The Stalker in the Taxi

Sunlight poured through the gap in the curtains, causing Park Jihun to wince and shift in his bed. His head felt a bit heavy from scouring the internet forums until late last night. "Ugh... what time is it?" He opened his eyes with difficulty and reached for the phone on his nightstand. The screen displayed ten in the morning. "I slept a lot." Jihun forced himself up and stretched. Just then, his phone buzzed. Brrr-rr-rr. He looked down at the screen.

Jihun blinked for a moment before answering. "Hello?"

"Jihun, what are you doing?" At the familiar voice, he cleared his throat. "Just hanging out. How about you, Mom?"

"Me? Same as always. Did you eat?" Jihun ran a hand through his messy hair. "I did. What time do you think it is?"

"You didn't just say you ate even though you didn't, did you?"

"I'm telling you, I did."

"Really? Your voice doesn't sound like it." Jihun chuckled softly. "I really ate." He could faintly hear his mother clicking her tongue on the other end. "Is the job hunting going well?"

At that, Jihun fell silent. Until just a few days ago, that question alone would have made his chest tighten. He kept failing interviews, and his bank account was hitting rock bottom. Nothing seemed to work out. But now, it was different. "It's going well. Don't worry." It wasn't a lie. The direction had just shifted a little.

"Good. Don't be too impatient. Make sure you eat well."

"Yeah."

"Don't make your mother worry. You hear me?" Jihun nodded slowly. "As soon as I get paid, I'll send you some pocket money." It felt a bit strange to say it out loud. It was something he wouldn't have even been able to suggest before. His mother scolded him from the other end. "Don't say useless things and just take care of yourself."

"No, I really think I'll be able to send it soon..."

"Forget it. Mom is fine."

Jihun was speechless for a moment. It was always like this. Even though she scrimped and saved, she always told her children she was fine. He spoke bluntly, trying to hide his emotions. "I'll come visit soon."

"Okay. If it's hard, you don't have to force yourself to come down."

"No, I'll definitely come."

"Alright. Go get some rest. I'll call you again." The call ended. Jihun sat there for a while, the phone still pressed to his ear. "Whew." He let out a small breath and tossed the phone onto the bed. I'll send you some pocket money soon. The words he had blurted out earlier echoed in his mind. If it were the him from a few days ago, he wouldn't have even been able to say that as a bluff. But now, it felt genuinely possible.

Jihun got out of bed and stretched his body. There was still time before his stream. And there was one thing he had clearly felt yesterday: to perform long shamanic readings, his physical stamina had to hold up. "I should eat, go for a run, and then come back." He ran his fingers through his messy hair and walked toward the bathroom.

Jihun sat back down at his desk. On it lay the notes he had prepared in advance. Five paid readings for today: Mu-eum-bang, agei, and three others. He planned to pick the one free reading himself after turning on the stream. Jihun stared quietly at the Ocean broadcast window on his monitor. He felt a bit nervous. Perhaps it was because he knew a crowd would gather today. As the moment to start the stream approached, his heart was beating faster than usual.

"Whew." He exhaled shortly and moved the mouse.

A moment later, the black screen flickered to life. Simultaneously, viewers began to pour in.

The chat began to scroll at high speed. Jihun glanced at the viewer count floating in the corner of the screen.

...Already? He thought it was faster than expected, but the number showed no signs of stopping. 626. 1,147. Not even a minute into the stream, it had already crossed into four digits.

Jihun narrowed his brows. "I'm not like this usually. It only happens when I'm doing readings." The chat erupted immediately.

Meanwhile, donation alerts began to pop up one after another.

Jihun twitched his eyebrows. The reaction was definitely hotter than yesterday. But that was only for a moment. A chilling sensation wrapped around his entire body. "Quiet." A short, low word. Strangely, that one word caused the chat to go even wilder.

Jihun scanned the chat. Then, he spoke in a low, grounded tone. "I'll pick the free reading myself."

He tapped his fingers on the desk. "We're starting now, so everyone stop talking and listen closely." Just as he was about to speak, a donation alert sounded.

Jihun looked at the donation message on the monitor and said, "Don't worry about the past. Now that the junk car is gone, a Mercedes will come along."

Jihun tapped his fingers on the desk and opened his mouth. "We're going in order of reservation. If there's no answer, I'm moving to the next. Alright, Mu-eum-bang."

The answer came immediately from the chat. Mu-eum-bang joined ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Discord channel. "Uh, I'm planning to start a business. I've got a spot in mind, and I'm curious if it's okay to go in there."

Jihun stared at the screen. In a split second, a short scene flashed through his mind. A bright sign. People coming and going. Empty plates piling up on tables. And the bustling scenery of a weekend evening. This was a spot that would do quite well. Jihun said sharply, "Definitely go for it."

Mu-eum-bang asked in a trembling voice, "Really? Is it okay for me to go in?"

Jihun continued, his gaze fixed. "The location is fine. The foot traffic isn't bad, and customers will flock to it. You'll have less trouble than you think."

"Wow, thank you. Seriously."

Jihun didn't stop his fingers. Then, his eyes changed for a moment. Another short scene flashed by. A crumpled receipt. A hand gripping a collar, swearing. A broken relationship. "But don't take on a business partner."

The chat paused for a moment.

