It Was Shin Jaewoo and Han Taeho
Amid the forest of buildings rising in the Guro Industrial Complex, Oh Jeongmi led them to one in particular. As they drew closer to their destination, Shin Jaewoo's expression grew increasingly puzzled.
"It has two basement levels and sixteen above ground, making eighteen floors total. From the tenth floor up, it's used as the headquarters for Arkworks, so the vacancy rate is low."
Oh Jeongmi introduced the sixteen-story building. But Shin Jaewoo already knew all about it, even before her explanation.
The route here felt so familiar on the way over.
This was the building. Not just the building, but the whole area around it. It was all too familiar to Shin Jaewoo.
To think I'd end up back here like this.
Was this fate? He'd frequented this building often. It made sense—there were surprisingly many publishing houses nearby, and the company he'd worked at, the one with all the issues, had its office right here. No need to go far; it was in the very building where he now stood.
He never dreamed he'd set foot in it from such a different perspective.
"...Is something wrong?"
Perhaps sensing the odd look on Shin Jaewoo's face, Oh Jeongmi paused on her way inside and asked.
Shin Jaewoo shook his head.
"No, it's nothing."
She didn't know he'd once commuted here, so his behavior must have seemed strange. Han Taeho was the same.
Or does this punk know?
A quick sidelong glance showed no sign of it.
"As I mentioned earlier, from the tenth floor up it's occupied by Arkworks, and below that, there are four vacancies right now."
One empty storefront on the second-floor commercial level. One each on the fifth and sixth floors. And finally, one on the eighth. She hadn't explained it, but Shin Jaewoo had a feeling he knew what the eighth-floor vacancy was too.
Of course he did.
That was our company's floor.
The company he'd worked at was on the eighth floor.
Meanwhile, Han Taeho was busy gawking around, making a fuss.
"Whoa, a building this big must cost a fortune. Man, if I owned something like this, I could just collect rent and live easy. Mom, how much rent does this place pull in monthly?"
Maybe it was his too-casual attitude, but Oh Jeongmi frowned. Still, it was good assist timing. Rental income was probably what the client was most excited about right now.
"I can't give you exact figures for this building off the top of my head. But each floor has about 300 pyeong of exclusive use area, and at 60,000 won per pyeong... it'd be just shy of 3 billion won."
Roughly 4,800 pyeong of exclusive area total. At 60,000 won per pyeong, that came to 2.88 billion won. Pure passive income every month just from owning it.
I used to think a yearly salary over 100 million won was insane...
Now that he had money himself, he knew better.
As that thought crossed his mind, Oh Jeongmi glanced at Shin Jaewoo and broached the topic cautiously.
"Probably... you'd need to think at least 150 billion won or more for the building's market price."
That was a hefty sum. Shin Jaewoo's expression shifted slightly. Watching him, Oh Jeongmi smirked inwardly.
I heard he's a Royal Road member, but even so, this kind of money should give him pause.
He wasn't even a corporation—just an individual. There'd been no need to bring him here when he said he wanted a building. She could have shown him some modest mini-building instead.
But Oh Jeongmi had deliberately brought him here. Simple reason.
For my son...
She knew about the bad blood between him and Han Taeho. But she couldn't drag that out into the open and confront Shin Jaewoo with it. So, a subtle way to mess with him: show him an overwhelming property first, one that would make him balk.
Then, if his face stiffened, she'd smoothly say something like:
Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't get a clear sense of your budget, so I brought you to something way out of range. I do have a smaller option prepared, though—would you like to see that one?
Oh Jeongmi rehearsed her lines in her head.
"Hmm. Not bad."
Of course, she hadn't anticipated him saying that.
"...Pardon?"
"I'll take it."
The words came from Shin Jaewoo so casually it felt anticlimactic. From that moment, Oh Jeongmi's attitude flipped.
"Whoa, bro, you're the man! Contracting a 150-billion-won building just like that?"
"You don't think your mom brought me a poisoned chalice, do you?"
Shin Jaewoo brushed off Han Taeho's shock with a half-hearted reply. The more he did, the more chills ran down Oh Jeongmi's spine.
This man...
He was a titan she couldn't even dream of psyching out. That was the reality she finally grasped.
No normal person would toss out "I'll buy a 150-billion-won building" so lightly. It wasn't just the burden. Even if they could afford it, they'd need due diligence, investigations, loan approvals from the bank...
