Villain: Episode 1
#1 People always ignore me.
Monday, December 12, 2022.
Seongwun Special City, South Korea.
I didn't want to go to work. The snow of December gently enveloped the world outside my window, but it still couldn't comfort my heart.
My job at H Market's customer service was, by its nature, filled with unpredictable complaints and grievances.
Every day, faced with customers' dissatisfaction and the indifference of my colleagues, I felt increasingly suffocated.
But I had no choice. There was nowhere that would take in someone as useless as me. I had already tasted the bitterness of multiple failed interviews and the harsh reality.
"It's the same wherever I go."
Trapped in a maze of endless repetition, I felt doomed to never escape from here.
"Maybe I'll feel differently when my salary comes in…"
But that would be at least ten more days.
The atmosphere around was lively. There were cheerful greetings and laughter among my colleagues, but I just quietly blended into my spot like a shadow.
Work began, and I cautiously answered the first call. It was a simple inquiry about when a delivery would arrive.
"If only all the calls were this easy."
But the peace didn't last long.
The second call. The voice of an older woman came through the headset.
"Weren't you supposed to have delivered it by yesterday? Why hasn't it arrived yet?"
A prickly voice over the phone gave me a bad feeling.
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience of the delayed delivery, ma'am. Please hold on a moment, and I'll check on that for you right away."
I mechanically recited the scripted response and quickly looked up the order number in the system.
Delivered.
My heart sank the moment I saw the message on the screen. It would have been easier if it had been 'pre-delivery'. There would have been an excuse.
"What now?"
A sigh rose to my throat as I braced myself for what was to come.
"Ma'am, according to our system, your order has already been delivered. Could it be that another family member or the security office received it on your behalf?"
Sweat started to form on my forehead.
"What are you talking about? Delivered? Are you saying I received the item and am lying about it?"
The customer began to scold as if she had been waiting for this moment.
"No, ma'am. That's not what I―"
"Then what do you mean? Are you saying I'm senile? Or that I received the item and am purposely lying?"
It's said that in an era where the customer is king, how to handle such absurdity was beyond me.
"No response? This is frustrating. Really. Why hasn't my item arrived?"
"Um, according to the system... That, that is..."
My chronic problem flared up due to the customer's escalating agitation.
"What are you saying, really. Stuttering over your words. Ugh, really! Get me your manager right now!"
Tap. Tap.
Startled by a light tap on my shoulder, I turned around to find the manager, who had been observing me from some point, standing at the edge of my vision. Her expression was grave. Past experiences flashed through my mind.
After a few minutes, the manager looked at me.
"Come with me, Mr. Jeong Barun."
The manager, sitting at her desk, cut straight to the point without hesitation.
"It's time for you to leave."
I wasn't surprised. Once again, I was fired before even a month had passed. And me, being timid, couldn't resist; I only protested internally, as always.
"Pathetic."
Walking down the corridor, I felt the stares of others. My face burned with the feeling of being a loser.
I was kicked out of the company building before eleven o'clock. The world was entirely white from the snow that had fallen since dawn. The pure white world seemed utterly false.
Arriving home, I felt all energy drain from my body, likely from the tension being released. Thanks to that, sleep overcame me in broad daylight, and I, being weak, laid myself down.
When I woke up, the sun had already set, and darkness had thickly settled. Winter evenings always arrived quickly, and this deep darkness only deepened my gloom.
Gurgle.
Maybe it was hunger that made me feel so gloomy.
I managed to get up. Fighting lethargy was always a struggle. If I had to describe my current state in a single word, it would be "wreck." A very accurate description.
Regardless, I opened the fridge to survive. Even in such times, my body instinctively fought to live.
The fridge was empty.
There was nothing inside. Hoping against hope, I also checked the cabinet. As expected, nothing.
"Sigh."
Not a single thing to eat in the house. What have I been doing with my life?
"Should I just starve?"
Gurgle.
My stomach seemed to disagree. Eventually, I dragged my lethargic self to the convenience store. The snow was still falling, and the world remained indifferent to my misery, beautifully white.
"So beautiful it's hateful."
Ding-dong. Ding-dong.
The convenience store clerk, upon seeing me, ignored me and continued to focus on his phone game.
I wondered if he would treat another customer the same way.
I chose the cheapest ramen among the many on the shelf. Taste was not a consideration at the crossroads of life and death.
I placed a five-pack of ramen on the counter. When I handed my check card to the clerk, he gestured towards the card reader with his chin.
"The payment isn't going through. Looks like you're out of balance."
The clerk was sure I had no money. It could have been a card malfunction.
"That can't be..."
His indifferent gaze stabbed at me. His eyes seemed to ask, "You're this old and can't afford even a pack of ramen?"
