The Woman Living in the Same Apartment Was a Crazy Bitch

I’m seriously pissed off right now.

The crushing disappointment that comes from having your expectations betrayed. The hollow emptiness that hits when one of your small, precious daily routines gets ruined. Those feelings are currently shredding every last bit of my faith in humanity.

Ten seconds ago, I wasn’t feeling this way at all.

I’d been downright excited when I sat down in front of the computer and moved the mouse cursor.

“Goddamn it! This one’s blocked too?”

The moment I saw the message on the browser, a groan slipped out.

All I wanted was to go for a light morning run around the neighborhood, take a shower, and then enjoy a quick bit of self-care time.

Yet another one of my favorite sites had been taken down by government censorship.

“Haa…”

Of course, there were ways around it. We always found a solution eventually.

But I couldn’t even count how many times this had happened now, and just the fact that it was being censored pissed me off.

What the hell? A grown-ass adult can’t even watch porn whenever he wants?

I’m an adult. I just finished my military service and I’m about to go back to school. I’m not even twenty anymore.

“This is such bullshit.”

I spat out my frustration and moved the mouse again.

As expected, the online communities were in an uproar about the same issue.

Curious about the details, I played a news clip on NewTube.

This country only ever thinks about locking everything down.

Excuse me. What exactly did I do to deserve this?

Ever since I got rejected by my childhood friend’s older sister when I confessed to her, I haven’t even held a girl’s hand.

Where the hell am I supposed to relieve my desires, then?

Mother Monitoring Group? Anti-pornography events? I let out a hollow laugh at how ridiculous it all sounded.

The reason these people block adult content is obvious.

They claim it has a bad influence on minors and that even adults can suffer various side effects from addiction.

But is it really normal to block ordinary adults like me from watching it too?

Sexual desire is a natural urge everyone has. There are plenty of people like me who have no choice but to take care of it alone.

Just because they can’t relate and find it disgusting, they think it’s okay to control other people’s desires?

If they only regulated clearly illegal sites, no one would complain.

But they throw a fit if a female character in a game or anime shows even a little skin, and they’re obsessed with painting men who quietly enjoy content at home as potential sex offenders.

They should just punish the actual criminals properly, and if they’re worried about minors going astray, they should focus on proper sex education.

Click.

I closed the video with a bitter expression.

I had a lot of thoughts, but there was nothing I could do about it right now.

Even if I tried to have a rational conversation with them, they’d just label me as some perverted degenerate obsessed with porn.

“...Maybe I should just drink.”

I couldn’t spend the whole day in this mood, so I figured I’d at least change the atmosphere with some alcohol.

There was still beer in the fridge. All I needed was some snacks.

I offered a moment of silence for all the sites that had been unfairly blocked and shut down, then headed outside to buy some snacks.

===

“Wow, it’s hot.”

I stepped out of the building to go to the convenience store, but even though it was still morning, the August sun was brutal.

I’d just taken a shower, so I should hurry back before I started sweating. I’d grab a few bags of chips and some beef jerky since I was craving it for the first time in a while…

“Mommy! A butterfly!”

A cheerful voice suddenly rang out, and I turned around.

A little girl was skipping along happily.

But what really caught my eye was the woman in a suit holding the child’s hand.

Her features were so clear and beautiful it was like she had been blessed by the gods.

Her overflowing breasts immediately stole my gaze away from that perfect face.

Long black hair, pale legs that contrasted sharply with her black suit skirt.

I knew I might get mistaken for a creep if I kept staring, but I just couldn’t look away.

“Oh, it is a butterfly, isn’t it? Does Yena like butterflies?”

The loving look in her eyes as she gazed at her daughter made their ordinary morning walk feel like a scene from a movie.

How could someone this stunning not be a celebrity and instead be heading to work from an apartment with her daughter? I was seriously questioning the taste of Korea’s entertainment industry executives.

Ah, I’m going to get caught at this rate. I really need to stop staring.

Whoosh.

I quickly turned my head forward and kept walking.

My eyes were fixed straight ahead, but my ears involuntarily stayed tuned to the two people walking behind me.

