We left the Jangsu Bank in Myeongdong.
We exchanged the housing lottery ticket for cash.
When Mother saw the amount printed in the bankbook, her hands trembled.
“Wow, it’s really ten million won.”
The deposit money we got back from the landlord grandma, plus all the savings Mother had been quietly setting aside.
The total came out to about ten million won.
It was enough to buy an apartment.
‘See this, Mother? Father’s Watch is way more expensive, you know? Ten million won isn’t even close.’
I patted my bulging pocket.
Father’s Watch, which I’d secretly brought along, was in there.
Curiosity.
‘I heard apartment prices are skyrocketing these days. Can we really buy an apartment with just ten million won?’
To be honest, I brought it along thinking I might sell it if push came to shove.
If we left it at the inn, it was just asking to get stolen.
I glanced at the line of pawnshops along the street in Myeongdong.
‘There should be my master’s pawnshop somewhere inside that alley. Should I try to find it?’
One of the biggest names in underground finance.
The so-called Myeong-dong Peregrine Falcon.
That person was my very own master.
‘If it’s him, he must’ve already swept up all the prime apartments in Gangnam by now.’
‘Why else would he be called the Myeong-dong Peregrine Falcon?’
It’s because he has the eyes of a hawk.
Picking out only the best deals and snatching them up was his specialty.
It took me exactly ten years to learn his discerning eye.
The street of real estate offices was packed with Bokbuin.
A Bokbuin means a wealthy housewife aiming for huge profits through real estate speculation.
With Gangnam on the rise, “Bokbuin” and “Premium” became signature neologisms of the era.
A Bokbuin was usually the wife of a high-ranking official, sweeping through the Gangnam real estate market with insider info their husbands secretly provided.
These days, Gangnam was without a doubt the hottest battleground for real estate speculation in the country.
“Hohoho, I heard the Hyeonmu Apartments in Apgujeong-dong have shot up a lot lately? I hear the premium’s already eight hundred! They’re expanding the commercial district, apparently.”
“Even so, I’m planning to buy at Cheonma Apartments in Daechidong. Ever since the University moved from Yeongun, all the top private tutors are flocking to Daechidong.”
“Banpo-dong is better. My husband says they’re building another road there next year.”
Every time a Bokbuin opened her mouth, a flood of high-level information—hard for regular people to even access—would spill out.
‘Seriously, how far is it from there to here? Why can I hear every word these ajummas are whispering?’
The Grim Reaper rose from the ground like smoke, gave a thumbs up, then melted away again.
I tugged at Mother’s sleeve.
“Mom, let’s go to that Bokdeokbang.”
“Hm? But there are way too many Bokbuin crowding in there.”
“That just means they’ve got a lot of tasty listings.”
It was an era when everyone kept peeking into real estate offices, chasing rumors that real estate meant easy money.
If you monopolized the good listings, your income would be pretty sweet.
No one wanted to lose customers, so the Bokdeokbangs around here never shared listings with each other.
A Bokdeokbang packed with Bokbuin was definitely worth checking out.
“We might have to wait a long time for our turn, is that okay?”
“I don’t mind.”
If it meant picking a good property, waiting was nothing.
Time was the one thing we had plenty of.
“I’m curious what kind of properties Bokbuin are looking for. I really want to see.”
“Then shall we?”
Holding Mother’s hand, I stepped into the Bokdeokbang crowded with people.
On one wall, a huge map of Seoul City hung prominently.
The real estate agent shouted loudly.
“Yeongdong is really hot these days! You know Maljukgeori, right? The land prices there are shooting up every single day!”
He circled it with a red pen on the map.
He even drew three stars.
“If you just buy now, at the very least it’ll double in a year—no, maybe even three or four times!”
The Bokbuin rummaged through the piles of property documents on the table.
They were picking out the properties they liked, ready to buy.
‘Wow, this really is a gold mine.’
Some documents had thin gold trim, some shimmered entirely in gold.
All sorts of real estate listings were sparkling golden.
‘Looks like there really are a lot of good ones here.’
One Bokbuin picked up a gold-trimmed document.
“How much for this apartment?”
“Fourteen million won.”
“Oh my, it was only nine million two months ago!”
“Is there even an apartment without a premium these days? They’re flying off the shelves. That one’s only gone up less since it’s a smaller unit.”
Premiums were climbing day by day.
“The price is good. I’ll take it. With prices going up like this, I’d regret not buying now.”
“I’ll take this one, on the royal floor. That’s twenty-three million, right?”
Mother turned to me, looking flustered.
The money we’d prepared was just ten million won.
For Hyeonmu Apartments in Apgujeong, Cheonma Apartments in Daechidong, and Geumjo Apartments in Banpo-dong—any of the apartments we were eyeing, it looked like we’d need at least twenty million won.
“Jeonghyeok, what should we do?”
Mother leaned in and whispered in my ear.
“Ten million isn’t even close. We might not be able to buy an apartment after all.”
