Delusive Fate

#098

Lee Han-sol tried to drive away his overflowing thoughts by hitting his thighs, arms, and head repeatedly. He banged his forehead against the wall and floor until his vision blurred. Don’t think. He had repeated this routine more than twenty times. Each time, being discarded like trash, how hard he had tried to forget Ki Baek-woo. How he had tried to grind away his feelings.

His thoughts staggered as if drunk. I’m not drunk, look carefully. Like a drunk person shouting and trying to focus their eyes and maintain balance, Lee Han-sol struggled to regain his senses.

Lee Han-sol, you’re being manipulated by that bastard Jung Yi-dam right now. Don’t think about anything else, just focus on getting back at Jung Yi-dam. Didn’t you decide to live well on your own? Why are you like this even here? You’re the pitiful one. Lee Han-sol, you’re the most pitiful. You… fuck, I didn’t do anything wrong. Ki Baek-woo is the traitor…

Lee Han-sol couldn’t bear the thoughts of Ki Baek-woo and Jung Yi-dam that repeated in order, but with various situations and dialogues. It felt like his frontal lobe had completely gone haywire. He absolutely didn’t want to be cooped up alone in a quiet house. That’s why he had been compulsively wandering outside.

So today too, Lee Han-sol resolutely went out. He headed alone to the main street he had been frequenting for days. He hoped that even if he wandered alone, being mixed in with noisy people would be better than the worst-case scenario.

But Lee Han-sol’s expectations were always crushed, and he returned to his neighborhood in less than an hour. Only to realize miserable facts.

“Fuck, I’m really no different from a lunatic…”

He thought he’d be okay outside even if alone. But he didn’t know he’d get so angry over trivial things. Empty-headed people giggling and wandering around as if something was so funny, couples who would soon become mortal enemies eager to kill each other even though they’re lovey-dovey now… Seeing such sights, Lee Han-sol felt anger rising for no reason. His clenched fists trembled with the urge to kill them all. Fuckers, is the world so enjoyable? He wanted to smash the faces of all those laughing with malicious grins.

What’s so good about it? It’s only fair if everyone’s unhappy. Lee Han-sol cursed inwardly. May everything you do fail and make you want to commit suicide. May all couples in the world betray and kill each other.

Why can’t I even manage to live well alone, why am I failing so miserably?

Lee Han-sol gritted his teeth and wandered the neighborhood, ready to beat up anyone who crossed his path. And the moment he entered a familiar alley, connected to the building where he had moved…

“Huh?”

A standard garbage bag, so full it was about to burst, with the top wrapped tightly with another bag. His eyes met with the man holding it. The man stepped back hesitantly, muttering “Uh…” once again. Lee Han-sol stood still, scanning up and down the man and the conscienceless garbage bag in his hand.

“…”

A shiny face that had become familiar from frequent recent encounters, though they weren’t acquainted. A clear impression that suggested he grew up sheltered like a greenhouse flower, probably clueless about the ways of the world. Perfectly drawn handsome eyebrows. Reminiscent of Ki Baek-woo…

No, stop. Lee Han-sol bit his lower lip hard once. Then, with gleaming eyes, he said:

“Freeze.”

“Uh, pardon?”

“If you don’t want to die, stay right there, you stalker bastard.”

You’re done for today.

***

“Have some coffee.”

At those words, Lee Han-sol glanced at the table. Noticing his gaze, the man continued warmly.

“Smells good, doesn’t it? There’s a cafe I like, and the owner does the roasting. I bought these beans just this morning, so they’re at their most fragrant.”

As he said, a sweet caramel-like aroma was spreading, filling the spacious house. Lee Han-sol tossed the stack of documents he had been looking at onto the table. The top of the scattered papers all read “Certificate of Registered Rights.” There was only one name under the rights holder: Choi Tae-hyuk.

Lee Han-sol’s gaze rudely scanned Choi Tae-hyuk up and down. He recalled one by one the stories he had heard from Mr. Bu Dong-suk of Bu Dong-suk Real Estate.

