Daniel stared absentmindedly at the numbers decreasing on the screen as he waited for the elevator to arrive. One of his hands was fiddling with his phone as he tapped his right foot on the floor, recalling the earlier phone call he ended with Jihyun a few minutes ago. He had significantly reduced the number of nights he would spend working overnight in his office since the news about Jihyun’s stalker broke out. He’d leave his office promptly at five thirty in the evening and would arrive at her studio thirty minutes later to pick her up. Today however, he had arrived fifteen minutes late due the unexpected traffic jam caused by a motorcycle accident. He was filled with anticipation throughout the car ride, as he rehearsed his plans to bring Jihyun out for dinner and ask a very important question at the end of the night.

Unfortunately, Daniel had to revise his plan as soon as he had arrived at her workplace because Daehwi and Chungha had informed him that Jihyun had attended an urgent dinner appointment and would most probably be heading home on her own using public transportations. Feeling defeated, he eventually made his way back home once he did not succeed in finding out more details on his neighbour’s meeting. He was slowly occupied with concern upon noticing that Jihyun hadn’t arrive home yet at eight o’clock, in addition to the constant failed call attempts in the past hour. When his call finally went through, she had scolded him over the phone on how he had been treating her like a little girl and she didn’t need his help to take care of herself. Although she was screaming at him, Daniel had detected dejection interlacing her voice, not the kind one would have after a tiring day at work which made him speculate that the dinner did not end well. Before he could interrogate her about the urgent dinner appointment, Jihyun had ended the call.

Daniel simply sighed at the thought, slowly shaking his head as he stepped into the elevator once it arrived on the 10th floor. He pressed the button for the lobby before slipping on a navy coat he’d grabbed before heading out the door. His phone suddenly rang, echoing in the elevator he’d been occupying by himself. He frowned once he saw Jihyun’s name on the screen and immediately swiped right to answer the call as his eyes resumed watching the floor numbers going down on the elevator screen.

“D-Daniel!”

Panic settled in the pit of Daniel stomach at the first word uttered by Jihyun. She had screamed his name again, but instead of the usual tone of annoyance and displeasure, her voice sounded like the main character in a horror movie who had just witnessed a ghost, “Jihyun? Is everything okay?” Daniel asked nervously, his hand instinctively pressing rapidly on ‘Lobby’ button on the elevator wall.

“H-he’s here! The stalker’s here!”

She let out a breathy reply which further increased Daniel’s panic. He had immediately figured out that Jihyun was currently running and he was slightly comforted to know that the creepy stalker hadn’t gotten anywhere near her yet. He mentally calculated the distance and time it would take her to run from the bus stop to their apartment building and immediately concluded that she would already be in the vicinity of the complex, “Where are you right now?” he demanded, anxiously analyzing noises resonating in the background. He could only make out Jihyun’s labored breathings, the rustling of her clothes and the loud clacking of her heels.

“Second f-floor… s-staircase! He’s c-chasing– ahh!”

Jihyun could not finish her reply, all that was heard next was her piercing scream and the loud crack of her phone before the call was disconnected. Daniel summoned her name over and over again while wildly pressing on the fifth floor, forcing the elevator to open before it could reach its destination. Knowing that there was no use for him to try and reconnect the call, Daniel shoved his phone in his pocket and raced towards the emergency staircase, praying that Jihyun would be out of harm’s way until he arrived.

Thankful that gravity was on his side, Daniel sped down the stairs while jumping down three steps at a time, trying to reach Jihyun’s last known location on the second floor. He was drenched in cold sweats at the tension and fear overwhelming him, mouthing profanities under his breath when he heard the familiar high-pitched voice belonging to Jihyun. However, the scene he was witnessing the moment Daniel reached the second floor staircase had had him rooted to the floor.

Jihyun ended up in a messy brawl with her stalker which was both nerve-wrecking yet jaw-dropping at the same time.

He managed to grab Jihyun’s arm but she swiftly took the opportunity to grab the sleeve of his oversized thrench coat and yank him towards her. The guy lost his footing and wobbled forwards, falling hard while hitting his head to the wall behind Jihyun. Her purse fell along with him, the contents spilling out and rolling down the steps as Daniel stared with slightly opened mouth. Biting back the stinging pain of his scraped hand and pounding headache, the stalker scrambled to his feet, slightly taken aback and feeling rather challenged, “Don’t make this hard princess, you’re coming with me,” he grabbed both Jihyun’s arms again and pinned them behind her back, restraining her with his body.

Panic settled in her consciousness as Jihyun screamed for help, but she was also not willing to let the stalker win that easily. She stomped her feet, digging the heel of her shoe into the man’s foot and gave a particularly strong jab to his ribs with her elbow. He cussed out in pain, unconsciously loosening his grip on her which gave Jihyun the opportunity to yank herself out of his arms. She let out a final shriek, hoping to get anyone’s attention as the stalker still had an iron grip on her right wrist despite all the attacks he’d received from her, “Get your hands off her!” Jihyun looked up and sighed in relief to see Daniel at the top of the staircase, his hands balled up into tight fists.

“Daniel!”

“You’re the one who was with her the other night!” The bad guy gritted his teeth, recognizing the person who had constantly ruined all his plans to get closer to Jihyun. Ever since Daniel had found Jihyun’s pictures he’d taken secretly, he could never get a moment alone with her. The annoying neighbour would always be stuck to her like glue.

“Yes, and I have been keeping eye on her in case you come back,” Daniel scorned spitefully, running his eyes on Jihyun to check on her condition. His eyes laid on the slowly forming red mark around her wrist, “You hurt her,” his lowered voice sounded unforgiving as he shot out icy death stares. Jihyun was not seriously injured, but the way he had reacted sounded as if the bad guy had broken her arm.

Throwing Jihyun to the side, the man directed his fist towards Daniel without warning. He swiftly dodged the punch, returning the attack by reflex with full strength. Outraged, the stalker lunged himself forwards as both men rolled down one flight of stairs. Daniel was still groaning from the pain to notice another attack coming his way. However, before the stalker’s fist could make contact with his jaw, he heard a loud crack as the man fell unconscious next to him.

“Daniel! Are you okay?” Jihyun breathed heavily, throwing aside a plank of wood she’d used to knock the stalker out cold. Daniel nodded without a word, not taking his eyes off the mind-blowing sight in front of him.

**********************

If the incident happened two months ago, Daniel was the last person she’d expect to come to her safety. Yet today, Daniel was the only person that she had prayed to come to her aid. He rushed to her rescue when she needed help the most. Although Jihyun didn’t deny that she fended the stalker off quite well on her own, Daniel’s heroic action made her felt deeply satisfying in a way that she hadn’t anticipated. After the blockbuster level incident filled with action sequences, her mind took a while to process that danger had been averted and she was safe again. Her body defense mechanism withdrew and her feet turned to jelly as various emotions started flooding in, her hands shivered from the after-effects of the incident.

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