Chapter 21: The Stalker
Jang Song-rik was very impatient.
After Doha left, he stood still at his spot for a long time.
Was it the right thing to send Doha away?
He couldn’t be bothered with such thoughts.
’Who knows when he’ll lose interest me... ’
Doha’s words kept echoing through his mind.
Jang Song-rik was a very soft person. He could not see himself hurting the person he loved. Doha was good. Too good for him.
He knew from the very beginning what kind of treatment he would have to endure in his circle.
Oh Ryujin wasn’t at fault for suspecting such things from Doha and Doha wasn’t at fault either for saying that he was afraid of being abandoned.
It was all Jang Song-rik’s fault.
He toppled the delicate balance of power in the relationship from the very beginning because he was if a much higher social standing than Yeon Doha.
Of course, the weaker side would get insecure and feel burdened.
After all, from the beginning, Doha never wanted to involve money in this relationship. Because that was something he could never equal Song-rik in.
But the one who loves more in a relationship always suffers.
Song-rik fell first but Doha fell harder. A million times harder.
So Doha suffered more and Song-rik was painfully aware and shameful of it.
Yes. It’s better to just... stop.
But Jang Song-rik couldn’t stop. He only lasted a week before going after Doha to see him.
That week too, was passed because he was buried in work and Oh Ryujin came by for the request he wanted to make that day.
Apparently, he wanted Secretary Cha to be granted a week’s leave as his health wasn’t the best. Song-rik approved the leave immediately.
I didn’t know, Secretary Cha and Ryu were that close.
But he was too preoccupied by the thoughts of Doha that he couldn’t give it much thought.
Days slipped in and out, Doha never reached out.
And that was when Song-rik realized how he naturally assumed that Doha would contact him first. In fact, ever since they started dating, it was always Doha who initiated the contact.
The realisation hit Song-rik like a brick wall. He stayed seated in his office staring at nothing with a blank expression for a long time.
Should I... call him?
But it was late at night. He would probably be asleep. And what right did Song-rik had now to contact him first after all this time...
It would be better if he just became someone who ghosted him entirely and they naturally broke up.
He didn’t have the confidence to do it to Doha on his face.
That would be too heartbreaking.
But his resolution to ghost Doha only lasted for a week before he secretly took the car and drove to the bar after work.
He looked around a bit for him and eventually saw him as he came out after his bar shift.
Song-rik’s heart beat got faster as he saw Doha’s face after a week of no contact. And doom fell over him as soon as he saw that face.
He... he’s gotten thin.
That was the least bit of the problem. He looked daunt and his golden eyes looked more like brown. As if darkness had settled in them.
The dark circles under his eyes were large enough to warrant medical attention.
He should have been fine...?
Jang Song-rik could see that Yeon Doha wasn’t fine without him.
But that was all the more reason why he couldn’t return to him. If just this much time together had made it that difficult for Doha to cope with his absence, tagging him along for longer would only do more harm than good.
Where did it go wrong?
He could just ignore Doha slowly exhausting himself to become’better’ for him and they could remain together just fine...
But...
I could never do that to Doha.
From that day onwards, Yeon Doha had gained a stalker. A relentless pursuer who would follow him on his way to home from the bar after work.
Doha was exhausted.
After getting a serious nosebleed in the morning, he was rushed to the ER and they told him to take some time off to rest.
Doha was suffering from pheromone withdrawal symptoms (PWS). A medical condition only paired or marked partners suffered when the other person disappears.
Rest?
He thought as he walked home from the bar four days after the nosebleed accident.
As if he could rest?!
If he was free for even a single second, thoughts about Jang Song-rik would fill his mind and he would lose sleep.
Even after taking the sleeping pills the doctors had prescribed him, Doha had a hard time falling asleep.
This particular day, he was picking up Yohan from his blind date because he texted him in secret that his date was a creep.
Doha picked up Yohan and they started walking to Doha’s place where Yohan would stay over.
"Seriously! Let’s go have a good time, he said?! Did you see that fucker’s face!! I would’ve punched him so hard if we weren’t in public," Yohan complained the entire way to the apartment.
Doha only nodded and hmmed in response.
Yohan started looking around in boredom, suddenly he saw a figure behind the pole outside the apartment building.
First he was scared, the he nudged at Doha who was unlocking the door.
"Hey! Look at that! Isn’t that a person?" Yohan said, squinting to look as he wasn’t very sure.
Doha glanced over and his eyes widened as he suddenly dashed down the building to catch that person.
The stalker became aware and decided to run but Doha was an alpha and easily outran him.
He held the stalker’s arms up and pushed him against the wall in the street.
Somg-rik looked at Doha in fear.
Doha was bewildered to see Song-rik. But he couldn’t know whether this reality or just another dream.
"Hyung...?"
"..."
"I know it’s you, hyung. I hope it’s you... Please talk to me."
"..."
Jang Song-rik couldn’t meet Yeon Doha’s eyes. And he could not utter a single word.
"I waited for you... I did good, right? I waited for you to come to me first..." Doha almost looked delirious as he said those words. His eyes were shaky and his hand holding Song-rik was trembling.
What have I done to this lovable person....
Song-rik felt a gaping hole in his chest getting larger.
"Yeon Doha," Song-rik opened his mouth with icy words. "Let’s break up."
Doha paused for a bit as if he couldn’t believe those words.
"I couldn’t hear right what you said, hyung. What did you say?"
"You heard right. I want to break up with you."
I have to be as harsh as I can.
"Why? What did I do wrong? How can I stop you, hyung? Please... must talk to me!! Tell me how can I...?"
"Yeon Doha. I have grown tired of you. So get lost from my life."
Jang Song-rik said looking up right into Doha’s eyes.
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