Chapter 1

The moment I stepped out of the sleek black car, silence followed.

Students loitering near the school gate turned to stare, their conversations pausing as their eyes flickered between my face, my designer bag, and the luxury car behind me. Even in a school where chaos ruled, I stood out.

Yunseong High wasn't what I expected.

The building itself was modern—clean hallways, well-maintained classrooms, and expensive facilities. No graffiti, no broken windows, nothing that screamed "trouble." On the surface, it looked like any other high school.

But the moment I walked through the entrance, I felt the difference.

There was no order here. Students roamed freely, some with their collars undone and ties loosened, others leaning against lockers like they owned the place. Teachers walked by without a care, pretending not to see the brawls breaking out in the hallways.

Near the vending machines, a group of boys were throwing punches, their classmates watching and placing bets. A girl in a crisp uniform had another by the collar, shoving her against a desk. From somewhere in the distance, loud crashing sounds echoed, followed by a teacher's halfhearted yell.

I wasn't sure why they were fighting. Maybe they didn't need a reason.

I ignored the stares and walked through the hall, heading to my class. Yunseong High was one of the few schools that still separated boys' and girls' classes, though it didn't seem to stop the chaos. If anything, the competition within each class made things worse.

When I entered the classroom, the whispering started immediately.

"Who is she?"

"She doesn't look like she belongs here."

"Look at her bag... isn't that real?"

"What's someone like her doing in this school?"

I kept my face neutral as I walked to an empty seat in the back. The classroom itself was in perfect condition, but the tension inside was suffocating. Some girls were loudly chatting, others were scrolling through their phones, and a few were watching me with thinly veiled curiosity.

The teacher arrived a few minutes later, barely glancing at me as he picked up the attendance sheet. He was older, wearing thick glasses, and looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Kang Hera," he called out lazily. "Introduce yourself."

I stood up, keeping my expression unreadable. "Kang Hera," I said simply. "That's all you need to know."

For a moment, the room was silent. Then, someone scoffed.

"What's with her attitude?"

I ignored the comment and sat back down. The teacher barely noticed, mumbling something about attendance before moving on with the lesson. He droned on for the next hour, but no one was listening.

The moment the bell rang, he was the first to leave.

That was when the real class started.

The girl in the front row turned in her seat, a smirk playing on her lips. She had short, bleached hair with choppy bangs and thick eyeliner that made her eyes look even sharper. She looked like the type who thought she ran this class.

"Hey, new girl," she called out, loud enough for the whole class to hear.

I didn't respond.

She stood up, her friends snickering as she made her way over to my desk. She stopped right in front of me, one hand resting on my desk as she leaned in. "You must think you're really special," she said, tilting her head. "With your expensive bag, your perfect little face—"

Before I could react, she grabbed my bag and yanked it off my desk. "Branded, huh?" she said, inspecting it. "Bet you think you're better than us because of this."

The other girls giggled, waiting to see what I would do.

I stood up slowly, meeting her gaze. "Put it back."

She raised an eyebrow. "What if I don't?"

I didn't hesitate.

Grabbing her wrist, I twisted it sharply, forcing her to drop the bag. She yelped, but before she could pull away, I shoved her forward—slamming her head against the desk with a loud bang.

The classroom went dead silent.

She gasped, her hands flying to her forehead as she stumbled back. "You crazy bit—"

I took a step closer, my voice calm. "I told you to put it back."

She clenched her jaw, glaring at me, but she didn't move. She knew better.

The other girls whispered amongst themselves, eyes darting between me and their so-called leader.

"She's crazy."

"She actually fought back."

I picked up my bag and sat back down like nothing happened.

The school assembly was held in the gym, where the air was thick with tension. Students weren't paying attention—some were chatting, others were playing games on their phones, and a few were straight-up asleep.

Then, I saw him.

Pi Han Wool.

He sat in the front, his posture lazy, one leg stretched out while his arm rested over the back of his chair. His dark hair was slightly longer than before, his uniform messy, and a fresh bruise marked his cheek. But his presence was the same—undeniable, untouchable.

The throne of Yunseong High.

My lips curled into a smirk.

I finally found him.

"You're new, right?"

When the assembly finished. I turned to see two girls standing beside me. One had long hair and a round face—Hee-Won. The other had short hair and sharp eyes—Ji-Woo.

"Yeah," I said.

Hee-Won leaned in, lowering her voice. "You probably don't know this yet, but Yunseong High has a ranking system."

I raised an eyebrow.

"There's an app," she continued. "Ever since Pi Han Wool took over, he created a ranking system for the school. The top 30 students—strongest, most influential, whatever—you get into Yeonbaek Group."

At the mention of Yeonbaek, my fingers curled into fists.

Hee-Won didn't notice and kept talking. "It means a promising future. You get money, power, a guaranteed spot in the business world—even if you don't study. All you have to do is rank high enough."

Ji-Woo, who had been silent this whole time, finally spoke. "But why are you here?"

Her sharp gaze flickered to my bag, then to my phone—the latest model, clearly expensive. "You don't belong here," she said bluntly.

I looked at her. Then, I smiled.

"I'm going to destroy Pi Han Wool."