So Eun closed the door behind her and slung her backpack over her right shoulder while fumbling with the door locks. She looked down at her watch and sighed. Damn. I’m gonna be late for my first lecture again. Once she heard a satisfying click signifying the locked doors, So Eun hastily turned towards the elevator when she felt something soft under her left foot. 

She looked down and saw an A4 sized envelope trapped under her foot. So Eun picked it up and eyed it cautiously. This was the first time she had received mail directly on her doorstep for usually, they were in the mailbox on the first level. And the fact that there were magazine cutouts  of So Eun’s name on the front made the envelope more unusual than it already was.

What’s with the magazine cutouts? And there is no postage stamp which means…it was delivered to my doorstep directly. So Eun furrowed her eyebrows at this thought. Not many people know where I live. Probably only Sehun, Hyewon and Baekhyun...and the guy from last night.

She flipped the envelope around and was about to tear it open to reveal its contents when her phone started buzzing. The caller ID “Hun <3” was flashing on the screen. The moment she saw the caller ID, So Eun couldn’t help but let excitement bubble up within her. The edge of her lips inched upwards in anticipation as she picked up the call. 

“Hello?”

A mellow voice greeted her on the other end. “So Eun? Baby girl, I missed hearing your voice. ”

So Eun allowed herself a shy smile as she melted internally at her boyfriend’s sweet words. He never failed to make her feel special and weak at the knees with the way he talked to her. It didn’t help that they have not seen each other for more than a week due to his intense basketball practice for the upcoming tournament that was extremely important to him. Although So Eun made a strong resolve not to bother Sehun at such a crucial juncture, hearing Sehun’s voice now just intensified So Eun’s yearning for him; to go to college together, have a nice breakfast and talk about the most random things like they always used to. She wanted to drop everything and run into his arms to feel his warmth and remember how he would caress her hair ever so gently. 

“I miss you too,” So Eun replied shyly as a small blush crept up her cheeks. 

Sehun chuckled and continued, “My girl is still as cute as ever. Come down now will you? I have been here since forever so I can surprise my girl but she's taking so long. I want to see her already! Like right now!"

So Eun couldn’t resist but to giggle at her boyfriend’s attempts at being cute. To others, Sehun was NEVER cute due to his usual stoic facial expressions but when he did try to be cute, he was like a baby chipmunk you'd want to keep in your pocket. 

Then, her eyes widened when realisation hit her. Sehun is actually downstairs! He’s here! , what if I look like a mess? So Eun chucked the brown envelope into her bag and hurriedly combed her hair with her fingers to make sure she didn’t look like a slob in front of Sehun. After all, it had been forever since Sehun actually came to pick her up for school ever since he got busy with the basketball tournaments. He was the captain of the school team too, so So Eun couldn’t exactly blame him for prioritising basketball. 

“I-I’ll be right down!!” So Eun sputtered into the phone as she raced downstairs, not even bothering to wait for the elevator. 

As So Eun pushed open the doors of her apartment building, she saw Sehun leaning against his black car while kicking at the ground in front of him with his sneakers. She watched him in awe as she made her way over to him. No matter what he does, he still looks perfect. How did I get so lucky?

Sehun looked up and his eyes turned into crescents as he saw his girlfriend walk shyly towards him. He patted So Eun’s head gently as she stood in front him while looking at the ground, too nervous to even maintain eye contact with him. 

“Hey, why do you keep staring at the ground? Is it more good looking than me?” Sehun teased as he gently lifted her chin to meet her eyes.

So Eun laughed nervously and unclamped her hands that she did not realise had already formed a tight fist. “N-no. It’s just that I haven’t seen you in so long and this feels kind of surreal.” 

“Sorry I didn’t have the time to see you the past couple of days. You know I was so busy with basketball and all that,” Sehun sighed and gently grabbed So Eun’s hands, “and there’s the basketball tournament that’s coming up. So I have all these stress on me which is hard.” 

So Eun could not help but feel a tad bit disappointed that Sehun decided to keep all the stress to himself instead of sharing it with her. She wanted to be there for him, she wanted him to know that she was so willing to be his pillar of support so that he would not feel so burdened. 

