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"Selfishness and greed, individual or national,
cause of most of our troubles."

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"Haechan-ssi!"

"Haechan-ssi!"

"The way you play is so entrancing!"

"Lee Haechan!"

"Congrats on your win yesterday, Haechan!"

"I heard you win against, Na Jaemin!"

"Haechan-ssi!"

Ugh, they are so annoying, can't they shut up?

Irritation was clear in Haechan's eyes as he walked down the hallway, dozens of students coming out of their classrooms to make their way and greet him. Ever since word went out about the shocking win of a new student against Na Jaemin, the hallways went wild.

Jisung tailed behind Haechan, pushing away anyone who tried to get close to him. The young boy could see clearly that Haechan didn't enjoy this much attention. He loved it, but to a certain extent. Deep inside, Haechan couldn't help but be annoyed at the number of people blocking his way. He had no time for fame, he had to focus.

Haechan glanced behind him and saw Jisung, chuckling a bit he grabs the boy's arm and tugs him close so that he walked beside him. Confused, Jisung had no idea why Haechan did this, it felt so wrong to stand by someone so high up in the clouds but then his thoughts were disrupted as Haechan spoke.

"We're friends, aren't we? Why don't you walk beside me?"

The gaze he held was soft, for a split second Jisung nearly forget this was the same person who heavily gambled his money for a simple game of rock-paper-scissors, even winning by luck. A small smile played on Haechan lips, it looked genuine to Jisung's eyes that he could help but return it, a warm feeling tickling his heart.

"I just thought that... maybe you'd not want a loser like me beside you."

Haechan raised a brow, looking away as his thoughts took over once more. Ringing loudly in his ears, he listened to them talk.

We don't have time for friends, what the fuck are you saying?

This kiddo is right. I don't want a fucking loser beside us.

He's a Park.

Who doesn't even know how to win
against a simple rigged game of rock-paper-scissors

Can't you just leave this loser behind?
We have a goal to accomplish.

"Shut up."

"Hyung?"

Haechan flinches and turns to Jisung who raised a brow at him. He cleared his throat and shook his head, "Ah... don't worry about me. I was just having a debate with myself."

"Debate? Hmm, about what?"

About your idiotic actions yesterday.

He's not an idiot.
And I'm not hot.

Haechan gritted his teeth, scratching his head out of pure annoyance. For once, he just wanted to close his eyes and hear nothing but silence. He easily put up a smile and ruffled Jisung's hair, "Oh you know, just..." he faces front, his eyes catching a certain orange-haired boy walking beside a brown-haired girl. "Waiting for the right time to gamble with the Prez."

Jisung stared at him wide-eyed, unsure if he had heard the right words leave his friend's mouth. He was a bit freaked out. No one just aims that high after their first day in school. But he was talking about a Lee here. The Lee family, especially their line was considered to be one of the most powerful clans, alongside the Jung's and, of course, the Seo's. It was the Aureum Tres. The original trio that started it all.

Haechan didn't say any word after and continued looking straight, like a predator who has hunted its prey. Jisung followed his gaze, his eyes squinting upon noticing the familiar faces. Oh, he knows.

The closer they got, the more nervous Jisung got but he didn't allow himself to get stepped on. Holding a strong gaze, his chin high, and a small smirk tugging up the corner of his lips the moment his confidence sparked, he couldn't help but feel proud to walk beside Lee Haechan.

I see little asteroid is gaining some confidence.

The moment the two pairs crossed paths, it felt as if the whole hallway had shifted. Haechan could feel his cold eyes staring at him, drilling into the side of his head, as he walked past them. The subdued yet taunting whisper made its way to Haechan's ears causing a wide grin to spread across his face. He felt childish and it excited him more.

"Congratulations, Lee." Those two simple words joint together made everything better. The annoyance that once filtered through his eyes was gone, now replaced with hunger. A kind of hunger that no food could make disappear.

Strands of his orange hair sticking out as he tousled it, he halted and reached back to grab Lee's arm but his eyes grew wide when a faster hand gripped tightly onto his wrist.

"Yangyang. Liu Yangyang." His name rolled off the new student's tongue so crisp and clear as his gaze remained on the hand wrapped around his wrist.

Fast. I see.

A laugh bubbled out of Yangyang's chest and he finally looks up to face a grinning Haechan. Both eyes held a mischievous glint in them that the girl noticed.

"Yangyang, stop it. We have work to do."

"Come on, Yue. It's just—"

"So you're Kuyu- Kwiyu?" Haechan suddenly asked, averting his gaze onto the brown-haired girl.

Stunned. That was one word to express what Yue looked like right now. She was stunned. Yue could remember the first time she had felt this way was when she first met the President. The same aura—the same entrancing smile. She felt like she was falling all over again.

Something snaps and she breaks away from her trance the moment she feels a hand on her shoulder. She glanced back and was met with Sungchan's dark gaze. It was a warning gaze that made her look away instantly. Swallowing the thick lump that got caught in her throat, she didn't dare to meet eyes with Lee Haechan again.

"Just call her Zhao," Sungchan stated, eyeing Haechan who's grin grew wider.

"Actually, I'm fine with the nickname Yue."

Sungchan shot a pointed look towards Yue, he tightened his grip on Yue's shoulder and tugged her backward, allowing himself to tower her smaller figure. He stands in front of her, smiling back at Haechan. "Like what Yue said," Sungchan grabs onto the collar of Yangyang's sweater vest. "We have work to do."

