Morning light spilled across the courtyard of Daehan High School, but the air already felt heavy. The clatter of shoes, the chatter of students, the smell of convenience store bread—everything ordinary. Except for them.
Everyone knew who ruled the halls. Five of them, always together. Untouchable, admired, and despised in equal measure.
They didn't walk like students—they walked like the school belonged to them. And maybe it did.
Minji: tiny in height, but loud in money. A spoiled princess with a tongue sharper than glass, forever chasing after "perfect men" while spitting at anything she found disgusting.
Sohee: tall, elegant, and terrifying. Beauty that could kill, literally, if you ended up on her bad side. Most people were.
Jisung: the noisy one. The boy who laughed too much, who lived off cheap alcohol and drama, a clown until he decided to bite.
Taehyun: the golden boy. Tall, handsome, the kind of smile that made girls faint—until it twisted into something cruel. His fists carried the weight of someone who enjoyed being adored and feared.
Seungho: the quiet shadow. Always at the edge, a book in hand, expression unreadable. He didn't join the violence, but he didn't stop it either. Somehow, his indifference made him scarier.
Everyone else knew better than to get in their way. Everyone… except me.
*****
I don't remember how it started today. Maybe I bumped Minji's shoulder in the hallway. Maybe Jisung didn't like how I looked at him. It never really mattered. With them, existing was enough.
Now, I'm on the ground.
My ribs ache with every kick. The taste of iron fills my mouth. I curl into myself, arms over my head, but their laughter still cuts deeper than the blows.
"Pathetic," Minji sneers, her expensive heel pressing into my arm. "Don't you know you're disgusting just by breathing the same air as us?"
Sohee's laughter is cold, sharp, like ice breaking. "He really thinks he belongs here."
Jisung claps, dramatic as always, like this is some comedy act for his amusement. "Yah, Daehyun-ah, at least scream louder, give us a good show!"
Taehyun crouches down, that perfect smile on his face—so handsome that the girls passing by hesitate before looking away. His hand grips my collar, dragging me up just to slam me back against the lockers. His breath smells of mint gum when he whispers, "Try fighting back. Just once. Give me a reason."
I don't. I never do.
And then, my eyes flick to Seungho. He's leaning against the wall, thumbing through a worn paperback. Not even glancing up. As if my groans are no different from the squeak of shoes on tile.
That blankness… it's worse than the fists. At least pain means I exist. Indifference makes me nothing.
***
No one helps. They never do. Teachers look the other way. Students walk faster, afraid the spotlight might shift. The five of them? They shine too bright, even if it burns everyone else.
And me? I'm the shadow that always gets trampled under their feet.
I choke back a sob, staring at the blurred floor through swollen eyes. Somewhere inside me, past the pain, past the humiliation, past the anger—something else takes root.
I wish… I wish you'd feel it too. All of you. The weakness. The fear. The loneliness. I wish you'd know what it's like to be disgusting. To be hated. To beg for someone to look at you with pity instead of pride.
The thought is bitter. Poison on my tongue.
But in that moment, I mean every word...