Side Story 4. Stalker
The sky was blue. Along the road, the trees’ leaves shimmered in yellow, and the swaying breeze carried a warm feeling. It was an unusually warm early autumn, almost like summer.
With some time to spare until the next class, Seo Kangwoo strolled around the campus. His steps, moving at a steady pace, occasionally coming to a halt.
Passing near the art department building, Kangwoo turned his sore neck a couple of times. The footsteps behind him became a bit closer. That person abruptly stopped and turned around.
Thud. He could see a pair of white sneakers came to a screeching halt. Kangwoo slowly lifted his head. His gaze passed over dry fingers, a loose T-shirt, and a backpack on the shoulders.
“….”
Finally, the fair face came to his view. Kangwoo, staring at the bewildered face, initiated a conversation.
“Hello, Sunbae.”
“…Yeah. Hello.”
“Where are you going?”
“Uh, I… the convenience store. I’m going to the convenience store.”
Watching him stutter, Kangwoo took a step closer. Grabbing the skinny shoulders, he turned Heewoon around and gently pushed while saying.
“The convenience store is this way.”
As he smiled slightly, the face below him, a hand’s length away, looked up at him dazedly. As he looked down, Kangwoo saw his own reflection in the round pupils. Maybe it was because of his own reflection or some other reason, but his gaze was drawn to those eyes.
When the long eyelashes flickered as if signaling something, Kangwoo withdrew his gaze. Just as his brows were furrowed, a voice came from close by.
“Ah. I was originally planning to go to the convenience store outside, but I guess I’ll just go to the one on campus.”
The surprised demeanor, the eyes that kept looking at him, the raised cheeks.
“Let’s go, Sunbae.”
“Are you going too?”
The voice tried to sound casual, but he had sparkling eyes.
Kangwoo silently looked at the person in front of him. There were a few words to define this fair-faced man.
Woo Heewoon, senior in the department, stalker.
“Yes.”
“Well, let’s go together.”
Saying that with an indifferent tone, Heewoon’s mouth curled up. The fair cheeks slightly rose and then sank repeatedly. Kangwoo looked at Heewoon as if finding him pathetic.
On the way to the convenience store, Woo Heewoon sporadically spoke a few words.
“Today feels just like summer.”
“Yes, it does.”
“It’s hot, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Kangwoo mostly responded with short answers, so the conversation did not flow smoothly. When they entered the convenience store together, Heewoon muttered softly.
“Oh, it feels cool.”
Heewoon wiped the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. He lifted the long-sleeved T-shirt, revealing thin wrists. Kangwoo sequentially directed his gaze to Heewoon’s flushed cheeks, slightly damp hair, and thin wrists.
“Kangwoo, do you want to drink anything?”
The stalker asked with the face of a nice senior.
“Are you treating me?”
When Kangwoo asked with a smile, Heewoon replied yes and nodded. The way his hair was hanging loose and his face. It felt doubtful to know that he had already returned from enlistment.
“Thank you.”
“What would you like?”
“Um…”
Looking at the displayed drinks, Kangwoo cleared his throat. A persistent gaze reached his cheek and chin. It seemed like the other person was expecting what drink he would choose. A laugh escaped Kangwoo’s lips.
“Why?”
“No, it’s nothing. Sunbae, please choose anything.”
After a moment of pause, Woo Heewoon pointed to various drinks. “This one sells the best, and this one is a recent release…” as if he was trying to sell Kangwoo a drink.
“The one I like the most is this one, peach-flavored.”
“I’ll have that.”
“Oh, okay. Do you need anything else?”
“No.”
“Like bread or snacks…”
Seo Kangwoo directed his gaze beyond Heewoon. Recognizing a familiar thing, he reached out his hand. Rustling, the sound of plastic echoed.
“Do you want to eat that?”
“Sunbae, would you like to have this?”
Kangwoo held in his hand a cream bread, only the size of a palm. When Heewoon looked at it with a puzzled expression, Kangwoo added.
“Seems like you’d like it.”
“It’s cheap, so I like it. Kangwoo, eat this. The cream in this one is much tastier.”
Heewoon bent down to take out the bread from the lower part. Kangwoo gazed down at Heewoon’s round back of the head.
Putting back the round bread, Kangwoo glanced at the price tag. 600 won. The bread recommended to be delicious by Heewoon was only 400 won more expensive. It was 1000 won.
After paying, they walked outside together. The air was still hot under the glaring sunlight.
“Then, I’ll be going.”
As Heewoon turned away without hesitation when it was time for the class to start, Kangwoo stared at the back of his head for a while. When the figure disappeared from his sight, he opened the lid of his drink.
