Self

####

Park Onam’s mind was a mess.

How much of a mess? Enough that, on the way back to the real estate office, he couldn’t even think about Choi Yeonbi’s looks or figure.

There was one reason he was so flustered.

‘Isn’t she the daughter of some chaebol family……?’

Because Choi Yeonbi’s identity was far too suspicious.

An appearance like a student.

Clothes she had clearly thrown on without much thought.

And yet a face and figure better than most celebrities.

On top of that, she had even said she would buy Allstate outright.

Of course, she might have been lying. But what if it wasn’t a lie, but the truth?

Then he would become someone who had asked the daughter of some chaebol family if she had come to play a prank, judged her looks, and openly stared at her body.

In a word.

‘…I’m fucked.’

How was Choi Yeonbi evaluating him?

His head thrown into chaos by that thought, Park Onam silently gripped the steering wheel.

It had to be a lie.

She was probably just showing off for no reason when she was only going to take a look and leave.

Armed with such thoughts, he arrived at the real estate office.

But Choi Yeonbi was serious.

“Can we sign the contract today?”

####

Something about his attitude is strange.

Earlier, he’d seemed like he was talking a little carelessly, but now even his tone had become polite.

On top of that, he was fidgeting.

Did he eat something bad on the way back?

Now that I think about it, I haven’t eaten anything.

Maybe because all I’ve had so far is popcorn, I’m getting a little hungry.

I should finish this quickly and go eat.

“We can sign the contract right away today, right?”

At my question, the realtor brought over a stack of documents with a polite smile I hadn’t seen on him before.

His smiling face definitely looks better.

It’s the kind of smile that would make him look like a monk in training if he shaved off the rest of his hair.

I lowered my head and barely held back the laughter that almost burst out.

“A same-day contract is possible. The seller told us to proceed with the contract immediately if a buyer showed up, so most of the procedures can be handled quickly.”

Was there a reason they had to sell the house quickly?

If it were jeonse, that’d be one thing, but since this was a purchase, I probably didn’t need to worry too much.

Thinking that, I nodded.

“Then, please prepare the contract. You can sign the parts highlighted in fluorescent marker, and I’ll mark the sections you need to check with a pen.”

As he said that, he took the pen he was holding, drew lines on the documents, and circled things.

It reminded me of when I’d signed a monthly rent contract before, and the feeling was strangely moving.

Back then, I’d wandered around for days because it was so hard just to find one monthly rental.

When I let out a small laugh, the realtor suddenly glanced at me and started moving his hand even faster.

It wasn’t like I’d laughed while looking at him.

‘Something is definitely strange.’

I have no idea what he’s scheming.

He isn’t doing this to quickly dump a property that won’t sell, is he?

Well, even if he is, I can just find another place.

“Here is the contract. I’ll explain it to you. This is the house address, the building and unit number. This is the down payment and sale price. The down payment must be transferred today. The clauses below are special terms, so please read through them once.”

I took the contract and was about to read it when the realtor let out a short exclamation as if he had forgotten something and called to me.

“Ah, and could you show me your ID? We also need to make a copy. Would that be all right?”

“Yes.”

I took my ID out of my old wallet and handed it to him.

Twenty-one years old, Choi Yeonbi.

The realtor’s expression stiffened again when he saw my ID. Was he misunderstanding something on his own?

‘Well, I was shocked when I saw it too, so I guess it’s understandable.’

Even I, the owner of the ID, couldn’t believe it when I saw it, so how much worse would it be for other people?

Leaving him in his shock, I slowly began reading the contract.

“Hmm……”

There are a lot of words.

Still, I should carefully check everything they told me to check.

There wasn’t much need to look at the down payment or sale price, so I only read through the special terms once.

They were complicated, but all of it was obvious enough, so I just nodded.

Settlement of maintenance fees and utilities until the final payment date, liability for defects, whether options were included, and so on.

There wasn’t anything written in a way that seemed particularly disadvantageous to me, so I looked at the realtor in satisfaction.

“I just sign here, right?”

“Yes.”

Watching the realtor’s complicated expression, I finished signing. For a moment, I almost signed the way I had back when I was Choi Minhu, but I made an effort and changed it to Yeonbi.

“Ah, when do you plan to transfer the remaining balance?”

Now that I think about it, that’s true.

The down payment is money you pay before the purchase to mark the building as yours, so if I want to move in and live there, I have to finish paying the balance first.

Couldn’t I just pay it and take possession right now?

They say the sooner you move, the better.

Of course, that’s something my mom used to say.

“Can I transfer it right now?”

The realtor looked at me with a startled face at my calm words.

He looked as flustered as if all the hair he had been cherishing had suddenly fallen out.

“Uh… right now, you mean?”

“Yes. Right now.”

He froze, unable to move an inch.

When I gave a small cough, he jumped at the sound and only then began moving again.

“Then… I’ll write immediate handover upon payment of the balance and the handover date in the special terms. Please wait a moment while I contact the seller……”

The realtor stood up and bowed slightly, as if asking for my permission.

It felt a bit strange.

From the realtor’s position, I was the one with the upper hand right now, so it wasn’t that I couldn’t understand.

‘Even so, bowing like that to someone almost young enough to be his daughter is a little much.’

Thinking that, I waited for a moment for him to finish the call.

