Chapter 4: Model House, Open (3)
“Ah, it’s so warm, isn’t it?”
Wrinkled hands gently brushed against the floor, pressing the surface as if testing the heat. Then the old woman flipped her hand, pressing her knuckles against the floor as well. A look of amazement spread across her face, and she tossed aside the cushion she had been using. With a sigh of satisfaction, she sat directly on the sizzling hot floor, a contented smile forming on her pale, aged face.
“This is nice. Really nice.”
The old woman had early-stage dementia, which made her even more candid in her expression of emotions. The tavern owner turned to Lloyd with a broad smile of gratitude.
“My mother loves it, young master.”
“She does, huh?”
“Yes.”
“See, I told you, didn’t I? I promised I’d make the *ondol* room nice and warm.”
Lloyd shrugged, feeling satisfied.
It was a relief—the *ondol* room was a huge success.
It was still early spring, and the morning was chilly. The last cold snap was making the air outside sharp and cold, but inside the *ondol* room, it was different. The floor was radiating warmth, and the air itself was cozy. The tavern owner had even taken off his coat.
“Did you see how I started the fire? Just light it in the furnace outside, and once it’s burning properly, the heat will last for two days. The room doesn’t cool down easily.”
“Two days, you say?”
The tavern owner’s eyes widened in disbelief. Lloyd grinned.
“You’ll see for yourself once you try it.”
“O-of course, I believe you.”
“Do you?”
“Yes. Actually, may I be completely honest with you?”
“Go ahead.”
“To be frank, I thought you were scamming me, young master.”
“Me? A scammer?”
“Yes. I never imagined you’d actually build something like this.”
…Well, that was understandable.
Lloyd Frontera had been a notorious scoundrel, after all. He’d never done anything for anyone else and had never lived a life that involved caring for others. It made sense that the tavern owner didn’t trust him.
“But contrary to my expectations, you really built this incredible *ondol* room. I swear I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. My mother is so happy, and I don’t know how to properly express my gratitude. Really, *ondol* is a blessing.”
…Was this a moment for national pride? Lloyd felt a strange embarrassment well up inside him, making him clear his throat awkwardly.
“Ahem, no need to thank me. It was all part of the contract, after all.”
“Ah, yes, the contract.”
“Right, the contract.”
This was, after all, a business transaction. Lloyd had built the *ondol* room, and in return, the tavern owner forgave the cost of the broken furniture.
“But this *ondol* room… It seems far more valuable than the broken furniture. Please wait just a moment, young master.”
The tavern owner suddenly stood up and hurried inside the tavern. He returned with a leather pouch in hand.
“Please, take this as well.”
“What’s this?”
“It’s a small token of my appreciation.”
Clink.
The pouch landed on the floor with the unmistakable sound of coins inside.
It was money.
“Oh, you didn’t have to…”
Of course, Lloyd quickly pocketed the coins. As a bonus, he decided to offer a tip about how to best enjoy the *ondol* room.
“See that window over there? On cooler nights or early mornings, crack it open a bit. Let some cold air in, and once the room is heated to the max, get under the blankets. Lay there, eat some oranges, or roast some sweet potatoes or chestnuts. Do you know what happens?”
“What happens?”
“The air stays cool, but your butt stays warm. You’ll start to understand why fish gather in those sweet spots where cold and warm currents meet.”
“…”
The tavern owner tilted his head in confusion as Lloyd left the room.
Outside, a crowd of onlookers had gathered—residents of the barony. They were still murmuring amongst themselves, a mix of confusion and curiosity in their expressions.
‘Of course they’re curious.’
Lloyd couldn’t help but smile. He remembered all the rumors circulating about him recently.
The young master’s gone mad.
He’s digging his own grave.
He’s scamming the tavern owner.
Not a single positive rumor.
But now, right before their eyes, the *ondol* room was fully built and functional, contradicting all the gossip they’d heard.
‘No wonder they’re intrigued. They’ve seen me build something, but they have no idea what it is or why the tavern owner is so happy.’
Lloyd had purposely allowed the rumors to spread. There was no reason to stop them. In fact, he welcomed them.
‘It’s free advertising.’
Marketing was crucial. Promotion was everything. Even construction companies weren’t an exception, especially in South Korea. Before building apartments, the first thing they did was advertise—TV commercials, flyers, outdoor ads, telemarketing, internet and social media campaigns. Every possible means was used.
‘The goal is to generate buzz and draw people in for the model house opening. That’s how you drive sales.’
That’s exactly what Lloyd was doing here.
‘Thanks to the rumors, I didn’t have to spend a single coin on advertising, and look at how many people have gathered. This kind of opportunity doesn’t come often.’
There were at least a hundred onlookers, but Lloyd didn’t see them as mere residents of the barony. To him, they were potential customers, people who could bring him money.
‘Alright, time to officially open the model house.’
