Chapter 2. Model House, Open (1)
The inside of the bar was a mess like a battlefield.
Broken tables and chairs were scattered around.
Pieces of broken dishes scattered all over the floor were an option.
‘That’s true. I accidentally hit it right.’
A tsk tsk sound came out.
It was even more so when I saw the owner who was cleaning up the mess.
“Oh are you here?”
A bald man tidying up the messy room with a bitter expression.
As soon as I saw this, my complexion turned pale.
For a moment, anger flashed across his face.
But the signs of anger soon faded.
Instead, what took its place was an awkward smile that was painstakingly crafted.
It was the smile of an underdog who had no choice but to make a living doing business in this estate.
‘When I think about what happened last night, my blood will spurt.’
I can’t even tease it.
Seeing that, Lloyd’s appetite went sour.
It was because memories of the past suddenly came to mind.
‘There were actually a lot of customers when I was working part-time at a pub.’
As I tried to make a living, I went to and from various part-time jobs.
Among them, there was a part-time job at a pub.
Since it is a bar, there were all sorts of customers.
Of course, there was truth among them.
no, quite a lot.
Being drunk and swearing at part-timers is standard.
Some even overturned tables or broke bottles.
that alcohol is expensive
He said he didn’t like the glasses.
The part-timer didn’t politely greet his belly button.
There was also a case of shaking a broken bottle and shouting for the boss to come out.
‘Whoa.’
Recalling that time, I let out a sigh of relief.
At that time, he was in the position of an Albanian student.
I couldn’t even say anything to the guest who was the best.
How much did the inside boil when such a grandson visited?
‘Let’s stop thinking about it.’
It is a bitter memory.
Thanks to this, Lloyd was able to fully understand how the tavern owner felt.
Even though he did not create the messed up sight of this place.
Even though this body’s previous owner had committed it.
He sincerely apologized to the tavern owner.
“I came to apologize for last night.”
“…yes?”
“It’s my fault. I should have just drank quietly, but I ended up having a big accident. I won’t gloss over it as a mistake. It is clearly my fault.”
It contained some sincerity.
But maybe that sincerity was conveyed a bit wrong?
“Are you over there, young man? Why are you like this?”
“….”
The tavern owner’s complexion went beyond pale and turned blue.
It is the face of a person who has faced even the grim reaper.
“Bocchan, weren’t you satisfied with last night’s work? Then please tell me what I did wrong.”
“No I….”
“Why are you so respectful? It’s even more terrifying.”
“….”
It seems that this body is firmly rooted in hatred towards the residents of the territory.
Lloyd licked his lips.
“Then is it better to speak casually like this?”
“It makes sense.”
“Then will you accept my apology?”
“….”
“Are you willing to pay for the furniture I damaged last night?”
“Are you sure?”
Has this nobleman been deceived all his life?
Lloyd clicked his tongue.
“Of course it is. How about paying for the ondol room?”
“yes?”
“A room where the floor gets hot. I don’t know?”
“I know you sprinkle water on heated stones.”
“It’s a wet steam sauna. Heating the floor itself. On-dol. don’t you know?”
“….”
still don’t know
Like Xaviel from before, the tavern owner also became a mute from eating honey.
Then there is a chance that the plan will work.
Lloyd licked his lips.
“Sorry. Do you not know ondol? That would be great for your mother.”
“yes?”
“I heard a rumor. My mother said she is ill these days.”
“Ah, yes, but.”
“That’s why I recommend Ondol.”
“….”
“It heats up the floor. You don’t even need a bed. Just lying on the hot floor and supporting yourself all day long. It can’t even be compared to a sauna, right?”
“….”
comes over it comes down slowly
I could see the owner’s eyes shaking.
The shaking culminated in Lloyd’s next comment.
“When it’s cold in winter, when you feel a bit chilly in your body. Is it perfect for the elderly with stiff joints?”
“You mean older people like your mother?”
“of course.”
It is a law that the elderly prefer to be hot with Jago.
“But you’re giving me something like that? Bocchan?”
“uh. I will make it right for you.”
“You mean by making it?”
“uh.”
“….”
“Can’t you believe it?”
“Yeah sure….”
“Of course you wouldn’t believe it. I wonder what kind of scam this human is trying to fool around with his tongue right now. I wondered if I could make something like ondol or something. I don’t even know if that ondol really exists. But after listening to it, I think of my mother. My ears are tempted. just dragged Right?”
“….”
“Then let’s write a contract with me.”
“You mean the contract?”
“uh. construction order contract.”
“what….”
“Bring me a pen and paper.”
The owner had a confused face.
Still, I obediently brought a pen and paper to my side.
Lloyd skilfully scribbled the impromptu contract form on paper.
‘It’s food anyway, so I can make it.’
The client is the owner of the tavern.
The builder is this.
The construction site is a vacant lot behind the tavern.
“Let’s do this for the total price including the contract amount. By paying the amount of compensation for all the property I damaged last night. how is it?”
