Chapter 16 - Come Outside
Chapter 16 – Come Outside
Chapter 16: Come Outside
I ran back into my room without looking back. Tightly holding the note soaked with faint blood stains. A piece of paper that would have been written and folded by his hand was in my hand. I suddenly got goosebumps.
Should I just throw it away instead of reading it? As if I hadn’t discovered it from the beginning. Then wouldn’t that mean nothing had happened.
However, this note may help catch the stalker. I don’t have any clue, but if I throw this away…….
No, rather than that, should I read what is written here and throw it away? What if there’s a warning or something that should never be leaked?
I opened the note with my eyes closed. When I opened my eyes carefully, I could see simple letters in my blurred vision.
Straight but weird letters. The handwriting, which seemed to be written by a child but it is strangely delicate like that of an adult, perfectly matched the message of warning to not go to New Ditch.
“Haa……”
Is he saying that he knows everything about my family and the people who come to my house, not watching just me? How damn far is he watching me….
Thinking like that, I felt like I was being engulfed by something more than the feeling of fear.
I wanted to ask if I could talk to him directly. What the hell do you want from me?
Of course, I can’t afford to reply back, but it was so despairing to get a one-sided message while hiding from a man I didn’t even know about.
But I can’t just bite my fingers from this.* No matter how afraid I am, I can’t just wait for him to lose interest without doing anything like this……. In the worst case scenario, his bad taste may last for years, maybe even longer.
(*Not knowing what to do)
Moreover, he is clearly provoking me. He is even stalking my family. This was probably the strongest warning ever. If I keep hiding like this, he will harm my family, too.
Of course, my father is stationed in Solver, quite far from the capital, and my mother does not enjoy going out. I don’t know if the scope of my family according to him extends to the madam and Julia, but they also almost never went far.
Nevertheless, I can’t relax. An unidentified man showed a clear presence through Mr. Greg.
If he decides, he will be able to harm me. No matter how much I thought about it, no other hypothesis could come to mind.
Viola guessed that my stalker was the king of the beggars, but I expected him to be a wealthy man who bought the beggar, and the idea became more and more firm.
His note alone was torn from a gold-rimmed notebook. In common sense, how many times would a beggar’s leader roll his pen on such expensive paper?
Moreover, unfortunately, if he knew that Mr. Greg was a regular visitor to our house, there was a high probability that he would not be just a wealthy man. If he had enough influence to grasp every nook and cranny of the capital Florin……
“High-ranking aristocrats, doctors, lawyers, officers……. Maybe he’s a successful businessman…….”
If my reasoning is correct, the stalker will never be of a young age. impossible to secure such assets or positions at such a young age, but it is also a big reason that I am not even very beautiful.
Even if I don’t have an outstanding appearance, I have the youth they consider the best value. Rather, my mediocre appearance and background may have contributed to making me a crime target.
Because I don’t have an escort, a lover, a brother, or even a father to protect me.
As it was in my past life, there are countless middle-aged men who are obsessed with young women here in the Sourne Kingdom. It seems that they feel rejuvenated by interacting with a young woman.….
It seems that nostalgia and admiration for youth that cannot be returned after entering middle age, even for me, would be the main cause. It is a long-standing question as to why such a tendency is particularly noticeable for men.
To sum up, I am in a situation where I have to give up my current lifestyle, which I had almost been confined to. I don’t want my family to feel this horrible feeling, so I have no other option.
But I’m thinking of confronting him in my own way. Not responding to anything just because I’m afraid only encourages his evil deeds.
It is true that a 20-year-old girl without a middle-aged man who is believed to have both assets and social influence will be able to overcome it, but I am the only one who can protect myself in the end.
“If I don’t step in, nothing will change.”
I muttered as if I were making a resolution. Hiding inside the house doesn’t mean I can completely escape the shadow of the stalker anyway. Didn’t he kindly tell me?
I have to face it. That stalker can come into this place at any time, in any form. It’s hopeless, but it’s the truth. And it is also true that there is no one in this house who can overpower him with force. But that doesn’t mean I’m discouraged.
A second life that I gained like a lie after passing away from an illness at a young age. I have to protect myself, my life. Even if I’m still timid and introverted, it’s enough to not give up helplessly without any attempt.
“…It’s okay, Melissa. There’s always a way.”
I gently crumpled the piece of paper in my hand. With the thought that I would do my best to get rid of him.
* * *
It was a clear day without a single cloud. I grabbed an old notebook and a pen and left the house.
