Chapter 2: Model House, Open (1)

The inside of the tavern was a complete disaster.

Broken tables and chairs were strewn about, with shattered plates littering the floor.

‘Wow, I really made a mess of things,’ Lloyd thought, clicking his tongue in disapproval.

His gaze landed on the tavern owner, who was miserably cleaning up the mess.

“You’re here, milord?”

The bald man who had been tidying up wore a bitter expression. The moment he saw Lloyd, his face went pale. For a brief second, anger flashed across his features, but it quickly disappeared. In its place, an awkward smile took over—one of those forced smiles from a weak man trying to survive.

‘Considering what happened last night, it must feel like his blood is boiling,’ Lloyd thought. But the tavern owner couldn’t even show it.

Watching this, Lloyd couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter. It reminded him of his past.

‘There were so many difficult customers back when I worked part-time at the bar.’

Suho had taken on various part-time jobs to make ends meet. One of them was at a pub, where he had encountered all kinds of customers, including plenty of problematic ones. There were those who spoke rudely and cursed at the employees just because they were drunk. Others would flip tables or break bottles for the smallest reasons—whether they thought the drinks were overpriced, the food wasn’t to their liking, or the staff wasn’t polite enough.

Some even waved broken bottles and shouted for the owner to come out.

‘Sigh…’

Remembering those times, Lloyd let out a heavy sigh. Back then, Suho had been the powerless part-timer, unable to fight back against customers who had all the power. Whenever those difficult customers left, he had to swallow his frustration and just endure.

‘Let’s not dwell on the past.’

It was a painful memory. Still, it allowed Lloyd to deeply empathize with the tavern owner’s feelings now. Even though it wasn’t Lloyd who had caused the chaos last night, the body’s former owner had. So, with a sincere heart, Lloyd approached the tavern owner and apologized.

“I came to apologize for last night.”

“…What?”

“It was my fault. I should’ve just enjoyed my drink peacefully, but instead, I caused a huge mess. I won’t make excuses—it was clearly my mistake.”

Lloyd’s words were genuine. However, they seemed to confuse the tavern owner even more.

“M-Milord, why are you acting this way?”

“…”

The tavern owner’s face, already pale, turned blue with fear. He looked like he was facing death itself.

“Milord, was the chaos from last night not enough for you? Please, tell me if I did something wrong!”

“No, I—”

“Why are you speaking so formally? It’s even scarier when you do that.”

“…”

It seemed Lloyd’s body had left a deep impression on the townspeople, and not in a good way. He clicked his tongue in frustration.

“Would it be better if I spoke more casually then?”

“Y-Yes, of course!”

“Alright. So, will you accept my apology now?”

“…”

“And I was thinking about compensating you for the damages from last night.”

“Are you serious?”

‘Has this guy been scammed his whole life or what?’

Lloyd couldn’t help but shake his head.

“Of course I’m serious. In exchange for the damages, how about I build you an *ondol* room?”

“A what?”

“A room with heated floors. You’ve never heard of it?”

“I know of placing heated stones and pouring water over them.”

“That’s a steam bath, not *ondol*. I’m talking about a system that heats the entire floor. You really don’t know?”

“…”

As expected, the tavern owner, like Javier earlier, looked completely clueless.

‘Good, this plan might actually work.’

Lloyd licked his lips and pressed on.

“That’s too bad. *Ondol* would be perfect for your mother.”

“My mother?”

“I heard she’s not feeling well these days.”

“Oh, yes… she hasn’t been well.”

“That’s why I’m recommending *ondol*.”

“…”

“It keeps the floor nice and warm. You won’t even need a bed. You can lie on the heated floor and warm your body all day. It’s much better than a sauna.”

“…”

He’s starting to crack. The tavern owner’s eyes were beginning to waver.

Lloyd could see the moment of hesitation when he mentioned the elderly.

“In the cold winter, when your body feels a chill, or for older folks with aching joints—this is perfect.”

“Perfect for someone like my mother?”

“Of course.”

After all, elderly people love lying on a warm floor.

“And you’re really going to give me something like that?”

“I’m going to build it for you.”

“You’re going to… build it?”

“Yes.”

“…”

“You don’t believe me?”

“Well…”

“Of course, you don’t. You’re probably wondering what kind of scam I’m trying to pull. You’re thinking, ‘What does this guy even know about *ondol*, and is *ondol* even real?’ But at the same time, it sounds appealing because of your mother, right?”

“…”

“Then let’s draw up a contract.”

“A… contract?”

“Yeah. A contract for the construction.”

“W-Wait…”

“Go get some paper and a pen.”

The tavern owner still looked confused, but he obediently brought Lloyd the paper and pen.

With practiced ease, Lloyd began drafting a contract on the spot.

