By seven o'clock the sky turned into an inky blue, and I zipped up my coat for warmth. Suji and I were on our way from the movie theater to the parking lot. It was my job to review movies for our school newsletter.

"That," Suji said, "was the freakiest movie I have ever seen. From now on, we are not going to watch anything of horror again."

We both shuddered. "Where to next? My review is due by midnight."

"Oh. Right. Library, then?" Suji unlocked the doors to her car. "I've noticed," she said with a mischievous curve of , "that you've been unusually snappy since the end of bio the past two days."

"Blame Taemin." I slid into the passenger seat.

Suji's eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. She adjusted it for a better view. "I have to admit, his dark side is inviting."

I had no desire to admit it, but Suji wasn't alone. I felt drawn to Taemin in a way I'd never felt drawn to anyone. There was a dark appeal between us. Around him, I felt lured to the edge of danger.

"Tell me you don't think he's good-looking," Suji said, "and I promise I'll never bring him up again."

I reached to turn on the radio. Of all things, there had to be something better to do than ruin our evening by talking about Taemin. Sitting beside him one hour everyday, five days a week, was more than I could take.

"Well?" Suji demanded.

"He could be good-looking. But I'd be the to last know."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I can't get beyond his personality. No amount of beauty could make up for it."

"Not beauty. He's...y."

I rolled my eyes.

"What? You disagree, or rough and roguish isn't your type?"

"I don't have a type," I said. "I'm not that narrow."

Suji laughed. "You, babe, are more than narrow. There are very few boys at school you would fall for."

"That's not true." I said automatically. Actually it is true. I had never been seriously interested in anyone. "It isn't about boys, it's about...love. I haven't found it."

"It isn't about love," Suji said. "It's about fun."

I lifted my eyebrows, doubtful. "Kissing a guy I don't care about is fun?"

Suji squeezed into a parking space and killed the engine. "Have you ever thought about kissing Taemin? Have you ever stolen a peek sideways and imagined flinging yourself at him and crushing your mouth to his?"

I stared at her with a look of shock. "Have you?"

Suji grinned.

"He's not good enough for you," I said.

She moaned. "Careful, you'll only make me want him more."

Inside the library we took a table on the main level. I opened my laptop and started typing my review about the movie. Suji opened a bag of potato chips. "Want some?"

"I'm good, thanks."

She peered into the bag. "If you're not going to eat them, I'll have to. And I really don't want to."

Suji was on a diet. She wasn't suppose to eat any fatty and unhealthy foods to tone down her body.

Just then Jung Soojung, the only sophomore to make varsity cheerleading in the history of Hanlim High, took a seat on the edge of our table. Her striking red hair was combed into low pigtails. There was an inch between the hem of her skirt and the start of her underwear...if she was even wearing any.

"Hi, Supersize," Soojung said to Suji.

"Hi, Freakshow," Suji said back.

"My mom is looking for models this weekend. Nine bucks an hour. I thought you'd be interested."

Soojung's mom manages the 'IRO' boutique, and on weekends she has Soojung and the rest of the cheerleaders model bikinis in the store's street-facing display windows.

"She's having a hard time finding plus-size models," said Soojung.

"You've got food stuck in your teeth," Suji told Soojung. "In the crack between your two front teeth. Looks like chocolate or...is that dog poo?"

Soojung her teeth and slid off the table. As she walked off, Suji stuck her tongue out and made a face at Soojung's back.

"She's lucky we're at the library," Suji said to me. "Last chance, chips?"

"Pass."

Suji wandered off to throw the chips. A few minutes later she returned with a romance novel. She took the seat next to me and said, "I wonder what it's like to kiss a pair of sun-baked, mud-crusted lips."

"Dirty," I murmured while typing.

"Speaking of dirty." There was an unexpected rise in her voice. "There's our guy."

I stopped typing to peer over my laptop, and my heart skipped a beat. Taemin stood across the room. As if he sensed me watching, he turned. Our eyes locked for a few seconds. I broke away first, but not before receiving a slow grin.

My heartbeat turned uneven, and I told myself to pull it together. I was not going down this path. Not with Taemin. Not unless I was out of my mind.

"Let's go," I told Suji. Shutting my laptop, I zipped it inside its case. I pushed my books inside my backpack, dropping a few on the floor as I did.

