Chapter 11: Gotcha

It was already midnight, and Da-Eun found herself unable to shake off the thoughts of her recent conversation with Do-yun. As she lay in bed, she couldn't help but feel her heart fluttering like a lovesick teenager. Her mind replayed their interaction over and over again, causing her to toss and turn like a restless soul. For a precious moment, the weight of her problems seemed to lift, replaced by the joy of their conversation.

Recalling their discussion, Da-Eun's smile grew wider. Do-yun had shown genuine concern about the camera incident and even inquired about its current status. She had shared the details with him, and to her surprise, he offered his assistance, urging her to contact him if she wanted to quickly find the culprit. Da-Eun, touched by his willingness to help, had initially declined, assuming that someone as busy as Do-yun wouldn't have time for other people's problems. However, he insisted for the second time, showing genuine concern but she had to firmly decline again.

She also remembers how he keeps insisting on drinking together soon. Da-Eun was so pressured by Do-yun and her heart that she told him that they could have a drink after she solved this camera pervert first. She can't decline his invitation because she's embarrassed that she already declined his help twice.

The conversation with Do-yun made Da-Eun conclude that Do-yun is such a friendly guy. He has that aura that he looks so indifferent and aloof but once he opens his mouth, he asks a lot of questions and opinions. His boyish charm and sense of humor had caught her off guard, it was really an unexpected discovery.

In the next few days, Do-yun's presence was not seen or felt in the building. It seems to be that he had gone busy and was staying elsewhere. Da-Eun noticed his absence because her thoughts would often drift to him while she was also occupied with her own problems. 

Mr. Kim, the building manager, provided her with daily updates, and finally, there was some progress in her case. The security and admin teams had interviewed 60% of the tenants who were present in the building at the time of the incident and had gathered alibis from some of them. Currently, there are five individuals under suspicion. Da-Eun did not wish to jump to conclusions hastily, so she requested Mr. Kim to postpone further questioning for a few weeks. She wants to bait the culprit so that she can eventually unveil their identity.

To lure this pervert, Da-Eun spent an entire week at her parents' house and embarked on a two-week vacation abroad with some of her close friends before returning to prepare for the upcoming semester. However, before indulging in her leisure activities, she meticulously installed and configured the CCTV cameras she and her father had purchased, strategically placing them in the most concealed corners of her unit, and even discreetly positioning some within the peephole.

Remaining away from her unit for an extended period might tempt the perpetrator to engage in nefarious activities during her absence. Thus, after a week spent elsewhere, Da-Eun finally returned to her unit to review the captured footage. Her CCTV cameras were linked to a PC she had left operational during her absence. 

Min-ji came with her and they both checked the footage together. Just in case they find something, Min-ji can accompany her.

Much to their surprise, Da-Eun finally captured the face of the culprit. Written on the date of the footage, on the twelfth day of her absence, this intruder revealed himself sporting the same hoodie and sunglasses while also donning a face mask in an attempt to conceal his identity. Fortunately, the CCTV camera purchased by Da-Eun featured thermal face recognition, allowing it to identify individuals under various conditions.

"My gosh! I know him!" Da-Eun exclaimed, almost shouting when she realized who it was.

"Who?!" Min-ji was so surprised by Da-Eun's sudden loud voice. She was also scared by the image of the pervert.

"I don't know if he is a tenant here, but I always see him in the convenience store downstairs," Da-Eun gritted her teeth. She couldn't believe that sicko had evil thoughts about her.

"Have you interacted with him?" Min-ji curiously asked.

Da-Eun tried to remember any interaction with that weirdo. "There was a time that I drunkenly bumped into his basket because I was focusing on the nutritional facts of the chips. Obviously, I said sorry. That was my only close interaction with him."

Min-ji frowned and asked another question, "Do you smile or nod at him ever since?"

"Well... yeah," Da-Eun replied in almost a whisper. "I couldn't ignore him. You know that I usually respond to other people when they smile or nod at me. I don't want to be perceived as rude."

Min-ji shook her head. "Tsk tsk tsk. That's the price of being friendly, Da-Eun! You're attracting weirdos."

"Don't victim blame me. Don't you know that it's embarrassing to be ignored when you're just trying to be friendly?" Da-Eun rebutted.

Min-ji rolled her eyes at Da-Eun, "What will you do then? Are you going to report it now?"

Da-Eun rested her chin on her hand and fixed her gaze on the monitor, ""Maybe I'll report it tomorrow morning. I still need to review the footage from the other days."

"Alright."

"You should get some sleep first.  Accompany me tomorrow morning. It's a weekday, so the admin office should be open by then." 

"Girl, do you think I can sleep easily after seeing the face of that pervert? Ugh, I'm getting goosebumps!" Min-ji's body shivered with disgust. "I'll probably have nightmares."

Da-Eun chuckled and tossed a pillow at Min-ji. "I know you're tired from our vacation. Get some rest and we'll prepare for tomorrow."

Min-ji went ahead and Da-Eun remained with her computer. This computer was separate from her school laptop, so she had to sit in an uncomfortable kitchen chair for hours.

While working on her hunt for more evidence, she contemplated buying a proper computer chair because she could already feel her back pain worsening.

She checked the time and realized it was already midnight. Retrieving an empty flash drive from her drawer, she plugged it into her computer and proceeded to copy and transfer the files she needed for tomorrow's presentation. As she was preparing everything, she suddenly heard a noise coming from her front door.

Slowly and silently, she grabbed a baseball bat and tiptoed toward the front door. The lights were off in that area, but she could clearly see someone attempting to open the door. The doorknob was moving, but thankfully, it was locked.

Da-Eun's legs felt frozen from fright. She wanted to peek through the peephole, but fear held her back. Quickly and silently, she returned to her computer to check the real-time footage of what was happening at her front door.

It was like a scene from a horror movie when she gasped and shrieked at the sight of the pervert. He was trying to peer through the peephole, and he wasn't wearing his sunglasses. His face was so close to the peephole that he looked like a titan from a popular grotesque anime.

Da-Eun immediately started recording everything. She even grabbed her digital camera to capture the real-time movements of the doorknob. She couldn't believe how she found the courage to do all of this alone, without even asking Min-ji for help.

When the pervert finally left, Da-Eun felt overwhelmed with stress and anxiety. She couldn't believe she was living like the main character in a horror movie. The fear and tension made her nauseous, and she rushed to the toilet to vomit. Whenever she experienced extreme stress, she would vomit and break out in cold sweats.

Panting heavily, "I just came back from vacation, but it seems I needed another one. I'll make sure that pervert ends up behind bars," she swore while clutching the toilet bowl.

In the morning, Da-Eun had only managed to get two hours of sleep due to her fear.  When Min-ji was ready, Da-Eun took a moment to tell her what had happened last night. Naturally, she received a scolding from Min-ji, who was worried and pinched Da-Eun's cheeks as if scolding a stubborn child.

After having their breakfast, they headed to the admin office to recount what they had discovered and the events of the previous night.

Mr. Kim and the female staff's complexions turned pale when they saw the evidence. They couldn't believe someone would be so brazen.

"Do you recognize this man, Mr. Kim?" Da-Eun asked.

"I've seen him at the convenience store sometimes," Mr. Kim replied, and some of the staff agreed. 

As they called for security to check their own footage, it was clearly seen that this pervert was using an elevator to reach certain floors.

"I don't think he's a tenant here. But how did he get access to the elevator? Did someone drop their access card?" one of the female staff members asked. Her face showed her fear of the situation, as anyone could be the next victim, or worse, they might already be victims without realizing it.