Since it was a Saturday, I was out shopping for groceries. I had much more time for shopping on the weekend, and I wasn't tired from work. I'd got most of the things on my list, and the next thing to get was cereal. I went to the aisle that had cereal, searching for Cheerios; I found them, but they were on the top shelf. I went on my tiptoes, trying to reach for the Cheerios, but I was much too short. A hand reached up and got the cereal down for me, I looked round and the guy from the park was there. I couldn't remember his name because we'd only met once — I was much better at remembering faces rather than names.

  “Is this the cereal you wanted?” He asked.

  “It is, thanks.” I smiled. “We met in the park, didn't we?”

  “Oh, I didn't think you'd remember me.” He smiled.

  “I do, although, I'm sorry, but I can't remember your name.”

  “I'm disappointed… just joking, don't worry, it's easy to forget names. My name is Eun-jae.”

  “Ah, that was it.”

  “How have you been?” Eun-jae asked.

  “Good thanks, what about you?”

  “Good, but better now that I've seen you again.”

  “Oh, thanks, it's good to see you too.”

  “Do you need help with the rest of your shopping?”

  I probably wouldn't need help with my shopping, but Eun-jae was attractive, and it would be nice to spend a bit of time with him.

  “Sure, I might need you to get something on a high shelf again.”

  I walked with Eun-jae, getting more items from my list.

  “I've been watching the superhero news, that fire looked rough.”

  “Oh, it was.” I sighed. “We were there for ages, getting people out, then I had to heal anyone who was seriously injured. I had a long nap after that.”

  “Does healing people tire you out?”

  “Unfortunately, it does. I nearly always need a nap after healing someone, and I nap even longer if the injury is serious. Reviving someone is the worst though, I end up sleeping for days.”

  “Wow, that's extreme.” His eyes were wide.

  “Yeah, it's really annoying. I didn't notice it too much before because I wasn't healing people very often... do you have any powers?”

  “Oh no, I'm just a regular guy.”

  “At least you don't have to deal with villains, since you don't have powers,” I replied.

  “I wouldn't be scared of them anyway.” Eun-jae smiled.

  “I'm curious, if you could have a power, which one would you pick?”

  I'd got all the things on my list, so I queued with Eun-jae.

  “That's a tough question to answer, I'd want them all.” He chuckled.

  “You can only pick one.”

  “Alright… I'd pick teleporting because then I could go anywhere in the world quickly, I wouldn't have to worry about flying or driving, I'd be there instantly.”

  “That would be really cool.”

  Eun-jae helped me put my items on the conveyor belt, which was kind of him. Once everything was on, he put the things into the bag for me.

  “Thanks for all the help,” I said.

  “Oh, it's no problem.”

  All the items were scanned, so I got my purse out to pay.

  Eun-jae took out his card. “I'll pay for your shopping.”

  “Oh no, you've already helped me so much, I couldn't ask you to do that.”

  “Please, let me pay. I want to pay as a thank you for all that you've done, you've saved so many people. I also have loads of money, so you don't need to worry.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  “Of course,” he replied, then tapped his card on the machine.

  “Thank you so much.”

  “You're welcome. I'll help you carry your bags.”

  “That's so kind of you.”

  Eun-jae took most of the bags, I only had one to carry.

  “I can carry more bags,” I said.

  “Oh no, you need to preserve your strength for work.”

  “Carrying bags isn't a big deal, plus I need to get stronger.” I laughed.

  “I'm happy carrying them for you.”

  “Alright, thanks,” I replied.

  It was amazing how kind and helpful Eun-jae was, he seemed perfect, but maybe that was a bad thing, maybe he was trying to earn my trust. He could end up being horrible, just like Randall. I hoped my suspicions were wrong, but I just couldn't be sure whether he was genuinely nice, or if it was just an act to get something from me.

  “Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?” Eun-jae asked.

