I woke up to a sore shoulder and an immense pain in my neck. Sleeping in the office chair wasn’t my intention, but last night’s actions had me shaken up. Last night. The most terrifyingly unforgettable night I’ve had. I shivered at the memory so vivid and fresh in my mind. I heard a beeping noise in front of me that startled me until I realized it was my iPhone alarming me that my battery was low. I picked up the device and sure enough, the battery percentage was at ten percent. I inwardly groaned before stretching out uncomfortably, snapped a few neck joints, and with my phone, walked back to my room that had an unsettling chill to its atmosphere.

After setting my iPhone down on my desk to charge, I decided to make myself something to eat. I quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face before walking sluggishly to my kitchen. Instead of my normal bowl of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, I started to scramble eggs, fry bacon strips, and make coffee. The aroma of breakfast was strong while I ate, and it only made me hungrier as I wolfed down my breakfast.

When the dishes were washed, and I entered my room, I looked at my phone to see four missed phone calls. Himchan. Worried, I scrambled to call him back. It was as if he was expecting my call as he answered on the first ring.

“Himchan, what is it?”

“Youngjae, we found whereabouts for Jung Daehyun.”

A jolt of hope sprang through me.

“Really? Are you- … are you going to arrest him then?”

There was a short pause before Himchan spoke again.

“That’s where the problem comes in. We can’t arrest him until he actually does something to you.”

I scoffed. “Does something to me?! Himchan, the man was in my house last night! He forcefully pushed me! Does that sound like he did something to me?!”

The man on the other line sighed. “No Youngjae, what we mean is that he has to go to extreme limits in order for us to arrest him. Right now, we can’t, because he’s mainly performing distant stalking which is the only problem we have with stalking cases. If they are only tormenting you once in a while like Daehyun, we can’t arrest them until they actually start to break into the house more often or you start to see more of them each day wherever you go. I’m sorry Youngjae, but that’s all we have to say for now, but we are going to make sure to arrest him when we can. We’ll look more into the case and we’ll look for Intel on the mask you described to me last night. Don’t worry Youngjae, we’ll put an end to this. Goodbye.”

I put the phone back on the desk to complete its charging in disappointment. I was hoping for so much more, but maybe I just put my hopes up a little too high. I was lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t realized that my phone vibrated with a text message. Without thinking, I picked it up, and noticed it was a message from Jaebum.

Hey Youngjae! I was wondering if you’d like to go with me to the 63 Building. :)

I smiled and replied.

Sure, Jaebum. When?

I was almost surprised at the sudden reply.

Is now a good time?

I looked at the time, and it was eleven in the morning, and thought why not?

Sure, I’ll meet you over there?

I waited for his reply, and it came, right away too.

Sure! See ya! :)

Leaving my iPhone to charge, I went to take a shower and dress to meet Jaebum. I’ve never been to the 63 Building, but I’ve always wanted to go there.

<<  *  >>

Yongguk yawned as he rolled around in the bed, colliding with another body. He smiled softly before wrapping his arms around the thin body. The same thin body stirred and turned to meet him.

“Good morning, Yongguk.”

The man smiled back. “Good morning, Hyoseong.”

They spent a few minutes cuddling in silence before Yongguk grabbed his phone and checked the time. He clicked his tongue before setting it down again. He unwound his arms from Hyoseong who whined in protest and he chuckled. “We’re late for work . . . again.” Hyoseong sat up on the bed while Yongguk collected his clothes from the floor before he leaves to take a shower.

“Actually, I called in sick today.” Hyoseong said and Yongguk nodded in response, and gave a quick peck to Hyoseong’s forehead before walking out of the room to the bathroom.

Once he was out of sight, Hyoseong made a quick move to grab his phone in search of a number for a friend she accidentally deleted yesterday. Scrolling through his contacts quickly, she found it and quickly added the number to her own contacts just before Yongguk came back into the room, announcing that he had forgotten his pants and he left, but not without noticing that, when he entered the room, Hyoseong frantically put what looked like his phone back on the bedside table.

She must’ve been checking if I would be loyal in a relationship.

Yongguk thought with a smirk on his face before he got into the shower.

<<  *  >>

I gripped my best friend’s arm tightly as we overlooked the city of Seoul and the Han River and I had a queasy feeling. Although I’ve always wanted to visit the 63 Building, I’ve always had the phobia of falling, and of heights. No one knew that besides my parents and Yongguk.

