Are You Insane, Like Me?

Chapter 5 - Come Little Monster

Jong-woo collides with one of the twins while attempting to reach Seokyun within Eden. If it were anyone else, he'd apologize, but he would be damned if he apologized to this fucker. "Watch where you're going!" he growled instead. 

Deukjong spoke back in his giggly whiny voice, "Mr. 303, you know all this is because of you, don't you?"

Of course, Jong-woo knew it was about him. He just didn't know in what capacity, but he would be damned if he let Deukjong know that. Mentally clenching his fists, he resisted the temptation of wasting any further time with this freak and hurried up the stairs to the roof to locate Seokyun. Who had the audacity to sneak up behind him and scare him. Seriously, kid, didn't he understand the situation. No, of course not. Because he is a kid. Ahhh!

His life was a fucking mess, and he had zero control over it. He was concerned about this kid, harbored animosity towards the other residents, suspected his girlfriend of cheating on him, and engaging in sexual relations with Moon-jo. Who also, by the way, drugged him. The universe hates him. There was no other explanation.

"I was so scared, but then Moon-jo came up and smoothed things over. He really doesn't seem to be a bad person at all." Seokyun informs him after passing him a beer.

"You don't know anything. I've got to get out of here. I would try to stay here if it weren't for those jerks." He exclaimed with exasperation. How could one place hold so many psychos? It was like they were brought together. Did Moon-jo find them? Make them? It had something to do with him because he clearly ran the show. 

"Do you know who the worst is? It's him. The one you're saying doesn't seem like a bad person. He calls me baby with a creepy smile." That fucking creepy smile and them fucking but nothing being said. It made him question whether it had happened. The annoyance of not knowing or understanding was getting to him. 

"Isn't that gross?" Not really, not if he meant it, but maybe he was saying it to mock Jong-woo? To mock what they had done? "I shouldn't say things like this, but the scum here... Should all just die in an accident. Because they do nothing for society." Though the thought of Moon-jo being gone bothered him. He was fucking creepy and orchestrated all this shit, still... He'd gladly see the other's dead, but he would rather not imagine Moon-jo dead. 

Naturally, Moon-jo would appear at that particular moment, emerging from the shadows just as he was venting his frustration. Bad karma was precisely what it was. What the fuck had he done in a past life to deserve this creepy bastard. Moon-jo puts out his cigarette on the banister and walks slowly toward him. Biting his lip, he gazes at both Seokyun and Jong-woo, but he gradually advances towards Jong-woo with his mellow voice, "See? Isn't it nice to voice everything you feel. Hate the people you want to hate. Curse the people you would like to curse." 

Jong-woo backed himself into the banister while Moon-jo continued talking, saying to "kill the people you wish to kill." while miming stabbing him in the stomach. "That's true courage." 

Honestly, Jong-woo was deeply embarrassed. Talking about the rest was one thing, but Moon-jo... It was different. For some fucking reason. Could it be because Jong-woo had been intimate with Moon-jo and there were few people Jong-woo had shared that with? Jong-woo felt a further sense of guilt when Moon-jo gently pulled him forward away from the banister, despite his apparent upset. "You might fall." His voice once more soft. Turning, he glares at Seokyun before leaving. 

Oh yeah, there was no way he didn't hear Jong-woo talking shit. He was both embarrassed and regretful. Especially since he had brought Seokyun into this mess. Now Moon-jo would hate them both. Seokyun had evidently felt the heat of that glare, "He was so calm and classy, but he freaks me out for some reason." 

"See, I told you he was weird." Jong-woo said with a deep sigh. However, the other residents were the ones to be concerned about. He felt a certain level of confidence that, in contrast to the other individuals, Moon-jo genuinely didn't want Jong-woo dead. At least not yet, at any rate. After some thought, he suggested that he and Seokyun use the showers together. He would prefer not to shower alone when any of the assholes could approach him. Thankfully, Seokyun didn't have any issues with that, even making the shower time humorous with his raps. Seokyun's fun and chipper attitude made this hellhole more bearable. Made the place feel a little more livable. 

All that was quickly shattered by the other residents, who couldn't leave him alone for even one fucking night. Upon entering his room following the shower, he noticed that someone had been there. Even though he caused a scene in the hall, they all denied that they had been in his possessions. This left him feeling uncertain, despite not trusting them. He remembered placing his computer just so, but he'd had so little sleep. Was it possible that he was mistaken. He was no longer certain of reality. 

He didn't sleep that night, but he still had to go to work the next day. Even though his "friend" had hurt him, it would cost money to leave. Once he had obtained sufficient funds, he intended to return home. At this point, there was nothing left for him to stay for. He was, however, tempted to strike back with fury. With his boss and co-worker making snide remarks, he was genuinely contemplating the possibility of violence. The thought of killing them all was becoming increasingly attractive. He didn't know how much more of this madness he could take before he lost his mind. 

Throughout the remainder of the day, he soon came to the realization that he may be in danger of developing a mental illness or homicidal tendencies. As his level of aggression was steadily increasing. At every fucking opportunity, the one asshole co-worker consistently made snide remarks. The closer it got to the end of the day, the closer he came to barely containing his anger. Despite his genuine desire to kill, he chose to kill his co-worker's keyboard after everyone left for the day. Jong-woo felt better when he saw the keyboard in pieces on the floor. However, he was aware that this meant that he was unable to return to Eden. He was as explosive as he had been during his military service, and he couldn't afford that. If he were to kill anyone this time, it would be difficult to sweep under the rug. 

A monster lived in him. It had always been there, as far back as he could remember. Jong-woo's dad left early when his brother was born, and everyone realized that he was different from everyone else. Needing more attention than a typical kid. So, his dad walked out the door and never came back. The already rough life became even more difficult. To protect all of them, Jong-woo had to be hard and vicious. Then the military had only honed that. Still, he'd never realized that a killer had been lurking inside of him until it was unleashed. He had barely emerged from that situation, surviving solely on the bases of self-defense. After leaving the military, he had done everything in his power to push it down, but now the people around him were determined to have it come out. He was scared. Scared of those he lived with at Eden and scared of what he would become again.