Monday morning, and the air around my locker felt like it'd been dipped in suspicion and expensive perfume.
I spun the combination twice, pulled hard (third time's the charm), and grabbed my notebook just as a delicate cough sounded behind me.
— "Nina?"
I turned, slowly, because pretending I hadn't heard would have been petty—though tempting.
A girl I recognized vaguely—perfect hair, flawless makeup, heels more expensive than my entire wardrobe—stood with her arms folded, head tilted in mild confusion.
— "Yeah?" I asked cautiously.
— "Min Haeun is looking for you."
Great. Just the sentence everyone wants to hear before 8 AM.
— "Any reason why?" I asked.
She gave a practiced shrug.— "Who knows. But just thought you'd like the heads-up."
Translation: Haeun's angry, so good luck surviving the morning.
I sighed, muttered a half-hearted thank you, and closed the locker.My peaceful Monday had officially died before it even started.
I found Haeun waiting in the stairwell, leaning casually against the railing like she owned the entire building (which, to be fair, her family probably did).
— "Hey, Nina."
Her tone was casual. Alarmingly casual.
— "Morning," I replied, matching her tone as closely as possible. "You summoned?"
Her lips curled slightly.— "Summoned? Dramatic."
— "I learned from the best."
She didn't smile. Instead, she stepped closer, and my skin prickled instinctively.
— "So, you were invited to Silver Society orientation?" she asked. Direct, no hesitation.
— "Apparently," I said cautiously.
— "Interesting. Because your file is still... empty."
I forced a small, innocent shrug.— "I guess I'm the ghost haunting the system."
She gave me a long, considering look.— "Be careful, ghosts have a way of disappearing twice."
I swallowed down the retort rising in my throat and just nodded.She smiled thinly, brushed past me, and left a trail of expensive shampoo and veiled threats behind her.
Great. Just great.
That night, curiosity got the better of me.
It was nearly midnight when I slipped out of my apartment, heart thumping louder than the cheap heels clicking down the empty hallways of my building.
I reached the school at 12:24 AM exactly.The front gate was locked, obviously. But the side door, by the cafeteria, had always had a defective latch. One shove, a hard wiggle, and I was inside.
The empty corridors were dark, chilly, echoing.I moved quickly, quietly, heart pounding with adrenaline and fear.
Finally, I reached the records office—locked, of course. But I'd anticipated that.
I pulled a hairpin out of my pocket.No, I wasn't secretly a master thief. I'd just watched enough videos online to be confidently terrible at it.
After five tense minutes, several failed attempts, and enough internal screaming to last a lifetime, the lock finally clicked open.
I pushed the door quietly, stepped in, and closed it behind me with a soft sigh of relief.
Inside, shelves upon shelves of neatly ordered files lined the walls, alphabetized and official-looking. I scanned them quickly: Kang, Kim, Lee…
Lee?
I pulled out the thick file labeled "Lee Nina."
Impossible. There shouldn't even be a single page.
Inside, a single sheet of paper:
Name: Lee NinaAge: 17Guardian: N/APrevious school: N/ANotes: Further details pending administrative investigation.
My stomach twisted uneasily.
Pending investigation?
My heart sped up, louder than the quiet humming of the overhead lights.I quickly slipped the paper back into the folder, heart racing, mind spinning.
Someone was watching. Someone was digging.And now they knew that I knew.
I backed out of the office, locked the door clumsily, and fled the building faster than I'd ever moved in heels.
Tuesday morning, paranoia became my new best friend.
I sat in math class, staring blankly at equations on the board, my brain running over every possible scenario:
Had Haeun set this up?Was Yuri involved somehow?Rayan? He always seemed distant—but maybe too distant?
The bell rang, jolting me from my thoughts.I gathered my things quickly, shoving papers into my bag.
— "Nina," a quiet voice said behind me.
I spun around. Yuri stood there, her face neutral.
— "Hey," I said warily. "Everything okay?"
She hesitated.— "Look, I just wanted you to know—Haeun's digging into your background. Like, seriously digging."
My heart skipped.— "Why?"
— "Because you're a threat. Or a mystery. Maybe both," Yuri replied. "I don't know. Just… be careful. Don't trust anyone too easily."
— "Including you?" I asked, half-joking.
She looked straight at me, serious.— "Yeah. Especially me."
Then she walked away, leaving me speechless.
Perfect. My only semi-ally was now warning me against herself.Life just kept getting better.
By Friday, I was done hiding.
I walked straight up to Haeun after class, who was surrounded by her usual crowd of admirers.
— "Can we talk?" I asked, voice steady and firm enough that several heads turned in surprise.
Haeun raised an eyebrow, amused.— "Sure, Nina. You have my attention."
— "Privately."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she nodded. We stepped aside, and I ignored the whispers trailing behind us.
I turned to face her directly, no more games.— "Look, I don't know what you're hoping to find by digging into my file. But whatever it is, just ask me."
She tilted her head, studying me.— "Why? Would you answer honestly?"
— "Try me," I snapped back. "I've got nothing to hide."
A lie, of course. But one I delivered convincingly.
She considered this, then gave a soft laugh.— "All right, Nina. Let's try honesty. Who are you, really?"
My pulse quickened, mouth dry. But my voice came out strong.— "I'm just a girl trying to survive. Like you, like everyone else here. Nothing more."
She paused, eyes cool and unreadable, then nodded slowly.
— "Fine. Keep your secrets. But if you slip, even once… you won't just be erased from a file."
She stepped closer, voice dropping to a whisper.— "You'll be erased from every conversation, every room, every possibility of ever being someone in this world. Understand?"
My stomach tightened painfully, but I stood firm, eyes locked on hers.
— "Understood."
She smiled softly, deceptively sweet.— "Good. Then we understand each other."
She turned gracefully and walked back to her friends, leaving me standing there—heart racing, breath tight in my chest, but somehow stronger than I'd felt in weeks.
I watched her go, shoulders squared, knowing the war had just begun.
But now she knew:
I wasn't going down without fighting every step of the way.