💻The Foreign System💻💻
(CHAPTER_1 )
"This place turns out to be more crowded than expected" Ji-Ho mumbled between his lips as his eyes rolled over the partying scene where he noticed a few people from his school.
The disco lights flashed continuously and he couldn't help but sigh, wondering if he shouldn't be here.
"Hi" A female voice sounded not far from him and he turned to see a brunette in a blue trench coat approaching him full of smiles.
He recognized her.
"Choi Jia"
The school gossip queen. What the hell was she doing here?
Well, why wouldn't she be here? Choi Jia literally has the latest news of Seoul High on her palm, always.
The Yang twin birthday party will be a good place to get information for gossip but the main question was, why was she coming at him?
They barely talked in class.
Ji-Ho tried to compose himself, "Hey... Hey Choi Jia"
Choi Jia giggled, "The last person I was expecting to find here, unbelievable"
There was a hint of disgust in her eyes.
And that answered his question. She was surprised to find him here and that was actually believable.
Ji-Ho is considered anti-social by many when he's just an introvert who's not really introverted.
"Yeah, I came with Joon" He couldn't help but say, hoping to shrug her off.
She nodded, "As much as I thought. I was wondering if you had a miraculous breakthrough "
This was when he realized why she had approached him.
On a regular day, he had no ability to be here.
Ji-Ho would never have come on his own except he was accompanied.
She knew that he couldn't have gotten an invitation card from the Yang twins.
He was a nobody in the city and often went unnoticed.
Who is Ji-Ho?
A nobody... Trash... Loser... Poor thing.
He lost track of the title already.
Ji-Ho was an orphan who managed to gain entry into the most influential High School in Seoul by scholarship.
This was a school for the children of the Upper class citizens in the City, and the gifted.
The gifted: Those with rare and special abilities that make them appear significant in the city.
But he was neither.
Ji-Ho was anything below the lower class in society and worked solo to survive daily.
He also had no special abilities that distinct him from the other humans.
There was literally nothing he had in common with the other students in Seoul High.
Choi Jia soon gets him off guard, "Will you dance with me?"
He couldn't believe his ears but he was quick to reject, "No, I'm fine, I'm just gonna wait here for um, Nam Joon"
She was disappointed and angered at the same time, "Do you really think I want to dance with a nobody?"
She scoffed and walked away when Ji-Ho noticed approaching Nam Joon with two cups of wine.
Ji-Ho knew she planned to get him to dance with her so she could flame up rumors, news, and interesting stories on her social media pages.
Choi Jia would do anything to go viral, including using the most popular nobody like him.
Nam Joon who just came around asked curiously, "Is that gossip queen Jia?"
This was the child of the Upper-Class citizen whom he had come with to the party.
He wasn't gifted but his family owned a major construction company in Seoul.
Joon wasn't a good person either.
Ji-Ho helps him to do his assignments and get paid for them which leads to his coming here tonight.
Joon had persuaded to come after helping him that day and he(Ji-Ho) couldn't resist the offer to see what an Upper-Class birthday party looks like.
Ji-Ho sighed, "She was surprised to see me"
The latter burst into laughter, "Ohoo! They really look down on you"
Ji-Ho's eyes squinted as he wondered if Joon had gained sympathy for him but the next words got him off guard.
"Well you're down. Do you have the slightest idea of what it takes to get an invitation card from the Yang twins? The wealth and influence of your ancestors put together cannot afford it"
Ji-Ho's eyes turned red but there was nothing he could do about this.
He never expected less.
Everyone takes turns in taunting him.
That was when he noticed Joon waving full of smiles and he turned to see the twin girls in red ball gowns approaching with heavy makeup.
Ji-Ho's heart almost exploded.
The Yang twin!
They were close already and so he couldn't take to his heels.
The girls were not simply rich but they had special abilities that distinguished them from the regular humans.
This caliber of persons were the untouchable hybrids in the City, one you cannot come to toe with.
Now he realized coming to this party was a big mistake.
What in the name of heaven was he thinking?
The girls came to a halt and their fierce glance was directed at him.
