Chapter 5

Hee-Woo and Ji-Woo had officially joined our study group, keeping their promise to help us get ahead. Ga-Min was in the middle of making a new poster for the study group. It featured all of our faces—mine included. His usual calm demeanor shifted to something more excited as he arranged the details.

"Look at this," he grinned, showing us the design. "This is our group's new image. We're going big."

I glanced at the poster, noticing how it felt like we were a real team now. There was no going back.

Just as we were admiring the work, the door to the library opened, and in walked Ms. Lee. She was the study group teacher and also Ga-Min's homeroom teacher. With a professional yet warm smile, she introduced herself to me.

"I've heard a lot about you," she said, her eyes briefly meeting Ga-Min's. "It's nice to finally meet you in person, Hera."

I nodded politely. "It's nice to meet you too, Ms. Lee."

Ga-Min grinned, looking unusually proud. "This is Hera, the third person joining the study group."

Ms. Lee's eyes flickered to the papers in her hands, and then she glanced at my record, which was now available to her. When she saw that I had been ranked first in my previous school, she raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Well, well, well," Ms. Lee said, her voice tinged with a hint of amusement. "It looks like we've got a real star in our midst."

Ga-Min's face lit up with excitement. "That's awesome!" he said, clearly thrilled by the news. He wasn't aware of my academic background, but this was a nice surprise for him. "This is going to be a huge boost for the group!"

I gave him a skeptical look. "Are you really happy about this, though?"

Se-Hyun, who was quietly observing, chimed in. "He's happy, because he still hasn't improved much."

Ga-Min rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Hey, I'm trying"

I crossed my arms. "So, you're just happy because I can make your study group look good?"

Ga-Min waved off my comment. "No, no. What I mean is... with you on board, we have a real shot at making this work."

Ms. Lee, overhearing the conversation, added in a calm tone, "Well, it sounds like you're both in for an interesting ride. You're lucky, Ga-Min. Hera's quite the asset."

Ga-Min nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! And we're all going to make it to university!"

I couldn't help but smile slightly. "Well, I guess this means I can help you all get in shape, too."

Se-Hyun raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what do you mean?"

I looked at Ga-Min, who was still riding high from my academic record. "My future has already been planned," I said casually. "I'm going to study abroad after I finish here. I've already got my acceptance letter from a university in America."

The room went quiet, everyone processing what I'd just said.

Ms. Lee was the first to speak. "You're really going to America?" Her voice was filled with surprise. "You've already been accepted?"

I nodded. "Yep. My future's already set, so I'll be focusing on that. But for now, I can mentor you guys and make sure you actually pass."

Ga-Min blinked, then smiled. "Mentor? I like the sound of that!"

The others in the study group were in awe, processing the fact that the girl they'd been working with—who seemed so mysterious and out of place in this school—had a future planned out while they were still trying to figure out their next steps.

As the day passed, the group continued working in the library, and I was starting to feel more at ease with them. Despite the school's chaotic nature, there was something about the study group that felt... almost normal.

That was until the ruckus outside interrupted us.

I heard voices—shouting, and the unmistakable sound of trouble. I stood up from the table and peered out the window, spotting a bully from another class with a group of goons. They were shouting for Ga-Min to go out, and it didn't seem friendly.

Ga-Min, who had been deep in conversation with Se-Hyun, glanced over at me and then the window. He sighed, as if this was just another part of his day. "Not again."

He started to walk toward the door, but I followed quickly, stepping in front of him. "Let me help," I said firmly. "I don't care who they are."

Ga-Min looked at me, taken aback by my boldness. "Hera, you don't need to get involved. It'll just make things worse."

I shook my head. "I'm not going to sit back and watch."

But then something surprising happened. When he heard somebody wanted to join the study group but was block by the bullies, Ga-Min behavior changed.

Before I knew it, Ga-Min had jumped off the third store, landing gracefully in front of the bullies, his stance defensive. He quickly took down the first few, showing off his impressive fighting skills.

But just as the fight seemed to settle down, the guy who'd been trying to join the study group, a student I didn't recognize, approached. His hands were raised in a gesture of peace.

With that, he defeated another ruckus.

"I just want to get better at fighting," Lee Joon spoke, eyes darting between Ga-Min and the group. "Help me out."

Ga-Min eyed him, uninterested. "You want to join to fight? That's not what we do here. We're trying to study, not throw punches."

The guy was persistent, but Ga-Min wasn't about to give in. "If you really want to join the group, you'll have to pass a set of exams first."

Ga-Min turned to us. "Let's get back to studying. If he can't handle the exams, he doesn't belong here."

But when we returned to the study group's room, the guy was gone. We looked around, confused. "Where did he go?" Hee-Won asked, her tone a little anxious.

Before anyone could answer, another student appeared at the door. He was out of breath, panic written all over his face.

"They took him," he gasped, pointing down the hall. "The bad guys—those goons—they grabbed him."

The air around us thickened with tension. Ga-Min didn't even hesitate. "We need to go after him," he said, his voice low and serious.

We all followed him out, ready to face whatever danger lay ahead.