Two thoughts rocketed around Seungwan's mind as he waited for Sooyoung outside the house he was going to look at. He really wanted to tell Joohyun about Kwon Boa basically giving away her cafe.

It was a de facto bakery—they had homemade muffins and pies. And at the same time, he knew the conditions were a deal-breaker. 

He didn’t need to wait for Sooyoung to show up and spill the tea. She’d updated the cafe’s listing on her website just a few minutes ago.

Looking at the screen again, Seungwan shook his head. He couldn’t ask Joohyun if she wanted to...

No. 

He flipped over to their text messages.

Seungwan : What are you doing? 

Joohyun : Chopping pistachios. How about you?

Seungwan : Waiting to look at a house. I might buy it, although it’s not much to look at from the outside.

Joohyun: Are you there right now?

Seungwan : Standing across the street

He took a picture of the one-and-a-half-storey cottage with peeling paint and a sagging porch and texted it to her. 

Joohyun: Ooh, I like that! Call me later and tell me if it’s cute on the inside, too.

She was way too kind. The house was only cute if he squinted, and inside he expected the same.

Seungwan shoved his phone in his pocket and took another hard look at the house.

It was a few blocks from Main Street, on the same side of town as Baekhyun and Taeyeon's place. Chanyeol lived on the other side, in the newer build, but everywhere was walkable.

Seungwan liked the long driveway and the trees. The paint was a long weekend of work to repair, and a new porch was doable. But from the photos, he knew there was work to be done inside as well. 

Was he biting off more than he could chew?

And was he really considering buying a house he hadn’t yet stepped foot inside?

It’s time. He felt that inside like a drumbeat. He had the job, now he needed a home. One big enough for him and a wife, maybe.

He crossed the street just as Sooyoung arrived. 

The porch creaked, but the boards held up just fine under his weight. Sooyoung got the key from the lockbox on the screen door as he peered in the windows.

“It’s unfurnished,” she said as she pushed the door open. “A blank canvas.”

The foyer was dark, the doorway they were standing in the only source of light.

Sooyoung moved in further and flipped on an overhead light in the wider room beyond the entrance.

In that space, a small living room with a fireplace on the left wall, a staircase climbed up the right-hand side of the room.

So far, it looked just like the photos in the slideshow, if a bit smaller in real life.

Seungwan squinted and tried to picture where he might put a couch and a TV. The place had nice wood floors. Easy to keep clean, he figured. 

“It’s cozy.” The brightness in Sooyoung’s voice made Seungwan laugh.

“Your positive spin is noted,” he said dryly. “Is the kitchen through there?”

“Yep. And one of the bedrooms.” Her expression slid from salesperson to delicate professional. “The former owner lived on the main floor for the, uh, final few years.”

“Ah.” Seungwan poked his head into the kitchen. It was as he expected from the listing, small and forgettable.

Then he pivoted and went down the small hallway to the bedroom at the end.

Unlike the rest of the house, it was large, with a window that overlooked the front garden.

But the best part of it was an en suite bathroom built off it, with a tiled walk-in shower.  Seungwan whistled. This looked bigger and better than in the photos.

“This bathroom is definitely the selling feature for the house. There’s another one upstairs that’s more...original. There weren’t any photos taken of it for the listing.”

“Let’s go see that, then.” He led the way, already feeling at home in the space. 

The stairs were narrow, but the landing at the top was big. Off of it were three doors. The aforementioned bathroom, with an original cast iron tub, cracked linoleum flooring, and yellowed wallpaper.

At the front of the house was a room that didn’t look big enough for a full-sized bed, but it could be an office or a workout space.

The second bedroom, though, was a decent size. And more importantly, as he walked over to the small window overlooking the backyard, he realized it was completely quiet.

Seungwan could have a bed up here for when he needed to sleep during the day and avoid any street noise.

“Do you think the price is firm?”

Sooyoung hesitated.

“I need to do something about that bathroom, and the kitchen downstairs. This place needs more than a little work.” 

“The price reflects the potential. But if you made an offer, they can always counter.”

Seungwan glanced at his watch. It was twenty minutes after five. His brothers should all be available for a quick consult—but he didn’t need them to weigh in on this. 

He thought about what he’d been pre-approved for at the bank, and the list price.

He could easily afford to offer just below the list price and still be able to get a line of credit for the renovation work.

Or maybe he’d do it himself, slowly. 

It wasn’t like he had anything else to do in his downtime.

By five-thirty, they were back at the salon so he could sign the offer.

By six, his offer was accepted. And he’d done it all on his own.

“Congratulations,” Sooyoung said as she locked up the salon behind them.

“Thanks.” Seungwan thought about asking about the cafe, but then thought