The streets were quiet, except for the hum of my bicycle wheels. Evening air brushed cool against my face as the sky melted into shades of violet and black.
My name is Hana Grace Collins, and this... this wasn't supposed to be my life.
I told Mom - Lee Soo-jin - that I didn't need a driver. I wanted to fit in. To be normal. But normal girls didn't glance over their shoulders every few seconds.
The voice came first. "Hey, rich girl." Then the laughter.
They slipped out of the alley like shadows peeling from the walls. Three of them. Phones raised, camera lights blinding me.
"Smile," one of the girls sneered, shoving me off my bike. My knees smacked the asphalt, pain shooting up my legs. I barely caught my breath before the first kick slammed into my side.
"Still think you're better than us?" another hissed. A slap cracked across my cheek, sharp and stinging. Their laughter echoed, but the phones were louder - the endless clicks and recordings turning my humiliation into entertainment.
And then I saw him. Min-hyuk.
He leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable. Watching. Silent.
A girl yanked my hair, jerking my head back. "Let's make this the best clip yet," she whispered. Another shove. Another slap. A kick to my shin. My arms trembled as I tried to push them away.
The last shove came harder. My head cracked against something solid and cold. The world tilted, vision smearing into streaks of light.
The final thing I saw was Min-hyuk's face - closer now, framed by the harsh glow of the streetlamp - before darkness swallowed me whole.