“Mommy, mommy! What’s a promotion? You know, last month Minji’s dad got promoted!”

“A promotion is when you become a higher-ranking person at work.”

“Really? Did Mommy get promoted too?”

“Mommy? Y-yes, of course. Mommy got promoted too. Mommy is now a deputy director.”

Huh? Isn’t deputy director higher than section chief? She looks way too young to be a deputy director.

Maybe she’s an incredible elite, just like her extraordinary appearance suggests.

“What’s a deputy director? Is it stronger than a director? Minji’s dad is a director.”

“Stronger than a director? Well… that is… o-of course! Mommy is way stronger!”

I barely stopped myself from turning around and shouting.

Even someone like me who’s never worked in an office knows that a director ranks higher than a deputy director.

There’s no way someone who’s actually going to work wouldn’t know that. Did she just mix it up?

“Wow! Mommy really is the coolest!”

“Right? Mommy’s cool, isn’t she? But this is a secret mission at work, so you can’t tell anyone at kindergarten, okay?”

“Okay!”

What the hell is a secret mission? Does she work for the National Intelligence Service or something?

“Huh? It’s Monster Uncle!”

While I was feeling dumbfounded, a voice hit the back of my head.

The little kid came bouncing toward me as I half-turned around.

“Monster Uncle!”

“H-hey. Have you been doing well?”

In truth, this mother and daughter and I weren’t strangers. We lived in the same apartment complex.

A while back when we first moved in, I saw the kid crying alone at the playground and looked after her for a bit.

I was worried that taking her home might get me accused of kidnapping, so I just pushed her on the swings and played with her there.

From what I heard from her mother that day, kindergarten had ended earlier than usual, but for some reason the message hadn’t reached her properly.

“Monster Uncle! I want to ride the swings again!”

By the way, the nickname “Monster Uncle” had nothing to do with my actual appearance.

It just meant I was strong because I could push the swing so high.

It’s not like I avoid real women because I’m ugly. I’ve gotten my share of compliments on my looks.

Still, this kid really takes after her mom. She’s cute no matter how many times I see her.

Her pure, bright smile made me smile like a proud dad without realizing it.

“Monster Uncle, don’t you want to ride the swings too? Right?”

No, Yena. This forever-single uncle wants to play with a woman, not swings.

Preferably someone as pretty and well-built as your mom.

Besides, you’re the only one who rides the swing. My arms were killing me after pushing you for two hours last time.

While I was swallowing down words I absolutely couldn’t say out loud, a woman far more attractive than the swings spoke up.

“Yena. We need to go to kindergarten.”

Yena’s mother pulled her daughter’s hand toward herself.

What was that? The cold feeling I got, like she was trying to keep the child away from me?

When I glanced over, her face—which had been smiling just moments ago—had gone completely stiff the second she looked at me.

She had been kind when we met at the playground last time. Why was she acting like this?

While I was feeling that strange sense of discomfort, a yellow car pulled up beside us.

“Yena’s mom!”

“Oh, teacher! Hello!”

The mother greeted the kindergarten teacher who got out of the car with a bright smile.

She didn’t look that much older than me to be called “mom,” but anyway, her attitude was completely different from when she looked at me.

“Mommy, bye-bye!”

Yena left with the teacher, leaving just me and the woman with the enormous chest in the suit.

I didn’t know why, but she seemed uncomfortable around me, so I figured I should just continue on my way.

“Well then, I’ll be—”

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

I was surprised she called out to stop me.

But what she said next was even more unexpected.

“Could we talk for a moment?”

===

Beep.

The electronic lock clicked open, and I followed Yena’s mother inside.

What the hell was going on? Why did this woman bring me into her house?

Come to think of it, she had been on her way to work. Was it okay for her to turn around and come back home?

Did that mean she had something that important to say to me?

This was exactly the kind of situation where every married-woman porn video I’d ever watched would start playing in my head.

Yet I didn’t entertain any vain hopes because of the icy atmosphere she was giving off.

“Sorry for suddenly dragging you in. It didn’t seem like something we should talk about outside.”

“It’s fine. But… what did you want to talk about…?”

“...”

