The student council room was a separate, isolated space, completely detached from the school grounds. It was a dark, cold chamber, but that did not take away from its aristocratic aura. Gorgeous chandeliers dripped crystal light onto the polished marble floor, and the walls were adorned with ancient oil paintings whose eyes seemed to follow intruders. A marble statue of Aphrodite, veiled in shadow, stood guard in the center: an elegant reminder of unattainable beauty and cruelty.

And at the highest point of the room, upon an elevated dais draped in deep purple velvet, was the seat no one dared to approach uninvited — the throne of the student council president.

Yoona and Soo A stepped forward, boots echoing on marble. They dropped to one knee before the throne’s steps, heads bowed in perfect submission. A hush of silk as the figure in the chair shifted — Kim Jae Hwa, her legs elegantly crossed, one pale hand resting beneath her sharp chin. Her gaze was half-lidded, lazy, but her eyes gleamed like a blade waiting to taste blood.

“How goes the inspection?” Jae Hwa asked, her voice a low, silvery note that filled the entire hall without needing volume.

“Everything proceeded as expected,” Yoona said crisply. “A student was found without her ID. We administered the contortion penalty. No resistance.”

“And the body?” Jae Hwa asked, as if discussing a misdelivered letter.

“Disposed of,” Soo A answered. Her voice was flat, soldier-like.

Jae Hwa nodded once, then noticed Soo A still holding something. She extended one elegant hand in command. Soo A rose and stepped up the dais, before handing her a single crumpled scrap of paper.

“Moreover,” Yoona said, lowering her eyes, “we found this. In Kim Young Il’s room. In her trash.”

Jae Hwa unfolded the scrap slowly, savoring the whisper of paper. Her crimson-painted lips curled upward as her eyes danced across the crude sketch: arrows, names, question marks — the skeleton of a plot to dethrone her.

“Oh?” A soft laugh slipped from her throat. She looked down at Yoona and Soo A like a cat toying with a dying mouse. “Young Il. The transfer girl. How daring of her. Has she made any allies?”

“Not that we can confirm yet. She has been seen speaking privately with Park Hyun Joo and Choi Sunhi. They appear suspicious, but no overt rebellion,” Yoona reported with military precision.

“Park Hyun Joo…” Jae Hwa murmured. “That snake. Of course, she’d sniff out the scent of trouble first.”

She brought the paper to her lips, brushed it with a ghost of a kiss, then tore it cleanly in two, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the velvet chamber. Shreds drifted to the marble at her feet.

“Let her try,” Jae Hwa whispered, eyes glittering. “This might even be… entertaining.”

She flicked her fingers dismissively. “Double the surveillance. But don’t touch her. A beautiful flower must bloom before it’s crushed.”

Yoona and Soo A bowed low, voices unified: “Yes, President.”

And then silence reclaimed the room, broken only by the faint sound of Jae Hwa’s soft laughter, echoing beneath the watchful gaze of Aphrodite.

I entered the classroom, lost in thought. Joo Won’s death seemed horrible, but it was still a mystery. No matter how much I didn’t care, I had to deal with it if I wanted to help Sunhi. I opened the classroom door and stepped inside, and was surprised to find that there was no one in the classroom. Only the class president, Haneul, sat there, deep in thought, as if she were waiting for someone.

“Haneul? Where’s everyone?” I asked.

Haneul spoke calmly. “I told them to wait somewhere else. I wanted to speak to you.”

“Me?”

“Come here.” I reluctantly sat down next to her, feeling concerned. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, don’t worry. I want to discuss Joo Won’s death.” Haneul said, her voice still calm but laced with something I couldn’t quite figure out.

“Ah, Joo Won’s death. It’s a sensitive topic nowadays, huh? I didn’t think the student council would be so brutal.”

“Indeed…” Haneul nodded. “But have you thought about the possible causes? Who would’ve done such a thing with Joo Won’s card?”

“About that… I’m still trying to figure it out.” I sighed, lowering my head. “I wanted to help Sunhi and the class, but this is tough. I spent the whole night thinking, but everything was still in the dark.”

“It might seem difficult, but if you pay attention little by little, you will understand.” Haneul smiled and started explaining. “Even though Joo Won can be rebellious, she doesn’t have any enemies. So the culprit could only be those who were close to her.”

I raised a brow, “You mean Sunhi?”

“No, not Sunhi. She has no reason to do that. She's prettier and more successful than Joo Won, so it can't be jealousy.”

Haneul dropped her smile and turned to look at me.

“Why do you think I wanted to talk to you, some unrelated classmate, about Joo Won’s death, huh?”

“You mean…” I trailed off.

Haneul’s gaze darkened as she stood up and pointed at me. “That’s right. It’s you, Young Il. You were the one who switched Joo Won’s card.”

I stared at Haneul’s accusing finger, my pulse drumming in my ears. For a second, I laughed - a brittle, startled sound that bounced off the empty classroom walls.

“Me? That’s absurd,” I said, my voice calm, even though my mind raced for an exit. “Why would I kill Joo Won? I didn’t even know her that well. Besides, weren’t you the one who gave her that card?”

Haneul didn’t blink. Her eyes were like two dull blades pressed against my throat. She pulled out a crumbled piece of paper, and I immediately realized what it was.

“How…” I stuttered. Haneul smirked and nodded.

“That’s right. Someone gave me this, and I have no doubt it’s yours. Say, you used Joo Won as bait to verify how the student council finds out about lawbreakers, right?”

