Chapter 9 Kuryongseong’s Real Estate Market

Chapter 9: Kuryongseong’s Real Estate Market

Myohyang explained it like this.

The courtesans who were swindled and dragged over when Geumhwaru was taken over by Honghwaru gained their freedom.

The problem was medieval China’s Confucian Taliban-like perception of women.

Even though they were performing artists selling their skills, not their bodies, women with courtesan status couldn’t marry or find regular employment.

Ultimately, most courtesans chose to stay at Honghualou, allowing Zhehualan to easily operate the Honghualou expansion.

But Miao Xiang was different.

She, one of the top performers at Geumhwaru, had stormed out of Honghwaru.

While one might find it audacious, Jik Hwaran thankfully gathered all the Geumhwaru owner’s valuables and handed them to Myohyang.

‘This is all money made by exploiting you. Don’t refuse it.’

‘I, I couldn’t possibly…’

‘My arm hurts. Take it. You need to think about your younger brother studying in Nanjing too. If you’re really grateful, look out for Jin Sunbae occasionally. The way he’s been carrying himself lately, he might as well be a beggar.’

‘Thank you, Princess. Thank you. Sob sob.’

The problem was.

The value of the trinkets was nearly fifty taels of silver.

In modern currency terms, that’s a whopping five hundred million won.

Hearing this, I felt my blood boil.

I, who played a decisive role in this M&A, was fobbed off with five coins and a scrap of elixir…

But I couldn’t show my disappointment in front of Myohyang, who was like a sister to me.

I calmed my excitement and spoke to her calmly.

“Ahem, so you’re saying you’ll take care of me with that money… Is that what you mean?”

“I’ve already spent all the money.”

“Huh?”

“I shared some with the courtesans who suffered alongside me, and sent the rest to my younger brother in Nanjing. All that’s left in my hands now is enough to live on for a couple of months.”

“…Then?”

“I plan to stay here for the time being and do housework.”

Pure confidence.

That was it. Myohyang had decided to repay the favor by working as an unpaid maid.

Actually, it was fine. No, welcoming her with open arms wouldn’t have been enough.

Housework here, without a vacuum cleaner, washing machine, or gas stove, was practically backbreaking labor.

So in my case, I barely managed to keep my clothes clean enough to avoid looking like a beggar, let alone do any cleaning.

The problem is, my place is just a single room.

“Um… Sis? This is a one-room apartment. There’s nowhere for you to stay.”

“We lived together in one hall during the Deungcheongak days. Why would it be a problem now?”

Well, that hall had multiple rooms, so it was fine. This place is so small that if two people lie down, they’d have to hug each other to sleep.

‘Well, personally, it wouldn’t be bad.’

“I really am fine with it! What’s wrong with a one-room apartment?”

I’m not fine. It’s because there’s a part of my body I can’t control.

“Don’t be like that. Maybe if you just think about it a little more…”

“Surely, Team Leader, you’re not thinking of turning me into an ungrateful beast?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant… I just think we should be careful since we’re adults…”

“Or are you seeing me as a woman?”

How could I not see you as a woman? Your chromosomes are different from mine.

But I couldn’t voice that thought.

‘Sorry, I only ever thought of you as a friend…’

‘To think you were looking at me like that… I’m truly disappointed.’

It wasn’t because he thought of her romantically, but because of the trauma he’d experienced in his past life.

“Ha. Ha. Of course not. What I mean is, we need to be careful with all the eyes around us.”

“Is that so? Then I suppose I have no choice.”

Myohyang rose from her seat.

“Where are you going? There’s still plenty of food left…”

“I need to find a place to stay as soon as possible. Well, Baek Hajin might send someone to kidnap me, but it’s fine. Worst case, I get captured and raped, right?”

“…Let’s just stay together. Sister.”

“Really?”

“But only if we stay at the inn until I find a new place. ”

“I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

Somehow, I felt like I’d been had.

***

“A broker?”

“Yeah, don’t you know anyone?”

“I stay in the dormitory provided by the Outer Court.”

Yoo So-pyeong answered curtly.

“Are you looking for a house?”

