Chapter Text
"The Korean corporation, Shinhwa Group has been selected to be the largest corporate sponsor in the 2011 London Olympics." The voice of the radio presenter reached Nari's ears as she looked out the window of her car from the backseat. The sound of the car's radio soon drowned itself out as her mind zoned out.
She let out a tired sigh as she watched the scenery go by, dreading the moment she would arrive at her destination. Her small hands clutched the small bouquet of lilies on her lap. The flowers were given to her by her family's most trusted servant, butler Kim, who had been with the family for almost twenty years. He had given her these flowers, insisting on her namesake flowers for good luck on her journey at her new school.
New school.
How many times has she received these flowers now? She didn't know. She lost the count after 7th school. The idea still terrified Nari. She was the type to stay within her own bubble. She liked being alone, despite how lonely it felt at times.
She looked down at the flowers on her lap, gingerly touching the petals before looking out the window once again, only to notice the car had stopped at the red signal.
"We are almost there, Ms. Nari." Butler's Kim's voice pulled Nari out of her thoughts as she looked at him through the rear mirror. She only nodded in response, letting the voice of the car's radio once again envelope them into silence.
"...and therefore, even in the global recession, South Korea's economic growth has started with Shinhwa at the frontline..." The voice drowned out again as Nari's attention was pulled from the radio to the loud sound of what seemed like a chopper. She craned her neck towards the sky to find it was, indeed, a chopper flying towards Shinhwa School.
"...Its name is Shinhwa." The radio once again pulled Nari's attention from the sky.
Nari could only shake her head as the car started once again. This school year was going to be anything but quiet.
Nari felt dread building in her stomach as the car got closer and closer to her school. The board of Shinhwa School came to her line of sight, making her palms and feet sweat excessively.
It is said that if you are a citizen of South Korea, you know the two letters of Shinhwa before you know that president's name. The longer Nari stared at the board, the more intimidating those two letters felt.
The car pulled upright by the entrance of the school. Nari hadn't noticed when Butler Kim had gotten out of the car and pulled the passenger door open for her. He offered his hand, waiting for her to get out. Taking a deep breath and clutching the lilies in one hand, she placed her warm hand in his as he guided her out the door.
Nari wasn't sure whether Butler Kim had noticed how sweaty her palms were, but he stayed calm as she got out of the car.
Nari felt her hand being let go of and she felt a wave of anxiety wash over her again. Standing there in her Shinhwa uniform, she looked around the courtyard and found it eerily quiet. It felt like the silence before the storm and Nari wanted nothing more than to sit back in the car and tell Butler Kim to drive her back to the Kang mansion. A gust of wind blew, making a shiver run down her back, whether of cold or fear, she knew not.
Butler Kim returned by her side again and handed Nari her backpack. Strapping it on her back, Nari felt no less than a soldier preparing for a war. Going to Shinhwa was no less than going to a battle and Nari knew that.
Shinhwa School: the first school in the history of Korea to be backed by the president, who believed that economic advancement was more important than education and went as far as making special laws to accommodate the school.
It is a school made by the 1%, attended by the 1%, and fit for the 1%. So far it has maintained its reputation as the best elite school in the nation. Most common people, even if they apply when they are born, cannot get into the Shinhwa Kindergarten. If you are accepted to kindergarten, then you have the way paved through elementary, middle and high school and even university.
It is a subject of envy and awe for the rest of the students and parents across the nation who suffer from the entrance exams and extremely difficult admissions to universities.
Nari was fortunate enough to be a part of that 1%. But she wasn't sure how fortunate she felt right now as she started walking towards the gates of the building, Butler Kim following closely behind her.
Butler Kim pulled opened the door for her and Nari took a step into the building, quietly thanking the kind man. Before she could take a step further, her body halted in its progression, shocked by the scene in front of her.
There was pin-drop silence in the hallway and a man with a weird hairstyle was pouring juice on another student as the crowd gathered around them watched. The feeling of dread came back to the pit of the stomach as Nari's mind wandered to memories she had long suppressed. Her breath got heavier as the hallway felt stuffy, her vision started clouding slowly and her grip on the lilies tightened. Her free hand found its way to the bead bracelet on her other hand and started rotating it in an attempt to calm herself.
She felt Butler Kim's hand on her shoulder as his warm voice reached her ears, telling her to stay calm. She felt herself calm a little by his fatherly voice, her mind slowly coming back to her. She nodded her head a little, signaling she was fine. Her eyes moved over the scene in front of her again, only to find the eyes of the crowd on her.
Oh no
Nari froze at attention as the silent hallway was now filled with whispers.
There goes her hope for a quiet year.