The classroom settled into a steady rhythm.
The teacher continued explaining the lesson at the front, chalk moving across the board, voice droning on in a predictable flow.
But Park Jison wasn't paying attention.
Not even a little.
His eyes kept drifting.
Again and again.
Toward the seat on his right.
Toward Lee Seo-yeon.
Every time he looked, his expression subtly shifted—shock, confusion, disbelief—all mixed together.
What the hell is going on…?
His fingers tapped lightly against his desk.
Then—
A thought hit him.
Hard.
His eyes widened slightly.
Wait a minute…
His posture straightened just a bit.
Does that mean…
His gaze sharpened.
The "queen" the system was talking about…
He glanced at Seo-yeon again.
…is Lee Seo-yeon?
---
Just then, he noticed her pulling out her phone under the desk.
Her fingers moved quickly as she typed.
A second later—
Buzz.
Jison's phone vibrated in his pocket.
"…?"
He quickly pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
A message.
From her.
Lee Seo-yeon (8:20): what a coincidence. We are in same school.
Jison stared at it for a second.
Then slowly looked up at her.
She wasn't looking at him anymore.
Composed.
Calm.
As if nothing had happened.
He turned his gaze back to his phone and started typing.
Jison (8:20): Yeah, it really is a coincidence.
The reply came almost instantly.
Lee Seo-yeon (8:21): Well I'm new here can you show me around in lunch break.
Jison read the message carefully.
Then replied.
Jison (8:21): There is nothing special to see but I'll show you around.
He locked his phone and slipped it back into his pocket.
But his mind didn't settle.
If she stays with me the whole lunch break…
His eyes narrowed slightly.
That's perfect.
Even if he didn't know what kind of danger was coming—
Or from whom—
He couldn't afford to take chances.
I can't let this go easy… not without trying.
---
The bell rang.
Lunch break.
Chairs scraped as students began leaving the classroom in groups, heading toward the cafeteria.
The noise rose quickly.
Jison stood up alongside Woo-jin.
"Let's go—"
Before he could finish—
Someone stepped in front of them.
Seo-yeon.
She leaned slightly toward Jison, her presence instantly drawing attention.
"Now… can we go?"
Her tone was casual.
But the effect—
Immediate.
The girl sitting beside Seo-yeon froze in shock.
Woo-jin blinked, stunned, looking from Seo-yeon to Jison and back again.
What the hell…?
Jison scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Oh… sure."
Then he turned to Woo-jin, bringing his hands together above his head in apology.
"Woo-jin, sorry—I can't have lunch with you today. I promised her I'd show her around."
Woo-jin stared at him for a second.
Processing.
A newly transferred, insanely beautiful girl—
Talking casually to Jison.
Asking him to show her around.
This isn't normal…
But he didn't say it out loud.
Instead, he forced an awkward smile and started walking toward the door.
"Ah… well, it's fine. I'll eat by myself."
He waved slightly.
"You two… have fun."
---
Meanwhile, the girl who had been sitting beside Seo-yeon quickly pulled her aside.
She leaned closer, whispering into her ear.
"Hey… Seo-yeon."
Seo-yeon turned slightly, confused.
"Yeah?"
The girl glanced toward Jison before speaking again.
"Do you know Park Jison?"
Seo-yeon blinked.
She didn't understand the tone.
But she answered honestly.
"Yes. Is there any problem?"
The girl hesitated for a second.
Then spoke in a low voice.
"Yesterday… he beat Kim Min-jun. Leader of this class."
Seo-yeon's eyes widened slightly.
"And now…"
The girl's gaze darkened.
"He's the target of No.6 in this school."
The words hung in the air.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
For a brief moment, Lee Seo-yeon stood still, her expression blank—as if her mind had stopped processing.
"…No.6?" she repeated, slightly confused. "Who is No.6 of this school…?"
The girl beside her hesitated, unsure how to explain further.
But Seo-yeon didn't wait.
She shook her head lightly and spoke again, her tone firm now.
"Anyways, whoever he is, I don't care."
Her eyes were steady.
"And I believe Jison didn't beat this class's leader without a reason… because he's not some kind of bad guy."
---
She turned—
Only to freeze.
Right behind her stood Park Jison.
Close enough to hear everything.
Her eyes widened instantly.
A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she took a small step back.
"Ah—what…? Y-you were listening to our conversation?"
Jison looked at her calmly.
"Yeah."
No hesitation.
No denial.
He simply walked past her toward the door.
As he reached it, he pushed it open and paused, glancing sideways.
"Aren't you coming?"
Seo-yeon blinked, still flustered.
Then quickly followed him.
Her hands instinctively rose to cover her face.
What the hell… what the hell… he heard everything…
Her thoughts spiraled.
What if he thinks something weird about me…?
Her cheeks burned slightly as she walked behind him.
---
After a while, the two of them reached the administrative corridor.
Jison stopped near a large wooden door and pointed at it casually.
"And lastly… this is the principal's office."
He shrugged slightly.
"I think you already knew that."
Seo-yeon smiled.
"Yeah, I knew. I came here for admission."
Jison glanced at her and gave a small smile.
But then—
Something shifted.
His eyes moved to the side.
And the smile vanished instantly.
His expression hardened.
…shit.
A few students stood at a distance.
Watching.
Not casually.
