“Hey, Kang Ae-yeon!”

Plop!

As soon as the door opened, a milk carton came down energetically over her head. The white milk dripped down her hair like drops of paint.

Laughter spread like paint.

“Ah. I was going to warn you. Cabbie. You’re late.”

“Heh, you should’ve said it a bit faster.”

“Wow. The smell of sour milk.”

“…….”.

Ae-yeon stared blankly at the milk dripping down her face. But there was nothing else she could do.

Nonchalantly patting her hair and about to sit back in her seat, Ae-yeon, at that moment.

Swoosh─

The chair she had been waiting for suddenly slipped backward. It was the doing of the fellow student sitting behind her.

“Oh, were you trying to sit? Sorry. My tint spilled below. Can you pick it up for me?”

“…….”.

Ae-yeon hesitated. And at that moment.

“No, not there.”

Thunk. Her hand was pressed hard against the back of her hand.

“Here.”

At that time, Ae-yeon was 14 years old, just entering the first year of middle school.

Having lost her parents in a gate accident, Ae-yeon grew up in an orphanage. However, for some reason, that fact had spread throughout the entire school from the time of her enrollment.

Ae-yeon thought that might be the reason for the relentless bullying. But looking back now, she wondered if there was no reason for the bullying.

Lunchtime.

“Hey, eat this too.”

Splurk─

The stew poured onto the tray. Holding a spoon, the classmate suddenly pushed her head toward the frozen Ae-yeon.

“You’re a welfare recipient, right? You’d only eat ramen if you go home, so you should eat a lot of school meals.”

“I’m not a parasite; I’m just an orphan.”

“Hey, eat mine too.”

Ugh. The sauce of the ruined stew mixed with the fallen side dish on the tray.

“What’s wrong? Not eating?”

“…….”.

Ae-yeon reluctantly raised the spoon. The moment she brought the disgusting food trash to her mouth, a nauseating feeling welled up.

With wet eyes, she quickly scanned the classroom. Some of her fellow students met her eyes, but they quickly averted their gaze.

Tak-tak-tak…….

A common sight. In that scene, no one reached out to Ae-yeon.

“In those years, people usually fight and gradually become friends. Ae-yeon, try approaching your friends first with courage. The teacher will cheer for you.”

The homeroom teacher was the same.

School life for Ae-yeon was hell. She thought the orphanage was much better than here. At least there, she had friends in a similar situation.

I want to go back.

After school, an empty classroom. Staring at the horrific doodles on the desk, Ae-yeon thought.

“Ae-yeon, I’m sorry. The teacher can’t run the orphanage anymore.”

The director, who was sick, told Ae-yeon to leave the orphanage. The name of the disease was so difficult that she couldn’t even remember it.

“But the new orphanage you’re going to is a really good place. The teacher told them to take good care of Ae-yeon because she’s very pretty. Understand?”

“Yes.”
“When the teacher is done, I’ll definitely come to pick you up.”

…When?

Ae-yeon tightly shut her eyes.

Despite going through horrible experiences in the newly moved orphanage, escaping from there to a youth shelter, enduring severe bullying at school, she continued to believe and wait.

That someday, she would return to the teacher’s embrace.

But now it was different. Ae-yeon had given up waiting. Instead, she just prayed. Prayed for these dreadful days to end quickly.

──However.

The seemingly endless hell collapsed so easily on a particular day.

“South Korea’s fourth S-rank has appeared. The protagonist is a 14-year-old girl?!”

South Korea’s fourth S-rank, Kang Ae-yeon.

Except for the first S-rank, Maestro Baek Yajun, after Baek Ya Shingwi, Dr. Plant Kwon Ro-je, and Jecheon Daesung Yu Hwan, she was the first S-rank hunter to appear.

The number of S-rank hunters represented the national power.

The existing three S-rank hunters in Korea were among the top S-ranks in the world. They were all acknowledged worldwide. Baek Ya had outstanding combat power, Dr. Plant had excellent healing abilities, and Jecheon Daesung possessed unbelievable strength.

However, it couldn’t be denied that the number of S-rank hunters in Korea was less compared to neighboring countries. Therefore, Korea warmly welcomed the appearance of its fourth S-rank, eagerly waiting for it.

The protagonist’s information spread nationwide in less than a day. Even the middle school Ae-yeon attended was not an exception.

Buzz, buzz…….

“Ah, Ae-yeon.”

Ae-yeon, who had just put her backpack down upon arriving at school, turned around. A fellow student from the same grade. She couldn’t even remember the name of the kid.

“Do you want to go to the school store together?”

At first, she was taken aback.

The sudden change in the attitudes of her classmates overnight.

Those who had tormented Ae-yeon until now wisely kept their distance, and those kids who had never spoken to her before were now arguing over who got to sit next to Ae-yeon.

The change wasn’t just limited to her classmates.