Kang Seo Joon struggled to grab onto a seat and pull himself up but was flung deeper into the plane. He found himself thrown from economy to business class. The turbulence slowly stabilized slightly allowing him to look up through the crack in the curtain at Kim Hana on the other side of the aisle and a dark shadow nearing her from the flickering lights at the end of the aisle.

“Hana-ssi!” he screamed her way. His scream tore through the ringing in her ears causing her eyes to burst open. She looked to the other side of the aisle where he lay struggling to his feet.

“Hana-ssI run!” he called and she glanced back at the approaching shadow. Crawling away in panic, she threw whatever she could grab at it. For the first time, she saw the shadow’s figure faze and crack as the white of its eyes grew into half moons. Was it smiling? Kim Hana shuddered at the thought.

“Simulation complete. Congratulations to Applicants 66 and 99. Would you like to be separated?” A mechanical voice rang through their heads, but they were both too preoccupied to process; one crawling from the approaching shadows the other crawling towards the other.

“Please confirm, would you like to be separated?” the mechanical voice sounded again.

“Please confirm separation in ten, nine, eight, seven…” it stated counting down.

“No. No. No,” Kang Seo Joon and Kim Hana started screaming in response.

“Confirmed. Applicants 66 and 99 will continue together. Adaptation will begin in two days. To prevent a funeral, both applicants must enter adaptation together. Ending simulation,” The voice sounded and Kim Hana and Kang Seo Joon found themselves slammed to the roof of the plane and back down into smooth supermarket tile.

Kim Hana felt pain radiate through her back as she hurriedly looked around in panic, but found she was back in the supermarket.

“Kang Seo Joon-ssi!” she called in panic as she made to stand, but was only met with the confused faces of a woman and child shopping by the next shelf. She looked around completely disoriented, stumbling away from the woman and around the supermarket.

“I am back?” she asked after a while noticing others moving around conducting their business without care. She limped out of the supermarket into the warm cool night air.

“I’m really back,” she muttered in disbelief.

“Back from where?” she heard a familiar voice ask and she spun around to meet her neighbour. Slight anger flashed through her eyes as she turned around and limped away. She needed no telling that something was wrong with her ankle as pain radiated through her the moment she stepped on it. Noting that he was still following her asking why she was limping, she suddenly recalled what Kang Seo Joon had said about her situation. Anger rolled through her as she recalled the supermarket must be covered in cameras and started panic limping away, only causing him to increase his pace after her. She started rummaging through her cross bag and panic-dialling the police. She made no attempt to bring the phone to her ear despite her call.

“Stop following me!” she shouted at him and limped away even faster.

“I’m going home, leave me alone,” she shouted, attracting the attention of those passing by. Noticing that her scream was attracting attention, he made to grab her several times, but she only got out of the way.

“Don’t touch me. I’m calling the police,” she finally showed him the phone. Even in the dark, she could still sense the wave of anger that rolled off him.

“I am at NamSuk-dong, Chin-hwa housing!” she shouted.

“What are you doing?!” he finally screamed back at her, but she dashed into the small street without care if he was following, towards the entrance of her apartment building. She only stopped to check when she was outside. She noted that he was now right behind her.

“I am just trying to help you,” he said.

“What is wrong with you?” she was done with her acting. She grabbed the spade the old lady on the first floor always used in her hibiscus garden and slammed it right across his face. He let out a loud groan.

“You like following people, don’t you? You won’t stop following me, will you?” she shouted as swung down at his back. This was enough commotion for the neighbours to open their windows to peer out.

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“Since I moved into this apartment, you have been following me around like a fly. What are you trying to do, you bloody stalker?” her loud voice only attracted more onlookers. She could hear the police car so she put down the spade.

“You are crazy!” he screamed at her and made to attack but the two policemen grabbed him just in time. It took a while for the police to calm both of them down. Maybe all the stress of the day had stewed too long only to explode because she was absolutely fuming. When asked what happened, that they had received a call, she answered that she was the one who called.

“I don’t know who this man is. Since I moved in, he has been stalking me. You can check the cameras. Just today, I went out in the afternoon and he followed me till this night. I even ran away and spent hours by the park hoping he would get tired and return so I could finally go shopping. But he was still there waiting for me. Why is he following me?”

