Stalker (1)
The commute home was perfectly ordinary. No elevator suddenly dragging me into some anomaly, no getting tangled up in bus ghost stories. Even the sky seemed to think three days straight of storms was overkill. I made it to the bus stop without a hitch and could even see my apartment building in the distance.
"What should I have for dinner tonight?"
I was mulling over evening menus and taking a casual stroll when I spotted a suspicious figure lurking in the alley.
"What the."
A hulking brute over two meters tall, wearing a hockey mask, gripping a Chinese straight sword. Even a passing kid would clock this guy as a murder ghost. And there he was, right in front of my house.
"Wait, wasn't this supposed to be a lucky charm?"
My first thought was the lucky charm in my wallet. I'd had it for less than thirty minutes, and already misfortune was biting me in the ass. No idea where Yeon Dae-ri got the thing from, but I was definitely passing on a message to return it for a refund.
"Ah, fuck."
Just as that crossed my mind, the bastard lunged at me like a wolf. His strike was blindingly fast, far beyond any human thug's reaction speed. If I didn't dodge, my head was coming clean off.
I twisted to evade, but suddenly something snagged my foot, and my body slid forward smoothly.
"Hm?"
A quick glance down revealed an empty cola can positioned unnaturally just right. I glided to a perfect landing on the pavement. Naturally, the murder ghost's slash whistled through empty air.
Or rather, it cleaved the alley wall clean in half.
BOOM!!
The brute's insane strength pulverized the wall in a deafening crash, sending chunks tumbling down.
"Whoa."
Sirens wailed as police cars converged on the noise. The murder ghost eyed me and the cop cars, hesitated a beat, then bolted into the shadows of the alley.
I scratched my head watching his retreating back, then muttered one thing.
"This thing's performance is killer."
Looked like I owed Yeon Dae-ri a big feast.
Anyway, after snagging a freebie anomaly takedown like that, I went to Yeon Dae-ri the next day to express my thanks.
"Thanks to you, I dodged a bullet. Seriously grateful."
"I had a feeling you'd need it! Glad you're safe!"
Of course, I couldn't tell her the full truth, so I spun it as nearly getting mauled by a rabid dog but luckily slipping away. She bought it, beaming with pride.
"I'll treat you to a meal soon."
"Sounds great! How about next Friday?"
"Works for me."
We set a dinner date, and I returned to my desk to wrap up some light work. I'd knocked out most of yesterday's tasks, so today was just cleanup—plenty of breathing room.
Then a small voice piped up from behind me.
"...Team Leader Kim. You hear the news?"
"What news?"
The speaker was none other than Kim Gwa-jang, surprisingly. Unlike his usual mousey, work-only drone, he dragged his chair over and whispered right in my ear.
Hm...
Guy talk usually doesn't involve whispering in ears—feels kinda off if it does. But with Kim Gwa-jang, it didn't bug me. Why? Maybe that androgynous vibe?
"Yesterday... no murder happened."
"And?"
Anyway, I tuned in. It tied back to the serial killings he'd mentioned before. But why bring it up now?
"They happen every Wednesday..."
"Uh-huh."
"But yesterday, no one died... Why do you think?"
The words instantly conjured the ghost I'd tangled with. He'd come for me but failed and fled. My hunch was spot on—he was the real serial killer behind the recent spree.
What to do.
I was safe for now, but no way regular cops nabbed that freak. Would he keep slaughtering? If left alone? That grated. What if family or friends got hit? Might've been better to finish him yesterday.
"Yeah, wonder why."
"My guess is..."
Couldn't spill to Kim Gwa-jang, so I bullshitted through the chat.
Work wrapped around 6 PM. Colleagues bolted; I grabbed my stuff and headed out.
"...."
[....]
I locked eyes with the murder ghost watching me from afar.
What're you doing there?
The murder ghost—the true culprit behind the recent serial killings—targeted me last night. But the hit failed, and he fled from the cops...
"No, seriously, why are you here?"
