MPQB CH 01

Chapter 1

She woke up early, as always.
The pale dawn light was spreading outside the old dorm window.
Without time for daydreaming, she jumped out of bed and headed straight to the shower. Her planner was packed from morning till night—no time to waste.

Her Korean name was Bae Young-won,
but after moving to the United States as a child, everyone called her Jamie.

Now Jamie attended Preston Academy, a historic private school in the U.S. Northeast.
It had already been two years since she transferred there on a full scholarship—yet life at Preston still wasn’t easy.

The campus looked straight out of Hogwarts: beautiful and luxurious.
Most students were children of political dynasties or global business owners.
Over 80 percent were upper-class white students.
Asian students could be counted on two hands, and even those few were wealthy heirs—nothing like her.

Her roommate, Valentina, was the daughter of a Latin-American billionaire.
The school had likely thought it was “considerate” to pair two non-white girls together.
But before they had even spoken, Jamie overheard Valentina complaining on the phone:

“Ugh… they stuck me with that nerdy Korean girl. Great.”

Since then, they’d shared a room in awkward silence.
Jamie tried to blend in with other classmates, but their conversations sounded like an alien language.

“I’m spending the summer at our villa on the French Riviera—haven’t been to Saint-Tropez in ages.”
“That restaurant between the country club and 49th Street has the best oysters.”
“Oh, I’ll just sell one Berkshire Hathaway Class A share for that.”

Jamie could only think,

“What on earth are they talking about? I can’t Google everything they say forever.”

Eventually she got tired of feeling stupid.
Rather than forcing herself to fit in, she focused entirely on her studies.
Her goal was to enter a top-tier university’s biology program with excellent grades.
Since her family couldn’t afford tuition, she needed another full scholarship. There was no time to waste on anything else.

***

The Main Hall

After breakfast in the cafeteria, Jamie stepped into Preston’s main hall.
Right away she saw a group of boys lounging across the hallway as if they owned it—the school’s star athletes.

They were handsome, confident, and carried that unmistakable air of privilege.
Best to avoid them before trouble started.

Just then, a football flew straight toward her.

“That thing’ll leave a bruise if it hits me,”
she thought, ducking—
but a tall boy appeared and caught the ball mid-air.

He looked at her, winked, and tilted his chin.

“Morning.”
“Uh… hi.”

Tucking the ball under his arm, he walked past her to rejoin the group. His low, rough voice carried through the hall:

“I told you—no playing inside.”
“Got it, captain!”

He gave the prankster Connor a friendly smack on the shoulder, then bumped fists with the rest.
That boy was Noah Christensen, Preston’s star quarterback and undisputed top predator.

He was the kind of person you remembered after locking eyes just once.
Swept-back blond hair, ocean-blue eyes, and sharp features that looked like an old Hollywood actor.
When he smiled and the dimples showed, it felt like he was making an irresistible offer.
More than handsome—he stood out.
At 6′ 4″ (193 cm), with his commanding build and presence, Noah was like the school’s living landmark.

That’s why it shocked Jamie that he always greeted her first, as if she weren’t invisible.

While she cleaned her locker, she glanced toward him.
Connor caught her look and shouted,

“Jamie! Don’t just stare—come sit on my lap!”
He patted his thigh like calling a dog, and the group burst out laughing—everyone except Noah.

A second later, Noah’s football smacked Connor square in the head.

“Shut up.”
Jamie seized the chance to clutch her binder and hurry away.

***

The Coffee Incident

Senior year was hectic.
Jamie juggled classes, college applications, part-time jobs, and extracurriculars.
Her grades were top-tier, but she was constantly exhausted.

“Ugh, I need coffee.”

She left her desk and walked to a nearby café.
Her hair was in a messy bun; she hadn’t even washed her face.

“One medium iced vanilla latte, please—four shots.”
“That’ll be $6.50.”

She fumbled through her hoodie pocket—empty.

“Crap. I left my wallet.”

The cashier gave her a tired, annoyed look.

“I’m so sorry, I think I forgot my—”

Before she could finish, someone behind her slid a card onto the counter.

“Make that the largest size, and one hot Americano too.”

“So—one large iced vanilla latte, four shots, and one hot Americano?”

Jamie turned—and met Noah’s smiling eyes.

“Four shots? You sure your tiny heart can handle that?”

She froze; he’d appeared out of nowhere. And of course it had to be when she looked her worst.

“Hey, Noah. Yeah, well, desperate times call for strong caffeine.”

She averted her gaze awkwardly. His perfect brows lifted slightly.

“AP European History?”
He nodded toward the binder in her arm, clearly trying to keep the conversation going.
Jamie nodded back mutely.

“Mr. Lawrence is passionate, but don’t you think he expects college-level essays from high-schoolers? It’s exhausting.”
“Totally agree.”

Sensing her nervousness, he didn’t press further.
When their coffees were ready, he picked up his cup and gave a small nod.

“See you later, Bae-by.”

Bae-by?

She blinked, confused.
Of course, he was teasing—playing on her surname Bae, which sounded like bae/baby.
Still, it made her heart jump.

By the time she found words, he was already gone, long strides carrying him away.

Jamie stared down at the comically huge cup in her hand.

“He even paid for it. And I didn’t even say thank you… He must think I’m rude. I’ll apologize next time.”

But after a moment she reconsidered.

“No, I should just pay him back. It’d be weird to owe him.”

Balancing the coffee carefully, she turned a corner—
and collided hard with someone’s chest.

The cup exploded, ice scattering everywhere.

“Ah!”

When she looked up, it was Noah again.

He gave a sheepish smile.

“…I forgot my card, so I came back for it.”

His white shirt and navy blazer were soaked with coffee; even the notebook in his hand dripped brown stains.

Jamie squeezed her eyes shut.

“I’m so sorry!”