19. House Hunting (3)
We rode the elevator down, and Ayoung, waiting in the car with the window rolled down, spoke up.
"Did everything go well, Seongtae?"
"Yeah, it went great."
I opened the back door and climbed in.
Groooowl.
"I'm starving. Let's grab some food first."
"Understood, Master."
What should we eat?
"Ayoung, you're hungry too, right? Anything you're craving?"
"Hmm... How about something simple like Japanese home cooking? Not sushi—something more casual."
"Sounds good. Let's do that. Pick a spot nearby."
"Yes, Master."
A short while later, we pulled up to a cozy Japanese home-style diner.
The server greeted us in Japanese.
"Irasshaimase~"
The small shop was crammed with wooden tables pushed close together, and the shelves against the wall were packed with figurines of manga characters.
I was about to take a seat at a regular table when Ayoung said,
"Should I... eat from the floor?"
"No. Sit at the table with me. Right in front of me."
"Thank you, Seongtae. I can't believe I'm allowed to call you by name and sit on a chair to eat with you—I'm so happy today."
"From now on, when we're out eating together, act normal."
We sat down, and the server from earlier—the one in the white headscarf—approached.
"Please order at the kiosk over there."
Ayoung poured water into a cup and handed it to me.
"I'll go order. What would you like, Seongtae?"
"Let me see... I'll just have some oyakodon, keep it simple."
Ayoung's face suddenly flushed red.
"Oyakodon? Oh my... Seongtae... so should we prepare with Seoyeon tonight?"
Ah... my brain really connects things that way, huh.
Oyakodon is a rice bowl topped with chicken and egg. In Japanese, "oya" means parent and "ko" means child—hence, parent-child donburi.
In other words, mother-daughter rice bowl.
"Not like that. I just felt like oyakodon. What about you?"
"I'll have sakudon. I'll go order then."
Did I order something too cheap? It's like going to a Chinese place and the boss saying, 'I'll have jjajangmyeon.'
After ordering, the server soon brought out the food.
"Whose is the oyakodon?"
"Mine."
I scooped up a bite, and just then,
"Seoyeon called me earlier too, saying she'd do something Jian can't today. Wanna join us and prepare together?"
Cough!
Ayoung had already started on her sakudon when my words made her choke.
"But I have to drive today, right?"
"I can drive too. Or we can take a taxi. I'll give you time to eat and decide."
Now I finally took a bite of the oyakodon.
A little sweet.
"Oyakodon is kinda sweet."
"Want a bite of mine?"
"Sure, just one spoonful..."
Ayoung scooped up some sakudon with the happiest expression in the world.
"Ahh~ Seongtae."
She's loving this so much—might as well play along.
"Ahh~"
The salmon mixed with tsuyu broth and tartar sauce was pretty damn good.
"Should've gotten the sakudon..."
"Wanna switch, Seongtae?"
"Nah, it's fine."
We chatted about this and that as we finished eating.
"The bill..."
"I already paid at the kiosk, Seongtae."
"Oh, right. Forgot—been thinking about other stuff. So, what's your choice?"
"Hmm... I thought about it, and I think just using Seoyeon tonight would be fine."
"She's your daughter, though—is 'using' the right word?"
Ayoung leaned in and whispered in my ear.
"She is my daughter, but now she's a human toilet, Master. So isn't 'using' the perfect term? Sex is something humans do with each other."
"Pfft... yeah?"
She sat back down.
"So why don't you like today then?"
"Well... you said once a week for me, right?"
"Yeah."
"So sharing with Seoyeon feels like a loss, honestly. And it makes me jealous. You use that toilet bitch three times a week."
Whoa... better not let that slip outside this place.
"Got it. Let's head out and talk in the car."
"Yes, Seongtae!"
I led Ayoung out of the shop.
"Come again!"
No Japanese on the way out? Then why the irasshaimase?
We got back in the car.
"Phew... here's the real estate address. Head there."
"Yes, Master."
"And outside, watch your words."
"Sorry, Master. But I was just so jealous..."
"It's fine. Let's just get going."
"Yesss... departing now."
The engine roared to life, and the wheels rolled.
"At the real estate office, pretend you're a rich woman and also my girlfriend. We don't look like mom and son—the age gap's too small."
"What an honor, Master. You've been so good to me today—I don't know where to put myself."
About an hour later, we arrived at the real estate office. I'd already called ahead about which properties to see.
Last time I came with Haeun...
"Welcome... to Cheonha Real Estate."
"I'm Han Seongtae, the one who called earlier."
"And the beautiful lady next to you?"
"Ah, my future wife."
