Chapter 3
“Please have some. It’s peach ade made from peaches we harvested ourselves.”
“Oh, thank you.”
When Onyu served the peach syrup ade, Iwan, seated on the main wooden floor of the house, responded with a polite thank-you.
“Oh, it’s sweet and fragrant. Really delicious.”
Apparently pleased with the drink, Secretary Ahn repeatedly praised it as he gulped it down.
Iwan, however, didn’t even touch the ade that gave off a strong sweet aroma. Instead, he quietly observed Onyu, who kept looking back and forth between his business card and his face.
Her face was nearly makeup-free, hair tied back tightly in a ponytail, and she wore comfortable work clothes suitable for farm labor. At a glance, she looked like an ordinary farmer—but Iwan was certain she wasn’t.
Her overly pale face and neck, and faint remnants of nail polish at her fingertips, confirmed his suspicions.
‘I invited her in on a whim… but is she really the CEO of Seonin Trading? I thought that company was run by Chairman Kang Dongsik’s grandson.’
Onyu also eyed Iwan with a hint of suspicion. While sneaking glances at him, she discreetly lowered her phone below the table.
Since Kang Iwan’s face wasn’t well-known publicly, she wanted to verify the identity printed on his business card through a quick internet search.
‘It’s true!’
After a few searches, Onyu found a photo of him—and her mouth fell open in disbelief.
‘Then he really does want to buy our house and the orchard. What now…?’
The unexpected situation sent her thoughts spiraling in confusion.
Iwan calmly watched Onyu wrestle with her thoughts. Her serious expression and hazel eyes darted side to side like a squirrel wondering where to hide its acorn.
As she lowered her head a bit more to look at her phone screen, her pale, slender neck came into Iwan’s view.
A strange thirst suddenly rose in him, and as he licked his lips, a sharp sting hit the side of his head. He reflexively turned, startled.
‘What the—! That scared me…!’
A wrinkled grandmother’s face suddenly appeared before him, making his eyes go wide.
“Who’s this?”
“Oh, Grandma.”
Onyu quickly explained the situation to her grandmother, who was now scrutinizing Iwan’s face.
“He’s a guest.”
“A guest? From your company?”
The grandmother squinted harder at Iwan and asked,
“Good-looking, isn’t he. Smooth like a peanut rubbed with sesame oil.”
“Pfft…!”
Secretary Ahn couldn’t help bursting into laughter at the grandmother’s colorful praise.
Even Iwan let out a short snort. He’d heard plenty of flattery in his life, but never such a homey and unique compliment.
“This is my grandmother.”
Onyu, a bit embarrassed, quickly introduced her.
“I’m Kang Iwan.”
Standing up, Iwan bowed politely and quickly sized up Nam Kyungsoon, the matriarch of the Nam clan.
She wore garishly floral pants, a stretched-out T-shirt, and her hair was twisted into a bun with a silver hairpin. Though her face was wrinkled and her frame small like any elderly woman, she exuded a powerful presence. Her upright posture and sharp eyes made an impression.
“He says he wants to buy our house. And the peach orchard, too.”
“What? Buy what?”
At Onyu’s explanation, Nam Kyungsoon’s previously peaceful expression immediately darkened.
Iwan narrowed his eyes. The look she gave him wasn’t just wary—it bordered on hostility.
Sensing this, Iwan calmly offered a premium gift set of deer antler tonic and Korean beef.
“What’s this?”
“Just a small gift. I didn’t want to come empty-handed.”
Despite his respectful tone, the grandmother’s expression didn’t soften.
Though the response was far from welcoming, Iwan wasn’t bothered.
He had never once lost a negotiation. No matter how tough the situation, he always got what he wanted.
Now that the actual homeowner was present, he got straight to the point.
“I’ll pay you well.”
He even made an enticing offer.
“If you’d like, we’ll restore the house as much as possible and relocate it for you.”
But neither Onyu nor the grandmother responded. Instead, they simply exchanged uneasy glances while staring at him.
In negotiations, seizing the initiative is crucial. Iwan decided to play his best card.
“I’ll give you 1 billion won.”
“…Ah.”
