Haneul Academy was the kind of place that didn't exist in reality—only in glossy dramas and fantasy novels. A fortress of ivory stone and shimmering windows nestled in the hills outside Seoul, it was where Korea's richest, most powerful families sent their heirs to learn how to rule. Politicians' sons, chaebol daughters, idols in disguise. Students didn't just carry bags here—they carried surnames like Han, Seo, and Jin, sealed in generations of power.
And somewhere in the middle of all that opulence walked Kang Ha Rin.
Her shoes squeaked awkwardly on the polished marble as she tried to stay invisible. A scholarship student, clearly out of place. Her uniform was the same navy and gold, but it didn't shine like the others. Her skirt wasn't custom-fitted. Her bag wasn't designer. And unlike the girls whispering behind her in the hallway, she didn't wear perfume that cost more than her monthly rent.
She kept her head down, clutching her folder to her chest, pretending not to hear.
"Isn't that the girl from Class D?"
"She's here on a full scholarship, right? Probably begged her way in."
"They always think they can blend in... so sad."
Ha Rin bit the inside of her cheek and kept walking. It was her first day in the main building, transferred up from the general track after testing into the elite curriculum. That should've been a victory.
It didn't feel like one.
She was nearly at the library when a voice—low and smooth, like velvet dipped in poison—cut through the corridor.
"You."
She stopped mid-step. The girls behind her gasped.
"You. With the ugly shoes."
Her heart thudded.
Slowly, she turned.
There he stood—leaning casually against the wall like it had been built just for him.
Jin Seo-Won.
Second son of the Jin Group. Everyone knew him. Heir to a luxury empire. President of the Student Council. Rumored to be on the waiting list for the Blue House, if not the throne of Heaven itself.
And the biggest heartless jerk to ever wear a school tie.
He had black hair that curled just slightly at the ends, cut to perfection. Eyes like frost. And lips curved in a smirk that said he didn't just own this hallway—he owned the school, the city, and maybe her soul if he felt like it.
"What's your name?" he asked, stepping closer.
She frowned. "Why?"
He tilted his head. "You speak. Interesting."
"I'm late," she said.
"You're rude."
"And you're blocking my way to the library."
For a second, silence. The hallway held its breath.
Then he grinned.
"Feisty," he murmured. "You'll do."
"Excuse me?"
"I've been looking for someone to fill the last open role in our academy's special tradition. A temporary agreement. A... contract."
Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not interested in anything you're selling."
"It's not an offer," he said. "It's an order."
Ha Rin tried to step past him—but a tall figure blocked her path.
Do Min-Kyu. Seo-Won's right hand. Handsome. Silent. Deadly when needed.
"You see," Seo-Won said, circling her like a cat playing with its prey, "each year, elite students choose someone to serve as their Haneul Drop—a personal assistant. Or... let's say, a servant. It's symbolic, mostly."
"Mostly?" Ha Rin spat.
"Sometimes it involves other things." His eyes flicked downward, unapologetically slow. "You'd be surprised what a Drop is willing to do to keep their spot at Haneul."
She slapped him.
Gasps exploded in the hallway.
Seo-Won didn't flinch.
He touched his cheek slowly, then chuckled. "You have two seconds to take that back."
"You have two seconds to go to hell."
And she ran.
—
She expected to be expelled by second period.
But instead, when she opened her locker the next morning, a cream envelope fell out.
Inside:
YOU OWE ME A DEBT.
You broke the rules.
You struck a superior.
Meet me in the astronomy tower at 8 PM.
Come alone.
—J.S.W.
She crumpled the letter and shoved it in her bag.
She wasn't going.
Absolutely not.
At 8:03 PM, she was climbing the steps to the tower.
Because curiosity was a disease. And he was poison.
—
The astronomy tower was dim and cold. The air smelled like old secrets.
He was already there, seated on the edge of the railing like he feared nothing, like gravity had to ask permission.
"Late," he said.
"I wasn't coming."
"But you did."
She folded her arms. "Say what you have to say."
He held up a folder.
"This is your financial aid report. Your tuition. Your dorm fees. Your family's bank account."
Her blood froze.
"How did you—?"
"I can destroy you, Kang Ha Rin. With one phone call."
She stepped back. "What do you want?"
"Obedience," he said softly. "I want you to be my Drop."
"No."
"You'll follow me. Carry my books. Run errands. Sit at my feet during student council meetings if I'm bored. Maybe kneel. Maybe more."
"You're disgusting."
"Yet you're still here."
His voice dropped to a whisper. "You want power, don't you? You want to matter here. This is your ticket. You become mine—and I protect you. No one touches you. Not even the teachers."
He stepped closer.
"It'll just be a game," he said. "You pretend to obey. I pretend to own you. Everyone wins."
"What's in it for you?"
He grinned. "You'll make a very entertaining toy."
She slapped him again.
This time, his jaw clenched—but his eyes lit up like he'd just been gifted a diamond.
"You'll come around," he said.
"I'd rather scrub toilets."
"Start tomorrow, then," he said. "The council restroom needs attention."
And he walked away.
—
At Haneul Academy, the Drop system wasn't a game.
What once began as a symbolic partnership between elite students had twisted into something far colder—a hierarchy disguised as tradition.
Every Drop bore their Master's tag not as a token of affection, but as proof of ownership—a visible reminder of who held power.
The rules were clear: a Drop could be trained, ordered, even punished—but never touched.
Crossing that line meant scandal, expulsion, and disgrace.
It wasn't about romance.
It was about control.
The next morning, everyone knew.
"Kang Ha Rin is Jin Seo-Won's Drop?"
"I thought she was poor?"
"Maybe she's good at something else..."
By lunch, a gold tag hung from her blazer—engraved with the words:
DROP OF J.S.W.
And Jin Seo-Won?
He sat beside her at the cafeteria, legs crossed, feeding her bulgogi with his own chopsticks.
"Smile," he whispered, low enough that only she could hear. "Or I'll take back your scholarship."
She smiled.
And hell began.
—
End of Chapter 1
✨ Next episode drops soon.
Want to see the faces behind the fire and the heartbreak?
➤ Follow @akbyeol.official on Instagram for behind-the-scenes aesthetics and chapter teasers 💫
#ObeyMeDontLoveMe #KDramaVibes
© 2025 AKByeol. All rights reserved.