  “I'm sure this will sound weird, but I'm planning to go home and relax. On the weekends, I mostly like to rest at home, just watching TV and playing games.”

  “No, that's understandable, considering how busy and tiring your work is.”

  “Thanks, I just like having some time to myself. I need time to recharge my energy,” I said.

  “I get that, after a party or something, I want some time alone.”

  We got to my car, and Eun-jae put the bags in the boot for me.

  “It was nice seeing you again.” I smiled.

  “You too, enjoy the rest of your weekend.”

  “Thanks, you too.”

  I got into my car, then started driving back to my apartment. It had been nice seeing Eun-jae again, he was kind and friendly, I just hoped he wasn't too good to be true.

  ****

  The next day, I went to the cinema; there was a Korean romance film that I'd wanted to see for a while. I had to see it in the cinema because it might not come to streaming services, or it could take a while for it to become available. I got a drink and popcorn; as I turned round, I noticed Eun-jae standing in line to get tickets. It was funny seeing him again so soon. I walled over to him.

  “Hey, what are you here to see?” I asked.

  “Oh hey, I don't think you'll know it, it's a Korean movie.”

  “Is it I Love my Vampire?”

  “I'm surprised you've heard of it.”

  “I have, it's what I'm here to see.”

  “That's great, we can sit together,” Eun-jae said.

  “Sure, I'm glad I won't be on my own. It's much better going places with someone.”

  “Definitely.”

  I much preferred having company when I did things, like going to a restaurant, the gym or anywhere in public. I would've invited one of my friends, but it was very last minute, and I didn't think they'd be interested.

  Once, Eun-jae bought his tickets and food, we went in and sat together.

  “Do you watch many Korean things?” Eun-jae asked.

  “I only started watching them recently. Before I got my job, I only really watched superhero news.”

  “Do you still watch the news?”

  “No, I don't need to anymore because I see all the action up close at work,” I replied.

  “That makes sense.”

  “Do you watch it?”

  “I do, I like being up-to-date with what's going on. Also, it's nice seeing you on my TV.” He smiled.

  “Oh, thank you.”

  “So, which villain do you find the scariest?” Eun-jae asked.

  “Definitely Bloodlust, I find him super creepy. Not only can he hypnotise people, he drinks their blood as well!” I shivered.

  “That's funny, we're seeing a vampire movie, but you're scared of someone who's like one.” He chuckled.

  “Maybe I wouldn't be scared if the vampire was good. Bloodlust is certainly not good, he's the reason EVIL keeps getting away. I always dread dealing with that group because of him.”

  “I'm sure he wouldn't hurt you.”

  “Why wouldn't he?”

  “Well, one, you're way too beautiful to hurt and two, you're not really a threat, since you usually just heal people,” Eun-jae replied.

  “I really hope he never comes near me.”

  “He's right beside you.”

  “What?” I frowned.

  There was no way Eun-jae could be Bloodlust, he was far too friendly and kind to be a villain; I also couldn't imagine that monster being so hot, or unscary in real life. He must've been joking.

  “I'm just kidding, of course I'm not Bloodlust.”

  “Yeah, I didn't see how you could be, you're too kind to be a villain.”

  “Thank you.” He smiled.

  After a while, the movie started. I loved seeing their feelings progress throughout the movie, and it made me wish I had a relationship like theirs.

  “What did you think of the movie?” I asked.

  “I loved it, it was very sweet and romantic. Did you like it?”

  “Yeah, I loved it.” I smiled. “I just wish I wasn't single, I want a relationship like that.”

  “I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for you to get a boyfriend or girlfriend,” Eun-jae replied.

  “I don't know, I'm at work a lot, and I don't do much at the weekend. You're also the only person I know outside of work.”

  “Trust me, you have loads of fans who'd love to date you. I don't think you'll be single for much longer.”

  “I hope you're right. Anyway, since the movie is over, do you want to get food with me?” I asked.

  “I'd love to.”

