Chapter 05
“One more thing?”
“Last time, Chairman mentioned another name along with Seo Singa’s—someone four years younger, named Seo Cheongsong.”
“That’s right.”
“Then I believe it’s worth verifying.”
The team leader spoke politely, but there was unmistakable confidence in his manner.
Following the direction of his hand, he opened the file.
The very first page was a copy of the family registry.
Several photographs slipped out after it.
The moment he saw them, a smile spread across his face.
He couldn’t help but laugh.
“…I thought she was thirty.”
So she had lied?
♧
The scorching summer heat and typhoons had passed, and in the fall, H.O.T. made their debut.
Now it was December.
Jeongja-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
In the future, this neighborhood would become one of the wealthiest areas in Korea, with apartment prices soaring to around ₩70 million per pyeong.
As one of Korea’s first-generation planned cities, it would remain an icon among new towns—even in 2026, after countless new developments had appeared, Bundang would still be considered premium real estate.
And today…
The four members of the Seo family…
Had successfully moved in!
Clap, clap, clap!
Well…
Not as homeowners, of course.
We were renting on a jeonse lease.
Granted, I suffered from PTSD after becoming a victim of a jeonse scam in my previous life…
But that didn’t mean I distrusted the system itself.
This was still the trustworthy, honorable Korea of the 1990s.
And as someone who had returned from the future, there was no way I’d let my parents make the reckless decision of buying property right now.
The IMF financial crisis was coming next year.
Once it hit, real estate prices across the country would collapse.
I’d spent nights unable to sleep, worrying that my parents might insist on purchasing a home.
If they’d really tried…
I was fully prepared to abandon my role as the innocent, dutiful daughter and go on national television pretending to be Nostradamus if that was what it took to stop them.
Fortunately, my still-young parents didn’t have that much nerve.
They cautiously chose a jeonse lease instead.
“We’re thirteen years ahead now without ending up broke.”
A trillion won…
Maybe it’s actually possible?
With my confidence growing, even the world looked more beautiful.
I happily looked around our new home.
“Hehehe… Ah… that new-house smell!”
…If I suggested baking out the apartment to get rid of the chemicals, they’d probably think their daughter had been possessed by some foreign demon.
It really was a brand-new apartment.
The owner had never lived here for even a single day before putting it up for lease.
We were the very first residents.
Even though it had been purchased purely as an investment, the interior had been beautifully finished.
Even from the perspective of someone from the twenty-first century, there wasn’t much I’d want to renovate.
No cherry-colored moldings.
No gaudy patterned wallpaper.
I stared dreamily at the smooth cream-colored walls without a single stripe or floral print.
On top of that, this apartment was only one or two years old.
At this point in time, it was considered the top apartment complex in the area.
This place… at this price?
If I hadn’t personally seen the signed contract, I’d have suspected my mother had somehow been scammed.
How can we be this lucky?
Originally, I’d planned to secure an advertising contract with Yoon Ire before even attempting to move into the city center.
Was my parents’ luck incredible?
Or was it mine?
I never imagined we’d move into Jeongja-dong in one shot.
After making one lap through the apartment while dodging the movers, I hurried toward Mom.
She’d been whispering with the real estate agent’s wife for quite a while now.
That looked suspicious.
“Listen carefully. You were unbelievably lucky. Don’t ever go around telling people how little your deposit was. I mean it. People will definitely talk behind your back.”
“…?”
Wait… what?
My face stiffened instantly.
Mom looked just as uncomfortable.
“Are you serious?”
“Just look around. Half the people here moved down from Gangnam. If they hear you got a place like this with that tiny deposit…”
She shook her head.
“If you cheated me, I’m seriously going to cry.”
“Huh?”
“You saw we came from the countryside and took advantage of us! I’ll pitch a tent in front of your real estate office and cry forever!”
The woman laughed.
“A married woman with two kids threatening people? That’s adorable.”
She suddenly noticed me.
“Oh my! Is this your daughter? She’s gorgeous! She looks like a Western doll. She could become Miss Korea someday.”
“Of course she’s pretty. She takes after me! Now stop changing the subject.”
“Fine, fine! I swear on my name, everything’s clean. Normally the owner wouldn’t even have shown this property to people like you. But for some reason, that picky old fellow suddenly dropped the price dramatically. You just happened to get lucky.”
“Picky? He seemed really nice.”
“Hm? Oh—the white-haired gentleman? No, no. He’s not the owner.”
“He’s just the steward. These days you’d probably call him… a butler? Anyway, he manages the household. The real owner is someone else.”
“Then shouldn’t we properly visit and thank the owner?”
“No need.”
“What?”
“He isn’t someone just anybody gets to meet.”
“Oh dear, I need to get back. I’ve left the shop unattended for too long. Finish unpacking, and come find me if you need anything!”
“You keep dodging the question! I’m really going to come after you!”
Laughing loudly, the landlady hurried away.
Watching her leave, Mom fell into deep thought.
