I am not a Yandere! chapter 2

“So, Dowon, have you never had chicken before?”

“Chicken? No, I haven’t.”

“What about ramen?”

“Never had that either.”

“Wow… So what do you even eat? It sounds like you have no joys in life!”

Since the day he first met Eungyeol, Dowon started visiting the convenience store where Eungyeol worked every day after work.

As they grew more familiar, Dowon was able to develop a relationship with Eungyeol.

Eungyeol, a 23-year-old college student, worked at the convenience store to pay for his tuition, as he had told Dowon. They were five years apart.

“How about trying chicken for the first time now?”

“Chicken?”

Dowon had never eaten chicken in his life.

This was partly due to his family’s influence, but also because he had always considered chicken to be a cheap, unhealthy food.

As soon as they entered the chicken restaurant, the rich smell of fried oil hit Dowon’s nose.

It wasn’t an offensive smell, but just the scent made Dowon feel like his body was being harmed. His stomach churned.

People sitting at tables noisily bit into chicken with their hands. Eating food with bare hands…

How dirty, Dowon thought, unable to understand why Eungyeol had brought him to such an uncouth place.

“You might find it surprisingly to your taste.”

Dowon was certain that wouldn’t be the case, but he didn’t stop Eungyeol from placing an order.

After a long wait, the food arrived, and a golden, greasy chicken was placed in front of them.

Just looking at it, Dowon could tell it was cheap and unhealthy, causing him to frown.

“I think I’ll pass. I’ll pay, so eat as much as you want.”

“Come on, just try one bite.”

Eungyeol used a fork to pick up a piece of boneless chicken and offered it to Dowon. Dowon resisted slightly but eventually, under Eungyeol’s urging, closed his eyes tightly and took a bite of the chicken.

As he reluctantly chewed, his eyes gradually opened wide in amazement, and he felt a euphoric taste envelop his tongue.

The crispy coating, the tender meat inside. The more he chewed, the more the flavors of the coating and chicken harmonized perfectly. It was a taste he had never experienced before.

“How is it? It’s good, right?”

“…It is.”

“I’ll pay. After all, I was the one who suggested coming here.”

Eungyeol smiled brightly as he met Dowon’s gaze. In that moment, Dowon felt an inexplicable, odd emotion.

The taste of the chicken, the flutter in his heart, both were feelings he had never experienced before.

Dowon and Eungyeol finished off the chicken together, despite Dowon’s initial disdain for the food.

As they were about to leave the restaurant, Dowon noticed a group of people entering. They were all wearing sweat-soaked sports uniforms.

“Jihoon!”

Eungyeol called out to one of the men wearing a blue jersey. The man, whose name had been called, responded with a friendly greeting.

“Oh, Eungyeol.”

“Are you here for some chicken too?”

“Yeah. After a basketball game, we thought we’d have some chicken and beer…”

Jihoon glanced up and down at Dowon, who was standing next to Eungyeol, as if assessing him.

Dowon narrowed his eyes in irritation as this rough-looking man scrutinized him.

“Who’s this guy?”

Jihoon pointed his chin toward Dowon. Already irritated by Jihoon’s presence, Dowon coldly muttered.

“A man with no manners, I see.”

“What did you say?”

“Is that attitude something your parents taught you?”

“What? You son of a… Did you just say that?”

Jihoon took a step toward Dowon, but Dowon didn’t flinch at his aggressive stance.

Sensing a fight was about to break out, Eungyeol quickly stepped between them.

“Why are you two acting like this when you’ve just met? Jihoon, enjoy your chicken, and Dowon, let’s go.”

“Wait a minute, Eungyeol. Who is this jerk?”

“I’ll explain later. I’ll call you!”

Eungyeol shook his phone in front of Jihoon before leaving the chicken restaurant with Dowon. Even as he followed Eungyeol, Dowon couldn’t take his eyes off the rude man they had just encountered.

“Who is that guy?”

“Oh, that’s Seo Jihoon, my childhood friend. We went to the same university too.”

Jihoon was still glaring intensely at Dowon from outside the restaurant. Dowon returned the glare, matching Jihoon’s intensity.

From his aggressive demeanor to his attitude, there was nothing about the man that Dowon liked.

ꔚ

Eungyeol had a natural charm that drew people to him. He was so likable that even Ha Wonjin, who had been Dowon’s secretary, became close to him after just one encounter.

This side of Eungyeol only served to further confuse Dowon’s already chaotic mind.

On a day that felt like any other, Dowon headed to a convenience store around the time Eungyeol was finishing work, only to find him standing warmly with another man. The man was brushing Eungyeol’s hair aside or placing a hand on his shoulder in a friendly manner, and Eungyeol didn’t reject these gestures, smiling all the while.

As Dowon approached them, the man, who had been looking at Eungyeol, turned his head. Dowon recognized that cunning face all too well.

The man’s name was Baek Seonwoo, someone Dowon had known for a long time but never got along with. Every time they crossed paths, Seonwoo would always be the one to pick a fight.

“And how do you know Eungyeol?”

“Why so worked up? Do I need your permission to meet people, Mr. Cha Dowon?”

Seonwoo’s cheeky expression and response caused a sharp glint to flash in Dowon’s eyes.

Dowon suddenly realized his heart was pounding in an unfamiliar way.

It was racing, heavy, and loud. It was an emotion he’d never felt before, and it was driving him insane. It felt suffocating, like he couldn’t breathe.

“Look at those eyes. Are you going to commit murder or something?”

Seonwoo chuckled, breaking the tense atmosphere between them. Not backing down an inch, Dowon grabbed Eungyeol’s wrist.

Unable to bear seeing the two of them together, Dowon dragged Eungyeol away.

“Wait, Dowon!”

Eungyeol’s voice protested as he resisted, asking to be let go, but Dowon ignored him and kept pulling him along.

Only when they were alone did Dowon finally release his grip. He had held on so tightly that a red mark was left on Eungyeol’s wrist.

“What are you doing? Seriously.”

Eungyeol, rubbing his aching wrist, angrily confronted the overbearing Dowon. Unable to understand why Eungyeol was upset, Dowon didn’t apologize.

Instead, he gripped Eungyeol’s shoulders with force. The pain in Eungyeol’s shoulders was so intense that he frowned.

“I don’t want you to see that guy, or Secretary Ha, or even that childhood friend of yours. I don’t want you to see anyone.”

“…….”

“I want you to stay by my side forever, only looking at me, only thinking about me, only feeling for me.”

Eungyeol swallowed dryly, seeing the cold fire in Dowon’s eyes.

“What is this feeling? I want you to belong to me and me alone.”

Sensing Dowon’s intense obsession and possessiveness toward him, Eungyeol hesitated.

While he didn’t dislike Dowon, the weight of such heavy emotions was too much for Eungyeol to handle.

“I-I’m sorry.”

After bowing his head and rejecting Dowon’s feelings, Eungyeol ran off without looking back.

Dowon watched his retreating figure intently.

After that incident, Eungyeol quit his job at the convenience store. He wouldn’t take Dowon’s calls and kept avoiding him.

“Tch.”

Dowon gripped his phone tightly, almost crushing it, as the endless dial tone continued. He narrowed his eyes.

“If he’s going to avoid me like this, then I have no choice. I’ll just have to make sure he knows he can never escape me.”

A dangerous glint flashed in Dowon’s eyes.