"There is another form of temptation, even more fraught with danger.  This is the disease of curiosity.  It is this which drives us to try and discover the secrets of nature, those secrets which are beyond our understanding, which can avail us nothing and which man should not wish to learn."
— St. Augustine, Confessions

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Yunho thought that doing a project in Korea, for a change will free him from stress and pressure. But now, Yunho is beginning to think that he is burying himself deeper into them. Not knowing how to start finding Yuri made him feel very frustrated. What adds up to his list of frustrations was his neighbors, whom he shares the wall with.   

Every morning, Yunho would wake up to the clinking and clanking of the pans on the other half of the duplex woke Yunho. Every morning he would curse under his breath how difficult it is to get back to sleep and how he hates the smell of breakfast as he always had to skip his. Every morning, before meeting his team for the documentary, he would shoot an angry look at the dimly lit window of his neighbor. Every morning a pair of eyes would look back at him for a while, then, would hide behind the curtain.

Often times, Yunho would stay up late for work and hear all sorts of noises: shouting, screaming, breaking of things, and crying. Often times, he already anticipated the repeated banging of whatever-it-is against the wall at a certain time of the night until it lulls him to sleep. It is that often. It is that bad.

Yunho was taught the virtue of patience growing up in a convent. Rather than confronting his neighbors to keep the noise level low, he would just try to understand by finding out more about them. And so, everytime the noise starts, Yunho places his ear on the wall and listens.

“Lazy ! Have you been sleeping all day that you weren’t able to do a very simple errand. For God’s sake, it’s just wine.”

“What are you doing in the market? Who have you been going out with?”

“Lame! Lame! You’re just so lame in bed! Don’t you ever wonder why I had to pay other women for .”

Yunho was also taught by the nuns that he should not meddle in other people’s business. He wouldn’t have bothered minding someone else’s business if not for the slapping and other only-God-knows-what-else-he-does-sounds he hear.

Yunho purposely took time off from work for a week and made his neighbors his “project” for the week.

3:00 a.m. - The neighbor will start cooking.

5:00 a.m. - He will hear utensils against the plates, so he guessed they are already having breakfast.

7:00 a.m. The husband will leave the house.

8:00 a.m. The wife, in hoodie and track pants (despite of the warm weather), goes out of the house.

10:00 a.m. The wife comes back with a plastic bag filled with fresh produce.

1:00 p.m. The wife dumps a trash bag in the garbage bin.

6:00 p.m. The wife starts waiting by the door.

8:00 p.m. The husband arrives with a bottle of wine in his hand.

10:00 p.m. The noise starts.

Yunho’s neighbors are just typical. Typical working husband. Typical housewife. Typical abusive husband. Typical submissive wife. Abuse of different sorts are rampant in all corners of the world. In most cases, the wives cannot leave their husbands believing that their partners are capable of change. That being the case, Yunho concluded that there’s nothing he can do. He’ll just brush this issue off his shoulders and bear with the noises a little while longer.

Just when Yunho decided to let go, he saw the lady in hoodie in the same fruit stand with him. When she reached out for the fruits, her long sleeves didn’t do its job in hiding her bruises and cigarette burns. It did its job, though, in catching her tears. Her hands were trembling as if her husband is there, breathing down her neck.

She must be suffering a lot.

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Tears, why are you coming to me now? I don’t want the people to think that I fear my husband. There’s nothing to be afraid of anymore. I am more scared of bumping into ‘him.’ What kind of face will I show him when he sees me? He has gone far in his dreams and here I am, stuck in this place that has turned into a pitch black hell. I hope he finishes whatever business he has here and just leave. Not that I don’t want to see him. Not that I enjoy the sight of him, throwing angry look my way every morning. In fact, I’m so happy to see him again after 13 years that it’s enough for me to last for another 13 years of suffering.

“Yuri-ah?”