Hae-won stuffed noodles in her mouth like it was her last meal on Earth.
Her mom chased her around the kitchen with a wooden spoon, yelling, "You're still eating?! They'll be here any minute! Puffy face on your first day? What if there are cameras? You're famous now!"
"Just one more bite!" Hae-won shouted between slurps, dodging the spoon like a clumsy ninja. Noodles flew everywhere, on her cheek, on the floor, probably on the cat.
Song Ji-woo, her younger sister, sighed from the couch without looking up from her story book. "This house is crazy. I should have been the elder sister."
Minjin barged in through the front door like she was in a musical drama and it was her turn to sing her lines. With her arms wide and eyes misty, she shouted "My baby girl is leaving me. Off to the wolves. To Baekhyun Academy, land of the rich, the fake, and the emotionally unavailable!"
"Unnie, please." Ji-woo rolled her eyes.
Minjin threw herself dramatically around Hae-won's neck. "Don't let them change you. Don't eat salad unless you want to. Don't smile at anyone named Jun. And for the love of all things nice… call me when you find the dorm Wi-Fi."
Hae-won snorted, nearly choking on her noodles.
Outside, a neighbor girl shouted through the window, "Don't forget us when you're rich, unni!"
Hae-won grinned, noodles still hanging from her lips. "I'm not going to dig gold! And I'll be back this weekend, I'm not going to space!"
Just then, a sleek black car rolled up in front of the house.
Instantly, every ajumma on the street found something to hang outside. The vibe turned K-drama real fast.
Minjin gasped. "Girl. You got the chaebol ride?"
"It's just the school's car," Hae-won muttered, strapping her bag over her shoulder and rolling her small leather suitcase behind her.
"Yeah, and I'm just a nun."
Minjin gave her a bone-crushing hug. Hae-woo didn't move, but her foot tapped faster. "Don't be weird at the gate," she muttered. "And don't FaceTime me crying unless it's about food."
Ji-woo stood up and shly hug her big sister while pretending not to cry.
Their mom wiped Hae-won's face with a thumb soaked in spit.
Their dad appeared in the hallway, holding a handkerchief and blinking furiously. "My daughter..." he whispered, voice cracking. "They grow up so fast. Are you sure you packed enough socks? Do you need another charger? Should I come visit next week?"
"Appa," Hae-won groaned, embarrassed. "You're acting like I'm getting married."
"It feels like it," he sniffled. "Don't forget to eat well…I stuffed enough ramen into your bag"
"You know I will, Dad."
She moved closer and wrapped her arms around him, her eyes glowing with unshed tears.
That was it.
---
Arrival at Baekhyun Academy
Baekhyun Academy sprawled across the mountain like a kingdom…no, like a movie set pretending to be a kingdom.
The main building loomed ahead, all glass towers and traditional curved rooftops, like a tech company had married an ancient palace.
A manicured garden bloomed along the entrance path, complete with koi ponds, fancy stones engraved with motivational quotes, and an absolutely unnecessary marble statue of the school's founder holding a book in one hand and a fountain pen like a sword in the other.
Hae-won blinked. "Okay… this place is insane."
Off in the distance, a helicopter landed on a rooftop pad like it was no big deal. A sports car zoomed by on a nearby road, its driver wearing sunglasses indoors.
Her car. No, the school's car she was in, zoomed pass row of fancy buildings like they were on an island and not a college.
Of course, the dorms weren't even near the main building.
She'd been inside school grounds for fifteen minutes and still hadn't arrived at the dorm.
Finally, the shiny black car made a U-turn and stopped.
The door opened. Hugging her backpack to her chest, Hae-won stepped out and thanked the chauffeur, who bowed and drove off.
Around the courtyard, dozens of students turned to look.
She was the only one who arrived in a private car.
The other four merit students had come together in a bus arranged by the school. It was a big luxurious bus—way better than a regular bus—but it was still a bus. And sharing it felt like a slap in the face compared to Hae-won's sleek solo ride.
Whispers buzzed.
"Why does she get a car?" "She think she's special or something?"
"Wasn't she that girl that made headline?"
The four students stepped off the bus, bags slung over shoulders, all giving her the same annoyed look.
Only one girl, Ji-ae, offered a small, awkward smile.
"Maybe she lives really far away," Ji-ae whispered to the others. "The car was probably just convenient."
But no one seemed interested in logic.