  We left the cinema, then walked to a café that was nearby; I got a sausage roll and chips, and Eun-jae got tomato soup and bread. We sat at a table by the window, which was near a luscious, green park.

  “I must say, I was surprised to see you at the cinema, I thought you were going to have a relaxing weekend,” Eun-jae said.

  “I was planning to, but then I saw that the movie was out and it had been out for a week already. I was worried that if I didn't watch it this weekend, it could be away by next week. Also, I couldn't be bothered to wait for it to come to streaming services.”

  “Ah, I understand.”

  “So, how long have you been living in England?” I asked.

  “I think about five years. What about you?”

  “I'd say around six years. I only moved because of my ex-boyfriend. Now, I'm staying because of my job.”

  “Have you been back to Ireland since you moved here?”

  “Unfortunately not.” I sighed. “Randall rarely let me out of the house, and now I'm too busy with work.”

  “That's a shame. I've been home a few times since moving here. The thing I always miss the most is the food from home.”

  “Thankfully, England pretty much has the same food, but I'd definitely miss food from home if I moved to another country… so you know my job, I'm curious, what's your job?”

  “I work in finance,” Eun-jae replied.

  “Oh, I could never do that, I'm terrible at maths.” I laughed.

  “I find it fun.” He smiled. “Do you ever wonder if you shouldn't be putting some criminals in jail?”

  “It's hard to say… I sympathise with robbers if they're robbing from rich people, and given my past, I kinda support anyone who kills abusers. I know I shouldn't say that because I'm a hero, but as long as someone isn't hurting innocent people, then I don't see it as a big deal,” I said.

  “I agree. Does that mean you find it difficult to handle some cases?”

  “Not usually. The only robbers I've come up against are bad. There were ones who tried to kidnap me, then there's EVIL, who hurt and try to expose heroes.”

  “Would you be okay with them if they only robbed places?” He asked.

  “Hmm… I think so.”

  “So, you've never dealt with anyone killing an abuser or anything like that?”

  “No, I think the police normally deal with those kinds of cases. Although, we did catch a horrible man who was keeping women in his basement. That was heavy, and reminded me of my past. Obviously, they went through a lot worse than I did.”

  “That's horrifying, if I'd been there, I would've killed that man.” Eun-jae gritted his teeth.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  It would be extreme to kill that criminal, although it wasn't like he didn't deserve it.

  “It's okay, he's rotting in jail now,” I said.

  “That's better than nothing, but he deserves to have all that he did to those women, done to him.”

  “I think that's a bit extreme, but I can see where you're coming from.”

  “Sorry… I really hate people like him. My younger sister was abducted and the monster killed her, she was missing for years.” He sighed.

  It was devastating, thinking about how cruel and vile some people were; having a family member die in such a traumatic way would be horrendous.

  “Oh my, that's awful, I'm so sorry. I completely understand why you'd feel so hateful towards those types of criminals,” I said.

  “Thanks, I hope you catch all those horrible criminals.”

  “I hope so, too.”

  We were both finished eating, I'd loved the food, but I was stuffed now.

  “Are you going to get dessert? I know that's your favourite part of your meal.” Eun-jae smiled.

  “How did you know that?” I frowned.

  “Oh, you caught me, I found you on social media.” He scratched his neck.

  Eun-jae seemed awkward, he must've looked through my old posts, since I hadn't posted anything about desserts recently. He'd probably been stalking me online, I didn't find that too unusual, since I was slightly famous, and I'd looked through people's social media before. Although, I'd never made such a bad slip up.

  “You must've been looking through my stuff for ages, I haven't mentioned desserts in a while.” I laughed.

  “Sorry, I just find you really interesting, I want to know everything about you. I really hope I haven't ruined things between us,” Eun-jae said.

  He was a bigger fan of me than I'd thought, maybe even obsessed. I was slightly worried because I'd heard of celebrities dealing with creepy fans who stalked them and invaded their lives. But, at the same time, Eun-jae seemed harmless, and we'd been getting along well.