Only Onyu let out a soft gasp. The grandmother remained silent.
Still, Iwan wasn’t flustered. Raising the price in stages was expected, so he hadn’t started too high.
“1.2 billion.”
He kept inching the offer upward.
“We’re not planning to sell. Not the house, nor the orchard.”
The grandmother finally spoke, and her tone was firm. Iwan countered immediately.
“1.5 billion.”
“I said, we’re not selling!”
“Grandma.”
Onyu quickly tried to calm her grandmother, who was starting to raise her voice.
‘You’re going too hard too fast. You should leave room to maneuver.’
She was afraid her grandmother might grab a broom and kick Iwan out.
“We’re not trying to raise the price. We truly have no intention of selling. Even if we did, now’s not the time.”
“1.7 billion.”
Iwan raised the offer again, as if he hadn’t heard a word she said. Onyu looked visibly shaken.
‘Is he going to keep raising it? How far will he go…?’
She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. Regaining her resolve, she declined again.
“I’m sorry.”
But Iwan didn’t back down easily.
He increased his offer by another 100 million three more times, and each time, Onyu and her grandmother shook their heads. In truth, Onyu was wavering the whole time, but her grandmother’s glances kept her in check.
By the time the price reached 2 billion won, Iwan started to get annoyed. Though he still had some room up to his final offer of 2.5 billion, he wanted to close the deal at 2 billion.
If he set the first purchase price too high, the other households would demand more compensation. The first deal set the tone.
“You’re really good at playing hard to get.”
Almost got my hopes up. His sarcastic comment made Secretary Ahn take a sharp breath. It was clear his boss’s patience had nearly run out.
Suppressing his rising urge for a smoke, Iwan shot his final attempt.
“This back-and-forth is getting tedious. Let’s stop the guessing game. Name your price.”
“And if I name it, will you pay it?”
The grandmother’s skeptical tone made Iwan summon the last shred of his politeness.
“If it’s within reason, yes.”
Curious, she looked to Onyu with a mysterious smile.
“Go ahead, dear. You tell him.”
Following her grandmother’s signal, Onyu confidently said,
“8.8 billion won.”
An absolutely outrageous number.
“….”
“….”
“Woof, woof!”
A heavy silence fell on the wooden floor. Only the sound of a dog barking rang out—as if to say someone was barking mad.
“Ha…”
The silence was finally broken by Iwan’s incredulous laugh.
“Eight. Eight. Billion.”
He emphasized each syllable, his mouth curling into a cynical smirk.
The sheer brazenness of it was laughable. And the oddly specific number only made it worse. Even 10 billion would’ve seemed less absurd.
“It’s not even hot today…”
“Please mind your words.”
Onyu, displeased, cut in as Iwan muttered they must be out of their minds.
“Don’t you think you’re the one who crossed the line first?”
“Not at all.”
Onyu shook her head with a villainous little smile.
“Seems like you were doing all the flirting. I never felt a thing.”
In truth, her heart had fluttered quite a bit—but she pretended otherwise.
“I simply stated a price worthy of this home. It’s not excessive at all.”
“Ms. Na Onyu.”
Iwan tapped an old rice table with his finger and crossed his arms arrogantly.
He’s held back for a while, Secretary Ahn thought, sighing in understanding. Even he sympathized. 8.8 billion? That was way beyond shameless.
“The traditions, history, and sentimental value of this home—those are all already factored into my offer.”
But Onyu didn’t back down.
“When you take into account that sentimental value, this home is priceless.”
“Yes, of course. How could I ever assign a price to such sacred value? But still—8.8 billion, Ms. Na?”
His mocking sneer drew a sharp glare from Onyu.
“We have our reasons. It’s not just a random number.”
“What reasons?”
“Grandma.”
Instead of answering, Onyu looked to her grandmother, who gave a small nod, signaling permission.
Only then did Onyu explain.
“There’s a winning lottery ticket hidden somewhere in this house and orchard.”
“…Excuse me?”
Startled, Iwan asked again, and Onyu lifted her chin confidently as if to emphasize:
“The prize is exactly 8.8 billion won.”
