From Now On
'…From when.'
My breath caught in my throat.
Before I even looked at her, or maybe from the very moment I stepped into the auditorium, had she been scanning the crowd, locking her gaze solely on me?
'…W-what? What’s with those eyes?'
Something felt off.
As I panicked and swallowed hard, trying to avert my gaze, the announcer’s voice boomed through the microphone.
“Ah…”
Haeun’s gaze, fixed on me, finally shifted away.
As if she’d never been staring, she hunched her shoulders in that familiar timid, fragile way and cautiously stepped to center stage.
“H-hello… everyone.”
Her hand trembled faintly on the mic.
“If I… get elected student council president this time… I won’t forget… each and every precious vote you’ve given me…”
Her voice quivered, stumbling through the fragile speech.
Seeing her like this—so pitiful, without a trace of the look she’d given me earlier—I tried to shake off the unease from moments ago.
The whispers from kids in another class drifted into my ears from the back of the auditorium.
'Yeah.'
Hearing that, a relieved smile crept back onto my face.
After Choi Jia got disciplined, our class had started sympathizing with Haeun—but that was limited to our class.
On a school-wide scale, with the entire student body here, she was still the isolated outcast rumored to be a “slut with no dad who chases guys.”
'Guess I worried too much. Haeun’s world is still hell…'
I nodded leisurely—right then.
“……Huh?”
My eyes widened at the unbelievable conversation hitting my ears.
The auditorium’s atmosphere, the opinions of hundreds, flipped like a massive tidal wave.
“Th-this… isn’t right.”
I stared up at Haeun on stage, my face blank.
How… after all the meticulous effort I put into dragging her down…
Isolating her completely, breaking her until she needed only me…
“Damn it… in just one day…”
I couldn’t pinpoint where it went wrong.
When Kang Minjae confronted Choi Jia?
Or when she got caught tearing the poster?
All I knew was the horrifying truth: the control I thought I had over her was slipping away like sand.
Right after lunch ended.
Voting wrapped up, and the results blared over the school broadcast.
The whole class erupted in cheers and applause.
Then Haeun’s face appeared live on the screen at the front blackboard.
Standing at the broadcast mic, she stared wide-eyed, like she couldn’t believe it.
“Uh… I-I never thought I’d actually win… Ow.”
Too tense, she bit her small red tongue.
Tears welled up in her eyes, one sliding down her cheek.
She hurriedly wiped it with her sleeve, blushing in shy vulnerability—so heartbreaking, so endearing.
“S-sorry… I was just so surprised…”
The classroom watching the broadcast was utterly captivated by Haeun.
The boys stared at the screen, faces flushed like they were enchanted.
The girls nodded with pity-filled expressions.
Perfect resurrection.
No— a complete status upgrade from hated queen bee to pitiful mascot everyone wanted to protect.
“……”
I crossed my arms, silently glaring at Haeun’s shy smile on the screen.
My chest felt like it’d been shoved into a sewer—disgusting, aching—but I forced a calm facade, rationalizing it away.
'…Well, whatever. It’s done.'
I never expected perfect control from the start anyway.
Variables like Minjae could flip the board anytime.
Haeun was back in the in-crowd, so my menhera maker game ended in failure here. Fine.
As I swallowed that bitter defeat, staring at the screen—
Swipe.
From the shadowy back of the classroom, somewhere chilling and secretive.
Someone’s gaze—sticky, thick, spine-chilling—bore silently into Woojin’s back.
After school.
The class was hyped, planning a celebration party for the new student council president Haeun.
“Yo, Lee Woojin! We’re playing basketball today—you in? Tomorrow we’re treating Haeun to jaw meat for her win, so let’s prep among ourselves…”
Kang Minjae slapped my shoulder excitedly.
I suppressed my rising irritation, faking exhaustion.
“Ah… sorry. I’m beat today. Mind if I head out early?”
“Dude! Last time you said that and bailed too?”
Minjae furrowed his brows, then saw my pale face and sighed shortly.
“Fine. You look wrecked. Rest up. Guys, let’s go!”
The rowdy group left, and I dragged my heavy feet to the first-floor shoe lockers.
“Hoo…”
Deep sigh as I opened my indoor shoes drawer—
A neatly folded pink envelope tumbled onto my shoes.
“…Love letter?”
What the hell was this out of nowhere?
A smirk tugged at my lips as I picked it up.
Even a background loser like me gets one?
Perks of hanging with Minjae’s popular crew, I guess.
'Hoo… yeah. Time to forget Baek Haeun clean, stick to my lane, and just date normally.'
Bitter smile as I lightly tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter.
But reading that single line—my heart plummeted.
I know your secret.
If you don’t want to get caught, come to the back of the school.
“……!”
Cold sweat drenched my back.