  “I don't think I'm that interesting, but I get it, I'm a bit like that with celebrities that I like, I'll look through their posts and videos. You haven't ruined things, but I'd rather you just asked me in person about my interests and things.”

  “I'll definitely do that next time. So, do you want dessert?”

  “Of course.” I nodded.

  Eun-jae and I got dessert, which was my favourite part, as usual. It didn't take me long to finish it, then we left the café.

  “I'll walk you to your car,” Eun-jae said.

  “Thanks, but I didn't take my car. I walked here, since it's only twenty minutes from my apartment.”

  “Then, I'll walk you to your apartment.”

  “Alright, thanks,” I replied, then we started walking to my apartment.

  It didn't take long to get back to my apartment; the walk had been pleasant, the weather was warmer than usual, and I'd enjoyed Eun-jae's company.

  “Thanks for walking with me.”

  “You're welcome. Could I have your number? Then I can ask you questions instead of looking online for the answers.” Eun-jae smiled.

  In the past, I would've been fine with giving out my number, but it was different now that I was a hero. But, Eun-jae and I got along, we couldn't keep randomly meeting up, I'd much rather organise something with him.

  “Sure,” I replied, then gave him my number.

  “Thanks, I'll text you later.”

  “Now we don't have to keep wondering if we'll see each other again.”

  “That's very true, we were lucky to see each other so many times, without it being planned,” he replied.

  “Definitely.” I nodded.

  ****

  Unfortunately, I'd had to get up early because it was Monday. I left the building, and was surprised, seeing Eun-jae leaning against a lamppost nearby, so I walked over to him.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “I wanted to walk you to work.”

  That was kind of him, it would be nice to have company on my way to work. Although, Eun-jae must've been standing there for a while because he wouldn't have known when I left for work. I didn't leave my apartment very early, since it was only a ten-minute walk.

  “Thanks, but you didn't need to go out of your way to walk with me.”

  “Oh, it's no bother. I have nothing else to do anyway.”

  “Don't you have work?” I frowned.

  “Not yet, I start work in the afternoon,” Eun-jae replied.

  “You're lucky, I'd love to sleep in.”

  “I guess so.”

  “At least I get to nap at work.” I giggled.

  When I healed someone, I was able to have a nap, and I didn't feel tired once I woke up.

  “See, I don't get to do that.”

  “I think it evens out, I wouldn't be tired if I got up a bit later.”

  “That's true.”

  After a few minutes, we got to work.

  “What time do you get off work?” Eun-jae asked.

  “Six o'clock, but don't worry about walking me home, my friends do that. I'm also nearly always tired after work, so I wouldn't really be free to do anything.”

  “Oh, that's no problem. I was going to offer to walk you home, but your friends do that, don't worry. I hope I'll see you at the weekend.”

  “That would be nice,” I replied and smiled.

  We said goodbye, then I went into work. Even though it was unnecessary, it was sweet of Eun-jae to walk to work with me, maybe I'd see him again tomorrow morning.

  ****

  During the week, Eun-jae walked me to work, I enjoyed spending time with him, but I was surprised that he'd wanted to see me every day. We texted a lot as well, he often sent funny memes.

  We'd been called out to deal with a bank robbery, and we got there quickly. I didn't think I'd be much help, unless someone needed to be healed.

  “Do you want me to come in?” I asked.

  “Yes, people in there might need to be healed. It'll be good for you to get more experience as well,” Pablo replied.

  We all went in together and there were three people with masks and guns, getting money from the bankers. They must've got the guns illegally, since no one was allowed guns in the UK, apart from police, or hunters with a licence, but it wasn't likely that they were either of those.

  “Drop your guns!” Pablo shouted.

  The robbers turned round and started firing at us, making my heart race. Everyone was screaming around us. Sam stopped the bullets from hitting anyone, which was great. Alex ran towards one of the robbers, who was still shooting at us, and Pablo went for another, while Sofia and Sam headed towards the last one.

