THE ARCHITECT OF SILENCE

CHAPTER 2

The siren signaled the end of the day.

Chairs scraped. Laughter echoed. Bags zipped.

Everyone left.

Not me.

I stayed seated until the classroom emptied.

When the hallway finally fell silent, I walked toward the Computer Lab.

If the system was rigged, it had to leave fingerprints somewhere.

And fingerprints could be traced.

***

The lab lights flickered on.

Rows of monitors.

Cold. Waiting.

I logged into a student terminal.

Access denied.

Of course.

I tried the public database.

Limited access.

Pathetic.

My gaze shifted to the shelf near the teacher’s desk.

The Golden 10 contact registry.

Careless.

Privilege makes people lazy.

I flipped through the booklet slowly.

There.

Park Jae In.

School email. Student ID. Internal reference code.

Useful.

Very useful.

I returned to the terminal.

The login screen stared back at me.

I typed her email.

Password required.

Three attempts only.

I didn’t touch the keyboard.

Not yet.

Jae In wasn’t creative.

People like her never are.

They reuse patterns. Dates. Titles. Names they worship.

Her birthday? Too obvious.

Her father’s company name? Too predictable.

I watched her earlier this week.

The way she signed her assignments.

_“PJI_Queen.”_

I almost smiled.

Arrogance leaves trails.

I tried a variation.

Wrong password.

One attempt gone.

The screen blinked a warning.

Two left.

I leaned back.

Think.

Her locker number.

Her car plate.

The slogan stitched on her custom blazer.

_GoldenLegacy_

I adjusted it. Added numbers. Removed caps.

Second attempt.

Processing…

Denied.

One chance left.

The room felt smaller.

Even the air paused.

I closed my eyes.

People like Jae In don’t choose passwords to protect themselves.

They choose passwords to admire themselves.

I remembered the billboard.

“Rank 3 — Untouchable.”

Untouchable.

I typed slowly.

U n t o u c h a b l e 1 0

Enter.

The loading circle spun.

Once.

Twice.

Then—

Access granted.

I didn’t smile.

Winning too early is dangerous.

Her inbox unfolded in front of me.

Scholarship board exchanges.

Private communications with administration.

Confidential attachments.

And there it was.

Grade adjustment approvals.

Subtle.

Clean.

Hidden behind phrases like:

*Performance Consideration.*

*Merit Alignment.*

*Administrative Adjustment.*

I downloaded nothing.

Copying leaves traces.

Instead, I photographed the screen.

Old methods are sometimes safer.

Before logging out, I navigated deeper.

The Golden Records.

One by one.

Their academic scores were impressive.

But at the far right of the grading breakdown.

ADMINISTRATIVE ADJUSTMENT.

5%

7%

10%

Every single Golden 10 member had it.

Scholarship students?

Zero.

Always zero.

So this was how kings were crowned.

Not by brilliance.

By correction.

I leaned back in the chair.

The system wasn’t unbeatable.

It was just protected.

And protection could be removed.

The first step had begun.

***

*TUESDAY*

The hallway buzzed louder than usual.

Students crowded around the ranking billboard.

Murmurs.

Shock.

Confusion.

The ranks had shifted.

Not dramatically.

Just enough.

Subtle changes cause louder reactions.

*KIM HA NA — Rank 3*

*JAE IN — Rank 7*

I didn’t need my name at the top.

Visibility is dangerous.

Disruption is safer.

Jae In stormed in.

Her footsteps sharp.

Her breathing uneven.

Yes.

That was the first crack.

***

Slap.

The sound echoed across the corridor.

Then again.

Students froze.

Phones lifted.

Perfect.

“How dare you,” she hissed.

Her fingers tightened around her collar.

_Kim Ha Na's_

“Do you know who you’re playing with?”

Ha-na looked at her.

Scared.

“I will kill you,” she whispered. “You will be dead if you dare me.”

Silence.

Witnesses.

Cameras.

Threat recorded.

Exactly what I needed.

Evidence.

She had just handed it to me herself.

Ha-na lowered her gaze.

In fear.

Trembling.

Step one: destabilize.

Step two: provoke.

Step three—

Eliminate.

At the count of three,

she would fall.

And she wouldn’t even know who pushed her.

