The next morning, Jhenna packed her bag with a strange sense of calm. She stopped at a convenience store on her way to school—she still couldn't cook Korean dishes, so a snack and a cola would have to do. Every won she saved was a step toward her freedom.

As she walked through the school gates, she noticed a change in the atmosphere. The past few days had been suspiciously peaceful. Jo-Anna had been quiet.

But in Haneul High, silence was never a good sign. It meant a storm was brewing.

The assault didn't begin with shouting. It began with a buzz.

One by one, in the middle of Class 2-A, screens began to light up. Gasps followed. Whispers like hissing snakes filled the room. Jhenna’s own phone buzzed—once, twice, three times.

Calmly, she lifted it.

The post was anonymous, but the intent was clear. It was an old, low-quality photo of her back in Nigeria. No designer clothes. No expensive skincare. Just a girl in a simple dress, standing in a world that looked nothing like the marble halls of Haneul.

The caption read: “This is the scholarship student pretending to belong here. Know your place.”

Laughter erupted, cold and sharp.

“She really came from nothing…”

“No wonder she acts like that. Trying to climb the social ladder, huh?”

Jhenna didn’t react. She didn’t hide her phone. She didn't cry. She simply listened to the sound of their cruelty, her eyes fixed on the screen.

Across the room, Jo-Anna leaned back in her chair, looking deeply satisfied. “Well,” Jo-Anna said, her voice carrying across the room. “That was… awkward.”

The class went silent, waiting for Jhenna to break. But Jhenna simply placed her phone face-down on her desk and stood up. She moved slowly, deliberately, until she reached the front of the classroom.

“Finished?” Jhenna asked. Her voice was low, but it commanded the room.

Jo-Anna’s smile twitched. Yura, her sidekick, sneered. “You really don’t feel any shame, do you?”

Jhenna tilted her head, as if considering the question. “I do,” she answered expressionlessly. “But not for that photo.”

“What does that mean?” Yura squinted, her voice tightening.

Jhenna scanned the room, her gaze unshaken. “If that picture is supposed to embarrass me, you’ve misunderstood something. I didn’t come from 'nothing.' I came from a place where people have to be strong to survive. A place none of you would last a single day.”

The room went deathly silent. Jhenna’s words weren't a plea; they were a fact.

Suddenly, the classroom door swung open.

Lee Seo-Jun stepped in. He looked casual, his tie loosened, but his eyes weren't smiling. He glanced at a student's phone, seeing the viral post. A dark shadow crossed his face.

“Who posted it?” he asked. His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed like a crack of thunder.

No one spoke. Even the wealthiest students knew that defying the Lee family meant financial ruin.

Jo-Anna was the only one who dared to look him in the eye. “Why? Does it bother you, Seo-Jun?”

Seo-Jun didn't even look at her. He walked straight past the "Queen" and halted next to Jhenna. The air in the room seemed to stop moving.

Without a word, Seo-Jun slid off his designer blazer and draped it over Jhenna’s shoulders.

The class gasped in unison. By putting his jacket on her, he wasn't just being a gentleman—he was claiming her. He was telling the school that Jhenna was under his protection.

“If you’re going to stare,” Seo-Jun said coldly to the class, “at least try not to look so pathetic while you do it.”

Jo-Anna stood up, her face turning a furious shade of red. “LEE SEO-JUN!”

He finally looked at her, his gaze icy. “Don’t start something you can’t control, Jo-Anna. That’s a warning.”

He turned back to Jhenna. She stayed motionless, enveloped in the expensive scent of his jacket. She didn't thank him. She didn't blush. She simply watched the chaos she had orchestrated.

Beneath the fabric of his blazer, a small, dangerous grin touched her lips.

The bait hadn't just been taken, she thought. The hook was deep.

AUTHOR's NOTE: 

Welcome to the end of chapter 4!!

Thank you for making it this far with jhenna.

Please vote and comment, it's your support that truly keeps jhenna going, and don't miss the fun part, where you will truly be hooked with jhenna.

Question for the comments:

Do you think jhenna is making the right decision??