Chapter 3. The Man Next Door (3)

Translator: Lili

“Why not just give me a fresh one? Stingy.”

I shot back as I bit down on the damp filter—wet with his saliva.
At that moment, a strangely refreshing scent wafted from his palm, just inches from my nose.

It wasn’t the cigarette. It was a clean, fresh smell that seemed to cut through the thick tobacco aroma. Maybe my sense of smell was acting up after so long. Surely it was impossible to detect another scent so clearly while inhaling such strong cigarette smoke.

Ignoring it, I took a deep drag on the cigarette, strong enough to create dimples in my cheeks, just as he had.

The acrid smoke filled my lungs before escaping through my nose, and the sensation was nothing short of ecstasy.

“Haah…”

“You’re really enjoying it.”

“It’s good.”

I closed my eyes briefly, savoring the moment, before opening them again. He took the cigarette back, inhaled, and handed it to me once more.

We took turns like that, passing the cigarette back and forth until it burned down to a stub. Watching him snuff it out with his fingers, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment and asked for another.

“Give me one more.”

“That was the last one.”

“…Seriously?”

I looked up at him with surprise, wondering if he really had shared his last cigarette with me. He chuckled.

“It was a big sacrifice for me, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess. Thanks. I enjoyed it.”

“Well, it was worth it, seeing how prettily you smoked.”

He flicked his lighter shut, and the world seemed even darker than before, as if the brief light had made the shadows deeper.

“Wanna suck a d*ck too?”

He asked, his tone smooth, almost casual.

I wasn’t particularly shocked. After all, I’d noticed the bulge growing in his pants from the second drag of the cigarette.

The fact that he’d peeked into a woman’s house in the first place already spoke volumes about his intentions. Minyoung had warned me plenty about how frivolous he was.

Remembering her advice to knock him down if he tried anything, I raised my gaze and met his.

“I’m not Choi Minyoung.”

“Who doesn’t know that?”

Had he forgotten about her already? Minyoung would love to hear this during my next visit with her.

“Just suck?”

I echoed his earlier words mockingly.

His low laughter filled the air.

After laughing for a while, he reached into the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a small cigarette box, no bigger than his palm.

“So, the last one was a lie.”

“Yup. Want to trade?”

I rolled my tongue inside my mouth, still tasting the lingering bitterness of the cigarette.

I didn’t have a penny to my name. I still wanted to smoke. It had been six years since my release. The man was attractive, and I had nothing else to do.

Several reasons for agreeing flashed through my mind, but ultimately, I found it all too tiresome.

“No, thanks.”

“Shame.”

He stepped back with surprising ease, contrary to the clingy behavior Minyoung had described.

“Hey, pretty.”

“What?”

I heard the faint sound of his chuckle again.

“You know you’re pretty, don’t you?”

“I just answered because I’m the only one here.”

“By the way, I’m older than Choi Minyoung.”

Handsome, but a bit of a boomer. I frowned at the thought.

“Are you telling me to use honorifics?”

“Of course not. That’s up to you. Just thought I’d let you know.”

“Got it. Now, go.”

The sound of his laughter drifted through the room again.

“Guess I was just used.”

Ignoring him, I sank back into the sofa, and soon his footsteps receded. I watched his large silhouette retreat at a slower pace than when he’d entered, but even that grew tiresome, so I closed my eyes.

“Ah.”

I heard his voice from the doorway.

“If you want another, leave the door open like today.”

“Why?”

“Neighbors should help each other out.”

With that, the door clicked shut.

***

The next day, out of curiosity, I opened the front door.

*Thud!*

Something hung on the door. Looking down, I saw an unopened pack of cigarettes and a disposable lighter on the hallway floor.

“…”

I picked them up, almost in a trance, and glanced at his door. He hadn’t accidentally dropped them…

It seemed he meant what he said about helping out.

How unexpected. Based on Minyoung’s stories and his rough-but-handsome face, he seemed more like the type to take than give.

I tore open the pack right there and left the wrapper carelessly on the floor before going back inside. Plopping down on the sofa, I lit one of the cigarettes.

*Click. Click. Click.*

My hands fumbled with the lighter, unsteady from the lack of practice. It wouldn’t ignite, and I noticed my thumb trembling slightly.

Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t eaten anything since being released. I didn’t feel particularly hungry, but it seemed like my lack of energy was making it hard to move.

*Click.*

After fumbling with the lighter, I finally managed to light a cigarette and took a deep drag.

Minyoung’s house, with no air conditioning, was damp and sticky. After spending the entire night in such a place, inhaling the sharp smoke felt oddly refreshing.

“Hah…”

After finishing an entire pack of cigarettes, I drifted off to sleep on the sofa.

There wasn’t much else to do.

To be precise, if I didn’t, I’d be consumed by my thoughts again.

Just before falling asleep, I suddenly recalled the refreshing scent I’d caught on the neighbor’s hands the day before.

‘What was that?’

A strange urge to smell it again arose. With the thought of taking a proper whiff next time I saw him, I succumbed to sleep.

***