Obsession | JJK ft. PJM

01 Curiosity Killed the Cat

"I'm so curious about knowing the unknown; it can be scary, but I see it as a game."

– Hrithik Roshan

You place the cup on the auburn table. Warm liquid flows out of it leaving a mark on wood's surface in the shape of a ring. You stare at it, you stare at the computer screen, and then back at the table covered with reminiscent of pomegranate tea. Wiping the stain using your index finger as your legs fidget under the desk. How bad can it be? It's just a one-time thing, and you're experienced enough to venture out on your own. You think about the time K00kies97 warned you about the dark side of the internet as you contemplate your decision.

K00kies97 : ur still new dont do it alone anytime soon

You : it's not that deep

K00kies97 : but its dangerous

K00kies97 : you never know who youll run into

You : fine :/

You : what are we learning today?

K00kies97 : ARP poisoning

He was quite surprised to know your interests, well, to some extent. He had an interesting username, you always thought. It wasn't rocket science but it was something that he was proud of, creating the lamest username to bluff people into thinking it was just one of those run-of-the-mill accounts that liked to shop online and play Overwatch. Of course, you didn't speculate on your own that it was a hacker's account. But what you did guess right was that he was born in 1997, someone around your age. And that he perhaps liked cookies a lot.

It's been three weeks since you have continued your lessons or even talked at all. You met on Reddit one fine day; he came across your subreddit on wanting to learning hacking but not being able to find a tutor. He needed to pay college tuition and it was just a perfect source of extra income that didn't clash with his part-time job and the timing was flexible for both of you. It was a match made in heaven.

You're not going lie to yourself about your little crush on him. It's bizarre because you've never met him, never seen his face, never even heard his voice. But you think a lot about him these days, something you've never revealed to him. There's something very attractive about a stranger who knows his way around the internet and can-do cool things. It turns you on.

The cold spell between the two of you was caused due to an argument you had over exploring deep web own your own, which he dismissed faster than Barry Allen travelled from one timeline to the other. It hurt your ego to see someone think you're not good enough to take a risk on your own so you ended up arguing.

Now you're regretting your decision but your pride won't let you text him first. Well, at least not with an apology. You brainstormed and concluded that if you're able to achieve this milestone on your own and send him a victorious text, things might go back to normal. You have made up your mind.

You nervously shuffle on your chair, elbows pointing diagonally as you type away on the Tor browser. You come across a few chains of links and click on it. You know you shouldn't absentmindedly open any link that pops up as it can contain viruses or something even worse. But you feel like a child at a candy store, all the links are like different flavours of sweet heavens; it's not good for your health but it's quite tempting. You stumble across certain chartrooms filled with conversations and codes you don't understand.

Clicking on a link that leads to a forum, you try to crack the encryption using your basic coding skills mustered up with the training by K00kies97 in the past four months. It is an easy task and you realise why – it's a website similar to Silkroad or even a branch of it, for all you know. You mentally pat yourself for starting successfully. But you don't stay on the website for long, you click on the exit button. As you voyage through various links a chat window pops up at the bottom of the screen. The message reads a simple and non-threatening "hi".

Excitement surges in your body as you eagerly begin to reply. The once warm tea is now cold, waiting to be tasted but you couldn't care less. You have a new source of entertainment. You reply with a "hello". Patiently tapping your fingers on the edge of your keyboard, you wait for their reply. Within a few seconds, you receive a link. Curiosity gets the best of you and you click on it.

The screen goes blank and you see your terrified reflection on the dark display. You reach out to the keyboard but before you can type anything, the screen comes back to life as if nothing happened. The chart box is still open and their username now reads EdgarAllenPoe.

EdgarAllenPoe : Gotcha.

You : wtf was that?

EdgarAllenPoe : What was what?

You : what was that link? is it some sort of virus?

EdgarAllenPoe : No my dear. I was just fucking with you. XD

You : it's not even funny

You : fuck off

You quickly press on the X button, wantingnothing to do with the creep anymore. You close all the tabs, re-check your VPNaccess, deep clean your computer, and search for a possible breach of privacy –you find nothing suspicious. Stretching your arms, you release a long yawn. Youget up and walk towards the bathroom, wanting to take a shower after a longtiring day. What you don't realise is the turning on of your monitor's webcam;the tiny red dot gleaming slightly and then vanishing all at once, unnoticed byyour worn-out self.

-------

AN : Hello everybody! This is my first BTS fic. Please let me know what you think about it.