END OF CHAPTER 2

______________________________________________

THE ARCHITECT OF SILENCE

CHAPTER 3

I saw them.

Running.

Whispering.

Splitting into corners like frightened insects.

Good.

It had started.

And I didn’t need anyone to confirm it.

Chaos has a rhythm.

Once you hear it, you know.

***

*Breaktime*

I opened my eyes.

Empty classroom.

Chairs abandoned.

Silence.

Silence was loyal.

I opened my laptop.

Logged into Jae In’s email.

Still active.

Still careless.

Her inbox was exploding.

> Anonymous links.

> Screenshots.

> Questions.

Doubt spreads faster than truth.

But that wasn’t enough.

I needed deeper access.

Not just surface cracks.

The core.

***

The school system login screen appeared.

Administrative firewall enabled.

Of course.

Layers of protection.

Encrypted authentication.

Restricted clearance.

Cute.

I connected an external drive.

Small.

Unremarkable.

Inside it wasn’t strength.

It was patience.

I didn’t attack the firewall directly.

That would trigger alerts.

Instead—

I waited.

Watched the traffic logs.

Timed the system refresh cycle.

Every system breathes.

Every ten minutes, it syncs with the district server.

And for three seconds—

Security relaxes.

Three seconds.

That’s all I needed.

Now.

I slipped between the authentication layers.

Not breaking.

Sliding.

Mimicking an internal process.

The screen froze.

Then—

Access granted.

No alarms.

No red flags.

Just silence.

The best kind of victory.

***

Confidential files opened.

> Board communications.

> Internal disputes.

> Financial adjustments.

> Golden 10 sponsorship files.

And then—

> Student records.

PARK TAE MIN — Rank 2

Perfect attendance.

Clean discipline.

Administrative note.

Hidden attachment.

Password protected.

I didn’t force it.

I rerouted it.

Metadata doesn’t lie.

> Old archive copy.

Less protected.

There it was.

A sealed family registration document.

> Revised birth certificate.

> Legal amendment.

*Illegitimate child*

Buried deep.

Protected by money.

I leaned back.

This wasn’t about grades anymore.

This was blood.

> Reputation.

> Legacy.

I transferred only what I needed.

Never everything.

Greed leaves fingerprints.

***

Tap.

Upload.

Anonymous forum.

Student network mirror.

Delayed release timer.

BOOM.

Phones vibrated.

Gasps.

Hallway noise doubled.

Headline spreading:

*PARK TAE MIN — ILLEGITIMATE CHILD*

> Cruel.

> Efficient.

> Precise.

Protection doesn’t disappear all at once.

It cracks.

***

Jae In stormed in.

Not furious.

Panicked.

For the first time.

She didn’t look at me.

She was looking for damage control.

Kim Ha Na stepped into her path.

Jae In froze.

Not hunger.

Not fear.

Arrogance.

Her hand lifted.

Before it landed—

A grip stopped it.

Tae Min.

“Park Jae In.”

His voice was steady.

Controlled rage is louder than shouting.

“I don’t care what games you play,” he said quietly. “But this? Don’t you dare ever cross that line again. Or else you won't like me.”

There it was.

Threat.

Public.

Recorded.

Another crack.

Jae In’s composure slipped.

“It wasn’t me,” she snapped. “Kim Ha Na did it. I had nothing to do with it.”

Blame is a reflex.

Tae Min’s eyes darkened.

“I don’t care who did it. Fix it.”

Kim Tan appeared.

*KIM TAN — Rank 4.*

“You don’t get to talk to her like that.”

Tae Min didn’t even look at him.

“Last warning,” he said to Jae In. “Whatever game you’re playing, end it.”

Game.

If only he knew.

He walked away.

Jae In stared at Ha-na.

Cold.

Calculating.

Good.

Let the Golden 10 turn inward.

Pressure from inside is stronger than attack from outside.

I watched quietly.

A leash doesn’t have to be visible.

As long as it tightens.

***

Night.

23:00.

The school gate opened slowly.

The streetlights flickered.

I stood in shadow.

Waiting.

Then.

She appeared.

Dressed in black.

Black backpack.

Walking fast.

Looking over her shoulder.

Good.

Fear makes people sloppy.

Do anything reckless.

And you will disappear.

Tonight,

we see who survives.

END OF CHAPTER 3

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***