Suji said, "I'm trying to read the title of the book he's holding...hang on... How to Be a Stalker."

"He is not checking out a book with that title." But I wasn't sure.

"It's either that or How to Radiate y Without Trying."

"Shh!" I hissed.

"Calm down, he can't hear. He's talking to the librarian."

Confirming this with a quick glance, I realized that if we left now, we'd probably meet him at the doors. And then I would be expected to say something to him. I sat back onto my chair while he finished.

"Do you think it's weird he's here at the same time we are?" Suji asked.

"Do you?"

"I think he's following you."

"I think it's a coincidence." This wasn't completely true. If I had to make a list of places I would expect to find Taemin, the public library wouldn't make it. So what was he doing here?

"Taemin!" Suji stage-whispered. "Are you stalking Jinri?"

I slapped my hand over . "Stop it. I mean it." I put on a serious face.

"I bet he is following you," said Suji, removing my hand. "I bet he has a history of being a stalker too. We should sneak into the school office. It would all be in his student file."

"We are not sneaking into the school office." I said sternly.

"I could create a distraction so you can go in and no one will see you. We could be like spies."

"We are not spies."

"Do you know his last name?" Suji asked.

"No."

"Do you know anything about him?"

"No. And I'd like to keep it that way."

"Oh come on. You love mysteries, and it doesn't get better than this."

Shaking two iron pills from the bottle in my backpack, I swallowed them together. Stress. He's stressing me out.

Suji stopped her car into her driveway just after nine thirty. She killed the engine and hanged the keys in front of me.

"You're not going to drive me home?" I asked. A waste of breath since I knew her answer.

"There's fog. And the fog always gets worse near your place. It freaks me out after dark."

I grabbed the keys. "Thanks a lot."

"Don't blame me. Tell your mom to move closer."

"I suppose you expect me to pick you up before school tomorrow?"

"Seven thirty would be nice. Breakfast is on me."

"It should be. And it better be good."

On the drive home I let my thoughts drift to Taemin. Suji was right. Something about him was incredibly alluring. And incredibly creepy. The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced something about him was...off. The fact that he liked to annoy me wasn't exactly surprising, but there was a difference between getting under my skin in class and possibly going as far as following me to the library to accomplish it. Not many people would go to that much trouble...unles they had a very good reason.

Halfway home rain flushed out. Dividing my attention on the road and the controls on the steering wheel, I tried to find the windshield wipers.

The streetlights flickered, and I wondered if a heavier storm was blowing in. I pumped on some more gas.

The outside lights flickered again. A cold feeling prickled up the back of my neck. My sixth sense went to high alert. I asked myself if I thought I was being followed. There were no headlights in the rearview mirror. No cars ahead either. I was all alone. It wasn't a very comforting thought.

I found the wipers, but even at top speed they couldn't keep up with the pounding rain. The stoplight ahead turned red. I rolled to a stop, checked to see that traffic was clear, then pulled into the intersection.

I heard the impact before I saw the dark silhouette slipping across the hood of the car. I screamed and stomped on the break. The silhouette hit into the windshield with a crack.

On impulse, I jerked the steering wheel a hard right, sending me spinning across the intersection. The silhouette rolled and disappeared over the edge of the hood. I was holding my breath, squeezing the steering wheel. The car stalled out.

He was crouched a few feet away, watching me. He didn't look at all...injured. He was dressed in all black, making it hard to tell what he looked like. At first I couldn't distinguish any facial features, and then I realized he was wearing a mask.

He rose to his feet, closing the distance between us. He flattened his hands to my side of the window. Our eyes connected through the holes in the mask. A toxic smile seemed to rise in his.

I started the car. The engine revived, but it died again. I turned the engine once more, but was distracted by a metallic groan. I watched with horror as the door began to bend. He was...tearing it off.

I forced the car again. The engine roared.

His fist came through the window in an explosion of glass. His hand fumbled over my shoulder, clamping around my arm. I gave a hoarse cry, and stomped the gas pedal.

The car screeched into motion. He hung on, gripping my arm, running beside the car several feet before dropping away.

I sped forward with the force of adrenaline. I checked the rearview mirror to make sure he wasn't chasing me. I had to press my lips together to keep myself from sobbing.