Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: A New Home
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“Welcome—oh my!”
The real estate agent covered her mouth and widened her eyes the moment she saw me.
The other middle-aged women who had been chatting stopped mid-sentence as well, equally shocked.
A familiar reaction. A familiar daily routine.
Too lazy to deal with it one by one, I moved straight to the point.
“I’m the one who inquired about buying. Can we go see the house right now?”
“A-Ah, yes! Of course. Just a moment. Here are photos of the apartment complex…”
The agent hurriedly spread out pictures and documents across the table.
I could feel the gazes of the neighborhood women who’d been chatting, but I stubbornly pretended not to notice.
“You said your desired price was 5 billion won, right?”
“I want a property I can buy for 5 billion won total, including all taxes and brokerage fees.”
“Ah, so your upper limit is 5 billion won. My, you look so young—where did you get such a large sum of money?”
Honestly, these women’s curiosity was always over the top.
I deliberately ignored it and pressured her with my silence to continue with the main business.
“You said you wanted a newly built place you could move into immediately, right?”
“Yes. A new build I can move into as soon as possible.”
“There’s only one apartment complex that matches location, completion date, and move-in timing.”
A newly built apartment complex near Lui-eseu Health Club.
Looking at the map, it seemed both Jung Hye-na and I could commute on foot within five minutes.
“This apartment here probably won’t suit you location-wise.”
“You’re right. It’s farther from work.”
“This one was completed five years ago, though…”
“I’m still young. I want a brand-new apartment I can live in for a long time.”
“Then the only option is the Argani Beauty Park apartment complex I mentioned first.”
1,500 households.
A luxury complex with unit sizes ranging from 40 to 60 pyeong.
“It was completed just a year ago. There shouldn’t be any new-house syndrome, and most minor defects have already been fixed. This place is especially famous for having very few issues.”
Because it was a unit originally owned by a land association member, there were no sales restrictions, so it could be purchased immediately—or so the agent enthusiastically explained.
“There’s a tenant living there now. Would you like to take a look?”
“Yes.”
I got into the agent’s car, and we headed to the complex.
While sitting in the passenger seat, I had to endure her nonstop chatter.
If it were explanations about the property, that’d be fine.
But at some point, it turned into curiosity about my personal life, which was exhausting.
I briefly considered finding another agent, but figured it’d be the same anywhere with this face.
If the input value is fixed, the output won’t change—simple logic.
Ding dong. Ding dong.
—Who is it?
“It’s the real estate agent. We’re here to see the place.”
—Just a moment.
It was a luxury apartment, but security wasn’t as strict as the 8.5-billion-won place Lee Chang-woo used to live in.
The lobby wasn’t hotel-front-desk style either.
A young woman holding a kindergarten-aged daughter greeted us.
She gasped when she saw me.
Hey, no matter how you look at it, you have a daughter—shouldn’t you keep it together?
“Uh… i-is this person the buyer?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Wow… are you a celebrity?”
“No, absolutely not.”
As we toured the apartment, the mother and daughter trailed after us closely.
“It’s a 46-pyeong unit, but the usable area is laid out so well that it feels over 50 pyeong.”
“You’re right. It doesn’t feel like 46 pyeong at all.”
It couldn’t compare to Lee Chang-woo’s apartment.
But the apartment itself was truly splendid.
As the first home that Hye-na and I would buy with our own money, it was more than sufficient. Excellent.
If Hye-na saw it, she might faint from happiness.
Imagining her jumping around made me want to have sex again.
“You can move in right away without redoing the wallpaper or flooring.”
“When can the tenant move out?”
“Between one and three months. Definitely within that window. We’re moving because of my husband’s job.”
“That move-out date works.”
“Right? This place is the perfect fit. Other listings require at least a year before move-in because the jeonse contracts are still active.”
There was no need to look any further.
Location, completion date, vacancy timing.
This place was the only one that satisfied everything.
As we were about to leave, something suddenly tugged at my pant leg.
Looking down, the little girl was holding onto me, staring straight up.
“Don’t go. Don’t go.”
“Hm? You don’t want mister to go?”
“He’s not a mister. He’s Oppa.”
“No, mister isn’t Oppa. Mister is mister.”
“I said he’s not a mister. He’s Oppa. A handsome Oppa.”
The kindergarten-aged girl’s eyes welled with tears as she refused to let go of my pants.
Awkward, I looked toward her mother.
She’d calm her down… or so I thought.
“I-if it’s okay with you, would you like to stay for a meal? It just so happens to be dinner time…”
It wasn’t even 5 p.m. yet.
I was about to refuse, then changed my mind.
The tenant was voluntarily leaving in the middle of a two-year contract.
To get her cooperation for moving out, even if I couldn’t win her favor, it wouldn’t be good to be cold.
And making a child cry wouldn’t sit well with parents.
“…Then I’ll shamelessly accept your kindness.”
“You even speak so formally. Are you really not a celebrity?”
“Celebrity. Celebrity Oppa.”
“I told you, mister isn’t a celebrity.”
In the end, we did eat—but I had to eat with the little girl sitting on my lap.
