Tales of the Nightshade

Hanbin followed Su Won out of the classroom, but after a few steps, he realized he had lost her. He glanced down the hallway, then the nearby corridors, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Defeated, he walked back into the classroom, greeted by curious eyes and murmurs.

"Hanbin! What did she say to you?" one of the students asked, leaning forward eagerly.

Hanbin shook his head with a small smile. "Ah, I couldn't find her. I walked out of the room, searched for her, but she just disappeared. So I came back."

The students exchanged uneasy looks.

"Suwon is really creepy," a girl whispered, leaning closer to her friend. "She's probably jealous of you, Hanbin. Maybe she wanted to harm you but couldn't go through with it."

"Yeah, Hanbin, don't worry. We're here for you," another chimed in. "Just don't talk to her from now on."

Suddenly, the door creaked open.

Suwon entered the classroom quietly, her steps slow and deliberate. The students turned their heads away, avoiding her gaze as if her presence was suffocating. She didn't acknowledge anyone and simply walked to her desk, her expression as cold and unbothered as ever.

Just then, their homeroom teacher entered the room.

"Everyone, please take your seats," the teacher announced, clapping her hands. "We have a new student joining us today."

All eyes turned to the door as the teacher gestured. "Come in."

A girl walked in slowly, her shoulder-length hair swaying slightly with each step. Her sharp features were captivating, and a small, polite smile played on her lips.

"Introduce yourself," the teacher prompted.

The girl nodded and spoke, her voice clear and confident. "Hello, my name is Jeon Juwon. Nice to meet you all."

A ripple of murmurs spread through the class.

"Jeon Juwon? But there's a Jeon Suwon in our class!" someone exclaimed.

"Are you Suwon's sister?" another student blurted out.

The teacher quickly intervened, waving a hand to quiet the chatter. "No, they're not related. Juwon is from Ulsan, while Suwon is from Seoul. Now, let's focus. Finals are coming up, and I expect you all to help her settle in."

Scanning the classroom for an empty desk, the teacher's eyes landed on Suwon.

"Suwon doesn't have a desk mate," she said decisively. "Juwon, you can sit there."

Juwon smiled again and walked over to Suwon's desk, setting her bag down beside her new seatmate.

Suwon didn't even glance at her, but the air between them felt heavy.

NANHUI HIGH SCHOOL

Behind the school building, the backyard.

A group of boys surrounded a figure. The atmosphere was heavy with tension, punctuated by the sharp sound of fists hitting flesh. The boy in the middle, his face bruised.

Sitting a few feet away, leaning causally against the wall, was the ringleader. His mullet haircut, unbuttoned uniform and the cigarette between his finger made him looking like a gangster. He didn't need to lift a finger, his gang did all work for him.

After a while, that leader raised his hand and the group immediately stopped. His presence commanded instant obedience. "From now on, " he said coldly, his voice was sharp and threatening, " don't even think about showing your face in front of me"

"I'm sorry Seok Woo. I won't do that again. I swear" the boy stammered, his voice cracking as he knelt on the ground. Seemed the victim was also the member of that gang. Seokwoo didn't bother looking at him. "Get lost"

The boy scrambled to his feet and ran off.

Seokwoo pulled out his phone, scrolling through a conversation thread. The person he was chatting with had deleted their ID, leaving conversation cut off. From the previous night, it had been like that.

The classroom buzzed with morning chatter as the bell rang, signaling the start of the day. Bae Seok Woo entered the room, his imposing figure drawing brief glances. His sharp eyes darted toward a particular desk. It was empty.

The absence didn't sit right with him. That person was never late.

Moments later, the teacher stepped into the room, silencing the murmurs. She adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat.

"Students, I have an announcement to make."

Curious whispers filled the room again.

"From today onwards, we will have a new class president," the teacher said.

"What?!" one of the students blurted out. "Why, Teacher? Where is Juwon?"

The teacher's expression softened. "Jeon Juwon has transferred to another school."

Gasps and shocked exclamations rippled through the room.

"What?? Without even telling us?"

"Why would she leave like that?"

