A Real Estate Agent, Song Hyunsoo, and his Grandmother.
The three of them stepped out of the compact car driven by the agent.
The agent parked the car in the piloti parking lot on the first floor of a villa and glanced back at the two passengers in the rear seat.
“This house will really suit you.”
“Oh my, I think this will be expensive…”
From the look of the villa’s exterior, Grandmother already seemed intimidated.
“It’s 130 million won, but I’ll try to negotiate down to 120 million won. Please, come this way.”
Grandmother pulled Song Hyunsoo’s hand close and whispered.
“You talk about 120 or 130 million won as if it’s the price of a block of tofu.”
The villa looked newly built, with a shared entrance door equipped with a door lock and even an elevator. Compared to the other three houses they had visited today, this one was definitely more respectable.
“There’s an elevator, so it’ll be convenient for you two going back and forth, and it’s on the third floor, so it gets plenty of sunlight. You saw on the way here, right? There’s a park right behind it. The windows of the rooms and living room face that direction. Since there’s no building blocking the front, the house stays bright all day.”
“That sounds nice.”
Grandmother nodded as she looked around the elevator’s interior, which gleamed even though it was small and narrow because it was new.
The area where Song Hyunsoo grew up was about a two-hour bus ride from Seoul on average and bordered Chungcheong Province. Geographically, it wasn’t a particularly popular location.
Still, renting a decent villa here on a jeonse deposit under 100 million won was out of the question.
100 million won. To Grandmother and Grandfather, that was an enormous sum of money— almost like buying the world.
They opened the shared door with the door lock and stepped inside. Bright sunlight poured into the empty living room.
“Oh my… it’s dazzling.”
Though Grandmother had been reluctant when she heard the price, she immediately expressed admiration at the house’s bright, heavenly sunlight.
“Right? Since there’s a park right in front, it doesn’t feel stuffy. If you open the windows in summer, it’s cool.”
Grandmother opened one of the large living room windows, like a veranda window, herself.
Just watching her standing in the clean house bathed in bright light made Song Hyunsoo feel full to the brim. He almost wanted to send the down payment right then and there.
Click. Taking pictures to show Grandfather, who hadn’t come with them, Song Hyunsoo captured Grandmother’s figure standing in the living room on his phone.
“Is there no mold here?”
“Oh my, with light coming in this well, why would there be mold? Please check every corner once more.”
The agent seemed quite confident about this house.
“Ma’am, you know that a bright house like this uses less heating, right?”
“That’s right. It’s quite warm even now.”
Grandmother seemed already won over, despite her hesitation over the 120 million won price.
“Since it’ll be just you and Father living here, is one room enough?”
At the agent’s question, Song Hyunsoo, who had been quietly holding back until now, stepped forward.
“Of course. It’s more than enough. Grandmother, come look. Even with one room, it’s very big.”
Grandmother, who was peeking into a small storage room, followed Song Hyunsoo’s gesture toward the door. The room also had a large south-facing window, letting in plenty of light despite it being midwinter.
“That may be, but… just one room for such a big price.”
“It’s a newly built place only two years old, near a park, with an elevator… The conditions are excellent. The only reason it’s this price is because there’s just one room, ma’am. A two-room next door is 180 million won.”
“Oh my…” Hearing 180 million won, Grandmother shook her head in disbelief.
They parted ways with the real estate agent in the parking lot on the first floor.
The Bunsik Restaurant that Grandmother and Grandfather ran was about a 15-minute walk away, so they planned to stroll there.
“This house is the best, Grandmother. It’s close to the Bunsik Restaurant, too. Should we go with this one?”
“When do we have to move in? Have you bought your bus ticket?”
“We should leave soon. I have work tonight.”
“Go to the shop and have a bowl of noodles before you leave, okay?”
It seemed more important for Grandmother to feed Song Hyunsoo noodles than to pick the new place. She kept looking up at him, repeatedly pointing toward the Bunsik Restaurant.
Though he had to clock in at ‘Jessica,’ Song Hyunsoo thought it would be fine to stop by the Bunsik Restaurant briefly.
Looking down at Grandmother’s wrinkled eyes, which always seemed moist with tears, he held her hand and started walking in the direction of the shop.
Where once there were rice paddies during Song Hyunsoo’s school days, sharp new apartments and villas had risen. His hometown was becoming increasingly unfamiliar every time he came back.
Grandmother and Grandfather had to keep moving farther out on the outskirts every few years because they couldn’t afford to raise the jeonse deposit each time they renewed their lease.
Song Hyunsoo had graduated from high school living in a dark two-room house that resembled a cave inside a multi-family residence behind the side gate, after entering through the main gate and walking around half the building. Grandmother and Grandfather still lived there. The side gate faced the backs of other houses, so dark that they had to keep the lights on even during the day.
