Chapter 35: (Scarlet's pov)

22 may, 2025.

It's been two years since that horrible night of my life, and I'm still trying to process everything that happened. It took me almost a year to come back to normal, to be able to sleep without waking up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat. To be able to walk down the street without constantly looking over my shoulder.

I've been living in London for a while now, trying to start fresh. My family asked me to live with them, but I refused. I needed to be alone, to figure out who I was without the influence of others.

I've been doing okay, I guess. I've got a small flat, a job that pays the bills, and a routine that's comfortable. It's not exciting, but it's peaceful. And that's all I've been able to handle for a while now.

I was watching TV on a lazy afternoon, flipping through channels, when it suddenly started glitching. The screen flickered and went black, and I scoffed as I closed it. I wasn't really paying attention to what was on, anyway.

I got up and walked to the kitchen, realizing that I was out of groceries. I made a mental note to go shopping later, and was about to walk out the door when I saw that the TV was open again. And it was working.

I frowned, thinking to myself that maybe I hadn't closed it properly. I walked over and closed it again, just to make sure. And then, just to be extra cautious, I started looking around the house. But there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary. No open windows, no unusual noises. Just silence.

I shrugged, telling myself that I must have just forgotten to close the TV. It was an easy mistake to make. But as I walked back to the kitchen, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

I tried to brush it off, telling myself that I was just being paranoid. But the feeling lingered, gnawing at the back of my mind. I decided to distract myself by going out for a walk. I grabbed my keys and left the flat, taking a deep breath of the cool London air.

As I walked, I couldn't help but think about the past. About Taehyung, and the games he had played with me. About the fear and the anxiety that had consumed me for so long. But I pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on the present. I was safe now, and I was determined to stay that way.

As I walked, I noticed a few things that seemed out of place. A car that seemed to be following me, a person who seemed to be watching me from across the street. Smiling....

But I told myself that I was just being paranoid. That I was seeing things that weren't really there. I kept walking, trying to shake off the feeling of unease that had settled over me. But it was hard to shake the feeling that something was off, that something was waiting for me just around the corner.

As I turned a corner, I saw a figure standing on the sidewalk ahead of me. He was tall and imposing, with piercing eyes that seemed to bore into my soul. My heart skipped a beat as I realized who it was.

Taehyung.

Smiling sinisterly... I froze, my mind racing with fear and adrenaline. What was he doing here? How had he found me?

But as I looked into his eyes, I saw something there that gave me pause. He smiled with his eyes. And then, just as suddenly as he appeared, Taehyung vanished. I was left standing alone on the sidewalk, wondering if I had just imagined the whole thing.

I spent the afternoon doing some much-needed grocery shopping. I wandered through the aisles, picking up a few essentials and treating myself to some fresh flowers. As I walked home. It was nice to have a normal, mundane day for a change.

As I walked into my flat, I was greeted by the sound of my phone ringing. I set down my groceries and answered, expecting it to be one of my friends or family members calling to catch up.

But when I said hello, there was no response.

Scarlet: Hello ?

I waited for a reply.

Scarlet: Hello....? Is anyone there ?

I waited for a moment, thinking maybe the caller was just taking a moment to collect themselves.

Scarlet: Anyone ?

But as the silence stretched on, I realized that no one was on the other end of the line. I scoffed, rolling my eyes in an annoyance.

Scarlet: Great, another prank caller.

I muttered to myself. I hung up the phone and began to put away my groceries. As I worked, I turned on the TV and started listening to the news. It was a habit I'd developed over the years, a way to stay informed about what was going on in the world.

But as I cooked and listened to the news, my phone kept ringing. And every time I answered, there was no one on the other end of the line. It was starting to get annoying.

I tried to ignore it, focusing on my cooking and the news. But it was hard to concentrate when my phone kept ringing. And every time I answered, I felt a growing sense of unease. Who was calling me, and why weren't they saying anything? It was starting to feel like some kind of prank, but it wasn't funny.

It was actually starting to scare me. As the calls continued, I found myself getting more and more anxious. I started to wonder if it was Taehyung, if he was somehow behind these strange calls.

But that didn't make any sense. Taehyung was in prison, or at least, I hoped he was. I hadn't heard anything about him escaping, and I couldn't imagine how he would be able to make these kinds of calls from behind bars.

As the news program came to an end, I turned off the TV and tried to focus on my cooking. But my mind kept wandering back to the strange calls. Who was making them, and why? I decided to try and ignore it, to focus on my evening and try to put the strange calls out of my mind.

But as I sat down to eat, my phone rang again. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should even answer it. But something compelled me to pick up the phone, to see if anyone would finally speak to me.

Scarlet: Hello?

I said, my voice firm. But there was no response. Just silence. I waited for a moment, hoping that someone would speak up. But as the silence stretched on, I realized that I was just wasting my time.

Scarlet: Fine.

I said, my voice annoyed.

Scarlet: If you're not going to talk to me, then just leave me alone.

I hung up the phone, feeling frustrated and scared. Who was behind these strange calls, and what did they want from me? As I sat there, trying to eat my dinner, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched.

That someone was out there, waiting for me, and that these strange calls were just the beginning. I tried to push the feeling aside, to focus on my evening and try to relax.

I tried to distract myself by watching TV, but as I sat there, suddenly, the TV started flickering again. I felt a chill run down my spine as I watched the screen, wondering what was happening. And then, I saw it. Behind the news reporter, I saw a familiar face. A face that made my blood run cold.

It was Taehyung. He was standing behind the news reporter, his eyes fixed on the camera with a Sinister Smile spreading across his face. I felt my heart racing as I watched, my mind reeling with questions.

