NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Episode 160. I came to look for a house (2)
* * *
After arriving at the station and getting off, I went outside and went into the nearest cafe. It was the same place where my older sister was drinking Americano when I was taking the qualification exam.
I don’t know if it was because the school was closed during class time or because the school closure order issued at the gate hadn’t ended yet, but there weren’t many customers.
Still, I like the corner. I ordered a cup of coffee, sat down in a corner, and explained to the manager the basis for my decision as logically as possible.
“Let’s say there are two studio apartments in front of you, store manager. The floor area is the same at 8 pyeong, but one is a single-story studio and the other is a duplex studio, and the monthly rent, including the management fee, is 30,000 won different.”
[ When you say it like that, it really sounds like a social experiment, Chan-ah. ]
“I don’t think it’s a difficult social experiment. It’s just that the space available for use increases by 1.5 times.”
Of course, I also know the disadvantages of a duplex structure. Compared to a single-story studio, the space above and below is wider, and the amount of internal air that needs to be heated or cooled is also greater. This means that the heating and cooling costs are doubled.
In addition, it is annoying to have to go up and down the stairs, the duplex is closer to the upper floor, so you are more exposed to noise between floors, and it is difficult to know where to use it when you actually want to use it, etc.
But there is one big advantage that offsets all of this: my house is a duplex. You can even climb up and down the stairs inside the house. You can really feel like a bourgeois!
[ I know that feeling well. I know that, but there is another reason. ]
“What are you talking about? Is there another reason why duplexes are not good?”
[ Well, it’s a bit embarrassing for me to say it myself… ]
“Oh no! You can’t live on the second floor, student! You’ll be in big trouble.”
Suddenly, a voice came from behind me. I turned around and saw that a guinea pig cobalt carrying a tray of ginger tea had stopped behind me.
He’s sitting at exactly the same eye level as me. But who the hell is this guinea pig?
“This neighborhood has duplexes, that’s why there are so many duplexes where orcs used to live. Orcs are three times as tall as I am. Isn’t that right, student?”
“?”
“But those Orcs live in a really, really dirty way. If you peel off a layer of wallpaper, there are all kinds of stains, and if you open the bathroom ceiling, there are bottles of alcohol falling all over it. Do you understand?”
After hearing it and thinking about it, I was able to make an association. The average height of orcs is about 2.3m, so they are quite tall, so their houses would need to have a lot of space inside. Like a duplex.
Because of this, most of the duplex studio apartments were likely where orcs lived, and since there are many schools in this area, there are many young orcs in particular.
And what kind of people are the young orcs? I know this very well, because I have experienced it myself in the store. But who is this guinea pig lady? Is she the kobold I know?
“When I saw you, I thought of my son, so I told you because I was worried.”
“Uh… thank you.”
“Thank you, what can I say? Enjoy your coffee, student.”
After that, he walked up the stairs to the second floor of the cafe. He looked at her back and spoke into his phone.
“They say there are a lot of problems because the duplex in this neighborhood was remodeled from a place where orc kids used to live.”
[ Huh? Who told you? ]
“That’s what a lady passing by said….”
Even a guinea pig passing by was terrified and tried to stop me, so you can see how foolish it is to try to find a duplex studio apartment around here.
I also know that it is equally ignorant to look for a house based solely on the standards I had in my world. I asked the store manager again.
“Is there anything else I should know, sir?”
[ There are many things that are good to know, but when it comes to finding a house… wouldn’t someone who has lived there know better than me? Like Yoon Ha. ]
“Yes? Did you live around here, Sister?”
[ Yes, I did. Yoon-ha graduated from high school there. ]
“Ah. Then I’ll just ask my older sister and contact you again once I find a suitable house.”
After I hung up the phone, I immediately sent a text message to my older sister asking her to recommend a house. While I was waiting for her reply, something I had to do came to mind.
I haven’t told my regular customers yet that I’m moving. After thinking about it for a while, I just sent a text message to each of my regulars. ‘Our store is moving to the academy district.’
After that, when I was about halfway through my coffee order, the first reply came. It was from Elder Wolf.
[ Is that so? ]
[ It’s not far ]
[Thank you for your advice, sir.]
I asked right away.
[ Are you resting now? ]
[ Yes. I spend this time with my companion and taking care of flowers. ]
[ I get scolded a lot because I’m not good with my hands ]
You’re so quick to reply, considering you’re not very good with your hands. After thinking about it for a moment, I sent the message. Since we’ve gone through all that trouble together, I guess it’s okay to ask you this much.
[ Do you receive calls from the academy district as well? ]
[ Of course. I often get calls from faculty members and young friends ]
I understood right away. I thought there would be fewer opportunities to meet students since there were a lot of them, but I didn’t think about this.
[ Isn’t the boss also resting right now? ]
[ I’m not busy, but I’m in the academy district for a bit because I need to check something out ]
[ What do you mean? ]
[ I came to look for a studio apartment nearby ]
I sent this text and received a reply within seconds.
[I’m telling you this just in case, but I recommend that you stay away from duplex studio apartments.]
What? I didn’t say anything about the duplex?
[ Also, it would be better to stay away from places that are written as having good water facilities ]
[ Why there? ]
[Because it was built primarily for marine species of kobolds. If not maintained frequently, it can easily become moldy.]
[I told you this because I remembered my son complaining to me that he had been treated badly when he went to a place like that when he was looking for a studio apartment.]
After reading it, I briefly imagined a studio apartment where snails, pufferfish, and toads like Cobalt lived. Aside from the mold problem, I think the salty smell of seawater would be strong.