Instead of answering, she crossed her arms and glared at me sharply.

Her crossed arms pushed her breasts up even more prominently, stretching the buttons of her white shirt to their limit.

On top of that, her white shirt was damp with sweat, making the bra and skin underneath faintly visible.

And she was deliberately holding them up with both arms, so it was hard to know where to look.

“Why are you so fidgety?”

“Um… I think you should probably adjust your clothes.”

“My clothes? Oh!”

She turned around, unable to hide her surprise.

“It’s just… the weather is so hot…!”

Wearing a long-sleeved black suit in this weather would definitely be hot.

She could have worn something lighter, but maybe her company had strict dress codes?

While I was thinking that, she lowered the air conditioner temperature, covered her chest with both arms, and said,

“Ahem. Your name is Jinhyuk, right? I heard from the apartment representative lady that you’re a student living alone.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Living alone in an apartment is pretty unusual.”

“Yeah, well…”

It made sense that she’d think so. A college student living alone in a twenty-pyeong apartment wasn’t exactly common.

It wasn’t because my family was rich or anything.

My parents had heard there were a lot of jeonse and monthly rental scams lately, so they insisted on finding a place themselves. When I agreed, they found this apartment for me.

The building was a bit old, and the landlord was a friend of my mom’s. The place had been empty for a while, so they got it at a discount through connections.

Right now, my parents were covering the deposit and rent, and we agreed that I’d handle living expenses and allowance through part-time jobs and my military savings.

Anyway, what exactly did she want to talk about?

“Even if you live alone, since this is an apartment, I think there are some things you need to be careful about. Don’t you agree?”

“About what?”

“Last week, I heard some strange video. It was loud enough to echo down the hallway.”

A chill ran down my spine. Loud enough to echo down the hallway? When?

“...Ah.”

Last week the air conditioner wasn’t working, so I had opened the window facing the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hallway.

My headset was broken too, so I played it through the speakers and quickly finished. It must have been then.

I thought no one would be around since it was daytime, but apparently I was wrong.

So that’s why she turned so cold compared to the first time we met.

The moment I understood the situation, an indescribable wave of shame washed over me.

“W-what strange video are you talking about…”

“Don’t play dumb. I heard a woman moaning and whimpering.”

“I was with my girlfriend. It had been a while since we saw each other, so I guess we got a little rougher than usual.”

“But the woman was speaking Japanese?”

“Ah, that was because we were doing roleplay…”

“The man’s voice sounded like an old man. Were you acting as a grandfather?”

Right. The video I watched that day was about a young widow being taken by her father-in-law.

It wasn’t usually my genre, but the actress was so pretty that I watched it anyway!

“I’m pretty good at acting as an old man. That’s actually how my girlfriend and I got together.”

“...”

“...I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to keep the volume down from now on.”

In the freezing silence, I confessed, and the woman let out a sigh before continuing.

“It’s not about the noise. I’d prefer if you didn’t watch that kind of thing at all.”

“Excuse me?”

Wait, what the hell was she saying all of a sudden?

“I’m telling you not to watch that harmful garbage.”

Her sharp tone made my own voice drop.

“I’m really sorry about the noise, but isn’t it a bit much to criticize what I watch alone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in my own house?”

“I know it’s none of my business, but I really hate that kind of thing. Do you know about the Mother Monitoring Group? I’m active enough there that I practically shudder at the sight of pornography.”

The Mother Monitoring Group. That was the one I saw in the news video earlier.

Housewives personally reporting porn, right?

Not satisfied with just censoring the internet, now they’re trying to control people they don’t even know.

“Whether you like it or hate it, you don’t have the right to tell other people what to do.”

“I’m giving you advice out of goodwill. Do we really have to talk about rights? Watching pornography because you can’t control a single desire is no different from the behavior of an animal. Instead of doing that in your room, why don’t you go outside and do something productive?”

“Do you think I spend all day watching that stuff?”

“Even if it’s not all day, the time you spend watching it is still a waste. You’d be better off using that time to make an effort and get yourself a girlfriend.”

I had a feeling the moment she mentioned the Mother Monitoring Group, but we really couldn’t communicate.