How was this possible? Taehyung was in prison, wasn't he? And yet, here he was, smiling at me from the TV screen. I reached for my phone, my eyes landing on the date. 22 May. The exact same date that Taehyung had came to my house two years ago. I felt a wave of fear wash over me as I realized the significance of the date.

My body started shivering as I watched the TV, my eyes fixed on the screen. The news reporter was talking about Officer Kim Seokjin, and his success in Paris. I remembered Seokjin, he was the officer who had helped me escape from Taehyung.

As I watched, a tribute to Seokjin appeared on the screen, showing his achievements and his bravery. I remembered how he had saved me from Taehyung. But as I watched, a message suddenly appeared on my phone. I looked down, my heart racing with anticipation. The message was loading, and loading, and loading. And then, suddenly, a picture appeared.

It wasn't loading, and beneath it followed a smiling emoji.

:
😊

I didn't had the courage to reply, the picture was still loading. But soon it was followed by another picture. Loading as well. Just in time, another emoji came.

:
😊

It was a smiling emoji, and beneath it, a message.

:
Missed me ?

I tapped the pictures frantically, hoping against the hope that it would open.

:
Slow net ?

I didn't know what wrong had happened to my net. My hands trembled horribly, what was I supposed to do in this situation, tears blurred my vision.

:
It's okay, take your time.
I'm waiting.
What happened?
Hello ?
Reply ?
Did you see it ?
Didn't?
You there ?

My eyes widened in shock, what was wrong with the person behind the screen. And there the picture opened, it was none other than Taehyung. I gasped as I dropped the phone. A new message popped in time.

:
I'm back.

It read. I felt my blood run cold as I read the message. Taehyung was back, and he was coming for me. I knew it, I could feel it. The strange calls, the flickering TV, it was all leading up to this moment.

I tried to calm myself down, telling myself that I was safe, that Taehyung couldn't hurt me. But as I looked around my dark and empty flat, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched.

The question was how did he made it out the jail ? He was behind the bars, I made sure of it, then how ? Just as I was wondering about it, a new picture followed. It was not much when the picture loaded, it was from a birthday party, when Taehyung was cutting his birthday cake, Smiling.

But what truly scared me was seokjin standing beside him. More pictures followed. Seokjin and Him. They were siblings. Shit. Fuck. It was the moment I realised I was fucked. I knew I had to do something, to take action. But what?

I couldn't just sit here and wait for Taehyung to come for me. I had to be proactive, to take control of the situation. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I knew I had to think clearly, to come up with a plan.

Before I could give a call to the police, I heard the doorbell. My body froze as I crawled towards the door, the phone still clutched against my chest. I peeked through the peephole, my heart racing with anticipation. And then I saw Him.

Taehyung was standing right behind the gate, a bouquet of flowers in his hand, smiling. He looked innocent, harmless even. But I knew better.

I stared at Taehyung through the peephole. What was he doing here? How did he find me? And what did he want? I knew I had to stay calm, but it was hard to do when Taehyung was standing right outside my door, Smiling at me like he was an old friend.

Taehyung's Sinister Smile grew wider. He knew I was watching him, and he was enjoying every moment of it. I realized that Taehyung was playing games with me again. I wanted to scratch that dirty Smile from his face. But it only grew, The Smile only grew.

❦︎🅃🄷🄴 🄴🄽🄳❦︎

~Parkaaimin...✍︎

───────── ᯓᡣ𐭩 ─────────

D𝒐𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒗𝒐𝒕𝒆.

𝐷𝑜 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒.
𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔...

Final Message to My Readers: This book is a work of fiction, born entirely from my imagination. The characters and events depicted are not intended to represent real people or events. If any character engages in morally or ethically questionable behavior, it is not meant to be romanticized or condoned in any way.

The narrative focuses more on the traumatic events than the romanticism, delving into complex and darker themes. Reader discretion is advised. If you find any content troubling or problematic, I'm sorry about this, but this story was a mature theme.

If you didn't like the ending, I totally appreciate your feedback with all my heart. This book was always meant to challenge conventional narratives by not justifying the Assassin or any kind of toxic behaviour.

From the outset, my intention was to create a story that delved into the complexities and darker aspects of human nature, the challenges of having a stalker, emphasizing the consequences of morally questionable actions rather than glorifying them.

I also aimed to make the story more real, reflecting how life actually works, where not everything wraps up neatly, and not every character gets redemption or a happy ending.

I understand that some of you may have hoped for a different conclusion, one that perhaps offered a more traditional resolution.

However, the ending you may have expected was a far cry from the themes I wanted to explore. I'm sorry if this decision has disappointed you, but I hope you can understand and respect the creative choices I made in telling this story. Thank you for your support and for engaging with my work.

I want to express how much I appreciate each comment and like you've given throughout this journey. Your support and engagement have meant the world to me. Maybe, this ending was not at all what you might have expected, and I know things are again complicated.

However, I encourage you to continue the journey by reading "Scarlet Strings." which is essentially another work of the author. This next installment promises to delve even deeper into the characters and their stories, offering new perspectives and developments.

Thank you again for your understanding and for being part of this incredible experience. The photos used within this book are the property of their respective owners, and I make no claim to them.

The storyline and the narrative of this book are entirely my own creation. No one is permitted to repost, reproduce, translate, or edit any part of this story without explicit permission from the author. The story is solely owned by the actual author, ParkAaimin.

Thank you for your understanding, cooperation, and for joining me on this journey.
Sincerely,
ParkAaimin...