Chapter 2 - Episode 2 (1/2)
Episode 2
Se-young’s Residence.
A man and woman exchanged a friendly handshake in front of the five-story building.
“You can transfer money for rent on the 2nd of each month. If you encounter any inconveniences or problems, please feel free to contact our brokerage office.”
“Oh no! Hold on a second!” The elderly lady who had just finalized her monthly rent contract with the real estate agent flapped her hand. “The deal is sealed and I’ve moved in already, so I should pay a visit to the landlord!”
The real estate agent, who had not once dropped his smile, suddenly shifted demeanour.
“That won’t be necessary. Our office acts as an intermediary on behalf of the landlord, so when it comes to housing-related matters, please contact us, and only us.”
With such a drastic shift in both manner of speech and facial expression, even the most unobservant individual could detect the changed atmosphere.
The woman grumbled in an embarrassed tone, “Ah, but, still… I just moved in, and I should at least drop by the owner’s house and…”
“Please refrain from doing so. The owner of this villa does not like human interaction.” ”
“…Huh?”
Embarrassment and disbelief were written all over the woman’s dull face.
“Let’s just say, that was a warning, not a request.”
“Eh?”
The real estate agent pointed to the top of the villa.
“The owner of this building lives on the top floor, in the room on the rooftop..”
“The room on the rooftop? The landlord?”
The woman glanced at the roof, however, only the railing was visible.
“Access to the rooftop is strictly prohibited under any circumstances.”
“What?”
“You are not allowed to enter that area. Anyways, the 5th-floor staircase that leads up to the roof is barred by an auxiliary metal gate, so you couldn’t go up there even if you wanted to.”
The woman appeared to be taken aback by this peculiar situation.
“Ah, Well, then…”
“Would this inconvenience you? If so, it’s okay to cancel the contract right now…”
“No, no, not at all!”
The woman waved her hands around in a panicked gesture.
I worked tirelessly for two months to move here! So much so, that the soles of my feet are all worn down.
Since the building’s rent was far cheaper than in the rest of the neighbourhood, the woman was afraid to let go of such a good deal.
“So, what about the TV cable or the Internet? Won’t installers and maintenance engineers need access to the rooftop?”
“Don’t worry about it. We have a terminal box on the 5th floor, so none of that poses an issue.”
“… I see.”
The woman, who made no further comment, closed her mouth with a rather shaky expression. Though she wanted to press the issue, she couldn’t find the right words to articulate her concerns and decided to drop it instead.
“Well, I suppose there’s nothing left for us to discuss?”
As if a switch had been flipped, the real estate agent suddenly had a bright smile on his face again.
“Ah, yes…”
“Then, I sincerely hope that you will be greeted with only good fortune from now on. I’ll be here if you need me”
“Yes, thank you.”
*****
*Ding!*
The phone’s alarm sounded and the screen lit up.
– Action Real Estate
Tenant Balance: $34,304.45
Se-young, whose eyes had been glued to a computer monitor, glanced at his cell phone screen.
*Bzzt.*
A different alarm sounded on the phone, causing it to vibrate across the floor’s surface. Se-young’s expression immediately soured at the sound of the new alarm, even though he hadn’t even looked in the phone’s direction to check the message.
– Arriving in 10 minutes.
A short, concise text. Though the text was innocuous, Se-young, after seeing its contents, immediately turned off his monitor, snuffing out the only source of light in the pitch-black room.