This woman would never understand that watching adult videos, even if it looked like a dirty act to her, was necessary for some people.

No matter how much I explained, she wouldn’t even try to listen or reconsider.

“I got a little off track. That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about, Jinhyuk.”

“Then what is it?”

“Please stop pretending to know Yena from now on.”

What the hell was this sudden nonsense?

…Wait. No way.

“Are you saying this because you think I might do something to Yena?”

“Of course. As a mother, how can I not feel anxious when a pervert who watches porn in broad daylight is around my daughter?”

In this woman’s eyes, did a normal guy who relieved himself at home look exactly the same as the criminals you see on the news?

So now she was treating me like a potential child sex offender?

“Huu…”

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.

Whether I raised my voice and fought or hit her in a fit of anger, I would be the one who lost. I had to control my emotions somehow.

“That’s a really rude thing to say. I like normal adult women, and I have no intention of doing anything bad to anyone.”

“You might feel that way now. But no one knows how a person will change once they get addicted to pornography. That’s exactly why it’s so harmful.”

I clenched my trembling fist tightly.

Why could women who tried to censor everything spout such narrow-minded logic so proudly?

It was so absurd I couldn’t even laugh.

“Originally, what you do is none of my business. But I saw how well Yena seems to follow you, so I’m saying this. Please be careful from now on.”

“No, I’m telling you from the beginning that I would never do something like that—”

“If you keep approaching Yena, I’ll have no choice but to ask the other residents for help. I’ll tell them I can’t live in this apartment because I’m scared of the pervert living here. That would be troublesome for you too, wouldn’t it?”

This crazy bitch was even threatening me now?

If I talked to her any longer, I wouldn’t be able to control my emotions.

Before my remaining patience completely ran out, I quickly turned around.

“...I’ll be going now.”

“Can I take that as you understanding what I said?”

“You should be the one being careful around Yena. I’ve never once approached her first.”

I left that unpleasant place without looking back and returned home.

The moment I stepped inside, I spat out a curse into the empty air.

“Is she actually insane?”

All I did was watch one porn video. And it was one with perfectly legal adults. Yet the way she looked at me like I was a disgusting insect wouldn’t leave my head.

Maybe I should have cursed her out to her face.

No, who knows what kind of scene she would have made.

Still, I shouldn’t have come back like some idiot without even fighting back.

…Wait a second. I went out to buy snacks, but because of that bitch I just came straight back?

“Argh, fuck!”

I threw myself onto the bed and punched the pillow.

It was already unfair that my usual sites were blocked, and now some woman I barely knew was treating me like a potential criminal.

“Huuu…”

I suddenly craved a cigarette even though I’d never smoked in my life.

So what if her face was celebrity-level pretty?

So what if her body was insanely hot? Her mind was completely broken.

She probably moaned like crazy when she did it with her husband.

She got to do everything she wanted, even had a kid, and now she was telling other people that porn was harmful and they shouldn’t watch it? Did that make any sense?

“...I just want to fuck her senseless.”

I wanted to thoroughly teach that lewd body a lesson using all the acts from the countless porn videos she had reported.

How satisfying would it be to see the woman who said that being unable to control your desires makes you no better than an animal moaning like a bitch in heat on my cock?

I entertained the fantasy for a moment, but it was just that—a fantasy.

I was stuck in the frustration that came from reality, unable to do anything about it.

Vrrrr!

The phone I had set beside me vibrated as loudly as my resentment.

There shouldn’t be anyone contacting me at this hour. Who could it be?

A message that seemed to be sent to me.

But something was strange. The chat UI belonged to an app I had never seen before.

“...What is this?”

Did it just recognize my voice and respond? It even knew my name?

“Sora?”

I had no idea what kind of nonsense this was, but my mom always said that if someone used complicated words, they were probably a scammer.

This was probably just another new type of phishing scam.

Phishing had advanced this far? It was honestly impressive.

I’d already gone through enough bullshit today. I couldn’t deal with any more. I should just ignore it and close—

My finger, which had been heading for the screen, stopped.

How did it know what just happened to me?

Before I could even process that sudden question, this so-called AI threw another one at me.