The Protection Clause
Eun-chae Park had only one rule. That is, to survive this life quietly. But as a scholarship student at the elite Seonghwa High, she already stands out for all the wrong reasons. The first being her poor background. Her second-hand uniforms. And the worst of it all, is always being the Top of the class. The kind of student all teachers love to praise, and privileged classmates resent.
Survival wore the mask of humiliation, when a group of popular vicious girls decides she needed to be “put in her place.” She was locked in the storage closets. Her notebooks dumped into toilets. And her completed projects vanishes into thin air the night before submission. As her grades begin to slip, her scholarship is threatened to be withdrawn.
Reporting was totally out of the book. It only made matters worse. But at Seonghwa High, there was only one person no one dares cross.
Jaxon Vale.
He was a Delinquent resident, a Chronic truant and a Failing senior. He was rumored to have ties outside school, and this makes teachers tread carefully around him. Sleeping through class was like a hobby. Never does he turn in assignments, and he was always seen siting alone on the rooftop like he owns the sky.
In desperation, Eun-chae does the unthinkable. She approaches him with a proposition:
“I’ll do all your assignments. Tutor you daily, and make sure you graduate Seonghwa High with distinction.”
In return, she seeks his protection. Jaxon agrees, but he had a condition.
“You move into my apartment and pretends to be my girlfriend. Publicly, and convincingly. No flops. If you want my protection, you belong under my roof.”
But what started as a contract of survival, turns into something far more dangerous. And beneath Jaxon’s cold indifference, was a boy carrying responsibilities no one saw. And Eun-chae’s quiet resilience, was a girl who refuses to break. But in it all, one thing was obvious, fake relationships come with real consequences.
The bullies escalate. Rumors spiral. And somewhere between the late-night study sessions, shared silences, and stolen glances. Their contract starts to blur. Because the promise of protection was easy.
But falling in love, was never part of the deal.
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