Free Web NovelHe had definitely fallen asleep on the sofa, but the place he woke up was the bed. He’d wondered how he could’ve pulled the curtains while lying on the sofa, but since he was on the bed under the window, it made sense.
Had he moved while half asleep because it was uncomfortable. Looking around, Lee Kangjoo was gone. He’d left without a sound.
He could’ve at least said he was leaving.
Swallowing the disappointment, Haejun stretched lazily and got out of bed. The only thing left behind on the table—a lone bottle of water—was proof that Lee Kangjoo had been there at dawn.
He was about to grab a new one from the fridge, but the half-drunk bottle felt like a waste, so he picked up the water Lee Kangjoo had left.
He hesitated for a moment before putting it to his lips. Then, not knowing why he was even hesitating over something this stupid, he muttered screw it and drank. The water going down his throat tasted oddly sweet.
He’d heard something before falling asleep last night.
“What was it again.”
Staring into empty space, taking a few more gulps, he sank into thought. Only after his dry throat felt soothed did it come back to him.
‘Did you wait long?’
It was a strange question. Not long, but much. The wording was awkward, but the answer had come easily.
He’d been waiting for Lee Kangjoo. That was the task given to him. What he was supposed to do.
Was there any meaning beyond that.
“.......”
Holding the water bottle with both hands, Haejun stared blankly at the bed. The spot where Lee Kangjoo had been lying at dawn. He staggered over and dropped to his knees with a dull thud, burying his face in the rumpled bedding. He inhaled deeply.
There was no scent of him. Just dry cotton and a faint trace of fabric softener.
If he hadn’t moved to the bed, would Lee Kangjoo’s scent have remained. It felt stupidly regretful that he’d erased it by lying there himself.
Haejun brushed the blanket lightly with his fingertips. The warmth baked in by sunlight was the closest thing left to Lee Kangjoo’s body heat. He leaned his cheek into it.
I think so, he’d answered.
“Did he hear that.”
He hoped not. Once sobriety set in, drunken rambling and half-asleep honesty were the most embarrassing things in the world.
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Haejun stopped short while crossing the hallway. The trash and empty boxes piled outside the neighboring unit had increased even more.
The weather was cool, so there weren’t many bugs yet, but if it stayed like this, they’d swarm soon enough. It needed to be cleaned up. There were signs someone lived next door now, but the place was dead quiet.
They’d take care of it themselves, he figured, losing interest as he headed home. Then he noticed a note stuck to his door.
It’s extremely noisy at night. Please be quiet.
He gasped and covered his mouth. Looking around, he tried to figure out which unit had left it.
The hallway was silent. There usually weren’t loud people on his floor. Maybe it was from downstairs. He didn’t run around or stomp, but when he slept with Lee Kangjoo, the bed could’ve squeaked, or the headboard might’ve hit the wall.
I’ll be careful from now on.
Firmly resolving that, he peeled the note off and slipped inside quietly, killing his footsteps as much as possible.
There was no word from Lee Kangjoo that day. Deciding he wasn’t coming, Haejun relaxed and flopped onto the sofa. The silence was uncomfortable, so he turned on the TV while burying his eyes in his phone.
He’d picked up a new habit lately. Before, he’d mindlessly killed time watching short videos on repeat. Now, during every break, he slowly replayed the conversations he’d had with Lee Kangjoo. There was no special topic. He sent messages reporting what he’d done that day, what he’d eaten, what had happened.
Lee Kangjoo was slow to read them, probably busy. Still, his replies came a little faster than before. Just short responses—okay, yeah—but Haejun appreciated even that. Sometimes he sent longer messages, usually asking whether Haejun had eaten, whether he’d slept well.
Biting down on the tip of his tongue like a shellfish, Haejun typed that he’d finished deliveries and was home. He was debating what to write next when the doorbell rang.
Ding-dong.
It wouldn’t be Lee Kangjoo. He hadn’t ordered food either, so he had no idea who it could be.
“Who is it.”
Even when Haejun called out, the person only kept jabbing the doorbell irritably. On the intercom monitor was a strange man with his hood pulled low, head bowed.