Once we were at the top, we looked at the other skyscrapers and buildings in the city and I couldn’t suppress the universal gasp I let out at the awe of Seoul. As I was admiring the city, Jaebum received a message. He checked it, and smiled. I took notice and nudged his arm in a teasing manner.

“Jaebum, you have a girlfriend and you didn’t tell me?” I laughed and Jaebum playfully pushed me back.

“No, I do not.”

“Come on, what’s her name?”

While we were playfully bickering, Jaebum took steps toward me, making me step back in my laughter until my back collided with the huge window. Only then, did I stop laughing because all I could see now was the cement ground and the heads of people walking by below, far, far below. I yelped loudly and jumped toward Jaebum who wrapped his arms around me securely.

“Is there anything wrong?” Jaebum asked in concern. I nodded against him. “What is it?” As if he hadn’t noticed.

“It’s just that I have a phobia of falling and heights. And I’m sorry to be a spoilsport, but is it okay if we can go now?”

Jaebum smiled and squeezed me. “Sure, I was getting kind of hungry anyway.”

<<  *  >>

Although everyone else in the room seemed so innocent, there was one who watched with slight jealousy, okay maybe a lot of jealousy, as he saw the one he was trying to protect with his best friend acting as if they were lovers. How much he wished to tell Youngjae what was actually going on, and how much danger he was in. He needed to tell him, but the threat hanging around prevented him to do so.

“If you value his life and yours, you will keep this between you and me alright?”

The man’s words echoed vividly in his mind and he shook his head to rid those words. He exited the 63 Building and followed swiftly and quietly behind the pair who chit-chatted normally. After they had settled in at a small, cozy food place, he turned into a coffee shop and sat down near the back where he had a clear view of the food place where the two were now laughing at something Youngjae’s friend had said.

After watching them eat for a while, he turned his head to the television that was on the Channel Six news and he saw the unfamiliar face of Kim Jongdae – he just read the reporter’s name that showed underneath the man himself – and he also noticed that Hyoseong wasn’t there. No surprise there. He already knew where she was. With a click of his tongue, he checked his watch and turned his head to another street to a bar in time to see her walking in there in broad daylight. How foolish he thought.

 He turned back to the food place and saw the once occupied table to be unoccupied and panic filled him. Where did they go? He thought as he exited the coffee shop and frantically looked around, and he began to run down streets and turn corners until he found the pair calling for a taxi and he felt relieved as he called for a taxi as well, directing the cabby to follow the taxi cab that drove pass them.

After many turns and streets, they finally arrived back into the Gwangjin area where they pulled up into a neighborhood full of huge mansion-like homes. The cab stopped in front of Youngjae’s house that he religiously kept a close eye on. After the pair had said their goodbyes to each other, Youngjae’s friend giving Youngaje a big hug again that made his insides twist, Youngjae entered his home. His friend walking down the street, away from Youngjae’s house.

The man told the cabby to stop nearby as he exited the cab and paid the fare. After doing so, the man walked across the road and down the street to where his hidden spot was to surveillance Youngjae’s house. But before he could reach his spot, the collar of his shirt was pulled harshly from behind, resulting in him letting out an unsettling gag. The man saw a flash of blue light from the sky before his back collided painfully with the ground, knocking the wind out of him. Then, he was pinned up against a privacy fence by strong arms, the face of his perpetrator coming clearly into view.

“What did I tell you, Daehyun? Must I remind you?” The man pinning Daehyun pushed his jacket back to reveal the same pistol from the previous night that sat comfortably in its holster. Instantly, the memories from the previous night came back fresh to Daehyun’s mind like a movie being played out.

“You did well Daehyun,”

The man smirked and removed the cold, silver pistol from Daehyun’s temple while placing Daehyun’s phone back into the said man’s jacket pocket.

“You can’t hurt Youngjae. You can’t have him,”

The man let out an amused laugh tinged with bitterness and grabbed Daehyun’s hair harshly before standing him up from his crouched position on his knees.

“Youngjae is mine, and I will have him. And there won’t be anything you can do about it, but sit and watch me be the one Yougjae runs to in time of need.”

Daehyun wanted to give him a good square hit in the jaw, but the bindings tied around his wrists prevented him to do so. “He doesn’t even know you. You sick son of a ,” He spat before the man sent a punch to Daehyun’s face.

