Chapter 39: The Trap in the Shadows
For the past few days, a strange, persistent romance seemed to follow Clara. Almost every single morning, she found a new, sweet gesture left on her car windshield. Sometimes it was a single, beautiful wildflower; other times, a short, poetic love letter. Once, there was even a perfectly ripe apricot with a neat little note attached: Stay healthy.
Every single time Clara picked up these tokens, her heart melted. In her mind, this was Min-ho's way of showing his softer, playful side. She felt so safe, so incredibly loved. She couldn't possibly know that the danger wasn't miles away—it was watching her from the dark corners of the concrete labyrinth below.
On this particular afternoon, Clara decided to leave the set much earlier than usual. The deadline for her secret manuscript was looming, and she needed to finish the final chapters at the penthouse without Min-ho catching her in the act. Only Secretary Kim knew she was leaving early, having promised to keep her departure quiet.
When Clara entered the underground parking garage, the air felt colder than usual. The vast structure was eerily quiet, the sound of her flat shoes echoing against the concrete as she walked toward the private elevator.
Suddenly, a distinct, heavy scuffle of footsteps sounded right behind her.
Clara froze. She slowly looked over her shoulder, and the breath immediately caught in her throat.
It was him. The stalker.
He looked terrifying. His eyes were bloodshot and hollow, sunken deep into his face from weeks of sleep deprivation. His clothes were filthy, stained with grease, and a repulsive, overwhelming stench of stale sweat and unwashed confinement rolled off him. He looked like a man living in complete madness.
Clara instinctively tried to bolt toward her car, but a sudden, paralyzing wave of sheer terror locked her joints. Her legs felt like lead.
The stalker took a ragged step forward, a twisted, ecstatic smile breaking across his pale face. "Oh... I am so incredibly happy you are finally here to be with me, my love. I've been waiting."
Clara frantically shook her head, tears of panic stinging her eyes. "No... please. This is a mistake. This isn't right. You need to leave."
The stalker didn't seem to hear a single word. He was entirely lost in his own delusion. "I knew you would come to me the moment you were ready to accept my love. My gifts... you loved them so much, didn't you? You held them to your heart. It was only a matter of time. You know I would wait an entire lifetime for you, my darling."
A sickening realization hit Clara like a physical blow. The flowers, the notes... the apricot. The gifts on her car.
"What...? Those gifts... they were from you?" Clara felt physically sick to her stomach. A cold dread washed over her as she realized how her innocent, happy smiles had been fed straight into his twisted obsession. She had to think, had to find a way out, but her mind was screaming in fear.
Meanwhile, up on the bustling production set, Min-ho was looking around frantically. He wanted to discuss a minor script change for the next day's scene with her, but her dressing room was empty.
Spotting his assistant, he strode over. "Have you seen Ji-soo, Secretary Kim?"
Secretary Kim adjusted his glasses, keeping his voice carefully neutral. "She had some personal errands to run and has already left for the day, sir."
A brilliant, knowing smile instantly spread across Min-ho's face. His mind immediately flashed back to the day he had caught her in the shower after she had slipped away early. A wave of intense anticipation and desire surged through him.
"Right," Min-ho murmured, adjusting his suit jacket with an eager grin. "Now that you mention it, I have some urgent errands to run myself. I must leave."
Before Secretary Kim could even respond, the powerful CEO was already walking away with fast, determined strides, leaving his assistant standing alone on the set.
Down in the dim parking garage, the confrontation was escalating. Clara was backed against a concrete pillar, the stalker's foul breath hitting her face.
"Ji-soo!"
Min-ho's powerful, echoing voice shattered the silence of the garage as he stepped out of the elevator bay. He took one look at the disheveled man cornering Clara and his expression turned instantly lethal. "Get the hell away from her!"
But before Min-ho could lung forward, the stalker's face contorted into pure, manic rage. In one swift, jerky movement, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a heavy, black revolver, aiming it directly at Min-ho's chest.
"Don't move! Not another step!" the stalker screamed, his hand trembling violently as his finger tightened on the trigger. "She is mine! You're trying to take her from me!"
"Min-ho, stop! Don't move!" Clara shrieked, her heart stopping at the sight of the weapon. She could see the utter instability in the stalker's bloodshot eyes—he was on the verge of a psychological break. If Min-ho moved, he would die.
Clara swallowed her terror, forcing her voice to soften as she stepped between the gun and Min-ho, facing the stalker. "Okay... okay, listen to me. I'll go with you. Just... don't hurt him. Put the gun down, and I'll get into the car with you right now. I promise."
The stalker's gaze flickered to Clara, a sickeningly triumphant smile returning to his lips. "Yes... yes, my love. Good girl. Let's go home."
"Ji-soo, no! Don't do this!" Min-ho roared, his eyes wide with desperate panic as he tried to find an opening to tackle him.
But the stalker was faster. Keeping the gun pointed squarely at Clara's head to keep her compliant, he lunged sideways toward Min-ho. Before the CEO could react, the stalker brought the heavy steel barrel of the revolver crashing down brutally against the side of Min-ho's temple.
A sickening thud echoed through the concrete space.
Min-ho collapsed instantly, his eyes rolling back as his body hit the cold floor, a dark streak of blood immediately blooming across his forehead.
"MIN-HO!" Clara screamed, crying out in agony as she tried to reach him, but the stalker violently grabbed her upper arm, his fingers digging into her flesh like claws.
"He's fine. He won't follow us now," the stalker hissed into her ear, dragging her forcefully toward the passenger side of her own car. "Move! Before I change my mind and finish him off!"
Terrified for Min-ho's life and trembling uncontrollably, Clara let herself be shoved into the car. The stalker slammed the door, ran around to the driver's seat, and fired up the engine, leaving the powerful, unconscious CEO bleeding on the concrete floor.