Chapter 26: The Wall of Obsession
The three "Smurfs" stood in front of the house. There was no name on the doorbell; it looked completely deserted.
"The perfect hideout for a spy," Lukas concluded, crossing his arms smartly.
Pascale tried the doorknob. "The door is locked."
"Of course it is," Clara sighed. "If I had something to hide, I wouldn't leave my front door wide open either."
"Well, maybe there's an open window around the back," Pascale suggested.
"Hold on a minute," Lukas muttered, his eyes darting around. "Look at all these flowerpots. Maybe he's a dumb spy." He immediately began digging through the dirt of the nearest pot.
Pascale scoffed. "I highly doubt a criminal is going to hide his key in a flowerbed—"
"Ta-da!" Lukas interrupted, holding up a shiny silver key with a triumphant grin. "He is officially stupid."
Pascale blinked, utterly flabbergasted. "There really are too many idiots in this world."
"Yeah, and too many criminals," Lukas countered.
"True. That's why I never watch the news. It's all fake news anyway," Pascale said as they unlocked the door.
Lukas nodded eagerly. "Exactly! Why watch fake news when you can watch YouTube Shorts of those sweet boys from BTS? I mean, then the world is perfectly fine."
"Right? I am absolutely with you on that one, little brother."
Clara rolled her eyes, pushing past them. "Give me the key. I don't want to stand out here all day. Let's just go inside."
They stepped into a surprisingly bright, open space. It was clean and meticulously organized.
"Look at this, Lukas. Even a criminal keeps his room cleaner than you do," Pascale mocked.
"You know my motto: a small mind keeps order, but a genius masters the chaos."
"You are the chaos."
"Oh, just shut your mouth, you diva!"
"Guys..."
Clara's voice was barely a whisper. She was standing in front of the main wall, her face turning deathly pale.
"Guys, come here. Look at this."
Lukas and Pascale walked over, their bickering instantly dying down. The entire wall was covered in photos. Hundreds of them. And every single one was of Clara. But these weren't just from the past few weeks in Seoul. They spanned back months, some even years. This man in the hat had been following her for much longer than she could have ever imagined. But who on earth was he?
Lukas stepped closer, pulling a specific frame off the wall. "Clara, look at this one. Do you know this man?"
Clara took the photo. Her breath hitched. It was a picture of her in her wedding dress, but her ex-husband's face had been crudely cut out. In his place, someone had pasted a photo of a man she had never seen in her life.
"Oh, holy shit... what the hell is this?" she gasped, her hands shaking.
"Look at this side," Pascale said, his usual calm voice suddenly strained. "I think we have a serious problem."
Pascale handed Clara a stack of photos and newspaper clippings. They were all of Min-ho. Magazines, paparazzi shots, business articles—and on every single picture, Min-ho's eyes had been violently scratched and cut out.
"Oh no... Min-ho," Clara whimpered, pure terror gripping her chest. "He's in danger. What do we do?"
Pascale grabbed both of her hands, holding them tightly to steady her. "Clara, darling... I don't think this has anything to do with your ex-husband. It looks like you've managed to attract a genuinely psychopathic stalker."
"But how is that possible?" Clara cried, tears stinging her eyes. "I was always alone! I kept a low profile, I didn't meet anyone!"
"As you can see from the photos, he's been watching you for a very long time. It's strange that he hasn't tried to make contact yet."
Lukas stared at the mutilated photos of Min-ho. "Judging by this, he hates Min-ho. He sees him as a threat."
"Maybe we should call the police," Pascale suggested.
"The police?!" Clara panicked, her mind racing. "No, we can't! If they investigate me, my ex-husband will find out where I am! Can't we... can't we solve this some other way?"
Pascale squeezed her hands reassurringly. "Don't be afraid, my sweet. We will protect you. He will never get to you."
Lukas stepped in, wrapping his arms around Clara from behind, pulling her into a protective cocoon between the two brothers. For a brief second, Clara felt safe. But deep down, she knew that reality was crashing in, and they couldn't lock the world out forever.