House Hunting: The Secluded Villa
It took about 30 minutes, right?
The forest of identical gray buildings gradually faded away, giving way to neatly trimmed street trees, clean roads, and a quiet neighborhood where even the chirping of new leaves could be heard.
Convenience stores were sparse, and there were no neon-covered eateries or bars plastered everywhere.
As if to make me feel the gap between rich and poor, the road's incline steepened bit by bit.
My succinct impression of the neighborhood was,
"It's peaceful."
The real estate agent gripping the wheel replied,
"Peaceful, isn't it? The wealthy folks who live here especially hate anything noisy."
"Everyone hates noise."
He adjusted his tie slightly and said,
"This is a neighborhood for the truly rich. Korea's Beverly Hills, you could say. The residents are all business owners, doctors, or celebrities."
He took one hand off the wheel and pointed to the right with his index finger.
"See that over there? That's where the famous actress Han Mi-ja lives, and that side is singer Kim Geon-yul's place."
Both were celebrities famous back in the day. They live here, huh?
"But is it okay to casually share personal info like that?"
"Hahaha. Only people who belong here come. Folks looking for places like this usually don't want it advertised. Right, ma'am? And the young master here feels the same, doesn't he?"
"I'm just going with whatever my darling wants. Hohoho."
I didn't even bother responding.
"We're almost there. That's it."
The direction he pointed to had a metallic white wall. The land with the house was basically one or two stories higher than the road.
Even craning my neck, I couldn't see inside from outside. Unless I launched a drone, maybe.
"Where do we park here?" Ayoung asked.
Beep beep.
With the remote, a black wall straight out of a drama rose up, revealing the garage. We entered through the rear parking.
"How many cars fit in this garage?"
"Four in total, ma'am. Do you have a driver by any chance?"
"With our means..."
I cut in.
"No. But if we move here, it might be good to hire one."
"Hahaha. I'm getting more and more curious about what the young master does. By any chance...?"
"I run a small business, but I'd prefer you not pry further."
"You've got backbone. No wonder you landed such a beautiful wife..."
"Oh my...! A beauty of a wife..."
"Ayoung, that's enough."
"Yes..."
"The missus is totally under her husband's thumb! Haha."
Ayoung's face turned beet red. She must really be into the couple act. The thrill of the forbidden, maybe?
Once parked, the agent said,
"Shall we take a proper look inside now? We can go through the garage, but let's enter via the front door first."
Clunk.
We got out and looked around.
This beautiful structure, designed by some famous architect whose name I didn't know, looked like a rectangular fortress completely walled in from the outside.
Peeking to the side, there was a small entrance.
"The front door's small."
"No cars come through here. And since the lot's elevated, it's stairs right away. This is the intercom—go ahead and enter."
Beeeeep.
The door opened with a loud noise.
"This intercom alarm or whatever—can we change that?"
"Of course. But usually the staff answers, so they say a loud sound is better."
Right there were stairs. Not too wide, a spiral staircase. More precisely, it was like a massive white rock carved into a spiral staircase.
As we climbed, a sensual pool and architecture reminiscent of David Hockney's A Bigger Splash came into view.
The differences? No palm trees, and taller levels, I guess.
And the natural grass lawn was impressive.
"Cool. It evokes Hockney's painting."
"I don't know it well, but the architect must've been inspired. Others mention Tadao Ando a lot."
"Ando... yeah. Sleek and minimal."
The wide lawn with natural grass and the pool looked great but seemed a pain to maintain—not to mention bugs.
We'll need a gardener if we live here. Maintenance costs alone will be no joke.
Unlike the enclosed exterior, one side of the first floor was all glass, fully exposed—a stark contrast.
"No buildings over five stories nearby, completely blocked from the outside, so they designed it for sunlight through the full glass," he explained.
"Heating bills in winter must be insane."
"If you're worried about heating, you can't afford this place. Hahaha."
If Tower Palace's penthouse symbolized elegance and ultra-luxury, this place was minimalist and refined overall.
We crossed the yard under the warm autumn sun and entered.
The building was basement level one, ground two floors, infused with the architect's minimalism.
Just felt empty with almost no furniture.
The stairs—carved from huge rocks between living room and kitchen, and up to the second floor—seemed like the architect's taste. No practical storage.
