I’m Not That Obsessive

Chapter 33

“Geon-woo!”

Mitchell quickly ran towards Geon-woo and the fallen man. Upon seeing Mitchell, Geon-woo showed a three-stage expression change: startled surprise, a smile, and then a frown.

“Who is it?”

The fallen man was groaning, clutching his head. Even from a distance, the kick that had directly hit his temple looked threatening. The mysterious man couldn’t even get up from the ground, seemingly having taken a solid hit.

“Your stalker.”

“What?”

Mitchell grabbed the man’s collar to check his face. At first, he didn’t recognize him, but soon realized who the man was.

This man’s face was currently spreading like wildfire across various media outlets. During a break in filming, another actor had shown him the news about a murderer whose identity had caused a stir.

That very killer was now lying in his front yard.

And he had been taken down by Geon-woo’s kick.

Mitchell bit his lip and silently snatched the phone from Geon-woo’s hand.

Just as he was about to ask for the password, the screen unlocked with just a touch. Does he not even lock his phone? Pushing aside his confusion, Mitchell hurriedly dialed 911. Then he handed the phone back to Geon-woo.

Mitchell threw a punch at the face of the man who was trying to get up stealthily.

Thud.

“Ugh.”

He quickly unbuckled his belt and tied the man’s hands behind his back. Meanwhile, Geon-woo was saying nonsensical things into the phone like, “There’s a bastard here! Please come quickly. It’s urgent!” Mitchell took the phone back while straddling the man.

“We’ve caught the serial killer Seimon here. Please come quickly.”

Unlike Geon-woo, Mitchell calmly explained the situation and hung up. Even then, Geon-woo didn’t understand what Mitchell was talking about.

***

There’s a person who was a failure in Korea but gloriously revived in America. That’s me.

I caught a serial killer that couldn’t be caught for two years across the entire United States. Recently, I appear on TV every time it’s turned on.

I, Bae Geon-woo, appear!

On TV, they used scenes from movies I’ve appeared in as footage while talking about my heroic actions in the early morning. After that, my name was everywhere – on the internet, news, radio, you name it.

[Korean Movie Star Catches Serial Killer]

[Killer Knocked Out by One Kick]

[Action Actor Geon-woo Bae Subdues Killer]

[Korean Actor Joining Robert’s New Film Shows Off Satisfying Action in Advance]

Along with the incident, news about me joining Robert’s film didn’t go unmentioned.

It was certainly headline-worthy. Not only was catching a knife-wielding killer impressive in itself, but I had also blown away the anger and anxiety people had been feeling towards the killer with one roundhouse kick. Plus, I was a famous movie actor from Korea.

I didn’t expect my recognition in the US to skyrocket like this.

I just did what I had to do. In a situation where I was going berserk because Mitchell’s contact had been cut off, seeing a strange man enter the house yard, I couldn’t help but lose it. When he mentioned the word stalker, instead of denying it, the man lunged at me, so I naturally mistook him for a real stalker.

Of course, I cautiously admit that my mental state was close to that of a madman at that time…

The iron gate of our house was completely opened for the incident investigation, and police and investigators came and went. In the early dawn when the sun rose, quick reporters who had heard the news also flocked. The cabin where weapons were found and the perpetrator was presumed to have stayed was temporarily closed.

Mitchell frowned seriously looking at the cabin but quickly recovered.

“We should demolish that and build a new one somewhere else. This is actually good. It was too small for the two of us. The bed was small too.”

Although he was speaking to me, he didn’t seem interested in hearing my response.

Interview requests poured in. Mitchell said there was no reason to hide after doing a good deed and threw me among the reporters he was familiar with.

I had once said that I wanted to ride on Mitchell’s connections. I also said I wanted to start again in America since my position in Korea had narrowed.

Although it was partly to get closer to Mitchell, it was half sincere. I wanted to rise again. I was grateful that Mitchell hadn’t forgotten those words.

“Geon-woo is someone who considers helping others as natural. He has a personality that can’t stand injustice, so he sometimes gets into difficult situations. Who would think of charging at a knife-wielding serial killer in a remote place where no one could help? Of course, someone might, but it takes great courage to make that decision. I think today’s incident is very much like Geon-woo. Geon-woo is a hero.”

