A home is really nice.
In my previous life, I had no connection whatsoever with anything like “My House.”
All I ever had were a tiny rented room in a love motel, a cramped university dorm, the military’s internal barracks, and the shabby exam-boarding rooms of Noryangjin.
At best, the largest space I ever had was 2 or 3 pyeong given to me.
But right now, my chest was swelling about to burst.
The top floor of a 25-story apartment building standing right along the Jangju River, which flowed grandly through the city.
Behind it, Jangju Mountain rose steeply like a folding screen.
A perfect auspicious site of “back mountain, front water.”
The premium floors only occupied the very front row.
And in front of that, the topography was such that no more blocking buildings could ever be built.
Across the river, the vast fields and the cityscape spread out below.
This is why penthouses are popular.
The human desire to trample others underfoot also expresses itself even in the concept of a house.
“How is it? Isn’t the view absolutely killer? There’s no apartment in the entire city with a view this good. Ojeong Construction really poured money into this. The finishing materials and the built-ins are all top-tier. Even the default sink is highest grade. The built-in refrigerator and the kimchi refrigerator, plus all the wardrobes, are all imported premium models. You won’t need to buy any furniture.”
The real-estate office owner twisted his body a bit proudly.
His desperate effort not to miss out on even a 1-percent profit was beautiful.
Once upon a time, I was like that too.
There were times when I’d fling myself at the world with reckless ambition.
Unfortunately, the real-estate owner had already hit a massive jackpot.
The house of one of my old elementary-school friends was right here.
My father had told me.
One useless scrap of land he owned had been converted into a factory district.
It hit a jackpot worth tens of billions.
I still remember how smug that bastard acted at the alumni gathering.
That porky guy who would tap his imported car key on the table and place it on top for everyone to see.
I saw how the female alumni’s eyes sparkled with interest.
That bastard bragged like hell about this very apartment.
He said his father bought it with a 20-percent discount during the pre-sale phase.
Right now, it’s 800 per pyeong, but in the future it goes past 1,500.
By my standards, it wasn’t a huge investment property, but there wasn’t any apartment this good anywhere else in the entire city, not even in the future.
Whenever I got off the bus near home in my past life, this apartment always caught my eye.
I’d lift my chin and glare upward.
It was a large complex where the kind of rich people who liked throwing their weight around lived.
And that apartment was now going to be our family’s second home.
“...It’s really nice……”
My mom let out a breathy sigh of awe like a young girl.
Compared to the ramshackle rural tile-roofed house that was collapsing, the difference was night and day.
Just opening the window and looking out made you feel like you were looking down on the world.
Her posture straightened.
If she had become a poet, she would have fit that role perfectly — that kind of person was my mom.
She suited the image of an urban lady far more than a farmer’s wife.
“Why are you acting like this? In the past we lived in places that can’t even be compared to this.”
The past? A house like this?
My dad gave my mom a sly, teasing glance.
There was a past I didn’t know about.
This genuinely made me curious.
“When did I ever? I’ve never lived anywhere like this.”
My mom glanced at me and quickly turned away.
Clumsy acting skills.
‘There’s something?’
My instincts snapped into place.
I didn’t know what it was, but there was definitely some history between my mom and dad that I didn’t know.
I narrowed my eyes.
“Should we write up the contract?”
The real-estate agency boss carefully cut in.
He was clearly burning up inside.
A 1-percent profit on this meant over 5 million won.
Today’s massive daily profit was already in my hands.
I wasn’t going to drag this out any longer.
He also knew full well that I wasn’t someone easily swayed.
He was the kind of middle-aged man who knew when to press and when to yield.
“Yes. Let’s do it right now.”
I answered coolly.
“But the down payment is 10 percent… As for loans, we’d have to see the situation, but lately the financial sector has been tightening due to government policy, so…”
“Can I just put down 100 million for the contract?”
“Yes?”
“We don’t need a loan at all.”
“……?”
“If we deposit the contract money today and receive the keys, that will be enough. We’d like to move in right away, if possible. You can allow immediate move-in, right? I’ll transfer the remaining balance on Monday from the bank. We will settle the balance entirely.”
“……!”
The man’s eyes swirled.
It was rare for someone to buy an apartment by paying the whole amount in one go.
“I’m planning to finish registration by Monday. Please prepare everything.”
“Ah, yes, understood!”
Money is good. It’s really good.
My personality became bold and solid on the inside.
In the end, when you don’t have money, you have to haggle over every little thing.
No need to have your head hurt choosing between jjajangmyeon and jjamppong.
If you want to eat, you can just order both.
