18 October 2020

Seoul

Xiyeon had given me the stalker's username so I created a new IG profile on my previous phone. While the others were napping, I'd glean whatever information I could. I received an email on my phone and responded to it, deciding to check on her SNS for any updates. There were none, part of me was relieved, but part of me was wracked with guilt for neglecting her, even for a short time.

There were no new posts and I was about to exit the app when I noticed something: he took out photos of objects in the same place that she took out selfies. For example, if Junghyunnie was at CoffeeBay, the sasaeng would upload a photo of a slice of chiffon cake from the same café. He tried to hide his traces by also posting plants and animals in that vicinity.

If there were photos of him, that would be too easy. Maybe he offered to be the photographer for his group of friends, pleading shyness when they asked him to get in the frame. The photos of his friends were taken from a distance so that the average person couldn't distinguish facial features; I was neither average nor a human.

Caishen was busy, trying to navigate the treacherous waters that were BRICS so I worked on my own. I quickly sketched the portraits, which were more difficult than drawing cats or SpongeBob, making copies at home. Sending photos of the drawings to her agency, I reassumed the persona of my American life. I dressed contrary to my usual look, bare-faced and unassuming.

Giving the police the details of Rina along with the name of one of her employees, I was glad to see the police being more proactive in this stalking case. Back then, it wasn't taken seriously unless the victim was an heiress. There was still a long way to go before equality of the sexes could be achieved but progress was attained one step at a time.

A couple of days later, the college student informed me that the sasaeng was apprehended and she would be going to court soon to give her testimony. Even though I had a music show stage on the court date, I promised to see her during the day. I adopted a consoling tone while we were on the phone, knowing she was perturbed.

"Maybe I should have used a different shade instead of Cadmium Red," Xiyeon made to get a face wipe but I held her wrist.

"You're not the one on trial here, he is. There's plenty of evidence for punishment so relax and trust the lawyer," I squeezed her hand as a sign of reassurance. Every cell in my body was screaming for me to stop but I held her hand to my lips and kissed it gently, affection from a bygone era. She didn't pull her hand away so I chose to believe that she was comfortable with it.

I was dressed in plain clothes, hiding with the reporters and fans. Some of the legal jargon flew over my head so I read the expressions of whoever was on the stand. The judges had poker faces: I was good at making one but not reading them. Judgment went as I expected and once we found a hidden alcove, I hugged her and she returned my embrace.

Words weren't needed to know that a paradigm had shifted and we were slowly getting closer. I wanted to protect her; the actress wanted to nourish me. "Unconventional" was certainly a label you could apply to us. The experience was unfamiliar but that's what made it thrilling. I would walk into this savage garden with my best foot forward.

"I feel guilty, exhausting you during promotions, especially when I've experienced how gruelling it can be," her charming voice dispelled my thoughts.

"Hmmm, I chose to be involved when I went to the police station," I turned to her and smiled. "The ladies I dated would drive a stake through me once they were reincarnated if they found out that I didn't assist you in your time of need. I can nap before preparing for the stage and you should get some rest too."

"I can't- I texted my friends that I need to borrow their notes from the lectures I missed today," Junghyunnie shook her head.

"Take this then," I gave her my backpack, filled with snacks. Usually, the guys I lived with took my candies but they had become stricter with their diets. She cuddled it close to her and thanked me before joining her manager. I hailed a taxi and told the driver to wake me up when we were at the dorm.

My dreams were uneasy, despite the court case ending in victory. The face of an unattractive but angry Caucasian male: the American deity of mass shootings was making himself known. He was confident and I didn't know the reason why. I bit my lip, drawing blood before my alarm woke me up for the evening.

"We do what we say with no fear. We play and play, yeh eh." Hoshi hyung said my moves were sharper than usual and my facial expression was quite intense. It's a good thing I wasn't the ending fairy or I would have intimidated the audience. Nevertheless, we won, adding to our impressive and growing collection. I sank into my bed, reading webnovels so I could fall asleep.