Don't Look Behind You

It's that girl again… Chung thought as he walked nervously through the halls of the engineering building at Fahrmann Technological University. It was his first semester in college, and so far it hasn't been that bad. Academically, at least.

It took a while for him to settle into the dorm life. Getting used to living by himself involved learning to manage his workload as well as other mundane chores—dish washing, laundry, etc etc. But being alone brought its own charms. Chung enjoyed the quiet and the solace. It came with a certain peace that just wasn't there when he lived with his parents back in Hamel.

But with it also came with other feelings he didn't know he had.

As the semester wore on, Chung began feeling… fearful. He could never quite put his finger on it, but he knew it started around the time he lost his dorm keys. He got a new pair for the cost of 25,000 ED, but the feeling remained. It was like a frost that originated in the middle of his back, growing slowly like roots as the weeks passed by. Even when Chung had waved goodbye to his friends, even when he had finished his homework and double checked that his door was locked. Even when he was taking a shower in the privacy of his own bathroom.

He had a feeling he wasn't alone.

It was strange. Normally, feeling like you weren't alone was a good thing, right? Right? But this time, when Chung was away from his family and friends, away from all that was familiar to him, the feeling sent constant chills down his spine.

His breathing sped up as the hot water pouring from the showerhead removed the soap on his body. With a heavy sigh, he quickly turned off the water and listened for footsteps.

Drip… Drip… Drip…

Nothing. Just the sound of water falling off his body.

Chung violently ripped the shower curtain aside, ready to face whatever was on the other side. But he was only greeted by the comfortable lighting of the bathroom. All seemed well.

Except the door was slightly open.

"What the hell…" Chung whispered to himself. He quickly dried himself off with a towel and put on his night clothes. He cracked open the door, letting the steam waft out of the heated bathroom. He flicked open the light switch and scanned his room. All of his books were stacked neatly on his desk next to his closed ASUS laptop. The window curtains were tied to the side, revealing the gorgeous desert view of the gigantic full moon shining light on the faraway sand dunes. His bed was clean and prepared. Again, all seemed well.

But the feeling kept gnawing at him. The feeling that something was wrong.

He scanned his room once more, searching for anything that seemed out of place, before resting his eyes on it. He had one last place to check—the closet.

Ba-dump… Ba-dump… Ba-dump…

Chung's heart beat like a drum as he approached the closed closet door. But suddenly, he pulled back. Feeling like he was in real danger, he rushed back to his backpack and pulled out a switchblade. It had taken a while, but with a little twisting of the arm, his father Helputt had managed to let the college allow Chung to keep his own personal defense weapons. Chung never wished to use these, but he feared that he might have to.

The blonde-haired boy returned back to the closet door, approaching it slowly as if he was a military operator getting ready to breach a room. He gripped the hilt tightly with his right hand, as if it was a cross meant for warding away demons. He stood with his shoulder against the wall near the door knob. He waited until his breathing steadied, breathing deeply and closing his eyes until his heart rate lowered to a more comfortable pace.

Once he was ready, he twisted the doorknob and swung the door wide open. Turning, he raised his knife at the assailant.

The closet was empty, containing only his prepared clothes hanging from the hangers. All seemed well once more. Until he looked harder, managing to faintly see the top of a piece of paper that was taped to the wall, obscured by the hanging clothes. He brushed the clothes aside, and read what it said.

"Meet me at the tree by the main plaza. Tomorrow at 7pm."

Chung took the paper off the wall, horrified by what he was holding in his hands. This… This was evidence.

Someone had been here.

Someone had been watching him.

The next day felt like a dream, like nothing was real. Chung sat in his Calculus III class, trying his best to focus, but just couldn't. He couldn't get that note out of his mind.

"...and now we will learn how to calculate triple integrals using cylindrical coordinates," the professor rambled before erasing the blackboard. Chung copied the 3d graph on his notebook and tried to write down the important parts.

Meet me at the tree by the main plaza. Tomorrow at 7pm.

His hand stopped writing and went numb when that eerie thought crossed his mind again.

"Seiker," the professor called, snapping Chung out of his thoughts. "Are you okay? You're shaking."

"O-oh," he stammered. "I'm fine, professor. Just a little cold."

"Alright then. Listen, I know midterms are coming up, but don't push yourself too hard, alright?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now back to what I was saying…"

It was 6pm and Chung sat in his dining hall, the salmon teriyaki dish in front of him going cold. His head pounded so hard that he couldn't even bring himself to eat. He lowered his head to massage his temples to ease the pain, but it only provided minor relief.

Tap tap…

The cold feeling that persisted in his back turned into a shock of adrenaline, as Chung's body jolted awake to meet his attacker.

