Chapter 4

Ahyun's eyes were stuck to the television screen. "Do i... love her?" He wondered, feeling a flutter in his chest. It was foolish, considerinv they'd never met. Ahyun rarely allowed himself to feel this way.

His younger sister, Han Yoon-ah, observed him with a suspicious gaze. "Brother, do you like her?" She whispered, pointing towards the girl on the television.

Ahyun's face flushed. "W-what? No..." He denied.

"Liar! you never get crushes and she's really cool, just like you!" Yoon-ah smiled, Ahyun's cheeks burned brighter as he remembered his reputation in his classroom.

Ahyun abruptly sprinted towards his room, leaving his family staring after him in concern. His mother turned to his father, seeking reassurancw. "What's wrong with him?"

His father offered a soothing smile. "Let him be, dear. He's just going through a phase. Teenagers can be emotional." Though he seemed calm, Ahyun's father shared his wife's concern.

Meanwhile, Ahyun struggled to calm himself, practicing deep breathing exercises to calm his racing heart. As he scanned his room, his gaze fell upon the shelves lined with math and schoolbooks. Ahyun is a genius and dedicated student, consistently ranking first in his class. However, his classmates often perceived him as aloof and distant but Ahyun's personality does change whenever he's at home or withhis family.

"That girl… or she looks like a girl. Uhm, I'm going to be her fan from now on…" He quietly declared, gently smiling.

…

Meanwhile, the siblings were exhausted and they finally defeated the monsters. All of a sudden, a family rushed outside to give them jackets, and masks to hide their face from the public.

"Ah, thank you po!" Mariella spoke with gratitude.

"Walang problema, kami dapat ang mag papasalamat, kayo ung nag ligtas sa buhay namin tsaka sa iba pa..." The older lady brushed it aside, gently smiling as they started to leave the place.

They quickly wore the jacket and face masks to cover themselves up. All of a sudden, a hoard of people came infront of them to ask them questions, The siblings felt stressed and hurriedly ran to another place where they can be alone.

Marc gasped. "Siguro… mas mabuti kung mag tago muna tayo sa bahay.." The other two nodded in agreement.

The siblings went on a tricycle, Mia paid with her cash and didn't care.

As they arrived home, the siblings hastily entered their house, locking the door behind them. They were exhausted from their ordeal and the sudden attention from the public.

Mia collapsed onto the couch, her eyes closing as she let out a deep sigh. "Nakakapagod aba..."

Marc sat down beside her, his expression concerned. "Kailangan natin mag ingat ngayon. Hindi natin alam kung ano na ang mangyayari."

Mia, Marc and Mariella sat calmly in front of the TV as the news reporter announced, "Breaking news: Mysterious entrances have appeared worldwide, unleashing monsters. However, individuals who have helped sincerely have been rewarded for their bravery."

The reporter continued, "A particular incident at a Jollibee fast-food restaurant has caught the public's attention. Three individuals, whose faces were not visible in the live footage, appeared at the scene. Authorities have yet to identify them."

Mia's expression turned beet red as she covered her ears, trying to block out the embarrasing details. The reporter added, "One of the three, seemingly the youngest and shortest, has captured the public's interest."

Mia couldn't take it anymore and retreated to another room, escaping the TV's sound. As she reminisced about her 7th-grade days, she recalled being an unmotivated student who sometimes ignored math lessons and other subjects, finding them too challenging. Despite this, she had supportive friends and enjoyed spending time with them.

"Miss ko sila," Mia whispered, sighing wistfully. Her siblings often teased her about being crazy, but deep down, Mia just craved attention from her family.

She pledged herself to be diligent and wise in her upcoming 8th-grade days, Mia herself doesn't even know that she's already intelligent because of her calmness when fighting and thinking of possible solutions for a problem.

As the scene unfolded elsewhere, Ahyun began to write his daily life on his dairy and planned to-do list for tomorrow.

"Work out, and lastly find more information about that girl." He smiled, when imagining of that girl on TV, his heart beats so fast which he never experienced before.

As he wrote down his tasks for the next day. Ahyun's mind kept drifting back to the mysterious girl from the TV news report. He couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something special about her.

He slowly closed his eyes, recalling the image of her on the screen. Even if he didn't see her face or the other's faces, his heart still skipped a beat.

There was something that girl that drew him in, something that he doesn't know about.

As he opened his eyes, Ahyun noticed the time on his clock. It was getting late, and he still had an early workout session planned for the next day.

He yawned, stretching his arms above his head. "Time for bed, it's the best time in all days." He said to himself.

….

Han Ahyun's dream was shrouded in an eerie aura. A towering figure stood before him, radiating an unsettling mix of holy qnd satanic energies. Ahyun's brow furrowed as he asked, "Who are you?"

The figure's grin was unnerving. "Don't you want to be strong, instead of weak and helpless?" Ahyun took a cautious step back, wavry of the figure's hypnotic intentions.

The figure chuckled. "No? Haha... I suppose humans have become more self-controlled over time." His piercing gaze locked into Ahyun's wide eyes.

Ahyun's confusion deepened. "What do you mean by that?!" he demanded.

The room fell silent, and the figure paused, as if collecting his thoughts. Ahyun detected a faint glimmer of an idea in the figure's eyes, though he couldn't quite grasp it.

"You and that girl... are not suitable," The figure murmured.

Ahyun's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? how do you know about her?"

The figure's expression turned stern. "You'll make her worse. Stop loving her."

Ahyun's voice was barely above a whisper. "I... I don't think i can. She's already in my heart, though i don't know why."

The figure paused once more, a soft smile spreading across his face. "You passed."

Ahyun's confusion intensified. "What you mean? What test?"

The figure's smile grew wider. "You'll surely become a great person, unencumbered by distractions."

Ahyun's mind reeled as he struggled to comprehend the figure's enigmatic words.

Suddenly, he jolted awake in his bedroom, the dream dissipating like smoke. Ahyun brushed it off as mere fantasy.

To be continued…