I'll See You Soon

Morning came without rest.

Akari hadn't slept. The image of the man's face - that calm, watchful stare under the streetlight - looped endlessly in her head. The note in her wallet sat on the table where she'd left it, as if mocking her in its simplicity.

Akari didn't know this man, but she was sure whoever was behind this knew of her past. She wondered how far and how deep this went.

-

By midmorning, Akari went back to the convenience store from last night in her usual disguise. The same bell jingled as she stepped inside. The clerk smiled and greeted her. 

Akari smiled, the kind of polite, practiced expression that cost her nothing and meant even less. "Good morning. I think I dropped my wallet here last night. Could it be possible to check the security footage?"

The clerk awkwardly smiled. "I'm sorry miss but I'm not allowed to do that."

Akari leaned forward, eyes pleading to the clerk, lowering her voice. "Please. I would really appreciate the help."

Something in the way her eyes begged and how her tone was brittle and desperate made the clerk slowly nod.

Together they watched the grainy footage from the night before. There she was - disguised but unmistakably her. As she exited the store, the man walked in. Akari stared hard at the footage. Analyzing it. It was quick and subtle, but she saw it. The man pickpocketed her wallet from her bag. Instead of finding her dropped wallet and calling out to her, he had stolen it himself and slipped something inside before following her down the street.

Her stomach turned.

She smiled and thanked the store clerk, leaving before he could ask any questions.

Akari walked down the street, checking the alley cameras near her building. She called the security office of her building asking to see the footage from the night before under the pretense of something going missing, but the office told her the cameras were out last night. Too much of a coincidence.

-

That afternoon, Akari was swamped with work.

The talk show set was all pastel lights and hollow laughter. The host smiled too wide. "Akari, your fans say you're so mysterious offstage! No one knows about your private life. By any chance are you hiding someone special?"

Akari's smile didn't falter, though her jaw ached and her insides cringed. "Oh, if there were, I'd tell you!" Another lie of course.

They laughed. Cameras flashed. Crowd cheered. Staff nodded. Another hour of pretending.

-

By evening, she was on the film set, shooting the last scene of the day. When they finished, it was close to midnight. Her skin felt stretched thin over exhaustion.

"Good work everyone! We're close to finishing this film. Let's keep it up until the end!" The director shouted.

Akari stared at her reflection in the studio's glass doors - the perfect hair, perfect smile, perfect look, but inside she was suffocating. 

Going back to the apartment felt like walking into a trap, but she was too tired to care.

-

The city was practically empty when she finally reached her building. Her heels clicked against the concrete as she crossed the parking lot, keys and phone in hand.

Then - a whisper of movement.

She didn't hear him so much as she felt him - a sudden shift of air behind her.

A hand caught her shoulder, rough, pulling her back.

Akari gasped, twisting - her keys and phone fell to the ground. His hood was pulled low, but it was unmistakably the man from before. His grip was firm, inescapable. 

"Don't scream." He hissed as he reached into his pocket and raised a knife against her.

Akari's heart slammed against her ribs. Her breath caught in her throat. She froze. Her mind was blank. Her body wouldn't move.

"Turn around and walk forward." The man whispered.

Akari's body unwillingly complied as the man pressed the knife against her back.

But before Akari could take a step forward, the man's hold loosened completely. Akari turned around to see another figure crashing into the man from the side, knocking him to the ground. 

The attacker swung his knife wildly, but his new opponent - taller, older, calm, dodged the attacks with practiced precision.

The attacker jabbed his knife towards this new figure, but the new man caught his wrist in the process, strangling it to the point the attacker dropped the knife.

The new man delivered a punch to the attacker's gut, dropping him to his knees before he quickly staggered up and ran away, disappearing into the maze of the parking lot.

Akari pressed against the nearest wall, taking, trying to calm her breath.

The man who'd intervened turned toward her. Early thirties, dark hair, a small scar near his jaw. His expression was steady - not startled, not threatening, just present and calm.

"Are you alright?" He asked. His voice was deep, quiet, unwavering, the kind that carried more strength in its restraint than in its volume.

Akari could barely nod.

He approached slowly, palms visible, giving her space. "You should go inside. I already called the police."

Akari's throat was dry. "Who are you?"

"Jun." He said simply. "Just happened to be nearby."

She didn't know what to believe at this point. Part of her felt relief. Another part felt like it was another trap.

He picked up her fallen keys and phone and cautiously handed it back. "He was waiting for you. Not random."

"I know." She whispered.

Jun studied her for a moment, as if understanding more than she'd said. Then he nodded toward the building doors. "Go ahead. I'll wait until you're inside."

Akari hesitated. Torn between fear and gratitude, suspicion and relief.

Finally, she stepped inside her building. The doors auto locking behind her, putting the night behind her.

Through the glass, Jun stood where she'd left him, hands in his pockets, watching the shadows.

Akari wasn't sure if she was being protected or watched all over again.