The price of Gangnam apartments was terrifying.
‘Can’t buy even a single apartment with the ten million won first prize from the housing lottery? …Huh?’
Among the display listings, not the recommended ones but the filler properties, one document was gleaming especially golden.
‘That one alone is shining like a lightbulb.’
I wondered what kind of property it was.
“Thank you for waiting. What are you looking for? Jeonse, monthly rent, or a purchase?”
Finally, it was our turn.
“We want to buy a house.”
The agent scanned us from head to toe with sharp eyes.
“How about this one?”
He recommended a shack in Guro-dong.
That place was scheduled for forced demolition. ‘Was this guy kidding me?’
“We’re looking for a small apartment, around 24 pyeong.”
“Apartments are pretty pricey these days. You don’t look like you have much spare cash to me.”
He spread out documents on the table.
This one’s a shack, that one’s a shack, all shacks.
He hadn’t even asked about Mother’s budget, just kept pushing shacks.
“Depending on the street, the road, the size, prices are all over the place. Not all shacks are the same, you know.”
Unbelievable, this guy.
Tap!
I put Father’s Watch on the table.
“The listings you recommend are really disappointing. Is this all you have?”
When he saw Father’s Watch, the agent’s eyes widened.
Even at a glance, it was a top-tier luxury watch that looked incredibly expensive.
The agent looked back and forth between Father’s Watch on the table and us.
“Fine. Then show us that one. The one you just shoved under the table.”
“This one?”
Among the stack of documents he picked up, the one I wanted was in there.
“Yes, that one.”
Let’s see what kind of listing that lightbulb-bright filler property was.
I held out my hand.
But the agent raised his hand instead.
He clearly had no intention of showing it.
“Do you know how much this is? This is a listing we only show to upper-class madams among the Bokbuin.”
Makes sense.
Even a filler property can’t be too shoddy, or the Bokbuin would get offended.
“All of these are high-end houses in Hannam-dong, Seongbuk-dong, and Pyeongchang-dong. You understand what that means, right?”
Now was the perfect time to threaten him.
A shame.
Ding-a-ling.
Just then, the door opened and a tall, handsome middle-aged man walked in.
His hair slicked back, suit immaculate, not a crease on his collar.
He wore thin-rimmed silver glasses that matched his sharp eyes perfectly.
He spotted us and strode right over.
“Long time no see.”
He bowed to Mother.
Mother couldn’t hide her surprised expression.
“Isn’t our appointment much later? And it’s not even supposed to be here…”
“The President Cha instructed me. I won’t interfere, please go on with your business. We can speak after.”
His tone was cold but extremely polite.
His posture was measured, and his presence sharp as a blade.
‘Who is this?’
I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes.
“And who are you, sir?”
“I’m Kim Younggeol, chief secretary to President Cha of the Taeseong Group.”
The agent sucked in a breath.
“T-Taeseong Group!”
Regardless, as soon as I heard the name Kim Younggeol, I realized who he was.
‘He was one of President Cha’s closest, most secret aides. The one who handled even the dirty work.’
Kim took Father’s Watch from the table in silence.
He inspected it thoroughly, then returned it politely to Mother.
“It’s definitely Seongjun’s. You must be Cha Jeonghyeok?”
“How do you know Jeonghyeok’s name?”
Kim didn’t answer Mother’s question.
Instead, he scrutinized me from head to toe.
His gaze was sharp.
But I didn’t avoid his eyes.
No reason to avoid them, and no intention to.
‘Anyone who looks away first is the coward. I don’t back down from a fight coming my way.’
For a moment, something flickered in his eyes.
Kim bent one knee, lowering himself to my eye level.
“You look exactly as young Master Seongjun did as a child. You truly resemble your father.”
He took a Business Card from his breast pocket and handed it to me.
“Master Jeonghyeok, please use this number to contact me from now on.”
It was a direct line to the Taeseong Group president’s secretary office.
But Mother blocked it with her palm.
“No need. What would a seven-year-old do with a Business Card?”
“You never know what might happen. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.”
“We probably won’t see you again anyway.”
“You never know. Sometimes a joker comes in handy—like when you need to deal with trash that doesn’t know its place and acts up.”
Kim gave the agent a chilling look.
“You’d let a precious child’s hands be dirtied with filth?”
The agent’s face changed instantly.
He clasped his hands together and smiled obsequiously.
“Would the earlier listing be good? If there’s a property you want, just tell me the conditions! I’ll search the whole country and bring it to you if I have to!”
I wasn’t interested in anything else.
The only thing I cared about was this.
From the listings the agent held, I plucked out the one shining like a lightbulb.
There was a reason that particular document gleamed.
“A 700-pyeong lot, 114-pyeong house, and even a swimming pool—a top-tier detached home in Hannam-dong!”
‘How did such a luxury house end up for a bargain price?’
This was the kind of windfall you almost never encounter.
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