“I thought you two were dating. He is usually an honest person, there is no need to exaggerate,” An old lady said, going for her spade only to be stopped by the police.

“Are you the one who introduced him to me? Did I tell you we were dating?” Kim Hana countered and the old lady became flustered.

“But your neighbour said he was your boyfriend. Even if you are quarrelling, there is no need for it to get to this point,” the old lady answered.

“Are you his mother? Is that why you are saying I have to date him if you say so?” Kim Hana retorted causing the old lady to lose words.

“When did I say…” she started to say.

“Which neighbour?!” Kim Hana asked, “Who is the one spreading rumours that the person who is stalking me is my boyfriend, is she his partner?” It did not take long to track down Kim Hana’s next-door neighbour who claimed in a panic that she had always seen him following Kim Hana when she came back every day, so she had once asked if she was out with her boyfriend and Kim Hana said yes. Kim Hana recalled this neighbour. She vaguely recalled this conversation when she had just moved in for a month. It was normal to answer that she had a boyfriend. After all, she lived alone. She always kept her father’s shoe on the shoe rack by the door to scare off delivery men or repair men.

“There are cameras at the supermarket and this apartment. It should prove I am not lying,” Kim Hana told the police. Seeing things getting out of hand, some neighbours also said they saw him following her and always thought they were dating because of the rumour. The cameras were checked and it showed Kim Hana always running away and her neighbour always following afterwards. It looked bad, no matter what the neighbour could say. The scene of her hitting him was also clear and she was asked to follow to the station.

Kang Seo Joon slammed into the cold tile of the store and groaned in pain. His head spun as he tried to stand.

“Kim Hana-ssi!” he called frantically as he looked around to find only the store attendant over the counter. He soon realised he had returned and stumbled out of the store. The cold night air kissed his skin seemingly calming him down a bit. He looked around the street for his car, recalling where he parked, he walked over and got in. It took a while for his head to clear enough to drive.

“NamSuk-dong is a big place,” he said after considering the idea of going to Hondae to find Kim Hana. He decided to go home instead after calling his assistant to buy some medication for him.

He drove into his garage slightly agitated. Slamming the car door behind him, he walked towards his assistant waiting for him by the door. The lanky man adjusted his spectacles at the bruised face of his boss as his eyes widened into globes.

“Sir, What happened? Why are you injured?” he asked frantically as Knag Seo Joon pressed his thumb to the door handle, unlocking the door in the process.

“Did you buy it?” he asked as he walked into the house, his assistant at his heels.

“Yes,” his assistant answered as he started taking out the medication.

“Place is on the kitchen island. You are done for the night, Assistant Lee,” he said and started making his way to his bedroom only to pause halfway.

“Find someone for me. Kim Hana, maybe mid-twenties, lives around NamSuk-dong, Has a stalker neighbour and was at a supermarket in NamSuk-dong this night,” he said and Assistant Lee took in the information, slowing the more he spoke.

“NamSuk-dong is a big place, Every place around NamSuk-dong is also considered NamSuk-dong,” Assistant Lee said only to meet his boss’s dead eyes and bowed in affirmation.

“Yes sir. Do you need any other things sir?” he asked.

“Be here earlier than usual tomorrow,” Kang Seo Joon said and walked into his room. It took him longer than usual to take a hot bath and get ready for bed; his aching body protested every movement he made. Now clean, he walked over to the counter, took out the medications and started tending to his injuries. As he applied the cooling cream to the places that ached he suspected they would bruise by morning. He proceeded to move to his office out of restlessness. His restlessness only grew as time passed, causing him to call someone he knew in the police department.

“Seo Joon-ah,” a familiar voice chirped the moment the call went through.

“Hyung, do you have anyone in the police station in NamSuk-dong? I am looking for someone,” Kang Seo Joon asked.

“Who?” he asked.

“Someone I know is being stalked, Kim Hana. Could you ask them to keep an eye out if she…” Kang Seo Joon started to say.

“Kim Hana? Short hair, large eyes? It can’t be who I’m looking at, right?” he asked and Kang Seo Joon sat up instantly.