  The poor people who happened to be in the bank at the wrong time were all on the floor, with their heads down. I walked round, checking, and they were all fine. Since, everyone here was fine, I looked round the back of the bank, and found a vault, where another robber was loading money into a bag. He turned round, then pointed his gun at me — I was doomed. There was no one near me who could help.

  “Who the fuck are you?” He glared at me.

  “Oh, I was sent in to see if you needed help,” I lied.

  “Wait, I recognise you. You're a hero!”

  This wasn't good, he was probably going to kill me now, although I'd be back to normal within a few days.

  Suddenly, Eun-jae came in past me. Was he here because he worked here? I hadn't seen him earlier when I'd come in.

  “I work here, I'll help you with whatever you need, just please let her go.” He walked closer to the robber.

  My heart was beating even faster than before, Eun-jae was in real danger, if that man shot us both, I might not be able to heal Eun-jae.

  “Don't come any closer!”

  “You don't want to do this, if you shoot one of us, you'll be in prison for much longer. Drop the gun and hand yourself in, it'll be much better for you,” Eun-jae said.

  It was incredible, the man immediately dropped the gun, then walked out of the vault.

  “Oh my, how did you do that?” My eyes were wide, I couldn't believe he'd actually managed to convince the robber to leave us alone.

  “I didn't think that would actually work. I was just so worried about you, I said what came to my mind,” Eun-jae replied.

  “That was really risky.” I walked over to him. “You really didn't need to worry about me, if he'd killed me, I would've come back to life in a few days. I was so worried that everything would go wrong.”

  “I'm fine, don't worry.” He hugged me, which helped to calm me.

  “Thanks for saving me.”

  “You're welcome, I'll always be there to save you.”

  “Oh no, please don't put your life in danger for me. I have my friends looking out for me, and I'm immortal,” I said.

  It was really sweet that Eun-jae wanted to look out for me, but he really didn't need to. I didn't want him risking his life when he didn't have any powers.

  “You can always heal me if things go wrong.” He smiled.

  “That's true. I should check on the others.”

  “Sure, I'll see you soon.”

  “See you,” I replied, then walked back to the main area.

  “Where were you? I was worried about you,” Sofia said.

  “I got into a situation. I was checking if anyone in another room needed to be healed, then I ran into another robber.”

  “Oh my, are you okay? What happened?” Alex asked.

  I explained how Eun-jae had come and helped me.

  “We're all glad you're alright.” Sam hugged me.

  “I'm sorry I wasn't there to help. I heard that you were in trouble, but I was in the middle of dealing with a robber.” Pablo sighed.

  “Oh, don't worry, I would've been fine even if he'd shot me. Also, Eun-jae was there to deal with it.” I smiled.

  He'd been so brave and protective, it was very attractive. I really liked Eun-jae, so I hoped that he would ask me on a date — I was far too shy to make the first move.

  “Why was he willing to risk his life for you?” Sam frowned. “I mean, not that you're not amazing and beautiful, I just find it weird that someone would do that for a stranger.”

  “He's not a stranger, we know each other. He's been walking me to work, and we hung out at the weekend,” I replied.

  “Oh my, you didn't tell us you'd got a boyfriend.” Alex nudged me.

  “He's not my boyfriend.” I shook my head.

  “But, he's hot, right?” She smirked.

  “Uh, I guess.” I shrugged awkwardly.

  “You'll make all of us jealous.” Sam chuckled.

  “We should get back to work, since we're finished here,” Pablo said.

  ****

  Later, we were chasing a horrible man who'd gone into a café and used his laser eyes to kill people. It sounded terrifying and horrific; I was glad I hadn't seen any of that.

  The others were ahead of me, since I was the slowest in the group. The villain fired lasers at the scaffolding beside us, and it started to crash down. It was going to. Crush. Me. I was frozen in fear.

