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OFF THE RECORD | Labyrinth of the Youth

Dylan has everything—wealth, a name, and a future planned by his powerful CEO father. But as the only son, he feels like an heir to expectations, not a person with choices. Feeling trapped, he runs away and transfers to a public school to live life on his own terms. There, he meets Flynn—the only son of a commoner. Flynn is sharp-tongued, stubborn, and unlike anyone Dylan has ever met. At first, they clash, full of pride and misunderstandings. But when Dylan sees the hidden struggles Flynn carries, something in him changes. He starts to care—quietly, fiercely, and more deeply than he realized was possible. Flynn, who has never been cared for like this, doesn't know what to do with Dylan's attention—or the growing feeling in his own heart that he can no longer ignore. Between rivalry and tenderness, denial and desire, Dylan and Flynn navigate their complicated youth—where the most important truths are the hardest to say aloud, and the most unforgettable stories are the ones left unspoken. "Some feelings are too real to say out loud. Some stories are too true to tell." This is theirs—OFF THE RECORD. ---------------------------------------------------- PROLOGUE "Do you know Flynn?" Dylan asked. "Flynn?" Nicole echoed, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah... Flynn Amaro Luz." "Oh, the handsome guy from the Regular Department. Who doesn't know him? He's not just good-looking — he's smart, too. Most of the professors know him, and I heard some seniors from the Star Department even tried to recruit him, but he refused. Why do you ask?" "I think... I like him," Dylan said quietly. Nicole blinked. "So the rumors are true?" "Rumors? What rumors?" Dylan asked, frowning slightly. "Well... it's not exactly a rumor, but a lot of girls have been fantasizing you two together since Foundation Week. I just have to ask—are you gay, Dylan?" "I'm not," he replied after a pause. "I don't feel this way about any other guy... just him. And honestly, I'm confused too." "But... don't you have a girlfriend?" Nicole asked. "We're not together anymore," Dylan said simply. "So you broke up because of Flynn?" "No... not exactly. But... maybe it has something to do with him," Dylan admitted with a small shrug. "Have you told him how you feel?" "No. I don't think I can." "Because he's a guy?" Nicole asked softly. "It's not that," Dylan said, shaking his head. "I know he's a guy — but I'm confused by how he acts around me. I try to be caring, sometimes even clingy, and he always stops me. But if he really didn't feel anything, shouldn't he have pushed me away completely?" "Well... only you can find out," Nicole said after a pause. "I don't know him personally, so I can't judge." Dylan looked out the window, his expression uncertain but determined. "Actually... I'm planning to confess tonight. After his performance." Nicole laughed softly. "You're something else, Dylan. Who would've thought that a guy who looks so rebellious could be tamed... by another guy?"
jycphhh · 18.7k Views

BLACK SECRET HIGH SCHOOL

BLACK SECRET HIGH SCHOOL: The Culling of Lee Jin-Woo Lee Jin-Woo thought his problem was just his girlfriend, Kim So-Yun. Their relationship, defined by frequent, petty arguments, finally shattered on the school rooftop. So-Yun, an ambitious 'A-Level' student, demanded he "fight" for his place, for her, and for himself. Jin-Woo, exhausted by the relentless competition and pressure, could only reply, "I just exist." Her final words—"I can’t do this anymore. I’m done. I’m transferring"—were the last straw. Consumed by guilt and despair over his passivity, Jin-Woo attempted suicide, leaving him hospitalized and the school scrambling to bury the incident under a convenient lie: "An accident." The truth, however, was far darker than a simple breakup. The Black Secret and the Substitute One month later, the superficial calm of the school is violently disrupted by the arrival of a new transfer student: Lee Jin-Wee. She is not only chillingly composed and analytical, but her name is an almost perfect echo of the boy lying broken in the hospital. Jin-Wee, possessing an unsettling confidence and high-tech tools, knows the school’s whispered code: "The Black Secret." This "secret" is the school’s true, terrifying reality: a hidden, brutal Social Grading War dictated by an online Database. Students are classified from untouchable 'A-Level' tyrants to humanly-invisible 'C-Level' outcasts. Jin-Woo's struggle wasn't with So-Yun, but with the system itself, a system he refused to obey when he protected a bullied 'C-Level' student. Jin-Wee immediately singles out Park Min-Ho, Jin-Woo’s best friend and secret keeper, leveraging his fear and guilt to force him into partnership. She is not seeking justice; she is seeking revenge and dismantling. "I am here to continue Lee Jin-Woo's story," she declares. The Descent into the Server Room Their first objective: expose the system by infiltrating the main server room, the heart of the Black Secret. After Min-Ho manages a tense, chaotic distraction to acquire the access code, they break into the school late at night. But the A-Level Leader, Kang Se-Joon—the true architect of Jin-Woo’s suffering—is steps ahead. He confronts them, revealing the file they are attempting to download is a mere decoy, a trap set to log their names into the system. Se-Joon, cold and arrogant, promises Jin-Wee the same fate as Jin-Woo. Though they are forced to flee after Jin-Wee strategically sabotages the server’s physical cooling unit, their escape confirms the terrifying stakes. Now, with their names logged, Jin-Wee realizes their fight is misdirected. The true enemy is not the A-Level Leader, but the invisible Faculty and Board who allow the Black Secret to flourish. Jin-Wee and Min-Ho have 4 days to expose the true masters of the Black Secret High School before they are crushed by the very system that broke Lee Jin-Woo. The game is no longer about winning; it's about survival and the painful, explosive revelation of the truth.
Morsina_Begum · 2.8k Views