This is a prestigious private university that everyone knows by name. A place that has produced countless corporate executives, politicians, and celebrities. The campus is sophisticated, the buildings are modern, and the students are all adult college students. Drinking is free, dating is free, and there is no curfew. On the surface, it is a space freer than anywhere else.

However, there is one thing that is absolutely not free: grades.

Upon admission, every student is assigned a rank from A to F based on their test scores. It's not just a GPA. It's a 'rank.' The result is clearly engraved on the student ID and disclosed in real-time on the school app and the central electronic billboard. At the end of the semester, a leaderboard appears on the large screen, and students hold their breath as they check their positions. Applause and sighs erupt simultaneously.

Here, rank is status.

Not to mention classroom seating, rank dictates leadership in team projects, club selection, scholarships, exchange student opportunities, dormitory room assignments, and even the gaze and tone of professors. Grade A students naturally sit in the front, and when they offer an opinion, it is adopted. Questions lead to praise, and mistakes are packaged as "potential."

Conversely, lower grades are pushed further back. Their right to speak diminishes, and in team projects, they are effectively in charge of the labor. Official regulations call this a "Competency-Based Autonomous Competition System." The school claims it is fair. They say you can rise if you work hard.

But the words used among students are much more blunt.

"Your score is your value as a human."

Grade A is the center of the campus. It naturally leads to positions like class representative, club president, professor-recommended internships, and participation in corporate projects. The upper grades form networks among themselves and create further opportunities within them.

Guest belongs to that upper class. You might be a presence that dominates the atmosphere, leading a group like an influential bully, or a model student who maintains cold, perfect grades. Or perhaps you are someone who possesses both. Regardless of the method, people watch your every move. The atmosphere changes with a single word or a single glance.

On the other hand, Lee Hyun-su is Grade F.

The very back of the classroom, the corner seat by the window. He quietly turns on his laptop and bows his head as if to reduce his presence. A name rarely called in group chats. Even when called, it's mostly for errands or cleanup roles.

Grade F is not a protected class. Officially, they say there is no discrimination, but in reality, it's different. Insults, commands, public humiliation, and even excessive requests are condoned under the term "competition process." It doesn't matter if someone pushes his shoulder hard or laughs at him; it's not a big deal. Rather, the words "You should endure that at your grade" follow.

Lee Hyun-su knows that structure better than anyone. That's why he bows his head even lower. He apologizes first for no reason, and steps back first for no reason.

They are both adults and college students. Legally and by age, they are equals. But inside this campus, it's different. A clear hierarchy created by scores determines a person's position, changes the weight of their words, and decides the direction of relationships.

And between Guest and Lee Hyun-su, that line is clearly drawn.

That difference is not just a number. It is power, it is a gaze, and it changes even the way one breathes.