Maybe she’s finally using her brain?
Nope.
She immediately turned to me.
“What do you think, sweetheart? Doesn’t something feel suspicious?”
You only realized that now?!
By this point, I was already on the verge of panicking.
The owner didn’t sign in person? A representative did?
Isn’t that exactly how real estate scams start?!
“M-Mom! Bring the contract! Hurry!”
“I don’t have it! Your dad does! W-Wait… is something really wrong? What do we do?!”
Why are you asking me, lady?!
I’m six years old!
“…Did you at least see the owner’s name? It’s written on the contract. There was a resident registration number too, right?”
“Y-Yeah! Of course! The name was… Je Hamyeon! I don’t remember the ID number, but—”
“No! Don’t memorize it! That’s enough!”
Je.
Not a common surname.
Stay calm.
Jeonse scams weren’t common in the 1990s.
I desperately suppressed the thirty-year-old victim of a future housing scam inside me—the version of myself who wanted to interrogate everyone about the land registry, mortgages, lien records, and move-in registration.
Instead, I forced a smile.
“Go find Dad.”
“Seo Sinhyeon! Where are you?! Ah, there! Sweetie, hurry and ask your dad! Hurry!!”
…
Was Mom always like this back when I was really six?
Or…
Am I just terrible at pretending to be a child?
Dragging my feet, I headed toward Dad.
Doing my absolute best to imitate the behavior of a six-year-old, I carefully asked indirect questions until I confirmed everything.
Thankfully, the movers merely commented,
“Your daughter’s a smart little thing.”
…instead of,
“Has your daughter been possessed by a ghost?”
By then…
It was already four in the afternoon.
I’m… exhausted…
My mental energy had been completely drained.
Unlike my miserable state, Mom—having dumped all her worries onto Dad and me—looked bright and cheerful.
“There you are! Mom needs your help!”
“…Again?”
“That’s my good girl! Daughters are the best.”
She handed me a plate.
“These are rice cakes for the neighbors. I’ll visit the family next door, so you take these upstairs. Be polite and introduce yourself, okay? Don’t forget your gloves. It’s cold outside.”
I glanced at the chaotic kitchen that still hadn’t been unpacked.
I sighed and accepted the plate.
Of course, I didn’t forget to glare at Seo Cheongsong, who was happily lying there sucking on his pacifier.
Grow up faster already…
♧
“Brr… it’s freezing…”
Winter in the twentieth century was genuinely cold.
Global warming hadn’t become as severe yet.
The moment I stepped outside, my cheeks started freezing.
Holding the plate of rice cakes, I hurried upstairs.
Every step made my twin bun braids—lovingly tied by Mom to resemble Sailor Moon’s hairstyle—bounce from side to side.
The 1990s were probably the last era when neighbors truly lived like family.
After the IMF crisis, dual-income households and individualism spread rapidly, and those days disappeared.
But for now…
People still left their front doors wide open.
Neighborhood children were practically raised together.
When someone moved in, introducing yourself was simply expected.
“Apartment 1001…”
Even though we were the ones moving in today…
This apartment’s front door was wide open too.
After confirming the unit number, I called out.
“Knock, knock! Hello? Anybody home?”
Only a few seconds later…
I heard multiple pairs of footsteps.
…Wait.
Multiple?
“Oh! It’s a girl!”
“I’ve never seen her before.”
“Did she come to the wrong apartment?”
“Hey! Jeong Hyeongyo! Who is she?”
They looked around seven or eight years old.
A whole swarm of boys buzzed with curiosity.
Every pair of eyes landed on me.
“Hm? Good question.”
Among the noisy boys…
One calm voice stood out like a star.
A neatly dressed boy stepped forward and crouched down to my eye level.
“Hello. Who are you looking for?”
By then…
I had completely frozen.
Because…
I’m only good at talking one-on-one…
Even if they were just little kids…
Having over ten pairs of eyes staring at me was absolute torture for an introvert.
I barely managed to force out my voice.
“…Rice cakes.”
“Oh.”
He smiled gently.
“You must be from Apartment 901.”
Even without the smile, he already looked tidy and composed.
But his behavior was strangely mature for his age.
What kind of elementary school kid is this calm?
“My mother was just telling me to go downstairs and help your family. Shall we go together? What’s your name? I’m Jeong Hyeongyo.”
“Ooooh~ Jeong Hyeongyo~!”
“We’re coming too!”
“Hey, Bun Hair! Can we come too?”
…
Please don’t act like we’re friends…
Maybe it was because I hadn’t heard little boys from this region speak in almost six years…
But their dialect sounded unbelievably awkward.
Were kids always this cringey…?
Then—
“[Apartment 901? You mean the one right downstairs?]”
…English?
Before I could process it—
A gust of wind swept through.
One boy threw an arm around his friends’ shoulders as he leaned toward me with a mischievous grin.
“[That’s funny. My uncle lives there.]”
…Huh?
My eyes went wide.
Because…
I know this person!!
