The Worst Guy Next Door
2017.11.03.
Name: Gu Hawon.
Age: exactly thirty, filled to the brim without a single gap.
A South Korean woman at that age when they say the most alluring and voluptuous flower of a woman’s life is in full bloom.
At this age, there are people around me busily handing out wedding invitations, saying they’re getting married.
But I invest that time in myself.
Once you marry, childbirth and child-rearing inevitably follow one after another like linked sausages.
My personal philosophy is that I’d much rather devote more affection and time to myself.
My academic background is fairly decent, and I’m not stupid either.
My job is one that everyone dreams of and envies at least once. C. E. O.
Since it’s that kind of job, I never have to watch anyone’s mood, so aside from the occasional work stress, it’s basically a sweet gig.
So what do I do by myself?
Travel twice a year.
Visit an art museum once a month.
Elegantly attend classical performances by season.
Etcetera… yeah, right.
At home, I wear a comfortable tracksuit, scratch my back with my hand slipped underneath, become one with the sofa, and watch TV. That’s the best.
If I have dried squid legs and beer, that’s the icing on the cake!
Ah, except for heel shopping.
Heels are what I love most.
What a perfect single life!
With no one interfering and no one to take care of, this is truly no different from paradise and heaven.
That’s how it was……
My life had been so perfect……
But from some point on, my life gradually started going downhill, and I began to feel tired.
All because of that man.
.
.
.
“Sigh, I’m tired.”
Dragging my exhausted body through the front door, even the bright light shining above my head felt irritating.
Having spent the last few days busy and completely out of it, I couldn’t even remember how I’d gotten home.
Blank behind the wheel.
Blank in the elevator.
Blank, blank, blank……
“Kki-ing, kki-ing—.”
The moment I took off my shoes, a fluffy ball of fur darted out from inside and greeted me happily.
Hurry up and pick me up, you dog mom.
Eojju, my six-month-old male Pomeranian puppy, wagged his tail fiercely and gave me a look that said, *Pick me up.*
I didn’t even take off my cardigan before lifting him up.
“Kk-eung, you’re heavy.”
He was only six months old, but I’d accidentally given him two paper cups’ worth per meal instead of two cups per day.
Thanks to that, Eojju’s frame was exceptionally robust and extraordinary.
“Were you good, Eojju?”
I gave Eojju a little kiss on the nose.
“Ah, right.”
Heading to the living room while holding him, I turned back toward the entryway as if I’d forgotten something.
And picked up the heels I’d taken off.
“I need to put these away properly.”
A heel fetishist.
No, to be precise, Gu Hawon was a fetishist of all types of shoes.
Whether flipping through magazines at the salon or shopping at department stores, I only ever had eyes for shoes.
When I’d first brought Eojju home, cluelessly leaving my shoes by the front door as usual,
the next morning, they greeted me in a miserable state.
Furious, I ran to Eojju and tried to scold him loudly.
But Eojju just blinked his big, innocent eyes, wagged his tail, and licked my hand.
At that sight, instead of scolding him, I immediately disarmed and melted.
“That’s right… what wrong could you have done? It’s my fault for not putting away shoes that were perfectly shaped for you to chew and play with.”
After that, no matter what, I never left my shoes by the front door.
“Wait here, Eojju.”
As if understanding me, Eojju let out a short bark in reply.
I set Eojju down, turned the doorknob, and went inside.
Though I even sleep with Eojju, this room alone was a dog-free zone.
My most cherished walk-in closet in the house.
It was decorated with more care than even my bedroom.
So much so that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say there were more shoes than clothes; the room was filled with shoes I’d meticulously collected over time.
Looking at them showing off their beautiful forms as they waited for me, I felt I could go without sleep or food and be just fine.
Having happily inspected my prized collection as if stamping each one with my gaze, I threw off my suit and cardigan and rummaged through a black drawer in the corner.
What I pulled out were tacky leopard-print elastic sweatpants that looked like something a wannabe thug might wear while bowing to his boss, and a stretched-out white cotton T-shirt.
The elastic pants were something I’d gotten the previous winter while helping make kimchi at my grandmother’s house in the countryside.
Apparently, they were the hottest fashion style in that neighborhood.
I glanced at the leopard print messily plastered with every color of the rainbow and thought,
“Comfort really is best at home.”
I joyfully flung off the bra that had been restraining my chest.
“See you tomorrow, my babies.”
I spoke to my shoes with a loving gaze, then turned off the light and closed the door.
* * *
“…Ah, I dozed off.”
When I opened my eyes, the TV chattering loudly all by itself came into view.
It seemed I’d fallen asleep while lying down for a quick rest.
