Abnormal Obsession

[Possessive pursuit / obsessive confinement / Story One has a touch of mystery / rivalry between men / Skip if this bothers you]

Sweet (and twisted) love stories about a bunch of little weirdos.

Highlights and content warnings, plus standout lines

“But if you don’t love him… he’ll become the most terrifying, most troublesome nightmare of your life. He’ll cling to you with everything he has. Even with broken legs, he’ll crawl after you. He’s like a dog chasing its master, no matter how far away you go, to the ends of the earth. Only he could do that.”

“My beloved was stolen through underhanded means, so of course I have to guard him with everything I’ve got. You want to follow in my footsteps? Your methods are childish and crude, not even worth mentioning.”

“I was right. This golden cage suits you perfectly. My darling, don’t you agree?”

Story One: Beautiful, self-aware, clear-headed and resilient photo model × shy, gloomy, tongue-tied bad dog

A part-time model meets a stalker who spies on him, follows him, and even leaves traces in his bed. Terrified, he turns to the photographer who has always helped him. Then he realizes the stalker is utterly obsessed with him, while the photographer is the real culprit, hiding in plain sight with blood on his hands.

Story Two: Honest, dependable, good-natured CEO’s assistant × rational, restrained, inflexible CEO who lives in seclusion

A junior employee takes a job at the company of his crush’s friend, hoping to be closer to the person he loves. The happiest part of his day is gazing at his crush from the boss’s office. Then one day, his arrogant, finicky boss kneels in the office and crawls toward him like a dog, cornering him on the sofa and humbly begging for his love, even if he can only be a substitute…

“Young people should be willing to smash their heads bloody for love.”

“If you’re going to lie to me, you’d better lie for the rest of your life.”

Story Three: Pretty young assassin with little experience in the ways of the world × gentle, cunning headmaster of an academy

The young assassin, known as an “unparalleled killing weapon,” ends up staying with his target because of a misunderstanding. All he thinks about every day is making money and observing his target. He discovers that his target is a saint, a selfless and compassionate god. But later, when the saint reveals his selfish side and is willing to give up everything to help him gain his freedom, the assassin no longer wants to leave.

“So even a saint can be selfish.”

“If we succeed, we’ll go back to the academy. If we fail, we’ll hang together from the city walls. Even then, I’ll be holding your hand.”

Story Four: Emotionless, otherworldly strategist × brutal, sinister ruler of an enemy kingdom

A strategist born without emotions has a junior fellow disciple. He teaches him how to govern, how to command troops, and how to exploit people’s desires to get everything he wants without shedding blood. But eventually, he realizes his junior has used all those lessons on him.

“If you cannot let go of anger, if you cannot cast off delusion, you will fall into the sea of birth and death.”

“Senior Brother, look at me. Don’t… don’t be so cruel to me.”

Theme: A life’s worth is not measured by love