She didn’t eat at all, just hugged me tightly and stared at my face with wide, sparkling eyes.
Lee Chang-woo really does keep surprising me, even today.
“Is the food okay?”
“Yes, it’s delicious.”
“Please eat a lot.”
The real estate agent was more excited than I was.
Braised short ribs, seafood hotpot, grilled beef, lobster.
Marinated crab, grilled prawns, squid appetizer, sweet-and-sour pork.
Pork cutlets, bulgogi, spicy seafood, japchae.
What kind of home meal lineup is this?
“You must really like cooking.”
“Yes. Cooking is my hobby, and I like treating people, so I usually prepare things in advance. Does it suit your taste…?”
“Oh, it’s incredibly delicious! My mouth is living in luxury today!”
“I’m glad.”
The young mother smiled brightly, scrutinizing my face.
With both mother and daughter acting like this, it was past burdensome—it was just funny.
Even after the meal, the girl refused to let go, so we ended up having coffee too.
Only after she fell asleep in my arms could I finally leave the apartment.
“If you come again next time, I’ll make you something even more delicious.”
The young mother saw us off with eyes dripping with regret.
On the way back, the real estate agent burst into hearty laughter.
“I’ve lived a long life, but this is a first. Even when I showed houses to celebrities, it wasn’t like this.”
“It was a bit overwhelming.”
In the back seat were stacks of side-dish containers the young mother had insisted on packing.
Enough for at least twenty meals.
Still, her cooking really was exceptional.
Not at the level of an ordinary housewife.
The agent looked like she wanted me to share a bit, but I pretended not to notice.
This is for Jung Hye-na.
Even though I said I was fine, the agent insisted on dropping me off near my place.
This face really does get special treatment everywhere.
As long as there are people around, I’ll never starve to death.
“So, will you go with that listing today?”
“Yes. I’ll proceed before someone else takes it.”
“Then I’ll talk to the owner and contact you again. Please prepare the initial contract deposit today, and make sure to answer your phone.”
“Understood.”
Carrying the stacked containers, I entered our officetel—our temporary home.
I’d grown quite attached to it in just a few days.
But in about three months, we’d be parting ways.
Beep beep beep beep beep beep.
[Unlocked.]
Jung Hye-na was editing studio footage on her MacBook while watching our sex video.
She wasn’t naked—she was wearing an oversized T-shirt and pink dolphin shorts.
“Oh, Oppa? What’s that?”
“Someone gave it to me to eat. It was good. They packed it up like they were pushing it onto me, so I brought it back to eat together.”
“Wow, looks delicious.”
She doesn’t ask who gave it to me.
I considered explaining, then stopped—afraid the truth behind the gift might be exposed.
After experiencing Hwang Ah-young’s surprise forced kiss—
There was no way our trust would shatter over something like this.
“I already ate because they insisted. Want to eat now?”
“Yes. I do.”
A problem arose.
The built-in refrigerator was too small to store all the containers.
Even after removing as many drinks as possible, I could only fit in half.
Should I have shared some with the agent?
“What should we do?”
“I’ll order a styrofoam box and ice packs for delivery.”
One good thing about Gangnam—
You can order even things like this and receive them within one or two hours.
While I placed the order, Jung Hye-na ate alone.
Watching our sex video play, I checked Lee Chang-woo’s phone.
There were still an overwhelming number of missed calls and messages—too many to even open.
But one message stood out.
[010 **** ****] Why are you doing this?
Unlike the long, rambling messages, this one had a certain presence.
I absentmindedly tapped it open.
Only three messages.
And all on different dates.
[15 days ago] You stopped by the house. Did you see the note?
[8 days ago] Did you lose your card?
[1 day ago] Why are you doing this?
I had a gut feeling.
It was Yoon Jae-kyung, the wealthy woman four years older than me.
I didn’t even know what she looked like, yet just three messages carried a strange sense of presence.
Choi Ji-soo’s words suddenly came to mind.
—Remember? You got angry and flipped the table when Jae-kyung Noona and I were catfighting in front of you.
—Then why do you call her Noona? You always used to say, “Hey, Yoon Jae-kyung. Yoon Jae-kyung.”
One of the members of Lee Chang-woo’s harem.
But I don’t want to get involved with Yoon Jae-kyung.
I want to live my new life.
Endlessly postponing things—
At least when it comes to a woman like Yoon Jae-kyung, that would be cruel.
Even if it’s harsh, I need to cut it off.
In the end, I replied.
[Me] Don’t contact me anymore. Let’s go our separate ways.
data-start="10720" data-end="10723">[Me] Take back the Samsung-dong apartment.
data-start="10765" data-end="10768">[Me] Other than matters related to the name transfer, I’ll ignore all contact.
data-start="10846" data-end="10849">[Me] Contact me when you’re ready to take the house back.
For the first time, I waited for a long time for a message from one of Lee Chang-woo’s women.
But Yoon Jae-kyung didn’t reply.
Unlike me, she had read receipts enabled—
So I could tell she read it immediately.
And yet, for a long time,
There was no reply at all.
I know what this silence means.
She’s probably afraid to send any answer at all.