Linda slipped the money into her bag and stepped forward to stop a taxi. One pulled over, and she climbed inside, giving the driver the address her father had given her. The ride felt long, her body heavy from exhaustion.
When she finally reached the small apartment, she paid the driver and dragged herself inside. She took a quick bath, ordered food, and lay on the bed scrolling through the top news on her phone. Her eyelids grew heavier with each second until sleep quietly pulled her under.
The next morning, her phone rang loudly beside her pillow. She groaned, eyes half-closed, searching blindly for the phone.
"Hello," she answered, immediately she picked the phone, with a sleepy voice.
"Linda, are you okay? I've been trying to reach you. How was your flight?" Mr. Lee's worried voice rushed from the other end.
Linda sat upright immediately. "I'm so sorry, Dad. I was so tired I forgot to call. How's Mum? And my siblings?"
"We're fine," Mrs. Lee added gently. Her siblings' excited voices filled the background.
"Have you seen the bike in the garage?" Mr. Lee asked.
"I haven't," Linda yawned. "I came back very tired and slept off immediately after eating."
"Quickly prepare and go to school. I spoke with the principal, he's expecting you."
"Thanks dad," Linda added, then ended the call.
Linda hurried to the bathroom, washed up, and got dressed. By the time she stepped out of her apartment, she was fully prepared in her uniform.
She opened the garage door, and her breath caught. A beautiful lady's bike gleamed softly under the dim light.
"Dad… you're the best," she whispered with a smile, climbing onto it before riding off.
As she rode, her mind drifted.
How will this new school be…?
Immediately, memories of her former school flashed through her mind, painful ones.
She had always been bullied, especially by Yi Ji. Her seatmate. During karate lessons, Yi Ji and her friends ganged up on her while Mrs. Seo Yeon, their kufu mistress, pretended not to notice.
There was the day they locked her inside the toilet for hours. When Yi Ji finally opened the door, she smirked, proud of what she'd done. Linda had gone home with bruises.
What hurt most was how Yi Ji's parents had looked down on her own when they went to complain. That humiliation still burned in her chest.
"Dad… I won't let anyone bully me again, ever. I'm done being a coward." she whispered fiercely as she sped forward.
As she got to a traffic junction, she stopped and adjusted her hair, removing her helmet.
A man in a nearby car caught her attention.
Linda eyes widened as she recognized the man. "That jerk,"she murmured, lowering her head to hide her face.
Before she could put back her helmet, his sharp eyes locked on hers.
"You!" he shouted, reaching for his door.
But the light turned green. Linda smirked, slid her helmet back on, and zoomed off.
Her smirk only add fuel to the anger that was buring inside him.
"bitch," he cursed as he immediately followed her, his car rushing after her. She noticed him in her side mirror.
"Still as annoying as I remember," she muttered, weaving between cars.
Within seconds, he lost her.
"Damn!" Williams slammed the steering wheel. "That bitch dared slap me. No one has ever slapped me before. We'll meet again," he growled.
By the time Linda rode through the gates of Hanul High School, the roar of her engine drew several curious stares. She parked and took a moment to scan the campus, her eyes sharp and observant.
Inside the administration office, the clerk processed her paperwork quickly. He handed her the student ID with a polite smile, though his eyes lingered longer than necessary on her dark skin.
Holding her ID tightly, Linda stepped into the hallway. Students passed by, some slowing, some staring.
One girl with a bright smile broke from her group and approached her.
"Hi, I'm Ha Rin. Welcome to Hanul!" she said, extending her hand.
Linda shook it, smiling softly. "Thanks. I'm Linda."
"What grade are you?" Ha Rin asked.
"Grade ten," Linda replied.
"Wow, we're in the same grade!" Ha Rin beamed.
Linda raised a brow. "How did you know I'm new?"
Ha Rin shrugged, innocently. "You're the only Black girl in the whole school."
She continued chatting, showing Linda around, until she spotted someone.
"Alex!" Ha Rin waved.
A handsome boy walked over. "Who is this Black beauty?" he teased, eyeing Linda with open curiosity.
"This is Linda. She just resumed today. Linda, this is Alex, my best friend."
"Welcome to the chaos," Alex joked. Exchanging a hand shake with Linda.
Their easy company lowered Linda's tension, even though she still noticed some students whispering and staring as she passed.
"So, Linda," Ha Rin asked, "what do you do in your free time?"
"I practice martial arts," Linda said. "It's… like a part of me." Her smiled deepen.
Ha Rin's eyes lit up. "Then you'll love our martial arts club! Our teacher, Mr. Kwon, would definitely want to meet you."
"Some students even compete nationally," Alex added.
Linda's eyes widened slightly. "Really? I didn't know."
"Hanul isn't just about grades," Ha Rin explained. "Here, students with talent get trained. Mr. Kwon always says martial arts builds confidence and focus."
"And it's the best stress relief," Alex said.
Linda laughed softly. "That sounds amazing. I'd love to check it out."
----
Secretary Kim sat behind he desk, typing steadily, the soft clicks of the keyboard filling the quiet office. Morning sunlight spilled across the files, highlighting the neat stacks he had arranged before Mr. Adam arrived.
He was reviewing an important contract when the door suddenly burst open.
He didn't even get the chance to look up before a familiar voice exploded into the room.
"Kim! We need to talk..now!"
Secretary Kim blinked, startled.
Only one person in that entire mansion had the audacity to enter like that.
"And that is William."
He strode inside with all the drama of a spoiled hurrican, hair messy from running his hands through it, shirt half-buttoned, anger practically radiating off him.
"Sir William," Secretary Kim said carefully, straightening the documents on he desk. "Is everything alright?"
"No, Kim, everything is not alright!" he snapped, pacing in front of he desk. "You need to find that black girl. The one who humiliated me yesterday."
His voice cracked between outrage and bruised ego.
He stopped pacing and slammed both palms on he desk, leaning forward.
"She slapped me, Kim! In public! And you let her go...? I want her found today, tonight, no, NOW!"
Secretary Kim inhaled slowly, choosing his words. He had survived Mr. Adam for fifteen years. He could survive his son too.
"Sir," he said calmly, "you were the one who offered her first, you drained her with water and refused to apologize." William's jaw dropped as he asked "You're taking her side?!"
"Not really, Williams, am just trying to do what is right" he said, staring at william with a practiced blank expression. "What exactly do you want me to do?"
William pointed a trembling finger at him, furious and embarrassed.
"Find her. I don't care how. Name. Address. Whatever. I want her in front of me. Do your job, Kim!"
Secretary Kim stared at him for a long moment, unimpressed.
Then he sighed, lifted his pen, and began writing in her notebook.
"Fine. I'll look into it. But don't blame me if your father finds out you're starting trouble again."
William froze.
His anger dimmed, just a little.
"Kim… just find his," he muttered, running a hand through his hair again. "i saw her a while ago, and she was laughing at me."
Secretary Kim hid a knowing smile.
"Of course, Sir William. I'll begin immediately."
William turned, stormed out of the office, and slammed the door behind him.
Secretary Kim finally leaned back in his chair, exhaled, and murmured to himself:
"Only God can save this boy."