Chapter 49…..
The Old Man’s Housewarming (1):
After filming variety shows back-to-back, I suddenly had some free time.
To be exact, an ad shoot was lined up, but it turned out that all of them were arranged by the old man’s group.
Why am I saying this?
“Since it’s a housewarming, shouldn’t we bring something?”
Mansu asked casually.
“You bring anything?”
“I wrote a talisman for good fortune in business. This one’s expensive, you know?”
“… Your fingers did a lot of work there.”
“What about you?”
“He kept going on about soy sauce crab, so I made some.”
“And me?”
I wondered if one day I’d end up selling marinated crab.
Homeless Man’s Crab.
Ugh… doesn’t sound like it’d sell.
The important thing was—the old man’s villa had been completed.
“Wait, but how did it get built so fast? It’s been less than two weeks, hasn’t it?”
“Well… these days, there are modular houses. They say you can put one up in a week or two.”
“Oh, those prefab assembly things?”
“Yeah.”
I’d heard of them. Modular homes—already built in parts, just assemble and boom, a house.
Sounds cool, but I’d only heard about it, never seen one in person.
Still, if you’re a chaebol, I guess it’s possible to whip up a house in two weeks.
So I brought my soy sauce crab, Mansu brought his talisman… and we arrived at the old man’s new villa.
“……”
“Huh?”
This is the “villa”?
“Welcome! Hahaha!”
This old man…
Looking at his bright smile, I asked seriously:
“Old man, did you go bankrupt?”
At that moment, Mansu wanted to smack Woo Suhan in the mouth.
Bankrupt? Please. If that had happened, the whole country would’ve been in chaos.
But honestly, the villa in front of them was surprising.
“This is… kind of cozy. Ha, ha ha.”
Cozy? That’s a stretch.
He started wondering why they’d even come all the way here. For the first time, he regretted wasting a talisman.
The house before them looked less “cozy” and more… poor.
“What? Weird? I modeled it after my childhood home.”
“Ah…”
Hearing the chairman’s explanation, Mansu finally understood.
The quick construction time also made sense now.
“Man, I thought you went bankrupt and were gonna ask me to feed you. Scared the crap out of me.”
“You? Feed me?”
“Well… maybe enough to keep you from starving?”
“Puhahaha!”
“Ha… ha ha.”
Mansu broke into a cold sweat listening to their back-and-forth.
It was like a tightrope act—crossing the line at any second. If someone of Chairman Yang’s status suddenly laughed and ordered, “Drag him away!”, people like them would disappear without a trace.
Thankfully, that didn’t happen.
What the hell did those two go through together?
Mansu knew Suhan had been alone with the chairman while he was away performing the ritual, but what had happened during that time for them to get this chummy?
“Here. Housewarming gift.”
“Oooh! Just what I wanted! I’ve been craving this. You should send me these regularly.”
The chairman hugged the soy sauce crab Suhan handed over like it was some holy relic.
“What, should I start a home-shopping line?”
“Perfect! How about ‘Homeless Man’s Crab’?”
“Oho! I was thinking the exact same thing!”
“……”
Mansu felt uneasy. The two were oddly in sync.
“… I, uh, brought a precious talisman.”
“Thank you. Just leave it over there.”
“……”
Mansu looked at the treasured soy sauce crab and his ignored talisman.
The crab had won.
If he’d known, he’d have at least bought some marinated crab from a famous restaurant, something different from Suhan’s.
“Come, follow me.”
The clean, low wall wasn’t high enough to block the view inside.
Following the chairman, they saw a small house—it was clearly just one room with a kitchen attached.
“No matter how nostalgic you get, why’s this house the size of a nostril?”
“Hey!”
Mansu nearly fainted.
Suhan’s sharp jab made his heart shrink to the size of a bean.
“You don’t get it. Memories are precious. And you, a beggar, mocking a house?”
“As a beggar, the whole world was my house. I wasn’t trapped like you.”
“Don’t make me laugh. You were just running from cops your whole life.”
“You think government officials and cops came out every day just to chase beggars? You think they’re that diligent?”
“R-Really?”
“Wow…”
Mansu clicked his tongue. He realized he’d had prejudices about beggars.
He never thought a former beggar could argue this smoothly. Then again, back at the police station, Suhan’s gift of gab had already been on full display.
“And besides, it’s your nostalgia, not your family’s. Why drag your late mother and brother back into another cramped place like this? You senile, old man?”
“Why you—!”
… And there it was. Crossing the line.
Chairman Yang, showing surprising vigor for his age, grabbed Suhan by the collar and shook him.
But soon Suhan calmed him down.
“Was I too harsh?”
“Eh, it’s not that you lack money. You just didn’t think it through. This house is fine for memories, but you’ve got land all around—just build a grand new villa here too.”
“Oh! Brilliant idea!”
Mansu couldn’t keep up with their train of thought at all.