Lloyd stepped forward, facing the crowd.
All eyes turned toward him.
He cleared his throat and spoke loudly.
“Are you all curious? Want to know what I’ve built?”
“…”
Of course, no one answered. They only glanced around nervously, unsure how to respond.
Lloyd smiled. It wasn’t a bad reaction. It was exactly what he had expected.
“No need for explanations. Why don’t you step inside and see for yourselves?”
Lloyd approached the front of the crowd, grabbing the arm of a woman standing nearby. The woman, pale with fear, was gently led toward the *ondol* room.
‘Word of mouth starts with the neighborhood ladies.’
With the tavern owner’s permission, Lloyd showed her the room.
The woman’s eyes widened as she felt the warmth of the floor.
From there, everything fell into place.
One by one, the curious onlookers stepped into the *ondol* room, each leaving with expressions of amazement after experiencing the heated floor.
Outside, Lloyd had set up a table—a sales desk for *ondol* room contracts.
“So, how was the *ondol* room?”
“It was much better than I expected.”
“Right?”
“Yes. I won’t have to worry about the cold in winter anymore.”
“That’s why I prepared this. Want to take a look?”
“What’s this?”
“It’s a simple brochure—a kind of pamphlet.”
Lloyd handed the resident a piece of paper. He had stayed up late the night before designing it.
The pamphlet displayed two types of *ondol* rooms in beautifully drawn illustrations.
“Type A is like the one you just saw—a separate building constructed in the yard. Type B is a remodel where we tear up the first floor of your existing house and install the *ondol*. If you choose to install both types, you’ll receive a 10% discount.”
“…”
“You have kids, right?”
“Yes. My eldest is seven, and my youngest is five.”
“Then think about how they suffer during the winter, shivering indoors, their eyes watering and coughing from sitting too close to the fireplace. It must break your heart. Just thinking about it must make you feel cold.”
“…”
“And if you sign the contract now, we’ll throw in five bundles of firewood for free.”
“…”
“Think it over. It’s not an opportunity you’ll want to miss.”
“Well, it’s just that I’m not sure if…”
“What’s wrong? Not interested?”
“…”
The man clammed up, but Lloyd could guess what he was thinking.
‘He doesn’t trust me.’
No, he was afraid.
It was only natural. Even if Lloyd had changed, the villagers didn’t know that. To them, he was still Lloyd Frontera—the scoundrel son of the baron. A man notorious for drinking, causing trouble, and breaking things.
‘It makes sense that they’d be suspicious, even if I’ve built a functional *ondol* room.’
They probably thought it was some kind of scam or a trick. That’s why they hesitated to sign the contract.
But Lloyd had anticipated this reaction.
“So, are you not going to sign?”
“…”
“Really? Is that your final decision?”
“…”
Lloyd stared directly into the man’s eyes.
The man flinched, understanding the implied threat in Lloyd’s gaze.
‘He’s probably worried that refusing to sign will make his life in the barony difficult. He’s already starting to panic.’
Lloyd suppressed a bitter smile.
It was a slightly underhanded tactic, using the residents’ fear and unease. But it was necessary for now.
‘If they already think I’m trash, I might as well use that image to my advantage. It’s not like I’m going to scam them—I’ll give them the best *ondol* rooms possible.’
The first step was crucial. Once he secured the contract, he could build a positive reputation through word of mouth. That would be enough to change how they saw him.
“Fine… I’ll sign.”
The man, caught between rationality and fear of reprisal, finally relented and signed the contract, albeit reluctantly.
The next resident did the same, and then another.
Lloyd knew that eventually, these residents’ reluctant faces would be replaced with smiles.
‘The *ondol* heating system is that effective.’
He was confident in his product, having studied the limitations of the local heating method: fireplaces.
‘Fireplaces may look cozy, but their heating efficiency is poor. They only heat the area directly around them, and the warmth dissipates quickly. Not to mention the soot, ash, and smoke. You can’t even use just any firewood—maintenance is a hassle. Plus, someone always has to stay up at night to keep the fire going and prevent accidents.’
The *ondol*, however, solved most of these problems.
Knowing this, Lloyd continued pushing the sales hard, leveraging the fear of the residents. By the end of the day, he had secured more contracts than he had hoped for.
He signed 32 contracts for Type A rooms and 57 for Type B.
On top of that, he received a hefty advance payment.
‘Jackpot.’
It wasn’t a huge fortune, but it was a great start.
It wasn’t nearly enough to pay off the barony’s debts, but Lloyd was thinking long-term.
‘I may have had to push hard for these contracts, but once the *ondol* rooms are completed, word will spread. I’ll be able to expand into neighboring territories too.’
His plan was to brand the *ondol* system and start a heating business across the region. This was Lloyd’s first goal.
“Phew.”
