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...
The principal interjected, her tone firm. "This school cannot allow a student to disrupt the environment of the entire school. Our students' mental health is one of the top priorities for Jooshin's teaching staff."
Ellie cut in, her voice sharp. "We don't understand what we did to disrupt the environment of this school," she said, her eyes hardening as she looked at the principal blankly.
"Every time the students see Kang Inha, they are reminded of Kang Inhan. He repeatedly triggers their trauma," the principal explained, causing Ellie to grit her teeth.
"Inhan is taboo to talk about in Jooshin," the principal continued, but Inha scoffed. "Trauma?" he echoed, his disbelief clear.
The principal pressed on. "Expulsion is the other option. It would be easy to justify expelling a scholarship student and an outsider. Getting rid of one of the outsiders wouldn't be an issue. The choice is to be expelled or transfer."
Ellie started to chuckle, her frustration boiling over. "We choose neither of those options. No scholarship student has ever graduated from Jooshin High, but we will be the ones to make it to the top," she declared. She then placed her phone on the table near the principal and played an audio recording of their earlier conversation.
The principal's eyes widened as the recording played, capturing her words about expelling the students. Ellie gave her a smirk. "This conversation is now public. If you try to expel us or force us to transfer, everyone will know the truth about how Jooshin High handles its students," she said, her voice laced with defiance.
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Ellie entered the classroom only to find Minho being bullied by Rian's goons. As everyone noticed her, they began to whisper among themselves. Rian glanced at her for a moment before deciding to ignore her, treating her as if she were garbage to dispose of.
As Ellie made her way to her seat, one of Rian's goons, Yunseok, approached her. "I heard Minho's mother is a hostess," he said slowly, walking toward Ellie. She ignored him and sat at her desk, unbothered.
"The news says that Ellie is using Rian for money because her true love is Inha," Yunseok said loudly, ensuring the entire class could hear. Rian continued to ignore the situation, while Yunseok sat in front of Ellie's desk as she started reading.
"Hmm, acting unbothered, I see. What are you reading?" he taunted, trying to peek at her book. Ellie glared at him, which made Yunseok laugh and snatch the book away from her, holding it up out of her reach. Ellie stood up quickly, trying to grab it back.
"A romance novel, huh?" Yunseok teased, but Ellie, short-tempered when it came to her books, quickly kicked him in the foot, causing him to drop the book. She grabbed it from the floor, but the room fell silent as a loud smack echoed through it.
Ellie almost knocked over her desk from the force of Yunseok's harsh slap. Rian stopped what he was doing and looked at Yunseok, who was glaring at Ellie. "What the hell are you doing?!" Hera yelled at Yunseok as Ellie tried to steady herself from the impact.
Rian quickly stood up from his desk, his eyes fixed on Ellie as she tried to compose herself. "Yunseok," he gritted his teeth, and Yunseok looked at him, confused by Rian's glare. Suddenly, Inha entered the room and punched Yunseok in the face, making Hera scream.
"Damn you," Inha said, continuing to punch Yunseok. Ellie snapped out of her daze and saw Inha attacking Yunseok. "Inha, stop that!" she yelled, trying to intervene, but Rian grabbed her arm, preventing her from stopping the fight. Another student finally started pulling Inha and Yunseok apart.
"Enough!" the teacher's voice boomed as they entered the classroom, having heard the commotion. "What is going on here?"
The room was filled with tense silence. Ellie was still trying to steady herself, her face red from the slap. Yunseok was on the floor, his face bruised from Inha's punches. Inha was breathing heavily, his fists clenched, while Rian stood protectively in front of Ellie, his grip on her arm tight.
"Mr. Yunseok, you will report to the principal's office immediately," the teacher ordered. "And you too, Mr. Inha."
Yunseok struggled to his feet, casting a hateful look at Ellie before leaving the room. Inha, still seething with anger, reluctantly followed. The teacher turned to Ellie, concern evident in their eyes. "Are you alright, Ellie?"
Ellie nodded, though she was visibly shaken. "I'm fine," she said quietly.
Inha looked at Rian, who was still holding onto Ellie. He pulled Ellie to his side, making Rian release his grip. Inha examined Ellie's cheek, noticing that it was bleeding.
"You should go to the clinic," Inha said softly, his concern evident. He gently tugged her towards the door. Rian stood frozen in place, feeling a pang of jealousy at the sight of Inha and Ellie’s closeness.
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