He tried to ignore it, but this time fists started pounding against the door. Each blow was as full of irritation as the doorbell. It felt like the whole building would come running, so Haejun hurriedly opened the door.
In the hallway stood a man with shaggy hair spilling out from under his hood, looking like he hadn’t shaved in days. His clothes were ragged, and his whole body gave off a sour, stale stench. The kind of smell you get from rotting trash left in an unventilated room.
Haejun knew that smell well.
“Didn’t—didn’t you see the note?”
So this was the guy who’d left it. The man couldn’t look Haejun straight in the eye, his gaze rolling around. When their eyes did meet, there was a wild gleam in his pupils that made Haejun’s skin crawl.
“Y-you’re loud. You yelling and screaming, and the se-sex sounds—it all comes through the wall!”
“What? When?”
“From the start! Even now! You fucker, you’re cursing me in your head right now! I can hear it!”
The man screamed, spit flying everywhere. He bulged his eyes until the whites showed and yanked at his own hair. His body trembled so badly it looked like he might collapse into a seizure any second.
“Sir, please don’t do this here.... I’ll be more careful.”
No matter how Haejun tried to calm him, the man kept shouting. Saying he couldn’t sleep because of him. Asking if Haejun was trying to drive him to death. He even started clawing at his own face. Red lines appeared, then blood welled up, but the man didn’t stop.
The hallway echoed with the commotion. One by one, doors cracked open, neighbors peeking out to see what was happening.
“I said I’ll be quiet!”
If this were anywhere else, he’d have snapped back that he’d never made noise. But he didn’t want to cause trouble in the place Lee Kangjoo had given him and get thrown out. Whatever answer the man wanted, Haejun had given it.
The man stopped scratching, then slowly twisted his neck like a wooden puppet and grinned, showing yellowed teeth.
“I-I’ll be watching you.”
Leaving that warning behind, the man turned away. The unit piled with trash next door was his. Even as he opened the door, he shot Haejun a chilling look.
Back inside, Haejun muted the TV immediately. Pressing his ear to the wall facing next door, he strained to hear something—anything—but barely any sound came through.
Had he really been that loud.
Unintentionally rude. And since the landlord wasn’t him but Lee Kangjoo, it bothered him even more. There was no choice but to be extra careful. Rubbing his face, fatigue heavy in his expression, Haejun sighed.
* * *
“...Hey. Hey!”
Someone shook his shoulder, and he snapped awake. It was Yohan. Haejun blinked, then buried his face ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) in his hands.
He’d dozed off again.
“Did you not sleep last night?”
“Yeah.”
There was no strength in his voice. Haejun sagged like a jellyfish and slumped over his bike. He needed to catch calls, but riding in this condition was a guaranteed accident. He was unbearably sleepy. Even when he forced his eyes open, they slid shut in less than a second.
“That’s enough for today. Go home and get some sleep. You’re gonna get yourself killed.”
Haejun looked at Yohan with bleary eyes. At the word home, a heavy sigh escaped him. He wanted to sleep too, desperately—but home was the one place he couldn’t rest at all. Lately, there was nowhere more uncomfortable than his own place.
“What. Something wrong?”
Yohan must’ve read it on his face. Haejun pushed out his lower lip, making a miserable face, then pressed a warm hand to his forehead. His body felt wrecked from lack of sleep.
“I’m seriously losing my mind.”
The complaint spilled out on its own. Haejun squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled deeply, hot breath pouring out.
The guy next door was insane. Not an insult—just a statement of fact.
He banged on the walls at all hours. Screamed like he was being torn apart. Because Haejun was supposedly noisy. freewёbnoνel.com
Thunder at least came with lightning as a warning. That guy screamed without any warning at all. Slammed the walls. Mashed the doorbell. Earbuds didn’t help. The vibrations shaking the walls jolted him awake over and over.
What pissed him off even more was that the lunatic, for all that, had perfect judgment.
On days Lee Kangjoo came over, it was dead silent. Not a sound. Like he was even holding his breath.
“A crazy fucker moved in next door. Like, actually insane.”
