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He Chose the Girl They Hated

Iran_Thorne
7
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The average realized release rate over the past 30 days is 7 chs / week.
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Synopsis
He’s the golden boy—rich, handsome, untouchable. She’s the invisible girl—bullied, mocked, and alone. No one ever expected their worlds to collide. Until he did the unthinkable… He stood up for her. Now the school’s most hated girl is under the protection of its most worshipped boy—and chaos begins.
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Chapter 1 - Chapter 1: The Untouchable

Aiden Kwon sat at the edge of a long, polished mahogany table, finishing the last bite of a buttered croissant. The dining hall echoed with quiet elegance—the clink of silverware, the soft hum of the chandelier overhead. There were over twenty chairs surrounding the table, but only one was ever occupied. His.

He checked the time.

8:04 a.m.

Right on schedule.

The staff didn't speak unless spoken to, and his parents were once again overseas—something about a board meeting in Vienna, a private summit in Dubai. It didn't matter. He was used to being alone.

The only heir to the Kwon fortune. The bloodline that once shared ties with royalty. The next in line for a dynasty older than the city itself.

He pulled his earphones over his ears as the butler opened the front door. The family's black luxury sedan waited outside, engine already purring. The driver bowed as Aiden slipped into the back seat without a word.

The school gates opened with a mechanical hum.

It was the kind of school you didn't just get into—you were born for it. Marble pillars, high glass windows, a fountain in the shape of an eagle. The parking lot held nothing less than imported cars. Tuition alone could bankrupt a middle-class family for a decade.

Aiden stepped out, his blazer sharp, tie loose, hands in his pockets. His expression unreadable. Cold. Effortlessly perfect.

Every girl's gaze snapped toward him like he was a signal tower.

"Look at him…"

"God, he's so hot—"

"I heard he lives alone in a mansion with seven bedrooms."

The girls in their pressed skirts stood taller, fixing their hair, praying for even the briefest glance. He didn't give them one.

The boys watched too. Some envious, some respectful. A few tried to mimic the way he walked, as if coolness was something they could copy.

He walked straight through them all, earphones in, a faint beat pulsing from them.

The moment he entered the classroom, the noise collapsed into silence.

He made his way to his usual seat—back row, by the window. The spot was unofficially off-limits. Even teachers knew not to question it.

Aiden slouched into his chair, eyes on his phone, scrolling through news he didn't care about.

Then he paused.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something.

A book flew across the aisle, landing with a dull thud near his foot.

Lina.

The scholarship girl.

Thin-framed glasses. Baggy uniform. Always alone.

The boy who threw the book smirked as Lina bent to pick it up.

"Oops," he said. "Guess it slipped."

The class burst into laughter.

Even Aiden's brows twitched slightly.

She clutched her book and returned to her seat. Shoulders small. Eyes down.

When the teacher walked in, the noise died. But the damage was done.

"Miss Lina," the teacher snapped. "Sit straight. You're always slouching. Is this how a student should behave?"

Lina didn't reply. Just nodded.

Aiden's eyes lingered on her for half a second longer than he meant to.

She didn't cry. Didn't defend herself. She just… sat there, quietly taking it.

After class, a girl in curls and gloss approached Aiden's desk. Her skirt hit above the knee. Her voice dripped confidence.

"Hi, Aiden," she said, twirling a strand of her hair. "So, uh, we're having this party tonight… I was wondering if—"

Aiden stood up.

Didn't say a word.

Didn't even look at her.

Just walked out of the classroom, earphones back in.

The class snickered behind the girl's back. She flushed with embarrassment, eyes darting around, then turned sharply to the nearest scapegoat.

Lina.

She walked up and smacked Lina's head with her notebook. "Watch where you're staring, freak."

Lina winced but said nothing.

She rubbed the back of her head, let out a slow breath, and opened her notebook again.

Scribbling. Always scribbling.

If Aiden had turned around then, he might have seen the sadness in her eyes.

But he didn't.

Not yet.

—-

Lina Seo sat at the edge of the cafeteria, her tray untouched.

A slice of dry bread. A carton of milk. A bruised apple.

She didn't seem to notice any of it. Her pencil moved slowly across a wrinkled notebook, eyes lowered, posture curled inward like she was trying to disappear.

Her uniform blouse had a tiny tear near the shoulder seam. Her shoes were scuffed. Her hair tied back too tightly, like she was always trying to look smaller, cleaner, invisible.

And mostly—she was.

People didn't sit with her.

When she walked past, whispers followed.

"Why's she even here?"

"She's just a charity case."

"She probably begged for that scholarship."

A boy brushed past her tray—on purpose—and knocked it halfway off the table. The milk spilled. The apple rolled.

"Oops," he said with a grin. "Didn't see you there."

The table behind him laughed.

Lina didn't respond. She quietly dabbed the table with a tissue from her sleeve. As if used to it.

At a table far across the room, separated by space and silence, Aiden Kwon slowly chewed a spoonful of rice.

No one sat at his table. No one ever did. It was an unspoken rule.

He glanced up once—just once—and saw the whole thing.

Saw the tray. The milk. The way she didn't flinch, didn't speak, didn't even blink fast.

Then he shook his head.

He pushed the tray away, only half-finished.

His driver had texted earlier. There was an urgent family briefing he had to attend—something about an upcoming estate hearing. His uncle, visiting from Japan, wanted to discuss legacy issues. Whatever that meant.

Aiden didn't care. He only cared that it gave him an excuse to leave.

He stood. All eyes turned. When Aiden Kwon moved, the cafeteria noticed.

He walked past the whispering girls. Past the frozen boys who idolized him. Past Lina Seo, who didn't even lift her head.

His footsteps echoed toward the exit.

Minutes later, his car door opened with a soft click and closed behind him.

The engine hummed to life.

As they drove through the school gates, Aiden leaned his head against the window, half-listening to a song on low volume.

Then he saw them.

Three students.

Two girls. One boy.

Dragging Lina by her ponytail behind the old library wall. Her books spilled across the pavement. Someone kicked a notebook into the bushes.

Lina bent down, trying to gather them as the others laughed and took photos.

The car kept moving.

Aiden turned his head away.

Silence in the car.

His jaw clenched once.

He looked out the other window, said nothing.

But in his mind, the question echoed louder than the music.

"Why does everyone hate her?"