#Short story Some people say grief comes in stages. Denial, anger, bargaining, acceptance. Juhoon never made it past the first one. The problem is... he doesn't know that yet.

Best ranking: 🥇= stalkers 🥈= marhoon And 67 for CORTIS Every late-night scroll through old fancams, every "accidental" lingering in the practice room hallway, every hidden playlist folder labeled with a single initial-J-he tells himself it's harmless. Just curiosity. Just admiration. Just the way his heart races when Kim Ju-hoon walks by without ever glancing his way... or so he thinks. Juhoon, meanwhile, has memorized the exact rhythm of Martin's footsteps echoing down the corridor. He knows which corner café Martin hits after long producing sessions, which oversized hoodie he throws on when he's doubting himself, which beats make him rap under his breath when he thinks no one's listening. The burner account he lurks from has a blank profile picture and zero posts-yet thousands of screenshots saved in a password-locked album on his phone. He tells himself he's just keeping an eye out. Observing. Protecting the leader. Nothing more. They orbit each other like twin black holes-silent, ravenous, unseen. Martin starts trailing Juhoon back to the dorm once a week, heart pounding under streetlights. Juhoon begins waiting in the shadowed corner of the parking garage just to catch Martin leaving the studio late. Neither knows the other is doing exactly the same thing. Until one rainy Seoul night the masks crack. A dropped phone clatters on wet pavement. A shared location ping neither should have access to. A whispered "I saw you" that sounds far too much like "I've always seen you." What starts as mutual obsession spirals into something darker, needier, dangerously intimate-late-night confrontations in empty practice rooms, possessive touches during late choreo runs, blurred lines between hunter and prey, love and madness. They're both stalkers. Both prey. And neither wants to stop. Because the most terrifying truth isn't that they're being watched... It's that they like it.

𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢. -𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙨

Martin and Juhoon have known each other since birth. Growing up inseparable-two halves of the same whole-they shared everything: Band-Aids for scraped knees, snacks in the park, and secrets whispered on their favorite bench. Then came real life. Juhoon's move to France created a divide of time zones, unsent messages, and a promise blurred by the passage of time: "Nothing will change." Years later, Martin returns home for the Christmas holidays, exhausted from his first term at university and ready for some peace and quiet. He has no idea that a fleeting glimpse in the park and a sudden surprise in the kitchen are about to upend his plans: Juhoon is back for the holidays. But the young man in the long, elegant coat with the deep voice is no longer the child who used to roll up his sleeves to play in the snow. Amidst evenings by the fireplace, resurfacing childhood memories, and lingering glances that last a second too long, Martin discovers that distance didn't destroy their bond... it simply transformed it into something new, terrifying, and inevitable. Because when two people have known each other forever, falling in love is just the final, irreversible step. Tags: Friends to Lovers | Childhood Friends | Holiday Romance | Angst & Comfort | Nostalgia Don't like, don't read.

Martin e Juhoon si conoscono da quando sono nati. Cresciuti insieme come due metà della stessa mela, hanno condiviso tutto: cerotti sulle ginocchia sbucciate, merende al parco e segreti confidati a bassa voce sulla loro panchina preferita. Poi è arrivata la vita vera. La partenza di Juhoon per la Francia ha scavato un solco fatto di fusi orari, messaggi non inviati e una promessa sfocata dal tempo: "Non cambierà niente". Anni dopo, Martin torna a casa per le vacanze natalizie, stremato dal primo trimestre nella nuova università e pronto a godersi un po' di pace. Non immagina che un breve avvistamento nel parco e un'improvvisa sorpresa in cucina stiano per stravolgere i suoi piani: Juhoon è tornato per le feste. Ma il ragazzo con il lungo cappotto elegante e la voce profonda non è più il bambino che si tirava su le maniche per giocare nella neve. Tra serate passate davanti al camino, ricordi d'infanzia che riaffiorano e sguardi che durano un secondo di troppo, Martin scoprirà che la distanza non ha distrutto il loro legame... lo ha solo trasformato in qualcosa di nuovo, spaventoso e inevitabile. Perché quando due persone si conoscono da sempre, innamorarsi è solo l'ultimo, irreversibile passo. Tag: Friends to Lovers | Childhood Friends | Holiday Romance | Angst & Comfort | Nostalgia don't like don't read