Mitchell endlessly spouted nonsense to the reporters. His brazen storytelling gave me goosebumps. He lied so seriously that even I was almost fooled for a moment.

I looked at Mitchell with an awkward smile, but Mitchell continued the interview with a determined expression. The reporters all had looks of admiration in their eyes.

Then questions poured in for me. Because of this, I was surrounded by reporters with the iron gate as a backdrop.

“Weren’t you scared when the criminal had a knife?”

“At that time… actually, I wasn’t scared.”

I really wasn’t scared because I was so worked up.

“Did you know that the person charging at you was Seimon, the serial killer who had killed nine people?”

“Ah, I was so flustered that I wasn’t sure at first. But it seemed right, haha.”

I hadn’t even heard the first letter of Seimon’s name.

“Have you learned any martial arts separately?”

“I learned a little Taekwondo. Not enough to brag about though.”

I’m a first-degree black belt in Taekwondo. The first degree that anyone can get if they attend classes for a little while. It’s the result of practicing roundhouse kicks for three to four hours a month, without missing a day, for just one scene in a movie. I was overly immersed because it was my first film. But who knew it would come in handy like this?

“As an actor, it would be terrible if your face got injured. How did you find such courage in that situation?”

“Rather than courage, I’d say it was closer to instinct. I just couldn’t stand it.”

How could I stand a stalker lurking around Mitchell? It’s instinct. I had to deal with that bastard myself. I’ll protect Mitchell! That kind of feeling.

Ah, of course, he wasn’t actually a stalker.

I didn’t tell people that I had charged at him thinking the killer was Mitchell’s stalker. That was a truth that could be conveniently omitted.

I did wonder if this Seimon person would blab about my stalker accusations. But whatever. I don’t care what a guy like that says.

Fortunately or not, later on, the killer didn’t mention the stalker story at all and just treated me like a madman. He apparently cursed a lot, saying that even if the devil’s grandfather came, this crazy Asian talking to himself would scream and run away.

I guess he was hurt in his pride that I mistook him for a stalker rather than a serial killer. He hid that fact itself.

After such a headline-making incident, I was curious about the reaction in Korea. Whether my reputation was still at rock bottom or not. Of course, I didn’t dig into that curiosity.

It’s a world where people curse you for not donating enough even when you do donate. No matter how good a deed you do, there are always people who view it negatively. It’s better not to know. I also decided to focus only on my activities in America since I’d be working here. But the fact that I keep worrying about it must be because I’m Korean.

“…So you registered my fingerprint on your phone?”

Of course, not everything was good.

Mitchell found out that I had registered his fingerprint. My intention was to show him that I had nothing to hide, but Mitchell didn’t appreciate my noble intentions.

“Why? Want to try forging my signature too?”

He didn’t say much then, but now he’s asking a day later. Even though he was busy dealing with the incident, I wonder how he held it in until now. He must have been stewing over it without asking.

“It’s not like I’m going to open your phone as I please, I’m just showing you my phone, is that something to get angry about?”

“Using my fingerprint as you please is something to get angry about.”

“Then you should have woken up when I touched your hand? Were you so tired that you slept like the dead?”

This must be exactly what they mean by “the pot calling the kettle black.”

I brazenly pushed back. I was already angry that he hadn’t reported his schedule every two hours. I hadn’t received any contact from Mitchell for three days straight since the day I met that killer bastard. How unfair, sad, and infuriating is that!

“Oh, was that it?”

Mitchell suddenly laughed. Then he nodded at my unreasonable and stubborn argument. Uneasily.

“I didn’t know. I should have woken up when you secretly touched me while I was asleep. It’s my fault for not waking up.”

“…”

“You’re right, it’s my fault.”

Mitchell’s smile was crueler than ever.

“Then, likewise, when you’re asleep, it doesn’t matter what I do, right? It’s your fault for not waking up. Right? Okay. I understand. I understand perfectly.”

Something’s gone wrong here.