A pout formed on Haechan's lips, stepping closer to Sungchan with clasped hands. "Really? But it seems like Yang here wants something for me."

Sungchan raised a brow, averting his gaze onto the orange-haired boy who let out a breathy scoff, raising both of his arms. "Well, I mean, if it's money then yeah I sure do want it."

Yue squinted her eyes at him and he finally gives in, rolling his eyes as the playfulness in them disappear. He clear his throat, shrugging off Sungchan's hand on him, and sized up Haechan's figure. "I was just wondering what it'd be like to gamble with him." He then smiles widely, a hidden intent behind it. "Seems like he's fun..." to mess with, Yangyang completes in his mind.

Yangyang's gaze falls onto Jisung and he nods at him encouragingly. "Heard you escaped being a pet through Lee. Didn't take you two as friends."

"You wonder what it'd be like, huh?" Haechan tilts his head, "Well how about we—"

"Jung, Liu, and Zhao." The trio looked up and saw a blonde-haired boy standing before them. Despite his smaller figure, he looked daunting. "The Prez is waiting. The three of you should know well that she doesn't like waiting, does she?" He giggled and touched his eyepatch.

Jisung shuddered at his thought. Looking at the boy who he recognized as Huang Renjun, he felt scared about the rumors floating around the school corridors.

"Oh? She doesn't like to wait?" Haechan tilted his head and Sungchan immediately shut him down.

"Don't even think about getting close to her. All you want is to steal her spot, don't you?" Sungchan said in a lower tone, audible for only them to head. He signaled his fellow members to go ahead of him while Haechan simply nodded at Jisung, letting him stay.

Shrugging shamelessly, Haechan didn't really see anything wrong with his goal. "Isn't that everyone's goal here? Especially people like you and me." He steps close, reaching out to loosen Sungchan's necktie. "A Jung like you? You only serve her for your family and your own personal desires. You don't admire her. You admire her power."

"Once you've got all of the information you need, you'll start to ruin her one by one until all that's left is a Seo who's lower than everyone else."

Sungchan stepped back and pried off Haechan's hands from his tie, fixing and readjusting it with a glare directed towards the smiling male. "And what are you saying? That," he laughs mockingly, "we are the same?"

"No. But in ways, we are similar." Haechan said turned around, wrapping an arm around Jisung's shoulder, and began to walk with him. He waves his hand in the air, saying goodbye to the redhead.

"We both want to claim that spot."

≫≫≫

"Interesting. He's very... interesting." The boy with an eyepatch hummed as he sat comfortably in his seat. He played with the string of his eyepatch, humming to a tune every now and then.

"Interesting? He's annoying, I say." The boy with reddish-brown hair uttered, his tone hinting disgust as he rolled his eyes. It was clear that Lee Haechan was getting on his nerves. His thoughts resurfaced and all he could ever think about was what happened.

The brown-haired girl sat in front of the vice president, placing her hand on top of her beating heart. Her encounter with the new student was more different than she had thought. No Lee had ever such aura.

Sungchan noticed the look on the secretary's face and scoffed. "What? Already fallen in love with him? Pathetic, Yue. Pathetic."

Renjun grinned, a chuckle to escape his lips as he excitedly glanced at the secretary. "Oh? You've taken a liking to him, too? Yue?"

"What?! No! I would never!" The girl protested but Renjun ignored her.

"See?" He claps his hands loudly then points at Sungchan. "I told you he's exciting!"

"Can't you all just shut up? We already made Prez wait and I don't think she'll be happy if—"

"Who's very interesting?"

Yangyang gets interrupted by a sultry voice sounding in their ears. They shot their heads up and saw their President. The dark blue uniform fitted her image perfectly, with the buttons of her own blazer design specifically for her and the golden pin situated at her right chest. Smiling at her fellow members, she took a seat on the middle chair, her designated spot.

"Well?" She tilts her head, the smile dropping along with her tone. Propping her elbow on top of the meeting table, she rests the side of her face on her palm. "I'm asking, who's very interesting."

Yue eyed Renjun and kicked his foot underneath the table causing the latter to yelp and glared back at her. "Hey!"

"Hey?" The President eyed Renjun sternly.

"Prez." Renjun pursed his lips together and bowed his head obediently. "We were just talking about the new student."

"It seems like everyone has taken a liking to him, in which, Prez, I do not," Sungchan added, trying to assure his president that he had nothing to do with the new student.

The President let out a short hum of amusement, her eyebrow cocking up as her eyes took a side-glance at Sungchan. "Really? You sure you haven't taken him interesting?"

"He is not interesting- he's annoying!" Sungchan exclaimed and furrowed his eyebrows together, questioning his president's words. "Are you saying you're interested in him, Prez?"

"Lee Haechan is a very interesting person, Jung Sungchan. Although he may seem... crazy at some point, that's because he has his own problems." The president chuckled though it may seem playful to others, it was a horror to the student council's ears. They could feel chills running down their spines as they listened to what their president has to say. "But I'm not gambling with someone who has his friends with him all the time."

"You mean that Park? Possibly those two Osaki's and... I don't know, his relatives and Na?"

"Prez, they mean no harm. I don't think they can."

The President grinned and made eye contact with Sungchan. "I'm not talking about physical friends."

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oh wow an update after years