Chapter 1: Fake Scenarios and Full Volumes
The real world was just too loud, too sharp, too bright.
For Claire, surviving the day wasn't just about paying attention in class or trying to somehow fit in; it was an extreme sport of boundary management. The second she got out of her front door, into that blinding, exhausting daylight, her fingers would automatically find the smooth plastic of her headphones. Slide them on. Tap the side. Play.
The ambient noise and the harsh glare of the morning — the screeching tires of the school bus, the aggressive chatter of people she had zero interest in knowing, the heavy sighs of her teachers on seeing her with her headphones again — were completely erased instantly. In their place came a beautifully smooth track that makes you feel like you're on the edge of a skyscraper in a Japanese or Korean city right before the opening of the drama or anime.
To the rest of the world, Claire was almost invisible. She wore hoodies too oversized, that the huge sleeves swallowed her hands. She always kept her gaze firmly fixed on the ground or her notebook to block out the bright world. If people thought she was weird, just like they did about Kaye Fierch, she didnt care, because that's what everyone does.
They were living in a boring reality where nothing good literally happened. She, on the other hand, was currently vibing with Boombayah by Blackpink while walking past the school cafeteria, when she heard her name being pronounced in a high-pitched female voice. She turned back and saw Julica standing right behind her.
"Hi Claire! How are you? You're being way too quiet these days and you know that right? What happened? A fight with Alex? Lost your favorite pen? Your favorite character died in the book???" She said so much in a single breath while Claire was just gazing at her like a lion does at its prey. "Why do you keep talking to me when I said I dont wanna be ANYONE'S friend?! Just stop it already Julica. Whatever you do, it wont change my decision. I dont wanna be your friend, and I'll never be. And stop engaging Alex in your inquiries. Dont EVER try to talk to me again. Understood?!" Claire knew that she is a really good girl, but she didnt want to be her friend because she knew that her attitude woild always hurt Julica... but Julica was still too desperate to be her friend...
Back in her classroom, Claire pulled her oversized sleeves back just enough to grip her pen. Opening her notebook and turning to a clean, lined page. She started writing the names of her idols. As the teacher's lecture flew over her head, Claire was just beautifully writing the people she had the most interest in. "Jungkook, Lalisa, Hwang In Yeop, Cha Eun Woo, Cardan Greenbriar, Rath Roiben Rye, Pip Fitz-Amobi, Ravi Singh..." She casually leaned in to cover the pages of her notebook as the girl sitting in the next row tried to glance over her notebook.
But maybe she didn't realize that the teacher has been calling her name for atleast 5 minutes and is now headed towards her while the whole class is staring at her. Claire looked up as a huge shadow fell over her and just as the teacher was about to taunt her once again, BRRRIIINNNGGGGGG, the bell rang. The curious silence that clearly said "What'll the teacher do to her now?" evaporated and the whole class filled just an unhealthy amount of noises. Claire shutted closed her notebook, put the pen Alex gave her in her hoodie pocket, slide her headphones on her ears, grabbed her stuff and got out of the class, leaving the teacher speechless.
Love the unique vibe of this story! 🎧 Claire is such an interesting character, though the pacing felt a little fast -forward at times. still, there's something really special about your writing and this plot! Excited to read more!🌸
💀🎧👑 CHAPTER 1 — EXCUSE ME??? I CAME HERE TO READ, NOT TO GET PERSONALLY ATTACKED BY CLAIRE'S ENTIRE EXISTENCE 😭😭😭
Okay. FIRST OF ALL.
Claire putting on her headphones like they're a literal “DO NOT DISTURB — MAIN CHARACTER PROCESSING LIFE” shield??? 😭🎧
Girl really stepped outside and said:
Reality? ❌
Human interaction? ❌
Social battery? 0%
Music + fictional universe? ✅✅✅
THE HEADPHONES ARE NOT HEADPHONES ANYMORE.
They are:
🎧 Emotional Armor
🎧 Social Repellent
🎧 Portable Escape Portal
🎧 “Please don't perceive me” technology
🎧 Claire's last remaining brain cell 💀
And honestly??? I LOVE how the story immediately lets us inside Claire's head instead of just telling us she's “quiet” or “different.”
Because this girl isn't empty.
SHE HAS AN ENTIRE CINEMATIC UNIVERSE RUNNING IN HER BRAIN 😭📖🎶
She's walking through reality while simultaneously living approximately 17 different fictional lives.
Meanwhile everyone around her:
“Claire?”
Claire:
🎧 loading...
“Claire?”
🎧 fictional universe connection established
“CLAIRE???”
🎧 ACCESS DENIED. 💀
AND THEN JULICA ENTERS THE CHAT 😭😭😭
JULICA GIRL—
YOU DID NOT NEED TO DROP AN ENTIRE DLC PACK OF QUESTIONS ON HER IN FIVE SECONDS 💀
The way Julica is trying SO HARD to become Claire's friend while Claire is basically mentally standing behind a giant wall like:
🧍♀️🎧
“I have chosen solitude.”
