The Fruits of Tower Climbing (1)
Choi Junseok gazed down at the heart of Seoul through the expansive window before him.
Busy traffic flowed below, and the nameless bridges spanning the Han River stretched into the distance. The night view would undoubtedly be even more stunning.
“Including miscellaneous fees and acquisition taxes, that easily exceeds 6.5 billion won, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“……”
Who in their right mind pays nearly 300 million won just in acquisition tax?
Choi Junseok swallowed dryly.
Expensive. No, ridiculously, absurdly, outrageously expensive. He had heard Seoul real estate prices were terrifying, but the fact that even 6 billion won couldn’t secure a top-tier apartment was genuinely unsettling.
“Junseok, nobody buys a house in cash without a loan.”
At Lee Jiyu’s remark, the real estate agent’s eyes widened in shock.
“Then… are you saying you intend to purchase it without any financing?”
The licensed broker stared at Choi Junseok, disbelief plain in his blinking eyes.
‘Tens of billions in cash…?’
Who was this man? What did he do to make such a purchase possible?
The agent’s wavering gaze swept quickly over Choi Junseok from head to toe. His clothes were ordinary, nothing resembling high-end luxury brands. Of course, appearances could be deceiving. The woman who had arrived with him was none other than Lee Jiyu, the S-rank ranker whose name every broker in this affluent district had memorized.
She had stepped out of her signature pink sports car alongside this man. His outfit looked comfortable, newly worn, and his face was strikingly youthful—early twenties at most.
‘If my guess is right… he came with Lee Jiyu, so he must be an S-rank player. But there were no new faces in the latest ranking evaluation. Maybe someone who just cracked the top 100?’
Or perhaps he was a handsome idol with a tall, well-built frame who had just received a massive payout. Yet if that were the case, he should have been all over broadcasts, and the agent had no recollection of seeing him.
“A loan won’t cover tens of billions anyway, right?”
Lee Jiyu hesitated for a moment before answering, “It might?” though she clearly lacked conviction.
‘Even if you take out a mortgage for more than half the price, is that really your house? It’s the bank’s house.’
Choi Junseok had no intention of doing that.
The agent finally understood.
‘This man actually has both the will and the means to buy.’
He wasn’t just here to look.
The broker laughed heartily. “Seoul apartment prices are heading toward the 10 billion won era. This is actually a great time to invest. The aftermath of the Suseo Magic Tower has kept prices suppressed across the board. Originally, this unit was listed as high as 6.8 billion.”
It made sense. When a Magic Tower rose nearby, investments worth tens of billions could vanish like smoke. In severe cases, buyers ended up drowning in debt. As Lee Jiyu said, few people bought houses without loans.
“As you can probably tell, sir, at this price, with these conditions and this view, 6 billion is by no means expensive. Look at it. A perfect Han River view overlooking the river and the bridges, with the Second Lotte World Tower and even the Suseo Magic Tower in the distance. From the other room, you can see Namsan Tower in the opposite direction. There’s nothing you can’t see. It’s truly a home from which you can look down upon all of Seoul.”
The 10 billion won era?
Now Choi Junseok understood what people meant when they said this country was insane—not because Magic Towers might appear, but because housing prices refused to stabilize. The abnormality wasn’t the towers; it was the real estate market itself.
What surprised him most was that this wasn’t even considered one of Seoul’s absolute top-tier apartments. It was merely high-end.
“What kind of people live in places like this?”
“All sorts, really. Celebrities, famous players, third-generation chaebol heirs, businesspeople—the usual crowd.”
Choi Junseok mulled it over. Lee Nayeon and Song Hana, who had tagged along, looked thoroughly satisfied. The building offered an indoor pool and fitness center for residents, as expected.
“How much are the monthly maintenance fees?”
“I can’t say for certain, but the fixed base management fee per household starts at 1.3 million won.”
6.045 billion. He had earned money in between, but he had already handed that over for family living expenses. To buy this place, he was short more than 450 million won.
450 million. A sum most people couldn’t scrape together overnight. Yet Choi Junseok felt certain he could gather that much within a few days.
‘Short 450 million.’
As if reading his thoughts, the agent spoke up. “I’ll try to negotiate a lower price. The current owner is already selling at a loss, so it might be difficult, but…”
“Well… I’d appreciate it if you could do your best.”
Choi Junseok and Lee Jiyu followed the agent to inspect a couple more luxury apartments, but neither matched the first one in their eyes. The prices were higher, yet the interiors somehow felt more dated. Once a place had already caught their attention, every other option only highlighted its flaws.
“So, this is the only 6-billion-won apartment currently on the market in central Seoul. If any new listings appear, I’ll contact you right away.”
Luxury units rarely came up for sale, so the same would likely hold true at other agencies.
Assuming no contract would be signed that day, the agent was about to see them off when Choi Junseok replied calmly, “I’ll let you know as soon as we decide to proceed with the contract.”
“……?!”