“That’s right.”

“Well, the place you’re living in now is practically a shack.”

It’s not that bad, you jerk.

And do you even know how hard it is to buy a house in a world without loans?

“Hmm, then why not go see the Head of the Household?”

“Why the Head of the Household?”

“I heard rumors that the wife of the head of the Lee clan is a big shot in the real estate world outside the capital. Because of that, it’s become customary for the young men in this clan to meet the head’s wife when they marry.”

“Oh? I should pay her a visit.”

If it’s someone even remotely connected, that’d be a huge help.

And rightly so, because half the matchmakers in this era are practically con artists.

That’s precisely why I’ve been scrambling to find connections. If it’s the wife of the district chief, someone I’ve built a rapport with, that’s ideal.

Surely she wouldn’t swindle her husband’s subordinate?

“Gu! Long!”

“Hmm, Gu Long.”

Before I knew it, the greeting I’d spread had become routine in the outer courtyard.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

“Well, I’m looking to find a place to live.”

“A place? The seventeenth division chief’s abilities are more impressive than I thought.”

“Ahem, I was fortunate.”

“Heh heh, the new generation surpasses the old. The old saying holds true…”

“I’m still but a scribe before the Master. I dare not presume to receive such honor.”

Even in the martial world, martial prowess alone doesn’t govern everything.

The truly important things were separate, and I learned them all from the Second Leader.

Like, say, the art of discreetly receiving backdoor payments…

“Ah, if you’re looking at houses, then you must have business with my wife.”

“Yes, I don’t know if I dare to trouble a lady as noble as the heavens, but if you would help me, I would never forget this eternal kindness.”

“Heh heh heh, I’ve heard Seventeen-Zhang’s eloquence before, but hearing it again after so long, it seems even more polished.”

“This all comes from my deep respect for you, Second-Zhang!”

“Heh heh, you.”

Seeming in a good mood, the Second Squad Leader patted my shoulder.

“Then let’s go.”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to meet my wife?”

“But it’s still duty hours…”

“Heh heh, you fool. Duty is something the squad members handle, isn’t it? Our job is just to ‘manage’ things appropriately so the squad members can work comfortably, right? It’s a matter of the system, so to speak.”

It had been two years since I started life in the Oedang.

I thought I’d developed a lot during that time, but compared to this man, I was like a firefly next to the sun.

My respect for him surged up uncontrollably.

***

A short while later.

“Greet her. This is my wife.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Madam! As for me, I’m Jin Mujeon, the team leader of the 17th team in the Oedang, who considers himself the left leg of Team Leader Lee.”

“Ho ho! I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re the lucky one.”

“So you’re Mrs. Bok.”

A familiar word popped out, but seeing her in person felt completely natural.

Because she had the kind of face you’d expect to see walking into a neighborhood real estate office.

Sure enough.

The standard lines of the real estate ladies poured out.

“So, you’re looking for a place? What’s your budget? Living alone? Location? Good transportation? How many rooms? Hmm, prices have gone up a lot lately, so it might be pricier than you think. Are you sure?”

Their rapid-fire questions were enough to fluster anyone, but I was someone who had lived without homeownership until the very moment of death in my past life.

I had the experience of dealing with real estate agents while moving from one monthly rental to another.

“Location and transportation aren’t major concerns. I can just run around as exercise. I’d prefer at least two rooms. I’m alone for now, but who knows what the future holds. Ah! Even two separate buildings wouldn’t bother me. And I’m prepared for a somewhat high price. I understand that a house is fundamentally an investment too.“

Madam Bok’s eyes lit up at my answer.

”Oh ho, a house as an investment? How did you come to that conclusion?“

Heh heh, for someone from Hell Joseon’s Hell Seoul, that answer was too easy.

”Because people flock there.”

One sentence, yet an answer that pierced through everything.

Mrs. Bok seemed pleased and laughed heartily.

“Ho ho ho ho! It’s astonishing that such a young man truly understands the workings of the world.”

“You flatter me.”

“Then there’s no need to show you anything ordinary,”

Mrs. Bok pulled out a booklet bound with a gold ribbon.