AND JULICA SAID:
“That sounds like a challenge.” 😭😭😭
I'M CRYING.
But here's the thing—
I actually really liked Julica because underneath all the chaos, she genuinely seems to care about Claire.
She's not just randomly annoying her.
She's trying to get through to someone who clearly doesn't make it easy.
And THAT makes me suspicious. 👀
Because why does Claire push people away so aggressively???
What happened???
WHO HURT THIS GIRL???
WHY IS MY INVESTIGATION BOARD ALREADY COMING OUT IN CHAPTER ONE??? 🧍♀️🧵📌
And then—
THE NOTEBOOK.
THE.
NOTEBOOK.
💀💀💀
Claire really said:
“Let me quietly survive class.”
Also Claire:
✍️ Jungkook
✍️ Lalisa
✍️ Hwang In Yeop
✍️ Cha Eun Woo
✍️ fictional characters
✍️ more fictional characters
✍️ probably enough names to populate an entire K-drama universe
GIRL WASN'T TAKING NOTES.
SHE WAS BUILDING A WHOLE CASTING AGENCY 😭😭😭
Teacher:
“Claire?”
Claire:
🧍♀️✍️
Teacher:
“Claire?”
Claire:
🧍♀️✍️🎧
Teacher:
“CLAIRE.”
Claire's soul:
“Connection to server lost.” 💀
AND THE BELL SAVING HER???
THE BELL REALLY SAID:
🔔 “I GOT YOU BESTIE.”
That bell deserves a supporting-character award because it arrived EXACTLY when needed 😭😭😭
But then we have—
👀 ALEX'S PEN.
NO.
I DON'T TRUST THIS.
I'M SORRY.
I AM NOW OFFICIALLY THE READER WHO SEES ONE SMALL DETAIL AND STARTS CONNECTING IT TO 37 FUTURE PLOT POINTS. 💀
Why is the pen specifically mentioned???
Why is it in her hoodie pocket???
Why do I feel like I'm supposed to remember this???
AUTHOR—
I SEE YOU. 👁️👁️
If this pen becomes important later, I WILL COME BACK TO THIS COMMENT AND SCREAM.
And the title???
CHASING CHORDS AND CROWNS
That title is actually SO interesting now that I've seen Claire's relationship with music.
Because “chords” immediately makes me think of music, emotion, memories, connection...
And “crowns”???
👀 Fame?
👀 Power?
👀 Status?
👀 Someone important entering her life?
👀 A literal or metaphorical crown???
MY BRAIN HAS STARTED WRITING THEORIES WITHOUT MY PERMISSION 😭
Also the headphones are such a good character symbol.
Claire isn't just listening to music.
She's using music as a way to create distance between herself and the world.
And that makes me wonder what happens when someone finally becomes important enough that she takes the headphones off.
THAT.
THAT RIGHT THERE.
I'M INVESTED. 😭🎧
Because imagine someone slowly becoming part of her world...
At first they're just background noise.
Then they're a familiar voice.
Then someone she actually wants to listen to.
AND EVENTUALLY—
she doesn't need the headphones around them.
AUTHOR I'M NOT SAYING YOU HAVE TO DO THIS—
BUT I'M ALSO SAYING PLEASE DO THIS. 😭😭😭
The chapter also has this really interesting balance between comedy and something deeper.
On the surface:
💀 Claire is hilarious
💀 Julica is chaotic
💀 the notebook is questionable
💀 the classroom scenes are giving pure disaster
But underneath that?
There's loneliness.
There's escapism.
There's someone who seems much more comfortable inside stories and music than inside real-life relationships.
And THAT is what makes me want to keep reading.
Because now I'm not only wondering:
“Who is Claire going to end up with?”
I'm wondering:
“Who is going to make Claire feel safe enough to actually let them into her world?”
THAT'S THE REAL QUESTION. 👀
And considering the title + premise...
I have a feeling we're about to go from:
🎧 “girl with headphones”
to
🎶 “girl whose entire life is about to get one MASSIVE remix.”
😭😭😭
My current Chapter 1 ranking:
🥇 Claire's headphones
🥈 Alex's suspicious pen 👀
🥉 Julica's unstoppable friendship campaign
🏅 The bell for saving Claire
💀 Claire's notebook because GIRL—
And me after finishing the chapter:
“I'll just read one chapter.”
Also me:
opens Chapter 2 immediately 🧍♀️📱
The opening did its job because now I NEED answers.
What happened to Claire?
Why does she keep everyone at a distance?
What's the deal with Alex?
What role will music play?
Who are the “crowns” in this story?
And MOST IMPORTANTLY—
WHEN DOES THE CHAOS BEGIN??? 😭😭😭
Author, congratulations.
You have successfully taken a reader who came in casually and turned them into a full-time conspiracy theorist with a notebook and red string. 💀🧵📌
I'm watching. 👁️🎧
Let's see where these chords lead...
because something tells me we're about to hear one VERY interesting song. 🎶👑✨
GG kid, keep up the good work, and sorry I was busy working that I forgot to read your novel, haha (literally K-pop fan ehhh, baka)