Villain Episode 6
#1 Troublesome Neighbor (6)
Beep.
The front door buzzed open, and the once dark space was instantly illuminated by the light from the entrance. It had to be either Han-su Lee or Yu-na Lee, one of the two.
"Ahem."
The source of the cough was none other than Han-su Lee. My true target had finally arrived.
I held my breath and crouched down next to the sofa. Being small in size, I could easily hide my presence just by lying flat against the couch.
Despite having killed four people today, the thought of facing Han-su Lee made my heart shrink.
'I've already killed four with this knife. The first is the hardest, the second and third are easier. So, I can do this again.'
Life is unpredictable. Once ignored by everyone, I had now become a murderer, responsible for the deaths of four people, a serial killer.
'How absurd.'
Yet, I was more satisfied with myself now than ever before.
I was, in fact, filled with rage. My heart was always a boiling furnace.
'I just tried to ignore that fact.'
I was always dissatisfied with being disregarded by others. Finally, I found relief through murder. Naturally, my satisfaction was high.
Anyway, I was thinking too much. For now, I needed to survive this situation. Focus.
Han-su Lee was bigger than Ji-hoon Lee. There was no way to win except by surprise. And the outcome of that action was clear: kill or be killed.
My hand, clutching the knife, tightened. And then, Han-su Lee entered the living room. I saw his large foot. I quickly slashed down with the knife, aiming to immobilize him by targeting his foot.
'What?'
If things had gone as planned, Han-su Lee's foot would have been pierced by the knife, bleeding profusely. He should have fallen down, screaming in pain.
However, there was no foot where I had struck with the knife.
'What's going on?'
My plan had failed. Realizing this, my heart raced. It was my turn to be on the receiving end.
'I won't get another chance. Is this the end?'
I quickly lifted my head to grasp the situation. As expected, Han-su Lee was unscathed. A giant bear of a man stared down at me with a twisted expression.
"This little rat..."
He immediately grabbed my hair.
"Come out here, you bastard. I wondered why the air in the house felt foul."
The air in the house? Could that really alert someone to something amiss? It's unlikely. He must have instinctively felt something was off.
"Ah, a knife? Planning to take me down, were you? You're done for today, you little shit."
He raised his fist. Instinctively, I lifted my arms to defend, but Han-su Lee's punch was already inches from my face.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heavy fists hit my face three times in quick succession, and blood flowed freely. I couldn't smell, and suddenly the taste of warm blood streamed down and filled my mouth.
"Let's see, you little shit. Who sent you to kill me? Who sent you? Huh? I should've recognized the moment you started loitering around me. Which little shit asked you to take me down? Speak up, won't you?"
"It's not... that..."
"Speak clearly, you little shit. Stop stuttering."
Thump.
This time, a punch landed on my stomach. I fell to the ground, clutching my stomach, unable to breathe. The blood dripping from my lips was red.
Han-su Lee grabbed my hair, which was sprawled on the ground. Then, with the strength of his arm alone, he lifted me up. Our eyes met directly.
"Who sent you, you bastard? If you don't speak, I'll slowly break each of the 206 bones in your body."
Perhaps it was my foolish stubbornness, but I wanted to make my intentions clear to him.
"Revenge... Noise... Between floors..."
"What? Revenge? Noise between floors? You broke into our house for revenge over that?"
Han-su Lee looked at me incredulously for a moment.
"You're risking your life over some noise? I thought you were a weakling, but turns out you're a complete nutcase."
Han-su Lee suddenly glanced towards the bedroom, sensing something was off.
'This man, he's like a monster with his instincts.'
"Shit, could it be?"
Han-su Lee threw me aside and rushed into the bedroom.
I was curious about his reaction upon discovering the cold body of his wife. Han-su Lee would surely lose his composure. But at the same time, I had another expectation. To see him un phased even in the face of death.
Finally, facing the reality unfolding in the bedroom, Han-su Lee's eyes widened. Slowly, his gaze shifted back to me. In this moment, I hoped Han-su Lee would experience a depth of emotional pain unlike any other in the world.
"You've made a huge mistake, you bastard. A really big mistake."
As he spoke, Han-su Lee pulled a filleting knife from his pocket. It was the kind of knife you'd see in a crime movie.
'Why does Han-su Lee carry a filleting knife in his pocket? And it made my knife look inferior.'
Ordinary people don't carry around a filleting knife. A kitchen knife, like mine, maybe, but not a filleting knife.
"I swear I'll cut your throat today and offer it to my family's ancestral rites."
Han-su Lee, unable to control his anger, clenched his teeth as he continued.
"You've done something you shouldn't have."
Truthfully, I wasn't unarmed either. Initially, I had two knives, and he had only taken one from me. Unaware of this, Han-su Lee approached me aggressively.
"Come here, you fucking bastard!"
I quickly drew the knife I had hidden behind my back and stabbed it into his calf. Han-su Lee's gaze slowly moved to where the knife was embedded in his calf. He seemed surprised.
"You, mixed-breed bastard..."