“…Yes, understood. Yes, yes.”

It seemed he had ended the call.

He took a deep breath, let it out, and spoke.

“Once the balance transfer is confirmed, you can move in today. And the commission should be sent to this account……”

Just like that, in the blink of an eye, I became the owner of an Allstate apartment.

####

Choi Yeonbi.

That was the name of the chaebol daughter who had gotten into the compact car parked outside.

Age twenty-one.

Since her birthday had passed, she was twenty in full years.

‘A Choi family chaebol…….’

Park Onam began frantically searching through the Choi chaebols in his head.

But no one suitable came to mind.

‘Please, I hope nothing happens.’

A woman who could casually send nearly a billion won from her account without any kind of loan.

And that woman was only twenty-one years old.

The moment Onam saw that bizarre ID card, he gave up thinking any further.

He simply began thinking about sending her off as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, since she wanted to get the house quickly, he no longer had anything more to see her about, but one corner of his heart still felt uneasy.

‘I should’ve just kept my mouth shut if I didn’t know anything…….’

He knew all too well that he had been rude to Yeonbi from their very first meeting.

On top of that, he had openly appreciated her figure, so it was only natural, in a way, that his guilty conscience was tormenting him.

“You don’t have to come all the way out here.”

“Oh, no, not at all. A customer is leaving, so of course I should see you off.”

Onam bowed so excessively that it was almost too much as he followed Yeonbi all the way to the parking lot where she had left her car.

Choi Yeonbi’s face clearly showed that she was uncomfortable, but Onam had no intention of backing down.

Because he desperately had to convey what was in his heart.

‘Please don’t say anything to anyone.’

Receiving Onam’s burdensome farewell, Yeonbi got into the car.

To escape that uncomfortable situation, she drove away as quickly as she could.

Watching her disappear leisurely into the distance, Park Onam fervently prayed that she wouldn’t tell anyone about what had happened today.

“Phew……”

Then he took a cigarette out of his pocket and put it in his mouth.

####

“An apartment……”

I got an apartment in a single day.

And not just any apartment, but Allstate, known as a high-end brand apartment.

It had been roughly ten years since I started living while steadily paying monthly rent, thinking that I would get a home of my own, that I would find a place that was completely mine instead of a monthly rental.

Over those ten years, I had scraped together what little money I could and clung to that as hope while living on.

I saved money like a miser, couldn’t even dream of traveling, let alone going overseas, and the only time I had ever been on a plane was when I went to Jeju Island in high school.

“……”

That was why my heart felt even emptier.

While I was forcing myself to keep my daily food expenses under ten thousand won, someone else must have been buying and selling homes without a care, spending huge sums like this.

Of course, I knew it well.

I had seen posts written by wealthy people on online communities, and I had clearly seen how celebrities lived.

Back then, I thought of it as something from an entirely different world, so I didn’t think much of it, but now.

“…This feels pretty unpleasant.”

For some reason, I kept thinking of cigarettes, so I let out a deep breath and headed to the supermarket.

I’ve been making full use of the compact car I bought today.

The supermarket I’m heading to now is a little far away, so I’ve never visited it in person before and had only ordered delivery from it online.

Having a car really is convenient.

Thanks to the parking assist option, I parked comfortably and got out of the car.

When I was young, I used to come to the supermarket like this with Mom often.

“Mom, I want this, this!”

“Are you a baby? How long are you going to keep trying to ride in the cart?”

Seeing a mother and daughter pass by while having that conversation, the corners of my mouth slowly rose without me realizing it.

Watching the heartwarming sight, I headed toward the elevator.

The reason I came to the supermarket now was to go to the restaurant on the top floor.

I didn’t come just to eat.

I came here because I thought it would be nice to eat a proper meal and also pick up a few things I needed.

Anyway, after a short walk, I arrived in front of the elevator.

After waiting for a moment, the elevator coming up from the parking garage below stopped with a ding.

‘Ugh, why are there so many people on a weekday?’

It was packed so tightly that there was barely room to step inside.

I was about to take the next one when a man standing in front subtly moved aside for me.

“Ah… I’m supposed to meet a friend here. Go on up first.”

At this consideration I’d never received before in my life, I bowed my head somewhat awkwardly in thanks.

Then, as if he were somehow pleased, he got off the elevator with a silly grin.

‘All kinds of things happen.’

Feeling a little awkward about something I’d experienced for the first time, I stood there sheepishly.

For some reason, it felt like everyone around me was looking at me.

‘It’s just my imagination, right?’

Carrying that uncomfortable feeling, I got off on the top floor with another ding.

As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, delicious smells drifted from every direction.

‘It smells good.’

I wiped away the drool that was about to run from the corner of my mouth, straightened my back, and looked around.

I’m now a chaebol who can eat any food I want.

So I’m going to eat everything I’ve always wanted to eat.

With excited steps, I first entered the steakhouse.

Eating alone? I’m already past the age where I care what other people think.

Besides, they say there are a lot of people who eat alone these days.

Of course, I had never gone to a high-end restaurant like this alone before, so I moved with a bit of nervousness.

Still, so I wouldn’t look intimidated, I squared my shoulders proudly and held my head high.

“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”

But that resolve of mine vanished like dust in the wind at the question of whether I had made a reservation.