Villain Episode 4
#1 The Troublesome Neighbor (3)
"You're dead, you bastard."
His voice boomed with threat, like the furious roar of an enraged bear. The strong grip he had on my neck forced me helplessly into the house.
"You have a real talent for pissing people off, you piece of shit."
Before I could even utter a word in my defence, the man from the upstairs apartment's right fist unexpectedly struck my face. A moment of pain and shock enveloped me, leaving me momentarily dazed. His surprise attack caused hot blood to start flowing down my face.
Ugh.
I collapsed to the floor with a sudden cry, powerless. Despite it being just one hit, my consciousness swiftly began to fade.
"Such bullshit, really. You've been hit once, and now you're playing dead? You bastard. Did you really think you could get away with your crap without this kind of consequence?"
As his words ended, another punch flew towards my face.
Ugh.
My mind was already halfway gone, and the last bit of strength drained from my body. He dragged me mercilessly towards the kitchen, indifferent to my condition.
There was no hesitation or regret in the upstairs man's movements. His determined grasp and firm steps made it clear how natural this situation was for him. Though the surroundings were quiet, my heart rate irregularly quickened. The air around me grew colder, and my strength to resist gradually faded.
Splash.
Something cold violently struck my face, abruptly pulling me back to reality.
"Don't pass out. You piece of shit. You've got more beating to come."
His voice was cold, and no sooner than he finished speaking, his fist brutally hit my face again. The speed of the punch was so fast it was imperceptible. The combination of his massive size and this agility was beyond common sense.
"Do you remember the warning I gave you? You fucking asshole."
His voice increasing with threat.
"Yes, yes… I'm sorry."
My reply barely came out in a shaky voice.
Even when I was beaten by high schoolers, I never made a sound, but the assault from the upstairs man felt truly life-threatening.
"Please, I was just... not thinking straight―"
"Bullshit. You talk too much, you fucking asshole. Just take it. Until you die."
His hand moved again, this time more roughly and mercilessly pulling my hair. With each punch, memories of the past flashed before my eyes.
The light seen before death... Is this it?
"Now, I'm going to hit you hard."
A sharp pain suddenly struck my face.
Click.
I immediately knew my front tooth had broken. It was definitely broken. The sight of my tooth, carried away by my blood, falling to the ground was vivid before my eyes as though it happened in slow motion.
The world gradually blurred as I slipped into darkness. I was relieved, thinking I would soon escape this unbearable pain. If I just passed out, I would be freed from the agony. But that hope was quickly shattered.
Splash.
Cold water suddenly poured over my body. The hits I'd taken became more painful as the cold water soaked into them tenderising my skin.
Ah, please. I just want to pass out.
"Want to pass out? I've beaten enough people to know. You should be feeling faint by now, but strangely, you're still conscious, right?"
It was odd indeed. Wasn't my body supposed to be weak?
"This, this. It's a real gem. Just mix it with water, and it'll wake you right up."
He showed me a small, white container that resembled a water bottle, explaining its effects.
Had he sprinkled that on me? I couldn't tell.
As much as I wanted to keep worrying, unfortunately, I had no chance to. The man from upstairs gave me no respite.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Punches flew relentlessly. Each one was so heavy it felt like a trip to the afterlife.
Click.
My remaining front tooth, along with some blood, fell to the floor. This time, a dining chair came flying at me.
Thump.
Something wet and warm ran down my head. The conciousness of my mind made the pain fully tangible.
Could a person really kill another person? I had only seen such things on the news.
Looking at the man from upstairs, I wasn't so sure.
"I Just wanted to live quietly, but some worthless shit had to piss me off."
He forcefully grabbed my hair, forcing me to look at him. Was it time for a conversation again?
"What did I tell you last time? I said if you piss me off just once, I'll chop your head off, right?"
No, to be precise, he had said, "If you come to me with your nonsense one more time, I'll chop your head off. Got it?"
Although, that's not really important right now.
"It's time for your head to be chopped off, you piece of shit."
As he walked slowly towards the kitchen, he opened a drawer filled with knives. The moment he opened the drawer, the blades gleamed in the light, their reflection appearing blurry in front of my eyes along with the knife he picked up.
I was about to die. I had thought such things only happened in the news, never imagining I'd find myself in such a situation.
Ah, the subwoofer. That's what led me to this point. Who would have thought? Killed over a speaker.
