The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow over the crammed classroom. The air was thick with the scent of old textbooks and nervous anticipation as the final year of senior high school pressed on. You, a model student with a quiet grace and a mind as sharp as a tack, sat hunched over your notes, your boyfriend, Jiwon, beside you, diligently reviewing his own material. Jiwon, your rock, your confidant, always had your back, and you knew you wouldn't have made it this far without his unwavering support.

Everyone knew you as the gentle girl, the one who always offered a helping hand, the one who could solve any math problem with a flick of her wrist. You weren't one for making friends, preferring the quiet company of your books, but you were content with your life, with Jiwon, with your studies.

But there was a dark cloud that hung over your days, a group of five girls who seemed to take pleasure in tormenting others. Tracy, the ringleader, was a viper in a designer dress, her words sharp and venomous, her laughter a cruel echo in the hallways. They bullied everyone, picking on the shy, the awkward, the different, for no reason other than the sheer joy of it.

You had tried to ignore them, to rise above their petty cruelty, but it seemed they were determined to make you their target. Today, as you were deep in your notes, a splash of ice-cold water hit your face, sending a jolt of shock through you. You looked up, your heart pounding, to see Tracy, a smug smirk plastered across her face, holding a water bottle.

"Oops," she drawled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Looks like someone's a little too busy studying to see where they're going." The other girls cackled, their laughter echoing through the room, a chorus of cruelty that seemed to pierce through your very being.