Rude Love

There was an ethereal quality to the way the sunlight struck the spotless windows of Baekyeon Girls' High School, illuminating the ivy that clung to the walls. From where you stood at the gates, you could appreciate the grandeur of the place. It was a prestigious school for the daughters of Korea's finest to come and sharpen their wits and their ambitions, and with every step you took, you felt the heavy hand of expectation on your shoulders.

Crossing into Class 2-5, you heard the kind of whispers that seemed to move through the room like wind in the grass. They were all looking at the dark-haired ice princess in her seat, the one who held court with such a regal manner. Baek Harin didn't need to say anything; her look alone could find you in the crowd and make your spine tingle. Then there was Seo Doah, another of the elite, standing by the podium and ceding ground to Harin as she prepared to run the Pyramid Game.

"Attention, class," Doah announced, giving a firm edge to her voice. "It's time for the Pyramid Game."

You watched your peers put their heads down over their phones, thumbs working the app to put in their votes. The mechanics were straightforward, but you knew better than to be fooled by that simplicity. Anonymously, at the close of voting, students would be sorted from Grade A down to F. And since it was the last Thursday of the month, the pecking order was due for a reset.

The room went quiet, the kind of silence that made it hard to breathe. You felt your palms growing damp. If you ended up in Grade F, you were in for some torment from the upper echelons of the school, whether of the mind or body. Though you wouldn't see any permanent scars afterward, which was just part of the game's warped appeal.

Some had their theories on why you were subjected to this cruelty. Say what you wanted about the principal, but among you, me, and Harin's inner circle, you knew the truth. Maybe she had devised this little exercise in control to put the world in its place after being made to feel small by it once before. Her motives were as hard to pin down as the shadows on her face.

"Time's up," Seo Doah cut in, her tone as flat as a blade.

The screen gave out the results, and students steeled themselves for it. You found yourself thinking of Harin as the game played out, the mastermind behind this whole affair. Standing there in the middle of Baekyeon Girls' High School, you couldn't deny the pull of her rather psychotic charm, and how it lured you into a place where dominance and greed went hand in hand.

Behind Baekyeon Girls' High, the sun was going down, and with it came long, dark shadows that seemed to reach out across the campus. You were putting in some laps on the grounds, your head elsewhere, preoccupied with the riddle of Baek Harin. You couldn't stop turning over what made her tick, the odd force behind her.

"Can't sleep?" The voice was all too familiar, purring out of the dark.

You looked up and there she was, propped against the wall with a cigarette in those slim fingers of hers. There was something about the way she did these things, a touch of rebellion that only made her more of a spectacle. Her uniform was left unbuttoned at the throat for a view of her collarbone and her skirt was a bit higher than the rules would have you believe.

"Didn't expect to find you here," you said, feeling your pulse pick up as she let out a cloud of smoke like some dragon with its hoard.

"Life's full of surprises," Harin smirked. "I should think you know that by now, y/n."

There was a danger in her, under all the polish, but you were drawn to it anyway. The smoke from her lips was a stand-in for the kind of forbidden hunger you felt churning inside.

"I find your intellect rather intriguing, you know," she said, drawing on the cigarette. "You don't go around begging for my approval like the rest. It's refreshing… and a pain in the neck."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" you asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Whatever you want to make of it," she gave you a wicked grin. "Either way, I'm determined to figure you out."

It was thrilling and a little frightening to be the object of her focus. You were on a knife's edge with Harin.

"Maybe I don't want to be figured out," you said, crossing your arms.

"Ah, but that's what makes it so much more exciting." She flicked some ash to the ground. "You're esoteric, a puzzle waiting to be solved. And I always get what I want."

You saw the manic side of her then, the superiority that drove her to put others in their place. An insatiable need to have the upper hand.

"Good luck with that," you told her, keeping your tone even. "I'm not so easily unraveled."

"Is that a challenge?" Her eyes narrowed.

"Maybe it is."

"Interesting." She put the cigarette out on the wall with a finality. "Truly interesting indeed."

She came at you with that magnetic pull of hers, the smell of smoke and want on her.

"Until we meet again, y/n," she whispered right in your ear, brushing by and leaving you to your own devices in the twilight.

The day was gone now, and you were left wondering if you had made an enemy or a partner in her game. Then a cold feeling hit you as you watched her open a small piece of paper. The handwriting was unmistakable. Your secrets were there for her to peruse. A knowing smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, and you felt your stomach drop; she could ruin you with those well-kept hands of hers.

"Interesting information, isn't it?" she purred, malice in her eyes. "I must say, I didn't expect this from you."

You tried to steady your shaking hands. "What do you want of me, Baek Harin?"

"Simple," she said, twirling the paper between her fingers. "Go on a date with me, and these secrets stay between us."

"Or what?" you challenged, hating the desperation in your own voice.

"Or I'll make sure everyone knows exactly what you're hiding. Do we have a deal y/n?"

Her stare had you pinned like a butterfly. But before the fear could set in, her hand was on your cheek, warm and sending shivers through you.

"Fine," you managed.

"Good." She gave you the faintest kiss, then pulled back to take a drag, never breaking eye contact. With a mischievous look, she leaned in and exhaled straight into your mouth, the tobacco taste heady and intoxicating. Then her lips were on yours, hard and passionate, and you were left reeling as she sealed your fate.

The festival's vivid lights seemed to have a way of changing Harin. The usual hard edges of her features were put on display as something far softer, and there was an excitement in her eyes you had not noticed before. You were quite taken with this new side of her.

"Here, y/n," she offered, putting a skewer of the grilled meat in your hand. "You have to try this. It's delicious."

You gave in to a bite and let the taste of it fill your mouth, a smile coming to your face. Even Harin, for all her lunacy, could be endearing. While you made your way through the crowds, she was at once making sure you were safe and keeping you under her thumb, lavishing you with little treats and trinkets.

She set a flower crown atop your head, the petals yielding to the touch.

"Thank you, Harin," you said quietly.

"Don't mention it," was her hushed response. In that instant, you thought you saw the fragility hiding behind her sociopathic front.

With the lanterns giving off their seductive flicker, the evening stretched out. There was laughter and hushed words between you, and you found yourself drawn into the labyrinth of Harin's makeup, a tangle of desire and control that was hard to resist.

"Let's make a promise, y/n," she came on suddenly, looking at you with some intensity. "No matter what happens, let's remember tonight. Let's remember that beneath all the insanity, there's still something real between us."

"Alright, Harin."

You put your fingers through hers and pressed a kiss to her lips, a kind of pact. You knew what treacherous ground lay ahead, but here in the spell of the lights, you would let it go. For the time being, you were content to be carried along by whatever unexplainable pull you and Baek Harin had.