae In. The son of the principal ? Nice one. At least, you'll get tons of advantages. That's what we call 'friends with benefits'. »

He couldn't have said that. She couldn't believe he had just said that. Implying such things... He was going too far. She stopped and took a step back, frowning.

« What is wrong with you ? » she curtly said, disoriented by his sudden change of attitude.

Yong Guk smirked, pulling her closer to him, grabbing her arm.

« I think your little friend here needs a lesson. »

He glanced at Minnhyuk and without further warning, cupped his hands around Chae In's face and violently pressed his lips on hers.

This time, her reaction was immediate. With all her strength, she pushed him away and as the song came to an end, the sound of her hand slapping his cheek suddenly echoed in the room. Everything seemed to stop for a second. Everything went silent as everyone's attention was now glued to them.

He could feel his cheek burning where she had hit him. He turned his head and locked his eyes in hers. But he shouldn't have. Because he could read what she was too angry to say. You're pathetic. You ruined everything again. She was furious, and she was right to be. He knew he had made a mistake and he was too late to fix it. As she was glaring at him, he finally realized what was this glow in her eyes.

Disappointment.

« Jealousy doesn't suit you, Bang Yong Guk. »

Her tone was harsh and her words like knives. He was unable to speak and too upset to do anything. He couldn't hold her back when she passed by him with a disdainful look and walked out of the room under the astonished faces of the crowd.

No matter how much you hurt me...

My heart never learned the lesson. (Her)

» Ȧut hør’s nøte.

Dear readers,

I apologize a thousand times for posting this chapter so late.

I beg you not to give up and to keep supporting this story because I still have a lot in reserve kekeke~

I hope you liked this chapter, there's still a lot more to come ;)

Please leave your impressions~

I wish you a wonderful and happy new year !

Take care ♥