I picked a seat at the back of my class, waiting for the lecture to begin. As we were waiting for the teacher to arrive, the sound of chatter filled the air. What caught my attention was a conversation between a group of friends near the back of the class.

“Ugh, this ugly uniform. I don’t want to wear it at all.” A pretty girl said while twirling her hair. I took a look at her student ID and recognized her instantly. She was Choi Sunhi, a girl who often appeared on magazine covers.

Another person, Jang Joo Won, with a cool wolf cut hairstyle, laughed.

“Sure, don’t wear it and you’re killed. I swear, I just wanna spit at this school’s stupid rules. Although it’s kinda interesting.”

Sunhi rolled her eyes. “Interesting my ass. I’m too pretty to get that stinky blood on me.”

From what I see, they seemed to be rebels, but they didn't seem to be interested in it either. Maybe they don't realize the seriousness of the problem, or they don't care about it. They also gossiped about some random things, but I ignored them since it was none of my business.

Until class president Haneul walked up to me.

“Are you alright? Why aren’t you talking to anyone?” She asked, concerned. I didn’t know what to do except for chuckling awkwardly.

“It’s okay, it’s just a bit hard to make friends in your first school days.”

Haneul nodded, looking thoughtful. “Ha, of course. I'm just worried about you being isolated, as the class president, you know. If you're okay, then it's fine.”

I nodded, feeling a little grateful. It seemed like the class president was quite a conscientious person.

“If you don't mind, I could use some help,” I asked, testing her sincerity.

“Oh.. okay. I'm free anyway. Ask anything you want.”

“In that case…” I stopped to think for a moment, not wanting to lose this opportunity. “You know about this school’s rules, right?”

Haneul nodded. “Of course. The higher the position, the more power a student has. A pretty harsh and unfair system, if you ask me.”

“If so, does being class president bring any perks? Like not getting killed?”

“Partly true and partly not. It is my privilege to give orders to my classmates; however, if I do so, I will lose their trust. As for being killed, I can still be killed or ordered by those higher up.”

“What about your dorm room?” ”Slightly better than normal students. I have a private bathroom.”

It sounded a bit absurd. If being the class president still got killed like normal, what was the point of doing it? Moreover, there was the risk of being betrayed by your classmates. 

Jealousy, competitiveness, envy... if you had to endure such things in exchange for a little power, was it worth it? It was, but only for those with a goal further away. And Haneul didn't seem like someone with ambitions to reach the student council.

Thinking that, I looked at her curiously. "Doing so much work for so little benefit, aren't you tired?”

Haneul laughed at my question, amused. 

"Tired? Of course I am. But if I don't try, what can I do? A bar of gold is still gold; half a bar of gold is still gold. Even if it's burned, melted, even if only a pitiful little piece remains, it's still gold, it's still valuable. Those little benefits are better than nothing.”

"I see..." I fell silent, understanding many things. It seems like she won't tell the whole truth, so it's useless to ask any further. But after all, it turned out that everything was different from what I had imagined. Everything here is like a feudal system, so similar that it's scary.

And in Haneul’s case, this was exploitation.

People who are so hungry for power that they know they will be used without hesitation. Even though they know that they are just a small, meaningless piece of gold in a valuable, shining pot of gold, they still hope that one day they will become diamonds. They are corroded by those very thoughts, thoughts that are not manipulated by the student council, but come from within themselves.

How pathetic.

My train of thought was interrupted when the math teacher walked into the classroom. Haneul gave me a faint smile and went back to her seat. The school year had truly begun.

Lunch time

The bell rang, signaling lunchtime. Like other students, I made my way towards the school's canteen and stood in line. I noticed that not only the power, the dorm room, but also the food is very different between students. Club leaders and class presidents received a full meal with starch, soup, meat, and vegetables; theirs looked fresher and more expensive than ours. On the contrary, ordinary students like me only got a small portion of gimbap for lunch today. As for the students in the student council, I didn't see them. I guessed that they were sitting in a separate dining room.

I received my food portion and found a seat. The seating area was also divided, which means that I couldn’t approach Haneul at this time. I clicked my tongue and went to sit alone, but then, why didn’t I approach someone else? Anyone could be useful, right? Come to think of it, Sunhi and Joo Won weren’t a bad choice. They have rebel thoughts, maybe they would agree if I asked to join.

Thinking so, I looked around and found them in the middle of the room, grumbling about the food. I was about to approach them when Hyun Joo stopped me.

“Where are you going?” She asked. I raised an eyebrow, wondering why she decided to talk to me.

“It’s not your problem. Why are you here? Don’t you have friends?” ”Bingo. I don’t.” She smirked, as if it were something normal. “Can I sit with you, then?” ”No. You didn’t agree to help me.” ”With what? Your rebellious plan? Of course not.” I huffed. “If so, then get out of the way, I'm looking for people who can help me.”

She gave me a weird look. “Seriously? Do you make friends with someone just because they bring you benefits?”

I tried to find a way to escape, but she quickly blocked my way. I sighed and looked away.

