Chapter 4-The first move
1052 Words
Alicia wiped the last traces of tears from her cheeks and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror.
Her eyes were red.
Her face looked tired.
For a moment she barely recognized the girl staring back at her.
Just two days ago she had stepped onto this campus full of excitement and hope. Now she felt like she was standing in the middle of a battlefield she didn’t even understand.
Min-ji stood quietly beside her, leaning against the sink.
“You okay?” she asked gently.
Alicia nodded slowly, though the knot in her chest hadn’t disappeared.
“I will be,” she said.
Min-ji gave her a small smile. “Good. Because if you let them see you breaking down this early, they’ll think they’ve already won.”
Alicia took a deep breath.
She splashed cold water on her face and straightened her uniform.
“You’re right,” she said quietly. “I didn’t come all the way from Uganda just to run away.”
“That’s the spirit,” Min-ji said.
The two girls stepped out of the bathroom together.
The hallway outside was quieter now, but Alicia could still feel the weight of invisible eyes watching her.
Word spread fast on campus.
Too fast.
As they walked toward the dorm building, Alicia lowered her voice.
“How did you know my name?” she asked.
Min-ji laughed softly.
“You’re famous already.”
“That’s not funny,” Alicia muttered.
Min-ji shrugged. “The scholarship announcement was posted on the university website Everyone saw it. And when the forum post started spreading this morning…” she paused, “well, people started paying even more attention.”
Alicia sighed.
“So I’m basically the main topic on campus now.”
“Unfortunately,” Min-ji said.
They reached the dorm building and climbed the stairs slowly.
“Listen,” Min-ji continued, her voice more serious now. “That girl Jae-hyun pointed out earlier… she’s not someone you should underestimate.”
“The chairman’s daughter,” Alicia said.
Min-ji nodded.
“Her name is Han So-yeon.”
The name settled heavily in Alicia’s mind.
“People say she’s always been the top student here,” Min-ji continued. “Perfect grades. Perfect reputation. Everyone expected her to win that international leadership scholarship this year.”
Alicia stopped walking.
“And instead… I got it.”
“Exactly.”
They reached Alicia’s dorm room.
Inside, the small room felt strangely quiet.
Alicia sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the floor.
“So basically,” she said slowly, “I walked into this university and accidentally took something that someone powerful believed was already theirs.”
Min-ji leaned against the desk.
“That’s one way to put it.”
Alicia laughed weakly.
“Great. Just great.”
Min-ji studied her for a moment.
“Are you thinking of giving up already?”
Alicia’s head snapped up.
“No.”
The answer came faster than she expected.
“No,” she repeated, more firmly this time. “I worked too hard to be here.”
For the first time that day, Min-ji looked genuinely impressed.
“Good,” she said.
Alicia lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
“But honestly… I’m scared.”
“That’s normal,” Min-ji replied.
Alicia turned her head.
“You’re not scared?”
Min-ji smiled faintly.
“Oh, I am. I just hide it better.”
The two girls laughed quietly.
For a moment, the tension faded.
Then Alicia’s phone buzzed.
The sound made both of them freeze.
Slowly, Alicia picked it up.
Another notification from the university forum.
Her stomach twisted as she opened the post.
A new message had appeared.
“Looks like the scholarship winner is already crying in the bathroom.”
Alicia’s heart stopped.
Below the message were several laughing emojis.
And then another line.
“Let’s see how long she survives here.”
Alicia’s hands tightened around the phone.
“How did they—” she started.
Min-ji’s expression darkened.
“Someone saw you.”
The realization hit Alicia like a punch.
Someone had watched her run to the bathroom.
Someone had been waiting.
Min-ji crossed her arms.
“They’re testing you.”
“Testing me?” Alicia asked.
“Yes,” Min-ji said. “They want to see how you react. If you panic… they’ll attack harder.”
Alicia looked at the screen again.
The comments under the post were growing quickly.
Some students were mocking her.
Others were defending her.
But the damage was already done.
Her humiliation was public.
Min-ji gently took the phone from Alicia’s hand and locked the screen.
“Stop reading it.”
“But—”
“Trust me.”
Alicia sighed and leaned back again.
The room fell silent.
After a few minutes, Min-ji spoke again.
“You know something strange?”
“What?”
“I saw Park Min-ho looking at the forum earlier.”
Alicia frowned.
“So?”
“So,” Min-ji continued, “he looked… angry.”
Alicia blinked.
“Angry?”
“Yeah.”
Min-ji shrugged.
“And Kang Jae-hyun seemed way too entertained by the whole thing.”
Alicia groaned.
“That guy smiles like everything is a joke.”
“Maybe it is to him.”
The sun outside the window slowly disappeared, leaving the campus wrapped in evening shadows.
Alicia stared out the window.
The lights across Seoul International University began to glow one by one.
Somewhere out there, she knew Han So-yeon was already planning her next move.
And Alicia had the uncomfortable feeling that this was only the beginning.
She took a deep breath.
“Min-ji?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think I can really survive here?”
Min-ji looked at her with a calm, confident expression.
“You didn’t cross continents just to lose in the first week.”
Alicia smiled faintly.
Then, at that exact moment, her phone buzzed again.
Another notification.
Another post.
This one was different.
Alicia opened it slowly.
Her eyes widened.
The post read:
“Tonight at 9PM.
Let’s reveal the truth about the scholarship girl.”
Alicia felt a chill run down her spine.
Min-ji leaned closer to read it.
And for the first time since meeting Alicia…
even Min-ji looked worried.
- Writer
