Villain Episode 2
#1 Unexpected News
December 13, 2022. Seongwun Special City, South Korea.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I awoke from the noise of my surroundings. Turning my eyes towards the balcony, the sunlight poured brightly into my room. The sun, high in the sky announced the start of another day.
Whirr.
A mechanical sound came from the balcony. Not long after, the noise of something ascending grew louder and stopped at the apartment above. Looking towards the balcony, I saw a huge ladder.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Hey! Hurry up and bring it up! Do you want to work all day?!" A man from the upstairs balcony shouted. It seemed like they were moving in.
Knowing it was their moving day, I tried to be understanding, despite the inconvenience.
My parents always said there are virtues that people ought to uphold. For example, consideration and respect for others, honesty and trust, and a sense of social responsibility. These virtues, they stressed, are what distinguish humans from animals.
However, my parents' teachings never helped me in life. People did not uphold these virtues and instead ignored me for being understanding and patient. I wondered if it was just me.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Anyway, it's midday. Time to get up. Life goes on, even after being fired.
"Ugh."
As I barely sat up, a short and sharp scream escaped me involuntarily due to severe discomfort from my side to my back. There wasn't a spot that didn't ache. Suddenly, the events of yesterday came to mind. I shook my head violently, overwhelmed by humiliation.
After struggling to walk and leaning on the walls, I finally made it to the kitchen. It was already noon according to my phone.
There were only four packs of ramen left in the cupboard. It made sense since I had eaten one out of five the night before. Even in pain, I had to boil ramen. I had to survive somehow.
Four packs of ramen meant I could eat for four more days if I ate one pack a day. I wasn't worried since I naturally ate very little. I never knew eating less could be so beneficial for survival.
I debated whether to eat ramen now or wait until evening. Waiting and enduring would make it taste even better.
After being fired, the pressure to find a new job weighed heavily on me. Flipping through job sites, I searched for work that my frail body could handle, but jobs requiring physical labor or long hours standing were not suitable for me. Finding the ideal job that required neither was like searching for a needle in a desert.
Of course, there's a backstory. After high school, I failed to adapt to society and spent several years in seclusion. My already frail body weakened further due to my reclusive lifestyle.
Despite this, I once tried a physically demanding job because dealing with people in service was overwhelming. I chose physical over mental strain and ended up being taken to the hospital on my first day of work.
Since then, I realized that physical labor was beyond my capability.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The noise from upstairs was still loud in the evening. It seemed louder than in the morning. Anyway, what does it matter? They had just moved in. Things would quiet down once they settled in.
I failed to find a job. I had found a few possibilities and made some calls, but to no avail.
I filled my hungry stomach with ramen and was about to fall asleep when a message arrived.
[Jung Barun, it's been a while. This is Hyunseok. I'm getting married this Sunday. Can you make it? I'll be waiting. I really hope you can come.]
It was Kang Hyunseok, a high school classmate.
We weren't close, so why suddenly invite me to his wedding? The reason seemed obvious.
I wanted to reply that I couldn't go. But I didn't. The word 'refusal' didn't exist in my life. And truthfully, I was grateful he remembered and invited me, a nobody. So for that, I wanted to go.
But soon after, I fell into worry.
Where would I get the money for a wedding gift?
***
#2 I Thought We Were Friends
I boarded an intercity bus for the first time in a long while, headed for the wedding of a friend I wasn't even close with.
I managed to prepare a gift, even though it meant I wouldn't be able to pay my phone bill next month.
I shouldn't be doing this. Instead of giving a wedding gift to a high school classmate I wasn't close to, I should be buying food for myself or paying my phone bill. For my own sake, that's what I should be doing. Even the bus fare felt like a luxury to me.
Suddenly, I thought of a moth flying into a flame, mistaking the fire for light and getting
burned. It felt like a reflection of myself.
Shortly after, the bus engine roared to life, and with that noise, my heart also began to flutter uneasily.
'Am I doing the right thing?'
Kang Hyunseok's wedding was grand, something beyond my wildest dreams. Seeing Hyunseok, who was as pathetic as me in high school, now living a successful life filled me with jealousy and envy. When could I ever start a family? No, that's the wrong question.
'Can I even start a family?'
At the wedding, I ran into an unexpected figure, Kim Cheolsu, who borrowed money from me and hadn't paid it back. My heart raced at the sight of him. I wanted to grab him by the collar and demand my money back, but that was completely out of character for me.
"Hey, Jung Barun. Long time no see. Still as skinny as ever."
