__« That girl's a quitter. »

__Himchan crossed his arms and shook his head with a sigh. He scanned the crowded and noisy gym in front of him before turning to Yongguk with a I-told-you-so look.

__« Come on, she's just late. » the leader retorted.

__The rest of the group nodded, not very convinced. Yongguk bit his lip, a whisker away from losing patience.

__« Maybe she got scared and ran away ? »

__Youngjae immediately regretted his words the moment he felt Yongguk's glare on him. As to add to his irritation, Junhong realized they haven't heard of her lately and it was quite worrying. Yongguk shook his head, skeptical.

__« Trust me, she's not the giving up type. »

__He looked at his watch and tilted his head. They had waited almost an hour but there was still no sign of her. Her so-called classmates had no idea where she could have been and she wouldn't answer her phone. Yongguk had a strange feeling, as if something felt wrong. After seeing her so determined, it just made no sense to him that she had left the battlefield without even fighting.

__It was useless to stand there and do nothing but waste time. He knew people were getting more and more impatient and in their places, he wouldn't have wanted to miss the show and come for nothing. Willing to find out what was going on, he quietly slipped away and started to look for her, grumbling.

__« I swear, Im Chae In, you'd better have a good excuse... »

*

__Running across the school corridors, Yongguk ruffled his hair out of frustration. Where in the world was she ? He was starting to believe she was hiding from him on purpose. He suddenly stopped, realizing his mistake. He turned around and headed for the radio studio. It was the only place he could think of, and he knew she would be alone since everyone was at the gym at this moment.

__When he finally arrived, Chae In was indeed standing there. He sighed, but as he was about to walk towards her with clenched fists, he noticed she was on the phone. He frowned and strained his ears, hidden behind the door.

__« ...he okay ? ... That's a relief. I am really sorry I wasn't able to be there. Thank you for taking care of him... Yes, I understand... Of course, I'll stop by later.... Yes. Thank you for your hard work. Goodbye. »

__She hung up with a sigh and covered her face with her hands. Yongguk narrowed her eyes as he saw her whole body trembling. He blinked, not believing what was happening in front of his eyes. Chae In was literally dissolving into tears, crying her eyes out. Her breath was punctuated by loud sobs while she was clinging to the table. Her legs were about to give in at any moment, as if she was about to collapse.

__Yongguk froze, unable to move. He could have never imagined he would witness this one day. He felt like he was facing another person, totally different. The confident and fearless Chae In had disappeared in the blink of an eye. He was discovering a whole new side of her, a side he would have never suspected. She seemed so hurt, so weak, as if she had born a burden for too long and couldn't handle it anymore.

__The scene unfolding before his eyes was so unlikely to happen, Yongguk didn't really understand it. It had hit him without a warning and he was completely helpless against it. He couldn't explain this unknown feeling inside of him, but curiously, he felt the urge to comfort her.

__He couldn't let himself get coaxed though. He couldn't allow himself to have mercy or compassion or any other feeling, for that matter. He couldn't allow himself to be vulnerable, never again.

*

__No matter how hard she would try, Chae In couldn't stop her tears from flowing. This conversation was the last straw that breaks the camel's back. How was she supposed to keep putting on a smiling face and be positive after this ? She couldn't do it anymore. She knew she had to be even stronger but at this moment, she just needed to let it all out. She felt exhausted, like a horrible pain had veiled her heart. Her head was aching and she felt dizzy, her vision blurring.

__After several minutes, her spasms started to disappear and she finally calmed down. The last tears rolled down her cheeks as she wiped them with a heavy sigh. She had never felt so tired, and the only thing she wanted was to go home and sleep. Looking down, she grabbed her bag and turned to walk towards the door.

__« Well, well. Look what we have here... »

__Chae In froze and widened her eyes. The voice made her come back to reality and she bit her lip. She had totally forgot about the dance battle but it was the least of her worries. And Bang Yong Guk was the last person she wanted to see at this moment.