Too focused.
Too deliberate.
No doubt… those are his lackeys.
His heartbeat picked up slightly.
They're not making a move…
His eyes flickered toward the principal's door.
Because we're here.
That explained it.
No.6 wouldn't risk causing trouble this close to the principal—especially not involving a new transfer student.
Not after already being on thin ice.
Jison forced his expression back to normal and looked at Seo-yeon again.
"Let's go."
She nodded lightly.
"We haven't eaten yet… let's go."
"Sure."
They started walking toward the cafeteria.
But inside—
Jison wasn't calm at all.
Sweat formed slightly on his forehead.
He's holding back because of the principal…
His jaw tightened.
If Seo-yeon gets hurt, he's done. Expelled.
That was the only reason nothing had happened yet.
Which means…
His eyes narrowed.
I just need to protect her until school ends.
Simple.
But dangerous.
Meanwhile—
On the school rooftop.
A completely different scene unfolded.
Smoke filled the air.
A group of students crouched casually, inhaling and exhaling cigarette smoke like it was routine.
At the center—
A brutal sight.
Woo-jin was on all fours.
Like a dog.
His body trembled under the weight pressing down on his back.
Blood dripped slowly from his nose.
A thin line of red traced from the corner of his mouth.
He had already been beaten.
Badly.
Sitting on top of him—
Was Han Ji-sung—Gangwon High's No.6.
Long red-brown hair falling to the sides of his face, eyes cold and amused.
He leaned slightly forward, resting his elbow casually on his knee.
"Tell me something."
His voice was calm.
Almost bored.
He looked toward one of his lackeys nearby.
"How did that guy get so close to the new transfer student?"
The lackey straightened slightly.
"Boss… I heard Jison is also from Seoul."
He scratched his head nervously.
"So I think… they might know each other from there."
Ji-sung hummed softly.
"Seoul, huh…"
Then—
His gaze dropped.
To Woo-jin.
Still struggling to hold his position.
Barely managing to stay upright.
A faint smirk appeared on Ji-sung's face.
He pressed his weight down slightly more.
Woo-jin's arms shook.
"Hey…"
Ji-sung spoke again, his tone almost playful.
"Fat bastard."
Woo-jin clenched his teeth.
"…fuck…"
Ji-sung leaned closer.
"What do you think?"
His eyes gleamed with cruel interest.
"Should I beat your friend today…"
A pause.
"…or let him live a little longer?"
---
Meanwhile—
The cafeteria buzzed with noise—voices overlapping, trays clattering, chairs scraping across the floor.
At a table tucked all the way in the back, near the window, Park Jison and Lee Seo-yeon sat across from each other, eating ramen.
Steam still rose faintly from their bowls.
Jison had already finished half of his portion, eating quickly without much thought. Seo-yeon wasn't far behind, calmly picking up noodles with her chopsticks.
For a moment—
It felt normal.
Quiet, even.
Jison lifted another bite toward his mouth—
Then paused.
A shadow fell over the table.
He looked up.
A second-year student stood beside him, wearing a friendly smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Hey," the guy said casually. "You're Jison, right?"
Jison blinked mid-bite.
"…huh?"
The student nodded slightly.
"Teacher's been looking for you. Asked me to tell you."
Jison slowly lowered his chopsticks, his expression turning confused.
Teacher…?
Seo-yeon also looked up, her gaze shifting between the two, curiosity evident in her eyes.
Jison's mind started turning.
I didn't do anything…
No assignments… no trouble…
So why would a teacher call me now?
Something didn't feel right.
But there was no clear reason to refuse.
He placed his chopsticks down on the bowl and turned to Seo-yeon.
"I'll be back in a few minutes."
She nodded lightly.
"Okay."
Jison stood up and followed the student out of the cafeteria.
---
Five minutes passed.
Seo-yeon had finished her ramen.
She sat quietly for a moment, absentmindedly holding her chopsticks, glancing occasionally toward the cafeteria entrance.
He's taking longer than expected…
Before she could think further—
Another shadow fell over the table.
She looked up.
Another second-year student stood there.
"New transfer student, right?" he said.
Seo-yeon blinked.
"…yes?"
He continued without pause.
"Teacher is also looking for you. Come with me."
Her brows furrowed slightly.
"Me? Why though?"
The student had already turned around, starting to walk away.
"Who knows," he replied casually. "Just come."
Seo-yeon hesitated for a second.
Something about this felt… off.
But—
Jison had just gone with someone saying the same thing.
Maybe it's normal…
Still, a faint unease crept in.
She stood up and followed him.
---
They walked out of the cafeteria.
Down the corridor.
Then—
Toward the staircase.
The student began climbing without hesitation.
One step.
Two steps.
Three—
But Seo-yeon didn't move.
She stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
Her eyes fixed on the path ahead.
…wait.
A memory surfaced.
Earlier, when Jison had been showing her around—
They had passed this exact spot.
And he had said—
"Its way for the rooftop… it's closed all the time, so I couldn't show you."
Seo-yeon's expression slowly changed.
Her unease sharpened into suspicion.
If the rooftop is closed…
Her gaze lifted toward the student's back as he continued climbing.
Then why the hell is he taking me there?
She didn't take a single step forward.
Instead—
She stood still.
Thinking.
Watching.
And realizing—
Something was very wrong.