"Ah, yeah, long time no see. Cheolsu."
Cheolsu looked different. He was dressed in an expensive-looking suit. How could he afford such a suit? Did he borrow it?
My thoughts fluctuated with each heartbeat.
'Should I bring up the money or not?'
It felt wrong to feel guilty for asking for my own money back. It made no sense.
"Let's go eat. I heard they're serving beef soup."
Without even considering my response, Cheolsu led the way.
As we started eating at our table, Kang Hyunseok approached us.
"Hey, Kim Cheolsu. I heard you're doing well these days?"
Hyunseok asked.
"Hah,. Doing well? I'm Just living a normal life."
Cheolsu wore his classic characteristic smug expression. Memories of high school came flooding back.
Back then, Cheolsu was a slave for the bullies, just like me. Known as a 'suck up' in today's terms, he was good at sucking up to the bullies with his unique ways of worshipping them. Seeing him now, it seemed like he had finally achieved his dream of becoming a bully himself.
"Come on, recommend me some stocks. That's what friends are for, right?"
It appeared Cheolsu was into stocks. More shockingly, the more I listened to their conversation, the more it seemed like Cheolsu was indeed living well, incomparably better than me.
"...So with that money, I changed my car recently."
Cheolsu showed Hyunseok his car keys.
"Wow, fuck. Isn't that an expensive car?"
"Yeah."
Naturally, I wondered.
If he's living so well now, why hasn't he paid back my twenty two thousand dollars? Was the story about his mother's surgery true? Was his promise to pay back within a month sincere? Couldn't he have paid me back instead of buying an expensive car?
Numerous doubts crossed my mind. Because of lending him that twenty two thousand dollars, I was in a situation where I had to carefully consider even buying a pack of ramen.
I knew all too well why. People have always ignored me. So, the twenty two thousand I lent was also being ignored as if it were nothing.
I felt deeply offended. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to mention the money. I felt utterly pathetic.
"Jung Barun. What have you been up to?"
Cheolsu asked me, shamelessly smiling at me. My fist clenched involuntarily, though I quickly relaxed it before anyone noticed.
"Hey, what have you been up to?"
How should I respond? Should I tell the truth?
Cold sweat ran down my spine. I didn't want to be embarrassed.
Thoughts of money had already vanished. I felt trapped, surrounded by walls on all sides.
"Just working at a regular job."
My voice, unaccustomed to lying, trembled. I laughed awkwardly, trying to hide my anxiety.
"Really? That's good. Stay there and say 'thank you'. Not many companies would take you in."
"Hey, man. Why would you say that?"
Hyunseok suddenly intervened, scolding Cheolsu.
"Don't be so harsh. He's been weak since high school. Doesn't it pity you that he's trying to survive? People nowadays help strangers in need without a second thought. If you can't lend him money, at least speak kindly to him."
Hyunseok's words were like pouring fuel on a fire.
I was indeed a needy neighbor, struggling to survive. While others could live an ordinary life without effort, I had to struggle just to have a normal life.
Damn it.
"Alright, I'm leaving."
Unable to bring up the money issue, I only filled my stomach with beef soup and had to watch as Cheolsu left smoothly.
Pathetic.
Returning home, I was greeted by the noise from the apartment above. Three days since they moved in, the new neighbors were still loud. The thought that the world was full of those who ignored me made my blood boil.
I decided to bear it until tomorrow. If it was still noisy, I'd have to confront them, scared or not.
Gurgle.
I had eaten a lot for lunch, but as the night deepened, hunger struck again.
Looking at the darkened sky outside, I felt my life was becoming emptier.
***
#3 Mistake
Thump. Thump. Thump.
It was still noisy on Sunday morning. The resolve from last night to confront the upstairs neighbor faded as my body shrank back to its usual form.
'No, this is my right. I have the right to live in peace. I can't keep being ignored by others.'
I clenched my fists tightly, mustering my courage.
Stepping into the hallway, the elevator doors opened, but I chose the stairs over convenience. Just climbing about thirty steps made my heart race.
1104. The hallway in front of the door was littered with cigarette butts. It seemed I wasn't the only one suffering.
"Whew."
After a deep breath, I knocked on the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
There was no response. Perhaps I knocked too softly. This time, I knocked a bit harder.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Finally, I heard someone walking towards the door from the other side.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
How can walking make such cartoonish sounds?
Shortly, the door swung open.
"What?"
The moment the door opened and I saw the man's face, I immediately realized that my decision was a mistake.