I Became the Hidden Mastermind

001 – Abyss of the Boy #1

21st century high school is a class society.

For example, Sojin, the class president of Class D, was positioned quite high in the school’s ecological pyramid.

“Hey, guys! Don’t leave yet! The homeroom teacher has something to say before lunch starts! Come on! Don’t leave!”

Even with glasses, her pretty appearance couldn’t be hidden, and she excelled academically, gaining popularity among her peers and teachers.

I heard Sojin’s parents were also executives of a major company, so her family environment was affluent.

If we were to measure human standards on a scale of 100, class president Sojin would undoubtedly be in the top 5 percent.

“Well, the homeroom teacher has something to say. Someone wrote this letter and left it in the faculty room, saying that someone in Class D is being bullied. Does anyone know who this is about?”

“Teacher! If lunch is delayed, there will be a long line!”

“Please finish quickly! Where is this bullying happening in our class?”

“Yes, the teacher also thinks so. If anyone knows anything, close your eyes. And only those who know about this letter, raise your hands. Well… no one.”

Where would Ha Yeongwon, the head of the book club in Class D, fit into the class hierarchy?

In my opinion, I was right in the middle.

It should have been that way…

Thud!

I was about to take a quick nap before lunch, but something hard hit the back of my head, and sparks flashed before my eyes.

“Ouch, damn it!”

“What? Damn it? Did you just say damn it to me? Did you guys hear that? What is this guy saying? Class D is getting quite bold.”

A male student with bright red hair and loud earrings grasped a wooden sword like a fencer.

The male student was wearing sweatpants over his school uniform as if it were natural, and because of his large build, he looked like an athlete.

“Hey, Ha Young-won. Did you write a letter to the office saying that I was bothering you? Are you out of your mind, you punk? Do you have the guts to handle it?”

“No, Geon-ho. Why would I write a letter? Other kids probably did it.”

To cover for Kim Geon-ho’s outburst, I avoided eye contact and looked around. When our eyes met, everyone subtly looked away.

It was an attitude of not wanting to get involved in troublesome matters.

“Ha… Young-won, let’s make sure unnecessary trouble doesn’t happen for no reason. Got it? Find out who wrote the letter by the end of this week. If you don’t, I’ll consider it as written by you.”

Whoosh-.

With Kim Geon-ho’s announcement, the rough group of male students left the classroom.

As the classroom started to get noisy, as if a blocked flow had been released, someone approached me quietly.

“Hey, nerd. It really wasn’t you who wrote it?”

She was a girl with long, dyed yellow hair and a shortened school uniform that seemed like it would burst underneath.

Her hands were hidden behind her hips as if she were trying to conceal something, which emphasized her chest even more.

The inflated vest had “Yang Ju-hee” written on it.

“No, Ju-hee. I didn’t write it.”

I maintained the most submissive attitude possible towards the smaller Ju-hee.

This way, I’d get hit less!

I tried to look as submissive and pitiful as possible!

Thanks to that, I could see Ju-hee’s white legs and slender ankles under her short skirt.

I had heard a while ago from the street kids that Ju-hee had earned a million won by working as a shoe model. Her legs were indeed slim enough to be considered model-worthy.

She was pretty, did reasonably well in her studies, and was popular even among the kids who played around.

How enjoyable must the lives of these kids be? That’s what Yang Ju-hee said when she thought about it.

“Why, isn’t it natural to want to rebel at least once when you’re tormented every day? Eternal, you’re a guy too. While we’re at it, should I touch and see how big this noona’s eternal behind has gotten?”

“Hey, stop it! And why did I write something like a letter to the office? I really want to know who wrote it. Is there any torment in our class? Isn’t that right?”

“….”

Yang Ju-hee frowned.

But her cloudy face quickly turned into a bright smile like sunshine.

“That’s why I like our eternal. Really. When I see Eternal, I want to bite and pinch him. So I bought a new lighter. I thought Zippo lighters were cool.”

“Here. I bought it with the little money I had. It’s a 5,000 won lighter. Since I bought it with my dinner money, you have to pay me back….”

“Yay! Eternal is the best! I’ll give you the money later, okay?”

Drrr….

At that moment, the classroom door opened and a red-haired boy with a disheveled appearance hurriedly spoke to Yang Ju-hee.

“Hey, Ju-hee! Gun-ho said he has something to tell you, so go to the counselor’s office! It’s really important, so hurry up!”

“Ah, that Kim Gun-ho. Who does he think he is, telling me to come bother him? Eternal, come see me later. Come to the back of the auditorium after school. Don’t run away like last time, got it?”

Yang Ju-hee, with an angelic voice and a devilish smirk, put the cutter knife on my desk into her pocket and left the classroom.

I don’t know why she took the cutter knife… It’ll probably be hard to get it back. This is not the first or second time that my things have disappeared like this.

“It’s my knife… I didn’t even get the money for the lighter.”

By now, anyone would know.

…I, Ha Yeong-won, was the punching bag of Class D’s bullies!

I could be called the lowest of the low, a “slave,” even in the school’s social hierarchy!

But my laughter wouldn’t stop now.

“hehehe. Look at Kim Geon-ho, having a fit. Are you scared of getting caught by the teacher? Pathetic. Just like Yang Ju-hee. She sneaks around taking my stuff too…”

Normally, I wouldn’t dare utter a word, afraid someone might hear me. But today, I was different!

And I had a good reason for it!

