Park hyojin is a grateful girl. She prays for her mom and brother every day before she goes to sleep, because they’ve raised her lovingly so far although they can’t give her everything that she needs. She does her homework. in fact she is one of the best students in her school, she loves her umma’s signature dishes, she works in a noodle shop every day after school,  she doesn’t mind having a part time job, in fact she is enjoying it because it’s a time for a sibling bonding after all, chanyeol also works there.

Attending a private school is hard but being a working student is so much harder. They need to work for their school fees plus the expenses in the house and their umma’s medicine.

Hyojin got her scholarship because of her high grades that raises their school’s ranking in academics while chanyeol got his scholarship for being a varsity player

Hyojin is good with numbers. well actually, she’s good at everything she does especially in academics, but her newly found passion is singing. last year she got casted in her school’s first experimental musical play ‘Miss Saigon’ as Kim; the lead female character. Her music teacher had praised her performance with a standing ovation when she auditioned and she nailed the play, according to her music teacher; because of her angelic voice and most importantly, the emotions hyojin had conveyed were transferred greatly to viewers’ heart.

Whereas her brother, Chanyeol is a popular boy because of his height and easygoing persona, but added with all the hype from the basketball team, girls cheer for him and boys wanted to be his friends. It’s awesome, he has to admit. The attention is just a complimentary aspect for channel’s reasoning to love sports even more

Chanyeol is contrast to hyojin’s shy character, she always keep her reasonings in her mind everytime she was engage in an argument with chanyeol.

Hyojin knows that chanyeol is pretty popular and that she is not, let’s just consider her as one of the nerds in school and being bullied is not counted because the students are afraid of her brother. What hyojin didn’t tell him is the musical play, though. She doesn’t have the heart everytime they are walking from the noodle shop, all worn out and too tired to say a word.

She has to suppress her own selfishness, and it’s enough, really, what with when she caught her umma crying on the first row of his school’s gym and chanyeol smiling proudly at her a year ago.

it’s enough.

besides, park hyojin is a grateful girl, remember? Maybe singing is just an icing on her cake. it should be only temporary, right, because if she chases her passion, then what will happen to her academic skills?

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She doesn’t have homework for Monday, so she goes straight to the noodle shop only finding suho in the counter still wearing his signature smile but resting his head against his palms indicating boredom.

It’s the usual Monday that the shop has a sheer number of customers. It was a light work during Mondays but for some reason the shop is always full every Saturday during lunch hour. Maybe because Chanyeol is on shift during lunch hour every weekend..  popularity pulls the sea of high school girls..just maybe. 

The shop closed early since there are only few customers.

“hyojin-ah” chanyeol looks relived after hearing her hum as a response. Knowing that hyojin was tired, chanyeol offered a piggy back which was gladly accepted by the younger, chanyeol lowers his body for her sister to get on his back.

“you can quit working in noodle shop you know, I’m sure suho hyung will understand” hyojin shook her head in disagreement, she can’t pass all the responsibilities to her brother all at once. At least not now, their umma is sick and needs the prescribe medicine.

Staring at the starry sky, hyojin didn’t notice that they already reach home. “oppa, you can put me down” she softly said, almost considered a whisper. Chanyeol put her down in front of their door. They unlock the door with the soft click. It was dark inside blending the darkness in the night sky their umma is probably sleeping by now.

Walking pass the kitchen they saw kimchi stew and two bowls of rice at the table, chanyeol quickly grab a seat and gobbles up the food. It was a never surprising sight for hyojin, shaking her head with a light chuckle she open her umma’s room. As she was expecting, her mom is already sleeping but mumbling incoherent words. “sorry.. burden..” are the words that she clearly hear. hyojin knows exactly what her mom mean, making her way to the edge of her bed and gently holds her mom’s wrinkled hand “it’s okay mom, we’re always here for you and you are not a burden” hyojin reached for the medicine box. yes, her umma take her medicine but sure it wasn’t enough for the rest of the week. Hyojin made up her mind that night she needs to find another job

 she dozes off for a moment, liking the sound of chanyeol’s light snore. then her phone buzzes.

it’s Hara, her best friend.

“what?” hyojin answers lazily.

“Do we have homeworks for biology?OMG! I think I lost my book” hara fakes a sobs in the other line

“no we don’t and I think I saw a book in the change room” hyojin was about to say goodbye but she call up the idea of having another job “hara-ah.. by any chance, do you know any job that I can apply?” she warily asked

“we have enough help in the café but I have a little show tomorrow night and they will be paying a good sum of money. Want to join?”

“what do I have to do?”

“all you have to do is to dance they aren’t going to touch you. I already saw you dance in the musical before so it’s not a big problem”

“so you mean, we have an audience?”

“sure we do, it’s a stag party”

hyojin bit his lips, contemplating really hard if her insides can take the sight to men in front of her while she is dancing. But they need money for her mother. Soon the imaginary balance in her mind take the later reasoning’s side. She agreed but she has no plans of telling chanyeol or her umma about this

 Glancing at the clock, it was almost midnight. Hyojin decided to put the worries aside as she drift back to sleep