Swallow Hunting - Chapter 41.1
“It’s about time to quit.”
“Just endure a little longer. I haven’t filled the target amount yet.”
“How much is the goal?”
Yohan unfolded his fingers while lying facedown. Seeing the enormous amount, Hae-jun’s eyes widened in surprise.
“A hundred million?”
“If it were ten million, I would have quit already.”
“How much have you saved?”
“More than half?”
“Incredible.”
Hearing Yohan’s bank balance, which was entirely different from his own, his spirit dampened completely. Hae-jun rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
“Are you okay?”
“It’s been a while since I drank, so I’m fine. No hangover either.”
“Must be nice to be healthy. But why do you look like that?”
Only then did Yohan seem to have the presence of mind to look back at Hae-jun, and he gestured with his chin. Hae-jun turned his head and checked his reflection in the convenience store window.
Even without a hangover, he was as pale as a sheet of paper, looking like someone who had been tormented all night. Well, it was only natural, considering he couldn’t sleep properly and had been trapped in a swamp of worries.
“Because of that crazy bastard next door.”
“Did that prick throw another fit?”
As soon as Hae-jun woke up, he performed hard labor in front of the entrance with thinner he received via early morning delivery. Even though he wore a mask and gloves, poured oil on a rag, and rubbed with all his might, the bright red graffiti did not erase easily, as if it were mocking him. He put in all his effort until the time people headed to work, but the traces remained clear.
“Can I crash at your place for a while?”
The rusted blade the man had thrust through the crack in the door flickered before his eyes. He was a lunatic whose actions were impossible to predict. Staying at home for no reason might result in a disaster. Since the man at least seemed to be mindful of Lee Kang-ju, it seemed he should only go home when Lee Kang-ju called and take refuge elsewhere the rest of the time.
“Why? Did that bastard do something to you?”
Yohan’s gaze, which had been blurry due to his hangover, suddenly turned sharp. Hae-jun shook his head. Since the guy was someone who threatened people with a knife, there would be no clear solution even if Yohan went there.
“He keeps throwing fits saying it’s too loud, so I’m just going to stay out of his way. I’ll only go back when I have work.”
When he made an excuse with a smile as if it were nothing, Yohan agreed and gave his consent. He had found a shelter. Whether he would wait for the madman to be kicked out or roll up his sleeves and have a final showdown, that was something to brood over later once he regained his strength.
***
After handling a few deliveries, he returned home and erased the graffiti on the front door. He felt like grabbing the crazy bastard living next door by the collar, dragging him out, and barking at him to take care of it himself, but was he avoiding him out of fear? No, it was because he was disgusting. Hae-jun kept his mouth shut and rubbed the entrance until his arms throbbed.
However, it was in vain. The next day, even more colorful curses decorated the entrance. Not only that, this time blue was mixed in as well. The crazy bastard’s level of sincerity was truly remarkable.
If it had been caught on CCTV, he could have gathered evidence and sued him at the police station, but the one hanging in the corner of the ceiling had been broken for over a month. Since he only had suspicion and no physical evidence, filing a lawsuit was not feasible.
To make matters worse, today was the day Lee Kang-ju was scheduled to stop by. Hae-jun took a day off and erased the graffiti on the entrance. Even though he hung onto the task while dripping with sweat, the traces did not completely disappear. Inwardly, he felt a sense of futility. He wondered what the point was in putting in the effort when it would just reappear tomorrow after he had scrubbed himself into exhaustion.
Still, he could not show Lee Kang-ju this kind of sight. Hae-jun cleaned the entrance with his best effort. He couldn’t help the faint marks, but he erased the lewd graffiti enough to make the content difficult to recognize. Thinking this was enough, Hae-jun wiped away the dripping sweat and went inside.
He finished his shower and lay sprawled on the sofa. Just doing that much had made his body exhausted. At this rate, he worried that an unfortunate incident might occur where he would just collapse like last time while Lee Kang-ju was over. Deciding it would be better to prepare his mind and body thoroughly, he opened the refrigerator door.
When he took out an energy drink, he heard the sound of the keypad being pressed. Hae-jun trotted over and opened the front door. Lee Kang-ju stood in front of the door with one hand shoved in his pocket. His gaze, which had been directed elsewhere, slowly moved toward Hae-jun.
“You’ve arrived.”
He stepped aside with a broad grin. Lee Kang-ju did not enter and instead pointed at the outside wall with his thumb.
“There is some interesting graffiti.”
“Pardon?”
He had erased it so hard; could it be that the guy had blurted out new curses in the meantime? Hae-jun’s eyes went wide, and he rushed out the door. Sure enough, even though he had been home, the culprit had leisurely left new graffiti. The level of the curses was beyond imagination.
Hae-jun’s mouth fell open. He hadn’t expected the man to spray it like a rat in that short interval.
Hae-jun first let Lee Kang-ju inside and closed the door. Before closing it, he looked carefully at the hallway, especially the house next door.
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