At South Korea's most prestigious high school, a scandal is brewing - but its privileged students will do anything to silence the truth. When a scholarship student enters the fold, he's determined to crack the school's impenetrable façade and reveal...
"From now on, any student who mentions or even acknowledges the scholarship kid will face the same consequences as Changmin," Yun-seok proclaimed harshly, punctuating his words with a kick that sent Changmin sprawling to the floor, groaning in pain.
"I shouldn't have to instruct you on handling this," Yun-seok continued, his tone dripping with contempt as Changmin bowed his head in submission.
"You're damn right it won't happen again," Changmin stuttered, his voice trembling with fear. Ellie glanced up from her book momentarily, catching Hera's amused smirk directed at her.
"I was just in the midst of planning how to handle him," Hera remarked casually, prompting all eyes to turn to In-ha, who burst into laughter. Ellie couldn't help but be amused herself by the absurdity of the situation unfolding before her.
"I'm sorry," In-ha managed between laughs, "but seriously, who plans things like this right in front of their target?" His irreverence earned a scoff from Yun-seok.
"Do you have a death wish, you bastard?" Changmin retorted angrily, moving as if to strike In-ha, but In-ha intercepted his arm, halting the blow.
"Did Yun-seok instruct you not to talk to me, or are you just not listening?" In-ha taunted, causing Ellie to stifle a giggle. Hera stood and started walking toward Ellie, but stopped abruptly upon meeting Ellie's blank stare.
Changmin groaned in pain, and In-ha gripped his arm, addressing Yun-seok directly. "If you're looking for someone to hit right now, shouldn't it be him instead of me?" he challenged, releasing Changmin's arm.
Just as Changmin seemed poised to strike In-ha, Jae-i entered the room, her presence immediately silencing the commotion.
All eyes turned to her, but Ellie couldn't help noticing that Jae-i stopped in front of her desk, looking directly at her with a curious expression.
"Let's go. Let's talk," Jae-i said to Ellie, who simply opened her book and resumed reading, ignoring Jae-i's presence. After a moment of hesitation, Jae-i sat down in the adjacent row, causing a wave of confusion among the students.
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The next day, with no classes scheduled, Ellie decided to indulge herself by reading in the field. Despite the boisterous shouts of players nearby, she remained immersed in her book, her attention undisturbed.
"Song Ellie!" A voice called out, pulling her away from her literary escape. She glanced up to see Rian approaching, earning him a raised eyebrow from her in response.
"What do you want, King?" Ellie asked bluntly, causing Rian to falter momentarily at her directness. He stopped for a minute, studying her features intently.
"I just wanted to ask... Do you perhaps remember..." he started but cut himself off, unsure how to proceed.
Ellie looked at him curiously. "Remember what? If you don't have anything to say, don't waste my time," she retorted, standing up and walking towards him, forcing him to step back involuntarily.