"Ah!" screamed a startled Elsword. "Dude! You scared the crap out of me!"
"Hah…" Chung panted. "And you scared the crap out of me."

The red-haired teen tilted his head with a concerned look on his face. Something was totally wrong. He sat down beside his best friend.

"Chung? Dude… You look like you've seen a ghost. You were acting strange back in Calc III too. What happened?"

Elsword waited for his friend to get his bearings. He watched intently as the blonde reached into his shirt and pulled out a folded piece of paper. With trembling hands, Chung slowly opened the note and handed it to Elsword.

"Meet me at the tree by the main plaza. Tomorrow at 7pm," Elsword read aloud as he took the note. A smile crossed his face when he thought of the implications for his sheltered friend. "Haha! Someone likes you! But… why would this make you so scared?"

"It's because… of where I found it."

"Tell me," Elsword commanded, letting a serious expression take over his face.

"I was taking a shower last night, and I couldn't shake the feeling…" Chung started. "The feeling of being watched."

"Uh huh…"

"Looked around the bathroom, and the door was slightly open. I was sure I left it closed."

"Maybe it just opened on its own. Probably a draft," Elsword reasoned.

"Maybe, except the windows were closed tight. I checked the room and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Until… Until I checked the closet. When I got there, everything seemed fine. But that's when I found this note behind the hanging clothes."

Elsword's eyes widened when he heard the story.

"Someone was watching…" they both said in unison.

"And…" Chung continued, slight tears forming in his eyes. "I think I'm being watched right now…"

Elsword leaned back to look over Chung's shoulder. Everybody seemed to mind their own business, eating, drinking, and stressing over upcoming tests and projects. He looked around and, again, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Until something sent shocks down his spine as well.

In the distance, he saw a face. It was partially covered by someone else's shoulder, but Elsword could clearly see silky black hair and the amber eyes that bore holes into Chung's back, eyes that didn't once break their connection.

Elsword draped a hand over his friend's back and leaned in to whisper into his ear.

"Chung. We gotta move. Grab your food."

Chung obeyed without question, and the duo exited the cafeteria. Elsword was sure the girl he saw would follow them, so he made sure to head towards the rotunda, the most populated area of the university. And just as Elsword predicted, a sea of faces swarmed the venue.

"Keep your head low. Don't look behind you."

They kept shuffling through the mass of students. Even Elsword disciplined himself not to look back. Both out of fear that they were still being followed, and to increase the chances that they remained hidden.

"Should… Should I meet this person?" Chung asked his friend with a tiny voice.

"Absolutely not. I'm going to bring you to the dorms. Eat in silence. Keep your doors locked."

"O-okay."

They circled all the way around the buildings, taking the longest and most secure paths to the dorms. Elsword checked their backs.

"...You're clear. Let's go."

They displayed their IDs to the security guard at the back, before he nodded and opened the door for them.

"Hey… Mr. Security Guard?" Chung asked with a frightened voice.

"What is it, son?"

"I feel like I'm being followed here. If you see someone suspicious… Even if he or she's a student… Keep an eye out, okay?"

"…Alright. Be safe."

"Thank you."

They walked silently through the halls and up the stairs. Elsword listened carefully for footsteps that weren't their own, but didn't find any. The silence of the dorm was a mixed blessing. It meant that they were safe, for now. But it meant that they were alone with their fears. The whole way, Chung could only hear the incessant beating of his panicked heart.

They reached his room.

"Here… We made it," Elsword sighed in relief. "Listen, I have Data Structures now… I gotta go."

"Don't leave…"

"You made it home. Just lock down and you'll be fine. If anything happens, either call me, the Public Safety Office, or the police. Be safe, okay," Elsword said, gripping his friend's shoulders, giving a reaffirming soft smile.

"Okay," Chung replied, grateful to have such a caring friend.

"My man." Elsword took his friend's hand and gave him a bro hug. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

With that, Elsword left. And for a moment, Chung felt safe.

Creak…

Chung slowly closed the door to his room and locked all three door locks. Finally, he let out a long sigh, as if he'd been holding his breath for a year.

"Such a naughty boy…" A female voice interrupted his thoughts. "I told you to meet me by the tree in the plaza, didn't I?"

Chung brought his head up and saw a beautiful woman sitting on his bed. She wore a tight-fitting dress that accentuated her womanly proportions. Her long, silky black hair draped over her back like a curtain, accompanied by her smooth skin, her seductive smile, and her piercing amber eyes.

Chung's hand went limp in fear, and the box in which his cold dinner lay instantly crashed to the floor. He knew who this was.

