Chapter 6. The Man Next Door (6)

Translator: Lili

I didn’t even know when I fell asleep.

“Did you sleep well?”

Nor did I know when the neighbor had arrived.

The room was dark. It wasn’t pitch black, but being in a basement with no lights on made it so that the only thing I could see was the neighbor’s figure.

Wondering if I was dreaming, I slowly blinked. Then I noticed an unfamiliar sensation on my body. Looking down, I saw it.

“You were shivering in your sleep.”

“…”

A suit jacket, presumably his, was draped over me. Staring at the sleeves bundled in my lap, I caught a familiar scent. Instinctively, I buried my nose in the fabric, and sure enough, it was that refreshing smell.

It really was him.

Instead of asking why he was here, I simply sniffed at the jacket like a dog. The man, crouched nearby, quietly observed me.

“What are you doing?”

“It smells nice.”

“Does it?”

“Is it cologne?”

“Who knows.”

Annoyed by his vague answer, I shot him a glare. He grinned, propping his chin on his hand.

“Why are you here?”

“The door was open.”

“That doesn’t mean you were invited in.”

“I tend to misunderstand things.”

“…”

“And I’m misunderstanding something now, too.”

When I looked at him questioningly, he suddenly flicked his lighter. The flame illuminated the space between us as he directed its light toward me.

“You’re doing this right now.”

That’s when I realized I was still rubbing my face against his jacket. Embarrassed, I thought about stopping, but the smell was too good to resist.

“What are you misunderstanding?”

“That you might be turned on too.”

I let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity, only for him to suddenly snatch the jacket away.

“Ah…”

I felt naked in an instant, even though I was fully clothed. Looking between him and the jacket, I shivered as the sweat on my body evaporated, cooling me down again. Seeing me curl up, he tossed the jacket onto the floor and gave me a sly smile.

Suddenly, in the interplay of darkness and the flickering shadows cast by the lighter’s flame, I noticed a dent in the man’s right cheek. That must have been what I glimpsed briefly the last time he smiled.

“You’ve got dimples.”

I said, pointing with my hand.

The man briefly ran his hand across his face.

“Really?”

“You didn’t know?”

“No.”

Even upon discovering this about himself, he didn’t seem particularly interested. No, it seemed like his mind was elsewhere.

“What about now?”

“What?”

“Suck my d*ck.”

“…”

“The real thing’s better than the facade, isn’t it?”

He nodded toward the jacket lying crumpled on the floor. The atmosphere, as he glanced at the sleeping figure, felt sinister.

“Where’s this coming from?”

“It’s not out of nowhere. You left the door wide open.”

“You told me to leave it open if I wanted to smoke.”

“I didn’t say anything about cigarettes.”

“…”

“I said, if you want to suck, leave it open.”

I stared at him wordlessly, and he tilted his chin toward me in response.

“Recognize this face?”

He asked. To be honest, I did.

“So, what now?”

“Bareback?”

When I gave the same answer as before, he laughed, his dimples showing. That made his smile unexpectedly endearing.

There were a lot of things about this man that didn’t match his rough appearance—he was kind, smelled good, and had a surprisingly cute smile.

“Not for free. I’ve given you plenty already.”

He said, picking up a cigarette from the floor and placing it on the couch.

“Did you come here just to make me do this?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then why?”

“Who knows.”

His vague answer left me clicking my tongue as I stood up.

He wasn’t wrong. I had bummed countless cigarettes and meals from him. With nothing else to do but breathe in cigarette smoke all day, I had let myself drift along.

— Still, when I’m in a foul mood, sleeping with the guy next door does make me feel a little better. He’s good in bed. That doesn’t mean I like him—everything else about him is terrible.

Minyoung saw s*x as a form of escape. She wasn’t alone, plenty of others in here felt the same. I remembered her laughing voice saying that you dealt with a shitty reality with d*ck.

In truth, when I left the door open, I had the same thought in mind. Otherwise, knowing his intentions, there’s no way I would have left it ajar.

I took a deep breath, letting the fresh scent in the air fill my lungs.

It felt freeing, almost like yesterday, when I thought about him and momentarily forgot my shitty reality.

Maybe this isn’t so bad.

A reckless desire for escape surged through me.

“Take it out. I’ll look, and if I feel like it…”

He extinguished the lighter and stood up slowly. His crotch came into view, as if aligned with my eye level like sharing a cigarette. His large hand unzipped, and for a moment, his heavy sh*ft was freed.

It was too dark to see the details, but even in silhouette, the sheer size of it was undeniable, bowing under its weight.

“Minyoung must’ve been in pain.”

For some reason, the man found that funny and started laughing again. I stared at the massive er*ction, which throbbed on its own, and tentatively wrapped my hand around it. One hand wasn’t nearly enough.

As I slowly ran my hand along it, I could feel it swell even larger. The thick veins bulged under my palm.