"She never thought of us as friends!" a girl proclaimed, her voice tinged with betrayal.

The teacher raised her hand to restore order. "Students, please calm down. Jeon Juwon had an urgent family matter and had to transfer to a school in Seoul."

"Seoul?!"

"She's in Seoul now?"

"I can't believe it..."

As the class erupted into chatter, Seok Woo remained silent, his face unreadable. He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, seemingly unbothered.

"Teacher," he said, his deep voice cutting through the noise. "If you're done with this, just pick a new president already."

The room fell silent. No one dared to challenge Seok Woo, not with his reputation and his powerful family background.

The teacher hesitated, then nodded. "Alright, students. Let's stay focused. The finals are around the corner, and I expect all of you to do your best."

Four Months Ago...

The sun hung low, casting a warm glow over the rooftop of Nahui High School. Bae Seok Woo lounged on a bench, arms crossed behind his head, the cool breeze brushing his face. His phone buzzed, interrupting his solitude.

An SNS notification popped up.

risingmoon...

The username was unfamiliar, clearly a fake account. It wasn't the first time random people tried to contact him. He ignored the message, as usual.

Moments later, another ping.

A simple emoji.

Seok Woo frowned but didn't bother replying. He was used to girls fawning over him but too afraid of his reputation to approach directly.

Then came another message.

"Is this Lee Yeon Min?"

The name caught his attention.

Lee Yeon Min—his senior, his rival, and a thorn in his side. Yeon Min wasn't just a fellow gangster; he was the kind of person Seok Woo despised—untouchable, both in status and reputation. Known as a drug dealer operating secretly within the school, Yeon Min had managed to avoid every trap laid for him. No evidence, no proof, nothing. Seok Woo had been itching for a way to take him down.

His curiosity piqued, Seok Woo opened the chat.

Another message appeared.

"Ah... I'm sorry! I thought this was Yeon Min's ID. I'm so sorry!"

The apologies came in waves, accompanied by a string of cutesy stickers.

Seok Woo chuckled, amused by the sheer desperation.

For some reason, he decided to reply.

"It's okay. I'm Yeon Min hyung's brother."

A pause. Then, another text:

"What's your name?"

The response came quickly:

"I'm sorry, but I can't reveal my name. My friend said to use a fake name to confess to him... She said it would work."

Seok Woo smirked.

"Is she dumb?"

The corner of his lips curled into a devilish grin as an idea began to form in his mind.

Another notification lit up Seok Woo's phone.

"Excuse me, can you help me deliver a message to him? I'm too afraid to go in front of him."

Attached to the text was a cutesy emotional sticker—a wide-eyed cartoon character with trembling hands, as if pleading for help.

Seok Woo raised an eyebrow. Was she serious? He tapped out a reply, unable to hide his amusement.

"Why don't you do your own work? I might help you meet him instead."

The response came almost instantly.

"No, no… I can't do it. I'm scared."

Seok Woo smirked.

"How are you planning to date him if you're scared of him?"

There was a long pause before she replied,

"I'll manage it in the future."

The corner of his lips twitched upward.

"This girl's hopeless," he muttered under his breath.

Yet, despite her naive personality, Seok Woo found himself intrigued. Whether out of boredom or curiosity, he decided to keep playing along.

Curiosity piqued, Seok Woo opened her profile. To his surprise, it didn't look like a typical fake ID. The account had almost 100,000 followers.

An art page.

His eyes scanned the feed, which was filled with posts of intricate artwork. He tapped on one of the images, then another, and another. The details, the strokes, the depth—each piece was incredibly extraordinary.

The art carried a dark, haunting beauty that drew him in. It wasn't the kind of brightness or cheer he expected from someone who sent him stickers of pleading cartoon characters. Instead, it was raw, emotional, and eerily captivating.

Seok Woo leaned back, his fingers scrolling slowly through the gallery.

"Interesting," he muttered under his breath.

As someone who had always loved art, the page tugged at a part of him he rarely acknowledged. It wasn't just the skill that impressed him. It was the feeling—the darkness that seemed to echo something within himself.For the first time in a while, he felt genuinely intrigued.

