Daehwa Middle School in Seoul is a private school.
If sothing just popped into your head, you’re right. The chairman of the foundation that runs this middle school is my grandfather.
A prestigious private school with history and tradition, attended by children of chaebols and politicians? Korea doesn’t have many of those. The Korean War wiped out most of that, so there wasn’t much left to begin with.
Besides, we’re still in the 20th century. That “history and tradition” hasn’t even had twenty proper years to mature yet.
Sure, schools in wealthy neighborhoods naturally gather rich kids, but it’s not like chaebol kids always go sowhere particularly special.
This country... even if you’re filthy rich, if you bomb the college entrance exam (which doesn’t even exist yet), you’re screwed. Even Chairman Yoo Seong-pil failed to get his kids into Seoul National University.
In Korea, the hierarchy of schools isn’t determined by how rich the students are or how fancy the facilities are. It all boils down to one thing: how many students got into Seoul National University. It usually correlates, but that’s the tric.
That was the problem.
What did I hate most when I entered elentary school—or rather, “people’s school”? The godawful 1980s classroom experience.
Sure, they gave special treatnt since I was technically a chaebol’s daughter... but that didn’t an I could magically turn an old building into a new one.
A stove in the middle of the classroom instead of central heating. Packed lunches instead of hot als. Saturday classes. (Important.)
Ugh... is this what the 20th century tastes like? Chicken coop hell.
Back in my ti, we at least had “play Saturdays.”
How long do I have to keep sneaking out of Saturday classes like this?
This is my inalienable right as a human being from the 21st century.
And this soul-sucking education environnt? It was only going to get worse in middle and high school. Zero period classes and after-school study were waiting.
I could skip them by throwing my weight around... but all my friends around would still suffer. I do have so sense of sha. I just choose to ignore it.
So I tried to introduce a more progressive education system... but it was impossible to fight the tide of the tis with ordinary ans.
However, every rule has its exception.
For Yoo Ha-yeon—the greatest genius the world has ever known and a beauty beyond comprehension—there was a secret weapon.
Money.
An absurd amount of money.
—“Grandpa! I want my own middle school!”
—“Alright.”
And so, a middle school appeared.
Ah... don’t you get it? This is money.
It solves most problems.
Sexism? Child-abuse-level schooling?
More powerful than all of that is raw power.
Even biological traits and circumstances can be bent by those in control of an era.
The fact that ancient Egypt or Silla had queens doesn’t an they had no gender discrimination—it ans the class system was so overwhelming that it covered up the gender disparity.
A massive infusion of capital crashed into the foundation, and an unprecedented middle school was built—for a single person.
Even if that person was a lonely, socially awkward outcast.
***
-Tap.
I strolled slowly across the middle school campus for the first ti, letting out a whistle of admiration.
“This is nice.”
I should’ve co to look around earlier, but I’ve just been too busy.
Actually, Daehwa Middle School wasn’t sothing I created completely from scratch. You can’t just slap together a school overnight.
When I first asked Grandpa, I hadn’t yet been exposed as the Alpha Fund’s owner, so I couldn’t recklessly dump a ton of money into it.
Because of that, I had to spend an extra year in elentary school.
Originally, I’d even considered skipping middle school and jumping straight to high school...
But fortunately, it didn’t co to that.
Large sums of money can shorten processes.
I took over one—no, two schools that were already under construction and renovated them to my liking.
We’ve got a pool, a fountain, even a computer lab.
There’s a field with natural grass too, though I don’t care much about that.
My favorite part is the central atrium that runs from the first floor to the fifth, open all the way up.
Part of the roof is glass, so sunlight pours through all floors during the day.
Wasted space?
It’s fine. I’m rich.
This is where I’ll spend three years—I can’t afford to make it half-assed.
My future high school is already under construction too.
Naturally, it’s called Daehwa High School.
Unfortunately, the elentary school I attended wasn’t Daehwa Elentary.
That one’s over in Seongnam.
-Rustle.
While I was grinning with satisfaction and stroking the brand-new computers piled up behind the school...
Sohow, the student affairs teacher found and shouted.
“What the—hey! You! Student! Don’t touch that!”
-Tap tap tap.
He rushed over as if flying, didn’t even look at my face, and sighed.
“Hmm? These aren’t yours. Geez, brand-new equipnt...”
He frowned and began to scold .