“Are you saying that instead of paying for the damaged items, you will make an ondol or something?”
“okay.”
Lloyd nodded.
In fact, the baron family is in a state of debt.
The money to reimburse the tavern owner was also a pity.
But what if you properly place an order for this project and finish it?
‘It’s a great way to cover up the negative amount that will come out as reimbursement.’
It’s not just about making up for negatives.
If you do it well, you will accumulate a huge plus.
It is the starting point of rolling the so-called huge profit snowball.
That was the big picture Lloyd expected.
‘Because this is what I can do best.’
He was a civil engineer.
I studied pretty hard.
Of course, it wasn’t a big dream.
Like everyone else, I chose my school and department according to my SAT scores.
I was just trying to get credits for a stable job.
However, it seemed that the knowledge accumulated in that way could be put to good use here.
‘Because it’s a land seller, and above all, a construction company, that makes the most money.’
Apartment buildings bridges roads dams breakwaters canals harbors.
Building anything makes money.
Among them, construction companies, in particular, sit on a cushion of money.
This is even more so the larger the scale of the project won.
Lloyd was peeking at that possibility.
“So, let’s make a contract. how is it?”
“Then, is the young master really?”
“Because it makes no?”
“That’s not it.”
After hesitating, the owner eventually signed the ‘ondol room order contract’.
Kim Soo-ho, a civil engineer in South Korea.
Lloyd, the eldest son of Baron Frontera.
It was the first contract he had won in an unfamiliar world.
Even if it’s small at first, take it one step at a time.
Thus, the long-awaited first construction began.
♣
“He is a simple and desperate man.”
It must have been about a minute since I left the bar.
Xaviel’s voice, which had been silent, suddenly came out.
“What are you talking about?”
Looking back, Xaviel’s face was the same expressionless as before.
No, maybe it’s because of my mood that I feel like a cold wind is blowing.
“People who are cornered become desperate. As much as that, the view of looking at the situation is narrowed and judgment is blurred. Such people become easy prey for those with a sly inside.”
“Prey?”
“That’s right.”
“Ah, so the tavern owner is a pitiful prey and I am a sneaky bastard who eats his back?”
“Whether it’s sinister or not will depend on the actions Lord Lloyd will take from now on.”
“hey.”
For some reason, I felt the atmosphere was cooler than usual.
Lloyd finally realized what Xaviel was thinking.
“You really think I’m cheating on the tavern owner?”
“It’s not like that.”
“then?”
“I think they are taking advantage of the cornered underdog situation.”
…That’s it.
Lloyd let out a deep sigh.
After entering this body, it seemed that everything I did was misunderstood.
“Then let’s sort it out. You think I won’t make an ondol room for the tavern owner?”
“That’s right.”
“why?”
“Lloyd-sama is someone who has never had dirt on his hands in his entire life.”
“How do you know?”
“I heard about it from everywhere.”
“So you haven’t seen it yourself. Right?”
“Yes, but.”
“Contrary to how it looks, it’s unreasonable, Xaviel.”
“yes?”
Xaviel’s picturesque eyebrows furrowed finely for the first time.
Lloyd looked at Xaviel, who was about five centimeters taller than himself, and said.
“It is a little disappointing. Javiel. Are you judging others only by hearing rumors?”
“that….”
“It’s a prejudice.”
“….”
“It still is. Did you see me signing a purchasing contract with the tavern owner? What do you think I will do with that contract?”
“of course….”
“Did you think we were going to throw the contracts in the corner and play around?”
“It is not.”
no what is not It’s just right.
I felt it earlier, but Xaviel is not good at lying.
He has a habit of averting his eyes whenever he tells a lie.
Just like that.
“You must have thought I was cheating on the tavern owner with the contract. Someday, I will make an ondol room. That I will forever and indefinitely delay paying for the furniture damaged by such a lie.”
“I just….”
“That is prejudice. I’m quick to judge others based on my own thoughts. conflict arises. Racism is rampant. the house shakes Society is collapsing.”
I guess I didn’t expect such a counterattack.
Xaviel kept his mouth shut.
Maybe you think it’s a sophistry.
Lloyd didn’t bother to change his mind.
Instead, he gestured towards Xaviel.
“Anyway, since I understand your thoughts, can you move away?”
“yes?”
“Two steps to the side. yes that way I am doing a rough survey.”
It was true.
It was like that even before Xaviel opened his mouth.
Anyway, this backyard was a space to build an ondol room.
It was most important to look at the site prior to design and material preparation.
‘Well, since it’s going to be built modestly, I don’t think there’s a need for precise measurements. But the ground is slightly tilted. I’ll have to raise the base a bit.’
On one side of the site where the building was to be built, there was a pub.
On the other side was the house where the owner lived.
It would be better to build an ondol room in the space between them.
‘Let’s look at the properties of the ground.’
Lloyd lowered himself.
I checked the soil for the ondol room. touched Kneaded.