During the daytime on weekdays, the Antris Coffee Shop was quiet. Even though the interior was quite spacious, there were only about four or five tables with tea cups. Unless there are people sitting in the seat hidden by the pillars.
Perhaps because of the cold weather, the flower decorations that decorated the interior disappeared. Instead, tapestries with a rich texture were hung all over the place, and even with that small change, I could feel the winter approaching.
I ordered an espresso with no added sugar today.
“Do you need anything else, miss?”
The attendant asked in a polite manner as always. But when I looked around the store with nervous eyes instead of answering, he soon looked embarrassed,
“Do you have any problem…….”
“Well, I have a favor to ask of you.”
The attendant’s eyes widened a little. His skeptical expression was evident, but standing with his back straight, he leaned his upper body slightly toward me as if waiting for my next words.
That little favor encouraged me.
“Actually…… It might sound weird…….”
It was somewhat embarrassing to say it.
“There’s someone who’s following me.”
“……You mean right now?”
When the attendant raised his bowed head, his pomade hair, which was combed neatly, gleamed in the light. His gray eyes, whose pigments were pale, were seen trembling slightly.
“I think he’s not here for now…… He showed up in this coffee shop before.”
“So, you’re being stalked……?”
When I nodded with trembling eyes, the attendant took a breath. Soon after, his lips opened gently and a sigh came out.
Even though it’s a matter between a customer and an employee, it would have sounded ridiculous. I was grateful to him for accepting it without addition or subtraction.
“So……If you see someone suspicious looking at me, can you tell me a little bit?”
“…..yes.”
With a serious face, he gave the reply in a low voice and turned away silently. I opened the notebook with a more relaxed mind.
As I turned over a sheet of paper that was crumpled up due to the letters I wrote, I noticed Alan’s name written at the end. Exactly, his name with two lines drawn on it. I felt as if I had locked Alan in prison.
“Let’s continue writing.”
“……Ah.”
As soon as the small cup was placed on the table with a clattering sound, I lost my pen. When I gently looked up, I made eye contact with the attendant glancing down at my notebook.
“Thank you.”
When he was ashamed of his eyes curiously looking down at me writing, the attendant straightened his back as if getting up.
“……Have a good time.”
As soon as he stepped back in a polite manner, I lifted my cup and let the thick espresso flow a little into my throat. My concentration was slightly broken, but in order to complete the required amount within the deadline, I needed to hurry.
I grabbed the pen again.
“Oh, my”
I still can’t think properly. Even though the chances are slim, this kind of attitude is the same as having no intention of being selected as an international student..….
I rolled up the brown curly hair that was gathered over my one shoulder, grabbed it, and then loosened it back. Strongly as if to punish myself. A tingling sensation came to my fingertips. It was not long before I felt my blood slowly circulating there.
“Phew…”
Taking a deep breath, I drew another line over Alan’s name.
Scribble. Scribble.
As a result, Alan was imprisoned twice. I don’t know how many more times I’m going to lock him up while writing this.….
I hurriedly added a small word at the bottom of Alan’s name.
“Is this okay….”
A sigh came out involuntarily. I didn’t mean to blame the attendant for putting down the coffee cup aloud, but this was purely my problem.
There is nothing easy in the world, but I wondered what if even writing, which I believed to be talented in, wouldn’t go well. I hope it was because of the coffee I drank.
I closed mynotebook helplessly. If I continued to write like this, it seemed that I would come across a page dotted with Alan’s name.
I’d better go back home now. If I walk slowly for about an hour, my head might get clearer. No, I have to.
As Mr. Stalker said, I came out of the house, so I hope he will stop doing things that give me goosebumps. With that in mind, I drank half the remaining espresso. Then I packed up a few remaining things and tried to get up.
“…….”
Then I saw her. The lady with red hair fluttering like flames quickly passed in front of me.
***
Comments From Korean Readers:
The novel is getting dark
I understand that the female protagonist here is frustrating. She keeps creating dark pasts without listening to advice from others. But the female character’s psychology is in her late teens who she has a crush on. I can understand because I feel like I’m in my early 20s.
No, stop it, Melissa ㅠ
I want to stop female lead from writing based on her own experience, but there are people who say that whenever she writes something, their hands and feet get cringe Literature doesn’t make you cringe. You should be ashamed of your inability to accept such a thing, but treats poetry or literature as embarrassing by overusing the expression “cringeworthy.”
Writer, how can you express her psychology so delicately? I really like the female character’s Really crazy ㅜㅜ
How can that heart fade easily when you have a crush on someone for 8 years?I understand how the female lead feels.I think you’re so good at describing emotions that it gives me goosebumps. And cutting…