I didn't give Han-su Lee any time. I picked up the knife that had fallen during our fight and repeatedly stabbed around the side of his abdomen. Given Han-su Lee's height advantage over me, targeting his abdomen was the best option while he was down.
"Ugh."
Finally, a shallow moan escaped Han-su Lee's lips.
"You... fucking..."
I wanted to completely cut off his breath. So, I thrust the knife into his abdomen again, where blood gushed out from the previously stabbed spot.
"To end up like this... by such a shitty guy... Ah, fuck."
Han-su Lee glared at me with blurry eyes. Then, he finally kneeled down. This was my moment. I seized the opportunity and unleashed all the pent-up rage with all my might.
Thump.
My fist hit Han-su Lee's face.
"That's why!"
Thump.
"Why do you!"
Thump.
"Pick on!"
Thump.
"People who are just!"
Thump.
"Living their lives!"
Thump.
"Why!"
I looked at my hands, smeared with blood. I couldn't understand where this strength had come from all of a sudden. It felt like clinging to the last strand of energy, which then responded to my will.
"If you want to apologize... you can do it now." I said.
I was standing, and he was sprawled on the floor. I, not he, was the final victor. I did want an apology from Han-su Lee. After all, all the wrongdoings were his fault.
My request wasn't difficult or unfair. What I wanted was my rightful claim. The right to sleep peacefully and quietly.
A smirk appeared on Han-su Lee's face. He shook his head, dismissing me.
"...You've entered... an irreversible... path. You dare... to walk... that path..."
Irreversible path? I had already killed five people. I had stepped onto an irreversible path a long time ago.
Regardless, I had to see through what I started. With a firm resolve, I slowly pulled the deeply embedded knife from Han-su Lee's side. As the knife was removed, blood spurted out like a fountain.
"Ugh."
A weak moan leaked from Han-su Lee's lips.
"Let me... make one request."
Han-su Lee gasped for air.
I crouched down to meet his eyes, curious about a dying man's request.
"Tell me."
"Don't kill... my daughter. She's innocent... you fucking... bastard."
Han-su Lee wasn't completely despicable, it seemed.
I had killed his family for one reason: they were guilty too. They looked at me like I was an insect in the elevator and the complex, deliberately made noise, ignored me, and condoned Han-su Lee's misdeeds.
'Wait...'
On second thought, sparing Han-su Lee's daughter might bring her more suffering. She would have to live with the memory of her murdered family for the rest of her life.
Chills ran down my arm. Even by my standards, this was a cruel thought.
'Let's leave Yu-na's fate to the heavens.'
If Yu-na comes home tonight, she will die by my hand. But if she doesn't come home tonight, Han-su Lee's daughter might live.
Will the heavens spare Yu-na?
Han-su Lee's eyes were unfocused, staring into the void as if he had already departed from this world. Had he apologized for his disdain towards me before dying, it would have been a perfect ending, but he did not.
I stood up, feeling sore all over. The most troublesome time had come.
Cleaning up the corpse.
"Sigh."
As I reached to drag Han-su Lee's ankles towards the bedroom, I had to stop. A black robe was floating in front of me, literally just a black robe hovering in the air. How had it entered without making a sound?
"Ah, not surprised?" A voice leaked from within the robe.
"I need to see you to be surprised."
"Oops, my mistake."
Then, red eyes appeared within the robe, but that was all.
"You're still not surprised?"
I couldn't understand why this unknown entity kept expecting me to be surprised.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Who I am is not important. What matters is why I'm here. I'll explain quickly and then I have to go. Someone is waiting for me."
I nodded slightly.
"I will give you power."
"Power?"
"Yes, power. The kind of power beyond any human's reach."
"And what am I supposed to do with it?"
The entity seemed momentarily lost for words, as if it hadn't thought that far ahead.
"That's for you to figure out, kid. Am I supposed to decide that for you too?"
"People usually expect something in return when they give power―"
"Ah, right. That was the case. Do whatever you wish. Fulfill your deepest desire."
"I don't really have such a desire?"
"No, you do. And I know what it is."
It was puzzling why it would ask if it already knew.
"You wish to exact revenge on humans."
That hit home. So I quietly agreed in my mind.
"Do that. Don't hesitate and just go for it. But in return, you will make a contract with me. You will receive power, but your body will belong to me."
The mysterious entity drew closer.
"What that means is, whenever I wish, I can take your body. Do you still want the power, or not?"
I never said I wanted the power, but the offer didn't seem too bad. After all, what's left of my life might not be long—fifty years at best, or much shorter if unlucky.
"But why me?"
The red eyes within the smoked robe glowed.
"Because I see a powerful rage in you. Anyway, I must hurry."
As the entity finished speaking, an unfamiliar sensation swept through my body, as if my soul was being separated from it.
"Nothing comes without a price, human. It might be quite painful. If your body can't handle the power I give, you might die. So, try to endure."
The power could kill me now? Such things should be mentioned before a contract is made―
"Argh!"
Before I could finish my thought, an unprecedented agony tore through my body.