Kang Min-ah sat at her desk in Room 2-B, five minutes before the bell for Modern Music History, conducting a tactical operation.
Sitting directly to her right was Cheon Chug-seo—the brother and rightful heir to the creator of Kirin's Secret. While Min-ah currently managed the daily operations and moderated the anonymous campus feeds, Chug-seo held the master administrative keys to the whole server infrastructure. He was, for all intents and purposes, her right-hand strategist and partner.
Min-ah leaned sideways, tapping her pink Samsung Galaxy against his arm.
"Chug-seo-ah," she whispered, her voice laced with urgent, conspiratorial energy. "You need to vacate your seat. Now."
Chug-seo adjusted his glasses, looking at her with slow, unimpressed skepticism. "Vacate? Why would I give up my prime seat right before Mr. Kang starts lecturing on Seo Taiji?"
"Because I have a grand master plan," Min-ah insisted, her dark eyes sparkling. "The new exchange student—Oleksandr—is going to sit here."
Chug-seo blinked.
"And why, exactly, do we need the Ukrainian transfer student sitting next to you? I'm your friend after all, and he's just... Khm, let me say it, he'll be out by next summer."
Min-ah brought her hands together in a theatrical, dramatic gesture.
"Because he is living under the exact same roof as Lee Eun-seok! The legendary national news anchor! My absolute idol! The undisputed queen of South Korean broadcast journalism!"
She leaned in closer, dropping her voice to a desperate hum.
"If I become best friends with him, help him navigate the brutal social hierarchy of Kirin, and act as his guardian angel... I will eventually get invited to the Lee household for dinner. I will meet Anchor Lee in person. I might even get an exclusive interview for my portfolio! Do you understand the magnitude of this opportunity?!"
Chug-seo stared at her for three long seconds, evaluating the sheer unhinged brilliance of her ambition.
"So, in summary... you want to use the poor foreign kid as an emotional bridge to meet a news anchor."
"I am also being kindness incarnate!" Min-ah defended with a huff. "He's lost, confused, and doesn't know a single soul here. I am literally offering him a lifeline! It's a win-win!"
Chug-seo let out a quiet sigh, shaking his head and bringing his hand to clear his eyes in annoyance.
"Fine. But you owe me a massive favor on the Kirin's Secret backend moderation for the upcoming midterm festival."
"Done! Deal! Signed in blood!" Min-ah beamed.
"And don't forget that I'm your first best friend!"
"Ugh, is our little capybara jealous! Don't worry, you are more than my best friend! You are my partner in crime!"
Chug-seo reluctantly gathered his tablet and pencil case, pushing himself up from the desk. He retreated two rows back, slipping into an open seat in the upper tier behind her.
Min-ah smoothed down her skirt, carefully placing her sparkling pink phone on the corner of the empty desk, and waited.
Every other seat in Room 2-B was occupied—save for the empty desk beside Ha-neul, which everyone knew was strictly reserved for Student Council President Kim Jun-seo. The empty seat sign around the back-row rebels was practically glowing with radioactive warnings, leaving the seat beside Min-ah as the absolute only vacant spot in the neutral zone.
Min-ah smirked, her cat-eye eyeliner catching the sunlight.
'He has zero choice. He has to sit right here.'
Fifteen minutes later, the oiled wooden door swung open with a heavy whoosh.
In walked the towering, 190-centimeter Ukrainian giant, his face burning bright red as thirty pairs of eyes locked onto his wrinkled shirt and messy dark hair.
Min-ah watched with absolute, delighted satisfaction as San's desperate gaze scanned the classroom, bypassed Ha-neul's cold, unbothered posture, skirted past the horizontal rebels in the back, and finally landed straight on her desk.
She offered him a bright, genuine, picture-perfect smile, tapping the wood next to her.
'Hook, line, and sinker,' Min-ah cheered internally as the tall boy shuffled over and slid into the trap. 'Welcome to Kirin, San-ssi. Min-ah, your personal guide to the Lee household has officially arrived.'