Villain Episode 3
#1 Troublesome Neighbor (1)
The world was engulfed in the deep cold of midwinter, yet the chill couldn't subdue the man living upstairs. He seemed indifferent to the seasonal change, clad in shorts and a short-sleeved T-shirt.
"What?" The man upstairs frowned, his menacing appearance more intimidating than anyone I'd encountered before.
'It's like facing a wild bear.'
His overwhelming presence made me shrink back immediately, this was far more intimidating than the high school bullies I had met a few days ago. Could I have inadvertently stepped into some dark, uncertain world?
Regretting knocking on his door, My thoughts began to consume me, when the man suddenly thrust his face close to mine. I instinctively stepped back, my breath caught in my throat.
"If you knock, shouldn't you say something? Is this a knock and run? Without the run?"
His casual use of informal language didn't bother me. Or rather, I couldn't afford to let it bother me if I wanted to stay alive.
"Geez, what a rude interruption. Hey! Do I have money stuck on my face? Why are you staring so hard?"
I wished there was money stuck to his face. Having come this far, I had to speak up. There was no turning back. If I treated him with respect, surely he wouldn't harm me.
"Uh, I, I live downstairs."
"Downstairs?"
The man upstairs scanned me from head to toe.
"What could someone from downstairs want with me? Did you come to give me a welcoming gift because I'm new here? Hahaha!"
He suddenly burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. I couldn't make heads or tails of the situation.
'Is he making some kind of joke?'
I shook my head. That wasn't important right now. Let's get to the point.
"Ah, no, it's not that."
"Then what is it, kid? Spit it out, damn it. It's cold."
So, why is he wearing shorts in this freezing weather?
"You, you're a little too loud. Could you, could you just—"
"Look at this guy? You? You're addressing me as 'you'?"
His voice grew louder.
Could anyone address the man upstairs as 'you'? Surely not. It was just my usual luck.
"F***, say something. Are you addressing me as 'you'?"
'Why is this happening?'
"That, that's not what I―I st-st-stuttered—"
"Did you say 'you' to me, you little sh*t?"
He grabbed my head as he spoke.
"Answer 'yes' or 'no.'"
"No, no. I st-st-stuttered. What I, I wanted to say was sir, you're too loud—"
Despite not having done anything wrong, I was intimidated by his presence.
"If you're scared, just shut up and crumble, why crawl up here and make a scene? Do YOU Want to say goodbye to the world so soon?"
The man upstairs harshly grabbed my collar with his other hand. His strength was beyond what I had anticipated, and I found myself suspended in mid-air. I begged for mercy while floating.
"S-sorry. My, my judgment was poor."
I could barely speak, I choked on my breath.
"So, you came up here because I was too loud? Telling me to just shut up and live like that?"
"No, just, just a bit quieter. Just a, a little bit—"
"Want to die?"
"What?"
"Do you want to die?"
'Who would want to die?'
The words were on the tip of my tongue but never made it out.
The man upstairs glared at me, immobilizing me. Then,
Buzz. Buzz.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. Checking his phone, he grimaced and suddenly flung me away.
"Lucky you, bastard."
He smirked and added,
"Come here again over some stupid shit, and I'll really cut your throat. Got it?"
A lucky fortune of a phone call had saved me, and fearing the fortune might slip away, I quickly bowed my head.
"Sorry."
"If it's too loud, go to sleep quicker, you dog. Or try to outdo me."
"Sorry."
I nodded repeatedly.
"Got it? Now get lost."
My departure was futile. Returning home without achieving anything, I had to shower. I was drenched in sweat from all the tension, despite it being a very cold midwinter.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The unsuccessful protest only made the noise from upstairs louder. It was retaliatory noise. It wasn't just my imagination. Even the birds perched on the balcony fled in fright of the noise. I lay down and stared at the ceiling.
'Why does this always happen to me?'
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I could even hear deliberate stomping. It must be the son of the man upstairs.
'Why am I always the victim?'
'Why must I always be the weaker one?'
