Villain Episode 5
#1 The Troublesome Neighbor (5)
Friday, January 20, 2023. Seongwun Special City.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the rain trickles down. The perfect noise created by this rain was enough to conceal the screams that would be unleashed today.
Today was going to be a monumental day. Unfortunate for the victim, but that was not my concern. The only thing that mattered to me was that I was no longer the victim.
"From now on, I'm not the victim; I'm the perpetrator."
The sound of the door always followed the outings of upstairs neighbors. Thanks to them slamming the door, I could tell whenever they left and when they came back home.
And I always made sure to double-check their departure by watching from the balcony, not forgetting to take notes. Day by day, their schedule accumulated. I've never been more passionate about tracking someone's every move.
Today, I was finally going to execute my plan. According to the information I've diligently collected, today was the only day Kim Minjung would be alone.
I casually glanced at the clock. Three o'clock. It was time for the curtain to rise on this stage. Of course, this play is no hero's tale. A villain avenging a villain. Or a revenge drama. And I am the protagonist of this drama.
I prepared a waterproof outfit for today.
Sigh.
I took a deep breath and prepared to open the door. A mix of excitement and tension twisted inside me. Soon, I would face the problem I had been worrying about for a month but hadn't solved.
"How to get inside the house."
I concluded I couldn't kill at the entrance. Blood would splatter everywhere. So, I had to find a way to get inside and close the door.
Knocking on the door usually works. That part is easy. But getting inside is a whole different story. Who would easily let a stranger in?
But the dice had already rolled. I couldn't delay any longer. I had to face it head-on.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Who is it?"
As expected, Kim Minjung's sharp voice rang out.
"I live downstairs."
"From downstairs? What do you want?"
"I have something to tell you. And to give you."
The sound of Kim Minjung walking approached, and soon the door opened. Until here, everything went smoothly.
"What do you want to say?"
Kim Minjung, looking down at me with disdain, was taller than me. Perhaps because of this, she didn't seem to have her guard up against me at all.
"Maybe her husband talked about me. Said I'm a weakling. Not worth their attention."
It didn't matter. Her lack of caution was rather a blessing for me.
"Come on, spit it out."
Impatience oozed from Kim Minjung's voice.
"It's not important. I just wanted to apologize for the other day."
I held out a basket of fruits I had spent a good amount of money on. The woman looked at me with a surprised expression.
"The other day?"
"Yes. There was an unpleasant incident with your husband. He's not home, is he?"
I pretended not to know, though of course I already did.
"What's it to you?"
Kim Minjung snatched the fruit basket with a fierce reply. Her attention was fully on the basket.
'Now's my chance.'
Pretending to take something out of my pocket, I deliberately dropped a coin inside the doorway.
"Ah, sorry. Could you please pick up that coin?"
"Really, what a hassle. People can be so bothersome."
As Kim Minjung turned around and bent down, I quickly slipped through the gap of the door and entered. With no guard up, the woman was easily pushed aside. Caught off guard, she almost fell.
Thud.
I quickly closed and locked the door behind me, every movement calculated in my head. At that moment, a mix of fear and excitement overwhelmed me.
"Wha, what are you doing―"
I stabbed the woman's neck with the knife I had kept in my back pocket. Not stopping at once, I aimed multiple stabs at Kim Minjung's neck. Blood spurted like a fountain.
It all happened in an instant.
The woman fell to the ground without even screaming. Kim Minjung tried to crawl towards the entrance door but barely moved.
'Bleeding out yet trying to live.'
Futile, indeed.
At this very moment, I was no longer a victim. Something inside me was awakening.
"I can't save you. It can't be done that way, ma'am."
I stabbed Kim Minjung's neck again with the knife. It was strange. I was certain she would soon die.
As I expected, Kim Minjung soon breathed her last breath. But I didn't feel sorry at all. I hoped she would go to hell and suffer there forever.
At a glance, Kim Minjung might seem innocent. But upon closer inspection, she too was guilty.
Guilty of belittling others, and of choosing the wrong husband.
I quickly dragged Kim Minjung's body into the bedroom. I cleaned the floor in preparation for the rest of the family's return, though it didn't need to be spotless. After all, the floor would be stained with blood again soon enough.
The first murder experience was surprisingly pleasant. I understood what adrenaline was. It felt like my instincts had been awakened from a long sleep.
I waited in the darkness for my next prey. How long had passed? I heard the sound of the door's keypad.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
The noise beyond the door indicated it must be the son. But why the noise? There shouldn't be any if he was alone.
"Ah, damn it. Is our house a bar or something? Why come to our house to drink?"
It was unexpected. Lee Jihoon was not alone.
Ding-dong.
Without time to adjust my plan, the front door opened, and my heart raced. Facing several men alone was daunting; I wasn't sure if I could handle them. The only certainty was that my plan had hit a snag.