“Come this way.”
The chairman, cheerful again, led them around back.
There stood the old tree and the rock where his mother’s spirit had once lingered.
“Huh? This looks fancier than the house.”
“Not fancy—well-preserved.”
The tree and rock were surrounded by a neat fence.
Especially the rock…
“Looks like the Gwanggaeto Stele…”
Mansu muttered without thinking, then quickly checked the chairman’s reaction.
Luckily, he took it well.
“Oh? You thought so too? Haha! That’s where I got the idea.”
“Well, it does look good.”
Suhan didn’t criticize this time, and the conversation flowed peacefully.
The rock was encased in glass, with pillars around it, supporting a tiled roof with colorful eaves.
It transformed the once-plain rock into something refined.
It even harmonized well with the tree beside it.
Peering inside, Suhan spoke with amusement:
“Oh? That’s rock candy.”
“Yes. I placed it with my mother and brother.”
Beside the rock was a small platform, and atop it sat the white pebble he’d once held.
It fit perfectly there.
“This looks nice.”
“Thank you.”
The chairman smiled gently, satisfied with Suhan’s words.
“Hahaha! Now, shall we go inside? I’ll show you the rest of the house.”
Even though the place looked like it was just one room, he was so eager to show it off.
Since he seemed happy, they followed.
“How is it?”
…What should I say?
The old man’s eyes were sparkling, as if begging for praise.
“Feels like a modern history museum.”
“Puhahaha!”
Thankfully, he wasn’t offended.
When he grabbed my collar earlier, I thought I’d die.
“I tracked all this down piece by piece. We didn’t even have a television back then. I was so jealous of families who did.”
“Huh? That’s a TV?”
Wait—why does it look like a small wardrobe?
“These youngsters… Look!”
Clunk!
“Oh! That’s awesome!”
Inside was a TV with a convex glass screen and two dials.
“I paid extra to get it.”
Honestly, it looked like junk you couldn’t even sell secondhand.
Then again, old things sometimes go for crazy prices as “cultural relics.”
There was also a rotary phone, an old-style fan—all still working.
He must’ve spent more time collecting these than building the tiny house.
“Well then, shall we eat?”
“Sure.”
Finally, the old man brought up food.
Last time, I got tired of constantly eating beef ribs and king crab… but now? After just two days, I’d started craving them again.
I licked my lips and then froze.
Why are they staring at me?
“Hm?”
“What are you doing? The kitchen’s over there.”
“……”
“I got pork fat and aged kimchi ready.”
What the hell!
You invite people over and then make me cook?
But his sparkling eyes gave me no choice.
“Click.”
I trudged into the kitchen, only to shout in disbelief:
“You crazy old man!”
Why on earth had he built a traditional wood stove?! Was this the Joseon dynasty?
Slurp!
“Ah, this is good.”
“So the housewarming was just an excuse?”
“Hey! I grilled meat too, didn’t I?”
“Mansu’s grilling it. You, the host, what are you doing?”
“…Providing ingredients?”
Chairman Yang Mansik was in high spirits.
Being around Suhan made him feel comfortable.
The boy spoke rudely, but he had good instincts—just enough cheek without crossing into offense (well, most of the time).
He really did learn that as a beggar, reading the room to survive.
The kimchi stew, rich and spicy, had been on his mind these past two weeks, so it tasted all the better.
And with rice mixed into Suhan’s soy crab shell, it was truly a feast.
“Looking again, it really is cozy.”
“What happened to ‘the size of a nostril’?”
“Now that we’re here, it doesn’t feel like you’ve lost your mind.”
There was a hint of longing in Suhan’s voice.
The chairman understood.
Suhan had no family.
In fact, his pain might’ve been worse—his entire family was dead, and he alone had survived.
Since it happened in middle school, the memories would be vivid.
“You can earn money and make your own place like this.”
“Eh, easier said than done. I wouldn’t go this far. You only did it because of regrets.”
“Then stop nagging me. Like you said, I’ll build a grand villa around here too.”
“Hmm. Not a bad idea.”
“But should I count that separately from the villa I promised to lend you…?”
“Come on! Don’t be stingy, old man! No more stew for you!”
“Puhahaha!”
Clearly, Suhan had his own greed too—but he didn’t bother hiding it, which made him less irritating.
“License?”
“Just the driving test left. Guess I’m smarter than I thought.”
“Smarter? You had three instructors spoon-feeding you theory, practice, and driving lessons. If you fail that, you’re not human. You’re a goldfish.”
“Pfft!”
“Don’t laugh!”
When Chairman Yang said that, Mansu burst into laughter, making Suhan bristle.
The chairman also laughed heartily.
After finishing his rice and sipping scorched rice tea, he spoke slowly.
“You know… those relatives of yours who abandoned you.”
“…What about them?”
This was the real reason he’d called Suhan today.
“I found them.”
