“Everyday, I secretly chase after you, like your shadow..”

That morning, a boy just come to his school, his friends already waiting for him. He put his bag on his table then walking toward the window, his friends come to him,

“Isn’t that girl from Yujin’s class?, just report her to police, she stalked you,” one of his friend said.

“I don’t know who is she, but I don’t feel burden although she follow me everyday,” then he is looking at his watch, “because there is her behind me, I don’t feel lonely,” he said then smiling to his friends, his friends looking at him weirdly, then not long after that the class start.

After the first lesson, in the next classroom the class president walking to the new student’s table and ask her,

“Why you follow him everyday, do you like him?.”

“Why class president asking about a privacy?,” she said.

“Yah..Park Sooyoung, you…stalking my close friend, I just want to know your reason, why you did that?. You are new here, and you already stalk him from the first day, do you even know him before?,” she look angry, Sooyoung look calm and ignoring her, then she pull her hair,

“Why are you like this?, do you like him?,” she asked, “aren’t you class president, is it okay if class president did this?,” she asked again, Yujin let go of her hair,

“Then, answer me if you don’t want your hair get mess,” she said. All eyes of the students are in them, Sooyoung looking at them,

“Yuujin-ssi, if you know the reason, you’ll be surprise, ” she said then smiling.

“What’s with this girl?, don’t you know, what are you doing right now is so scary, stalking someone, and it’s already two months. Do you think he’ll feel comfortable when you stalk him?.”

“Yujiin-ssi, he live in the same neighborhood as me, that’s the reason why we always come together and go home together. Why you said it like I’m a stalker?, ” she said calmly,

“You are shamelessly doing scary thing, ” Yujin said.

“Let’s end it here, the teacher come,” Sooyoung said while pointing at the door, not long after that, a teacher come, Yujin back to her seat.

*

When the school finish, Sooyoung take out her Polaroid camera and waiting for someone in the school garden, while Sungjae is still debating with Yujin,

“Let’s go home with me, get in,” she said while opening the car door.

“My house isn’t that far from here, I’ll walk, don’t worry, she won’t harm me,” he said then leave her.

“You know that someone stalking you, but why you always like this, it’s seem you like it that someone stalking you,” she said it out loud.

“It’s not like that, it’s just..because I know that she won’t harm me. And, I like walking, after that day..you know that I feel anxious everytime I’m in the car, so just let me…walking to my house,” he said then really leave her.

“It sound you know her from long time ago, actually you don’t even know her name. And that incident already a year ago, you didn’t even there, ” she said.

When Sooyoung saw Sungjae comeout, she is ready to walk behind him,

“Thank you for letting me to became your shadow, today I’ll take one photo of you,” she said then smile. They live in the same neighborhood, three months after his mother passed away, he decided to leave his original house and move to his uncle house. His original house isn’t that big, but because he is there by himself he feel lonely and afraid. And coincidently, Sooyoung live near his uncle house. She know him from a year ago, she know a lot of thing about him from someone,

“I’m listening to your favourite music, do you want to listen it with me?,” she asked him, although she know he won’t answer that because he couldn’t hear it, she pull out one of her earphone and pretend to put it in his ear, “I just know you from someone story, but why I feel that I really close to you,” she said then taking photo of his back, “what I did isn’t criminal, right?. Actually, there is special reason behind it,” then she taking a look at the photo that she take a while ago, “wah..it come out well,” she said then put it in her bag. Sungjae reach the house, he stop his step when he is in front of the gate of an apartement building and say,

“Thank you..go home safely,” he said then smiling, he is looking at her when he know she already leave him, “why I feel happy instead of angry when I know there is someone following me, who are you?, you told Yujin that, the reason you go to school and go home together with me is just because we live in the same neighborhood, is that really your only reason?,” he asked that to someone who doesn’t even there.

This morning is still the same as before, Yujin looking at them from her class’s window and then close her eyes when she see Sungjae smiling,

“What’s wrong with him?, ” she said then goes to his class, she sit on his chair, when he come and put his bag on the table he ask,

“Why are you here?, you want to move here?,” then smiling.

“From today, I’ll go home with you..walking,” she said then leave him who still couldn’t understand what she was saying,

“What’s wrong with her?, she is someone who really get tired faster, why suddenly want to go home with me?, walking?,” he asked to his friend.

“You asking because you don’t know?, why she want to do it eventhough she hates it?, what do you think?,” his friend asking him back, he is still clueless, “aigoo, she likes you, Yook Sungjae-ssi. She hope, when she go home with you, that shadow won’t follow you again,” he said, Sungjae couldn’t believe it that she likes him, “you are really stupid, right?. She like you from 1^st grade, she want to get closer to you, but indeed you just see her as your close friend, right?,” he said.

