HERS: The winner takes it all

Chapter 2 She is Back

…WHAT IS A CASTLE WITHOUT ITS QUEEN

Haerin’s POV

The car slowed to a stop.

“We are here ma’am,” Haerin’s driver announced.

Setting down the business magazine of the previous day, she pressed the button to roll down her tinted windows, taking a look at her destination: Babel high-school — sleek glass, brutal architecture, and a reputation built by the wealthiest families in the country.

It had been months since she saw this view. Two to be exact, since school was on break. Anyway, it was her final year, and she won’t have to see these walls ever again.

Her bodyguard, Mira, stepped out immediately to open her door. Her Mary Jane heels touched the pavement and within seconds, like cue, motion around the parking lot froze — everyone instantly stopped moving watching her.

Not long after, a crowd was formed gathering around her as she entered the school’s main building.

Standing close to the door were two very familiar faces. Dami and Nayoung were her closest friends in school.

“Hello ladies,” they squealed the moment they saw her.

“We haven’t seen you for forever. How was Dubai?” Dami asked.

“Sandy, windy and dusty,” Haerin replied.

“I couldn’t really explore the place. I was only there for the competition.

“Yeah, we heard about that congratulations, girl,” Nayoung cheered.

They kept walking down the hallway. Students scrambled out of their path while some openly ogled at them. They were used to this attention; they barely noticed it.

There were students who gasped as they saw them up close; some random guy even fainted as Haerin’s eyes briefly met his. They walked exuding confidence in their steps.

They headed to their lockers to drop off their bags.

Inside the auditorium, Haerin took her seat in the first row, legs crossed. Dami and Nayoung sat on theirs beside her. Babel High was a school of elites; therefore, a strict hierarchy was inevitable.

The front row belonged to those at the top. It was an unspoken rule.

Haerin’s jaw ticked in anger. Why can’t people be on time? Her patience level was falling. She saw no reason why she should be here waiting for some insignificant nobody to show up. The auditorium filled until there were no seats left, but the principal had yet to appear. Students stole glances at Haerin, covering their mouths when they gasped, as if even breathing near her felt like a privilege.

Finally, the principal walked onstage and proceeded with his usual speech — long, irrelevant, and painfully dull. Haerin massaged her forehead with her two fingers to ease the headache coming to her from his rubbish talk.

When she had finally heard her name, she stood up, walked straight to the stage. She could hear the loud cheers from everyone — how much she loved it.

She pushed her hair behind her ears then flicked it from her side to her back before collecting her trophy. As she spoke, she eluded confidence, strength her aura was unmatched by anyone else in the room.

After the assembly, Haerin and her poise headed to the top floor home of the school’s private class. Yes, Babel high had a private class on the top floor of one of its buildings.

There were only seven of them in the class. As they say, even the affluent society has a hierarchy. All seven of them come from families that own businesses controlling the country’s market — they were the chaebols; future owners of corporations, empires and political legacies. One of them was even an Arab prince. He is biracial with a Korean mother, so you have an idea of the kind of people I am talking about.

Haerin’s family is no exception. Her grandfather owns Haneulmat. Everyone in this country, even a two-year-old, knows us. Haneulmat is a large food market. They own multiple luxury hotels, resorts and supermarkets not just in South Korea, but also have chains extending abroad. Apart from that, they also have Hanuelmat utensils and devices where we develop various kitchen appliances and Haneulmat foods, where we make processed foods and package them like rice, millet, flour, ginseng, sesame. Essentially, even if you are not eating our foods, you are using our device to cook them.

The huge classroom resembled a miniature corporate office. Seven sleek desks, rolling chairs, individual shelves and luxury stationery. Each desk was decorated with personal items — except Haerin’s. She preferred her workspace empty, cold and untouched.

***The whole seven sat scattered like a circle around the room****

You have met with the three girls now for the four guys.

**JiHoo**He is Haerin’s second cousin from her mother’s side. JiHoo is the spare child in his family. His parents and older brother hardly knew what he was up to. He and Haerin had become close since age nine. They are always together even in the same friend circle.

**MinHo***is JiHoo’s best friend. He is ridiculously funny, always bubbly but deep down he hides his darkness. Behind all the laughter, are deep-rooted scars from his abusive home.

**Yousef*** the arab prince. He is very quiet and, finally, his own best friend.

**MinHyuk** smug, entitled, annoying.

Haerin took her seat.

Soon MinHyuk approached her desk with Yousef behind him.

“So, Haerin,” MinHyuk leaned forward, smirking. “You still haven’t responded to the text I sent you. Me and you?”

She resisted the vivid image of her smashing his skull against her desk and watching it stain the polished wood. Not yet. She needed patience—and the right moment.

Haerin tilted her head slightly, eyeing him the way someone would examine a stain on an expensive fabric. MinHyuk was a smug-looking guy. Who had always gotten on her nerve unfortunately, her father and his were very good friends, so she sees him a lot more than she would have wished.