  Someone grabbed my arm and pulled me safely out of the way. To my right side, all the scaffolding was on the ground. I looked round to see who'd saved me and Eun-jae was there.

  “Are you okay?” He asked.

  “Yeah, I'm fine, thank you.” I hugged him.

  This was the second time today that he'd saved me, I was extremely lucky. Or had he followed me? It was weird that he was in the exact right place at the exact right time twice in one day.

  “I'm glad you're okay. I was on my lunch break when I saw you and your team chasing that guy. I'm glad I was able to help,” Eun-jae said.

  “I hope you weren't in the café that he attacked.”

  “Thankfully, I wasn't.”

  “Isn't it a bit late to be having a lunch break? Last I checked, it was three,” I said.

  “Well, with the robbery earlier, I had to help with things, so I'm having my lunch later than usual.”

  “Oh, I'm surprised they didn't let everyone have the day off after all that trauma.”

  “Unfortunately not.” Eun-jae shook his head.

  I realised that I'd been talking to Eun-jae for a while, when I needed to get back and help my team.

  “Thanks again for helping, now I need to go and help with that villain situation.”

  “Oh sure, I'll see you around.”

  I ran off to catch up with the others. When I got to them, Sam seemed to be blocking the lasers with his powers, and the villain's limbs were twisted grossly, so Alex had probably broken them.

  “You okay? You seemed to get a bit behind there,” Sam said.

  “That scaffolding nearly fell on me, I was just dealing with that.”

  “Oh no, that sounds terrifying,” Sofia said.

  “It certainly was.” I nodded.

  “I would've lifted it off you, don't worry.” Alex smiled.

  “Oh, I'm sure you would've.”

  Alex was so strong, she could lift anything. I trusted that she'd save me if I was ever stuck under anything heavy.

  They'd stopped the villain, so Sam took him to prison, then we all went back to work.

  ****

  It was Pablo's turn to walk me home, so we'd left work together. I was glad that work was finally over, the day had been very eventful.

  “I definitely need a good, long sleep after today,” I said.

  “Yeah, there was a lot going on.” He nodded.

  “I can't believe that guy killed people in the café, there was no reason for it.”

  “I know, it's scary when people do that.”

  “Even more so when they have powers,” I replied.

  “Definitely.”

  I continued walking and talking with Pablo, but he seemed a bit distracted for some reason.

  “Is everything okay?” I frowned.

  “I just think someone might be following us. I can hear them behind us.”

  “Really? Couldn't it just be someone who happens to be going the same way?”

  “Maybe, but I don't think so,” Pablo said.

  “If I was on my own, I'd be worried, but you're with me.” I smiled.

  I felt safe when I was with my heroes, all of them would protect me from anyone, I trusted them with my life.

  “You're safe with me, I just don't like the thought of someone following us.”

  “You could see who it is.”

  “Alright, I'll check, you wait here,” Pablo replied, then walked back the way we'd come.

  I hoped this wasn't some kind of ambush, where someone would come and attack me, while another one distracted Pablo. My worries were for nothing, Pablo came back a moment later.

  “There's no one around.”

  “Really? How come you heard someone behind us?”

  That was weird, Pablo's senses were incredible, especially his hearing. I couldn't understand how he could've heard someone following us, then seen no one.

  “I don't know, I must've been hearing things.” He shrugged.

  “But your hearing is amazing.”

  “I know, I must've just got it wrong this time.”

  “Maybe you should get a health check up. You never hear things that aren't there,” I said.

  “If it happens again, I'll get it checked out.”

  “Alright.”

  After a few minutes, we got back to my apartment and there was a chocolate cake on the floor outside my door. There was a note on top of it, which I lifted and read aloud, “You're so beautiful, you're always on my mind. From your secret admirer.”

  “I wonder who that's from,” Pablo said.

  “Is it from you?” I asked.