"Get the contract ready. Soon as I have it in hand, I'll sign today."
Oh Jeongmi's demeanor changed in an instant.
"Oh my, Taeho said you were his hyungnim, and sure enough, our boy has himself an outstanding big brother. What a relief. He's always causing trouble and worrying his parents... but with a fine hyungnim like you, I can finally ease up on fretting over him."
Any lingering resentment toward Shin Jaewoo? Long gone.
It was only natural. This was a deal worth over 150 billion won.
What's the commission on this gonna be?
She wouldn't get the full amount, of course, but the legal max was 0.9%. Nearly 1%, so about 1.5 billion won. For a deal this size, they'd negotiate down hard. Still, hundreds of millions for her.
"I'll make sure everything's prepared to your complete satisfaction."
Her mind buzzing with delightful calculations, she mouthed to Han Taeho:
Be good to your hyung.
Han Taeho's face twisted.
Damn it. Even if it's like this, shouldn't Mom take my side? You know who this bastard is!
His old college buddy. Someone he'd even traded punches with.
But Oh Jeongmi had already turned her back on her immature son.
"You're truly impressive. Saving up enough at your age to buy a building like this."
Shin Jaewoo gave a wry smile at her words.
I didn't save it.
It had just appeared. Still, hearing it wasn't so bad. Just ironic.
Getting praised for my grandfather's inheritance by the mom of the guy who used to mock me as an orphan...
An experience unlikely to repeat.
"Hyeju's mom, I heard Hyeju broke up with her boyfriend recently?"
Neighborhood association president Kim Okja. At her words, Kim Sujung—the one called "Hyeju's mom"—wavered for a moment.
Forcing her expression back to normal, she sighed.
"Sigh. Yeah. She was supposed to be getting married soon, but who knows what she's doing..."
It pained Kim Sujung to bring it up. A child's flaws were a parent's shame. The less said, the better.
"Eh, your girl's still young. Better she dates around and learns to spot a good man than rush into something impulsive."
Even Kim Okja's comforting words didn't sit entirely right. Of course, she hadn't meant to prod.
"That's why I was thinking..."
Kim Okja finally got to the point.
She had something to tell Kim Sujung today.
"Why not ask Hyeju if she'd go on a blind date?"
"...A blind date?"
Kim Sujung's face softened a bit, curiosity lighting her features. Kim Okja smiled.
"Yeah. He's... what was it? Works at some IT company called Ark-something. Solid guy, good-looking. Salary's above average for his age, and the benefits are great, I hear."
IT company with good benefits.
"He's the in-house lawyer there..."
Lawyer, no less. Kim Sujung perked up.
"Ahem. You think a catch like that would go for our Hyeju?"
"Come on, why not? Your daughter's pretty, right? And so sweet and full of aegyo. Guys go crazy for that. No bias here—I'm not just saying it 'cause he's my nephew. He's really a good one."
The more Kim Okja talked, the more Kim Sujung warmed to the idea.
Her daughter didn't work, didn't study—just idled. Honestly, in Kim Sujung's eyes, flirting was the only thing she was good at.
An in-house lawyer at a decent IT firm? We'd be lucky.
Better married off than lounging at home. Pressured by Kim Sujung—and sharing similar thoughts herself—Kim Hyeju went to the blind date.
A cafe near the guy's office, considerate of his side.
Of all places, here?
Kim Hyeju grimaced. It was a cafe she knew all too well. Easy to find, sure—but that only made her more uncomfortable.
This was right by Shin Jaewoo's company.
Sigh.
She'd come here often because of him. For the already troubled Kim Hyeju, it was unwelcome.
And the guy? Not her type.
"Ah, hello. You must be Hyeju, right? My aunt said you were really pretty..."
He showed interest. But meh.
Quick once-over, and she had his number. Good job as a lawyer, but tighter-fisted than Han Taeho. And not as handsome as Shin Jaewoo.
Ah.
Her heart felt off. Shin Jaewoo. She should have pretended to resist and let him hold her hand back then.
That was better...
Maybe comparing him to Shin Jaewoo and Han Taeho made her see things. Her eyes widened.
She was seeing it.
No way. Why are those two oppa's here together?
It was Shin Jaewoo and Han Taeho.