Jayjay pov
Breaktime.
The moment the bell rang, half the class exploded into chatter — but my eyes? They were stuck on Valerie.
She'd made Adrian her personal pillow, poking him, pulling at his sleeve, whispering in Korean that even Google Translate would give up on.
He tried to hide it, but he was smiling — actually laughing.
And that's what threw me off. Adrian never laughs like that. Not in Section E.
I leaned toward Keifer. "What's going on with those two?"
Keifer crossed his arms, watching. "I've never seen Adrian laugh and smile this much before. It's like she opened a different side of him."
I tilted my head. "She's bold. Not afraid at all."
"Too bold," Keifer muttered, though there was amusement hiding in his tone.
That's when Ciel walked up, a calm smile on her face, as if she already knew we were talking.
"Trust me," she said, flipping her hair a little, "nobody can stop Valerie from doing something she wants — not even her dad."
Keifer chuckled. "She's definitely a daddy's girl."
Ciel nodded. "You're not wrong."
I leaned on my desk. "Alright then, who at all is this Valerie girl?"
Ciel smiled. "Okay, listen up…"
Ciel's POV
I watched from my desk as Valerie clung to Adrian like a koala, laughing and poking him while he tried to pretend to sleep.
Everyone was staring — honestly, who wouldn't? The girl was glowing.
Jayjay leaned toward me, curious as ever. "Okay, Ciel, spill it. Who exactly is this Valerie girl?"
I giggled. "Alright, listen up.
"Her full name is Kang Areum (강아름) — but everyone calls her Valerie Han Areum in English, or just Val for short.
She's 18 years old, same as Adrian. She was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, but she's been moving around a lot because of her parents' businesses."
Jayjay tilted her head. "Business?"
"Yup," I nodded. "Her dad's the CEO of Han Global Holdings, one of Korea's biggest companies. They handle international trade, luxury real estate, and media projects.
Her mom? She owns LUMI Entertainment, a top-tier talent agency that manages K-pop idols and actors. Basically, Valerie grew up surrounded by fame and money."
Keifer let out a low whistle. "So she's… that kind of rich."
"Oh yeah," I said, smiling. "Her personal worth is around $164 million. Not her family's — hers. She started investing when she was 13 and modeled for big brands in Korea and Japan."
Jayjay's jaw literally dropped. "$164 million?!"
I tried not to laugh. "You think that's shocking? Wait till you hear the rest."
🩵 Valerie's Skills
Fluent in Korean, English, Japanese, and a little Mandarin.
Can play piano, violin, and guitar — she even writes her own songs.
Black belt in taekwondo (yeah, don't mess with her).
Excellent at coding and graphic design — she once created a mini-game that went viral in Korea.
And she's crazy good at math and business negotiations.
💫 Personality
"She's the definition of confident," I said, smiling at the thought.
"She's fearless, playful, and clever. She can be childish sometimes, but she's also super protective of the people she loves. If you're her friend, she'll go to war for you.
But if you cross her—" I paused and grinned, "let's just say you won't like the consequences."
Jayjay laughed softly. "Sounds like she could rule a country."
"She practically does," I replied.
🌸 Fun Facts (as I know her)
She never eats spicy food, no matter how mild — she'll start crying but still try to act tough.
She's addicted to strawberry milk and collects the bottles.
Once fell asleep in a flower garden during a class trip and woke up with bees chasing her.
Calls Adrian 'Ari-oppa' (아리오빠), a mix of his Korean nickname and older-brother honorific.
Hates alarm clocks — she says they're "a crime against peace."
Has a cat back home in Seoul named Dubu, meaning "tofu."
Believes in lucky colors — she refuses to wear black on Mondays.
And… she once hacked her school's speaker system to play a BTS song during exam week.
Jayjay and Keifer burst out laughing.
Jayjay wiped a tear from her eye. "Okay, she's chaotic — I like her."
"Exactly," I said, proud. "That's Valerie Kang for you. A beautiful mix of elegance, energy, and absolute trouble."
I looked toward her again. Adrian was still pretending to be annoyed, but he was smiling. A real smile. One that reached his eyes.
Jayjay whispered beside me, "He really likes her, huh?"
"Yeah," I murmured, watching the two of them. "And the funny part? She likes him too. But neither of them has a clue."
Then, as if on cue, Adrian shouted, "Ciel! Come get Valerie before she breaks my brain!"
Valerie turned to me, eyes sparkling, and said in Korean,
"네 비밀을 네 빨간 머리 친구에게 들키기 싫으면, 그냥 모르는 척해."
(If you don't want your red-haired friend to know your secret, just ignore him.)
I blinked, then followed her gaze straight to Yuri, who was innocently sipping his drink.
My eyes widened — she knew too much already.
I sighed dramatically. "You're evil, Val."
Valerie just winked. "I prefer entertaining."
Then she turned and handed a donut to Ci-N, who grinned like he'd won the lottery.
I shook my head, smiling. "Yup… this school just got a lot louder."
Jayjay's POV (again)
I sat back, still processing everything Ciel had just said.
$164 million.
CEO parents.
A hacker, model, fighter, and chaos-bringer all in one tiny Korean package.
Valerie Kang Areum.
No wonder Adrian couldn't stop smiling.
I caught Keifer watching them too, his jaw tight but his eyes soft — maybe curious, maybe protective.
For a moment, I wondered what would happen if Valerie ever got serious. If her teasing wasn't just teasing.
Adrian leaned back on his chair, laughing again at something she whispered.
I felt something strange twist in my chest. Not jealousy — just… something.
I shook it off quickly.
Whatever it was, Section E had just gotten a whole lot more interesting.
Ciel's POV (ending)
I watched them from across the room — Valerie still talking, Adrian still smiling.
Something about it felt right. Like maybe, just maybe, Section E wasn't meant to stay quiet forever.
I looked at Keifer and Jayjay, who were both lost in thought, and whispered under my breath,
"Welcome to the storm, Valerie Kang."