__« Achoo ! Achoo ! »

__His two feet crossed on the table, Minhyuk almost fell from his chair as Chae In walked into the studio. Startled, he turned to her and blinked while she looked up and frowned, visibly confused. Why had she sneezed all of a sudden ? It was mid-April, the weather was fine and she wasn't even sick -at least, she thought so- nor had she allergies. Minhyuk chuckled as she sat across him and stuck out her tongue out at him.

__« Someone's talking about you~ »

__He put his feet back on the table and start reading his book again in a casual manner. Chewing the cap of her pen like she always did, it took Chae In several seconds to understand what he was referring to.

__« We're not in Japan, you smarty pants. » she retorted sarcastically.*

__And even if they were, she really wondered who she could be a subject of discussion for anyway. Minhyuk laughed at the nickname then shrugged. He looked at her and smiled, happy to notice they had grown closer since Chae In had started this job with him. He really enjoyed spending time with her, he would never get bored.

__« I'm just saying, you've pretty much been the center of attention these past weeks. It wouldn't be so surprising... »

__Chae In crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, glaring at him. Minhyuk rolled his eyes and closed his book before giving her his more convincing smile.

__« But I'm sure they're only saying good things about you. How could they do otherwise ?

__- Nice try, my friend, but you can't fool me. »

__She threw her pen at him and started laughing, soon followed by Minhyuk. As she was looking at him, Chae In almost blushed. She immediately looked down and bit her lip. It was beyond her reason, how could someone have such an astonishing smile ? She sighed and pulled herself together, puffing out her cheeks.

__« Let's get to work now, shall we ? »

*

__As Chae In was crossing the parking lot in front of the school, a motorbike suddenly appeared from nowhere and braked in a screech, cutting across her way. Jumping out of surprise, she almost choked. She took out her earphones and blinked.

__« Yah, you ! »

__The driver took off his helmet and turned to her with a proud smile. Chae In laughed nervously and rolled her eyes, not in the least surprised. Why in the world did that guy always appear in front of her and ruin her day ?

__« Of course. Bang Yong Guk. »

__The latter smirked.

__« Well good morning to you too, sunshine. »

__Haha, that guy was hilarious. Chae In crossed her arms and rose an eyebrow.

__« What do you want this time, except trying to run over me ?

__- I have a little proposition for you. »

__She narrowed her eyes, puzzled. Whatever he had in mind, she knew it couldn't be good.

__« I'm listening. »

__Yong Guk smiled in satisfaction and started explaining himself.

__« Jongup said last time that you were the best dance student at this school. »

__Chae In proudly smiled and nodded, silently praising her nice hoobae. She suddenly caught side of the smirk covering Yong Guk's face before he continued.

__« But as far as I'm concerned, I never got a sniff of it. That's why I want you to put that title at stake in a dance battle in front of the whole school. »

__She stayed quiet, slowly processing his words in her head. The idea certainly sounded interesting, however, she couldn't help but wonder what was hiding behind this sudden so-called dance battle, and she wanted to make sure it was safe for her. She was dealing with Bang Yong Guk after all -a.k.a. the king of skullduggery and deceit.

__« And against who would it be ?

__- Us. B.A.P. »

__Chae In suppressed a laugh at the stupid stage name they had given themselves just because they were hanging out together. She cleared and fiercely looked at him.

__« Tell me, why would I wanna do that exactly ? »

__He gave her a confident smile, as if he was expecting this question.

__« Because you like challenges, am I wrong ? »

__No, he wasn't and that was pretty surprising. Chae In liked to do her best, to commit herself totally in whatever she did and to push herself to the limit. She sniggered and sighed.

__« What's the catch ? »

__Pretending to be offended, Yong Guk pouted and answered innocently.

__« There's no catch, just a chance to prove everyone what you're worth. Fair and square. »

__She had to admit, his proposition was tempting. He was giving her an opportunity to make him swallow his confidence on a plate, and she wanted nothing else, but it almost seemed too good to be true.

__« What do I win if I accept ? »

__Once again, Yong Guk had underestimated his opponent. It was going to be harder than he had thought, why did she have to be so suspicious ?

__« You'll get my respect and I'll just forget you even exist.

__- Wow, you're so generous ! I think I'm tearing up from happiness... » she laughed ironically.

__He sighed at her sarcasm and shook his head before she asked one last thing.

__« And what if YOU win ?

__- Well, you'll be humiliated in front of everyone and that's enough for me. »

__She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, deeply thinking. She knew she couldn't trust him, but he had managed to titillate her fighting spirit and her insane urge to put him in his place once and for all. Letting her anger talk, she answered before her mind could even decide and regretted it immediately.

__« Fine. I'm in. »

*

__« ARGH ! »

__Chae In ruffled her hair in frustration before lying down on the cold ground of the dancing room. She put her arm on her eyes and closed them, trying to breathe slowly and calm herself. She sighed as the last words of her conversation with Yong Guk replayed in her head.

__Oh, I almost forgot. It's a hip-hop battle, of course.

__Of course. That jerk knew exactly what he was doing, since Chae In's specialty was classical ballet and modern dance. She had learnt and mastered hip-hop during her training but she wasn't really as comfortable nor confident with it. There was no doubt she had the capacity and talent to beat him but she lacked time. And unfortunately for her, she was a perfectionist. How was she supposed to create and memorize an entire hip-hop routine by the end of the following week ?

__Collecting her wits, she shook her head and got up. As she was about to turn the music on again, she heard her cell phone ringing.

__« Hey, little brother, she picked up after seeing his name on the screen. Everything okay ?

__- Yes, Noona, his cheerful voice reassured voice. I just wanted to know when you were coming back home.

__- Why, you're already at home ?

__- Yeah, I took the bus after school. »

__Chae In frowned then looked at her watch. She gasped and bit her lip. She had lost all sense of time and she realized it was already late and pitch dark outside.

__« I'm so sorry, Chin-ah, you must be starving !

__- That's okay, I know you have a lot of work.

__- No, I have no excuse. I'm a terrible sister... »

__His laugh rang out through her phone and immediately eased her worries.

__« I'll be home as soon as I can with your favorite dinner, okay ?

__- Okay. I'll be waiting for you, Noona~ »

__She hung up with a smile, picked up her stuff and rushed towards the exit.

It's always been hard for me to trust someone...

And you, more than anybody, were no exception. (Her)

(* = In  Japan, the popular belief says that when you sneeze, it means that someone is talking about you behind your back.)

» Ȧut hør’s nøte.

Dear readers,

I can't tell you how much I enjoy writing this story.

I've had every scene, every detail, every word in my mind for a while

& it feels great to let it out without having any block...

I hope I'll get through it with as much joy as I'm in right now

& I also hope you'll like it until the end & keep supporting me  ^^

Thank you  ♥