Chapter 55: The Apartment
Office-tel
“Yonggang-dong office-tel for you?”
Junho turned the steering wheel and asked again, incredulously. Yonggang-dong, after all, is a neighborhood in Mapo-gu that borders the Han River. Why would someone lend Muyoung an office-tel in such a place for free?
“It just sort of happened that way. It’s not confirmed yet, but I’m going to take a look now… Oh! I think this is it.”
Muyoung craned his neck out the window and looked around. He seemed to have found the address that Dagyeong had given him correctly. The name even sparkled—Gold Vista Office-tel!
“Wow!”
The office-tel, with over thirty floors, was newly built and looked different from the start. The first and second floors housed restaurants and convenience facilities, and there was even a small escalator.
“Hey, tell me more. Why are they giving you the office-tel?”
“It’s not a gift, it’s a rental. For about two months.”
“No, I mean—”
“Oh? That’s CEO Dagyeong. Let’s get out for now. I’ll explain later.”
Explaining the situation would take too long. From Dr. Martel’s SNS promotion to Hyojeong’s allergy incident, it wasn’t something that could be discussed briefly while sitting in a car.
Bang!
“CEO!”
“Welcome. Who’s that? A friend?”
“Yes, it’s Junho, a high school friend.”
Muyoung got out of the car and greeted her. Junho also bowed. She checked her watch and gave some simple instructions.
“The owner of this house is Buyong, my brother’s friend. But I’m renting it for business purposes, so he knows that. So it’s best to keep the conversation appropriate. Otherwise, things can get complicated. Okay?”
If her family knew that she, who was of marriageable age, had obtained a house for a strange man, there would be an uproar at home.
They’d be desperate to marry her off at this point, just to kick her out of the business and the Han family.
“Okay, I understand.”
“Me too. I just need to keep my mouth shut, right?”
The two made a zipping motion over their mouths. Then, from afar, a man loudly called Dagyeong’s name.
“Hey-! Dagyeong!”
“……Buyong, it’s been a while.”
Hawaiian shirt, slippers, and cheap-looking yellow hair that seemed to have faded. The owner of this building, Buyong, looked like a local layabout. He lightly hugged Dagyeong as a greeting.
“How come you’ve gotten even prettier?”
“The real estate agent could have shown this to you.”
“Nah, that wouldn’t work! It’s Dagyeong’s business, so I had to introduce it myself. And see her face. It’s nice, right! Who are these people? Company employees?”
He asked but didn’t wait for an answer.
He turned his body and gestured for them to come in quickly. The inside was all marble, too. It was obvious that it had been built recently.
“This place is really a problem child. Great location, newly built, fully equipped—nothing’s missing, but that damn energy, whatever it is. Tsk.”
“I heard the previous tenant committed suicide.”
He pressed the 22nd floor button on the elevator and sighed deeply.
“I’m a devout Catholic, so I didn’t want to believe it, but every person who came in left within a month. It’s maddening.”
“Wow. One month……”
“The longest was one month. I think I changed tenants five or six times. The rumors spread, and now no one wants to buy it.”
It’s a 72-pyeong, 2.6 billion won office-tel. Who would spend that much money on a haunted house?
Ding-dong-
“Come this way. Still, it’s fortunate. It’ll help Dagyeong’s business a little. Brother is happy! Hahahat!”
That damn brother, brother. If it weren’t for Muyoung and Junho, she would have said something harsh. Buyong was well aware that there were employees present.
Ting-ting-
“The password is 0000 for now. Change it if you want.”
“Wow! This house is amazing!”
“It’s great, right? Crazy, right? It’s hard to find something like this anywhere else.”
As soon as the front door opened, Muyoung was full of admiration. The long corridor and neat interior. 72 pyeong is this spacious! You could even play ball here. And it’s a duplex!
“Crazy, crazy.”
“You said you mainly do filming, right? One side of the living room is all glass, so you don’t need to turn on the lights separately. Over there, you’ve got a Han River view.”
Muyoung pressed his face against the window, taking in the Han River embankment. The view was so good. Living in a place like this would make you feel like you owned the world—
Whoosh.
“Huh?”
Something quickly passed by the window.
Muyoung turned around but saw nothing. He only saw Junho, who was wandering around this floor, making a fuss. He slowly followed the suspicious trace down the corridor. The door to the main bedroom was slightly open.
“But why did the previous tenant commit suicide?”
Dagyeong was also satisfied with the neat house. It was, after all, her ‘gift,’ so it had to be this good. Buyong sat down on the sofa and shrugged his shoulders.
“She was a thirty-year-old woman.”
“She was young.”
Squeak-
Muyoung slowly opened the door. Bright light poured in through the large window. It was so dazzling that he couldn’t see outside properly.
“And she was pretty. She was an aspiring actress, and her family seemed quite well-off. But depression or something, she suddenly hanged herself. She lived alone, so it took a long time to discover it.”
Dangle-dangle-
A woman hanging from the ceiling. Her messy hair was so long it almost touched the floor. She dripped bloody tears and glared at Muyoung. Her limp, lifeless fingertips trembled as if trying to overcome death.
“……Oh.”
Muyoung, holding the doorknob, locked eyes with her.
That’s it, that ghost. It’s more terrifying than I thought. But—
“The view here is amazing, too!”
That wasn’t what mattered to Muyoung right now. He rushed past her and pressed himself against the window.
“Wow. Is this the main bedroom?”
“You’ll wake up automatically in the morning. The sunlight is direct.”
Junho also entered the main bedroom, admiring it. The moment he took a step.
“But it’s a bit cold in here?”
“Really? I think it’s just right.”
Did he feel something? Junho absentmindedly brushed his arm and muttered. Who knows! If she’s hanging there quietly like that, no one would notice. The house is huge, after all.
