Chapter 13: Someone’s Watching

It had been a week since Ha-Joon started living with Seo-Won. At first, it was strange—waking up in an unfamiliar apartment, having someone else cook for him, and always having Seo-Won by his side.

But little by little, he got used to it.

Every morning, Ha-Joon woke up to the scent of food drifting through the apartment. Seo-Won, still in his pajama shirt, would be standing in the kitchen, flipping pancakes or setting the table.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Seo-Won teased as he placed a plate in front of Ha-Joon.

Ha-Joon rubbed his eyes. "You don't have to cook for me every day…"

Seo-Won smirked. "Who else is going to feed you? You'd probably survive on instant noodles if I wasn't here."

Ha-Joon pouted but didn't argue. The food was delicious.

After breakfast, Seo-Won drove him to college, always making sure he got to class safely. And whenever Ha-Joon felt uneasy, Seo-Won's presence was enough to make him feel protected.

One afternoon, Seo-Won even took him to visit his grandfather.

His grandfather studied Seo-Won carefully before nodding in approval. "You're taking good care of my grandson."

Seo-Won simply smiled. "Of course."

Everything seemed fine. Peaceful, even.

Until one day—

---

Ha-Joon walked down the quiet college hallway, his fingers gripping the strap of his bag. The lecture had just ended, and most students were already outside, but for some reason, he felt uneasy.

A strange feeling crept up his spine.

Like someone was watching him.

He glanced over his shoulder—nothing.

Maybe I'm just imagining things…

He shook his head and continued walking. But the feeling didn't go away. If anything, it got stronger.

His heartbeat quickened.

Am I being followed?

His breathing turned shallow. His hands felt cold. The familiar fear from his past started to creep in.

With trembling fingers, he pulled out his phone and called Seo-Won.

The dial tone rang.

Then—

Click.

The call connected.

Relief flooded Ha-Joon's chest. "Seo-Won…?"

Silence.

Ha-Joon swallowed. "Hello?"

Still no answer.

His fingers gripped the phone tighter. "Seo-Won, are you there?"

But all he heard was silence.

And then—

A faint sound from behind him.

A single, slow footstep.

Ha-Joon froze. His breath caught in his throat. His entire body tensed.

Someone was there.

His fingers trembled as he clutched the phone to his ear.

"Seo-Won…" His voice was barely a whisper now.

No response.

The air around him felt suffocating. He wanted to run. He needed to run.

But before he could move—

A shadow loomed over him.

And then—

A voice, low and chilling.

"Did you miss me, Ha-Joon?"

Ha-Joon's blood ran cold.

He knew that voice.

Min-Soo.