Overall dark gray tones made it feel cold.
The kind of house where the owner would rage if the maid dropped a single hair.
Layout: master bedroom, living room, kitchen, two extra rooms, three bathrooms—one without a tub.
Unlike the penthouse's white marble, elegant chandelier, and flashy sink, this had restrained, unified design and colors for a sense of stability. Even lighting was mostly indirect.
Second floor had several rooms, including a trapezoidal space perfect for a projector to turn into a home theater.
We went to the roof. Wooden table, artificial grass. The mountain view hit first, but no overwhelming openness. Air just a tad fresher?
The agent had tactfully left us to browse.
"Ayoung, what do you think of this place?"
"It'd feel lonely alone."
"Lift your skirt once. I'll snap a pic with the view."
Without hesitation, she hiked it up—no panties, naturally.
Click.
"Turn around."
The words 'Anal Slave Kim Ayoung' were still vivid.
Click.
"How's the vibe here now?"
"Suddenly feels like our secret spot. Darling?"
"You like calling me darling that much?"
"Yes... I'm so happy you're playing along today."
"But say I told you to seduce that real estate guy right now. Could you?"
"Yes?! No... suddenly? But if Master commands, I must obey no matter what. Shall I do it now?"
"Nah, forget it. Just kidding."
She'd really do it, no question...
We checked the basement too.
It was a wide pillar-supported space with a door to the parking and utility rooms.
Could turn this into a training room.
We wandered for a while, and evening crept up.
Didn't do much, but time flew... Tomorrow Gwak the lawyer calls, then we kick off for real.
Met the agent sitting in a chair on the first floor.
"Who lived here? Current owner?"
"Can't disclose right now."
"Got it?"
Could hypnotize him for details, but gotta trust Dalgeon for now.
"Let's head back."
We returned to the agency, shook hands.
"We'll meet again at contract time. Thanks for today."
Exchanged formalities, then hopped in the car and left.
"Whew... Both have pros and cons. Issue's the owner, though. Ayoung, if you had to pick?"
"Tower Palace for me. Building interior, amenities nearby, and who in Seoul lives in such a tall, flashy penthouse?"
"What about a standalone house?"
"That was nice too, but too quiet—boring even. Gotta drive everywhere, maintenance tough, and honestly scary alone at night."
"Yeah?"
Sure, if she were living alone. But thanks to the suggestions I planted days ago, she doesn't know about the hypnosis.
Now, if I wanted, I could have cute maids I only dreamed of handle chores—empty space and maintenance weren't issues.
Penthouse was too flashy; hard for people to come and go, and if Seoyeon blew up as an idol, unwanted scandals galore.
House was safer privacy-wise, but no convenience store nearby, a bit outskirts—far from the building for the company.
I'll decide after Gwak's report tomorrow. Then full steam on the plan.
"Dinner at home?"
"Groceries all prepped. Just say the word."
"Mm... Chicken stew and light drinks together then."
"Drinks? Great, Master. First time. Hohoho."
"Ah, you've never drunk with me?"
"Seoyeon's bragged so much my ears blistered. Said you got super wasted, used her as a urinal, now she's a human toilet..."
"Anyway, dak dori tang usually pairs with soju, but champagne tonight—keep it simple."
"Champagne? Matches?"
"Ayoung, know about coq au vin from Burgundy, France?"
"First time hearing."
"French chicken stew with wine—coq is chicken, vin is wine. Basically simmer chicken in red wine. So it pairs better than you think?"
"Shall I YouTube it and try?"
"Nah, grab two native chickens today. Prep sides yourself."
"Champagne—Moët & Chandon at home okay?"
"Yeah. Save the pricey stuff for the new place."
"But Master, how'll you buy that house and building? No money... Combined over 10 billion won."
"So you don't trust me either?"
"No! How could I dare..."
Just teasing, but my phone buzzed—a message arrived.
The dinner mukbang video I'd told slave lawyer Sia to send.
Wondering her reaction with her whole esophagus a erogenous zone.
"Hahaha, wonder what she ate. This is true food porn."
"Food porn?"
"Wanna try? Champagne'd be fun."
"No idea what, but curious."
With that, I tapped the video from Sia.