The school gates were open, the spring wind warm and light. Children laughed, parents chatted, and teachers greeted new students with bright smiles. It was a normal start to the semester.
And in the middle of it all stood Seo Raon.
Perfect posture. Flawless skin. Eyes like polished obsidian. His uniform fit like it was custom-made—which, of course, it was. Every movement was controlled, every blink intentional. He turned heads without trying.
A few mothers whispered to each other.
"That boy… is he a model's son?"
"So polite. And his speech… so mature."
Raon bowed to each adult that looked his way, lips curled into the kindest smile science could design.
"Good morning," he said gently. "I'm Seo Raon. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Inside, he was already calculating.
Class structure. Seating positions. Teacher hierarchy. Observation windows. Weaknesses in peers… found.
He scanned the other students.
No threats. No rivals.
Just children.
"This will be easy."
—
Raon's homeroom teacher, Miss Choi, greeted him with a warm nod.
"You must be Raon. Your entrance scores were impressive. You'll be sitting in the front row, third seat from the window."
"Thank you, teacher," he said with a slight bow.
He took his seat. The boy next to him leaned over. "Hi! I'm Kim Haru! Want to be friends?"
Raon smiled again. "Sure. I'd like that."
Haru grinned and turned back to his notebook, already drawing little robots.
Raon's smile faded the second Haru wasn't looking.
Emotionally open. Overly trusting. Will be useful if manipulated correctly.
By the end of the first hour, Raon had memorized the class schedule, the teacher's speech patterns, and the emotional weak points of at least five students. By lunch, he had already answered three questions with textbook-perfect precision—enough to make the teacher and students whisper.
"Seo Raon is amazing."
"He's like… a prince."
"I want to be his friend!"
But Raon wasn't here for praise.
He was here to build a mask.
To become loved.
To make them trust him.
And eventually… to make the world kneel.
---