Chapter 100
Chapter 100
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: The Stalker's True Face
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Han Hyo-jeong flung open her front door with a smile on her face.
Lately, she'd been in a pretty good mood.
She grabbed a pair of white-and-pink running shoes from her shoe rack, slipped them on, and stepped outside.
Her destination was Lake Park.
Jogging together at the same time every day in the same place, chatting about this and that—it had become part of her routine.
Honestly, just a few days ago, she hadn't been in a good mood at all.
Working out at the park wasn't a new habit; it was a long-standing routine.
But lately, she'd been feeling strange stares.
What was it? An indescribable, sticky, disgusting feeling, like being trapped in filth?
She'd even considered skipping her workouts, but shook her head and headed out anyway.
The reason Han Hyo-jeong went out jogging was simple.
"Hahaha... So Mi-sook..."
"Really..."
"Uncle Dong-woon, come catch me~"
The emotional shifts of people laughing and chatting when they met—things she never saw at home or in the practice room.
The little behaviors each person showed.
Han Hyo-jeong had a strength.
Observation.
The ability to watch someone closely and file it away in her mind.
And that skill was proving quite helpful in her acting career.
Seeing the "real" people she couldn't observe at home or in the practice room helped her correct her own flaws.
Little by little, Han Hyo-jeong was improving.
But even in those moments, that sticky feeling of someone watching her was building up stress.
At first, she tried ignoring it.
She tried brushing it off, even searched for hiding spots.
But it was no use.
What kind of stalker was this?
People just gave her pitiful looks as she played hide-and-seek alone with her bare hands.
By now, she felt like she was going insane.
No stalker in sight no matter how hard she looked, and her image was crumbling.
Just as her stress hit its peak.
That's when that man appeared.
"That's the guy!"
It wasn't the best start.
He approached her, claiming to be a fan and asking for an autograph.
Han Hyo-jeong couldn't help but be flustered when she accepted.
An autograph had value.
Didn't celebrities' signatures alone boost a restaurant's business just by hanging on the wall?
Yet this man in front of her wanted hers.
Why? She hadn't had a big hit yet, and her market value was low.
What was he going to do with an autograph from someone like her?
But the feeling wasn't bad, so she signed it.
He seemed so pleased with that simple signature, smiling and thanking her.
Han Hyo-jeong felt like she'd received some kind of reward.
That must have been the turning point.
"Oh my! Hyo-jeong, your skills have improved so much lately?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. Totally different from a week ago. Special training or something?"
"Haha..."
Her acting trainer, who always nitpicked her performances, praised her.
She felt good.
She'd wanted to act so badly, and now it felt like her talent was finally blooming.
"I got praised by the trainer today."
"Really?"
The man listened intently even to her trivial stories...
And Han Hyo-jeong felt at ease by his side.
It was fun.
So different from dragging through dead days soaked in the practice room.
The man was unique.
He empathized with even her trivial stories.
Her weird remarks.
Being next to him made her feel secure somehow.
"Good work today. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
Han Hyo-jeong grinned as she started walking.
What story to share tomorrow?
What to wear?
Lost in such random thoughts on her way home.
Step.
She sensed a presence.
Not hers—an unpleasant footfall.
The vibe it gave off was the same disgusting feeling as when she'd sensed someone watching her.
Drip.
Han Hyo-jeong froze, her mind racing.
Who could it be? What's their purpose in following her?
No way... They're not planning to harm her, right?
All sorts of anxious thoughts flashed through her head.
It could just be a passerby.
But once the anxiety took root, it swelled into terror, blotting out everything else.
*Han Hyo-jeong, what are you doing? Move!*
She swallowed her rising fear as best she could and quickened her pace.
For a moment.
Thud! Thud-thud!
Hyo-jeong bolted without looking back.
At first, she heard the stalker's footsteps chasing her.
*Please, please stop following,* she prayed silently.
As if her prayer was answered, the footsteps behind her stopped.
Is it over? It must be over, right?
She thought, catching her breath just a bit.
"Hyo-jeong-ah..."
She flinched. Her hand, about to turn, stopped.
Something was wrong.
Her heart pounded wildly.
She understood immediately what had happened.
The creep had taken a shortcut and gotten ahead of her.
"It's me. Your number one fan."
The man grinned creepily.
Han Hyo-jeong stared at him, trembling in terror.
Gaunt, dry face, skeletal frame protruding.