‘The owner of this place is a young man with a lot of money. I don’t know how someone so young has so many buildings, he must come from an incredible family. But that’s not all. He’s such a handsome man, I’ve never seen someone so good-looking outside of TV. I mean, our bachelor… what’s his name… Lee… Han-sol. Yes, our Han-sol is handsome too. Very handsome, but anyway, the owner there is really something. Rich, young, and his face is just dazzling. Maybe it’s because he lives so comfortably… even his personality is like this, like this.’

Lee Han-sol suddenly remembered Mr. Bu Dong-suk of Bu Dong-suk Real Estate, who had rambled on about the landlord without being asked while writing the lease contract, giving a thumbs up while sipping his mixed coffee. He asked the Bu Dong-suk-certified ‘dazzling landlord’ in a skewed posture:

“So, the reason you’ve dragged someone into your house to show this crap, I mean, this stuff is…?”

What, you’re filthy rich and I’m dirt poor, so I shouldn’t complain whether you throw trash on the street or not… Is that what you mean?

Choi Tae-hyuk, his expression unchanged, waved both hands frantically at Lee Han-sol, who was slandering him.

“No, it’s not like that. Please don’t misunderstand…!”

“Then, is it because you’re the landlord and I’m just a measly jeonse tenant, so I shouldn’t talk back…?”

“No, that’s, no. It’s absolutely not like that, I just wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, that’s why I invited you. You thought I was illegally dumping trash there, right?”

“…”

“And I’ve really wanted to have a one-on-one conversation with you like this, Han-sol. I’ve been trying to arrange it, but it never worked out, so I just took this opportunity to invite you…”

So, where Lee Han-sol was sitting now was the top floor of a five-story villa. The reason he was suddenly in an unfamiliar house, after rolling up his sleeves on the street ready to fight this illegal trash dumper to the death, was of course because of Choi Tae-hyuk in front of him.

Lee Han-sol, who had messed up even his plan to live well alone after nothing going right in his life, was prowling around angrily at that time.

Whether it’s jaywalkers or punks gathered spitting all over, just let anyone cross my path and I’ll take out all my anger on them. As he was muttering to himself, searching for a sacrificial lamb, he fatefully ran into Choi Tae-hyuk. Standing awkwardly holding a garbage bag, Choi Tae-hyuk looked like an illegal dumper to anyone.

‘Uh, it’s not that, uh, this is…’

Facing Lee Han-sol, who had stopped and was just staring at him silently, Choi Tae-hyuk stammered, trying to make excuses. The sight of him sweating profusely and looking nervous was also a typical guilty reaction of someone caught doing something they shouldn’t. Moreover, this location. This familiar street, just a few steps away from the building where Lee Han-sol had started living as a tenant, was a place familiar to Lee Han-sol in another sense as well.

‘What do you mean it’s not?’

This is the hotspot for illegal dumpers living in this area, what do you mean it’s not? Do you know how many trash bastards I’ve caught and taught a lesson here? You must think I’m some pushover, but you’ve got the wrong person.

Lee Han-sol yelled angrily. Yes, that place wasn’t simply one of the paths leading to Lee Han-sol’s house. It was an unofficial dumping ground seen frequently everywhere. A place where, for some reason, many people were dumping trash, even though it wasn’t officially designated as a dumping site by the country or agreed upon by the neighborhood residents… It was the hotspot for illegal dumpers.

Just last night, Lee Han-sol had caught someone throwing trash there and given them a moral lesson, and to him, Choi Tae-hyuk was no different from that guy yesterday. Although yesterday’s guy was an ugly man with a head as big as a frying pan, and Choi Tae-hyuk standing in front of him now had a face that was shining… Huh? Where have I seen this face before?

Where have I seen that face?

As Lee Han-sol was muttering to himself, filled with anger, he suddenly remembered something. Those handsome eyebrows that reminded him of someone. He immediately scrunched up his face and roared:

‘You bastard, you trash… I thought I’d seen you somewhere, you’re that pervert voyeuristic creepy stalker who’s been staring at me every day lately!’