A House of My Own

It was my first time living in such a nice house. I hunted, trained with the bow, and returned to the tent to do housework. Amid this unchanging daily routine, a new headache had cropped up: inexplicable kindness from total strangers.

They'd leave food, new clothes, or even useless fairy tale books sometimes. I hated getting free stuff, so the whole situation just frustrated me.

Do they think I'm a beggar or something? Even if I looked like this, I was a paying resident.

Feeling indignant, I jabbed at the ground with Sophia's cane. That's when Han Yeoreum approached me.

"Gyeowol, what's all that stuff?"

"I don't know. People keep leaving things over there."

They snuck them in one by one while I was away. The pile had already grown to dozens of items.

"They're leaving stuff there without your permission?"

"Yeah. I really hate this kind of thing..."

How was I supposed to deal with all these useless items? Han Yeoreum stroked her chin at my grumbling, looking deep in thought.

"Hmm... I get the intention, but this seems kinda dangerous."

"Yeah. I wish they wouldn't do it."

Of all things, they left camping gear I actually needed for survival. It felt like they were tempting me, testing human desire. It soured my mood.

"Um... Gyeowol. I'm worried as your big sis, but... have you ever thought about living somewhere else besides here?"

"Somewhere else?"

"Yeah. Like the guild building, or renting a small house or something."

The guild building? That'd cost at least a million won a month. Renting anywhere required ID, too. Both were impossible for me right now.

"Th-that... I like it here..."

"...Yeah, figured."

"Yep."

I nodded quickly at her muttering to herself, trying to emphasize how much I loved this place.

"Hmm... How about this, then?"

"What?"

"Buy a container house. Tents are too open—feels way too risky."

A container house? Weren't those expensive? I glanced at my tattered tent and asked cautiously.

"How much is a container house...?"

"Probably... around a million won?"

"A m-million...!"

Such a huge sum. I had it, sure. But wanting to spend it was another matter. I was still too poor to blow a million at once. The tent was better for now. I could use the shelter in emergencies.

I was about to refuse Han Yeoreum when Sophia inside the tent crossed my mind. Unlike me, she wasn't healthy. She needed her cane just to walk. In danger, she'd get hurt first—no question. For her sake, a proper house made sense.

"Really just a million?"

"Yeah. I know a guy."

"Okay. Then let's do that."

Spending for Sophia didn't feel wasteful. She was a wonderful grandma who taught me so much.

A few days later, a container house dropped onto the spot where the tent had been. It was a modest setup, two containers joined together.

"Hmm..."

Yeoreum tapped the container wall. It seemed sturdy enough, but it was pretty beat-up and rusted. They'd bought used to hide the multimillion-won price tag. Giving Gyeowol such a shabby house after all this effort... She sighed deeply, feeling guilty.

Should've just bought a new one? There was that saying: persuasion is hard, but forgiveness is easy. Buy better upfront and play dumb later.

Yeoreum felt a pang of regret at the worn container.

"Um, Gyeowol...?"

Would she be super disappointed? Yeoreum glanced nervously, but Gyeowol's eyes sparkled with wonder, like a kid on Christmas.

"Whoa...!"

Gyeowol's ears and tail perked straight up—a reaction she only showed when startled or thrilled. To love this rusty old thing so much... Yeoreum's gaze dropped to the ground.

"...You like it?"

"Yes! I never dreamed I'd own a home in my lifetime...!"

Own a home? Even this felt like a dream to Gyeowol. Yeoreum felt bittersweet as she opened the door.

"Wanna check inside?"

"Yes...!"

Inside, Gyeowol alternated between staring at the floor and ceiling, mouth agape in awe.

"Wow..."

No dirt floor—linoleum. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ceiling was solid, no holes. Gyeowol was thrilled at the clear inside-outside divide.

"Two windows, even..."

"Y-yeah."

Of course a house had windows. Yeoreum gave an awkward smile as Gyeowol inspected every inch.

A bit disappointing, but she loves it.

For now, this would do. Yeoreum tapped Gyeowol's shoulder as she wandered endlessly inside.

"Let's move your stuff first?"

"Okay. Should we use the old tent as storage?"

"Ah, yeah."

She still wanted to keep that torn-up thing? Yeoreum wanted to toss it but held back at the sight of Gyeowol's wagging tail. She knew mentioning throwing it away would crush her.

With everyone's help, we moved our things and took a break. While Sophia sipped tea in a chair, I wandered endlessly around the outside of the container house.

Thud-thud— Tapping it rang out with a solid metallic echo, like steel vowing to protect us even from a wild boar.

"That good, huh?"

"Yes. I've never lived in a house this nice before."

To be precise, not in this life. No one asked about past lives, though, so I'd stick to this world's experiences.

"You must've worked hard."

"Uh, w-well..."

Sophia's praise embarrassed me. I scratched the back of my head, and that's when Han Yeoreum approached, leading two beastkin. She almost looked like their boss.

"Gyeowol, just the finishing touches left—can you help quick?"

"Finishing touches?"

"Yeah. This is kinda your private property now, and people wandering in feels off, right?"

It did. On Earth, even the landlord couldn't barge in while you paid rent. Fantasy elements aside, this world probably worked the same.

"Yes. I wish people stayed away."

"Right? So we're setting up a barrier."

"A b-barrier?"

Barrier magic. Even I knew how impressive that was, mana-less as I was. Beginner mages charged ten thousand won for the weakest protection spells in hunting grounds.

"Remember Jeong Yu-na? This is her gift for you. She felt bad for bullying you and left it."

Han Yeoreum held out an orb. An unknown energy rippled around the translucent glass sphere.

"So what do I need ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to do?"

"It's more like... I want your permission."

"Permission?"

"Yeah. I wanna post a 'keep out' sign, but what do you think?"

Han Yeoreum handed me a sheet of paper with neat handwriting.

"Oh."

Me, loving nature? Well, I didn't hate it. I enjoyed foraging and hunting.

"What do you think? Good?"

"Yes. As long as they stay away from the house, anything's fine."

"Got it. I'll handle it."

Han Yeoreum smiled with her eyes and jotted something on the paper. As I stretched, thinking it was finally done, she chuckled mischievously.

"Gyeowol, now you've got a real house. Wanna do moving-in rice cakes?"

"M-moving-in rice cakes?"

"Yeah. You give them to neighbors to get along."

Neighbors meant Yeomyeong Guild right next door. I really didn't want to, but for a better life, I had to. Living normally here was my goal.

Maybe give it a shot.

The guild ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scared me, but it was a fear I'd overcome someday. I clenched my fists with resolve.

"S-sure."

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes."

Living normally wasn't some distant future thing. I could start tomorrow. I nodded firmly at the girl.

And before long, I regretted it.