The man’s journey to becoming a stalker wasn’t anything special.
It just so happened that life didn’t go as planned, he somehow developed feelings for a streamer named Haryeong, and before he knew it, he got betrayed by her. That was all there was to it.
He wasn’t even aware that his actions were wrong.
Of course, from his perspective, he and Haryeong were in love.
Naturally, it makes sense to be interested in someone you love. Monitoring every little thing that his beloved does is just something a partner should do.
The man fundamentally had a twisted mindset. Sadly, there was no one around to correct it.
He had been alone since birth and had remained alone from childhood until now.
That’s why he couldn’t help but obsess over Haryeong, the only person who smiled at him and claimed to love him.
“How could she flirt with another guy after everything? After I spent so much money and she smiled at me and said she loved me…?”
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, grinding his teeth.
It was the catalyst for him becoming a stalker—a person who had always been an underhanded individual delving into Haryeong’s private life.
He had believed in her because of love, but when that trust was shattered, it gave birth to a sort of paranoia.
For Haryeong, it was simply unfair. She didn’t even know any of that was happening.
To think that such a bizarre person was a fan, and the reason for his rage was based on false information and fake news.
It was just the typical rumors floating around on the internet, cleverly fabricated gossip.
Stories like Haryeong and a famous male streamer having overlapping days off, using the same brand of accessories, and hinting at each other during broadcasts.
There are always people who sincerely believe in such conspiracy theories.
Like claiming the Earth isn’t round but flat, that Apollo 11 never landed on the moon, or that the great playwright Shakespeare wasn’t even a real person.
It was an unfortunate situation for Haryeong. As with everything, it was just the way chance intertwined oddly.
Unfortunately for her, the devoted fan who went so far as to take out loans to support her was easily swayed by these conspiracy theories, and that delusional conspiracy theorist had a thought process that differed greatly from that of an average person.
Having grown up without enough love from anyone since childhood, the man became a stalker with an abnormal obsession for a specific person.
I became a sweet stalker.
He didn’t even realize he was stalking. He just thought it was normal to keep an eye on Haryeong because he loved her so much.
“We’re in love, after all.”
The man nodded, believing so.
Today, he planned to visit his beloved Haryeong. Lately, due to a shortage of living expenses, he had been visiting her less frequently because he was busy making money.
It had been a while since he last saw his lover. The man moved more swiftly than usual.
Starting from Haryeong’s house, as soon as he confirmed she wasn’t home, he quickly scoured her frequent hangouts one by one.
And at last, he found his love.
“There she is!”
A smile blossomed on the man’s face as he spotted his target. He walked towards her with a lively stride.
Maybe that’s why he didn’t notice someone watching him from behind.
A cold voice came from behind him.
“Gotcha.”
*
I had been living with the mindset of a hunter for nearly a week.
I considered myself a hunter, slowly setting traps for the stalker, as if hunting prey.
Many stalkers approached while I was with Haryeong, but I didn’t target them on purpose. I needed to gather irrefutable evidence that Haryeong was being stalked.
I had to gather evidence that the police couldn’t ignore, enough for them to slap an ankle bracelet on the stalker.
I even secretly installed a surveillance camera at Haryeong’s front door and organized emails and letters by date.
However, the most certain way was to catch him red-handed. It would be best to film the stalker ambushing Haryeong outright.
For that reason, I purposefully exposed Haryeong in a vulnerable state. You could say it was like luring the prey into a trap.
For this, Haryeong’s cooperation was essential. Fortunately, she faithfully followed my plan.
She must have been very scared at the thought of confronting the stalker on-site, yet I was just grateful she trusted me and went along.
While preparing the plan, I had my own anxieties. What if the stalker didn’t move as I expected? What if he was more cautious than I anticipated?
If the stalker turned out to be calm and calculating, that would be the worst case scenario.
If he was stalking consistently for the long term without leaving decisive evidence and just hovering around, things would get complicated.
If the stalker had been consistently lurking around for a long time without leaving any decisive evidence, things would have gotten complicated.
In that case, it probably would have turned into a long battle. It would have been mentally exhausting, I guess.
