The television flickered black, and he stretched his stiff limbs that have been sleeping for quite some time.

"I'm a little hungry so I'm going to the supermarket. What do you want to eat? I can make something you like."

A slight gasp escaped her lips, then like a bunny in spring, she bounced on him. The twinkling in her eyes couldn't contain the excitement she felt.

"I can choose what to eat?! In that case, I want to eat hamburger, dumplings, and curry!"

"That's a lot to eat with that tiny body of yours. Are you sure you can eat all of that?"

A sweet pink flushed her cheeks that made her look quite adorable. "It's just that… this'll be the first time in years that someone will cook for me."

He never expected such a response, but swiftly controlled his baffled feelings. It was better to not dwell in her past. "Then hamburger, dumplings, and curry, right? Got it."

He ambled across the small hallway where he swung a backpack over his shoulders, slipped into his sports shoes, and opened the door.

"Okay, I'm going. If the intercom rings, ignore it."

"Good luck!"

The man shut the door behind him and the sound of his footsteps slowly disappeared as time passed.

Her smile disappeared soon after and she leapt into the warm embrace of the single bed. "Kill myself if my parents or the police find me, or get married to a kidnapper I met."

A hollow laugh came out as she stared at the ceiling with bored eyes, free from the encirclement of photos.

'There's something wrong with me,' she thought to herself. 'This room alone shows me that he isn't a normal person. He took all these photos, and I didn't even notice… but even so… it's the first time in my life that someone told me they loved me.'

She flipped onto her belly and snuggled into the marshmallow-like pillow, sinking her face deep into its body.

'I wonder how much determination was there in his words. I want to know, but, I don't have high expectations. He might end up surrendering or he might plan to kill me.'

Although she had doubts that plagued her mind, her eyes still turned a gentle vermillion

'But, honestly, it makes me excited that he will prepare homemade food for me.'

…

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

A man walked at a steady pace along the concrete pavement, occasionally checking his phone once in a while.

'That girl is really in my home. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Plus, there's a limit to how long I can keep an impassive face. The fact she's in my home makes me uncomfortable.'

He glanced at the screen where a girl was lying flat on her belly while she read a book. She would twirl her snow hair with her fingers and flip to the next page every few minutes.

'I installed cameras just in case but… seriously? She isn't trying to escape?'

A sigh left his mouth, and he tucked the phone back into his pocket. 'This doesn't even feel like a kidnapping.'

The events that transpired a week ago were still fresh in his mind like it was yesterday.

'Why did I 'kidnap' her at that moment? Why didn't I just leave her alone? It's hard to understand this situation.'

The urge to check his phone irritated his mind, so he glanced at the screen once again. From the angle of the camera, he could see snake-like bruises constricted around her wrists.

'Handcuff marks…'

He entered through the sliding double doors packed with people and walked towards the usual aisle where he bought his food.

'Is it possible she proposed this to me, her kidnapper, as a way to give up her life? If so, she's the same as me.'

His finger stopped before a group of curry packets and grabbed a box. He turned the corner at the end of the lane and walked towards the next destination when suddenly his pupils constricted into needles.

'The police!'

A few meters away from him were two officers, one was scribbling down on a notepad while the other was speaking with an annoyed woman.

'What are they here for? Thieves? Is this a site inspection?'

An officer lifted his head and caught a glimpse of a man wearing a face mask. The man had an anxious look in his eyes and did a u-turn when he glanced towards this direction.

'Don't panic. He just happened to look in my direction by coincidence.'

"Hey, you!"

He paused in his tracks, heart pounding against his ribs, and slowly faced the officer who approached him. His fingers pressed around the box in a tighter grip as the insides of his mouth became drier by the second.

"Can I look at your bag?"

"Eh? Ah, sure."

The officer took the backpack off his hands and searched through each pocket, however, came empty-handed.

"Looks like I was wrong. I'm sorry for wasting your time."

"It's fine…"

The officer turned around, but before he left, he faced him once again. "It's none of my business but if you did nothing wrong, don't walk around with your head down. Raise it up a little more with that handsome face of yours."

"I'll remember that."

His eyes followed the officer who returned to his partner and continued speaking with the woman. She would fling her arms at the officer annoyed, and cough violently in between her sentences.

'But I certainly have done something wrong.'

He watched the scene play out between them for a moment before he moved between the aisles, collecting the ingredients needed for dinner.

However, his mind couldn't keep calm as the apprehension he felt intensified.

'Outside, there are a lot of surveillance cameras, and there are people walking everywhere. I feel like every action I do could prove fatal. I never imagined that just being near a police officer would make me so nervous. In that moment, I finally realized the truth that…'

I am a criminal.