The Stranger's Photo
When I came to my senses, I had already stormed out of the house. I stared at the black plastic bag now dangling from my hand.
“……”
The bag swayed gently back and forth, carrying the spicy aroma of tteokbokki and the savory scent of fried snacks.
“Ah, fuck……”
I’d already done it. Just because some random stranger on the chat told me to. I didn’t even know who they were… but that tiny “what if” had made my body move before my brain could stop it. And if that “what if” turned out to be true… then I was in serious trouble.
“No, fuck… I must be out of my mind……”
Did I really think she’d just flash her tits if I showed up with this? The most I could hope for was that she wouldn’t punch me in the jaw with everything she had. That thought flashed through my head.
“Huu……”
They kept mocking me since I wasn’t replying. Part of me wanted to just send a picture of the tteokbokki I was holding, but if they figured out it was me, there’d be no going back.
“Ah, ugh……”
I thought it over. Surprisingly, a simple conclusion popped into my head and I almost admired myself for it.
“…If they don’t find out, then it’s fine, right……?”
Click—
I snapped a photo first. I checked carefully to make sure my face wasn’t in it and that nothing could trace it back to me.
“Haa……”
My hands were still shaking. No, the trembling had gotten worse—my fingers were visibly quivering. But my heart was pounding with a different kind of excitement that refused to die down.
“Huu……”
I sent it. Now I was curious what kind of reaction I’d get. Maybe they’d faint from shock, or panic and leave the chat.
“Ah, fuck.”
Was this too reckless? I’d only just realized I could just leave.
“…No. That bitch has balls bigger than her brain… she wouldn’t know what to do either……”
If she were really that scared, she wouldn’t have shared her location near her house in the first place. And knowing her, once she realized I lived nearby, she might actually invite me over.
“…Ah, why isn’t she checking?”
I wished she’d open it already. I was getting impatient for no reason.
“Haa, hu… haaa……”
Every second felt like an eternity. I kept staring at the unread message indicator that refused to disappear.
“Oh, oh!”
The number finally vanished. I stared at the screen, dying to know what she’d say after seeing the photo.
“Ah……”
The tteokbokki was just stuffed into the bag like they always did at neighborhood snack shops. Still, she’d definitely recognize it. No point in opening it outside just to prove it.
Click—
I took another shot with the shop sign clearly visible.
Click—
Then one more focusing on the bag with the tteokbokki inside.
“Huu……”
The unread indicator disappeared instantly again. But this time there was no reply—just silence.
She seemed convinced it was some random photo I’d pulled off the internet. No matter how many searches she ran, nothing would come up.
She suddenly started speaking formally. Probably because she didn’t know who I was, she was testing the waters with respect.
Of course she’d know everyone from this neighborhood. Even if she couldn’t place me yet, she had to be feeling cornered.
A year or two difference in age meant nothing. Even if I really was older, it wouldn’t matter. The moment we met face-to-face, she’d get the shit beaten out of her anyway.
I pressed her with a knowing tone.
She was clearly getting scared, which was rare for her. The way she hesitated instead of firing back gave me a rush of satisfaction.
It was a pathetic threat, but whether she was just nice or stupid, she seemed ready to obey. I swallowed hard and kept typing.
She probably didn’t realize that the photo she was about to send would come back to bite her later.
“Haa, huu……”
She’d spent her whole life looking down on others, so she was surprisingly naive. It never even occurred to her that someone might use this against her.
The trembling in my body grew stronger. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst.
“Ah……”
I was disappointed. Behind the mask of anonymity, a side of me I didn’t know existed started to surface, and I began hurling curses at her that I’d never dared say to her face before.
She was sitting neatly on the bed, wearing what looked like pajamas that barely contained her ample chest.
I laughed. Even though her face was covered, the long hair falling past her shoulders and the familiar pajamas triggered a memory. I was pretty sure she’d posted about a pajama party with friends on social media once.
It wasn’t enough. I wanted to see the skin peeking out from under those pajamas.
Those huge breasts were impossible to hide even in a photo. That kind of figure wasn’t common. Only a couple of names came to mind.
She was trying to act tough, pretending she wasn’t scared and that she still had the upper hand. But to me, it just looked like she was panicking and overcompensating.
Her heart must’ve dropped when she saw the initials.
A quick, desperate denial. But why did that name sound so familiar to me?
The unread indicator had long since disappeared. But there was no reply. She just sat there, frozen like a statue, saying nothing.