The agent’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“The first one we saw. We could put down a deposit right away, but there’s no rush, is there?”
Choi Junseok made his intent to purchase clear. In effect, he was leaving the task of lowering the price to the agent.
“I’d like to set a move-in date. I heard the current owner wants to clear out next week. There must be a reason they need to leave quickly… but I’m in no particular hurry myself.”
It was a bluff. He did have a reason to hurry. If worst came to worst, they could stay in a hotel or at his mother and sister’s place for a while.
The agent, momentarily speechless, simply nodded.
‘To declare his willingness to buy such a house so readily… just how wealthy is he?’
Normally, people spending this kind of money researched thoroughly and agonized for days. Even the rich did so. There were procedures to check loan limits and other details. Yet here was someone treating it like buying instant ramen at a convenience store.
“If the conditions are right, I’d prefer to move the move-in date forward as much as possible. Please speak with the owner.”
‘Ah… he must be a mercenary player who earned a fortune overseas and just returned.’
The agent, having made his own assumptions, bowed repeatedly as he escorted Choi Junseok out.
“I’ll coordinate with the owner as best I can. Though I suspect I’ll be speaking with his asset manager rather than the owner directly.”
“Either way, feel free to contact me if there’s good news.”
“Of course, sir.”
Whoever was selling such a home, the fact that an asset manager handled the transaction spoke volumes about their wealth. How much money did one need to have an asset manager negotiate a multi-billion-won deal on their behalf?
Regardless, Choi Junseok stepped outside feeling lighthearted. Technically, it was a 6.5-billion-won house including taxes and fees, but to him it felt more like a 500-million-won purchase. After all, the 6 billion had come as unexpected windfall money.
Could he really buy a place like that for just 500 million? There was no reason not to. Still, he saw no need to rush into paying a deposit when further negotiation was possible. The real issue was that he didn’t currently have that 500 million in hand—but that was fine. He could earn it quickly enough. If necessary, he could always take out a loan as Lee Jiyu had suggested.
Even Lee Jiyu was taken aback by his decisiveness. The moment they entered a nearby café with no one around, she asked the question that had been on her mind.
“Didn’t you say you had 6 billion? You seem about 500 million short… so you’ve decided to take out a loan after all?”
“No. I can just earn that much.”
“Earn 500 million?”
“Yes.”
“How many months will that take?”
“No? About three days?”
“Huh.”
Lee Jiyu blinked in disbelief. “You mean 500 million, not 500 thousand?”
“I’ll give it a shot.”
She pulled her cap down low and shook her head, giving up on understanding.
“So how exactly did you make 6 billion? That’s not the kind of money you earn just by clearing lower floors.”
“Don’t ask. It’ll give you a headache.”
“Hmm……”
Lee Jiyu took a sip of her coffee through the straw, still looking puzzled, then nodded. She was starting to find Choi Junseok genuinely frightening. As a top-ranked player herself, she knew it was impossible to earn 6 billion from the lower floors in less than a month of climbing.
“You know people are saying you might be Function, right?”
“I do.”
“And you know I’m not the one who started that rumor?”
“Of course.”
“That’s a relief. Every time that rumor comes up, my neck feels a little cold.”
“The Player Management Agency knows you’re not that thoughtless.”
“Well, that’s good. The ad featuring Nayeon as the model should be released soon… Between that and showing up with her in front of other players, have you decided to step into the spotlight?”
Choi Junseok nodded carefully. “To some extent. I don’t think I can stay in the shadows forever.”
“True. You can’t hide indefinitely. Eventually you’ll need people’s help. You’ve already passed the 25th floor, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Even so, climbing alone is monstrous……”
“It’s not entirely alone.”
“So what are you planning to do for the next few days? If you’re okay with it, you could stay at my place.”
“……What?”
“You can’t keep those two girls out for three more nights. It’ll be inconvenient, and you don’t really have much luggage to move anyway.”
“We don’t have luggage, but……”
“And thinking about how uncomfortable those two must have been staying below your place… no, this won’t do. Let’s go right now. There are two guest rooms left anyway.”
What kind of house had two spare guest rooms?
Choi Junseok could feel Lee Nayeon and Song Hana’s excitement bubbling up inside him.
“One of them used to belong to the summon you took from me, so you can use that one.”
It was a pointed remark, but Choi Junseok knew he had nothing to feel guilty about. She was a professional player too—someone who had learned to live by the rules of the Magic Tower.
It almost felt like he had to accept her offer just to give her a final reason.
“Let’s go, then.”
As they headed to her car, Lee Jiyu asked, “So, how exactly are you planning to make 500 million in three days? You said you’d challenge the 30th floor today, right? You’ll figure something out?”
Lee Jiyu stared blankly at the traffic light, then nodded as it turned green and slammed the accelerator.
Vroooooom—!
“Oh, right. You’re Function.”
Unlike other players who cleared two floors a day, he was on an entirely different level—the very man the nation considered more important than even the Sword God, the number one ranked player.