"Come in, come in."
"Hey, you bastard. Why are you telling people to come in? It's not even your house."
"Hahaha. What can you do?"
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Mom! Mom! Why are all the lights off!"
Lee Jihoon cautiously opened the door and stepped into the living room. Suddenly, the darkness lifted, and light flooded in. I was hiding beside the sofa in the shadowy part of the room. Holding my breath, trying to silence even my heartbeat, I watched Lee Jihoon. Then, our eyes met. Time seemed to pause, all sounds of the world disappearing.
Surprise flickered in Lee Jihoon's eyes. Beside him stood two of his friends, their faces showing they couldn't predict how this situation would unfold.
Lee Jihoon broke the silence.
"Who are you?"
Lee Jihoon seemed bigger up close than from afar. His imposing size felt different at this distance.
"Who are you to be here?"
"Is he a thief?"
One of Lee Jihoon's friends interjected.
"Are you a thief?"
I remained silent in response to Lee Jihoon's question.
"Hey, why no answer? It's frustrating."
Lee Jihoon's friend added.
"Silent, huh? Definitely a thief then."
"So, it's totally fine to beat him up, right? Hey, grab this guy."
Lee Jihoon gestured to his friends. They approached me, large as Lee Jihoon himself.
"Mom! Mom!"
While Lee Jihoon's friends held me, Lee Jihoon walked toward the bedroom.
"Stay still, idiot. You don't want to die, do you?"
"One hand is enough to hold him, right?"
"Do people still even do burglaries these days?"
As Lee Jihoon's friends mocked me, Lee Jihoon flung open the bedroom door. His expression changed drastically. He finally realized the gravity of the situation.
"Oh, Mom! Mom!"
Lee Jihoon looked at me with a twisted face, having seen his dead mother. How he must feel. But I remained calm; it wasn't my mother who had died.
"You, you bastard!"
Now a murderer, I would likely rot in jail forever if caught. Rather than that, I decided to let out all the anger I had accumulated and die.
But I wouldn't die alone. The three in front of me would join me on the journey to the underworld. The sin of choosing the wrong father, the wrong friends. Now, they would bear that sin together on their way to the underworld with me.
I took out the spare knife I had prepared and stabbed one of the men holding me in the thigh. The moment the blade pierced the flesh, screams erupted. If someone heard the screams, so be it. But it seemed unlikely, as a winter downpour raged outside the window.
A winter downpour. The sound of the rain was fierce. It felt like even the heavens were aiding me.
"You, damn it! What have you done!"
Lee Jihoon looked utterly shocked. Had this large young man ever seen someone get stabbed before?
As the friends screamed with the knife still embedded, I quickly silenced them. I wasn't sure when Lee Jihoon would attack me.
Unlike the first time, I efficiently killed two adult men in a short moment. Maybe I had a natural talent for murder.
Now, only Lee Jihoon remained.
Lee Jihoon and his friends' lack of caution was a blessing. If they had been slightly more suspicious or if I had been a bit bigger, they would have called the police immediately.
'If that had happened, the situation would have unfolded very differently.'
It dawned on me that my seemingly frail and small body might actually be my weapon. Their underestimation and lack of vigilance were advantageous to me.
Lee Jihoon's eyes frantically searched around. He was clearly looking for a weapon. But even if he found something to use, the situation wouldn't change. The fundamental difference between someone experienced in killing and someone who isn't lies in the composure that experience brings. At this moment, I was a being who towered above just a big-bodied young man.
I positioned myself with my back against the entrance. First, I had to block any attempt by this young lamb to escape.
Tension thickly filled the blood-soaked living room.
Even my slightest movement would provoke a big reaction from Lee Jihoon. Then, killing him would be easy. The problem was the difference in our sizes. If I approached first, it would be disadvantageous. So, provoking him emotionally to make the first move seemed like the best option.
"You don't have any grudge against me. If there's any fault, it's actually Lee Hansu, your father. Your father is the one at fault. He's so ignorant and barbaric that he doesn't even seem human."
"Shut your mouth before I rip it apart."
Despite his words, Lee Jihoon was trembling.
Lee Jihoon's gaze shifted to his friends lying dead. Finally, his eyes rested on the knife embedded in his last friend's body. He alternated between looking at me and the knife.
It was time to deliver the final blow.
"Ah, and about your mother..."
I deliberately shifted my gaze towards the bedroom before locking eyes with Lee Jihoon again.
"She begged a lot, pleading for her life."
"You son of a bitch! Without that knife, you're nothing! You bastard!"
Before I could finish my sentence, Lee Jihoon charged at me in a rage. As expected. Despite the clear physical disparity, Lee Jihoon overlooked one crucial detail.
I had prepared two knives from the start.
Now, the only remaining targets were Lee Hansu and his daughter Lee Yuna.