[ Ah, sir. My companion is calling. I will contact you later. ]
[ Yes, thank you for the advice, sir ]
After closing the chat window, I deleted the items that highlighted the water facilities as an advantage from the app’s wish list. I wondered why they had emphasized this, and it turns out there was a reason for that… .
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Just after I cleared my wish list, I got the next reply notification. It was from Ms. Elena.
[ uh…. ]
[ Oh, where to? ]
[ Where is the academy district? ]
Is it really necessary to stammer through text?
I wanted to, but I immediately understood this. We were working together on making potions, and it was understandable to be flustered when he suddenly moved in the middle of our collaboration.
[Right in front of the subway station. It shouldn’t be far, right?]
I sent a text, and a reply came that made me sigh in relief just by reading it. Three more lines were added immediately.
[ phew…. ]
[ Fortunately, it’s a place you can get to on foot in no time. ]
[ But, why did the director suddenly…? ]
[Business is not going well, business is not going well]
I said it anyway, even though it ended up being a confession of the situation inside the store. If you stand on the street in front of a convenience store for five minutes, you’ll immediately realize that it’s not a situation where you can do business properly.
[ Oh… So Chan-i is resting now? ]
[ I’m not working. I’m working the night shift ]
[ I’m looking for a house now ]
Ms. Elena was a college student until two or three years ago, and she probably went to college in this area, so I wonder if she could give me some tips for finding a room.
I asked with the intention of listening seriously, but this is what I got as the first text.
[ First of all, duplexes are absolutely not allowed! ]
No, you’ve been saying things that I didn’t ask you about since earlier. Is it like a duplex studio apartment in this world is an inviolable territory for the different races?
[ We also do not recommend buildings that are too tall. We recommend a studio on the 2nd or 3rd floor of a building that is 4 stories or less. ]
[ Harpy and the bird Kobolds love high-rise studio apartments. ]
[ Since there are no restrictions on their flying near the school district, they go to and from school through windows instead of doors… ]
[ It’s noisy, and most of all, the feathers fly around a lot. Especially in June and December, when it’s molting season! ]
The reason why the 2nd and 3rd floors are recommended is because if harpies happen to reside in that building, the residents on the 1st floor will likely be the ones to clean up the feathers in front of the building.
I had included the view as one of my criteria for finding a room, but after hearing this story, I completely lost that desire. What kind of world is this where you have to consider so many things when looking for a house?
[ I will refer to it later, thank you ]
[ Yes! Mr. Chan, if you find a house, can I go to the housewarming party? ]
[ uh…. ]
This was a bit difficult to answer right away. No, I don’t have any chairs or tables in the house, so what the hell is a housewarming party?
[ ㅠㅠ ]
[ … I’ll talk to you later ]
Still, since we had a conversation before, I left some room for it. Then, I received a reply to another message. Finally, I received a reply from my older sister.
[ What? Lee Chan, are you moving too? ]
[ What do you mean, are you moving too? Did you know that our store is moving? ]
[ Then you don’t know? I have to carry the logistics ]
[ aha ]
The store manager told me first that he had decided to move. Since I don’t personally handle the logistics, sometimes I keep thinking that my older sister is just an ordinary A-class hunter who doesn’t have a side job.
[ Anyway, sis. Do you have any recommendations for studio apartments? ]
I asked my older sister for advice, but after a while, she said something completely unexpected.
[ I don’t know about one-room apartments, but I know of a place that just came up for sale as a two-room apartment ]
[ Tell me the location? ]
* * *
At first, I was negative. If the room is cheap, the deposit and the rent will be the same. If I put all my money into it, how can I eat?
[ You don’t have to pay a deposit there ]
[ Monthly rent 25 ]
[ What kind of two-room is that? Is it a place made of cardboard boxes stuck together? ]
Even as I replied, my body was honest, and when I came to my senses, I was leaving the cafe after cleaning up the coffee cups I had finished drinking. My older sister is not the type of person to tell me about a false listing.
Still, I couldn’t help but be suspicious, so I asked everything that came to mind while heading to the address my older sister had given me.
[ Is there a duplex there? ]
[ It’s a single-story two-room. Why do you want to live in a duplex? ]
[ No. Then what floor is it? ]
[ 2nd floor ]
[ The water facilities are not that good or anything? ]
[ Just going back. Hey, Lee Chan. I said something suspicious, but the location is fine and the surrounding area isn’t noisy. ]
[ Then why is such a nice place suddenly up for sale? ]
As my sister said, the location was good. It took exactly 6 minutes from the cafe near the station to my destination. My sister didn’t answer my question for a moment.
[ I don’t know ]
Then he immediately sent me this reply, but stopped midway. I know it’s up for sale, but I don’t know why it’s up for sale.
[ That’s because the landlord didn’t tell me ]
[ No, why? ]
[ You’ll know if you come here or not. I told you because I was nearby, so if you go and think something’s strange, just leave. ]
[ I’ll contact the landlord. He said he lives nearby so he’ll be there soon. ]
[ Oh… Okay ]
It already smells fishy, but it’s nearby anyway… .
After saying that I understood, I walked to the building where my sister had taken the picture and looked around. The exterior was clean, and it was also far from the noisy road. It was quiet.
“By the way, are you the young man who came to look for a house this time?”
After walking around the building and coming back, I saw a monkey kobold standing in front of the entrance of the building that wasn’t there before. I could tell right away that he was quite old based on his appearance and speech.
“Yes. I came here on recommendation from a human race named Seo Yoon-ha… .”
“Ah. I see you’re from the Hunter’s office.”
“yes?”
“Let’s go in and take a look around. I’ll give you a detailed explanation later.”