Life Is the Real Deal (1)
“Hyoju, don’t you know who Taewoong’s grandfather is?”
“I already told you I don’t.”
In the car heading home from Grandfather’s house, Han Soeun asked her daughter Lee Hyoju the question again.
Lee Hyoju had spent the entire day running through her schedule in an even sharper, more prickly mood than usual. Ever since she entered her teens, her words had grown noticeably fewer. This family gathering was one she would never have attended if not for her grandfather’s summons.
“Taewoong seems to know you quite well…”
Her father, Lee Seokjun, glanced at the rearview mirror from the driver’s seat as he spoke. As a father he already carried a great deal of quiet guilt toward his daughter. She was his only child, yet to Chairman Lee Dojung she was merely a pretty granddaughter. The attention the boys received was on an entirely different level. His conservative father would hand the group’s flagship subsidiaries to the eldest brother and that brother’s eldest grandson. If Lee Seokjun worked hard enough to inherit a few affiliate shares and some real estate, he would count himself lucky. He had never been particularly greedy about that part. He was barely managing a company that did not suit his temperament, following his wife Han Soeun’s advice.
Today, however, the atmosphere had been different because of something unexpected: the discovery that their daughter had a friend who could actually stand by her side. Once that friend joined them, smiles had never left Chairman Lee Dojung’s face.
“We’re not like that. And I’m tired.”
Lee Hyoju shut her eyes, dodging the conversation.
Ha Taewoong. What are you going to do now…
Her cousin Lee Jeongho was the family’s certified idiot with no filter. Today Taewoong had thoroughly marked himself. The moment they returned to school on Monday, Jeongho would learn that Taewoong was a Sabaeja. That news would spread through the entire family in no time. Just imagining it made Hyoju’s head throb as if it were about to split.
“He definitely seems like the son of a family with real lineage…”
From the passenger seat Han Soeun seasoned her husband’s words, her feminine instincts drawing the conclusion.
Lineage? Taewoong?
Even Hyoju found herself questioning his true identity. Grandfather clearly knew Taewoong’s grandfather. Yet Hyoju could find no connecting thread, and her thoughts only grew more tangled. It felt as if the hidden true character of a Sabaeja was suddenly stepping into the light.
“Stay on good terms. Grandfather will probably invite him again soon.”
“…”
Lee Seokjun continued with advice, oblivious to his daughter’s complicated feelings.
The engine hummed. Hyoju swallowed a deep breath and kept her mouth shut. Far beyond the car window, Lotte Signiel rose tall against the skyline.
“You don’t know him?”
“That bastard’s suspicious. If he were anybody important, there’s no way I wouldn’t know.”
“Is that so…”
The household of Lee Seokjong, third son of the Oyang Group, had just returned home.
“Aigoo. What kind of little punk is he, not a playboy or anything, already dragging a pro female golfer around at that age? And a sponsor? Look at the state of him…”
Lee Seokjong’s wife, Jang Huiae, poured out her critique of Ha Taewoong. It was pure jealousy that the boy had monopolized her father-in-law’s attention over her own grandchildren. Having been forced to stay silent the entire outing, she now vented every ounce of resentment, both eyes blazing.
“I’ll find out once I’m back at school.”
“Do that. Figure out what kind of bastard he is.”
You son of a bitch. You’re dead!
Lee Jeongho already had a plan: if the kid came from an easy household, he would crush him on the spot. Among the boys who ran things at Cheonghwa High, Jeongho’s word carried decent weight. Most of them were athletic scholarship students—strong bodies, real power. They were the hidden delinquents of a school that officially had none. Once those guys marked you, few students could survive the rest of the year.
“Still, be careful. It looks like the grandfathers know each other.”
Lee Seokjong, the greediest of the Oyang Group’s direct bloodline, issued the warning. Being the youngest had always forced him to bow his head to the eldest brother who would take the chairman’s seat; the fixed future still rankled. He had clawed his way through life precisely because he hated that predetermined path. The world was never easy—whether you had money or not. He knew better than anyone how brutal life was outside the shade of the family name.
“Don’t worry. I’m not an idiot.”
“Th-this is really your car?”
“You know that’s the third time you’ve asked, right?”
“How are you this good at driving? You only got your license a few days ago.”
“I got the feel for it from games.”
“Haaah.”
A short, thick exclamation burst from Park Jiwoong in the passenger seat.
Late the previous night a text had arrived from Ha Taewoong: 10 a.m. Meet me in front of your place.
Taewoong had driven all the way into Guryong Village himself. The sight of him appearing in the neighborhood had left Jiwoong stunned. He already knew Taewoong was two years older and had heard about the driver’s license. He had never imagined the guy would show up behind the wheel of a large foreign SUV.
Taewoong was a Sabaeja just like him—hardly rolling in money. So how did a large imported SUV fit into the picture?
Jiwoong already knew a few things about Taewoong, at least roughly. Among the Sabaeja who had survived school like ghosts, Taewoong was one of the quiet ones. Tall, good-looking, and a strong student. On looks alone he could pass for a model. Yet the Sabaeja label had left him quietly ostracized for years.
