Monster Underneath The Bed✓

십일

Chapter 11: Beneath the Surface

YN spent the next few days in a state of heightened awareness, her mind racing with the implications of their confrontation. Every glance, every whisper in the hallways, every shadow seemed to hold a hidden threat. She was acutely aware of how much closer the walls were closing in around her, but there was no room for fear not now. Fear was a luxury she couldn't afford.

She found herself returning to the journal she had taken from his house. The more she read, the more she realised how deeply his obsession with her ran. His words were a twisted blend of admiration and control, documenting not only her actions but also her thoughts, thoughts she hadn't even realised she was projecting. How had he known her so well? It was like he had seen inside her mind, knowing what she would do before she even thought of it.

As she read through the pages, one entry stood out to her, dated only a few days before their encounter in the abandoned building:

"She's getting closer to the truth, but she's still so blind. She thinks she's in control, but every step she takes is one I've already planned. When she finally realises the truth, it will be too late. But that's when the fun really begins. I wonder how she'll react when she sees what I have in store for her."

YN's breath caught in her throat. What was he planning? And why was he so sure that she wouldn't see it coming? The thought of being manipulated so thoroughly, of being led down a path she hadn't even realised she was on, made her stomach churn with anger and fear.

She couldn't let him win. She wouldn't.

That night, YN decided she needed to take action. She had been playing defensively, reacting to his moves, but now it was time to go on the offensive. If he thought he could outmanoeuvre her, he was wrong. She was going to get ahead of him, to find out what his plan was and turn it against him.

Her first step was to dig deeper into his life, to find out if there was anything she had missed, any clue that could give her the upper hand. She spent hours poring over every detail she could find, from his childhood to his time in school, searching for anything that would reveal his next move.

But the more she searched, the more frustrated she became. It was as if he had erased all traces of his past, leaving only the carefully curated image of the person he wanted her to see. There were no gaps, no inconsistencies, nothing that would give her an advantage.

Just when she was about to give up, something caught her eye an old article from a local newspaper, buried deep in the archives. It was a small, insignificant piece, but the headline sent a chill down her spine:

"Local Family Tragedy: Child Found Unconscious After Suspected Accident."

The article described how a young boy, around the same age as Namjoon would have been at the time, had been found unconscious in his home after what authorities believed was an accident. The boy had survived but had spent several weeks in the hospital recovering from his injuries. The article didn't mention any names, but YN, couldn't shake the feeling that this was about him.

Why hadn't she seen this before? And why had it been buried so deeply?

YN dug deeper, searching for any follow-up articles, but there was nothing. The trail went cold after that one piece, leaving her with more questions than answers. But one thing was clear: whatever had happened to him as a child had shaped him in ways she couldn't begin to understand.

The discovery unsettled her, but it also gave her a new sense of determination. If this was the key to understanding him, then she needed to find out more. She couldn't confront him directly not yet but she could start piecing together the puzzle, little by little.