Ji-Ho was going to take a piss on himself because the aura they oozed almost had him dropping to his knees.
The gifted always had that aura that distinguished them from a regular man.
"Oh... Chill girls..." Nam Joon laughed heartedly, "I brought him around, and um... He is about to take his leave"
Ji-Ho's jaw dropped in shock.
Did Nam Joon just dish him away? Well, his curiosity had made him trust a devil.
He couldn't take the shame anymore so he quickly found his way to the nearest exit.
As he did, an evil smile curved at the corner of Joon's mouth who brought out his phone and dialed a number.
The receiver took the call almost immediately and he stammered, "Your Highness, he is coming out"
"I'll send your payment" A cold feminine voice sounded from the other end and Joon's eyes shut for a moment.
The receiver hung the call.
The Yang twins had shock written over their faces and they stammered, "Is that the Queen?"
Joon managed to open his mouth but couldn't speak because the aura of the individual over the phone was intimating enough to shake him.
The girls stared at each other and this was when Joon whispered, "That loser is surely dead today"
Meanwhile, Ji-Ho couldn't stop running as his heart arched in uncontrolled pain.
Why was he born to be a lower? To be trampled upon by every.
Why was he the weakest person in Seoul City? Popular only for his weakness.
His thoughts were interrupted as he tripped over something and crashed over the floor.
He was a few meters away from the party location already, in a deserted field that connects to the main road.
"What the..." Ji-Ho cursed on realizing that he had tripped over nothing.
There was no object there but he was so sure he had hit his leg against something.
"Well... Well... If it ain't the good-looking trash" From the darkness echoed a voice that sent him stumbling and falling to the ground.
His heart pounded at its fastest speed and his legs went jelly for a moment.
No, it can't be... He recognized the voice but it couldn't be the one who he feared the most in the world.
The no. 1 tormentor in Seoul City who remains untouchable to all... The Queen of Seoul High...
With a face filled with fear, Ji-Ho turned to see the hot blonde in a biker's outfit appearing from the darkness with a big smile on her face.
Her blonde hair was styled in a pigtail and matched the color of her nails, golden warm tone.
She was still a teenager but had the temperament, riches, and power of an adult.
No other person but Kim Nana, the daughter of the richest man in Seoul City.
She was the first lady in the city not just because of her father's wealth but because her family were powerful individuals with the ability of rare cultivation that has gone down generations.
Kim Nana has won the most beautiful teenager award in Seoul City every year and even Ji-Ho who hated her with every cell in his body cannot dispute the fact regarding her beauty.
But behind that beauty, was a viscous creature who destroys and dominates whatever she desires.
No one in the City can stand toe to toe with Nana except her family and that makes her a figure that should never be offended.
She of course attended Seoul High and had the title for herself.. 'The Queen'
The young lady was a villainous Queen bigger than the entire school as the authorities were not a match for her.
Money and ability wise.
But then, there was the biggest wonder in Seoul City.
Her interest in the loser, Jang Ji-Ho.
No, not love interest... If there's anything as hate interest, then that's it.
Sweat tickled down Ji-Ho's face as he crawled backwards to get away from Nana who was approaching him with a Baseball club in her hand.
With the villainous smile on her face, she resembled the psychotic character in the movie 'Suicide Squad', Harley Quinn.
"He has the guts to try and run away" Ji-Ho stopped abruptly when he had voices behind him and tilted his head around to see the others approaching.
Three females and two males whom he recognized well.
They were Kim Nana's friends and together formed a group popularly known as 'The Apex' in Seoul High.
They were all gifted except for the youngest among them.
Seeing them, Ji-Ho knew it was over for him.
There was no escaping.
Right from day one in Seoul High, Kim Nana had always had her heels over his head and he dared not fight back.
Seoul High was the only place he could graduate and become a better person in the Society; one who is a somebody.
Kim Nana had influence over the authority of the school and had once threatened to get him expelled.
That can't happen... He had no parents and no money to be in another school. Moreover Seoul High was a big opportunity he could not afford to throw away.
