< My Home (3) >
Namsan Chargeomeori said discontentedly.
“What? Someone came to see the house before us. Is this house already sold?”
“Oh, how could that be! I just came out after confirming with the landlord that it wasn’t sold?”
“Really? Then that’s fine. The one who finishes the contract first is the owner.”
The guy smiled, the corners of his mouth turning up.
One eye is Sa-baek-an, the other is Sam-baek-an.
Even at the age of fifteen, the bastard had eerie eyes.
Namsan Charleomeori put his hands in one of his trouser pockets and tilted his head.
“Too bad, you punk. I’m going to live in this house.”
“What should we do, Nallari-hyung? This is the house we’re going to live in.”
I smiled brightly.
“My brother said it earlier. The first person to finish the contract is the owner.”
I turned my back.
“We should go back now.”
Is this what they call a bad fate?
Isn’t that strange?
Why don’t I even want to give up a single snack to this kid?
This kid and I were known as arch-enemies in the underground financial world.
‘Hey, Guardian Angel.’
Exactly.
As soon as I snapped my fingers, the grim reaper rose up.
[Why again?]
‘Go and scrape out all the ghosts around here.’
[Why?]
The grim reaper tilted his head to the side.
‘I’m going to cut off that kid’s financial resources.’
Cut off the enemy’s supply line and secure friendly resources.
It’s the basis of war.
But the Grim Reaper still doesn’t seem to understand.
[What does money have to do with ghosts?]
‘You’re good at something, Dream. Let’s show them that this house is a den of ghosts.’
[Ah, I understand. Landlord?]
‘No, that bastard’s mother.’
I smiled brightly.
[That’s a pretty vulgar laugh.]
Oh, that’s an impossibility.
I can only imagine how freaked out that mother would be if she saw hundreds of spirits wandering around this mansion.
It’s just a dream, so why would I die of a heart attack?
I’m going to beat that son’s back and nag him about buying this kind of den of ghosts and end it with that.
The effect would be better if you came and saw this house in person.
‘Can’t you do it?’
[No way.]
The grim reaper was also smiling with the same expression as me.
[Your family has accumulated so much karma. Spirits, gather together!]
At the call of the Grim Reaper, ghosts swarmed at a terrifying speed.
If you get caught, you will be dragged to the afterlife and judged.
It was said that the grim reaper was the absolute best to ghosts.
The grim reaper pulled out the ghost stuck in the ground in one fell swoop.
[I’ll be back soon.]
‘This is sturdy!’
I smiled with satisfaction.
On the other hand, Namsan Chargeomeori, who was about to open the front door and enter the mansion, trembled.
“What the heck? Why did it suddenly get so creepy? I have goosebumps on my arms right now!”
Anyway, that kid has good instincts.
But my intuition was ringing in a different direction.
‘I don’t think it’s worth the gold to be shining like this because the house is worth shit. Is there a gold nugget buried somewhere in the garden here? How many rich and powerful people have passed through this house?’
Or else forget it.
That was something I had to think about after I became the owner of this house.
‘Okay, so now let’s solve the money problem?’
As soon as possible!
Before that kid intercepts it first!
So by today!
* * *
We returned to Bokdeokbang in Myeongdong.
The old man at the fortune teller put the phone down.
“The landlord will sell the house to the first person who pays the full deposit. First-come, first-served basis.”
That was because there were two people who wanted to buy the house.
Originally, when there is competition, the seller is at an advantage.
It’s all because of that Namsan leech.
‘Now it’s a fight over who will get the money first.’
I looked back at my mother.
“Mom, can I really buy this house?”
“hmm.”
Mother looked a little embarrassed.
That would be because he had heard that it was a den of ghosts and had personally seen the mansion in disarray.
But my mother nodded and smiled brightly.
“This is a house that we got thanks to our son, so you should buy it in a place that you like. I like apartments, single-family houses, and everything.”
I didn’t expect you to give your permission so readily.
I jumped into my mother’s arms and laughed heartily.
“Thank you so much, Mom. You’re the best, after all!”
“But the money we have now isn’t enough······.”
Mother looked back at Secretary Kim.
“Secretary Kim, can I ask you something?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“If I borrow money using that house as collateral, how much would I be able to borrow?”
“From banks to private loans. Can you help me find out?”
I answered before my mother could.
“Okay. I have no intention of taking out a loan using that house as collateral.”
“No, why?”
“The interest rate is too high.”
I don’t know about anything else, but this area is really fast.
This is not the 21st century era of zero interest rates.
Because institutional finance, represented by banks, has not been properly established, it is not easy to even obtain a real estate collateral loan.
Needless to say, the interest rates are high.
So people used to borrow money at extremely high interest rates of up to 40 or 50 percent, even though they were struggling to pay it.
“You’re making Mom suffer like that just to buy a house? You could have just given up on the house. I can’t stand seeing that.”
So, pass on this method.
“Then what are you going to do?”
“Mom, can I sell Dad’s watch?”
“This?”
“You don’t want to sell it? Then should I mortgage it for a while and get it back later?”
“Are you saying you’re going to the pawn shop?”
I nodded.
“Yes, there is a very famous place in this neighborhood.”