‘Well, I’m the one making the template, so I can set it up how I want.’

The tavern owner would be the client, Lloyd the contractor, and the construction site would be the vacant land behind the tavern.

“As for the payment, let’s do it like this: I’ll waive the damages from last night in exchange for the cost of building the *ondol* room. How does that sound?”

“You’ll build me this *ondol* room instead of compensating me for the broken furniture?”

“That’s right.”

Lloyd nodded.

In reality, the Frontera barony was drowning in debt. Even the money to pay for the tavern’s damages was scarce.

But if this project went well?

‘I’ll turn the potential losses from the compensation into something much more valuable.’

It wouldn’t just cover the damages. If things went according to plan, it could snowball into an even bigger profit.

That was the grand vision Lloyd had in mind.

‘After all, this is what I’m best at.’

Suho had been a civil engineering student. He had studied hard.

Not because he had grand dreams, but because he wanted a stable job and tried to keep his grades up.

Now, it seemed that all the knowledge he had accumulated could be put to practical use in this world.

‘In the end, big money comes from construction projects.’

Whether it’s apartments, bridges, roads, or dams, building things generates income. And construction companies, in particular, make a fortune.

Lloyd was starting to see the potential.

“So, what do you say? Shall we sign the contract?”

“You’re really going to build it?”

“I said I would. Don’t you want it?”

“It’s not that I don’t want it…”

After some hesitation, the tavern owner finally signed the *ondol* room construction contract.

Kim Suho, the civil engineering student from South Korea, now Lloyd Frontera, eldest son of the Frontera Barony, had secured his first contract in this unfamiliar world.

It was small, but it was a start.

The first step toward his ambitious construction project had begun.

* * * *

“He’s an honest and desperate man.”

It had been about a minute since they left the tavern when Javier’s voice suddenly broke the silence.

“What do you mean?” Lloyd asked, turning to face him.

Javier’s face was as expressionless as ever. If anything, the air around him seemed even colder than usual.

“When a person is desperate, their judgment becomes clouded. They lose sight of their situation and become vulnerable. Such people become easy prey for those with ill intentions.”

“Prey?”

“Yes.”

“So you’re saying the tavern owner is the prey, and I’m the predator?”

“Whether you are ill-intentioned or not depends on the actions you take from now on, Lord Lloyd.”

“Hey.”

Lloyd finally understood why the atmosphere felt colder than usual.

“Do you seriously think I’m planning to scam the tavern owner?”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but…”

“Then what?”

“I believe you are taking advantage of a weak person’s situation.”

…That’s basically the same thing.

Lloyd let out a deep sigh.

Ever since he had been thrown into this body, misunderstandings seemed to follow him everywhere.

“Alright, let’s clear this up. You don’t believe I’m going to actually build the *ondol* room, do you?”

“That’s correct.”

“Why not?”

“Because Lord Lloyd has never worked a day in his life.”

“And how would you know?”

“I’ve heard stories.”

“So you haven’t seen it yourself, right?”

“That’s true.”

“Well, Javier, I’m a little disappointed. You’re judging me based on hearsay?”

“That’s not…”

“That’s called prejudice.”

“…”

“You saw me draft the contract with the tavern owner, right? What do you think I’m going to do with that contract?”

“Of course…”

“You think I’ll toss it aside and do nothing, right?”

“That’s not it.”

Sure, it isn’t. Lloyd could tell Javier was lying.

Javier had a habit of looking away when he lied. He had done it just now.

“You probably think I’m going to keep delaying the construction, using the contract as an excuse to avoid paying for the damages, right?”

“I just thought…”

“That’s exactly what prejudice is. You form an opinion without knowing the full story. That’s how conflict starts. It leads to discrimination, broken families, and a fractured society.”

Javier remained silent. He was probably thinking Lloyd’s argument was just nonsense.

Lloyd didn’t feel the need to change Javier’s mind. Instead, he gestured toward him.

“Anyway, now that I know what you’re thinking, could you step aside for a moment?”

“What?”

“Just take two steps to the side. I’m trying to measure something.”

Lloyd wasn’t lying. He had been measuring the space even before Javier spoke up.

This backyard was where the *ondol* room would be built.

Before starting construction, he had to survey the site and make sure everything was in order.

‘I’ll be building a small room, so I don’t need to do a full survey, but the ground’s a little uneven. I’ll need to raise the foundation a bit.’

To one side of the yard was the tavern, and on the other side was the tavern owner’s house. The *ondol* room would be built between them.

‘I should check the soil quality.’

Lloyd crouched down and examined the dirt. He scooped up some soil and squeezed it in his hand.

‘This takes me back to my school days.’

Handling the soil brought back memories of his soil mechanics classes. He had studied the properties of soil, like particle size and porosity.