"I don't want my room next to hers," someone muttered. "Bet she bribed a paparrazi to post about her."
"Hmm..I don't think she has that kind of money" ji-ae muttered and walked inside the dorm.
The others snickered and followed behind her.
Hae-won kept her head down, pretending not to hear. But her ears were burning.
---
Inside the dorm, each student got their own rooms.
Apparently, the dorm was originally for the foreign exchange students before the admission of the merit list students.The rich kids could afford to come and go. So, they do not stay in the school dorms.
As they reached their dorm hallway, Ji-ae paused in front of the door beside Hae-won's. "Oh," she said, glancing at the room numbers. "Looks like we're neighbors. That's kind of nice."
Hae-won gave a tired smile. "At least one familiar face."
Ji-ae reached for her door, then hesitated, pulling out her phone. "Oh, right. There's a group chat for the dorm. I think we're supposed to join it. It's called... 'Merit Mansion.' I swear I didn't name it."
Hae-won blinked. "Merit Mansion? What are we, contestants on a survival show? I thought the foreign kids also stay here"
Ji-ae snorted. "Yes, Honestly, I don't know. They prolly think it's cool"
A new member has joined: Ahn Hae-won
Ji-ae slipped her phone into her pocket. "We should probably look around campus, figure out where our classes are, before tomorrow, so we don't get lost and humiliate ourselves."
"Hmm. I think I want to stay in" Hae-won replied her sheepishly, already feeling queasy from the trip.
Ji-ae offered a hopeful smile. "Come on, let's explore. But maybe... you should change first?"
Hae-won looked down at one of her favorite outfits, cargo pants and an oversized hoodie.
"What's wrong with my outfit?" she asked, voice just a little shaky.
"Nothing much. You know, just change for 'first impressions' I will do the same" she said cheerfully and disappeared into her room using a card.
Hae-won look into her packed bag, she has the same card. She sighed, opened the door and went in.
Here goes nothing.
She stopped breathing for a second and whispered to herself "This is way too much."
The colourfully decorated queen size bed ,called to her first. Smiling and glittering like it was cartoon.
Then the room– decorated like it was a movie set from the 90s about a rich princess who wouldn't leave her room because it was too pretty and fancy.
Yeah. She didn't want to leave her room anymore.
But Hae-won freshened up anyway, in a bathroom probably bigger than their living room and kitchen combined. She washed and dried her honey-brown hair, threw on grey sweatpants and a tank top, and left before she drift off on the softer than teddy-bed.
Ji-ae was already outside her door in a pink floral dress with a bow in front, ready to knock when she came out.
Hae-won immediately felt underdressed but she shrugged it off.
"You look pretty"
"Thanks... You too," Ji-ae added quickly, leading the way down the hall.
Hae-won nodded and followed closely behind, already tossing a small ramen cup into her bag. "Emergency fuel. In case our tour turns into a hike."
They made a u-turn and walked straight ahead towards the school but it was like going to another neighborhood entirely.
"Are we lost? Everything is so quiet." Ji-ae pitched in.
"We have just been walking a straight line so I don't think so" Hae-won muttered, bending over her back.
"I don't think I can go on anymore, let's take a rest"
The two stepped into a courtyard, a patch of polished green with white stone benches and trees that looked like they got haircuts every week.
They found a quiet spot and settled down on a bench. Hae-won was just peeling open her ramen cup when voices floated over.
And suddenly, it's not so quiet anymore.
Three girls stood by the marble fountain, all glossy hair and smug grins.
"Must be the merit kids," one said, arms folded.
"You mean the scholarship kids? Merit was just a fancy name the school used. They are just charity work."
Another one frowned at Hae-won's outfit. "Give it a week. They'll run back to wherever they came from."
Another sniffed dramatically. "What is that smell?"
Hae-won froze, chopsticks halfway to her mouth.
"She brought noodles," the tallest one said in horror, like she'd just witnessed a crime. "What is this, a convenience store picnic?"
Hae-won's ears burned. Ji-ae nudged her gently.
"Forget them. They are just being bitter. We'll go and eat in the dorm."
"Yeah…I'm getting nauseated by their fake perfume anyway" Hae-won muttered holding her nose and pretending to gag.
Ji-ae cracked a laugh and Hae-won joined in.
"Let's hope we don't get lost tomorrow" Hae-won said.
They walked away, ignoring the stares of the over-privileged girls.
Above them, a security drone blinked red.
Somewhere, someone was watching.