Instead, she tightened her grip on his hands in response and gave him a small smile. “I know. You don’t have to worry. I completely understand.” Somehow, she didn’t know how she could ask Sehun to rely on her. She felt like she would be useless to him even if he did actually try to share his burden with her. 

“Thank you for understanding. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Sehun said as he pulled his girlfriend into a tight embrace, burying his face into her hair which smelled like flowers. 

So Eun sighed contentedly as she rested her head on Sehun’s chest. Damn, I haven’t felt this in ages. Can’t wait for us to spend more time together. 

“And so do you know what she said? She said that she would punch me in the face but that she was trying to hold herself back because I wouldn’t be able to take it.” Sehun said in between peals of laughter as he drove both of them to school. 

“Oh really? So what did you say?” So Eun answered half-heartedly as she listened to Sehun ramble on about this girl he met by the name of Miyoung. She couldn’t help but feel a little disheartened when Sehun kept talking about girls he met whenever he was with her. She didn’t want to be your typical jealous girlfriend but still, she sometimes felt insecure about herself with such an attractive boyfriend. 

“Oh I told her that..." Sehun’s voice trailed off as So Eun stared out of the car window, no longer registering what Sehun was telling her. 

After what seemed like a long while, Sehun stopped rambling on about his ‘adventures’ the past week and a short silence ensued in the car. 

Should I tell him about me now? I mean, he didn’t ask but I still kind of want to tell him about my week without him.

So Eun decided to seize her chance to talk and slowly started, “Sehun, remember my new lecturer I told you about?”

“Hmm? What new lecturer?” 

“I told you about him the last time we met. Don’t you remember? The one that looked like the comedian Park Myungsoo?” 

“Oh you did?” Sehun asked as he tore his eyes away from the road to glance at So Eun. 

“Yeah. Anyway, he-“

Before So Eun could finish her sentence, Sehun cut in while laughing, “Oh, speaking of Park Myungsoo, I watched the latest episode of Happy Together and he was absolutely hilarious…” Once again, Sehun’s voice seem to fade to the back of So Eun’s mind as he continued to ramble on. 

So Eun sighed. He’s doing it again. Sehun had this habit of always cutting in when So Eun was talking the moment he thought of something he wanted to tell her. She wouldn’t actually mind, if it wasn’t always about him. However, So Eun tried to suppress her disappointment. No matter So Eun, listen to him. Be a good listening ear. He’s a perfect boyfriend. You can’t lose someone as perfect as him. 

So Eun broke out of her trance when she felt a strong pressure on her shoulder. Her eyes flickered up to meet that of Hye Won’s and her boyfriend of 2 years, Baekhyun. 

Hye Won pushed So Eun’s forehead lightly with her finger and scolded, “Were you even listening to me?” 

“Obviously not. She was probably daydreaming about Sehun or something.” Baekhyun smirked  as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the chair. 

“No, I am not as lovesick as you always make me out to be.” So Eun rolled her eyes at Baekhyun. Even though this guy was sweet as a puppy to Hye Won, he loved being a pest to So Eun just because she had the ‘best reactions when annoyed’ as quoted from him. 

Despite that, So Eun couldn’t deny that she was always thinking about Sehun; his perfect face, his mellow voice and wondering what he was up to. However this time, it was different. Her mind involuntarily drew back to the absurd events that happened the previous night. 

“So what were you so absorbed in thinking about that you have that,” Hye Won leaned forward and circled her fingers to outline So Eun's face, “weird half open eye expression on your face?” 

So Eun grunted in annoyance and rested her head on her arms, “It’s nothing…I’m tired guys, give me a break from your nagging. Besides, don’t you two have a date?” 

“Fine fine fine. We’ll leave since you love being around us so much,” Hye won scoffed sarcastically and grabbed Baekhyun's hands. 

Baekhyun stuck out his tongue at So Eun. “Thanks for giving us the permission to leave. I’d much rather spend my time with my boo than sit here and face your grumpy face all day.” 

So Eun snickered in response as her two best buddies left to go on their date. Thank goodness for her, the gruelling school day has ended and she had a good hour to rest before she had to make her way to Namu Cafe for her part time job. 

