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...
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room elsewhere, Ms. Han groaned in pain as she cleaned the bruise on her side. Her reflection in the mirror seemed to darken with each passing moment, mirroring the turmoil in her mind. How had Rian known that Ellie was in danger? It was a question that gnawed at her, filling her with a growing sense of dread.
As she tended to her injury, memories flooded back—the night she had killed Kang In-han. It had been a reckless act, a moment of panic that had changed everything.
She had bumped into him, and in a split second decision, fled the scene, leaving Kang In-han bleeding on the street. The guilt had haunted her ever since, buried deep beneath layers of secrecy and lies.
Now, faced with the possibility that her actions had endangered Ellie, Ms. Han's anger boiled over. She screamed in frustration, the sound echoing through the empty room
. How had it come to this? She had always been careful, meticulous in covering her tracks. But now, it seemed her carefully constructed world was unraveling before her eyes.
Gritting her teeth, Ms. Han forced herself to focus. She couldn't afford to lose control now. Ellie's survival was paramount, not just for her own sake, but for the fragile peace she had managed to maintain. As she took a deep breath, a plan began to form in her mind. She would need to find out what Rian knew, and more importantly, how he knew it.
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The next day dawned with a heavy sense of melancholy hanging over Rian as he stood silently by Ellie's empty desk. His gaze was distant, fixed upon the spot where Ellie usually sat, now void and hauntingly empty.
Confusion rippled through their classmates and friends, who exchanged concerned glances, unsure of how to approach him. Among them, Jae-i watched Rian with a growing ache in her heart, her worry etched deeply into her expression.
The previous night had been fraught with tension at the hospital. Jae-i had implored In Ha to go home and rest after receiving the news of Ellie's stable condition. But Rian had adamantly refused to leave Ellie's side
It took persistent persuasion from Woojin to finally convince Rian to return home, with In Ha reluctantly agreeing to check on Ellie after his classes.
The following morning, Rian hastily gathered his belongings after class, barely acknowledging Woojin's attempts to engage him in conversation, and swiftly made his way back to the hospital. With a bouquet of flowers in hand, a silent token of his affection and concern,
Rian quietly entered Ellie's room. His movements were tender as he placed the flowers beside her, his gaze lingering on her peaceful slumber. Unbeknownst to him, Jae-i had discreetly followed him, her presence unnoticed as she stood silently in the doorway, observing.
Standing in the doorway, Jae-i seemed to understand the look that Rian gave to Ellie was no longer reserved for her. Instead, it was directed towards the girl peacefully sleeping in the hospital bed.
Jae-i felt a pang of confusion and hurt. How had Ellie managed to capture Rian's heart so effortlessly, when she herself had struggled in vain for so long?
She sighed softly, wiping the tears that welled up in her eyes, and made a silent decision. Without another word, she turned away from the scene, her steps echoing softly on the hospital corridor as she walked away.
Unbeknownst to Jae-i, In Ha stood at a distance, watching her retreating figure with concern etched on his face. He had seen the hurt in her eyes, the unspoken turmoil within her heart.
In Ha hesitated for a moment, torn between following Jae-i and respecting her space, but ultimately, his concern for her well-being won out. With a silent sigh, he quietly trailed after her, his footsteps echoing softly behind hers.
Meanwhile, inside Ellie's hospital room, In Ha cautiously peeked through the half-open door.
He saw Rian sitting beside Ellie's bed, his gaze filled with affection and concern as he watched over her. In that moment, In Ha understood what Jae-i had seen earlier
Not wanting to disturb them, In Ha quietly withdrew from the doorway. His thoughts were with Jae-i, wondering how she was coping with the realization that Rian's heart now belonged to someone else.
As he caught up with Jae-i in the corridor, In Ha gently placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Jae-i," he said softly, his voice filled with empathy. "Are you okay?"
Jae-i nodded slightly, her gaze distant. "I'm fine," she replied quietly, though In Ha could sense the pain hidden behind her words.
"I saw," In Ha began gently, choosing his words carefully. "I saw what you saw in there."
Jae-i glanced at him, her eyes searching his face for understanding. "It's just... hard," she admitted softly. "To see him look at someone else like that."
As they stood together in the quiet corridor of the hospital, Jae-i finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper yet heavy with emotion.
"I always thought I was the one who would capture his heart, even after hurting him and pushing him away," she confessed, tears now streaming down her cheeks. In Ha looked down, his heart aching for her, knowing there was little he could say to ease her pain.
"I thought he would do anything for me," Jae-i continued, her voice trembling with the weight of her realization. "But seeing him like that with Ellie... I never imagined he would fall for her so quickly."
In Ha remained silent, his gaze softening with sympathy as he listened to Jae-i's words. He wanted to reach out to her, to hold her close and reassure her, but he knew this was a wound that ran deep.
"It's not Ellie's fault, or Rian's," Jae-i murmured, her voice breaking slightly as she struggled to find the right words.
"It's me. I pushed Ellie to go along with that fake relationship with Rian, not knowing that he would actually fall in love with her so soon."
In Ha shook his head gently. "Jae-i, you can't blame yourself for this," he said softly, his voice filled with compassion. "You were trying to protect him, to keep him safe. You couldn't have known."
Jae-i wiped away her tears, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. "But I hurt him," she whispered, her voice raw with pain. "And now I've lost him."
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