the weak heroine

📖 Chapter 1: Intelligence Doesn’t Shield the Heart I was always the top of my class. People called me smart… maybe too smart. But what’s the use of intelligence when your heart feels like it’s breaking every day? Every morning, I stepped into that old school carrying my worn-out books, eyes fixed on the ground. I pretended not to hear them. “She probably washes her hair with rainwater,” “Look at her clothes—are those from the trash?” Their words were poison, and I swallowed them silently. I wasn’t completely alone. I had one friend — Song Ran. She was my light in that endless tunnel. She didn’t care about my poverty. She never pitied me. She walked beside me with her head held high and made me laugh even when I didn’t want to. She used to say, “One day, we’ll graduate… and change the world.” But the world changed us before we ever had the chance. That evening… I wasn’t with her. I should’ve been. All I remember is the sound — a car, a scream, then a silence so heavy… it felt like death. Because it was. They said it was an accident. But I saw the panic in their eyes. The whispers behind closed doors. Something wasn’t right. Since that day, I haven’t been the same. I wake up every morning wishing it was all a nightmare. But it’s not. My mother noticed. She never said much, but she saw me fading. One morning, she looked at me and said, “We’re moving you to a new school. Maybe… you’ll find yourself again.” I didn’t answer. I just gave her a tired smile. I wasn’t looking for myself… I was just trying to survive. But I didn’t know then… That this new school wouldn’t be a beginning. It would be… my rebirth.