SUMOON HIGH SCHOOL

"Hi!" The transferred student greeted Suwon with a bright smile, attempting to spark a conversation. Her voice carried a friendly and inviting tone, as if she was eager to make a connection.

Suwon, however, didn't even glance at her. Her focus remained on her notes. The only movement she made was a quick adjustment of her pen.

"Won't you talk with me?" Juwon asked, her cheerful demeanor faltering slightly.

Suwon sighed lightly, took out her earbuds, and placed them in her ears without a word. The gesture was cold, a clear signal that she wasn't interested in chatting.

Juwon blinked in surprise but didn't let it affect her mood. She simply shrugged, seeming unbothered. It wasn't long before another student approached Juwon, starting a conversation.

Suwon remained silent, her face unreadable. Deep down, Juwon's persistent friendliness irked her. For Suwon, it wasn't about dislike—it was about distraction. She had no time for small talk, especially when she was so focused on surpassing her competition.

As the finals loomed closer, SUMOON High School buzzed with an atmosphere of intense preparation. The once lively hallways were now silent, filled only with the faint rustling of pages and murmurs of formulas being revised.

Suwon, sat at her desk, biting her nails anxiously. Panic bubbled within her as she scribbled notes furiously. Thoughts of failure haunted her. 'If I don't come in first place, will my parents abandon me?' The fear was a constant weight on her chest. Her parents' expectations felt like chains, binding her to an impossible standard. The image of her father's disapproving glare loomed in her mind, a stark reminder of past disappointments. No birthday presents, no kind words, just silence.

Suwon shook her head, trying to refocus, but the nightmares of abandonment she'd had since childhood surfaced again. She hadn't slept in days, her mind too consumed with worry.

Gripping her pen tightly. Her face was pale, beads of sweat forming on her forehead despite the chilly late November air. Her vision blurred slightly as the exhaustion from endless studying and stress overtook her.

Juwon noticed her state and leaned closer. "Are you okay?" she asked with genuine concern, her voice breaking through the haze of Suwon's thoughts.

Suwon tried to respond but found herself unable to form words. Her hand trembled, and the pen slipped from her grasp. She shakily stood, intending to walk to the washroom for a moment to breathe. But as soon as she took a step, her vision darkened, and her legs gave out beneath her.

With a soft thud, Suwon collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Gasps echoed through the classroom as students rushed to her side, their books and notes forgotten.

Suwon stared at Juwon, her shock evident in her wide eyes. For a moment, the room was silent, save for the faint hum of the air conditioning.

Juwon, her sharp gaze fixed on Suwon. "You heard me, didn't you? You're staying here until the saline is finished. End of discussion."

Suwon clenched her fists, her pride wounded. "Why do you care so much? Do you know me? Are we friends?" Her voice was cold, almost defiant, yet it quivered slightly.

Juwon exhaled sharply, a mix of frustration and concern flickering across her face. "No, you don't think we're friends. But I've already decided you're my friend, Suwon. And I don't abandon my friends."

"I don't care about what you're thinking... Moreover, I can take care of myself. From now on, don't do anything for me."

Her cold, sharp words left Juwon speechless, her expression faltering as Suwon walked away.

Back in the classroom, whispers began to spread like wildfire. The students couldn't stop gossiping about how Juwon had carried Suwon to the nursing room on her back, and the heated exchange that had taken place there.

Suwon, despite wearing earphones, couldn't help but overhear the murmurs around her. She chose to ignore them.

Juwon focused on spending time with her friends outside.

"We shouldn't talk bad behind people's backs," Juwon remarked calmly, sipping her juice in the school canteen.

One of her friends looked at her with admiration. "Juwon, you're such a kind soul. You're not even blaming Suwon for what she said to you..."

Juwon simply smiled.

After returning from the washroom, Suwon reached her desk, only to find a neatly folded piece of paper tucked inside.

Curious, she opened it.

The words scrawled on the paper made her eyes widen in shock, and her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

Her heart raced as she hastily folded the paper back and shoved it into her pocket, her mind a whirlwind of fear and confusion.