You felt your skin prickling, the all too familiar feeling of someone watching you sending chills through out your body.

 

You refused to turn around. It would only confirm what you already knew to be true. If you saw him, then he was real. If he was real, then he could hurt you.

 

But would he? He'd had several chances before, but had yet to make a move. You hadn't spoken to him, regardless of how badly you wanted to. You were afraid that he might actually respond. He had a charming feel to him, yet he was dangerous. It only took one look for you to know that to be true.

 

And it took several tries for you to realize that you were the only one who could see him.

 

You weren't scared, although you knew you should be. He had shown up a week ago. You should have questioned his presence then, but you thought that if you ignored him then he would disappear. It only seemed to make him stay longer.

 

You stood quickly when the bell rang, grabbing your belongings and shoving them haphazardly in your bag. Your notebook slid off of your desk in your haste and you leaned down to grab it, only to be met by another set of hands.

 

Jae Hee, one of your classmates, laughed lightly when your hand knocked against his.

 

“Mianhe.”

 

You both blinked as you apologized at the same time before laughing and standing together. Jae Hee handed you your notebook, rubbing the back of his neck shyly after doing so. You noticed this and blushed lightly, turning your face to the side in hopes that he wouldn't see your reaction.

 

“..Yah..” he said quietly, looking around as though he were afraid of being caught.

 

“..What are you doing this weekend?” he blurted out.

 

You blinked again, momentarily forgetting about your previous issue before staring up at Jae Hee.

 

“Nothing.” you replied slowly. You watched him warily, your head tilted to the side.

 

He nodded. “We should do something..” he said lightly, as though he were trying to keep the conversation casual. “Like, go to--”

 

However, you didn't hear where Jae Hee wanted to go because at that moment your new friend appeared over the shoulder of the boy in front of you. Your eyes widened at the sight of him, your eyes never leaving his face as he stared back at you. His eyes held something sort of a challenge, as though daring you to make your next move.

 

You swallowed heavily, quickly breaking eye contact with him to look at Jae Hee. You saw a hand waving in front of you.

 

“____?” Jae Hee said your name, his tone confused. You blinked, snapping your attention back to reality. You could still see the boy standing behind Jae Hee.

 

“Are you OK?” Jae Hee asked. You nodded quickly, hugging your notebook to your chest.

 

“I'm sorry,” you said quickly. “I have to go.”

 

He opened his mouth to respond, but you didn't give him time to answer as you hurried from the classroom. You kept your head down, bumping into several people as you made your way through the halls but didn't bother to apologize. You wanted to get as far away from him as you possibly could.

 

You could feel him following you, causing you to pick up speed. You turned a corner sharply and screamed when you almost ran head first into the one person you were trying to avoid.

 

He grabbed your shoulders roughly, shoving you into an empty classroom before closing the door quickly behind him. You stood there, wide eyed as he turned around to look at you. His expression was not amused.

 

“Why are you screaming?” he asked. You stayed frozen, staring at him. It was the first time you had heard him speak. His voice was calm, unlike what you thought it would be.

 

“Hello?” he said, his tone annoyed. “Are you OK? Why did you scream?”

 

He took a step towards you causing you take a step back violently, almost falling over in the process. He was in front of you in an instant, his arm going around you to stop you from hitting the ground. He stood you up right, but he was back across the room in a matter of seconds.

 

You continued to stare at him. Your voice shook when you finally spoke.

 

“...How did you do that?” you asked. He shrugged.

 

“What do you think?”

 

“Who are you?” you asked quickly, attempting a different route. He stared at you darkly for several seconds before answering.

 

Where was this boldness coming from?

 

“My name is Hyuk.” he answered finally.

 

Hyuk.

 

He has a name. If he has a name, then he must be real. Right?

 

“What's your family name?” you asked him.

 

“It's just Hyuk.”

 

You nodded, afraid that pushing him would make him angry.

 

“Am I the only one that can see you?” you asked bravely, afraid for his answer.

 

He smirked.

 

“Do you want to be the only one that can see me?” he asked. You blinked. That was not the response you had been expecting.

 

You didn't answer, not sure of what to say. His lips twitched a bit at this and just as before, he was standing in front of you a millisecond later.

 

You stared up at him as he stared down at you. His eyes flashed in a familiar way before he spoke again.

 

“I asked you a question,” he said smartly. “Do you want to be the only one that can see me?”

 

You answered slowly. “I don't know...” you said, your voice soft.

 

He smiled slightly at this, his hand going on the wall behind your head before he leaned in.

 

“I can make it that way,” he said. “You can be the only one who can see me, or everyone else can to. It's up to you.” His head tilted to the side at his words, though his voice sounded sincere.

 

“I want everyone to see you,” you decided quickly, averting your eyes away from him. He was standing way too close for comfort. “I feel crazy if I'm the only one.”

 

He nodded. “OK.” he said simply. “They can see me, too.”

 

You frowned, looking up at him finally. “Just like that?” you asked.

 

“Just like that.”

 

You stared up at him, confusion evident on your face as you did so. He was such a mystery. He was handsome, but frightening. You knew that you should have ran from him long ago, but it was too late now. You had started something and your stubborn pride would force you to finish it.

 

“Hyuk.” you said, attempting to catch his attention once more—although he never took his eyes off of you.

 

He shifted a bit at the sound of his name.

 

“Why are you following me?” you asked.

 

His face turned cold at your question.

 

He dropped his hand from behind your head and looked away.

 

“We're done here.” he said, turning his back to you. You quickly grabbed his wrist, surprising yourself. Why weren't you letting him go?

 

“I'm sorry,” you said quickly. “You don't need to tell me.”

 

“Good.” he answered, his voice stern.

 

You dropped his wrist at the tone in his voice, one that actually sounded a bit frightening. You hugged your stomach and looked away. He turned to face you and he sighed at your expression.

 

You refused to look at him, but you knew he was standing in front of you once more. He put a finger under your chin and titled your head up in an attempt to make you look at him. It worked.

 

“My turn,” he said, his voice low. You stared up at him wordlessly.

 

“Why aren't you running?” he asked. His voice sounded different—like a child. Or a teenager, more like. As you stared up at him, you realized that he looked young. The two of you must be around the same age.

 

He looked vulnerable.

 

“Because you don't scare me.” you said finally.

 

He stared down at you, his expression unreadable.

 

“I should,” he said quietly, his eyes scanning every inch of your face.

 

You continued to stare up at him, the air between the two of you becoming thick. The tension in the room was so suffocating that you thought your heart would stop beating right then. You felt, more than saw, Hyuk's body inching closer to yours.

 

His forehead brushed against yours, your noses bumping. You let your eyes fall shut when you felt his hand squeeze yours suddenly. When did he grab your hand?

 

Your eyes stayed shut, waiting for his next move but it never came. You felt his breath on your face and your own breath hitched in your throat.

 

You should have known by now not to expect the obvious from him.

 

His lips grazed over your forehead, his hands at the side of your neck lightly. He pulled back quickly and your eyes shot open at the loss of contact.

 

He was gone.

 

You blinked, scanning the room with your eyes but he was nowhere to be found.

 

He had disappeared but you frowned at a familiar feeling. You felt goosebumps on your arms, and your body felt cold as a rush of adrenaline overtook you.

 

You smiled slightly, knowing he was watching you.

 

He would be back.