Judging by the fact he didn’t imdiately comnt on my outfit, he seed like a decent enough guy.
Not surprising, since I personally selected every hire.
“Umm, actually... this is mine.”
He looked confused.
“The computer’s yours?”
“No, this place is mine.”
I gave him an awkward smile and turned my body slightly.
“Hmm? Huh...?”
I pointed to the na tag on my uniform and gave a soft smile.
[ Yoo Ha-yeon ]
It marked as the owner of the school.
***
To sum it up simply—
I am the queen of this school.
“Kneel, peasant. And hurry up and bring my textbook.”
Thus, I demanded proper worship from an old friend I hadn’t seen in a while.
“...You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you.”
Myrian, who I hadn’t seen in months, looked at with a strange expression.
“What? Why’re you looking at like that?”
“Hmm, I guess your personality hasn’t changed much.
I was wondering why you skipped the entrance ceremony, but looks like nothing major happened. That’s good, I guess.”
Hmm. So he ant sothing besides my personality changed.
I glanced into the mirror.
Wearing the school uniform, I radiated a new kind of charm.
“Is it that my face got prettier? Or... this?”
I pointed at my chest and gave a cheeky little eye-smile.
He shook his head.
“Your personality got more shaless.
You didn’t use to be this narcissistic...”
“...”
“You, you—how dare you talk to the young miss like that!”
Oh?
One of my loyal followers jumped in to scold him on my behalf.
A girl with a pretty face—just the kind I tend to keep around.
We’ve been close since elentary school.
Well, I think so. Not sure if she’d say the sa.
“Ji-yeon, it’s fine.
Boys always act prickly toward girls they like.”
“Ah! Y-yes, right.”
Seo Ji-yeon instinctively knew how to pick the right side.
She could sense hierarchy like a radar.
As for Myrian—annoying personality, but very capable.
I had to treat him accordingly.
“He’s probably just saying that because of the student numbers.
Yours cos after Seo Ji-yeon’s, right?”
That’s what Myrian said, but I doubt it.
“Co on, no one assigns rank based on student numbers.
And it’s randomized anyway.”
“...We’ve seen you get class 1, number 1 every single year.”
Hmm, fair point.
My student number this year? First-year, Class 1, Number 1.
I’ve always insisted on being first-class first-number.
“Don’t say that, Myrian.
All people are equal. ...Except .”
There’s this line that kings in Joseon used to throw around:
“To , nobles and commoners are all the sa.”
I love that line.
It ans you’ve reached the peak of a royal caste system.
“Today’s class will be conducted as an orientation.
Now, let’s take a look at the math subject we’ll be studying...”
The math teacher up front was moving slowly through the lecture, but I sat sprawled comfortably in my chair, relaxing.
“...She’s gotten bolder lately, hasn’t she?”
A hushed voice nearby. ...Seo Ji-yeon?
Nothing could scare Yoo Ha-yeon, the girl who had already surpassed her past self, so I ignored it.
And technically, this wasn’t a rule violation.
Even if I skipped class or smashed school property, it still wouldn’t count as breaking school rules.
Because I’m the owner of this school.
It might sound extre, but that’s just how private schools were.
They’re run however the director wants.
Strangely enough...
Private schools in this era could still force students to attend religious ceremonies.
Even though freedom of religion is guaranteed in the Constitution.
So this kind of thing? Not even that unusual.
It’s not like I drove anyone to suicide with school bullying, or raped a girl or boy, right?
Providing cutting-edge school facilities in exchange for this?
That’s a damn good deal.
.
.
.
Several boring class periods passed.
‘Ugh, I’m bored.’
I’d gotten used to it during elentary school, but it still felt like I was throwing my ti into the void.
Still, the idea that the shadow queen of global finance was now hiding her power and living a peaceful school life...
That had a certain charm.
Who am I?
‘The Conqueror of the Bank of England.’
The world’s too easy, really.
I slowly closed my eyes, resting my head on one hand, and made a thoughtful expression like I was pondering the truths of the universe.
Then I cracked one eye open and peeked into my compact mirror.
Wow. Just... wow.
I totally fell for myself. So cool.
“Is the young miss going through puberty?”
From the side, my loyal underlings were whispering.
“Could be. She is a middle schooler now.”
Mid...dle schooler.
-CRASH!
I kicked the air hard and toppled out of my chair.
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