The clock was already pointing at 2:50 AM.
“It’s already this late. What a waste.”
I muttered, disappointed.
I liked the night and early morning when the surroundings grew quiet and the commotion died down.
Maybe because everything became still, as if frozen in place.
The silence I felt from everything around me was like sweet honey.
Home was the only space where I could escape the bustling company and completely let go of everything.
Occasionally, unfinished work brought home was easier to focus on under the lamplight late at night.
When I had time, I’d watch movies at night, open the window, lean against the gently blowing breeze, and drink beer alone.
But to waste that precious time sleeping!!!
At least tomorrow was Saturday, so I didn’t have to go to work and could stay up even later without worrying about waking up early.
“Dinner time has passed, and cooking is a hassle… I’ll just fill up on beer.”
I opened the large living room window.
It was my own space that I’d found after pounding the pavement for a long time, wanting a house with large windows.
A large window that didn’t obstruct the view and the scenery beyond it.
It even came with a small outdoor balcony, perfect for placing and growing potted plants.
“Grrr, grrr,”
Seeing Eojju sleeping on his back like a person, snoring, I swallowed a laugh and went to the fridge to get a beer.
Preferring bottled beer to canned, I took a swig straight from the bottle and leaned my arm on the balcony.
“Kyaah, nice.”
Despite the hot summer weather, the wind blew quite refreshingly.
Outside the window, I could see moonlight reflected on the gently flowing Han River.
As I stared blankly at the moonlight floating on the water, the silence around me suddenly felt lonely.
I fiddled with my phone, looked at something for a moment, and soon music flowed from the Bluetooth speaker.
The breeze tickling the nape of my neck put me in a good mood, and I even started to hum along.
“!%@……!^%*!!!”
“Huh?”
Just as I was enjoying my pleasant alone time, a strange sound came from somewhere.
“What is that?”
I stopped the music, perked up my ears, and concentrated to find the source, but the surroundings had already gone quiet again.
Did I hear wrong……
Working in a noisy place, it seemed like I was hearing things.
Just as I tilted my head and brought the beer bottle to my lips again,
“Ah! ……Haah, ……Sejun!”
This time, clearer words reached my ears.
“What? This sound. It sounds like a woman’s voice.”
I wondered if someone had left their TV on.
“Haah…… hot, more……!”
A seductive, lustful woman’s voice came through even clearer this time.
Just as I was getting annoyed at the woman’s voice interrupting my leisure time immersed in moonlight and music,
Wait! But this sound…… could it be?!
Porn? Or… is a neighbor doing it live right now?
The sound I thought would die down pierced my ears again.
“Ah, no…… Seju……n”
Whipping my head around toward the sound, I heard a lewd woman’s moan coming from next door.
A wall blocked my view, so I couldn’t peek, but this was definitely coming from next door.
My widened eyes alternated between the clock and the moan-filled neighbor’s house as I started to grumble.
‘These people, seriously!!! Past three in the morning with the window wide open!!!’
Do they have any sense or not!
Meanwhile, my heart was on the verge of bursting from the rapturous sounds.
To make a virgin heart pound like this at such a dead hour!!!
Unable to listen to the woman’s increasingly thick, lust-filled moans any longer, I shouted toward the neighbor’s place.
“Oh, come on!!! You have a nice cool AC at home, why are you doing it with the window open?! Are you trying to show off to the whole neighborhood that you’re in heat and mating?!!!”
I huffed and closed the living room window.
A hot heat rising from deep inside me, I downed the rest of my beer in one go.
“You’re not even worth the sweat glands on Eojju’s paw pads!”
If you’re going to do it, do it with the windows closed! Why cause a nuisance to other people!
I hugged Eojju and lay on the bed, trying to fall asleep on my side.
But strangely, the woman’s moans from next door kept echoing in my head like a reverberation.
‘How long had the sound been going on? It seemed quite long……’
Is the man that strong……?
‘The woman was feeling it so much…… Is the woman sensitive, or is the man just that good?’
Did they hear my voice? ……They must have.
By the way…… are they still doing it?
My imagination gradually swelled in size and soon grew uncontrollable, swirling through my head.
No. Stop thinking!
Stop it, you stupid brain!
But once started, my imagination repeated endlessly.
I scratched my head in distress, trying to shake off the thoughts.
Despite my efforts, my mind incessantly replayed the woman’s moans.
Unable to bear it, I grabbed my phone and started searching for something.
The Heart Sutra, which was said to drive away demons that cloud the mind and liberate one from anguish.