Taking advantage of the fact that no one paid any attention to me, I whispered quietly to myself.

“Status Window.”

# # #

Name: Ha Young-won Lv.1

Trait: “Broken Watch”

Funds: 99 Points

Description: Once highly regarded, you now spend your days in a meaningless routine, killing time. However, even a broken watch manages to show the correct time twice a day.

Advice from “Broken Watch”: Gather funds and open the “Shop”! Funds automatically accumulate at a rate of 2 points per day, and additional points can be obtained by engaging in unconventional activities.

Funds required to open the shop: 100 Points

Thanks to these words that appeared after the entrance ceremony, I was able to have a slightly different day than others.

The reason I could endure being humiliated by Yang Ju-hee, even becoming her punching bag, was because of this strange status window.

And today was the day when the funds I had been accumulating at a rate of 2 points per day since the entrance ceremony finally reached 100 points.

“The price to open the ‘Shop’ is 100 points.”

I didn’t know what would be in this “Shop” in the status window, but one thing was certain: it wouldn’t be ordinary, and it had to be that way.

Maybe they’ll sell something like a “Hypnosis App.”

Or maybe they’ll sell magical books that awaken superpowers?

Still, if I had to choose, I preferred the “Hypnosis App.”

I was confident in using it effectively.

“Lunchtime, come quickly!”

I had figured out that the time for earning points was fixed at 12 o’clock noon and midnight.

So, I endlessly waited for lunchtime and finally, I was able to earn 100 points!

“Darn it, please, God, Buddha… please, please….”

“Unlocking the shop with 100P!”

“Welcome to Level 1 shop. Our shop sells various items that will help in battles for heroes.”

The “Hypnosis App” is out! From now on, I am the king of Class D!

“When you level up the shop, additional items and discounts will be applied.

Shop Level 1 Lv (0/100)

1. Ability Draw Ticket – 100P

2. Capsule Draw Ticket – 100P

3. Unlock Locked Item – 100P

4. Open the School Store – 0P”

“….”

As I looked at the items being sold in the shop, my mind went blank for a moment.

The name “shop” naturally implied that something would be bought and sold, but with most prices being high, I couldn’t afford to buy anything.

“This is too much.”

I need to gather 50 points if it’s 100 points?

Do I have to imitate Pikachu and punch the sandbag for 50 days?

Absolutely not.

If the only thing I can do without points is “Chapter 4: Opening of the Tutoring Center (0P).”

I thought I had to do something to escape slavery, so I moved my hand.

Ding-.

“The Tutoring Center is unlocked.”

“Chapter 1: Starting the Nightmare Corridor.”

“Please select a player from the list.”

“You can select up to 4 players.”

“Oh….”

The list of names that came to mind were filled with familiar faces.

# # #

Yeongji High School had a low quality of students, barely qualifying as a humanities school.

So the area behind the scarce Tutoring Center was a chaotic battleground during break times.

“Hey, did you hear? Someone saw Kim Geonho hanging out with the English teacher in Jimoondong last weekend.”

“Wow, se-, seriously? There are so many bars and motels in Jimoondong! Kim Geonho with the actual English teacher? They have an age difference of ten years…!?”

“Wow, I’m so envious of Kim Geonho. I really liked the English teacher… Is the English teacher crazy? With a student?”

“Ugh, the smell of cigarettes is really strong.”

When a girl with dyed yellow hair appeared, the male students who had been gathered together stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to her.

For the hormone-fueled male students, Yang Ju-hee, who was considered one of the prettiest girls among their peers, was excessively provocative.

“Ju-hee doesn’t have a boyfriend, right? Should I give it a try?”

“Wow, looks like she’s shortened her skirt even more. She’s really, really pretty….”

However, even the hormone-fueled boys of that age couldn’t speak to Yang Ju-hee or act friendly towards her.

It was partly because Yang Ju-hee, known as the daughter of a wealthy family, exuded an air of difficulty in approaching her, but also because Kim Geon-ho, who ruled over Class D like a king, had taken a liking to her.

Among the male students, only Kim Geon-ho and Ha Yeong-won, who was Yang Ju-hee’s punching bag, could have a conversation with her.

This was also why Ha Yeong-won ended up being further tormented by other male students.

“Hey, where’s Kim Geon-ho? Why did he ask me to come?”

Yang Ju-hee asked.

The male students, who were smoking, opened their mouths as if competing with each other.

“If it’s Geon-ho, he must be with the teacher! Maybe he called you because of the shoe model thing?”

“Or is Geon-ho confessing to you again? Ju-hee, honestly, you and Geon-ho look really good together, why don’t you just date him?”

“With Kim Geon-ho? No, I don’t like him. I’ve said it before. I like strong men.”

The male students looked puzzled.

At this Youngji High School, there were really only a handful of people who were better at fighting than Kim Geon-ho.

Perhaps they were talking about that senior in the third grade… such thoughts crossed their minds when Yang Ju-hee took out a lighter from her pocket and lit a cigarette.

The male students all stared at her as if they were spellbound.

“But why did he specifically ask to meet at the teacher’s office?”

“Geon-ho, for the past few days, has been trying to pick the lock of the teacher’s office every day. He’s making his own hideout. The

Yang Joo-hee didn’t like the old school building. It was because she felt something eerie from that abandoned building. There were rumors that ghosts appeared. In fact, Yang Joo-hee had seen the ‘ghosts,’ whether it was in a dream or reality was still confusing…