As soon as the bottle touched his lips, the fragrance wafted up. It was similar to the scent that came from that slightly off-putting stalker punk. An obviously cheap, sweet smell. Mixed with that scent, Woo Heewoon also had a hint of sweat. Suddenly salivating, Kangwoo took a sip of his drink.
It tasted just as sweet as it smelled, so he threw it in the trash.
Woo Heewoon must be the same as the drink. Even if the scent seemed decent, when you actually tasted it, it wasn’t that great. So, there was no need to have it in the first place.
Have it. Kangwoo pondered on that phrase for a moment. How did he end up using such an expression about that slightly off-putting stalker punk?
It had been several days since Woo Heewoon started following him to his house. Despite receiving reports about it, Kangwoo didn’t make a move. He judged that Heewoon’s life must be as depressing as stalking was.
‘Uh, I… the convenience store. I’m going to the convenience store.’
Even as he was stuttering due to being surprised, Kangwoo remembered the pupils that were fixed on him.
That evening.
Kangwoo stared intently at the computer monitor. Inside it was a motionless Woo Heewoon, sitting on the floor with a book on his knees, a vacant gaze in his eyes. It was a CCTV screen installed near the entrance of his house. Even though it was intentionally placed inconspicuously, Woo Heewoon was too careless. All he did was sit on the opposite side behind some trees. It’s not like he’s a fucker who thought he could hide just by covering his face.
Sadly, the CCTV camera at the gate captured that exact behaviour of Heewoon. The zoomed-in screen was not very clear, but it clearly showed what Heewoon was doing.
He was eating the cream bread he ate daily. It was undoubtedly what he had for dinner. He really liked something so much like him.
A few memories from earlier came to Kangwoo’s mind. Sweaty forehead, thin wrists, a slightly smiling face.
‘It’s cheap, so I like it. Kangwoo, eat this. The cream in this one is much tastier.’
Tender voice, round back of head.
Kangwoo stared intently at the monitor screen and muttered.
“Freak.”
***
When did he first see Woo Heewoon? He couldn’t remember it at all, he had no interest in Woo Heewoon.
But how did it end up like this?
Sitting alone in an empty classroom, Seo Kangwoo rested his chin on his hand.
‘…I, I definitely won’t say anything. R-Really, for real, I won’t say anything to anyone.’
Woo Heewoon, Woo Heewoon. Unconsciously, he mumbled that name.
That night was unexpected in every way. Woo Heewoon deviating from his usual behavior, following him, Kangwoo deelighted letting it happen, and sparing him.
Even after Woo Heewoon undressed, an unexpected situation continued to unfold. Kangwoo getting excited in an unusual way for the pale body, it was something he hadn’t experienced before. He found himself strange for eagerly indulging in that skinny body at that dirty place.
Moreover, even on weekends, he found himself thinking about that stalker. The stalker would normally take a break from stalking on weekends, and Kangwoo felt a bit disappointed about that.
How about today?
Would the stalker continue following him persistently? The probability of him not following was high since he had experienced such a thing, but he was such a gloomy punk that it was unpredictable what he would do.
Kangwoo’s mouth twitched up slightly.
Footsteps echoed in the corridor. Thud, thud. The echoing footsteps soon turned into rapid ones. Kangwoo turned his head and noticed someone swiftly passing through the corridor.
With soft-looking hair, a slender neck, and oversized clothes that didn’t fit. It was evident who that was.
Heewoon, who usually arrived 15 minutes early to the classroom, came in time today with the professor. It was clear what he was trying to do.
Fear welled up on Heewoon’s face when their eyes met. Suppressing the desire to tease him by drawing attention, Kangwoo smiled gently and cleared the bag he had placed on his opposite seat. Then, he beckoned Heewoon with a nod.
‘Come here.’
Until that moment, he felt relatively good.
However, when Heewoon pretended not to understand him and dashed out after the lecture, Kangwoo’s mood gradually sank.
Just until a few days ago, he could see the fair face with just a turn of the head, but it was completely different now. Woo Heewoon didn’t show a single strand of hair all day.
In the end, Seo Kangwoo didn’t go to the final lecture. Kangwoo knew the stalker’s routine, so he planned to slap him once he was found. He thought the stalker was being irritating.
He headed to the path where Heewoon always walked and found him easily.
He was standing at the edge of the sidewalk, shielding his eyes. Kangwoo stopped walking and stared at him.
