Shadows of Obsession

Chapter 3: Beneath the Surface

Seojun paced his room, a storm of frustration brewing in his chest. It had been days since his encounter with Suho in the library, and he couldn't get the new student out of his mind. Suho was a puzzle he couldn't solve, an enigma that drove him mad with curiosity. The fact that Suho didn't seem fazed by anything Seojun said or did only made him more determined to break through that cold exterior.

He wasn't used to being ignored. Seojun wasn't used to wanting someone's attention so badly.

His eyes drifted to the sketches scattered across his desk, all of them filled with Suho's face—his sharp jawline, the cool expression in his eyes, the way his hair framed his face like a shadow. Each drawing seemed to make Suho more real, more present, but it still wasn't enough.

He had started following Suho more often, even outside of school. He didn't think too much about why he did it. It was instinctual now. Suho had burrowed so deep into his mind that Seojun needed to understand him, needed to figure out what about him made him so irresistible.

As he stared at the newest sketch, something inside Seojun snapped. He grabbed his phone, scrolling through his contacts until he found one—Jisoo. She had a knack for getting information, and if anyone could dig up Suho's past, it would be her.

The phone rang twice before she picked up, her voice cheerful and curious.

"Seojun? It's been a while. What's up?"

"I need a favor," Seojun said, his tone more serious than usual.

"Of course, what's it about?"

Seojun hesitated for a moment, unsure if this was the right move. But he needed answers. "The new kid, Suho. I need to know where he came from, why he transferred here. Everything."

There was a brief pause before Jisoo's voice softened. "You're that interested in him?"

Seojun felt a flicker of irritation. "Just get me what you can, alright? I'll owe you one."

"Alright, alright," Jisoo replied, her tone teasing. "I'll see what I can find. Give me a day or two."

Seojun hung up, feeling both relieved and restless. If Jisoo could dig up anything, it might help him get closer to understanding who Suho really was. But for now, all he could do was wait.

Across town, Suho stood in front of a large mirror, his hands resting on the bathroom sink as he stared at his reflection. His eyes were calm, cold, and focused, but behind that calmness was the tension of a secret waiting to unravel.

He had noticed Seojun's presence every time he followed him. It was deliberate, but not subtle. Suho knew Seojun's obsession was growing, just as he had intended. But now, the stakes were rising. Seojun wasn't going to just watch from the sidelines anymore. He would dig deeper, he would try to unravel Suho's carefully constructed façade.

That was part of the plan, of course. But it wasn't without risk. Seojun was unpredictable, dangerous in his own right, and far more determined than Suho had anticipated. His obsession was more intense than Suho had planned for, but it didn't matter. He would use that obsession to his advantage. He had to.

Suho's phone buzzed, pulling him from his thoughts. It was a message from an unknown number.

"Seojun's asking about you. Thought you'd like to know."

Suho's expression didn't change, but a small part of him tensed. He had expected Seojun to start digging sooner or later, but this was sooner. Still, he had nothing to worry about. His past had been carefully erased, rewritten to serve his purpose. There was nothing for Seojun to find.

But still, the game had shifted. Seojun wasn't just chasing him; he was looking for something more, something beneath the surface.

Good, Suho thought. Let him dig. It would only make what came next more interesting.

He placed his phone down and turned back to the mirror, his reflection staring back at him with a calculating gaze. He had planned for every possibility, but he knew one thing for certain: once Seojun truly started to uncover the truth, he would be drawn even deeper into the web Suho had spun.

The question was, how far would Seojun be willing to go?

The next day, Seojun sat in his usual spot at the back of the classroom, his eyes drifting toward Suho, who sat quietly near the front. As always, Suho was a picture of calm, his attention focused on the lesson, as if nothing in the world could distract him.

Seojun's phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from Jisoo.

"Meet me after school. Got some interesting stuff on your new friend."

His heart raced. This was it—the first real step toward understanding who Suho was. Seojun glanced at Suho again, wondering if he had any idea what was coming. If Suho sensed that Seojun was getting closer, he didn't show it. His expression remained perfectly composed, perfectly unreadable.

The final bell rang, and Seojun was out of his seat before anyone else, heading straight for the meeting spot Jisoo had texted him. He found her leaning against the side of the school building, a folder in hand, her expression unusually serious.

"So, what did you find?" Seojun asked, trying to sound casual, but the tension in his voice betrayed him.

Jisoo handed him the folder. "It wasn't easy, but I found some things. Suho's background is... strange."

Seojun frowned as he opened the folder, his eyes scanning the documents inside. There were school records, transfer papers, but something didn't add up. There were gaps, missing pieces of information that didn't quite fit together. According to the documents, Suho had transferred from a prestigious private academy, but there were no personal records—no photos, no family details. It was as if Suho had appeared out of thin air.

"That's not all," Jisoo continued. "I did some digging into his old school. No one remembers him. It's like he was there, but also... not there."

Seojun's frown deepened. "What do you mean?"

Jisoo shrugged. "I don't know. It's weird. There's just something off about his whole history."

Seojun's heart pounded in his chest. Suho was hiding something—something big. But what?

That night, as Seojun lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind was racing with possibilities. Suho's calm, cold exterior suddenly seemed like a mask, a perfect disguise for whatever secrets he was hiding. But Seojun wasn't going to stop now. He had come too far. He needed to know the truth.

And if Suho thought he could keep it hidden, he was wrong.

Seojun's phone buzzed again, breaking the silence. This time, it was a text from an unknown number.

"Stop digging, Seojun. You won't like what you find."

Seojun stared at the message, his blood running cold. The warning was clear, but it only fueled the fire inside him.

Now, more than ever, Seojun was determined to uncover the truth about Suho.

Even if it meant plunging into something far darker than he could ever imagine.