Fortunately, things didn’t turn out to be that difficult. The stalker was ridiculously simple-minded and emotional.
Thanks to the body cam attached to Haryeong’s bag, the moment he quickly approached her from behind was captured perfectly.
This footage, along with the scene where Haryeong pressed her ear against the front door of her house to listen to what was happening inside, was submitted as evidence.
“You liked me too, didn’t you? I’m not a stalker! We’re in love!”
“Can you keep it down, please?”
The stalker was being dragged away, yelling loudly.
As I watched that scene, someone came over and spoke to me.
“Yeah, well… I think this is more than enough. It’s practically overflowing.”
“Please make sure he gets prison food, Detective.”
“With evidence this solid, unless there’s a settlement, he’s definitely getting punished.”
A veteran detective with a thick stubble nodded his head, looking like he stepped out of a movie.
Then he paused, stroking his chin and asked,
“By the way, the footage of you taking him down didn’t look ordinary. What kind of training did you have?”
“Oh, well. I did a bit of boxing at one point….”
I had learned boxing from the world champion, Juhwan Lim.
Although it was just a one-time thing, a lesson is a lesson. As Juhwan Lim put it, I absorbed the teaching like a sponge, so I can’t say I was lying about having learned.
“Wow, boxing. That’s impressive. It seems women are getting into sports these days too.”
But you didn’t seem to use your fists when taking him down…
The detective muttered under his breath, and I forced a chuckle. That was true.
The evidence showed that the stalker’s face was perfectly intact. If I had used a basic boxing punch, his face wouldn’t have looked that fine.
Honestly, I felt like giving him a few good punches, but I was worried it would backfire on me as an assault charge or something.
So, I just twisted his body around, restrained him with cable ties on his wrists and ankles, and brought him in. The shocked face of the police officer who first responded still lingered in my mind.
“You seem to have better skills than most female officers. If you’re interested, give me a call.”
The veteran detective said this while handing me his business card before walking into the office on the opposite side. This seemed like an invitation for scouting. He had also mentioned that if I wanted a special appointment, he’d tell me the procedures.
She handed me her business card and walked into the opposite office. This must be a scout thing. Earlier, she mentioned that if I wanted a special recruitment, she’d tell me the procedure.
As I stared at the business card, Haryeong next to me gasped in awe.
“Wow, Kayak is getting scouted by a Detective!”
“I told you to just trust me. I’m really good at fighting, you know.”
Actually, it’s Camilla who’s strong, but that body is mine now, so whatever.
“By the way, are you okay? You must have been quite shocked to see the Stalker in person.”
“Well… it would be a lie to say I wasn’t shocked at all, but catching him feels refreshing. I don’t think I’ll have to deal with stress anymore.”
Definitely had a lot on her mind anyway. Still, she mentioned she’s planning to move.
“I want to change my address since that person has it, and I want to shake off bad memories and start anew.”
“Starting anew sounds great.”
She was implying that she’d consider the move a turning point.
Having been in broadcasting for years, Haryeong wouldn’t be financially strapped; she could just look for a house and choose what she likes.
After talking about that for a bit, Haryeong hesitated and asked.
“So, how’s your neighborhood? Is it nice?”
“Our neighborhood?”
“Yeah, living near you would be reassuring, and it’d be nice to meet up sometimes… Plus, I heard you do morning exercises, I’d like to join you.”
So she’s considering moving close to our neighborhood. I had no objections to that.
“The neighborhood is nice. There are parks nearby, a grocery store is close, buses run well, and a cinema will be opening soon, so I don’t think there’ll be any inconvenience.”
“That means you’re okay with it?”
“Uh? Yes, I’m fine with it. It’d mean one more friend in the neighborhood.”
Haryeong seemed pleased with my answer, her lips curling into a slight smile.
That day came to a close. Having resolved the case, I returned home, starting my usual life again.
About two weeks passed.
“I brought moving rice cakes!”
“Why are you bringing moving rice cakes to the next building over… Anyway, I’ll enjoy them.”
Haryeong had moved to the building right next to mine.
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