"A-Ara? Ara Haan?" Saying her name made a shudder go down his spine, the words rolling off his tongue in an uncomfortable manner. Ara Haan, the infamous Queen of the Dean's list—holding the number one spot for countless years. Her smart wits kept her unrivaled, and her career was started at an unheard of early age of 22.

"Mhm," she replied amicably. "It's nice to finally talk to you in person. It's sad we never got to meet because we're in different years."

"Y-yeah…" Chung gave a nervous laugh, surprise and fear filling him up. "But… How did you get in my room?"

Ara held up a pair of keys, held together by a gold ring. A tiny Pikachu plushie hung from the ring to accompany the keys. Chung's breath caught in his throat. So that's why my keys went missing… Chung gave a laugh of disbelief to himself. Ara had a reputation of being incredibly smart. Perhaps that wasn't just in academics.

"I've been watching you… Prince~"

She even knows my real name… Chung thought as his cold sweat consumed him. With him frozen to the floor, Ara got up off his bed and sauntered her way towards him.

How… Not even the system knows…

"I've been watching you," she repeated with a dreamy expression, her eyes slowly losing focus. "When you're studying… When you're sleeping… Even when you're bathing… Especially when you're embarrassed! Oh, your expressions are so cute!"

Chung's trembling got worse the closer she got, until she loomed over him like a tower.

"I want it all~" she finished, looking down at him.

Ara took a long, slender finger and ran it slowly across his jawline, stopping once she reached his chin. All of a sudden, Ara wrapped Chung in a tight embrace as she buried her nose in his soft golden hair, inhaling its rather girly fragrance.

"A-Ara…" Chung stammered cutely, trying to resist her, but not finding the strength. His face heated up and his heart beat violently against his ribcage as he felt her bust pressing tightly against his chest.

"Mmmm…" she hummed as she rocked back and forth. "This is the smell I've been longing for. It's addicting…"

Chung could sense that she was losing herself. But more than that, he could sense his gaping powerlessness in this situation. This woman knew everything about him. Every move he made, every word he said, every place he went to… She knew it all.

There was no escaping her.

"Okay, Ara… I give…"

"Hmmn?"

"I said I give… Wh-What do you want?" Chung asked her with his submissive, trembling voice.

"I think we both know the answer to that question, my little prince~" Ara purred seductively, using her finger to raise his chin. Their eyes met and she stared triumphantly down at Chung, admiring the paw prints on his bright, cerulean eyes.

Ara kissed him passionately on the lips, intertwining her tongue with his. She closed her eyes and kept him still with her iron embrace. Chung too closed his eyes, knowing that resistance was futile. Over time, the tension left his muscles as he began to accept the fact that he belonged to her now.

Ara finally let him go, breaking the kiss and releasing her arms. Chung staggered backwards, gasping for air and bracing his back against the wall with a thud.

Unbelievable… he thought to himself. This is how I lose my first kiss…

Ara licked her lips and giggled, seeing Chung's adorable reaction. "Meet me at the tree by the plaza. Tomorrow at 7pm," she ordered. "Don't be late. And definitely don't try to run. Otherwise I might have to punish you, Prince."

Chung grunted. He knew she was using his real name as a means to exert her power over him. And it worked.

"...Fine. Tomorrow at 7pm," Chung repeated.

"See you then! Until tomorrow~" Ara turned and unlocked the door. She disappeared without a trace—Chung couldn't even hear her footsteps down the hall. He opened his door and peered outside, checking one side of the long hall and then the other. No sign that she was ever there.

He closed the door and went back inside. His legs felt like jelly as he slid down the wall, feeling weakness in every part of his body. He remembered Elsword's words.

If anything happens, either call me, the Public Safety Office, or the police.

"I just hope you're safe…" Chung prayed. He reached into his pocket and took out his phone. Clicking on his phone app, Chung laughed bitterly when he saw that his contacts list was completely empty. He grabbed a pin and pressed it into a tiny hole on the top of his phone. Out popped a tray, and the SIM card that was supposed to be there was gone.

"Of course…" Chung muttered bitterly. Ara was just too good. "Don't look behind you, Elsword."

In that moment, Chung knew. He knew this was going to be a long semester.

+ Fin +

Author's Endnote

I… I don't know how to feel about this one. This crackfic was written for a writing prompt, "Addiction," hosted by Kiyoshiin on his Discord server. Sigh… Writing it wasn't bad until the ending. Then it just got… awkward. Both for Chung and for me lol. At least it turned out nicely in the end. Hope you guys enjoyed this!

Shoutout to Chizu for helping me edit and providing some feedback. You were an incredible help :D.

As always, rates and reviews are always appreciated. This is your boy, LegenDarius116. I'll see you on the next one. Peace!