Secret? My schemes to isolate Haeun?
Who the hell…?
As I panicked, crumpling the letter—
“Woojin-ah… what’re you doing?”
Familiar voice from behind.
I whipped around, startled—Haeun had come down the stairs, staring right at me.
“Wha—?! N-no, nothing!”
I hurriedly hid the letter behind my back.
Haeun silently watched my suspicious moves, then blushed faintly, tucking her hair behind her ear delicately.
“Today… wanna go home… together?”
Her hand extended, a loving invitation to walk with her.
But my head was filled with terror that my deeds might be exposed.
“Ah… um! I forgot something in the classroom! Haha… you go ahead?!”
Stammering, I ditched her and bolted like mad toward the school back.
Baek Haeun, left alone at the shoe lockers.
Her large eyes followed my retreating back—not with sadness or confusion, but a chilling void, pitch-black and empty.
Behind the deserted old school building, by the dumpster.
Panting, I arrived to find an unfamiliar girl leaning casually against the wall.
“You’re pretty late.”
Long straight hair fluttering in the wind.
Cool, indifferent eyes.
The quiet girl from class who barely spoke, barely existed.
Yu Jiwon.
“You…”
I glared at Jiwon, catching my breath.
She had no presence, but up close, her features were breathtakingly refined and beautiful.
No time to admire, though.
“What… the hell do you want? Money…?”
At my defensive question, Jiwon pressed a slender finger to her red lips and let out a small laugh.
“Money…? Sure, if you give it. But not necessary.”
“Then… what?!”
I snapped irritably, and she peeled off the wall, approaching slowly.
“Y’know, there’s one thing I’ve always wanted to do since coming to this school. Will you help? Then I’ll take your secret to the grave forever.”
“What… is it?”
I swallowed dryly, backing up.
My guarded stance narrowed her brows slightly.
“What’s this? The guilty one yelling first? Makes me not wanna keep your secret anymore.”
“N-no, I mean…”
As I stammered in panic, she closed in until she was right in my face.
Her cool fingertip brushed my lips lightly.
“Kidding.”
Jiwon winked playfully, whispering.
“But seriously… you’ve already given up?”
“Huh…?”
“Coming all this way and playing dumb…? On Baek Haeun. Training her to your taste, playing with her. You quitting already?”
It felt like a hammer to the head.
Not just the rumors I spread via Minjae and others—she’d pierced right through my core goal.
“Wh-what’re you talking about? Haha…”
As I kept denying, she withdrew her hand and looked up coldly.
“Hey. Lee Woojin. I already know everything, that’s why I called you. No point pretending.”
“……”
Facing her confident eyes, I lost even the will to argue.
Shoulders slumping, head down.
“Yeah… that’s why you sent that letter.”
I swallowed defeat, chuckling self-mockingly.
“So what? What now…? I’ve quit. Reality check: turning Baek Haeun like that is impossible… I learned that the hard way.”
Baek Haeun, back at the caste top in one day.
At my surrender, Jiwon nodded with an enigmatic smile.
“Yeah, impossible realistically. If you do nothing.”
“……”
“But what if there’s a way to perfect it?”
My head snapped up.
“A… way…?”
“Yeah. That thing I wanna do.”
Jiwon stared straight into my eyes, enunciating each word.
“Date… me, Lee Woojin.”
“…What?!”
My jaw dropped at the unexpected words.
The blackmailer suddenly wants to date me?
“D-dating you won’t make Baek Haeun suddenly look my way…!”
I retorted absurdly, and she burst out laughing, “Pfft.”
“Dude. I could tell just from her expressions from afar.”
“What…?”
“You’re such an idiot? Right now, Baek Haeun’s totally fixated on you. Right?”
Lightning flashed in my mind at her words.
Earlier today in class, surrounded by girls, Haeun turning to look at me with that cool, intense gaze.
And before the election, her eerily still expression as she stared.
'No way… that look from Baek Haeun…'
Not a failure—my training worked too perfectly, her true nature bubbling under the shell? That gaze… meant that from the start?
“So. You in or out?”
Jiwon nailed it as I reeled in confusion.
“Whatever happens, it’s a win for you, Lee Woojin. I cover your trash secret. You date me, stoke Baek Haeun’s jealousy, achieve your goal.”
She stepped closer, faint smile.
“And even if it all flops… dating a girl like me is a huge score for you, right?”
Arrogant taunt.
But facing her, I couldn’t help swallowing.
Her hair shimmering in the sunlight, that bold lip curl.
Objectively… insanely pretty.
“O-okay…”
My face heated up unknowingly.
I nodded, entranced, stammering.
“Then… when do we…”
“When?”
Jiwon lightly grabbed my tie, pulling me close, whispering sweetly, dangerously.
“From now on.”