Jihun added in an indifferent tone, "If you bring in the wrong person, all your money will leak away. The person is more of a problem than the location."

Mu-eum-bang answered in a troubled voice, "Actually, there is a guy who asked to do it together..."

Jihun said shortly, "Cut that person out."

"Understood. Thank you so much. I almost messed everything up by trying to do it together."

"If you understood, that's enough. I'll come by to eat some sundaeguk (blood sausage soup) if I get the chance."

"Huk, how did you know I was planning to open a sundaeguk shop... Ah, you already saw it."

"Yeah. Don't be too greedy for money. Do it with sincerity. Then your shop will be overflowing with customers." After finishing the consultation, Jihun turned his gaze back to the chat.

Once the consultation with Mu-eum-bang ended, the chat flowed quickly again. Jihun scanned it until his hand suddenly stopped. Lunabelle. It was just a few lines of ordinary chat.

But strangely, his gaze caught on it. It wasn't particularly flashy. Yet, that one nickname stuck in his mind. Like a wet sleeve clinging to his skin, it felt uncomfortable. Leaning back in his chair, Jihun said, "I'm going to do one free reading now. Lunabelle. You."

A brief silence followed, then the chat scrolled up.

"Yeah, you. Join the Discord." A moment later, a short connection sound rang out, and a woman's voice was heard. "Uh, can you hear me?" It was a light, bright voice.

"I hear you."

Jihun didn't look at the chat. Instead, he listened quietly to the sounds hitting his ears. Engine noise. The subtle vibration of a car body. The bustling sound of trot music. The sound of turn signals and other cars passing by in the distance. He said, without much emotion, "You're in a taxi right now."

The other end of the phone went quiet for a moment. "…Yes? Ah, yes. That's right." The woman laughed and asked back, "Can you see that too?"

"It's not that I see it," Jihun said indifferently. "I hear it."

The woman, who had been laughing, spoke again. "I have a question. Will I be able to pass my exam within this year?"

In a split second, his vision shook strangely. Instead of seeing the answer to her question, he saw something else. A dark car window. A locked door. A taxi sliding up a hillside road with streetlights spaced far apart. The scene that flashed before his eyes was short, but his fingertips went numb first. "Where are you going right now?"

"Yes?"

"You were planning to go home, right? Where is your home? Ilsan?"

"No. It's Seongbuk-dong."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Jihun closed his eyes and opened them again. "That's not Seongbuk-dong."

This time, the laughter stopped on the woman's end. "Yes?"

"That car, it's not going in the direction of your home right now."

The other end of the phone was silent for a few seconds. Jihun said nothing. Then, the woman's voice returned, a little lower. "I think he took a wrong turn. Should I ask him?"

"No, don't ask the driver." Jihun's tone was short. This time, the answer didn't come immediately. "...Why?"

"Just don't ask."

Her breathing on the other end of the phone trembled very faintly. Jihun, staring at the monitor, said again, "Pretend you don't know."

This time, the silence was definitely longer. In the meantime, the woman's breathing became shorter and shorter. "...Excuse me."

"Speak."

"...You're joking right now, aren't you?"

Her breathing was trembling violently. Jihun's gaze sank coldly. The scene flashed again. A crumpled receipt. A disposable coffee cup dropped under the passenger seat. A rough hand gripping a wrist. Inside a dark building, a vacant hallway. It wasn't an accident. It was a planned crime.

Jihun asked directly, "That driver, it's not a face you're seeing for the first time, is it?"

He heard the woman swallow her breath on the other end. "...I'm not sure." Her voice trembled, but Jihun didn't even blink. "He knows you."

The other end of the phone went quiet. For a while, no one could speak. That silence was only heightening the tension. Then, the woman barely opened her mouth. "...What should I do?" Fear was buried at the end of her slightly cracked voice. Jihun said shortly, "Look at the window."

The woman didn't answer immediately. Instead, a few seconds later, she said very quietly, "It's too dark outside."

"It's not a main road either, right?"

"Yes."

"Try opening the door just a little bit."

This time, the answer was delayed altogether. Silence continued as if her breath had stopped. And a moment later, a lower voice returned. "...It won't open."

The moment those four words fell, an image flashed through Jihun's mind. Click. The sound of the lock going down. The corners of a mouth rising obliquely in the rearview mirror. A relaxed gaze, as if the job were already done. Jihun leaned forward a little. "Listen to me carefully from now on."

The woman didn't answer. Instead, she inhaled very quietly. "Pretend like nothing is wrong. And talk like you usually do."

"...Yes?"

"Like you're talking to a friend."

After a short silence, the woman parted her lips. Jihun focused only on that sound, without looking at the monitor or the chat. "Uh... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'm on my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠way home in a taxi." He could feel her trying to force herself to speak normally. "Yeah. I'm almost there." The end of her voice trembled slightly. "No, just... the road is a bit unfamiliar."

At that moment, the sound of brakes being slammed was heard. Then, the sound of a leather seat being pressed as someone twisted their body backwards. And the man's voice heard right next to her. "Who are you talking to?"

Her breath was cut off. A silence clear enough to be heard over the phone flowed. Jihun said nothing. And the voice that followed was lower and clearer. "Han Yuna-ssi." It was as if he could see the face smiling in the rearview mirror. "You're quick-witted."

Beep— And then, the call was disconnected.