__She collected her wits and looked up, heading for the exit without a single glance to him. As she passed him by, he suddenly grabbed her wrist to hold her back.

__« Yah. What do you think you're doing ? »

__Chae In tried to free herself from his grip, but he was holding on tight, almost hurting her. She sighed before glaring at him.

__« Don't you think you have to explain yourself ? » Yong Guk held her gaze.

__She sniggered nervously.

__« I don't have anything to say to you, Bang Yongguk. »

__With the little strength left in her, she managed to free her wrist.

__Anyone would have thought the real Im Chae In was back to herself again, but Yongguk knew her better than this, and he could see in her eyes something was different. He frowned and opened his mouth, on the point of talking.

__« Look, she said first, I'm sorry but I can't play with you today. Just leave me alone, okay ? »

__He laughed and shook his head.

__« Let's just say you won this time, she continued, even if I don't give a damn about this stupid dance battle anyway. »

__She closed her eyes and put her hand on her forehead. Her head was hurting, and she thought she would soon faint. She wondered why she had accepted this stupid bet in the first place. She didn't have anything to prove to anyone, and especially not to someone like Bang Yong Guk. What was she still doing here anyway ?

__« Be nice and just go back showing off like you always love to do, yeah ? »

__Yong Guk narrowed his eyes. Even though it wasn't showing, he could easily sense how angry she was. She had to have been considerably affected, otherwise why could she give up so easily ? Something was definitely wrong, but it shouldn't have affected him. He had to stop caring about this girl.

__« Don't worry. I'll deal with you and get my revenge in due time. »

__Without a further word, Chae In looked away and smirked. But before she could walk away, a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her. She turned around and suddenly felt an arm around her shoulders, hugging her. Caught off guards, it took her several seconds to realize what had just happened. Still in shock, her eyes widened and she blinked, unable to move.

__Was she dreaming, or Bang Yong Guk was really hugging her ? She could feel his strong chest raising up under his breath and his sighs in her ear. Her mind went blank all of a sudden, and she forgot everything else but Yong Guk's warm embrace.

__After a few seconds, his husky voice echoed in her head, bringing her back to reality.

__« Don't cry anymore, Im Chae In. »

__The rest didn't take long coming, and it didn't in the least surprise her.

__« It's annoying. »

*

__Chae In was awaken by the vibration of her mobile phone in her pocket. She startled and opened her eyes, sitting up. She shook her head to finish waking up and grabbed her phone.

__« Hello ? she suppressed a yawn.

__- Chae In-ah ?

__- Yeah, Minhyuk-ah. »

__Her face immediately lit up at the sound of his voice.

__« Finally, you're answering ! Are you okay ? I didn't see you today at the gym, where have you been ? Did something happen ? »

__She had to admit, selfishly, she loved to hear him worrying about her, even though she didn't want him to.

__« I'm fine. I was just really tired and I didn't feel like doing this stupid dance battle, that's all.

__- Oh, okay... But... why are you whispering ? »

__She glanced at her brother lying on the bed next to her, sleeping. She sighed and looked down.

__« I'm at the library.

__- At this hour ? Yah, Im Chae In. You really got to stop pushing yourself too hard.

__- I just have to finish a homework for tomorrow, I'm almost done.

__- Do you want me to pick you up ? Maybe we can go eat somewhere. »

__Chae In smiled like an idiot for several seconds. How could a guy so sweet and considerate exist ? It was too good to be true, but she liked it, and she wanted to believe it.

__« No, it's okay. I'll just go home and sleep for three entire days.

__- As you wish. » he laughed.

__Chae In felt her heart warming up at the sound of his angelic laugh. She realized he was the only person who could really comfort her, and she could feel herself falling even harder for him.

__« Are you really okay ?

__- Yes, Dad, I'm fine. »

__He giggled.

__« I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night. »

__His sweet voice gave her shivers. She hung up and quietly fell back to sleep, a night full of sweet dreams in perspective.

If I had told you all my secrets sooner...

Do you think it would have changed things ? (Her)

» Ȧut hør’s nøte.

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