Thanks to that, he had handled countless amounts of dirt during his studies.

He had even rolled soil samples into little balls, kneaded them until they crumbled, baked them in ovens, and subjected them to all sorts of tests.

Those experiences were now proving to be quite useful to Lloyd.

‘This soil should be just fine.’

More than fine, actually.

Despite the dull grayish surface, just a few centimeters down, the soil was a rich reddish-brown—perfect for building.

It was *hwangto* [1], high-quality yellow soil.

‘Jackpot.’

Lloyd dusted off his hands and stood up, locking eyes with Javier, who was still watching him with a puzzled expression.

“What? What’s with that look?”

“…”

“You’ve never seen someone handle dirt before?”

“I’ve never seen Lord Lloyd do it, at least.”

“Well, get used to it. You’ll be seeing it more often from now on.”

Javier’s expression grew even more puzzled, but Lloyd ignored it and walked away.

He wandered around the estate, surveying the land.

To an outsider, it might have looked like a leisurely stroll, but Lloyd’s eyes were focused on the terrain.

He paid particular attention to the river that flowed through the center of the estate.

He was looking for a good spot to collect a large amount of *hwangto*.

“Alright, time to get back home.”

But even after returning to the mansion, Lloyd didn’t rest.

This was his first project. It was crucial.

‘The first step is always the most important.’

If the first construction project was a failure, word would spread. Then it would be much harder to attract the next client.

He needed to succeed right from the start.

‘A happy client means more money for me.’

Lloyd was used to staying up all night. He had done it countless times while balancing part-time jobs and schoolwork.

So, from dusk until dawn, he filled sheet after sheet with detailed blueprints for the project.

As soon as morning broke, he sought out the estate’s administrator.

“How much lumber do we have in storage?”

“Pardon?”

It was too early for this.

The administrator hadn’t even washed his face yet, let alone eaten breakfast. He blinked at Lloyd in confusion, as if wondering if the young master was drunk.

“What do you need the wood for?”

“What do you think? I’m going to build something. Here.”

“What’s this?”

“Get this amount of wood ready and send it to the tavern’s backyard. Got it?”

When Lloyd decided to get things done, he did so quickly, like a bulldozer.

His attitude left the administrator no choice but to nod in agreement.

And so, before lunchtime, the ordered lumber was stacked high in the tavern’s backyard.

“With the materials here, it’s time to get started.”

Lloyd shed his cumbersome outer coat, leaving only a light shirt, and pulled on a pair of work gloves. With a shovel in hand, he felt completely at ease.

‘After all, I’ve done this kind of work every school break.’

Even in the military, he had been called upon for construction work.

All because he was a civil engineering major.

Every time there was a project, the quartermaster would call him in.

By the time he was discharged, he had become the company’s go-to construction machine.

‘Nothing like a good day of shoveling.’

Lloyd started by preparing the ground.

He dug up the soil next to the yard and moved it to where the *ondol* room would be built, carefully packing it down as he went.

‘If you pile up a lot of dirt at once and try to pack it all down in one go, it’ll be a disaster later.’

It was a common mistake in ground preparation.

The surface would look compacted, but underneath, the soil would still be loose.

If you built on top of that, in a few years, the building would start to sink.

Knowing this, Lloyd worked meticulously, moving and packing the soil bit by bit.

Then he glanced over at Javier, who had been standing quietly by his side the whole time.

He was focused solely on his job as a bodyguard.

“Hey.”

“Yes, Lord Lloyd.”

“Yeah, I called you.”

“Do you have something for me to do?”

“Yep. Grab a shovel and help me out.”

“…”

Javier said nothing.

“What? You don’t want to? Is that it?”

“…”

“If you helped, we could get this done twice as fast.”

“…”

“Oh, I’m sure the tavern owner’s mother is still shivering in the cold right now. If she could sleep in a warm *ondol* room, she’d feel so much better. But that won’t happen anytime soon. Why? Because the honorable Sir Asrahan is refusing to shovel.”

“…”

“If she could rest on a warm floor, her stiff joints would loosen, and she’d smile again. But that won’t happen anytime soon. Why? Because the honorable Sir Asrahan is refusing to shovel.”

“…”

“Oh, it must be awful for someone with only a few days left to live to be denied their last simple wish—”

“Give me the shovel.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Javier finally picked up a shovel.

A wicked grin spread across Lloyd’s face.

And so, the wastrel noble and the nameless knight began their construction of the *ondol* room.

News of their project spread quickly throughout the entire estate.

***

Footnotes:

[1] Hwangto (황토) is yellow soil (loess) prized in Korea for its heat retention, moisture control, and air-filtering properties. It’s commonly used in ondol systems to enhance their heat-retaining efficiency in traditional Korean homes