|Chapter One|

"You know, if you keep staring, he's gonna notice and think you're some kind of weirdo, noona."

Mone simply sneered at her dongsaeng and glared at him, though her doe-like eyes made it difficult for the intensity to fully carry out it's intentional scorn. "I wasn't staring," she barked defensively. She grumbled under her breath and looked back down at her Physics textbook. However, she found her coal-coloured eyes curtly trying to catch secretive glimpses at a particular boy sitting down at a lunch table only a few meters away. Her brother noticed this, but kept his lips shut, knowing well how sensitive his sister can get. 
"You can just talk to him, you know," he suggested briefly, shoving kimchi into his mouth. "He's not a bad guy."
"He's not a bad guy to you because you guys are friends and are in the same department," Mone demurred solemnly. 
"Listen, noona, Kikwang-hyung isn't a bad guy. You guys went to middle school together, too. And you've liked him since forever, so you should just stop being such a fangirl and go talk to him."

Myung Dae caught his sister's eye and looked at her expectantly, shoving his head into the direction of the man that had his sister's heart.
Lee Kikwang: he associates himself with the kingka group known as B2ST around school. Mone was a secret admirer of his since her first day of school, which was last year just when the first term opened up. Kikwang was her tour guide, and though he was distant, his eye-capturing visage was what attracted Mone to him. But after she learned that they were in two completely different departments, not only was her ego deflated, but so were her chances with him, given that most people in the performing arts department usually ended up as kingka's and queenka's -- and not only that, but most people in the academics department were usually looked down upon by them.

"I am not going to just go up and talk to one of the most popular boys in school," Mone objected hastily. She sent her brother another scowl and scoffed. Her dismissive wave was what let Myung Dae know that he was no longer wanted in her presence. "Just go eat with your kingka friends and leave your nerdy sister be," she told him, without even looking up from her notebook.
Myung Dae watched Mone's hand swiftly jot down chicken scratch notes, examining her as she wrote down mindless notes for her upcoming Physics exam. "Noona.. don't over-exert yourself."
Mone sighed, halting her writing for second before continuing again. "I'll be fine."
"If you need anything.. I'll be with my friends."

Mone nodded, not even bothering to watch her brother walk off to his usual lunch table.

As the overwhelming lunch environment completely had her mind distracted, Mone felt frustration engulf her system and huffed to herself, packing up her things. Cafeterias are so noisy.. can't even study in this kind of place, she grumbled inwardly to herself. 
Immediately after she had all her things recollected into her messenger bag, Mone yanked her Physics book off the table and grabbed her laptop, rising from the hardwood furniture. But since Mone was obviously scorned with bad luck, just as she turned around, she bumped into someone coming her way.

The impact caused the two of them to bounce off of each other slightly, and soon enough, Mone found herself on the ground on her bottom. Laughter, gasps, and hushed whispers soon erupted from the numerous students that occupied the lunch area. She looked up, adjusting her glasses and found her victim on his bottom as well, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly; she failed to miss the scowl tracing his plump, pink lips.
"Aish, jincha," the boy muttered.

Mone picked off excess plastic wrap off of her and stood up, offering her hand. "Choe song hamnida," she murmured, bowing her head in guilt. Moreover, Mone can't recollect a more publically humiliating moment as this, watching him rise to his feet himself without her assisstance. Withal, Mone let her mind wander and expected him to sneer at her or scowl or send her some rude remark, but he simply smirked, just to her surprise. But before this black-haired boy could utter a single word, a girl made her appearance known, stepping in between Mone and this visually-striking stranger.

"Yah! Who do you think you are, you nerd? You think you can just push Kai-oppa down like that and think a stupid apology will make up for it?!"

Kai-oppa? Is this that scholarship student? Mone's eyes reflected those of a deer's caught in headlights. Her wide eyes shifted in between these two strangers, and to her forming audience. "I-I really di-didn't mean to; it was an accident," she stammered. Her hand motions tried to further explain her incoherent murmurs, but the boy, this time, cut her off.

His voice was rough, and humorous, and instantly perked up Mone's ears. "It was an accident. You can't blame a nerd for being klutzy -- it's just the way they were programmed," he remarked cockily, the smirk still lining his lips. "Let's just leave her be, or else we could be infected with her nerd contagion, as well."

The laughter that was already lingering in the air was now incensed, and even more poured into the scene. Mone's eyes caught her brother's who was urging her to come to him, but she ignored him. She continued to chew to inside of her cheeks shamefully, bearing the public condescension.
Mone's tongue was caught, and she didn't know how to reply. But looking into these boy's glimmering eyes, and shuffling her gaze back to the girl that stood in between them with her hands snottily rested upon her hips, Mone had a feeling that this was not going to be her last encounter with the boy.

Much to her own demise.