Kangwoo could see his thin wrist through his sleeve a little way down. Kangwoo’s gaze moved slowly over the faint bruises on his wrists. The fair, skinny fingers, the closed eyes peeking through the crevices of his hands, the drooping hair, the bony back of his head, the red marks, the flattened chest.
The guy was so skinny because he’s been eating small breads. Seo Kangwoo thought for a long time, then started walking.
He then walked to his car with the helpless Woo Heewoon. Kangwoo’s gaze kept going towards him. He was looking stupid, after following so closely when Kangwoo told him to follow.
As they sat in the car, Kangwoo felt a lot better after feeling annoyed the whole day when he saw Heewoon fidgeting, unable to lift his head.
“I thought that it would be more comfortable for you too if I stayed unnoticeable, and I… I’m just scared.”
“You’re scared, and were you crying again?”
Not only did he feel better, Kangwoo also found himself sounding very gentle.
“…Only on Saturday.”
He found himself wanting to strip him naked and sit him on his lap.
***
How long did it take for Kangwoo to realize that he had a stalker whose name he didn’t even know, and that he had to have him?
These days, Seo Kangwoo often wondered if he had wanted to have him ever since he first noticed Woo Heewoon stalking him.
Kangwoo thought it was pretty cute how he had followed him around. It even made him feel a bit sad that the guy wasn’t following him around anymore.
“Lexy, fetch.”
Kangwoo tossed the ball across the garden to Lexy, who was panting at his feet. As he watched the big dog run away, he briefly thought Lexy might even be bigger than Woo Heewoon.
The guy was quite small. Heewoon wasn’t short, but Kangwoo felt that he was so tiny.
Kangwoo petted Lexy when he fetched the ball, then threw it again. Kangwoo glanced at his wristwatch. It was almost time.
The people who lent Woo Heewoon’s father money were very bad. The interest has long since exceeded the principal, and Woo Heewoon only needed to pay 2 million a month. The loan sharks could just immediately take out his organs, but they were giving Woo Heewoon hope, so that they could keep the 2 million a month and keep all of the money that Woo Heehyun had made later on.
The loan sharks had been monitoring Woo Heewoon for some time now. And Kangwoo also put them under surveillance. Woo Heehyun was in the Philippines, and he seemed to be close to running back to Korea, so sooner or later something would happen. Then the whole family would be kidnapped, and Woo Heewoon would find out the truth.
That small fry. He’ll cry again.
Thinking of Heewoon, who would cling to him, calling ‘Kangwoo, Kangwoo..’, crying and asking for help, Kangwoo couldn’t help but smile.
However, rather than completely taking advantage of the situation to capture Woo Heewoon, he leaned towards helping him right away. He found himself thinking about resolving the issue even before Heewoon asked for help.
That would be fine. Considering their relationship.
Clang-! Clang-!
Kangwoo, lost in his thoughts, blinked. Lexy, who had dropped the ball at his feet, was wagging his tail.
“Yeah, good job.”
He patted Lexy. When would Woo Heewoon arrive? The door slid open.
The doorbell rang. The door opened from the inside, and the person he was waiting for arrived inside well before the agreed-upon time.
“W-what… N-No.”
Woo Heewoon was on the phone. He wasn’t even aware that Lexy had swiftly grabbed the ball and brought it back.
Kangwoo clicked his tongue and observed Heewoon. Today, he didn’t wear the scarf he usually wore every day. His slender neck was exposed, and it seemed a bit cold. It was at the time when Kangwoo thought he should give him something warm to eat as soon as they went inside.
“H-He’s just a junior.”
Kangwoo mechanically threw the ball while staring intently at Heewoon. Seeing his flustered demeanor, Kangwoo could roughly guess who he was talking to.
Just a junior….
He mulled over those words.
“Really, he’sjust a junior… a close junior. We’re both guys, so I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Woo Heewoon stammered on.
“Yes… yes.”
After ending the call, Heewoon let out a long sigh. Kangwoo, with his gaze still at the relaxed face, twisted his lips.
But Woo Heewoon didn’t stop there.
‘It’s true that we’re not dating.‘
‘I’m just someone who… listens well to you like a dog.‘
Kangwoo looked down at Heewoon on the ground.
Between those trembling eyelashes, his round pupils were visible. His pale cheeks were slightly red, and his opened mouth let out rough breaths.
Afraid and watching for Kangwoo’s reaction, Heewoon’s fingertips touched the inside of Kangwoo’s wrist. Feeling the tingling sensation, Kangwoo made up his mind.
He needed to completely, utterly possess Woo Heewoon.
<Formless> Epilogue Complete.
P.S. had to go back to previous chapters to make sure the flashback dialogues are consistent haha
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