So Eun’s eyes fluttered close and her mind once again drifted off to the guy from last night. I wonder how Lay is doing. I hope I didn’t make anything worse for him with my 'amazing' first aid skills. 

Just as she was about drift off into dreamland filled with perfect Sehun’s face, the screeching sound of the metal chair opposite her being dragged across the floor pulled her back to reality. 

Argh, I can’t even get a minute of sleep. Why are those two idiots back again? 

“Can’t you two just give me some peace and quiet? PEACE AND QUIET?” So Eun huffed as she emphasised the last three words, all while keeping her eyes closed. 

“Seems like someone isn't in a good mood.” 

Wait. What? That voice doesn’t sound anything like them. 

The familiar forest scent struck her. So Eun’s eyes snapped right open only to see the familiar owner of the blonde hair sitting right across her and staring straight at her, with those dangerous looking eyes of course. 

So Eun gulped as she shuddered under the intensity of his gaze. “Lay? Lay right? Why…are you here?” At the same time, So Eun noted with interest that this was the first time she had seen him before 10pm. 

“There’s something you need to know,” Lay replied curtly, while keeping his dark eyes pinned on her. 

“What would be so important that you would come all the way here to find me? You-” So Eun suddenly paused as a thought popped into her mind and without letting Lay answer her, she cast him a wary gaze. “How did you know I was from this school?” 

“Something called the internet exists.” Lay said as he cast So Eun a look which suddenly made her feel dumb. He thought back to how he tried searching for the girl’s information on the internet the whole of last night, ‘stalking’ as most people liked to term it. However, he refused to accept the term for he justified (to himself) that it was all for business and that he had no choice. 

So Eun folded her arms across her chest and sat up straight. “Fine, you win. So what is it you want to tell me?” 

Lay scanned the quiet surroundings of the college cafeteria cautiously and loosened up only when he made sure there was no one loitering around. He slowly leaned towards So Eun till their noses were a mere inch apart and So Eun could feel his breath tickling her chin.

“You are no longer safe alone.” He whispered with that low voice of his, staring into So Eun's brown eyes. 

“You came all the way here just to tell me that? Besides, you told me all these weird random things last night too and you just left without giving me any answers,” So Eun accused, while trying to suppress the burning sensation that was creeping up her cheeks. Sure, this guy did not fulfil her ideal boyfriend checklist but he still had a freaking beautiful face which made her more nervous than she would’ve liked. 

“Someone is tracking you. Someone dangerous that you wouldn’t want to mess with.”

So Eun eyed him suspiciously, still unable to believe the absurdities that the male before her was spouting. Does this guy actually expect me to believe him? Who exactly does he think he is to tell me all these?

“You don’t believe me, don’t you.” 

“You’re right, I don’t. How am I supposed to believe you when you appear and tell me this out of nowhere? Where’s the evidence? I can’t believe you till I see proof.” So Eun leaned back onto the chair and broke away from Lay’s stare. “Besides, I’m just a regular college student. Who would want to track me?” 

Lay sighed and massaged his temples. 

This girl was going to be a tough one for him. She had not been exposed to the horrors of the streets of Seoul he was so used to seeing, such that it had already become the norm for him. This girl was pure, too pure. She wouldn’t know anything about the underground and it was gonna be tough to get her to believe him. Lay had no choice though, he was responsible for dragging her into his mess, and it was now his responsibility to make sure she stayed safe. 

For Lay, step one of keeping the So Eun girl safe was to get her to know her current situation and the dangerous people she was now dealing with. How he was going to get her to believe him, was something Lay had never thought about, till his eyes fell on the brown envelope with the magazine cutouts sticking out of So Eun’s bag. 

He glared at the damned brown envelope as he felt anger pulsing through his nerves. Without tearing his eyes away from the envelope, he hissed under his breath, “They’ve started. That son-of-a-.” 

“Huh? What did you say?” So Eun furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to catch what Lay had muttered to himself earlier. 

“Give me the brown envelope.” 

“Why should I? That’s addressed to me so isn’t it rude of you to just read someone’s mail?” 

“I. have. no. time. for. games.” Lay growled while pausing between every word. “Give it to me. You want your proof? There’s your proof.” 