  “I might do something like this, but no, it's not from me.”

  “I'll ask the others, maybe one of them sent it.”

  It was very sweet, whoever had sent it to me.

  “I'd say Sofia is the most likely, but Alex or Sam could've sent it,” he replied.

  “Yeah, I'll find out which one of them it was.” I smiled.

  “I should be going, I'll see you tomorrow.”

  “Bye, see you tomorrow,” I replied, then went into my apartment with the cake.

  I texted into the group chat about the cake, but they all denied sending it. Even when I privately messaged, in case they were embarrassed to admit it was them, they all said they hadn't done it.

  Since it was no one from work, it had to have been Eun-jae, but he'd never been inside the building, so he wouldn't know which apartment I lived in. Maybe he'd left it with reception and they'd delivered it. The gesture was sweet and kind, but I was slightly worried about how he'd got it to the right place. Even if Eun-jae had been very friendly and had saved me multiple times, it was sensible to tell my friends at work that he might be following me. It almost seemed like anywhere I went, he showed up. Maybe, Eun-jae had even been following me this evening, since Pablo thought he'd heard someone following us. Or maybe I was blowing things way out of proportion.

  ****

  The next day at work, I went into the staff room and all of my friends were already there. This was the perfect opportunity to tell them about what was going on with Eun-jae. But, I was worried that they'd try to stop me from spending time with him, if they thought he was stalking me.

  “I need to talk to yous all,” I said.

  “Is everything okay?” Pablo asked.

  “I think so. The thing is… I think Eun-jae might be following me. He walked me to work every day this week, then he saved me twice on the same day, it was kinda odd. Last night, Pablo thought someone was following us, and when I got home, there was a cake and a note outside my door. I never told Eun-jae which apartment was mine, so I don't know if he found out which apartment is mine or if he left it at reception… he hasn't been threatening at all, it's actually the complete opposite,” I said.

  “Saving you twice in the one day isn't a coincidence, he's definitely stalking you,” Sam replied.

  “It could be a coincidence or a pattern, we could check security cameras to put us all at ease,” Pablo said.

  “That's a good idea. From what you've said, he seems off to me,” Sofia said.

  “That guy is messed up, he's such a creep. If I see him, I'm going to beat him up!” Alex punched the table, causing me to jump.

  “Please don't do that Alex, I could be wrong. Maybe I really have seen him all those times by coincidence. I know I might sound weird, but I do like him, he's been kind to me, helped me, and hasn't actually been threatening. It's not often that I connect with people, he's the only friend I have outside of work,” I said.

  “I'm sorry, but what he's doing just isn't normal. When you care about someone, you don't go creeping and sneaking around them.” Alex shook her head.

  “You can make your own decisions, but I'd be very wary if I was you,” Pablo said.

  “I agree with Alex, he's being a creep,” Sam said.

  “If he's potentially stalking you now, think about how much worse it'll be in the future. Someone like him would be very possessive, and probably wouldn't let you hang out with friends or have any freedom.” Sofia sighed.

  They were probably right, but it was hard to accept when I'd been developing feelings for Eun-jae. But, if he was going to end up being another Randall, then it was best to cut things off early.

  “I know all of you are right… it's just hard, I still like him. Isn't it just great, one of the guys who shows interest in me turns out to be a walking red flag.”

  “Don't be so hard on yourself. Anyway, we could be wrong, maybe he just doesn't know how to show interest in a normal way,” Pablo replied.

  “I'll be careful, I won't meet up with him alone.”

  “We could check the security cameras, see if our suspicions are right,” Sam said.

  “Yeah, okay.” I nodded.

  We left the staff room, then went to the security room, where all the footage was. We looked through the last few days from different angles, but I didn't see Eun-jae in any of them, which gave me hope. Maybe, I'd been wrong about him.

  “I don't see him on any of the cameras, that means he hasn't been stalking me, right?”

  “Or he knows how to stay in the blind spot,” Alex replied.

