By Zephyria A real estate agent, Song Hyun-soo, and his grandmother. The three got out of the compact car driven by the agent. The agent parked in a piloti parking lot at the first floor of a villa and turned to them with a confident expression.
“You’ll really like this place.”
“Oh my, this looks expensive…”
His grandmother seemed intimidated by the villa’s exterior alone.
“It’s 130 million won, but I’ll try my best to get it down to 120 million. Please come this way.”
His grandmother pulled Song Hyun-soo’s hand closer and whispered, “They talk about 120 to 130 million like it’s the price of a block of tofu.”
The villa, which looked newly built, had a common entrance with a door lock and an elevator. Compared to the other three houses they had viewed today, it was certainly more impressive.
“It has an elevator, so it will be convenient for you two to go up and down, and it’s on the third floor, so it gets plenty of sun. Did you see on the way? There’s a park right behind it. The bedroom and living room windows face that way. It’s not blocked in front, so the house is bright all day.”
“That’s good.”
While looking around the elevator interior, which was small but shiny because it was new, his grandmother nodded. The region where Song Hyun-soo grew up was about a two-hour bus ride from Seoul, bordering Chungcheong Province, so it wasn’t a particularly popular location. Yet, to rent a decent villa in this area, anything less than 100 million won was out of the question. 100 million won. To his grandmother and grandfather, it was a fortune that felt like they could buy the world.
Opening the entrance with the door lock, light poured into the empty living room.
“Oh my… it’s so bright.”
After hearing the price, his grandmother, who had been hesitant, exclaimed at the heavenly bright sunlight.
“Right? It’s not stuffy because it’s right by the park. It’ll be cool if you open the windows in the summer.”
His grandmother opened the large living room window, like a veranda window, herself. Seeing his grandmother standing in the clean house, bathed in light without any reservation, made Song Hyun-soo feel full. He felt like paying the provisional deposit on the spot. Click. Song Hyun-soo, who was taking pictures of various parts of the house to show his grandfather, who couldn’t come along, also took a picture of his grandmother standing in the living room.
“Are there any mold spots here?”
“Oh, with this much light, why would there be mold? Please check every corner.”
The agent seemed quite confident about this house.
“Ma’am, you know that houses with good sunlight use less heating, right?”
“That’s true. It feels very warm in here already.”
Despite her initial reluctance due to the 120 million won price tag, his grandmother seemed captivated.
“Since it’ll just be you and your husband living here, one bedroom is enough, right?”
Song Hyun-soo, who had been quietly standing back, stepped forward at the agent’s question.
“Of course, it’s plenty. Grandma, come and see. Even though there’s only one room, it’s very big.”
His grandmother, who had been peeking into a small storage room, approached the bedroom door at Song Hyun-soo’s gesture. The bedroom also had a large south-facing window, so there was ample light even in the dead of winter.
“Well, yes… but only one room for such a large sum?”
“It’s only two years old, close to the park, and has an elevator… the conditions are too good. It’s this price precisely because there’s only one room, ma’am. The two-bedroom next door is 180 million won.”
Oh my… at the mention of 180 million won, his grandmother shook her head.
They parted ways with the real estate agent at the first-floor parking lot. It was about a 15-minute walk from the snack bar his grandmother and grandfather ran, so they could stroll over.
“This house is the best, Grandma. It’s close to the snack bar too. Should we go with this one?”
“When do you have to go up? Did you book your bus ticket?”
“I have to go now. I have work tonight.”
“Come to the shop and have a bowl of noodles before you go. Okay?”
As if feeding Song Hyun-soo noodles was more important than choosing a house to move into, his grandmother kept pointing in the direction of the snack bar, looking up at him.
It was a workday at ‘Jessica,’ but a quick stop at the snack bar seemed fine. Looking down at his grandmother’s deeply wrinkled eyes, which always seemed to be brimming with tears, Song Hyun-soo took her hand and started walking towards the snack bar.
Where there had been paddy fields when Song Hyun-soo was a student, brand-new apartments and villas now stood. His hometown felt more unfamiliar with every visit.
With each lease renewal, his grandparents couldn’t afford the increased jeonse deposit and had to move every few years, pushing them further to the outskirts. They entered through the gate of a multi-family house, and after circling the building halfway, they reached a side door. Inside, in a two-room, cave-like dwelling, Song Hyun-soo had graduated high school, and his grandparents still lived there. The side door was directly blocked by the backs of other houses, so they had to keep the lights on even in the middle of the day.
