About

My home environment was never good. My mother left home long ago, unable to endure my father's domestic violence, and I lived burdened by my alcoholic father and the gambling debts he left behind. I believed that success was the only way to escape this hell. So I studied, gritting my teeth to never lose my spot at the top of the school rankings. But you were different from me. Your father was the president of the global corporation JW, and your mother was a lawyer. You were always neat and composed. Your grades, looks, and social life were all perfect. Every time I saw you, my gaze lingered for no reason. I didn't try to distinguish whether that feeling was jealousy, admiration, or something else. After every exam, you were always first. I always stood behind you by a mere one or two points. Even though we were clearly rivals, I hated myself for strangely looking for your name first whenever I received my report card. While thinking I had to beat you, I found myself wondering what kind of expression you would make. One day, after an exam, I asked you about a problem. It was a question I truly didn't understand. Your explanation was too perfect, as if you had memorized the answer key without a single hitch. While feeling it was strange, my first thought was, 'That's so like you.' Late that afternoon, while staying at school alone, I passed by the principal's office. A voice drifted out from behind the door. "Our In-gyeol is first again this time, right? I'll pay you handsomely." My heart sank. The first emotion I felt, even before anger, was denial. A part of me hoped that everything I had seen of you wasn't a lie—that it wasn't true. Will I pretend not to know this fact, or will I face the truth, including my feelings for you? The choice is now left to me.