“Um, Muyoung-ssi. Junho-ssi.”
“Yes! Coming!”
Dagyeong’s voice came from outside. Junho left, and Muyoung closed the door, looking up at the ghost again. Her eyes were redder than before. It was a look that said, What’s going on here?
“Shh.”
Muyoung closed his eyes tightly and pleaded.
“Just stay like that. Let’s get along from now on, okay?”
“Muyoung, hurry up.”
“Got it!”
Bang!
With those words, the door slammed shut. Squeak—The hanging ghost dropped to the floor and blankly stared at the entrance. It seemed like a first for her.
“What do you think? Does it seem okay?”
Dagyeong asked Muyoung, crossing her arms. She spoke vaguely because Buyong was there.
“I’m quite satisfied.”
“I think it’ll be very good, too. It’s a wonderful house!”
It meant he would live here for two months.
Dagyeong nodded and asked Buyong for a favor.
“Brother, thank you.”
“Okay. No problem. When will you start using it?”
“Next week.”
He’d like to lay down his bedding right now, but he still had to say goodbye to his roommate brothers. And he had to finish his exams.
“Then I’ll let the management office know.”
Buyong stood up, saying it was time to go, and they all headed to the front door. As he fixed his shoes, he felt a presence.
“Oh?”
A woman standing far away in the corridor.
What? I thought she was just hanging there, but she can walk around, too? She slowly, yet increasingly quickly, approached Muyoung with a strange gait.
Swish-!
“Shall we go then?”
“Yes, let’s go.”
Bang!
The ghost opened her mouth wide and lunged at Muyoung, but he paid no attention and simply closed the door. Junho, watching from the side, asked in confusion.
“Why did you close the door so hard?”
“To keep the wind from coming in.”
“What nonsense. But tell me quickly. What’s your relationship with that Dagyeong person?”
“Huh? Now this is really what nonsense?”
What a ridiculous thing to say. Junho whispered quietly, so the two people walking ahead couldn’t hear.
“If not, why would she give you such a house? Surely not a lover—”
Smack!
It wasn’t even worth listening to. Muyoung gave Junho a strong knock on the forehead and squeezed his cheeks to warn him to keep his mouth shut. Like a fish cake, his mouth puffed out.
“Stop talking nonsense. Just help me move next week.”
“Ah, yes, sir-”
Saying that, Muyoung proudly looked up at the sign that read ‘2202.’ Hehe. For the next two months, life will truly be like paradise!
Then, two days later, at two in the morning. It was summer, so even the early morning was muggy. Muyoung, with his hat pulled low, waited for Gyeongmin.
Vroom-
“Hyung! Over here.”
“You’re working hard so early in the morning.”
“No, you’re the one working harder, hyung.”
Geez, he got cast in a drama cameo just two days ago, and the shooting schedule was already set. And it was notified the night before, in the form of an announcement. Is this words or farts? Gyeongmin yawned widely and complained.
“No matter how much of a rookie you are, this is the first time I’ve seen something like this.”
“Is this a special case?”
“Of course it is. Who sets a schedule right after signing a contract? Even if it’s a cameo, they should coordinate the time. That’s why those TV station guys—tsk. They only think they’re busy and important.”
He griped, roughly turning the steering wheel. Half-asleep and rushed, Muyoung had only managed to wipe the sleep from his eyes with a wash.
“That assistant director was so arrogant.”
“What? The assistant director? The AD set the schedule?”
“Yeah, usually that’s how it is. Why?”
As if asking what’s going on, Gyeongmin turned his head and looked. Ugh. This can’t be. Just because I called him a pig once, is this his revenge? Muyoung laughed helplessly and waved his hand.
“No, I think the assistant director doesn’t like me.”
“Maybe he’s picking on a rookie. By the way, this is your first outdoor drama shoot, right?”
“Yes, I’ve only shot in studios before.”
From web dramas to
“It’ll be a bit chaotic when you get there.”
“Huh? Why?”
“It’s Daehangno. An entertainment district at dawn. Get some sleep first.”
There’s a big difference between shooting for broadcast and shooting for the web. Not just the scale, but especially the intensity. And with popular actors appearing, there would be a lot of onlookers.
“Whoa.”
How far had they driven?
Muyoung and Gyeongmin arrived at the entrance of a university street in Seoul. They couldn’t move forward because of the crowd of people.
“Get out. We’ll have to walk in.”
Muyoung grabbed his round, rimless glasses and got out of the car with a fighting spirit.
“Excuse me, just a moment.”
“Please move aside.”
“Oppa-! Ahhh! So handsome!”
“Be quiet, please!”
“Oh, sorry, just a moment……”
Is a male lead actor here?
The onlookers were enthusiastic. It seemed like there were some drunk people in the early morning university street, and some were looking down from the windows of bars. Anyway, the atmosphere was quite lively.
“Just a moment.”
“Ah! What is it! Don’t push!”
“Damn it……”
Muyoung pushed through the crowd and walked forward, but the people behind him grumbled and turned around.
“Oh, sorry.”
Awkward. Muyoung smiled awkwardly and apologized. The people, who had been full of anger and growling, froze instantly. They had been looking forward to seeing a celebrity, but there was one behind them?
“Who, who are you?”
You’re so handsome, but I’ve never seen you before.
“Me? I’m Ha Muyoung.”
Muyoung smiled and pointed forward with his hand.
“I need to go shoot, so could you please move aside?”
As soon as he finished speaking, splash! Like the Red Sea parting, the crowd split in half. Muyoung bowed left and right and entered the filming site.
“Hello!”
The staff were acting as human barricades, guarding the area. But was it because it was early morning? The atmosphere was…… not good?