“MinHyuk,” she said calmly, “Your confidence would be admirable…. If it wasn’t entirely delusional.”

Yousef choked on a laugh. MinHyuk stiffened.

She continued, voice cool and measured- “I have told you before, you and I one word — impossible.” She chewed the corner of her lips before continuing. “I am being honest with you so you can stop believing that you have a chance.”

He was so stunned by the public rejection. He opened his mouth to retort, but Haerin simply turned her head away — dismissing him as if he were insignificant background noise.

And just like that, Minhyuk shrank back to his desk, pushing a laughing Yousef away from him.

MinHo, who had been pretending to read a textbook, slid his eyes toward Haerin with a small smile tugging at his lips.

“You know,” he said, leaning slightly toward her. “You could go a little easier on him.”

Haerin raised a brow. “Why? His ego needed correcting.”

MinHo chuckled. “Still, that was brutal.”

Haerin tapped her pen against the desk. “If I wanted your commentary, I’d ask.”

“You just did,” MinHo said.

Haerin’s eyes flicked toward him, amused by herself.

“You have a strange habit of inserting yourself where you don’t belong.”

“I know,” MinHo replied with a small smile. “I like being near interesting people.”

“Flattery?” Haerin questioned.

“Observation.” MinHo corrected.

For a moment they held eye contact. Haerin always wondered about his ever-so positive attitude. She knew the truth behind his happy mask — she was very observant.

Then Haerin looked away.

MinHo pretended to return to his book, but his eyes betrayed him. They drifted back to her — quiet, admiring and a little helpless. For some reason, they always like watching her. But no one noticed they ever did, he thought.

The Spanish teacher entered minutes later. Haerin tuned out immediately. She already spoke Spanish fluently along with Russian, French, English and Mandarin. She entertained herself by flicking her pendulum set back and forth.

Lunch was one of the few times the rest of the school could see them. Well, along with sports and clubs. The dining hall buzzed when Haerin stepped inside with DaMi and Nayong by her side.

“My mum keeps asking about you,” DaMi said, clinging to her arm. “She wants you to come to the small party she is having with some of her friends. It will be so much fun!” Haerin stopped in her tracks. She turned to face her, then turned to our linked hands before dropping hers down.

“I am a very busy person, so I don’t have time to succumb to your mum’s exploitative hobbies.”

Dami fidgeted awkwardly; Haerin smirked. She turned to Nayoung, gripping her jaw. Nayoung stiffened. “Nice hair clip.” It was a very nice hair clip.

Continuing, we were getting closer to our tables when we watched the scene at our front. It was JiHoo, Yousef and MinHyuk along with some random guys in school. They were towered over a trembling, tear-eyed student.

JiHoo and MinHyuk stood in front, amused. Predators tormenting prey. Haerin sighed. Weak prey bored her. There was no thrill in cruelty without challenge.

The poor guy had tears in his eyes so sad she wished she could help him end his life so he could find peace. Weak people are not fit to be in this world. The words echoed from her memory.

“JiHoo is so immature,” Nayoung muttered.

“But he is also so hot,” DaMi added dreamily, twirling a lost end of hair in her finger. Poor thing, she has a huge crush on JiHoo. Everyone knows, including him. That’s why he uses her, then tosses her. The one person Jihoon truly wants is the one person he knows he can never have.

JiHoo strutted through the hall, hands in pockets, aura thick with arrogance. He walked to their table with others behind him. As he passed by, no one could dare make eye contact with him. They all looked scared honestly, they were all terrified. Well except her Haerin.

Haerin — his favorite cousin. The one person he truly wants. She was, with her arms crossed, watching him as he walked over. She didn’t even turn away from eye contact. She was the only one who didn’t fear him. He didn’t think she feared anything.

Haerin seems like the most perfect person out there. She is smart, beautiful, highly intelligent, but she is completely flawed and he knew it. Well, deep down she never tries to hide it. But people never noticed or they dared not to.

That is why he is so obsessed with her; she is terribly flawed, but she is still perfect. Perfect imperfection.

“Busy?” she asked, but he couldn’t reply his mouth in a smirk as he stared at her. He does that a lot — Stare. He wondered if she noticed. Of course, she does. Haerin is a genius. She knows everything.

“Something like that.” He smiled sheepishly as he took a seat.

“Why do you do that?” everyone turned to MinHo. He is the only one who cares about these things and what JiHoon does. He is the only one who condemns it.

“Not this again, bro. Relax, it was funny.” The other guys cheered while Jihoon picked a tteoboki from Dami’s plate, who just held him possessively as she looked at him with googly eyes.

“The kid was in tears, dude. Like what’s wrong with you all of you? You don’t see how messed up it is. You don’t see the way that you act. Why did you do that?”

“Man, what’s wrong with you? Jeez way to ruin the fun?” Jihoon yelled out in frustration, throwing the tteokbokki back onto the plate, splashing sauce everywhere.