He looked feeble, but his smile toward her felt grotesque.
"Been waiting a long time, huh?"
His cracked voice, like scraping a parched field, carried through the dark night air to her ears.
Either oblivious to her terrified face or not caring, the man took a step forward and opened his mouth.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you."
"D-don't come closer..."
Han Hyo-jeong backed away.
The very being she'd despised and hunted down was right in front of her.
But face-to-face like this, she couldn't muster the courage to confront him about the stalking.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me... you don't trust me?"
Seeing her like that, the man looked disappointed—his shoulders slumped, then his face twisted.
Like a demon from hell.
He looked just like something out of a ghost story.
"You..."
The atmosphere grew even more menacing as the man approached.
Han Hyo-jeong turned her trembling legs to run.
But her steps were blocked immediately.
Someone was standing behind her.
"Hmm... Instead of worrying about him, why not protect yourself first?"
A voice so familiar, so reassuring, lingered in her ear.
It belonged to Lee Jae-hyun.
Seeing him appear, Han Hyo-jeong burst into tears.
"Save me..."
Lee Jae-hyun nodded silently at her plea and lifted his gaze to the man.
The intruder seemed flustered by the unexpected arrival.
But he showed no sign of fleeing or backing off.
If anything, he just furrowed his brow in annoyance.
*I had a hunch. And here he is.*
The reason Lee Jae-hyun was here today was straightforward.
His detective instincts had screamed danger today, so he'd followed her just in case...
*Hyo-jeong's anxiety about the stalker she often mentioned. I don't feel that gaze much when we're together, but it felt off today, so I tailed her.*
The man's build wasn't large.
But when dealing with criminals, size alone wasn't enough.
Some crazies drew superhuman strength from their madness.
*Jackpot.*
Lee Jae-hyun's lips curled slightly.
He got plenty of reports yearly about suspected stalking, but most were duds.
This guy was caught red-handed, so he'd be charged as a stalking offender for sure.
Stalking crimes could escalate to murder or worse if mishandled.
If he'd let Han Hyo-jeong go home alone, she'd have been in serious trouble.
Lee Jae-hyun turned to face the man and met his eyes.
"Why don't you head out?"
"Who are you to say that? Some non-fan punk lying and sticking around?"
Not a fan?
Han Hyo-jeong wiped her tears and glanced at Lee Jae-hyun.
She didn't believe the man, but the situation sowed a seed of confusion.
Lee Jae-hyun spoke calmly.
"It's not a lie."
"Hah, I remember every fan's face. And yours isn't one of them!"
Lee Jae-hyun chuckled in disbelief at the man's confident shout.
"What a clown."
"What?"
"You think you know every fan scattered across the country?"
"W-well, at fan events, I see who shows up..."
"Jesus. You think every fan attends? Ever heard of silent supporters?"
The man's bony fists shook at the facts.
Had he acted on blind faith in his own delusions?
Han Hyo-jeong didn't even seem to know who he was.
What confidence, what basis drove him to this?
Doubts flooded Lee Jae-hyun's mind.
"Uwaaa!"
In that moment, the man charged with his fist clenched.
But.
Whoosh!
Lee Jae-hyun caught him like a ball, hooked his waist, tripped his legs, and flung him down.
Boom!
The man's frail body couldn't handle big moves, so he'd gone for a moderate technique.
The man tried to push up from the ground.
"Huh...? Manager?"
Han Hyo-jeong spoke as if she recognized him.
Manager? So this was her manager?
Lee Jae-hyun tilted his head, baffled by the turn.
The man rose.
His face came into view.
Han Hyo-jeong spoke with certainty.
"You're Manager Jeong Han-gyeol, right?"
"Hyo-jeong-ah."
His tone was affectionate.
Too affectionate for mere acquaintanceship.
Lee Jae-hyun released his grip on the man called Jeong Han-gyeol and asked her.
"Do you know him?"
"Yes, yes! He's my former manager. It was so dark, and he's so gaunt now—I didn't recognize him at first."
Former manager?
Come to think of it... In his past life, when Han Hyo-jeong made it big, she'd said she'd switched to a management company run by her ex-manager, who pushed her hard as an original member.
Which meant... this skeletal man would become the CEO of the agency that signed her in the future.
*Why would a guy like that stalk her?*
Lee Jae-hyun looked down at the captive Jeong Han-gyeol with a face full of questions.