“He doesn’t know me yet, but he will. You won’t be able to watch because you’ll be back in that prison, wishing once again that you were with him.” With him having the last word, he hit Daehyun’s head with the pistol, knocking him out cold, and he put the man in the trunk of his black Jaguar F-type. Before driving away, he gave a last look to the only room with a light on in the big house – Youngjae’s study – and smiled.

“I will have you, Youngjae. One way or another, and no one will stop me.”

With that, he drove away.

Daehyun shook his head, the pain in his right temple from the pistol throbbing with the memory. “No. You don’t have to remind me.”

The man let Daehyun loose from his hold and took a step back, straightening out Daehyun’s shirt with a bitter smile on his face that Daehyun wanted to smack off. “Good because I don’t want to have to hurt you or Youngjae.”

Daehyun glared, and the man smiled bitterly once more before chuckling. With a pat to Daehyun’s back, the man his heel and walked down the street, looking back only once, still wearing that bitter smile. Daehyun wasn’t going to let this man have Youngjae, nor will he let him hurt him. So, before Daehyun went to his hidden spot, he gave the man the finger to his back. “ you.”

<< * >>

I typed furiously on my laptop. Looking at recent news and trying to catch up on everything I had missed. Yes, I watched the news, but I never really paid attention to what they were saying. I read through a ton of articles before stumbling over a recent one titled proudly in bold print, NEWS REPORTER YOO YOUNGJAE REPORTEDLY IN THE MIDST OF A STALKING CASE.

I groaned and grabbed my phone, dialing Yongguk’s number. It rang a few times before I heard the familiar deep voice.

“Ah, yes, Youngjae?”

“What the hell man!”

“Woah, what’s got your webs all tangled up?”

“Were you the one who gave out the information to my new stalking case?”

There was a silence before Yongguk spoke again.

“No, that wasn’t me. Youngjae, you know I keep promises.”

“Sure you kept it because why do most people at the channel six news building know about it?”

“Okay, what I said is half true. But, I wouldn’t tell the press. Not in a million years.”

I ran my tongue over the front of my top teeth in thought. “Okay, well I guess I’ll ask Himchan then.”

“Okay, well I gotta go now Youngjae. I’ll see ya around.”

The call ended there, and I sighed before dialing Himchan’s number and he not-so-surprisingly picked up after the first ring. “Hello?”

“Yeah, Himchan, I was wondering who might’ve gave my story over to the press. Do you think it could have been someone down there at the precinct?”

“Mmm, nope. If there was someone who did it down here, then I would’ve known about it right away. But I’ll look into it if you want me to.”

I decided to say no because he’s already doing so much for me. “Nah. It’s alright. You already have too much on your plate. Besides, this story was posted a few days ago. Most of the city probably already knows about it.”

“Okay, well I better get back to work.”

“You do that.”

“Alright. Well, good night, Youngjae. And call me if you need anything. I’ll be here.”

Youngjae nodded, but remembering they were having a phone conversation, spoke.

“Okay, thank you Himchan. For everything. Good night.”

I hung up and put my phone down. I stared at my computer screen before taking my glasses off and buried my head in my hands. The stress was building up intensely, and I wished it would all just go away.

After a while, I stood up and walked over to the window where it was slightly ajar and the white curtains blew in the gentle breeze. It was relaxing, but I couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that I was being watched, so I shut the window and pulled the curtains closed not without noticing that goddamned black Jaguar F-type.

My hands lingered on the curtains; my grip tightened turning my knuckles white. I was angry. I was afraid. I was tired. I wanted it all to end. I didn’t realize I was crying, sobbing until I slowly released my grip on the soft fabric and took a few deep breaths. Then I wiped my tears.

With heavy limbs, I carried myself to my restroom where I brushed my teeth and washed my face. After patting my face dry, I looked at my reflection, and my eye bags were so prominent. With a deep sigh of exhaustion, I carried myself to my room, collapsed into my bed with a contented sigh, and once my head hit that pillow, my eyes closed shut. Finally grateful to have a night with no traumatizing episodes, but that didn’t mean terrifying dreams weren’t to come because they did, and I was living one.  

<< * >>

A/N:

Hello. Here's the update and I wanted to know, for the sake of my readers, if I should keep Youngjae's first person point of view or change it all to one point of view. What do you think?

Drop a comment below! And hello to all of my new subscribers! I hope you enjoy what I have. Thank you and have a good day.