Every grave has its story. I had plenty of excuses.
It wasn't because I had recklessly spent money and hadn't saved. The insurance money from my parents' death went to paying off the house mortgage, on my grandmother's advice. And the money my grandmother left when she passed was lent to my friend Kim Cheolsu.
"He needs surgery right now, or he's in danger. Just this once, help me out. I can pay you back next month, really. Please save my mom, Barun."
I still vividly remember Kim Cheolsu's words. And of course, thinking of him as a friend, I trusted Kim Cheolsu. But the trusted Kim Cheolsu hasn't even paid back the principal in four years.
Last month, due to a leak in the apartment below, I had to cough up nearly all my saved salary. That's how I ended up in this situation.
In desperation, I rummaged through my pockets. A crumpled five-thousand-won note appeared. It felt pathetic to struggle even to buy a single pack of ramen.
"Hey, mister."
After a series of events, someone called out to me as I left the convenience store. I turned around without thinking.
"Come here."
A man as tall as a pole gestured to me. I had a bad feeling. It surely wasn't for anything good.
"Me?"
At a glance, they seemed younger... rather than looking young, it was that they were blatantly wearing school uniforms.
"Ah, they're wearing school uniforms."
Smoking cigarettes in school uniforms, these were some gutsy bullies.
As I hesitated, they approached me, unable to bear it any longer, despite such "kindness" being unnecessary.
"Give us whatever money you have. The younger ones are hungry."
I had barely managed to buy five packs of ramen for myself. There was no way I had money to give to others.
"I, I don't have any money..."
The tall guy scowled.
"Shit. Why are you lying? Why wouldn't an adult have money? I get it if us students don't have any, but you?"
One of the group members, that looked like a pig, frisked me. Eventually, a 50Cent coin and four 10Cent coins emerged from my pocket.
The pig looked back and forth between the coins in his hand and my face. It seemed he hadn't seen coins in a long time, or maybe it was his first time.
"Ah, fuck. Why are you carrying relics? You really are a loser. A total loser."
The pig laughed and looked back.
"Move."
The tall guy pushed the pig's head aside and stepped forward. He seemed to be the leader.
"Bro, bro, bro!"
He shoved his face close to mine. A living embodiment of terror. At a glance, the tall guy looked like a giant lizard.
"Today, these young ones are in a shitty mood. This is all you got?"
No matter how close he got, money wouldn't magically appear into my pockets. That was really all I had. But I couldn't say it out loud. I just nodded as an answer.
"Ah, shit. Then we gotta go. I'm in a shitty mood too. But first you gotta pay in another way, Okay?"
Okay? Was he really asking for my consent? If so, I should say 'not okay' I don't want to get hit. Then he wouldn't hit me—
Punch.
Before I could express my wish, a fist flew at me. It hit my face precisely, as though it was an experienced throw.
Why did he ask if it was okay if he didn't plan to listen?
That's how I was beaten up at the neighborhood playground for about ten minutes.
"Wow, fuck…. You've got grit"
The tall lizard gasped for breath.
I didn't react to the beating, the bullies, bored of me, left in search of more entertaining prey, taking my 90Cent with them.
Every step I took, my body ached. Tomorrow would bring even more pain.
But more than the physical pain, the mental scars were deeper. Being beaten by much younger kids deeply wounded my pride.
I returned home and lay down. Both my body and mind were exhausted. My trembling body didn't calm down easily. Tears flowed without my realizing.
Shame soon turned to anger.
I clenched my fist under the blanket, but quickly unclenched it again. I couldn't do anything. I just had to accept it.
Pathetic Jeong Barun. That's me.
***
December 12, 2022. A night when the moonlight felt unusually cold.
A mysterious giant entity, draped in a black robe, floated in the air. Its massive size made it difficult to move properly in the cramped room, causing it to struggle.
"This is why human rooms are always uncomfortable!"
The mysterious entity managed to stabilize itself and turned its gaze to the human lying on the bed. The human, deep in sleep, was unaware of being watched.
The ominous aura emitted by the mysterious entity quickly spread around. The ignorant human shivered uncontrollably.
"Veritos was right. Just the mere aura makes this species tremble… How weak are humans exactly?"
The mysterious entity hesitated for a moment.
'If the human's anger can reach me, then the potential of the anger within this human is certain. The problem is its magnitude…'
The entity waved its hand, causing the human's soul to rise miraculously into the air.
"Let's see."
After examining the human's soul from every angle, the entity placed it back where it belonged.
"It's a critical situation, but it's better to test the waters before crossing. There's still time, so it's necessary to observe the human a bit longer."
With a wave of its hand, the giant robe engulfed its surroundings, and the entity's form vanished without a trace.