When the Bunsik Restaurant sign appeared, Grandmother quickened her pace. Letting go of Song Hyunsoo’s hand, she almost ran inside the shop and shouted urgently,
“Hyunsoo’s here! Hurry and make a bowl of noodles!”
The Bunsik Restaurant was quiet. The only customers were a table of students eating tteokbokki and gimbap on one side.
While Grandmother and Song Hyunsoo were looking at the rooms, Grandfather had been in charge of the shop alone, washing dishes in the kitchen.
“Grandfather, I’m here.”
“Are you filming a movie? You look even brighter than before.”
“Since when did Hyunsoo ever not have a bright face? He was the best-looking kid in this neighborhood.”
Since he was little, whenever he went to the market or anywhere else, people would say, “How can a kid be this handsome?” and wouldn’t leave him alone. He would always come home with candy or snacks, too. Grandmother repeated the same stories she had told hundreds of times over the past decades.
“Grandfather, let me wash the dishes.”
“No need. It’s cold. Go sit down and have some fish cake broth.”
“Grandfather, you make the noodles. I’ll wash the dishes quickly.”
Taking off his jumper, Song Hyunsoo brushed past Grandfather and put on rubber gloves.
The small, shabby Bunsik Restaurant had only six tables. Though it was a borrowed business, it had been the foundation for Grandmother and Grandfather’s livelihood for nearly ten years. At least they didn’t have to worry about being fired.
After quickly finishing the dishes, Song Hyunsoo set a bowl of noodles and three kinds of kimchi side dishes on the table and sat down.
Grandfather sat across from him, browsing through the photos of the houses they had seen today on Song Hyunsoo’s phone, while Grandmother sat beside him, enthusiastically explaining.
“Wow, this house is really shiny. Like an apartment.”
“Well, it even has an elevator. Look here, look how well the light comes in.”
Grandmother flipped through the photos, earnestly explaining.
“The last house is nice, right? Grandmother, shall we go with that one?”
“New house, very bright, everything’s good. It is good, but…”
The grandmother who had been boasting excitedly like a child just moments ago suddenly wore a reluctant expression, avoiding eye contact and sipping water.
“It’s good, why? Because of money? I said don’t worry about the money.”
“The money, and also…”
“What besides money?”
“There’s only one room.”
“One room is enough. There’s a veranda and a tiny storage room, too.”
Unable to stand it, Grandfather clicked his tongue and interrupted Song Hyunsoo.
“You don’t like it because your room will disappear, kid. You’ll have nowhere to sleep when you come here.”
“……”
Since going to Seoul right after graduation, Song Hyunsoo hadn’t come down here often. Some years, he only came once during Lunar New Year.
“I only come once in a while.”
“……”
“And the house is so clean and nice. Just spread a blanket out in the living room and sleep. What’s the problem?”
Because the house only had one room, it really felt like going from three people to just two. That was probably why Grandmother hesitated. Song Hyunsoo understood that feeling but tried to convince her in a deliberately cheerful voice.
“But where did you get that much money?”
“I signed a contract with a good company this time.”
“What kind of company pays a salary like that?”
If only he could say he had signed a contract with the Prince. Grandmother would understand immediately. She always thought Yoon Jooho was like the real Prince of the country, believing nothing was impossible for him.
“It’s not a salary, Grandmother. I’m going to work with that company now, and this is the advance payment.”
“Why do they pay in advance? Isn’t that a scam?”
“Singers, actors, it’s always like that. You know the Prince, right? His company’s contracts work the same way.”
“…Is that so?”
Though still suspicious, Grandmother and Grandfather seemed to accept the explanation that the Prince’s company also worked that way.
Song Hyunsoo eagerly explained the good treatment he would receive going forward, though they only seemed to understand about a third of it.
“So, we’re going with that house? The previous owner’s daughter moved out in a hurry, so that’s why the price is this low. Normally, they’d ask for 150 million won. It’ll be gone soon.”
After expressing his intent to the real estate agent, Song Hyunsoo transferred a 500,000 won deposit as a down payment.
The 50 million won deposit from their current house, the 20 million won contract money from , and the 50 million won contract money from Yoon Jooho totaled exactly 120 million won.
At least for a few years, Grandmother and Grandfather would be able to live in a bright, clean house. They could finally leave that cave-like place. It felt like a chain tightening around his ribs had snapped, and he could breathe freely again.
Just as Song Hyunsoo put his phone down on the table after confirming the agent’s message about the deposit, it rang again.
Stopping mid-bite of noodles, Song Hyunsoo hastily picked up the phone, his heart pounding wildly. Every call over the past week had been like this.