“Okay. Let’s go together. I don’t know how much I can get for leaving this to you.”
I shook my head.
“No, Mom, please stay here.”
“huh?”
“It would be a problem if the landlord came to sign a contract and then went back saying that no one would sign the contract.”
Actually, that was an excuse.
‘When it comes to money, the Master won’t spare even a child. He’s the kind of person who beats people without mercy whenever he gets the chance. I guess I have no choice but to prepare myself to some extent and go into negotiations.’
I didn’t want my mother to see my unfamiliar side.
I didn’t want to surprise you.
I wanted to remain a good and pretty son.
So I deliberately smiled brighter.
“It’ll take 30 minutes. Mom, read the contract carefully and check it. While drinking a cup of warm tea. How about that?”
I have to get it done quickly.
If you want to properly enjoy Namsan Chargeumori, you have to hurry.
“So you’re saying you’re going to the pawnshop alone?”
“Hey, why am I going alone? There’s this guy here who seems like he’d be good at bargaining.”
I looked back at Secretary Kim.
Secretary Kim is a man who is very tight-lipped and holds capable people in high regard.
Moreover, he is Chairman Cha’s closest associate.
The more I stood out, the more people would show their favor and actively push me.
“I will go and escort you, my lord.”
That’s why I like it.
I put both hands on my belly button and bowed my waist.
It was a belly button greeting.
“Then I will go.”
Of course, I had already taken my father’s watch a little while ago.
* * *
“Your Majesty, what do you plan to do?”
Secretary Kim checked his wristwatch.
There are now only two hours left until the appointed time to meet Chairman Cha.
“You might as well talk to the chairman.”
“You want me to beg you to lend me money the first time we meet? That’s okay.”
A man has self-respect.
I’m not a beggar.
“It must be hard. That watch was expensive when you bought it, but the moment you take it to a pawn shop, they’ll pawn it for nothing. That means you’ll only get small change for it.”
Secretary Kim spoke as if she knew everything about our family’s circumstances.
“The housing lottery winnings won’t be enough. Isn’t there any other way to raise cash besides selling the watch?”
Have you already finished your background check on me?
“If you’re not the chairman, do you really think you’re going to ask your maternal relatives for help?”
Maternal side?
‘Come to think of it, King Yeomra did tell me to go to my maternal grandparents’ house.’
Your mother has a family that can immediately mobilize that much cash?
Then why did you and I live in a rented shack in Kuro-dong?
Suddenly, an idea occurred to me.
‘Maybe it’s because of me. The unauthorized child.’
It was bitter.
What was my mother thinking when she raised me alone?
But one thing is clear.
‘My mother didn’t give up on me. That’s all that matters. She did her best.’
So I won’t look at anything else.
I will only think about my mother and myself, and look forward to the future of our family.
“Is there really a need to contact both families to borrow money? I’ll take care of it myself.”
“Without the help of both families, the young master himself?”
Secretary Kim’s eyes lit up with interest.
“I can’t figure out how to do that. Is it possible?”
“We have to make it possible.”
“18 million won. I think your budget is probably lacking by that amount.”
They even revealed all of our bank account information!
“I didn’t know that Taesung Group’s information team was this skilled.”
“Yes, you can be proud.”
Secretary Kim laughed.
It seemed as if he absolutely believed that there was no way I could come up with 18 million won.
Well, what can you expect from a seven-year-old kid?
So I smiled.
“Sir, would you like to make a bet with me?”
“A bet, you say?”
“Can I buy this house today? Can I come up with the remaining 18 million won? What do you think?”
“Hoo.”
“The loser should grant the winner one of his requests.”
“Okay. I’m looking forward to this.”
It was good!
“If I win, I would like to receive a promise from you, Young Master.”
“call.”
We extended our hands and shook hands.
The deal is done.
‘One more reason to win this bet?’
There is one thing I really want to ask Secretary Kim to do.
It’s not right to ask for something without sincerity.
So I was really reluctant.
After you win the bet, you can just ask for it proudly.
* * *
I looked up at the sign in front of the entrance of an old three-story building.
< Songgolmae Pawnshop>
This was a pawn shop run by the master.
‘It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.’
The teacher’s insight was unparalleled.
The skill to pick out only the best items with an eagle eye!
What an incredible eye for appreciating the value of things!
Haggling skills that will definitely lower the price depending on the opponent!
In this way, the teacher became a big shot in South Korea’s underground finance.
“Phew.”
I couldn’t just open the door and go in.
I thought carefully once more about whether it was okay to reveal my abilities.
‘Master and Secretary Kim. They are both merciless and cold-hearted towards the incompetent. On the other hand, they can’t kill the capable. Furthermore, they are both very tight-lipped, wanting to monopolize important information. They are the best assistants I could have in both the sun and the dark.’
After all, it’s better to show them a little bit of your abilities.
Because what you gain is overwhelmingly greater than what you lose.
‘I have no choice but to bring those two over to my side. Let’s give it a try!’
Daughter.
“welcome.”
I smiled brightly as I received the teacher’s greeting.
‘My goal today is to get rid of the remaining 18 million won without pawning anything!’
< My Home (3) > End
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