In the past, I saw rich people at the securities company.
They would promptly put money into stocks and funds exactly as they pleased.
Their decisions took no time at all.
Once the rich had already captured all the information, they immediately moved into execution with fast judgment.
On the other hand, the customers who came to the securities company after taking out loans or emptying their bankbooks would ask this and that, poke around, and eventually almost all collapse because they hesitated begging for information.
They decided on apartment purchases with the same mindset as picking a shampoo.
And then we rode the elevator.
Ding!
It stopped at the 11th floor.
“Hey! Why are you coming down this late! I almost died waiting!”
With the harsh voice of an irritable middle-aged man, two people got on.
A middle-aged married couple.
“President Yoo! Don’t you see residents are waiting? Even when giving out rice cakes, there’s basic etiquette!”
“My apologies. I’m sorry, Chairman Choi.”
Hoho, it’s been a while.
The sycophant I met in the elevator—it was exactly him.
The father of that fat elementary-school classmate who used to flaunt his wealth.
And his mother.
I knew their faces well from how arrogantly they acted back then.
The snobby couple scanned me and my parents up and down.
And then, with a noticeable sneer, they glared at the real-estate boss.
It was the classic look of someone who had a few pennies and tried to endure using “patience” to hide their arrogance.
“President Yoo! This apartment has prestige, you know. You can’t just show it to anyone randomly! What is this, a place for every dog and cow to wander in and out of!”
Ha… So this is where that bastard son’s trashy genetics came from.
The father of a friend—well, not even a friend, that pig bastard from the middle of the class—who drooled while his stomach hung out.
“Goodness~ exactly. Do you know what kind of apartment this is? Showing it to just anyone? Really? I’ll have to tell the ladies at the women’s association and make sure they discuss this properly.”
The woman chimed in, plump and loud.
She was heavily caked in makeup, dripping with gold jewelry.
Her body, her face, even the atmosphere around her were cheap.
Her fashion sense was the type that bursts out of flea-market displays.
Luxury brands plastered all over her, but it was a completely different level from the elegant Gangnam ladies I’d seen in Seoul.
She was the final boss of “rural nouveau riche fashion.”
“Yes. Say something, will you? This isn’t some house you show off to beggars outside……”
Even though Bokdeokbang ajusshi was older, the two couples were showing the highest-level premium arrogance to him.
My temper flared and something hot surged from my chest.
“Ma’am. Sir. Are you done talking?”
“What the hell are you?”
“You’re Dae-sik’s father, right?”
“You know Dae-sik?”
“Yes. We’re classmates.”
Even hearing “classmates,” the couple didn’t flinch.
Normally, when you hear “my son’s friend,” you’d be cautious, but they lacked even that basic level of humanity.
“So what?”
“We’re moving in on Monday, so let’s get along well from now on.”
“What?”
“President Yoo.”
“Yes?”
“There’s still one more unit left right next to the 25th-floor one we’re contracting, right?”
“Yes……”
“I’ll buy that one too. The price is good. And well, judging by the level of the people who currently live here—people whose cheap arrogance is spilling all over—I doubt the house prices will fall.”
“…….”
With that one line from me, everyone froze.
Ding!
The elevator door opened.
“By the way, how much is the 13th floor? Since it’s a lower floor and the view isn’t as good, I’m guessing it’s cheaper, right?”
“It’s about 100 million cheaper than the top floor.”
“Ah~ I see. So it’s practically free then? Did you distribute those units to riffraff?”
The real-estate boss answered politely with a gleaming look in his eyes.
In contrast, the faces of the snobby classmate’s parents turned pale.
His expression was exactly the same as that classmate’s.
“Father, let’s buy one more unit and use it as a guest house. The price is cheap, and the scenery is excellent, so it’ll be perfect whenever guests come. That’s fine, right?”
“Uh? Ah, yes, yes.”
“Since we’re already out today, let’s buy a car for Mom too. A Benz S-Class feels modest enough, and it’ll be perfect for going to the market.”
“…….”
The snobby couple shut their mouths.
There were no middle-aged women in this neighborhood who went to the market riding a Benz.
Srrrk.
The door started to close.
The couple hurriedly grabbed the closing door with their hands and escaped without even turning back, practically running away.
Tsk-tsk.
You two picked the wrong person to mess with.
How dare you try that cheap arrogance in front of me!
My chest felt like it was bursting.
Even if it was just playing around with rich-kid money, I didn’t care.
This — this is the taste of living in the world!
I almost died once. If I can’t even enjoy this level of shopping, I’d feel so stifled I might die again.