BLACK ROSE IN SEOUL

CHAPTER 2: FIRST DAY AT SEONGJIN HIGH

The gates of Seongjin International High were bigger than my whole house in Soroti.

Glass. Gold. And boys in blazers who looked like they were born in cars.

I tugged at my skirt. It was too short.

Back home, my kitenge went past my knees. Here, it barely covered my thighs.

Everyone stared.

Not the normal "new student" stare.

The "what is she" stare.

"Is that... a Black girl?"

"She’s in Min-ho’s uniform."

"Did the Kims adopt a maid?"

Whispers followed me like flies.

My face burned. I kept my eyes on the ground, clutching the black rose Mrs. Kim had pinned to my blazer for "good luck."

Then I saw him.

Min-ho.

Student Council President badge. Perfect hair. Cold eyes.

Surrounded by girls who giggled when he walked.

He saw me too.

For half a second, something flickered.

Then he turned away.

I chased after him into an empty hallway. "Oppa—"

He stopped.

"Don’t call me that." His voice was ice.

"At school, we don’t know each other. The Kims adopted you for charity. Don’t embarrass us."

My chest caved in.

"But at home—"

"At home is different," he cut me off. "Here, you’re nothing."

He walked away.

The bell rang.

I didn’t go to class.

I couldn’t breathe.

I ran. Up the stairs. Past the library. Past the "No Students Allowed" sign.

All the way to the roof.

Seoul was below me. Neon. Snow. Noise.

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to make the uniform feel less exposed.

Trying to make myself smaller.

That’s when I smelled it.

Cigarettes.

A boy was sitting on the edge of the roof, legs dangling.

Blonde hair. School blazer unbuttoned. Scar on his cheek.

He wasn’t supposed to be here.

He wasn’t supposed to smoke here.

He looked up.

And his eyes met mine.

"Well," he said, exhaling smoke. "If it isn’t the Black Rose."

My breath caught. "How do you know my name?"

"Everyone knows your name, Anna Akello." He flicked the cigarette down 20 floors. "The adopted girl who made Min-ho mad."

I took a step back. "Are you... Jae-won Park?"

He smirked. "The one and only. Son of the family that wants to destroy your brother’s company."

He stood up. He was tall. Dangerous.

"So tell me, Black Rose. Are you here to cry, or to fight?"

Downstairs, the bell rang again.

And I realized:

In Soroti, I was invisible.

In Seoul, I was a target.