I playfully grabbed Ayoung's ass for effect.
"Hohoho. Quite the age difference, huh?"
"Ahem. No, you two look great together. Shall we head out in my car?"
Hoping he sees me as the young guy who reeled in a rich cougar.
"Sure."
First up was a penthouse in the absurdly named "Royal Forest Tower Palace," an ultra-luxury residential-commercial complex. Price wasn't an issue—I was just curious about the owner. Gwak the lawyer would look into it soon.
True to the "forest" in the name, there was a nicely landscaped park with fountains and walking paths nearby.
The building was all glass, sunlight glaring off it and stinging my eyes, but I craned my neck up to the sky.
Living up there would be fun.
The entrance had sleek security and concierge staff.
The agent said,
"Even for chicken delivery, you'd have to come down yourself."
"Really?" Ayoung looked shocked.
"Some use room service, or the restaurant on the third floor. Honestly, you wouldn't need to leave the building."
We took the elevator up after the tour. The agent pulled something from his sleeve.
"You need this security card for the top floor."
His explanation continued.
"Pool, gym, cafe—you name it, it's here."
Whirr.
The elevator shot up fast, my ears popping briefly.
Ding.
We'd reached the top.
Greeting us was a duplex penthouse spanning about 3,000 square feet of pure luxury.
At the bustling entrance, I'd thought, 'Crowded—kinda off-putting if someone's calling for you.' But stepping inside, the white marble floors and elegant interior overwhelmed me.
"Impressive, right? Only two units per floor."
We passed down the hall to the living room.
"Whoa..."
True to the duplex design, the high ceilings created an expansive feel, and the building's height meant massive windows offering a panoramic view of Seoul.
Just overwhelming openness.
"Insane..."
The awe slipped out naturally.
Ayoung, ever the housewife, checked out the kitchen first.
"Se— I mean, Seongtae, look at this."
The kitchen was nearly the size of my old studio. The sink looked totally different.
How does the water even flow here?
"Ayoung, if we live here, we'll need to hire a housekeeper."
"Totally, Seongtae."
The agent chimed in.
"Living room's huge, right? And check out this terrace."
Stepping out through the living room's giant sliding doors revealed a terrace laid with artificial turf.
Looks even bigger in person.
A cool autumn breeze swept the terrace, but I didn't mind.
Seoul's skyline sprawled beneath my feet—an intoxicating view.
Spectacular. Spectacular.
"Yoo-hoo~"
I whooped just for fun.
"Seongtae, honestly..." Ayoung blushed beside me.
"Means I'm that excited~ You try it."
"Yoo-hoo~ So embarrassing..."
"What do you think of the view?"
"Does it need saying? It's just... amazing..."
A short walk led to wooden decking and a spiral staircase to the second floor.
"Incredible views, right? Terrace alone is over 650 square feet."
The agent followed.
"I could sign the contract right here."
"Right? This listing just hit the market—you got lucky."
"Any idea what the original owner does?"
"Well... this is just rumor, not from me..."
"Don't worry. We'll see at closing anyway."
"Made a killing on crypto during the last bull run, but this time..."
"Ah... got it."
Someone like me, huh?
"Rates stayed high, bear market dragged on. Haha."
Leveraged with loans, rates spiked, crypto tanked... explains the listing.
The first floor had two bathrooms with huge tubs, the master suite with an en-suite dressing room, and another common room.
Besides the outdoor spiral stairs, there was an indoor staircase to the second floor. Before climbing, the agent grabbed a handle on the wall and opened it.
It was empty storage.
"All these staircase walls are built-in storage."
"Like the wardrobe in that wizard movie, Charlie Potter."
The second floor had three large rooms, a service room, and two bathrooms. Guest-oriented—nothing too special.
The whole space felt a bit chilly, but Ayoung and I toured it thoroughly.
The view and terrace are overwhelmingly killer. Love it. Housekeeper's no issue...
We regrouped at the entrance.
"What do you think, ma'am?"
Not even asking me. Figures—I'm the young one.
"Hohoho. I love it. Right, Seongtae?"
"Yeah. Almost wanna sign now. But we should check that luxury house too."
The agent rubbed his hands.
"I'd say take your time with a place this pricey, but prime listings like this get snapped up by some exec fast. Here's my card. And sir."
"Then let's go see the house next?"
"Absolutely."
We left Royal Forest Tower Palace and headed to the next property.
Honestly loved everything here, but the security's too tight—too many people.
By contrast, the luxury house had a massive yard, surrounded by high walls that kept everything inside completely private—no prying eyes.
True seclusion.
Which one's better?
A whistle escaped my lips.