The Maddest Obsession

chapter 3 unknown sender-

Taehyung pov:

I blink and the space where the Faceless Man once stood is empty.

I dig the heel of my palm into my eyes and consider taking another one of the pills. They're meant to stop the hallucinations, but they've done nothing of the sort.

My phone chimes from my bedroom. I ignore Hyung-sik's frustrated rambles about people knocking on doors at seven in the morning and how now he doesn't have enough cash to top up his stash. I let my brain go numb and my feet lead me to where my phone is left lying in the center of the bed. My brows knit together at the unknown number staring back at me. I unlock my phone to read the message. Chills rain over my body and I throw it back the bed.

NO.

He communicates in letters, not texts. It can't be him. When did the Faceless Man adopt modern technology?

This could be the proof that I need, a message on my phone showing that he's been watching me this whole time. That I didn't make this all up.

I take another fortifying breath and pick up my phone. Squeezing my eyes shut, I count to three and tell myself that I'm not imagining things before opening them again. The text is still there, sitting in a grey bubble in my inbox.

Unknown Sender :  Death comes in shadows in the light; it does not need to wait for the dark. For him, I will come as a hurricane.

No matter how many times I read the message, I can't make sense of it. Why must it be so cryptic? Without really thinking it through, I send a response:

Me: Who are you?

I stare at the message thread, waiting for a response, but nothing comes. It was a stupid idea anyway. This whole situation is entirely one-sided, he talks to me and taunts me but doesn't want to hear what I say.

I nearly jump out of my skin when the phone chimes again. Honestly, I didn't expect him to respond. Mustering all my emotional energy, I read the message.

Unknown Sender :You know me as well as I know you.

What on earth does he mean? My fingers fly across the keyboard, stringing together words to let him know just how sick I am of his games while in the back of my mind, I am hoping he doesn't take me seriously and continues with said games.

"Who are you texting? " Hyung-sik questions sharply, watching me from the threshold of the room.

I almost drop the phone like I'm trying to hide incriminating evidence. I've done nothing wrong, and I have proof in my hands that I haven't been imagining him.

The Faceless Man is the only one that hasn't been treating me like I've lost my mind. But I can't bring myself to show the messages to Hyung-sik, be it for fear that this may just be a trick my mind is playing on me and I'm as crazy as everyone says, or that there really is a man that comes into my room at night and touches me.

I'm not convinced either way.

I try to plaster on an innocent smile, then realize that I wouldn't normally smile at such a question. At least the Tae after the accident wouldn't. The Tae before would have joked and asked if he was jealous. This Tae speaks as little as possible outside of Dr. Min's office.
"Work."

He eyes me suspiciously but just grunts.

Hyung-sik : "I'm going. You're out of bread."

I don't respond, staying glued to my spot long after my wooden floor creaks beneath his departing steps, and my front door clicks shut.