I clenched my fists under the desk. My throat felt dry as sand.

“Haneul,” I said carefully, my tone measured like I was coaxing a wild animal. “That’s just a piece of paper with some scribbles. It proves nothing.”

“Oh?” Haneul leaned in, so close I could smell her faint lavender perfume. Her soft voice curled in my ear like poison.

“You think you’re clever, huh? Sneaking around, planning to kill everyone. But that’s not gonna work with me.”

I forced my expression to stay neutral.

“Are you threatening me, Haneul?”

“That’s one way to put it.” Haneul leaned closer to me. “If you’re hiding something, you better confess it now. Or else I’ll report your action to the council.”

I let out a sigh, defeated.

“Fine. I’ll admit, I switched Joo Won’s card with a fake one while she was in the changing room. I snuck in when she didn’t notice.”

“Are you a pervert?” ”No, but I wanted to see how the student council found out about her fake card. Something about that card irked me.”

Haneul raised a brow, “And have you figured it out?”

“I haven’t. But I’m not gonna stop soon.”

She smirked and shook her head. “You know what the consequences of your action are, don’t you?”

I clenched my fists even tighter, my mind racing to find the way out of this situation. “I…”

“And don’t even think about trying anything with me,” Haneul warned, her voice dropping to a hiss. “I’m not the only one tangled up in Joo Won’s death. Think about your classmates. Especially Sunhi. She’s Joo Won’s best friend, if she finds out about this…”

Sunhi?

A spark flickered in my chest at that name. So she thought Sunhi could save her?

I let out a low, mocking laugh.

“How cute. And what exactly can sweet little Sunhi do to me?” I drawled, though my pulse hammered in my throat.

Haneul cocked her head, a cold smirk tugging at her lips. “Underestimate her all you want. She’s popular, well-liked, and connected. You think you can outplay everyone?”

I felt my lips curl into a grin that didn’t reach my eyes. “Maybe I don’t need to outplay everyone. Maybe I only need to silence you.”

Before she could blink, I snatched up the ruler from my desk and snapped it in half with a sharp crack. The jagged plastic gleamed like a crude knife.

Haneul’s eyes widened, but she barely flinched as I lunged. She twisted aside, the broken ruler grazing her cheek instead of her throat.

“Trying to kill me now, huh?” she spat, breathless but defiant.

I laughed. A dry, mad sound. “Unless you shut up, yes.”

I struck again. Once, twice — slashing at the air where she’d been a heartbeat before. She stumbled backward, knocking over desks to block my path.

“In your dreams!” she snapped, panting, eyes darting to the door as if praying for rescue.

She hurled a chair at me. I ducked, fury crackling behind my teeth. This was taking too long. If someone came now…

A click at the door.

My blood turned to ice, then thawed into relief when I saw her.

Sunhi.

Haneul’s eyes brightened with desperate hope. “Sunhi! Thank god, help me! She’s insane—”

But Sunhi didn’t hesitate. She rushed forward, not to Haneul, but to me. But then her hands seized Haneul’s arms, twisting them behind her back with startling force.

“Do it,” Sunhi hissed, voice shaking. “Hurry, before anyone sees.”

Haneul’s eyes went wide: betrayal and horror frozen on her face.

I didn’t waste another breath. I lunged, driving the jagged ruler deep into her throat. Warm blood sprayed my hands — Haneul’s gasp choked into silence.

She crumpled to the floor between us, just a body now.

Silence.

Haneul's blood splattered all over both of us. I should have been happy, but... "Did I... just kill someone?"

My eyes widened, my hands shaking with fear. This hand... had killed someone.

I held my head and sat down, unable to believe the truth before my eyes.

“Ha… no way…”

Sunhi looked at me worriedly as she stepped back a little.

“Young Il… what’s wrong?”

The stench of blood and Haneul's now lifeless eyes sent shivers down my spine. Fear filled my mind, but there was also an indescribable pleasure and excitement. It was wrong to feel this way, but there was nothing I could do.

I stared at my bloodied hands, sticky and warm. The ruler, just a piece of cheap plastic moments ago, now looked like a relic dug up from some corner of my soul.

My breath came in sharp, ragged bursts. My body trembled, but not just from fear… no, there was something else. Something dark and sweet, coiling in my chest like a serpent tasting fresh air for the first time.

A laugh tore itself from my throat. I pressed my palm to my mouth, but the laughter wouldn’t stop. It bubbled up, unstoppable, until it cracked into words.

“Why does this feel so good…?”

Sunhi flinched at my voice. Her eyes darted from my stained hands to Haneul’s lifeless body sprawled across the floor, and then back to me. Her lips parted, but no sound came out — only shallow, terrified breaths.

I forced myself to stand, legs trembling.

“Sunhi…” I turned to her, voice hushed, raw, yet steady beneath the trembling edge. “I killed her. We killed her. And I don’t know why, but I…”

I took her wrist, smearing her soft skin red. She recoiled slightly, but she didn’t pull away.

“…I liked it.”

Sunhi recoiled, but didn’t pull away completely. Her wide eyes darted to Haneul’s limp body, then back to me.

“Young Il! What now?”

What now?

Good question.

I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring how my legs shook. I wiped my hands on my skirt. Pointless, but it made me feel less like an animal.

“We clean up. We make this look like an accident, or a suicide, or whatever gets us time.”