As the snack bar’s sign came into view, his grandmother’s steps quickened. Letting go of Song Hyun-soo’s hand, she practically ran into the shop, shouting urgently, “Hyun-soo’s here! Hurry and make him a bowl of noodles!”
The snack bar was quiet. The only customers were students eating tteokbokki and kimbap at one table.
While his grandmother looked at Song Hyun-soo and Bang, his grandfather, who was managing the shop alone, was washing dishes in the back kitchen.
“Grandfather, I’m here.”
“Is it because you’re filming a movie? You look even more radiant.”
“When was Hyun-soo ever not radiant? He was the most handsome in this neighborhood.”
His grandmother brought up the same story she had told him for decades: ever since he was little, people would stop them wherever they went, in the market or elsewhere, asking how such a beautiful child existed. He always came away with a candy or a snack.
“Grandfather, I’ll do the dishes.”
“No need. It’s cold, go have some fish cake soup and sit down.”
“Grandfather, just make the noodles. I’ll finish the dishes quickly.”
Song Hyun-soo, having taken off his jumper, pushed his grandfather aside and put on the rubber gloves.
The small, humble snack bar had only six tables. Though the shop was set up with borrowed money, it had been enough to cover his grandparents’ living expenses for nearly ten years. At least they didn’t have to worry about being fired.
Finishing the dishes in an instant, Song Hyun-soo placed a bowl of noodles and three kinds of kimchi side dishes on the table and sat down.
His grandfather, sitting opposite him, browsed through the houses they had viewed that day on Song Hyun-soo’s phone, while his grandmother sat beside him, adding her enthusiastic commentary.
“Wow, this house is so shiny. It looks like an apartment.”
“Well, it even had an elevator! Look, look at how much light comes in here.”
His grandmother eagerly flipped through the photos, explaining.
“The last house is nice, right? Grandmother, should we go with that one?”
“It’s a new house, and it’s so bright, it’s lovely. It’s lovely, but…”
The grandmother, who had been excitedly praising the houses like a child just moments before, suddenly wore a crestfallen expression, feigned indifference, and just drank water.
“It’s lovely, so why? Because of the money? Don’t worry about the money.”
“It’s partly the money.”
“What else besides money?”
“There’s only one room there.”
“One room is enough. It has a balcony, and a small storage space attached.”
Unable to bear it any longer, his grandfather interjected, clicking his tongue at Song Hyun-soo.
“It’s because you won’t have a room, you fool. You’ll have nowhere to sleep when you visit.”
“……”
Since leaving for Seoul right after graduation, Song Hyun-soo hadn’t been able to visit often. Some years, he only came once for Lunar New Year.
“I only come once in a while.”
“……”
“And the house is so clean and nice, I can just sleep on a futon in the living room, so what’s the problem?”
If there was only one room, it would truly feel like the family was shrinking from three to two. Though he understood the reason, Song Hyun-soo deliberately tried to persuade his grandmother in a cheerful voice.
“But where did you get that much money?”
“I told you, I signed a contract with a good company.”
“What kind of company pays that much salary…”
If I told them I signed with the Crown Prince, they’d understand immediately. My grandmother thinks our Yoon Joo-ho can do anything, as if he were the actual Crown Prince of this country.
“It’s not salary, Grandmother. It’s an advance payment because I’ll be working with that company now.”
“Why would they give you money upfront? Isn’t it a scam?”
“It’s like that for singers and actors. The Crown Prince, right? His company also signs contracts like that.”
“…Really?”
His grandparents still looked skeptical, but they seemed to accept the idea that the Crown Prince also did things this way.
Song Hyun-soo diligently explained the good treatment he would receive in the future. Though his grandparents seemed to understand less than a third of it.
“So, we’re going with that house? It’s priced that way because the owner’s daughter is moving out and they need to sell quickly; otherwise, it would be 150 million won. It’ll sell fast!”
Having informed the real estate agent of his intention to buy, Song Hyun-soo deposited 500,000 won as a preliminary deposit.
The 50 million won jeonse deposit from their current home, the 20 million won received as a contract deposit from
At least for a few years, his grandparents could live in a bright, clean house. They could escape that cave-like dwelling. It felt like a chain that had been tightening around his ribs had snapped, allowing him to breathe freely.
As soon as he confirmed the agent’s message about the preliminary deposit and placed his phone on the table, the phone rang again with a drrrrk.
Song Hyun-soo, who had been about to pick up a spoonful of noodles, quickly grabbed his phone again, his heart pounding wildly. It had been like this every time the phone rang for the past week.