  “If I was planning to stalk someone, I'd find the blind spots before following them, especially with heroes around,” Sam said.

  “Oh, I suppose he might've done that.” I sighed.

  It was disappointing that the cameras had blind spots, since we couldn't tell if Eun-jae had been following me or not. We might just have to wait and see, or prove somehow that he was stalking me.

  Later, Sam was walking me home, and I wondered if Eun-jae would follow us.

  “Do you think we'll catch anyone following us?” I asked.

  “If someone follows us, I'll definitely know about it.”

  “If Eun-jae does follow us, please don't hurt him. I know he shouldn't be doing it, but I really don't think he means me any harm.”

  “I can't promise anything,” Sam replied.

  At least I could heal Eun-jae if Sam seriously injured him, but I hoped that wouldn't happen.

  “I think Eun-jae is following us, I can hear him thinking about you.”

  “Oh, what's he thinking about me?” I asked.

  “Seriously? That's what you want to know right now? He's literally stalking you!” Sam rolled his eyes.

  “Sorry, I was just curious.”

  It was a shame that Eun-jae really was stalking me, but it was even worse that I was still attracted to him.

  “Fine, I'll tell you. He's jealous that I'm walking home with you, as well as thinking about how to ask you out, and what to do for your first date.”

  “Aww, that's sweet.” I smiled.

  “Come on, Cara. He's creepy, he shouldn't be following you all the time, it's not healthy. I know you like him, but you have to ignore him before he hurts you,” Sam replied.

  “I know, I know. It's just hard.” I sighed.

  “I'm going to put a stop to this!” Sam stormed past me, towards Eun-jae.

  I rushed after him, and saw Eun-jae lurking behind a tree, we both went over.

  “You creep! Did you really think I wouldn't notice you following us?” Sam glared at Eun-jae. “You don't get to act the nice guy anymore, you've been exposed.”

  Sam was completely tensed up, it seemed like he might be about to punch Eun-jae, which I didn't want to happen.

  “Sam, don't do something you'll regret,” I said.

  “Oh, I wouldn't regret it for a moment. If you hurt her in any way, you'll pay.” Sam took a step closer to Eun-jae and lowered his voice, so I couldn't really hear what he was saying.

  I only heard something about Eun-jae being stupid and something about ruining things. It was weird that he'd lowered his voice, it wasn't like Sam to do that, and it made him seem more menacing — maybe that was the point.

  “If I see you near her again, I'll kill you!” Sam yelled.

  That was very extreme, it wasn't like him to threaten to kill someone. Eun-jae must've really pissed him off to make him behave like this.

  Eun-jae was completely silent and seemed to be frozen, but Sam came back, as if nothing had happened.

  “He won't bother you again. Let's get you home,” Sam said.

  “That was a bit extreme, threatening to kill him.”

  “I wanted to make it clear that he can't have anything to do with you. He was such a creep.”

  “Well, I just hope it works. As much as I liked Eun-jae, I don't want him stalking me.”

  “He won't. But, I get why you'd find him attractive, a mysterious stranger who helps you can be alluring,” he replied.

  “Really? I thought you couldn't understand it at all.” I frowned.

  Sam had been very against me having anything to do with Eun-jae after I'd expressed my concerns.

  “I mean, I can see the appeal, but seriously, you shouldn't have anything to do with Eun-jae anymore, don't even think about him.”

  “Uh, I'll try.”

  After a few minutes, we got to my apartment. Sam had seemed a bit different after the confrontation with Eun-jae, he just didn't seem like himself. But, maybe that was because he'd been stressed or angry.

  “I'll see you tomorrow,” Sam said.

  “Yep, see you tomorrow,” I replied, then went inside.

  Sam definitely wasn't acting like himself; normally he'd stay and chat for a minute or two after walking me home. He didn't seem as concerned about me as usual, either. Hopefully, he'd be back to his regular self tomorrow.