Chapter 1

After finishing the morning meeting, Jae-won returned to his office and stared blankly at the schedule his secretary had left on his desk.

He needed to get up soon for the next appointment, yet one sharp, out-of-place entry caught his eye and made it hard for him to move.

11:00-12:00 Tenant meeting at Taejin Officetel
12:00-13:00 Lunch
13:30-15:00 Attend Eco-Friendly Interior Forum (COEX)
16:00-17:00 Marcel Hotel (Personal schedule)
17:00- Business trip to Gangwon Palace Hotel

16:00-17:00 Marcel Hotel (Personal schedule)

The personal schedule at four in the afternoon was a blind date.

At most, it would take an hour.

He could just have tea and come back.

Still, the one who arranged it was none other than CEO Kang Ju-sik.

“Hey, do you realize who that is? The person who arranged it is CEO Kang himself, and the woman is his daughter. You should definitely go.”

When Jae-won said he wanted to decline, his second brother looked at him as if he were some ungrateful beast.

“Yeah, come on, big bro. CEO Kang has done so much for us. Even if the woman turns out to be an ogre, you should still go.”

His youngest brother, a game addict, threw in careless remarks since it wasn’t his problem.

How cheeky.

After their parents passed away, Jae-won had believed all hardships and burdens of the world were his to bear.

He had raised his younger brothers like fragile flowers in a greenhouse, yet his efforts seemed forgotten.

Now they were just impatient for him to get it over with.

Ha…

Jae-won brushed the corner of his mouth with a bitter smile.

Well, they weren’t entirely wrong.

The man who had reached out to help three orphans was none other than CEO Kang Ju-sik.

Even though Jae-won was now a self-made businessman, back then everything had been bleak.

Without CEO Kang, there might not have been “Won Interior” today.

Leaning back in his chair, Jae-won replayed the phone conversation he’d had with Kang a few days ago.

“Don’t you think it’s time you got married? I happen to know a good match. Would you like to meet her?”

“No, thank you. I’m fine. I’ve got too many projects going on right now…”

“You remember my daughter, I-young, right? She’s grown into such a graceful woman, just like her mother.”

“Sir…”

“Haha, don’t feel pressured. Just meet her once. Have a light cup of tea.”

Even now, Jae-won couldn’t figure out what Kang had in mind.

Why his daughter?

She was probably twenty-six at most, still young.

He couldn’t imagine why Kang wanted to match them.

It wasn’t something Jae-won had ever thought about, nor did he feel comfortable thinking about it.

Ha.

He pressed his fingertips against the corner of his eyes and let out a long sigh.

Still, since it was a request from that man, he would at least show some courtesy and meet her.

Knock, knock.

At the sound, he lifted his gaze toward the door.

“Come in.”

A moment later, his colleague, Director Park Sun-ho, entered.

“Boss, aren’t you going? You have to meet the tenant in room 1004.”

Jae-won checked his watch, then stood up.

A small issue had arisen at Taejin Officetel, which the company had recently acquired.

One of the tenants, apparently from the same industry, had been filing complaints almost every day.

According to Sun-ho, she was quite the piece of work.

“How many units are still occupied?”

“Still quite a few. Most will be vacated by next year though.”

Taejin Officetel was a twelve-story building with three underground levels and eighty-eight units in total.

“What’s the longest remaining lease?”

“Unfortunately, room 1004. One year and eight months left.”

The place had a prime location with three nearby subway stations and great amenities, so it was considered rare for its two-room layout.

Even though they offered to cover moving costs for tenants who left early, no one had volunteered.

“Do I really have to go myself?”

He wasn’t some customer complaint handler.

“You have to. She literally said she wants to see the president in person.”

Sun-ho jumped exaggeratedly, his large frame moving lightly for his size.

“You sure it’s not because you couldn’t handle her?”

“I told you, no. But we should still keep things quiet while she’s living there. The company’s reputation matters, right?”

Company reputation…

Jae-won took a business card for Taejin Officetel’s owner, tightened his loosened tie, and got ready to leave.

First, he’d listen to what the tenant wanted.

Since she demanded to see the president, he’d go.

Honestly, it was a hundred, no, a thousand times better than going on that blind date.

“Our boss sure is busy, huh? You still have COEX this afternoon and a trip to Gangwon in the evening.”

“You call that knowing me?”

“Man, dealing with women is so hard for me.”

“The tenant is a woman?”

Jae-won asked while putting on his jacket.

“Yeah.”

Sun-ho scratched his head awkwardly, his confidence fading.

For someone built like a mountain, he looked surprisingly timid.

Jae-won sighed shortly.

If only that were the end of it.

He still had the blind date before the business trip.

“Tell Team Leader Lee Ji-soo to get ready for the trip and wait.”

“Okay.”

Sun-ho’s face brightened instantly.

Jae-won left the office with him.

It was going to be a long and tiring day.

* * *

<Taejin Officetel Room 1004>

While Sun-ho stayed in the car finishing a call with a client, Jae-won went up first.

He had a feeling Sun-ho was deliberately stretching the call, but Jae-won didn’t care.

He just wanted to get this meeting over with as soon as possible.

If only the tenant would say she wanted to move out on her own, that would be even better.

He checked the time before pressing the doorbell.

Ten minutes to eleven.

She should be home, right?

He pressed the doorbell.

Even after the sound echoed inside, there was no response.

He pressed it again.

Still silence.

He clenched his fist and knocked twice.

Thud, thud.

“Excuse me. I’m here from Taejin Officetel.”

“J-just a moment!”

Finally, there was a response.

He heard hurried footsteps from inside, followed by the sound of the door unlocking.

“Please come in.”

One of Jae-won’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

The woman before him looked like a drenched rat.

Water dripped from her long, loose hair. She must have just been showering.

Her shirt was buttoned unevenly, and she seemed completely flustered.

Jae-won looked away and scanned the interior of the unit with a sharp eye.

“You’re the new owner, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

With her arms crossed, she looked him up and down warily.

Her wet hair clung to her face like seaweed, hiding most of her features.

Judging by her voice, she seemed to be in her early twenties.

Sun-ho had called her a crazy tenant. Maybe, but it was too early to tell.

There was definitely an odd vibe though.

Still, people could surprise you.

“Here’s my card.”

Jae-won took out the business card from his inner pocket and handed it to her.

She glanced at it half-heartedly, then sighed deeply with one hand on her hip.

Jae-won stayed by the entrance, silently watching her.

“Damn, I knew it. No matter how much I complained, nobody listened. So you were planning to ditch this place all along.”

From her muttering, she seemed to be talking about the previous owner.

After mumbling for a while, she finally looked straight at him.

Through the tangle of damp hair, her shiny eyes met his.

“Mr. Landlord, you’ve just stepped on crap.”

I stepped on crap?

Either way, the entire building was going to be remodeled soon.

She didn’t seem to know that and looked at him pitifully.

“This building is full of problems. First of all, this unit alone has so many issues…”

She went on endlessly about the boiler that didn’t regulate water temperature properly, the draft coming through the windows, the cabinet door about to fall off, and the poor soundproofing between units.