“These are properties matching the conditions Master Jin mentioned. Only the very best of the best have been selected, so you should be thoroughly satisfied.”

“Is that so? I’ll take a look.”

After asking for permission, I examined the properties and soon realized one thing.

‘Expensive.’

Prices had doubled compared to what I’d seen just two years prior.

Even the first property listed, a two-building house, was a staggering twenty taels of gold.

“Why is this one so expensive?”

“It’s right next to a flowing stream. That’s why it’s pricey.”

So the river view premium started back then?

“Then what about this one…?”

“It has a small courtyard within a stone’s throw…”

“Then…”

“That one’s next to the village schoolhouse…”

Eliminating properties that didn’t meet our criteria one by one, only one house remained.

“A house with three main buildings and a spacious courtyard for five taels of gold…”

“It’s on the outskirts, but that’s quite cheap, right?”

“Indeed. Is there something wrong with it?”

“Wrong? There is.”

Madam Bok wore a meaningful expression, and I instantly caught on.

‘So that’s what it is.’

The ghost cliché.

The mandatory ordeal every wuxia protagonist faces when house hunting.

Later, you find out someone was secretly living there, or it was a dirty trick by scoundrels to drive down the price.

I said with a confident expression.

“So it’s a haunted house, huh?”

At that, Mrs. Bok burst into laughter. She laughed so heartily she clutched her stomach, practically rolling on the floor.

“Ghosts? Oh ho ho ho! How naive! Where in the world are there ghosts? Even if there were, living people are far more terrifying in this world, ho ho ho, oh my stomach!”

Well, in a world where swordsmen wield sword energy to act as long-range attackers, ghosts might exist…

Seeing my confusion, Mrs. Bok quickly answered.

“It’s the location.”

“The location?”

Checking the map again, I immediately understood why.

“Black Plague?”

“Exactly. It’s a property with no flaws whatsoever, but its location kept the price from rising. Thanks to that, the house price is still the same as fifty years ago.”

Madam Bok took a sip of the tea placed before her and continued.

“That’s why I can’t sell this house to Mr. Jin.”

“Huh? Is there someone else already interested?”

“It’s too dangerous. No matter how much money I make buying and selling houses, I won’t make it by deceiving others. Especially not when the target is someone His Excellency cherishes.”

“Then why keep it in your listings?”

“Even though the thugs in Heuksaro are formidable, they wouldn’t dare touch a house owned by a master.”

“So, it’s a property exclusively for masters. Is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s right.”

“Then I suppose I’m the right person for it.”

“Huh? What kind of…”

Madam Bok looked at me with an expression that said, What kind of nonsense is this?

Lee Jo-jang, standing beside her, explained for me.

“Chief Jin is indeed a master.”

Madam Bok then looked at me with a startled expression.

‘Heh, power truly is the answer in the martial world.’

In an instant, I went from a penniless nobody to the prospective owner of a three-story mansion. Standing tall, I declared and tossed the money pouch before Mrs. Bok.

Thud, rustle.

The pouch opened, revealing the gold coins inside.

“I’ll take it.”

Flex.

Impressed by my boldness, the lady hurriedly gathered the money pouch and said with a moved expression.

“But it’s one tael short?”

“…Give me a discount.”

***

The next day, after signing the contract, I headed straight for the Black Snake Road.

As expected of a gathering place for black-clad men, figures with swords strapped everywhere passed by.

About half an hour later.

Walking briskly, I arrived quickly and found myself before a gate as thick as a tree trunk.

Squeak.

‘The sound of rusty hinges is truly clear and refreshing.’

I opened the door and entered···? Huh? An unoccupied house is open?

Opening the door, I faced a group of about ten black-clad thugs.

“…Did I come to the wrong place?”

I pulled the map from my sleeve and checked again, but it was definitely the right place.

As I paced back and forth over the threshold, checking several times, one of the thugs approached me.

“You dare crawl into the Great Black Dragon Hall? Your guts must be swollen.”

” Is this really the place?“

”Yes. Who are you?“

”The owner. You little bastard.”

CRACK!