'To die a bachelor, that's somewhat regrettable.'
Excitement seemed to flicker across the upstairs man's face. And then, at some point, his knife-wielding hand soared high, as if to deliver judgment. I truly understood what a will to kill was at that moment.
I tightly shut my eyes. If there was a heaven, would I go there? I've lived a decent, good life, after all.
One second, two seconds, ten seconds, eleven seconds.
It was quiet. Why was it so quiet? Should I dare to open my eyes? What if he stabs me the moment I do? He's capable of that. After all, this is a man who would kill over a subwoofer.
Just a subwoofer.
I can't stand not knowing anymore. I decided to risk it all and see what was happening.
I forced my eyes open slightly. For some reason, the upstairs man was crouching, cursing under his breath.
"You really got lucky this time, you son of a bitch." His voice was filled with rage.
Suddenly, he clutched his chest, grimacing with pain. It seemed like his heart was troubling him.
"This is your last warning. If you piss me off one more time, the knife will be the first to act. Got it?"
I nodded weakly. Where did this strength come from? I hadn't even eaten ramen today.
And with that, the upstairs man, clutching his chest, quickly left the scene.
I survived. I was battered and bruised, but I survived.
My body felt as if it was engulfed in flames, my face and limbs swelling in extreme pain. Yet somewhere within me, a strange peace prevailed. Perhaps enduring all this pain was possible because of the deep relief that I had survived. As this thought crossed my mind, my eyelids became as heavy as lead, and it felt as if the weight of the world was suddenly upon me.
How long had I been unconscious? When I awoke, it was already bright outside. I fumbled for my phone.
9:03 AM
December 21, 2022
I had been out cold for an entire day.
My stomach growled with a sharp sickness, even amidst the pain.
I need to... eat ramen.
Ah, but I don't have any.
'How did my life come to this?' With that thought, a deep sense of regret and a longing for change seized my heart. 'I must change now. I have to escape this wretched life. I'll survive till the end and somehow repay this agony.'
***
#2 The Troublesome Neighbor (4)
A month had passed since I decided on revenge. That month felt like waging an endless war, and my life was filled with passion, more than ever before. From the first chirp of dawn to late at night, I did not rest, keeping a vigilant watch over the people living upstairs.
Over the month, I gradually and thoroughly understood their way of life. I discovered when they left the house, when they returned, and even on which days they slept in. Now, I had a precise grasp of the hidden crevices within their daily routines.
Digging into their personal information turned out to be surprisingly easy. A simple act of checking their mailbox revealed the identity of the woman upstairs.
Finding her social media accounts was also unexpectedly straightforward. In less than a day, I had thoroughly sifted through her online life. Her account acted like a key, and with it, I managed to unlock and knock down the dominoes of her family members' information one by one.
Lee Han-soo, Kim Min-jung, Lee Ji-hoon, Lee Yu-na. These names had now become crucial keys in my plan for revenge.
Kim Min-jung was an insurance salesperson, and Lee Ji-hoon had recently returned to college after completing his military service. Lee Yu-na appeared to be a college student, but since there were no campus photos on her SNS, I tentatively classified her as unemployed.
Lastly, the upstairs man, Lee Han-soo, remained a mystery regarding his occupation. Although he had created an SNS account, he left no trace of any activity there. Moreover, his lifestyle pattern was unpredictable, sometimes waking up at dawn and other times not until the sun was high in the sky.
But that was okay. At the very least, I could eavesdrop on their conversations.
However, I couldn't be complacent. To collect more precise information, I needed to distinguish even the footsteps of the people upstairs. And now, a month later, I had finally become able to identify each of their footsteps.
Soon after, thump thump thump thump.
These were the footsteps of Lee Han-soo's daughter, Lee Yu-na. Her light body weight meant her footsteps were softer, and the short stride made the thumping intervals closer together.
Lately, Lee Yu-na always goes out on Friday nights. She either comes back early on Saturday morning or Sunday evening.
Then, thud, thud, thud. Slow and heavy reverberations. These were Lee Han-soo's footsteps.
The footsteps of Lee Han-soo and his son, Lee Ji-hoon, were very similar to each other. It took careful listening to differentiate between them, but I managed it, in only a month. Revenge had pushed my abilities to their limits.
Now, all preparations were complete. Next Friday, I will act to achieve my goal. And then, I will have my revenge.