With the plan laid out in his head, Lloyd let out a deep breath. He glanced behind him.
There, in the glow of the setting sun, was Javier, silently following him.
“Hey, you’re strong, right?”
“Yes. Strong enough.”
“How about being a human excavator or crane?”
“Excuse me?”
“You said you were strong. Couldn’t you use that strength to dig or carry logs for me?”
It was an honest request.
Javier was an incredible swordsman, with strength beyond human limits. If he could act as heavy machinery, the construction process would be much faster and easier.
In other words, it would boost efficiency, allowing them to complete more jobs in the same amount of time, which would significantly increase their income.
But Javier shook his head without hesitation.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“My mission is to protect your safety, Lord Lloyd.”
“So, doing manual labor is out of the question?”
“Yes.”
“But you’ve been helping me so far.”
“That was different. I viewed it as a knight’s duty to help the tavern owner’s mother.”
“So, helping the weak?”
“Precisely. But your request now is different.”
“You mean you won’t help me for personal business?”
“That’s correct.”
“Stubborn, aren’t you?”
“I’m just doing my duty.”
As expected, Javier remained resolute.
Lloyd clicked his tongue in disappointment.
‘Still, I need proper equipment.’
The difference between having construction equipment and not was huge. It could make the difference between a project taking ten days or one day.
In fact, the type of construction you could even attempt depended on whether you had the right tools.
‘If I want to make real money, I need to tackle bigger projects.’
He was satisfied with the *ondol* rooms for now, but he couldn’t stay at this level forever. There would be a limit to how much he could earn with this business alone.
‘I don’t want to be paying off debts for the rest of my life.’
That would be a nightmare. He had spent enough time worrying about money in South Korea; he had no intention of doing the same here.
‘If I want to properly expand the business and pay off the debts, I need to solve the equipment issue.’
As he made his way back to the mansion, his thoughts grew more complicated.
So much so that he didn’t notice the way Javier was quietly watching him from behind.
* * * *
‘He’s hard to figure out.’
Javier felt a slight sense of confusion as he watched Lloyd from behind.
Lloyd Frontera, the baron’s eldest son. He had been Javier’s charge for the past few months.
And that’s why Javier was so confused.
‘Was he always like this?’
Lloyd had been a scoundrel. Even by common standards, he was terrible.
He was impatient, lacked manners, and had no sense of propriety. He had lived his life drinking, gambling, and causing trouble. Even on the day the barony was seized, he acted no differently.
‘Honestly, I couldn’t stand him. I still don’t.’
The more Javier learned about Lloyd, the more he disliked him.
Had Lloyd not been the baron’s son, Javier might have killed him long ago.
Despite his duties, Javier held nothing but contempt for the man he protected.
At least, that’s how he felt until a few days ago.
‘But now, he’s changed. So suddenly.’
It was as if a switch had flipped after the tavern brawl. The very next morning, something was different.
Javier remembered that moment clearly.
‘He woke up after only being called twice.’
In the past, Lloyd would never have woken up that easily.
And he had remembered Javier’s name for the first time.
But that was just the beginning.
‘He visited the tavern owner, apologized, and promised to build an *ondol* room.’
At first, Javier thought it was just another one of Lloyd’s tricks.
But it wasn’t.
Lloyd really did build the *ondol* room, and he kept his promise to the tavern owner.
Not only that, but he drew up contracts to build more *ondol* rooms for the residents.
‘For money? No, money is just a pretext.’
Javier had a gut feeling that something bigger was at play.
He couldn’t guess what Lloyd’s true goal was, but one thing was certain: his actions didn’t seem petty.
‘It’s like he’s become a completely different person.’
His way of speaking had changed, as had his expressions and behavior. He was even showing abilities he had never demonstrated before. He had designed buildings and introduced a new heating system.
It was baffling.
Had Lloyd truly become a different person overnight?
Yet, no matter how closely Javier observed, the man walking ahead of him was still Lloyd Frontera.
‘Was he hiding this side of himself all along?’
That seemed like the only possible explanation. It made sense if Lloyd had been concealing his true self while the barony was at peace, only revealing his real abilities now that a crisis had struck.
Perhaps that was the truth.
Though it was too early to make a conclusion, it was something to consider.
‘For now, I’ll just focus on my duty.’
And if possible, Javier would continue to observe Lloyd closely.
Javier Asrahan made up his mind, watching Lloyd’s back intently.
At that moment, a series of unexpected messages appeared before Lloyd’s eyes.
* * * *
**Ding Dong!**
[Your relationship with Javier Asrahan has improved by +2.]
[Current relationship with Javier Asrahan: -29.]
[You have gained 36 RP for slightly improving your relationship with a main character.]
[Current RP: 36.]
[You can now invest RP to unlock new skills.]
‘What the hell is this?’
As the messages floated in the air before him, Lloyd’s eyes widened in shock.