“1^st grade?, that long?,” he said, “then, after this it would be awkward if we meet since I know about it,” he said, his friends just shaking their head.

When the break time, Sooyoung goes to school field to see some of boys including Sungjae playing basket ball, she brought her Polaroid camera and take one photo of him playing basket ball from a far,

“He isn’t that good at basketball,” she said then smiling, “but, he really good at swimming and fishing, like you said,” she said then looking up to the sky. The boys take rest after round one, Sungjae looking at her who is stiil looking up to the sky,

“You come to watch basketball, but why looking up to the sky?,” he said then smiling.

“Her name is Park Sooyoung, she is from wealth family, she live near your new house,” someone who just sit next to him said that, he is Sooyoung and Yujin classmate.

“Am I asking to you?, why suddenly said all of those things.”

“Just because..maybe you curious about her, your stalker,” he said then leave him.

This time, just like before Sooyoung waiting for him in school garden, but now he isn’t alone, he comeout with someone, her class president,

“Haa..she really likes him,” she said then standing, “he made a girl mad in love with him..really, what you said all true,” she said then waiting for them to walk pass the school gate and follow them from behind, and she see a black car run slowly next to them, “what is that?, she has a nice car, why is she walking like that?, just ask him to get in her car,” he said then take a photo of their back, “then..”

“Let’s go to hospital now,” someone said, a female voice, making her startled, “you do it too, although you have nice car, you follow her from behind like a shadow,” she said.

“I’m his shadow, someone want me to became his shadow. And why are you appearing so sudden like that?,” she asked, sulking.

“Let’s go now, it’s your time to check up your health,” she said then pull her body to a big white car,

“You can wait for me at home, why you pick me up to my school like this?,” still sulking.

That women doesn’t answer her question and just staring straight, “why are you so cold like that?, try to smile a bit, unni..”

“Don’t call me by that?, I’m not your unni, I’m your bodyguard,” she said, but Sooyoung ignoring her words.

The next day, Sooyoung didn’t come to the school, it’s feel strange for Sungjae when there isn’t someone behind him anymore, following him like before, he feel lonely again. When the lunch time, he come to the school canteen with Yujin and his friends, then he ask to her,

“Why she is absent today?,” although he know that Yujin like him, he still want to know the reason why his stalker or should he said shadow absent today,

“Why are you asking me?, I don’t know,” she answered it coldly.

Today is the third day, she still absent from school,

“What’s wrong with her?, she suddenly disappeared that day, and until now she still didn’t attend school,” he said to himself, then he get text from his uncle, what kind of gift he want in his 18 birthday, “ah, tomorrow it’s my birthday, I’m even forget about it, ” he said then replying his uncle’s text. Then his friend come to his table,

“Yah..I heard that Park Sooyoung is from wealth family?, and I just heard from a teacher that her bodyguard just come and asked a favor for her to take a rest for the next three days because she is sick,” after heard that, he looks worried, “you really know nothing about her,” his friend said then leave him like that.

“Sick?, what kind of illness that making her absent for three days and the next three days?,” he asked to himself.

*

After school, he come to the charnel house where his mother resting, with all smile he come with a flower in his hand. Then, there he saw a small bouquet attached at his mom’s urn, he take it off,

“Everytime I come here, there always be this kind of flower here,” he said then place his flower next to the his mom’s picture, then he noticed something there, a small photo album, “what is this,” he asked then open the small photo album, after looking at the first photo, and reading the note under the picture, he noticed something there..date when the photo taken, it was two months ago, he goes to the last photo, and that’s for sure he know who placed this photo album here, he run to the security post,

“Excusme, I want to ask something,” he said, an old man nodding, “I’m Han Mari’s son, she is in 303’s urn,” he said, the old man nodding again,

“Ahh..303?, you really come,” he asked him back, then he give Sungjae something in a box, “a girl come in early morning and said that the son from 303’s urn will come and ask me about her. It’s fishing rod, you must like fishing, right?,” he said, Sungjae take the box and thanks him, “she always come here,” after heard that, then run to the bus stop nearby, then he is trying to call someone, “tell me where she live?, you are her class president, right?.”

“Her?, who?, don’t tell me…,Park Sooyoung?, you even want to know her address. Yah, Yook Sungjae..,” from her voice, she look angry.

“Just let me know now, I want to ask something to her, I’ll tell you the reason later, really..,” he begged her, then she end the phone, he received a messege not long after that, it’s Sooyoung’s address, then she call again,

“I want to give you birthday’s present today, but you run from class after the last lesson. Come to my house to take it and tell me the reason, why you need her address, ” then end the call. The bus he Is wating for is coming, he get in,

“Everytime I saw that small bouquet I never get curious who is the sender, but now after knowing that the sender it’s you, I’m start getting curious, who are you?,” he said.