So Eun was startled by Lay’s sudden hostile tone. His low deadly voice, coupled with his dark eyes that seemed to pierce right through her, scared her but she didn’t want to seem weak in front of him. She was one who hated others to see her vulnerabilities. Besides, she wasn't sure of the motives of the guy sitting in front of her and it would be stupid to look like she could be easily taken advantage of. 

“Fine fine. Why so serious?” So Eun muttered to herself as she passed Lay the brown envelope, while trying to conceal her shaky voice. 

Without hesitation, Lay snatched the envelope from her hand and teared the envelope open. A few pieces of paper fell out and fluttered to the ground. 

He instinctively grabbed the papers off the ground and scanned through its contents, eyes blazing as the contents of the papers sinked into his mind.  this. them. Lay had to suppress himself from tearing up the papers he clutched in his hands and burning them so that they would disappear from the face of the earth. 

So Eun shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she debated what she should do. She did not like how Lay was just reading through the letter addressed to her personally but somehow, the way Lay stiffened as he flipped through its contents made So Eun very uneasy. 

Is there something weird in the letter? Why does Lay look like he is about to burn a hole through the letter with his eyes? 

“I'll kill them.”

“What is it?”

“I'll kill them.”

“WHAT IS IT?” So Eun almost snatched the papers away from Lay’s hands as the anxiousness gripped her. 

Lay shoved the papers to So Eun. “See for yourself. This is the proof you asked for.” 

So Eun grabbed the papers and as she laid her eyes on its contents, disbelief struck her. What on earth is this? She frantically flipped through the papers. Records and her personal information since birth were printed on all the sheets of the papers. There were internet records, credit card records, medical records, and even records of her parents who were all the way in Switzerland. Why do they have all these? How did they get all these? What is their purpose of giving these to me? 

Panic gripped So Eun as she scanned through all the papers, till she reached a pink perfume scented paper with…magazine cut outs. 

The magazine cutouts read: IM SO EUN, NICE TO MEET YOU. I CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU PERSONALLY! ;) SAY HI TO LAY FOR ME. 

So Eun slowly looked up at Lay and exclaimed incredulously, “You have something to do with this?” 

He looked away guiltily. this. “I’m sorry. I dragged you into my mess. Thats exactly why you shouldn’t have helped me," Lay said while trying to advert his eyes from So Eun's accusing ones. 

“What? So it’s my fault now?”

“No! I didn’t mean that.” Lay sighed with frustration. “It’s my fault. It’s my fault that you are now involved in my matters. It's my fault that you are now in danger. But there’s your proof.” 

“So what? I don’t know who they are. I don’t know what they want. Heck, I don’t even know who you are!” So Eun was getting more irritated by the minute. First she learns some pedo creep has every single existing record of her, then she learns he is supposedly someone very dangerous, and now she learns Lay has serious ‘matters’ which she is somehow tangled in. She was confused beyond words. 

If this guy is gonna speak in code and not get straight to the point, I’m walking right out of here. 

“All you need to know is that the guys after you are merciless. They don’t see humans as humans, they see humans as a thing. You are probably now a toy for them to play with. Once they start seeing you as a nuisance or even a threat, you…are equivalent to being dead.” 

So Eun’s breath hitched as she caught the last word. Dead? 

What she was entangled in seemed even worse than her nightmares. Sure, she had her fair share of scares from those horrendous nightmares she dreamt of that usually depicted slasher films. However, that was all make believe in her mind. This was real. It was real as heck and So Eun didn’t want to believe it. But she couldn’t push away the proof that was laid out clearly in front of her. Damn that envelope. If I chose to ignore it I wouldn’t have to deal with all these now. 

“So…what do I do now?” So Eun quietly asked Lay who was now silent in thought. 

Lay looked at So Eun firmly. “I can’t get them off your back. But I will keep you safe. That I can promise.” A smirk then followed. “Step 1 complete. Time for step 2. I hope this doesn’t come too much as a shock to you.” 

A/N

WHew this was one long chapter wasn't it? 

I hope you enjoyed it though! 

Thank you all for the support once again, I really appreciate it <3

See yall in my next chapter, which will come really soon I promise!