Chapter 2

Who was that? What kind of perverted expression did he have when he was molesting me?

I swallowed, still sitting dazedly on the floor.

Muddy water dripped from my clothes and pooled by my feet.

I wanted to slap myself at the thought that many people might have seen me in that vulnerable situation.

I didn't know how to deal with that.

Standing up, I took off my clothes and got ready for a shower.

Just then, my phone rang with a notification. It jolted me out of my thoughts.

The screen flashed on. Confused, I picked up my phone.

I had a message request from an unknown number on Instagram. The profile picture was blank, and the account handle was just a random string of numbers.

I hesitated for a moment before accepting the request.

As soon as I accepted the request, the person sent a photo over to me.

My heart skipped a beat. I lost my grip on my phone. It fell onto the ground.

Eyes wide and heart pounding, my hand trembled in mid-air.

The person had sent me a photograph of me on the bus just now.

The camera was aimed right up my skirt, along with his slick and shiny fingers.

Trembling, I picked up my phone and typed, "Who are you?"

The man did not answer me. Instead, he replied, "You seemed like you were enjoying yourself earlier. Why are you being so cold now?"

Goosebumps prickled against my skin as I stood trembling in front of the bathroom.

What did he want?

Did he want money, or…

And how did he even get my number?

Terrified, I gripped my phone tighter.

Another text notification came in.

Shuddering, I glanced at the screen. What I saw scared me even more.

His text said, "Walking around naked with your window open? Naughty."

I looked up in shock. The window beside the bathroom was open. The curtains fluttered slightly in the wind.

I rushed over and closed the window. Then I drew the curtains tightly.

Did he put cameras in my house?

Was he watching me?

My phone rang again.

"Too late. I've recorded you. There's no use drawing the curtains," his text said.

Then, a video appeared.

It was a recording of me looking at my phone while standing naked in front of the bathroom.

I swallowed. My heart began pounding.

After grabbing a towel to wrap around myself, I peeked out the window and looked at the house opposite mine.

Someone was waving in the window while holding a phone.

The person was standing behind some curtains, so I couldn't see him.

Terrified, I crouched down. My hands were trembling.

To my shock, the man sent me another message. This time, he told me to wait for him on the same bus at the same time again tomorrow night.

With my hairs standing on end, I blocked his number without hesitation.

Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, another message request came in.

It was from a different account. This time, the message was, "I will send the photo to your family if you're not on the bus tomorrow."

…

The house opposite mine was supposed to be empty.

How did he know my address and contact number, and how did he move in so quickly? He must have been targeting me from the start.

If I disobeyed him, the photo and video would probably be publicized.

Despite being terrified, I inexplicably still looked forward to it.

The next day, I stepped over a puddle and got onto the bus.

The bus was relatively empty. I stood in the same spot and waited anxiously for the man to arrive.

I gripped the handrail tightly as I scanned the bus.

Was he the one in the spectacles, the one on the phone, or the one with the briefcase who was standing close to me?

I bit my lip. I couldn't tell at all. Everyone looked suspicious.

Suddenly, something rough brushed against my thigh. My breath hitched.

It felt as if I had gotten an electric shock. I didn't dare to move or make a sound.

The thing was rubbing against me insistently now.

Just as I was about to turn around stiffly, the feeling disappeared.

A man squeezed past behind me with his bag. He was staring at his phone intently the whole time.

It wasn't him.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, a cold hand slipped under my shirt and grabbed my waist.