‘Ah, it reminds me of school.’
As I was touching the soil, I naturally thought of the Soil Mechanics lecture.
It was a subject to study properties such as the volume of soil particles and the gaps in soil.
Thanks to that, how much soil had to be scooped up in reality?
And that wasn’t all.
The soil he scooped up rolled up like eraser poop.
Not until it breaks, and then again.
It was even baked, grilled, and steamed in the oven.
Of course, that experience was of great help to Lloyd now.
‘If I do this, the soil will be fine.’
It just wasn’t good enough.
Unlike the dingy surface, reddish soil came out with only a few centimeters of waves.
It was ocher.
‘That’s great.’
Lloyd shook his hands and stood up.
Then I met Xaviel’s strange gaze looking this way.
“what. why.”
“….”
“Is this the first time you’ve ever seen someone touch dirt?”
“At least it’s the first time I’ve seen Lloyd-sama do this.”
“Then get used to it. You will see them often in the future.”
Xaviel’s eyes changed even more strangely.
I ignored it and moved on.
left the scene.
They ran around Yeongji.
It was just a walk that looked like a leisurely walk.
However, Lloyd’s eyes were examining the terrain throughout the territory.
Among them, he focused on the river that runs through the center of the territory.
It was to pick a spot to collect large amounts of ocher.
“Okay then let’s go home.”
Even after coming to the mansion, Lloyd did not stop working.
It was a monumental first construction.
‘Because, after all, things work out only when the first button is properly pressed.’
If you do the construction wrong once, the bad reputation spreads.
That makes it harder to get the next customer.
It is doomed from the start.
In order not to do that, it was important to produce results with the best quality that one could do.
‘Because the customer’s happiness is my money.’
I was used to staying up all night.
He was trained through part-time jobs and assignments.
From sunset to dawn, I drew a lot of blank paper.
And as soon as the day dawned, I went to see the administrator of the mansion.
“How much wood is stocked in the warehouse?”
“yes?”
It was too early in the morning.
The administrator, who hadn’t eaten breakfast and couldn’t even wash his face, tilted his head.
Do you think this side is drunk since morning?
“What are you going to use the wood for?”
“Where is it written? It is intended to be used for building. Now here.”
“This?”
“Move the wood as much as the amount written here. To the backyard of the village tavern. okay?”
If you want to do the job quickly.
Just boldly like a bulldozer.
It was thanks to Lloyd’s attitude.
The administrator nodded coldly.
Thanks to that, before lunch that day, the ordered lumber piled up in the backyard of the tavern.
“Now that the materials have arrived, let’s start soon.”
I took off my cumbersome outerwear.
He wore a light shirt and worker gloves.
I couldn’t feel that comfortable when I was carrying a shovel handle there.
‘Because I got tired of this kind of work every vacation.’
Even when I was in the military.
It was because I went to the Department of Civil Engineering.
Every time there was a big or small task, the administrative sub-supplier was called.
Thanks to that, by the time I was discharged, I was treated as a company certified work machine.
‘As expected, men are shoveling.’
It started with plowing.
I dug the ground next to the yard.
The scooped-out soil was moved to the site where the ondol room was built.
Each time, it was tightly packed.
‘Because if you move a lot of soil at once and build a site, there will be chaos later.’
This was a common mistake when plowing.
The soil is well compacted on top.
The underside is not properly trimmed.
But what if you pile up the soil thickly and compact it all at once?
The upper surface visible to the eye is hard, but the inside is still left soft.
What if you built a building on top of it?
A few years later, a disaster occurs when the building tilts.
Knowing this well, Lloyd dug up the soil, moved it, and compacted it repeatedly.
Then, suddenly, I glanced at Xaviel.
The boy had been standing by his side since before.
It must be that he will only be faithful to his duty, escort.
“hey.”
“Did you call, Mr. Lloyd?”
“Yes, I called.”
“Is there anything you want me to do?”
“Yes there is. I want you to shovel together.”
“….”
Xaviel’s answer disappeared.
“Do you hate it? Is that so?”
“….”
“If you shovel together, it will double the speed of the work.”
“….”
“Ah, the tavern owner’s mother must still be suffering from chills. If you sleep in a warm ondol room, you will be able to get out of that pain right away. But for the time being, that’s impossible. why? Because the lofty Lord Asrahan refuses to shovel.”
“….”
“Ah, if you lay down in an ondol room, your mother’s stiff joints will loosen up and a smile will bloom on her lips. But for the time being, that’s impossible. Why? Because the noble Lord Ashrahan refuses to shovel.”
“….”
“Ah, the last simple wish of a person who has only a few days left to live….”
“Give me a shovel.”
In the end, Xaviel couldn’t stand it and picked up a shovel.
An evil smile bloomed on Lloyd’s face.
That’s how the baron’s madness and the unknown knight.
The two men’s ondol room construction is in full swing.
The news quickly spread to all corners of the territory.
