Kevin arrived in a city where no one knew his name no friends, no relatives, no status to lean on. He stood at the base of a tall, 20-story building, the address his father had given him clutched in his hand.
He looked up, exhaled deeply, and headed in.
Riding the elevator to the 15th floor, he unlocked the door to his new apartment and stepped inside. The place was sleek and modern, but what caught his attention was the view from the balcony, half the city stretched out in glittering silence beneath him.
After unpacking and arranging his things, Kevin ordered food and ate in silence. Alone, but strangely at peace. He let himself fall onto the bed, staring at the ceiling as thoughts about the coming day swirled in his mind. He would meet new people tomorrow not as Kevin Jackson, the billionaire's son, but as Zen.
Sometime during his thoughts, sleep pulled him under.
At exactly 6:00 AM, Kevin woke up. After a shower and a quick breakfast, he grabbed his keys and left, locking the door behind him. Driving to campus, he tried to calm the mix of nerves and anticipation stirring in his chest.
He pulled up to the massive front gate of his new college. Students roamed the grounds, laughing, talking, hustling to class. A knock at his car window snapped him back it was the security guard.
"New student?" the guard asked.
"Yes. Where's the parking lot?" Kevin responded.
After being directed, he parked his car. Heads turned immediately. Whispers began to ripple through the crowd especially among the girls.
"Who's the new guy?"
"He's a fresher — and damn, he's hot."
"Look at that jawline — tall, clean, he's crush material."
Kevin stepped out. Dressed in the standard college uniform — navy-blue dress pants, crisp white shirt, blue tie — with a Gucci watch on his wrist and his bag slung over one shoulder, he walked like he belonged.
From across the lawn, a girl with loose black hair smiled.
"He's so fine," she whispered. Her name was Rose, best friend to none other than Ashley, the queen bee of the college.
Ashley turned toward Kevin, sizing him up. Her lips parted slightly.
"Oh my god. He's freaking handsome," she muttered under her breath, eyes gleaming with something more than just interest.
Ashley- rich, bold, and brimming with attitude — was infamous. She wore her uniform just wrong enough to push boundaries. Boys chased her. Girls feared her. She wasn't used to being ignored.
Kevin made his way through the halls and asked a student for the principal's office. Soon, he stood in front of Mr. Chang, a close friend of his father though Kevin hoped no one would ever find out.
"Welcome, Kevin it's good to see you," Mr. Chang greeted warmly.
"Thank you, sir. I hope Dad already told you ab—"
"Yes, yes," Mr. Chang interrupted with a smile. "Don't worry. No one knows who you are. From now on... you're just Zen."
Kevin nodded. "Nice meeting you, sir. My name's Zen."
"Good attitude," the principal said. "Focus on your studies. If you ever face trouble, come directly to me."
Kevin thanked him and left.
The bell rang, signaling the start of the first lecture. Kevin hurried to class, entering just a second before the professor could scold him.
Inside, heads turned. Even in uniform, he stood out.
Professor Mr. Lee, strict and sharp-eyed, glared at him. "You're late."
"Apologies, sir. May I come in?" Kevin asked calmly.
Mr. Lee nodded, reluctantly allowing him in. Girls giggled, whispering behind their hands as Zen walked in. The effect he had was instant.
"Introduce yourself," Mr. Lee said curtly.
Kevin looked over the room with unreadable eyes.
"Hello everyone. My name is Zen. Nice to meet you," he said with a cold, straight tone, and bowed slightly.
From the front, Ashley leaned in and whispered,
"Zen, huh? You can't escape me, baby."
Mr. Lee shot her a deadly glare, and silence returned. Zen scanned the room. Ashley cleared the seat beside her with a smirk, but he ignored her completely and walked to the last row — where a guy was passed out, face buried behind a book.
As Mr. Lee took attendance, he called out,
"Jennifer Samuel?"
No answer. He repeated the name.
Suddenly, the classroom door opened.
A girl stepped in, breathless. Brown hair tied in a high ponytail, soft bangs brushing her forehead. Glasses framed her large brown eyes, and her lips were a soft pink. Her uniform was neat, proper, and she clutched a book tightly to her chest.
"Sir... I-I'm present. May I come in, please?" she asked, her voice gentle and shy.
Mr. Lee raised an eyebrow. "Why are you late, Miss Samuel?"
"I was studying for today's test and fell asleep without setting my alarm," she said sincerely. "But I promise it won't happen again."
Zen glanced at her. Something about her was... different. Calm. Focused. Innocent.
She doesn't look like she's from this planet, he thought, face still unreadable.
From behind, the girls snickered.
"That nerd again..."
"She had a chance to skip class, but showed up anyway — typical."
Jennifer Samuel — known as the top student. Sweet, shy, and a complete bookworm. Teachers adored her. Students avoided her. She spent most of her time in the library and had no friends.
Mr. Lee nodded. "Take a seat. Be careful next time."
Jennifer scanned the room. Only one empty seat remained — next to Ashley. With slight hesitation, she sat down.
Ashley turned her head with a grimace.
"Ugh. Why is this nerd beside me?"
The class started. Mr. Lee began his English lecture, though most of the students weren't paying attention — they were far too busy staring at the mysterious, handsome boy on the last bench.
Just then, the sleeping boy beside Zen stirred. He pulled the book off his face, yawned, and stretched.
His name was Roby.
Handsome, confident, and sharp — Roby was the only boy in college who didn't need to try hard to be popular. A genius who didn't believe in traditional study methods, he was one of the only students who could compete with Jennifer academically and never seemed to care about it.
And now, unknowingly, Kevin and Roby — soon to be Zen and Roby — were sitting side by side.
The game had officially begun.