Butterfly Effect | Han Taesan

20.

Two days after the stalker incident, Saneul walked onto campus with a heavy heart. As she passed by groups of students, she couldn't help but to notice the hushed whispers and furtive glances directed her way. Anxiety bubbled in her chest as she realised something was amiss.

In her first class, she caught snippets of conversations.

"I heard she punched someone."

"Yeah, they say she went crazy on him."

"No way! Saneul did that?"

Saneul's heart sank. The rumors had spread like wildfire. She glanced at her phone, seeing messages from Jaehyun who noticed the commotion happening in class.

Myungjae

hey
ignore the rumors
we know the truth and that's all that matters

thank you jae 😭😭
I'm honestly so stressed
do I even look like I can punch anyone??

with your noodle arms? definitely not.
you'd be gone in one blow

EXACTLY 😭😭

just ignore them
10:43

Despite the support from her friends, the weight of the false accusations was overwhelming. The stalker had been busy spreading lies, making her seem like the aggressor. The school newspaper even ran an article about the supposed altercation, further fanning the flames of gossip.

During lunch, Saneul sat with her friends, who rallied around her in solidarity.

"This is so unfair," Minjeong fumed. "People just believe anything they hear."

Riku nodded. "We'll set the record straight. Don't worry."

Determined to clear her name, Saneul decided to address the situation head-on. She filmed a video explaining what had really happened, detailing the stalking incident and how she never punched anyone.

"Hey everyone, I want to clarify something that's been going around. Recently, I've been dealing with a stalker who's been spreading lies about me. I didn't punch anyone. He was waiting for me outside my apartment and when I tried to talk to him nicely, he was super aggressive and tried to advance on me." she paused, shivers running through her spine as she recounted the incident that happened two nights ago.

"My friend was the one who confronted him because this stalker made me feel unsafe, and now he's trying to ruin my reputation. I hope you can understand the truth. By the way babes, how's your cheek doing? Hope you know that if you keep spreading lies about me, you will end up with a matching bruise on the other cheek. mwah"

After posting the video, Saneul felt a small sense of relief. However, the tension didn't dissipate completely. Later that day, she saw the stalker on campus. Gathering her courage, she marched up to him, her eyes blazing with determination.

Standing in front of him, she crossed her arms waiting for him to notice her.

When he eventually looked at her direction and noticed her, he smirked eyes swimming with amusement.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is. The person who assaulted me."

"Why are you spreading lies about me?" she demanded, her voice steady despite the anger simmering beneath.

The stalker sneered, his eyes glinting with a maniac light. "Why? WHY?"

Her confidence faltered for a moment at the sudden shout from him. She was starting to become scared. Students passing by stopped to listen to the commotion, especially after watching the video Saneul made during lunch.