A Clash of Worlds

Daehan Elite Academy was more than just a school—it was a battlefield of power, where legacies were built, alliances were formed, and outsiders were crushed before they could rise. For Kang Hari, survival meant staying out of trouble, but trouble had already found her in the form of Jang Seohyun.

The day after their first confrontation, Hari hoped to avoid him, but fate had other plans.

It started in the cafeteria. The sprawling dining hall was lined with expensive chandeliers, and the long mahogany tables were adorned with fine china—a stark contrast to the simple rice and side dishes she had packed in her small lunchbox. Around her, the children of Korea’s wealthiest families dined on gourmet meals prepared by private chefs. The difference was glaring, but Hari forced herself to ignore it. She had learned to endure.

Finding a secluded spot in the corner, she quietly unpacked her lunch, careful not to draw attention to herself. Just as she was about to lift her chopsticks, a shadow loomed over her.

“You’re sitting at our table,” a voice drawled.

Hari looked up to see a girl dressed in the latest designer uniform, her arms crossed. Behind her stood a group of students, all watching with expressions of mild amusement.

“I don’t see your name on it,” Hari replied, keeping her voice steady.

The girl scoffed. “This is where the elite sit. Not scholarship charity cases like you.”

Hari felt the weight of their gazes, the unspoken rule that she had overstepped her place. But before she could respond, another voice cut in.

“Didn’t you hear her? Move.”

The cafeteria hushed. Jang Seohyun stood there, hands in his pockets, his expression as cold as ever. His presence alone was enough to make the girl and her group straighten up.

Hari met his gaze, a silent challenge passing between them. He wasn’t helping her—he was making it worse. He wanted to see her humiliated, to make her acknowledge her inferiority in this world.

But Hari wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction.

“I’ll move,” she said, standing up. “Not because you told me to, but because this table stinks of arrogance.”

Gasps rippled through the cafeteria. Someone even choked on their juice. No one, absolutely no one, talked back to Jang Seohyun like that.

Seohyun’s jaw twitched, his fingers tightening around the strap of his bag. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to say something, but then he smirked. “You’ll regret that.”

Hari didn’t respond. She simply picked up her lunch and walked away, but she could feel his eyes burning into her back.

________________________________________

From that day onward, Seohyun made it his personal mission to make her life miserable.

It started with small things—her books mysteriously disappearing from her locker, her gym clothes soaked in water before class. Then came the taunts, the snide comments whenever she walked past.

“Still here, commoner?” he’d say, leaning against his locker with a lazy smirk. “I thought you’d have quit by now.”

Hari refused to be broken. Each time he tried to push her down, she got back up. Each insult he threw her way, she returned with sharp defiance. If he was a storm, she was the unyielding rock that refused to be eroded.

One afternoon, she was walking through the courtyard when she heard a commotion. A crowd had gathered near the fountain, their voices hushed yet excited. Curious, she pushed her way through and found a boy on the ground, clutching his nose as blood trickled down his lip.

Above him stood Seohyun, his fist clenched, his breathing heavy.

“Next time, don’t run your mouth,” Seohyun said coolly, shaking out his hand.

The boy whimpered and scrambled away, disappearing into the crowd. Whispers spread like wildfire. Jang Seohyun had always been ruthless in business simulations and competitions, but to resort to actual violence? That was rare.

Hari turned to leave, but Seohyun’s voice stopped her. “You got something to say, scholarship girl?”

She looked at him, really looked at him. His knuckles were raw, his eyes dark and unreadable. The arrogant prince of Daehan Elite Academy stood there like a king who had just executed his latest enemy. And yet, beneath all of that, there was something else—a flicker of something she couldn’t quite place.

She tilted her head. “What’s the matter? Your expensive shoes get dirty again?”

A slow smirk spread across his lips. “You really don’t know when to shut up, do you?”

Hari crossed her arms. “And you don’t know when to back off.”

For a second, something in his gaze shifted, but it was gone before she could decipher it. He chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re an annoying little thing, aren’t you?”

“Get used to it.”

And with that, she walked away, leaving behind the boy who would one day become her husband, never realizing just how tangled their fates would become.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***