Chapter 11

After work, Yeon-su started up the alley toward home.

<Reconstruction will raise Yong-a-dong’s value.>
<Let’s all live in better homes!>

Banners hung by locals in favor of redevelopment fluttered in the breeze.

<Please protect Yong-a-dong as it is!>
<This is our last home!>

Those against redevelopment had put up their own signs, cluttering the narrow street.

This neighborhood sat higher than most, so redevelopment had been proposed and canceled again and again. That left even the long-time residents divided, constantly fighting on opposing sides.

Rrrr—

Halfway up the slope, her phone rang.

When she saw who it was, her face lit up.

It was her mother, Kyung-hee.

Her parents, after much hesitation about moving, had finally decided to return to their hometown. The final push came when an old friend called, asking for help with the plum harvest.

Even when they lived as frugally as possible in Seoul, expenses were high. And with debts still hanging over them, it felt like money vanished with every breath.

Back in the countryside, empty houses were everywhere, abandoned as people left for the city. The village head had offered one of those houses to them, rent-free.

“At least in that house, if we farm, we’ll find a way to live.”

And just like that, the sudden decision to return to farming was made.

Yeon-su respected her parents’ choice, but her heart still ached.

— Yeon-su, are you off work? Did you have dinner?

Her mother’s voice trickled through the receiver.

“Yes. I just got off work, had dinner at the company cafeteria.”

— Oh, thank goodness. I worried about you being alone, but if you get three meals a day, I can rest easy.

In truth, HaeNam Construction had no cafeteria.

But her mother fretted constantly about whether she was eating well, so Yeon-su had lied, saying the company provided meals.

It was her father’s hometown, but to her mother it was just a strange countryside village. And going there penniless, with nothing left, couldn’t have felt easy.

She knew life there would be hard.

Yet even so, her mother only ever worried about her.

Hearing that voice made Yeon-su’s nose sting and her throat tighten.

— I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything for you.

Just when she was about to burst into tears, her mother’s voice cracked first.

Trying to soothe her mother, Yeon-su ended the call.

A long sigh slipped between her lips.

“Nothing for me? If you hadn’t stopped me from dropping out of college, I’d have thrown my life away. That’s more than enough.”

She wiped her damp eyes with her palm.

It had only taken three months after the scam for their house to be auctioned off.

“I’ll quit college and just start working.”

Their debts alone were in the billions of won. To keep going to university in that situation felt like pure luxury.

“I’ll find a way. Please, just finish your degree, okay?”

Her mother had begged her desperately.

Her father had gone to work in a factory. Her mother, who had never worked before, took a job in a restaurant kitchen.

Yeon-su herself had jumped into endless part-time jobs.

Even with the whole family working, the debt hardly budged.

If not for her mother’s support, she would have dropped out and gone straight to a factory. She would have followed her parents back to the countryside by now.

So her job at HaeNam Construction was all thanks to her mother.

Her one goal was to become a permanent employee and let her mother finally rest.

But first, she needed a place to live.

As she glanced around, something caught her eye.

<Detached house, 3 bedrooms, 1 living room. Jeonse 50 million won.>

The flyer was taped to the glass door of a real estate office.

For the heart of Seoul, even if it was a redevelopment zone, the price was unbelievable.

She stepped inside almost on instinct.

The air inside was thick with smoke. A man in his forties sat in a chair, chain-smoking.

“I came to ask about the house. Is the one on the flyer still available?”

“Oh, the red-brick house?”

He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and looked up.

With his cropped haircut and broad build, he hardly looked like a realtor.

“It’s still available. It’s vacant now, so you can see it right away. Want to take a look?”

His straightforward way of standing up to lead her out eased her suspicion.

“Yes, please.”

“Alright then, let’s go.”

The realtor answered briskly and headed uphill. Yeon-su followed.

The house stood near the very top of the neighborhood.

By the time she reached it, sweat dampened her back.

“Here it is.”

He pointed to the property.

It was a brick house, the kind built up block by block.

From the outside, it looked grim, clearly untouched by renovations for years.

The bricks, once red, had turned a dark, muddy shade, streaked with stains and dust.

“You’d get this whole house to yourself at that price. Practically a steal.”

He pushed open the gate.

Creak—

The rusty iron door groaned as it swung wide.

She hadn’t expected much.

But the inside was completely different.

A small, well-tended garden burst with flowers in bloom.

Her eyes widened, a soft gasp slipping from her lips.

Love at first sight. That was the only way to describe it.

It was the kind of house she had always dreamed of living in someday.

On one side of the yard sat a dainty table and parasol. She could already picture herself sipping morning coffee there in the sun.

“This is amazing!”

Her voice brimmed with delight.

The realtor smirked, clearly pleased.

“Come on in, let’s take a look inside.”

She followed him in.

Unlike the pretty yard, the interior was exactly what she had expected.

The bathroom shelves were rusted, the sink doors peeling. The wallpaper was a mess of stains and scribbles, and the house carried the musty odor of long vacancy.

But it was much bigger than her old place.

“Because it’s on high ground, sunlight pours in unobstructed.”

Watching her expression, the realtor pointed toward the window.

Sure enough, the sunset light streamed deep into the living room.

“You’re right.”

She nodded, taking her time to check things.

She turned on the sink, the bathroom tap, and flushed the toilet. The water pressure was strong, and she liked that.

Yes, the house was old, but with a little work it could be perfectly livable.

The floors were surprisingly clean, and there was even a sturdy wardrobe left behind.

“Oh, that. The previous tenant left it. Solid, durable, useful for bedding or clothes.”

He opened the wardrobe to show her. The drawers were deep.

“What do you think? Three other parties are scheduled to view this place tomorrow. If you want it, you need to decide now.”

He pressed her.

Her old villa had been thirty million won deposit and seven hundred thousand won monthly rent.

This house cost twenty million more in deposit, but there was no monthly rent.

It was a detached house, so no management fees either.

Too good to be true.

“Why is it so cheap?”

“It’s on the condition that the landlord won’t do repairs. He was holding out for redevelopment, but the plan just fell through again. He figured he might as well rent it out. It literally went on the market today, lucky timing for you.”

His explanation made sense.

Investors had rushed in and fled repeatedly, every time the rumors shifted with politics.

“By the weekend it’ll be gone. Honestly, even by tomorrow.”

“I’ll take it.”

Her decision came quick.

The realtor grinned wide, satisfied.
 

To be continued

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