Now the person had completely changed. The overflowing confidence was no exaggeration. He had boldly extracted five hundred million won from Oh Seora’s mother and handed it over as compensation. Five hundred million—money Jiwoong would never touch in his entire life. On top of that, Taewoong was radiating total confidence about the midterm results. And now he even drove a foreign car with flawless skill.
“I respect you, man!!”
Praise for Taewoong exploded from Jiwoong’s mouth. Ever since the moment he dumped a tray of food onto Oh Seora’s face, a quiet self-respect had begun to rise inside him. From that day the world itself had looked different.
“I’ve got your back. So live this life in style.”
Taewoong had a habit of tossing out sudden lines like that.
“Yeah! I’ll live so I’m not embarrassed to be your friend.”
The engine growled. The car rolled down the road with heavy yet silky power. Horsepower and torque were no empty boasts; the massive frame over two tons moved with the snap of a large luxury sedan.
“Taewoong, where are we actually going?”
Taewoong still had not revealed the purpose of the meeting.
“House hunting.”
“A house? You’re moving?”
“No. A place for you and your grandmother to live.”
“What??”
“Your grandmother’s getting on in years. She should be comfortable.”
“…”
Jiwoong’s mouth closed at once. His heart clenched harder than any words could.
“Thank you… I’ll repay this.”
They had known each other only a few days, yet the friendship already ran deeper than most.
“Yeah. You can.”
The brakes whispered. They had arrived.
“This is… in front of Seoguk University, right?”
“That’s right. The school you’ll be attending in two years.”
In Korea, without a SKY diploma success was hard to expect. And among them Seoguk University sat at the absolute top. Entering Seoguk already changed the level of your life; graduating from it went without saying.
“Get out. We’re here.”
With Mount Gwanak as a folding screen, Seoguk University rose ahead. They passed the towering buildings and stopped in front of a real-estate office. Taewoong’s manner was completely unhesitating.
“Uh…”
“Let’s go in.”
Seoguk Realty. They stepped through the wide automatic tempered-glass door.
“Welcome~”
A plump woman in her late forties with a high, friendly voice rose from her seat.
“We’re here to look at listings.”
“Hoho. Sit down first. Coffee? Or tea?”
She offered seats with practiced ease. This was Manager Lee Gyeongja. After roughly gauging the visitors’ ages she naturally switched to informal speech.
“Water’s fine. Jiwoong?”
“Water for me too, please.”
Taewoong… why is every single thing about him so natural?
This was Jiwoong’s first time walking into a real-estate office. Right after his parents died he had settled in Guryong Village holding his grandmother’s hand; of course he had no experience. Taewoong, however, moved as if he had done this countless times. He projected the presence of someone who had already lived more than ten years of adult life—the classic teto-nam type that had started trending lately.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
Lee Gyeongja handed over paper cups of cooler water.
What are these kids? Students?
Seoguk University students often stopped by looking for cheap jeonse or monthly rentals.
But the car they came in…
Lee Gyeongja’s senses immediately caught the thick scent of money. A large imported SUV. Kids this age could not casually drive something like that—insurance and maintenance alone were out of reach.
“You have jeonse listings for Seoguk Hyeondo Phase 2 Apartments, right?”
“Jeonse? Of course. But you know jeonse units are hard to come by these days?”
Lee Gyeongja’s mind spun quickly. Most walk-in clients were still naive students. One toxic listing flashed through her head. A landlord who owned dozens of units was currently on the brink of bankruptcy. Rumor had it he had poured every rental income into crypto and gotten completely wiped out. The tenant lease on a Seoguk Hyeondo Phase 2 unit was about to expire, and the landlord had no money to return the deposit. Only a few days earlier he had quietly floated a proposal: find a new tenant and he would kick back ten percent of the deposit.
As long as it doesn’t collapse immediately…
Most students preferred a fixed date over the more complicated jeonse right. Once the fixed date was granted, the protection took effect the next day. If the landlord executed a loan on the very day of the contract, he could pocket money twice over. The new tenant would instantly become a junior creditor. It could look like a jeonse scam, but since it was the landlord’s solo act the real-estate office carried no liability. She would only be the one who introduced the tip. As long as the landlord kept his mouth shut, she would never be an accomplice. The man was already at the edge of ruin, so it was all or nothing. Once the loan cleared he could wipe his mouth and walk away. Even if trouble erupted it usually ended as a civil matter, not criminal. And if the place went to auction the tenant would not learn of it right away.
If I take the commission this time, maybe I can switch cars?
Lee Gyeongja wrestled with herself. Close her eyes for a second and tens of millions of won would land in her hand. On top of that, today she was working Sunday duty alone.
At that exact moment the automatic door chimed.
“Welco—”
Lee Gyeongja began a perfunctory greeting, then lifted her head and froze solid. A woman of such dazzling beauty that the room seemed to brighten stepped inside. The woman’s gaze first landed on the customers who had arrived earlier. When her eyes met Ha Taewoong’s, a bright smile bloomed across her face.