NO-ONE ~YEONGYU FF

THE SHADOW THAT FOLLOWS

Ch-8
★

..
The first week without Beomgyu was unbearable.

Yeonjun woke up to silence, the sheets cold beside him. Every corner of the apartment reminded him of Beomgyu, his sweater draped over a chair, his favorite mug on the counter, the faint trace of his cologne lingering in the air.

It felt like living inside a ghost.

And Yeonjun couldn't stand it.

.....

He told himself he'd respect Beomgyu's wish for space. He repeated those words like a mantra, trying to convince himself. But each night, when the emptiness pressed too hard, he found himself leaving the apartment.

At first, he only walked near Beomgyu's friend's place, telling himself it was coincidence. He kept to the shadows, standing across the street, watching for a glimpse of him.

The first time he saw Beomgyu step outside, hair messy, laughter spilling from his lips as he talked on the phone, Yeonjun's chest tightened painfully. He wanted to run to him, to grab him, to beg him to come home.

But he didn't.

He just stood there, unseen, watching.

And it became a ritual.

.....

Days turned into weeks. Yeonjun followed Beomgyu everywhere, from coffee shops to bookstores, from evening walks to crowded markets. Always from a distance. Always silent.

Sometimes Beomgyu looked over his shoulder, a faint crease in his brow as if he felt the weight of eyes on him. Yeonjun always ducked away, hiding behind passing strangers or slipping into alleys.

He told himself it wasn't stalking. He told himself it was love. He just needed to make sure Beomgyu was safe. That he was smiling. That he wasn't forgetting what they had.

But deep down, Yeonjun knew the truth.

He wasn't protecting Beomgyu.

He was haunting him.

.....

One evening, Beomgyu met Taehyun at a quiet café. Yeonjun watched from outside, sitting in his car parked across the street. His fingers drummed impatiently against the steering wheel as he stared through the window.

Taehyun leaned across the table, laughing at something Beomgyu said. Beomgyu laughed too, eyes bright, the corners crinkling the way Yeonjun loved.

But instead of warmth, Yeonjun felt fire.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles turned white. The sight of Taehyun's hand brushing Beomgyu's wrist made his vision blur with rage.

"That should be me. That's always supposed to be me."

He forced himself to breathe, but every inhale only made the jealousy sharper. He felt it crawling up his throat, suffocating him.

When Beomgyu leaned forward, smiling softly at something Taehyun whispered, Yeonjun snapped.

He slammed his fist against the steering wheel, the sound muffled by the glass but loud enough to make his heart race. He wanted to storm inside, drag Beomgyu out, and scream that no one else could touch him.

But he stayed.

Because if he entered now, Beomgyu would see the madness in his eyes. And he wasn't ready to lose him completely.

Not yet.

........

Later that night, Beomgyu returned home alone. Yeonjun followed him, steps quiet against the pavement, keeping just far enough that Beomgyu wouldn't notice. He watched as Beomgyu unlocked the door, sighed, and disappeared inside.

Yeonjun stood outside for hours, staring at the lit window. Sometimes he thought he saw Beomgyu's shadow move behind the curtains, and he imagined being inside with him, holding him close, whispering apologies.

But he remained in the dark, a shadow himself.

....

The obsession began to eat at him. He stopped sleeping. He stopped eating properly. His mind was filled only with Beomgyu, his smile, his laugh, his scent, his warmth.

When he did sleep, he dreamed of Beomgyu slipping farther and farther away, always out of reach. He woke with his heart pounding, drenched in sweat, gasping his name.

And every morning, he told himself the same thing:

"I'll wait. I'll watch. Even if it kills me."

---

Meanwhile, Beomgyu tried to rebuild himself. He spent time with friends, took long walks, rediscovered music he hadn't listened to in months. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was breathing again.

But sometimes, he couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't alone.

Walking home one evening, he paused, glancing behind him. The street was empty, but his skin prickled as if someone's gaze lingered.

"Yeonjun?", he whispered to the shadows.

The silence answered.

Shaking his head, Beomgyu quickened his pace. He told himself it was paranoia, just his mind playing tricks.

But in the distance, half-hidden by the darkness, Yeonjun stood still, eyes fixed on him, heart aching, hands trembling.

He didn't move until Beomgyu was gone.

....

"Even from far away,
I'll keep watching you.
Even if you never look back,
My shadow will follow you forever."