“Maha prajna paramita…… Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, when practicing the profound prajna paramita, clearly saw that the five skandhas are all empty, crossing beyond all suffering and difficulty……”
As a monk’s rough voice reciting the sutra came out, I closed my eyes, breathed slowly, and focused on the Heart Sutra.
‘Focus, focus…… All of this is testing me. I can’t fall for it, I can’t. Let’s regain my composure and reason.’
It seemed to be working quite well.
But this too was only temporary.
“……form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.”
“Emptiness is form…… form…… se……x……!!!”
The word that popped out of my mouth so naturally as I followed the monk’s recitation instantly plunged me into the swamp of anguish.
Fired up, I shouted into the empty air.
“Uwaah!!! Please, let’s just sleep, please!!!”
Thanks to my thrashing, the bed became a complete mess, as if it had been bombed.
I tried covering myself completely with the blanket and even counted sheep, but it was only around dawn that I finally exhausted myself and fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
“Mmm, what time is it…… Huk! Two?”
Reaching for my phone on the nightstand the moment I opened my eyes, my eyes went wide.
After thrashing around in bed all alone out of frustration last night, I’d overslept.
“Ah, I need to get the newspaper. Why on earth does the paper come on Saturdays too……”
I kicked off the blanket and got up, thoughtlessly flinging open the front door.
And just as I bent down to pick up the newspaper, the neighbor’s door slid open and someone came out.
Having turned my head toward the sound without thinking, I made eye contact with an ill-mannered-looking man staring down at me arrogantly.
“…….”
“…….”
What? What’s with that rude gaze?
Since his gaze looking at me wasn’t friendly, I stared right back, unwilling to lose.
A moment of silence passed as we sized each other up, and then words suddenly jumped out of the man’s mouth.
“You look nothing special.”
“Wh-what?!”
He just said that to me, right?
Furious, I glared at the neighbor and was about to fire back when someone came out of the neighbor’s house and called out to him in a loud voice.
“Sejun! Where are my stockings??? I’ve torn the whole house apart and can’t find them anywhere.”
A woman in a skin-tight mini dress that looked like it cut off circulation and dangerously high heels that seemed ready to make her topple over at any moment seemed to be on a quest for her stockings.
So this was the woman who tortured me with noise all night yesterday?
Ignoring my glare as if brushing aside a speck of dust, the neighbor spoke to the woman.
“Check under the bed.”
“Ah! I didn’t think of that.”
At his words, the woman whipped her long brown hair—reaching down to her waist—and went back inside.
The moment she disappeared, I immediately started in on him as if I’d been waiting.
“Hey. What did you say to me just now? That I look nothing special? That’s incredibly rude coming from someone I just met.”
Me, Gu Hawon?! I’ve never gone anywhere without being called pretty.
I snorted.
“I was just stating the facts.”
His nonchalant reply made me even angrier.
“Ah, and you must look really special, doing your ‘productive work’ without a care in the world at the crack of dawn?”
Come to think of it, the neighbor’s appearance was extremely outstanding.
A sharp yet high nose bridge, refreshingly shaped eyes, and a smooth face shape.
His shoulders were so broad he could probably walk around using them as legs.
So what! His brain has zero decency!
I was someone who had to say what she needed to say even if it killed her.
Anyway, how is a guy like that living here?
Shouldn’t I file a complaint?
Where I lived was a luxury apartment with only twelve units per building, famous for having extremely strict residency requirements.
So when the real estate agent said it was perfect for people who valued privacy, I’d signed the contract without much thought.
But privacy, my foot.
“It is productive work, though.”
I let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded by his shameless words.
“Ha! Is this guy missing a screw?”
“Who’s complaining about you doing productive mating? Go ahead. Do it all you want, all night long, I don’t care. But have some decency while you’re at it?”
Despite my angry words, the man stood with his arms crossed, nonchalant.
“Blaring it to the whole neighborhood with your windows wide open is a huge nuisance to your neighbors.”
“I never opened them wide, though.”
I raised my voice at his arrogant tone.
“That mating you like so much isn’t something only you can do. People do it, animals do it, even tiny insects do it, so don’t make such a big deal. And since when did you know me well enough to speak casually to me?”
At my words, the neighbor leaned against the door with a frown and stared at me in silence.
See! He has nothing to say back!
Since I’m speaking nothing but the straightforward truth, he must be boiling inside with no way to retaliate.
Ugh, so satisfying!!
It was then. A single line flew toward me, intoxicated with victory.
“What. You’re fine.”
What? ‘You’re fine,’ all of a sudden?
Not understanding what he meant at all, I was met with him shaking his head.
And his following words.
“I thought… since your face was so hideous… [you were a] beau…ty.”