I scratched my head at the freak stalking me from a distance. This wasn't an assassination; it was straight-up intimidation.
A bit rattled, but I decided to turn it into an opportunity.
"Come here."
I reached into my briefcase and pulled out a book. Go-seo, naturally. I couldn't read most of it, but the readable parts were plenty. Time to bury this bastard.
I extended a hand toward him.
"Hm..."
I flipped through Go-seo, scanning fast. No need to read word-by-word; info flowed straight into my brain. Skim pages, extract what I needed.
The perfect spell for now...
"Tch."
[...!]
He swung his blade quick, but I dodged nimbly. Last night, the charm deflected his first strike. Seeing it up close, I thought:
That's dodgeable.
Too fast for a normal human, sure. But I had a monster's body. I could track it with my eyes. See it, dodge it—no problem.
[Deep Sea Tentacle, pierce mother's enemy...]
⟨ Deep Sea Tentacle ⟩
[!!!]
I evaded, created distance, and cast. Go-seo's weakest spell—but low material cost. A few drops of blood drew the magic circle. Tentacles erupted, surging at the murder ghost.
He slashed a few with his sword, but dozens overwhelmed him. He took hits to shoulder and legs.
"Hoo..."
Circle faded, tentacles vanished. Mild headache followed, but bearable. I raised my hand at the wounded freak.
[Deep Sea Tentacle, mother's ene...]
[....!]
Then he lurched up. Last gasp? I backed off quick—but he vaulted the wall dynamically, parkoured rooftops, and vanished. Never imagined he'd bail. What a bewildering bastard.
He didn't approach directly after that. But he hadn't quit killing—just switched to indirect hits on me.
"What the hell now."
Normal commute, then a signboard plummets from the next building.
CRUNCH.
Lucky charm pulled overtime; it grazed right beside me. I gawked up at the rooftop ghost.
"Slippery little shit."
Eye contact—he bolted again. After that, daily fresh hell: crossbow bolts, severed power lines hurled my way.
"This psycho."
[SCREECH! BOOM!]
Today, en route to work, he crammed his massive frame into a truck and tried to run me down. I ducked into an alley easy, but still.
"Doesn't he get tired..."
I eyed him, stumped. No brains would be simple, but this anomaly plotted smart.
"Fast runner too."
Yesterday, I chased seriously to end him. Three spells in a row, blew off an arm. But he escaped downtown. Couldn't cast in public, so I watched him go.
"Fucking dog..."
Honestly, annoying as hell. Pesky hit-and-run, threatens direct but bails. If he came close risking blood, I'd drop big magic. But he was... awkwardly evasive.
"Argh, what to do."
Anyway, clocked out, rage-ate dinner, crashed without more. Normally I'd stroll or game, but mental fatigue from the stalker drained my will.
"..."
Lying there, eyes closed, consciousness sank to ocean depths. Body relaxed fully. Soft tentacles caressed.
[Tired lately?]
A bit, yeah.
Shin-nim's tentacles—part of her body—wrapped me. Freaked me out at first, but she said they restore mental energy. After heavy fatigue or spell spam, her massages worked wonders.
[Still chasing?]
Yep, persistent fucker.
I pictured the murder ghost's mug. Berserker build, hunter's cunning. Felt like the monster being hunted—ironic, since he was the monster.
[Don't worry.]
Huh? Worry about what?
Shin-nim patted my head, telling me not to fret. Was she descending in person to smash him?
That'd be...
I imagined it, shook my head. Even a mid-tier deep sea Punisher was that strong. Shin-nim on Earth? Planetary apocalypse, day one.
[It'll resolve soon.]
For real?
[Yeah]
Unlike my plan to intervene, her words were cryptic. Problem fixing soon? Future sight? I wanted to probe, but:
[Shh. Rest now.]
Urk.
Tentacle slipped in my ear, severing consciousness.
And days later, just as Shin-nim said, the murder ghost showed up at my door on his own two feet.