'I've done nothing wrong, but why do people belittle and torment me just because I'm small and frail?'
Shameful thoughts clawed at my heart, the same thoughts haunting me all my life.
At the moment when my self-esteem hit rock bottom, I suddenly wanted to make a last stand.
I couldn't keep living this way, just because it was familiar. Living like this, was as good as being dead. I needed a change. I was tired of being a victim.
Now, it was my turn.
***
#2 Troublesome Neighbor (2)
December 19, 2022, morning.
Ding-dong, ding-dong
The sound of someone ringing the doorbell echoed. At that moment, I couldn't think of anything because there was no one who would visit my home.
'Could it be… the man living upstairs?'
Fear engulfed my heart.
Ding-dong, ding-dong
The doorbell continued to ring, urging me to answer.
'Should I pretend not to hear? Would anything change if I did? Can I avoid that man for the rest of my life?'
While I was pondering,
"I know you're in there."
The voice from beyond the door wasn't that of the man upstairs. It was much younger and cheerful voice. I breathed a sigh of relief for a moment.
Opening the door, as expected, a young man stood there, holding something that resembled a speaker in his hand.
"Hello."
He whispered suddenly. Why whisper after just shouting a second ago?
"I've come to give you a gift."
A gift, suddenly? I was quite perplexed by the swift turn of events, unsure how to react.
"But… who are you?"
"Oh, I'm from the apartment right above…" He pointed upwards with his finger, continuing, "…not that one, but next to it, from 1204."
"But why me…"
"Oh, I wanted to give you this."
He handed me the speaker, and I accepted it, somewhat bewildered.
"This is a woofer speaker. It's quite popular these days. Very effective for getting revenge."
I was grateful for the free gift, but how did this man know I was planning revenge?
"Oh, I don't need something like this…"
"You wouldn't just let it go, would you? Nowadays, giving a taste of their own medicine with noise is all the rage. Nothing beats this."
I was drawn into his words.
How could I speak as confidently as this man…
Suddenly being gifted a free woofer speaker felt like a sign that I was destined for revenge.
With my decision made, my heart felt lighter. I installed the woofer speaker and, like performing a significant ritual, carefully pressed the power button.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
A slight vibration enveloped my body.
'This vibration won't reach the upstairs apartment.'
I cranked the volume of the woofer speaker to its maximum. Then, a powerful bass shook the entire house.
The walls and floor vibrated, and so did my heart. At that moment, I questioned the righteousness of my actions. Was this truly the right thing to do, or was it a foolish act driven by revenge?
It was too late for regrets. The speaker's vibrations were already reaching the upstairs apartment.
'What kind of backlash will there be?'
I shook my head. If I had worried about the consequences, I wouldn't have turned it on, I wouldn't have started this revenge.
Despite the vibrations shaking my body, there was no response from upstairs even late into the night. They remained quiet as if nothing had happened.
'Strange. No reaction to such noise…'
I thought positively. They must have realized how loud they had been and felt sorry.
'I should have tried this earlier. I should have fought for my rights sooner.'
The belated attempt left me with regrets.
As the night deepened, I turned off the woofer speaker and went to bed. My bed was more comfortable than ever before.
The next morning, there was no noise from upstairs. Usually, their presence would be felt throughout the apartment with their continuous stomping.
'Did the people upstairs really reflect on their wrongdoing?'
Hungry, I opened the cupboard. There was no ramen.
'Oh, I forgot to buy some. I was too excited.'
No one was watching or listening, but I quietly headed to the entrance. I cautiously peered through the door's peephole, preparing for any potential danger. It's always better to be cautious.
'Why did I run out of ramen at such a crucial time… I should have been fully prepared…'
The outside observed through the peephole was tranquil. No one was in sight.
'Maybe they really reflected on their mistake. Let's trust my intuition.'
Relieved, I opened the door. And at that moment, my intuition betrayed me.
Thump!
Something blunt struck the back of my head. Then, a familiar voice reached my ears.
"You're done for, bastard."
Looking up, the man from upstairs glared at me with a thoroughly annoyed expression.