"I'm sorry..." Ji-Ho burst into tears as he kowtowed before approaching Nana who had a look of disgust on her face.
"Sorry..." She scoffed, "You hid from me today, didn't you? I searched everywhere to find you but I couldn't"
Ji-Ho tried to control his breathing.
He had indeed hidden in the restroom for the entire day at school so Kim Nana wouldn't find and bully him as usual.
"What? I was in school" He stammered.
"Yes you were, but you were hiding. How dare you?" Kim Nana grits her teeth and before he can mutter a word, she strikes his arm with the club and he collapses to the ground.
Ji-Ho winced in pain and cried even more.
He was used to getting beaten by the club but then getting his ass kicked by a woman was most humiliating.
Choi Jia, The gossip queen would occasionally put it at the top of her page's headline for the day and let people laugh and comment about how weak he was.
"I'm too tired to deal with you today, empty head" Nana snared and slowly retreated the club in her head giving a glimpse of hope to Ji-Ho but what followed next was what he least expected.
A strong force pulled him from the ground and before he could realize what was happening, Kim Nana's fingers were wrapped around his neck and his feet were no longer touching the ground.
She was literally choking him.
"Please stop!" Half coughing... Half crying, Ji-Ho begged.
The terrifying part wasn't the choke but the aura that was exploding from her system in close proximity.
All of the gifted students in Seoul High were at the lowest level of their abilities as the superhuman gift can only be developed and leveled in the body of an adult.
But not Kim Nana, no one knew the secrets or the reason but she was wielding something far greater than some adults.
No one has ever seen her use her full ability without holding back but the aura she emits alone tells how strong she was.
An aura that makes even the gifted to tremble.
Ji-Ho has once seen her do something catastrophic and that lingers in his memories to date.
He once watched her explode a car for taking her parking spot at school and all it took her was the raise of her hand.
"Look me in the eye" She sneered at Ji-Ho who was wriggling in the air and trying to break free from her grip but each time he touched her hand, he felt a literal electrical shock that made him cry more.
With blinking eyes, he managed to keep his dying mind on focusing at the girl before him.
"I'll break your legs if you dare hide again and I'll buy you a wheelchair because you can't afford one" After hearing her threaten her, he could only cough because his consciousness was slowly seeping out.
Nana threw him to the ground and walked away with a loud voice, "Don't miss the trip tomorrow, handsome"
Her friends chuckled hysterically and trailed behind her, leaving Ji-Ho who was still coughing with red eyes.
For a moment, he thought he was gonna die but here he was.
Now that he thinks about it, Nam Joon had set him up to be beaten by Kim Nana and never had a tiny sympathy for him.
His phone soon buzzed and he managed to drag it out to see the incoming call from his boss.
"Hey, Mrs. Min-Ji " Ji-Ho coughed as he greeted her.
"Are you alright? Your voice sounds weird" The caller asked and he couldn't help but lie, "I'm good. Just tired from school work"
"I guess as much. Um... Mr. Choi at the other side of the street... You know Mr Choi, right?"
"Yeah... I do... The police officer" Ji-Ho responded and rose to a seating position.
"Yes... Him. He called this night, a swamp of bees out of nowhere had stopped at his yard and built a huge colony there. Officer Choi needs our help with getting them a new home... You know... The usual thing we do. Wait! The class trip still holds tomorrow, right?
"Yes, Mrs. Min-Ji, but it's by 10 am so I'll come around by 8 am to help" Ji-Ho responded calmly.
"Oh... Good boy. I'll double your salary for the month"
"Thank you, Boss"
"Don't be late" She hung up the call.
Mrs. Min-Ji was his neighbor and also a beekeeper who helped in removing hives and colonies of bees from unwanted areas.
He started working with her two months earlier and she had been a nice person to him.
Ji-Ho staggered to his feet and made his way to the road weakly.
He couldn't stop thinking about the next day.
A trip to Kim & Kang Technologies...; the main company of Kim Nana's family which specializes in training open AI machines to enhance the abilities of gifted humans.
A good day for everyone but a bad one for him as he would be walking into the lion's den.