“No... I mean, not just for benefits.”

“Then why do you avoid me? Do I not benefit you enough?”

“It’s not like that…”

I trailed off, but then realised something.

“Wait- it’s not even your problem! Move, I don’t have much time.”

Hyun Joo chuckled, but then stepped aside to let me go. I noticed her lunch was different from the others. Her tray was full—steaming soup, glazed meat, polished utensils. A luxury she neither earned nor seemed to want. But she didn’t reject it either.

I took a seat across from Joo Won and next to Sunhi. They looked at me, confused, so I had to introduce myself.

“You two are in class 10-A, right? So am I. I’m Young Il, thought I’d say hi.” 

Joo Won raised an eyebrow. “Actually… no. But I’ll take note of that.” 

She pointed her fork at me. “Why are you here?”

“No reason, I just want to be friends.” 

”Friends?” Sunhi, who was sitting next to me, sneered. Her eyes were still glued to her phone. “What is this, kindergarten?”

Joo Won snorted into her gimbap. “You must be new-new.” 

I had to suppress a sigh. Such mean girls, it’d be a miracle for them to survive if they ever met a student council member. 

We continued to eat separately, without a word of conversation, perhaps due to my presence. To break the tense atmosphere, I spoke up.

“I assume you knew the school’s rules?” I asked, but no one answered. “How violent, right?”

“I think it’s fine, we just have to adapt,” Sunhi replied. Seriously, what was this girl thinking?

“But don’t you think it’s a bit extreme to kill someone if they don’t obey?” I pushed her limits. “If you agree to help me, I promise to get you out of here.” 

”It was so hard to get in, and now you want us to leave?” Sunhi frowned. ”We don’t like it. Go away.”

“But-”

“Are you deaf? I said Go away.”

I let out a disappointed sigh, then picked up my tray and left. This plan proved more challenging to execute than I had anticipated. While I was thinking, a sneer came from beside me.

"See? I told you so." Hyun Joo sarcastically said.

“Oh, what do you know?” I scoffed. She smirked and leaned on the nearby wall.

“People only waver when it affects their interests or disadvantages.” 

”What do you mean by that?” 

”Don’t ask, I’m not going to explain it.”

I gave her a tired look, then my voice switched to pleading. “Can you at least do me a favor, then?”

Hyun Joo raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“I just…” I looked away, swallowing my pride. “I need to know who I’m really up against. About Jae Hwa. About the council. Please.”

Hyun Joo’s smile faded. She leaned off the wall, voice lower now.

“…Not here.”

I nodded. “My room?”

A pause. Then she followed.

I waited for Hyun Joo to enter and then closed the door, still clutching the gimbap I had wrapped. It must have been cold and stiff by now, but I hadn't had a chance to eat during my conversation with Sunhi.

“No need to take off your shoes,” I said as I set the gimbap on the table. From the cupboard, I pulled out a box of cheap tea—probably the worst in the dorm block, but it was something.

"Tea?"

"No, thank you." Hyun Joo replied, probably out of politeness. Honestly, I felt a bit embarrassed by my lack of hospitality.

Hyun Joo sat down on my bed, her hands caressing the soft blanket. I sat down next to her, opened the gimbap package, and threw a piece into my mouth.

“Let me start,” she said.

“Let’s see... The student council—it’s the dream of every girl here. Prestige, power, protection. They hand-pick their members mostly for family background, but that’s not the whole picture. Each one is talented in some way. You shouldn’t underestimate them.”

I swallowed and nodded. “So they don’t have weaknesses?”

“Oh, they do.” Her eyes gleamed. “Find those, and maybe you’ll have a chance. But even with weaknesses, they’re still incredible. You understand, right?”

“You mean…” 

”Yes. Find it, and challenge them. But even with their weakness, they’re still incredible. You understand, right?”

I nodded while chewing a huge piece of gimbap. “In that case, no need to tell me about Jae Hwa. She’s just like them, right?” 

”No, of course not.” Hyun Joo shook her head. “Yes, but also no. There was something about her... strange. But no one had figured it out yet.” 

”We'll worry about that later. So, what do you think I should do now?”

“That’s your problem.” Her voice was flat, final. 

I huffed. “Come on, why do you keep refusing to help me?”

“Because your goal isn’t my goal.” Her tone chilled. “Simple as that.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but just then I started choking on the gimbap.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s dry.” I staggered to the table, grabbing a cup and pouring myself water. As I did, my eyes fell on my student ID card lying there.

“…Hyun Joo, tell me about Minji.” She tilted her head. “Minji? You mean Oh Minji?” She scratched her chin thoughtfully. “I don’t know much. I was ordered to kill her because she wasn’t wearing her card. You saw the rest.”

“I know. But how did they know that she wasn’t wearing her card?”

“They check,” she said, casually. “If someone seems off, the council sends a few members to investigate. That’s how they keep control.” 

”I see… I get it now. Thanks.” 

”May I ask why?” Hyun Joo asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You may not.” I smiled, letting the words settle between us like dust. “It’s top-secret.”