The Queen Who Pretended to be Weak
1358 Words
The gates of Seorin International University stood tall and imposing, their iron bars glistening faintly under the pale morning sunlight. Expensive cars lined the road outside, students laughing and greeting each other as they walked toward the grand campus.
For most of them, this was just another ordinary day.
But for Vespera Moretti, this was the beginning of something far more dangerous.
She stepped through the gate quietly, her shoes touching the marble pavement with soft, controlled steps. Her long dark hair was tied into a simple braid, and thick glasses sat neatly on her nose.
A loose grey cardigan hung over her shoulders, hiding the shape of her body. A long skirt brushed against her ankles, covering every inch of her legs.
To anyone looking at her, she seemed painfully ordinary.
A shy foreign student.
A quiet nerd.
Someone weak.
Exactly the image she wanted.
But beneath those sleeves were tattoos that spoke of violence, loyalty, and bloodshed.
And beneath that calm expression was the mind of someone who had ruled one of the most dangerous criminal empires in Europe.
Vespera walked across the courtyard slowly, her sharp eyes scanning every corner without appearing to look at anything at all.
Security cameras. Two near the main gate.
Three guards by the administration building.
Blind spot near the west corridor.
Her mind worked quietly.
Efficiently.
She was mapping the territory.
But suddenly the peaceful atmosphere shifted.
A group of girls stood near the center of the courtyard, their laughter loud and sharp.
At the center of them stood Han Ara.
The daughter of the university principal.
Beautiful.
Rich.
And known across campus for one thing.
Cruelty.
Ara’s long black hair flowed over her shoulders as she laughed at something one of her friends said.
Then her eyes landed on Vespera.
The new girl.
The quiet foreign nerd.
Her lips slowly curved into a mocking smile.
Ara stepped forward slowly, her heels clicking confidently against the pavement.
Her friends followed behind her like shadows.
Within seconds, they blocked Vespera’s path.
Ara tilted her head slightly, examining her like someone inspecting an insect.
Ara said—
“Well, well… the new transfer student.”
Her voice was sweet, but the sarcasm in it was obvious.
Vespera stopped walking.
Her hands tightened slightly around the strap of her bag.
But she kept her eyes lowered.
Ara circled her slowly.
Ara said—
“You’re the Italian girl, right?”
Her friend Minji snorted.
Minji said—
“She doesn’t look Italian. She looks like she escaped from a library.”
The girls burst into laughter.
Ara suddenly grabbed the edge of Vespera’s cardigan and lifted it slightly.
Ara said mockingly—
“Why are you dressed like a grandmother? Are you hiding something?”
Vespera stepped back quickly, pulling the fabric down.
Her voice was quiet.
Vespera said softly—
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t touch my clothes.”
Ara blinked once.
Then she laughed.
A sharp, cruel sound.
Ara said—
“Oh, the nerd has an attitude.”
Her expression suddenly hardened.
Ara stepped closer until they were only inches apart.
Ara said quietly—
“You must not know who I am.”
Vespera didn’t answer.
Her silence only irritated Ara more.
Without warning, Ara shoved her.
Hard.
Vespera stumbled backward, losing her balance as her bag slipped from her shoulder.
Books scattered across the pavement.
Students nearby immediately slowed down to watch.
Whispers began spreading through the courtyard.
Minji kicked one of the books away.
Minji said—
“Oops. My foot slipped.”
More laughter.
Ara folded her arms, staring down at Vespera as she bent to pick up her books.
Ara said loudly—
“If you’re going to study here, you should learn something important first.”
Her voice grew colder.
Ara said—
“This university belongs to my father.”
She leaned closer.
Ara said—
“And that means it belongs to me.”
Vespera quietly gathered her books, her fingers brushing the wet pavement.
Inside her chest, something dark stirred.
For years she had ruled over men who would kill at the sound of her voice.
People who trembled when they heard the name Black Panther.
And now…
Some spoiled girl was kicking her books across the ground.
For a moment, her fingers curled into fists.
But then she relaxed again.
Not yet.
Ara kicked another book farther away.
Ara said mockingly—
“Pick them up properly. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
Students around them laughed openly now.
Phones were quietly recording.
Vespera stood up slowly with her books.
Mud stained the edge of her skirt.
Rain from the night before had left the ground damp.
Ara stepped forward again.
Ara said—
“You know, people like you shouldn’t even be allowed in schools like this.”
Her smile widened.
Ara said—
“You lower the quality of the campus.”
One of Ara’s friends suddenly pushed Vespera again.
This time harder.
Vespera stumbled forward, trying to regain her balance.
Her foot slipped slightly on the wet pavement.
She moved forward quickly—
And crashed into someone.
The impact felt like hitting a wall.
Her books fell again.
For a moment, everything went silent.
Because the person she had just bumped into was someone everyone on campus recognized instantly.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Dressed entirely in black.
Dark eyes that seemed to swallow the light around them.
It was Jeon Jungkook.
The man who ruled Seoul’s underworld.
Jungkook looked down slowly at the girl who had collided with him.
His expression remained calm.
But the atmosphere around him shifted instantly.
Students took nervous steps back.
Even Ara looked slightly uneasy.
Jungkook spoke first.
Jungkook said calmly—
“If you're planning to run someone over, you should at least apologize.”
His voice wasn’t loud.
But it carried authority.
The kind that made people instinctively obey.
Vespera looked up.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, something strange passed between them.
Jungkook studied her carefully.
Her glasses.
Her nervous posture.
The mud on her skirt.
But something about her eyes felt wrong.
Too sharp.
Too controlled.
Behind them, Ara spoke quickly.
Ara said—
“Jungkook, it’s not what it looks like. She just—”
But Vespera wasn't listening anymore.
Humiliation burned through her chest.
Students were laughing.
Phones were recording.
Her pride, something she had protected for years, was being crushed in front of strangers.
Her hands clenched.
Before she could stop herself—
She shoved Jungkook.
Hard.
Gasps exploded across the courtyard.
A boy whispered in horror.
“Did she just push Jungkook?”
Ara’s face went pale.
Minji covered her mouth.
Jungkook didn’t move.
He simply looked down at the hand that had pushed his chest.
Then he looked back at her.
Slowly.
Carefully.
His eyebrows lifted slightly.
Not anger.
Surprise.
And then—
Amusement.
Vespera glared at him, her voice sharp with frustration.
Vespera said—
“Maybe if you weren’t standing in the middle of the path like a statue, people wouldn’t crash into you.”
The entire courtyard froze.
No one dared breathe.
For a long moment, Jungkook said nothing.
Then slowly, a smile appeared on his lips.
Not a friendly smile.
A dangerous one.
Jungkook said quietly—
“You have quite a temper for someone who’s getting bullied.”
Vespera picked up her books again.
She met his eyes directly.
Vespera said calmly—
“And you have quite an ego for someone who thinks the world revolves around him.”
Taehyun, who had been watching from nearby, nearly choked.
Jungkook laughed.
A low, quiet sound.
His eyes followed her as she walked past him without apologizing.
Without bowing.
Without fear.
Taehyun walked up beside him.
Taehyun said quietly—
“You’re not going to kill her for that?”
Jungkook’s smile widened slightly.
His eyes still followed Vespera’s retreating figure.
Jungkook said softly—
“No.”
He slipped his hands into his pockets.
Jungkook said—
“I’m curious now.”
And for the first time in years,
the king of Seoul had found something interesting.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD