Sitting on the plane, I was looking through the houses my real estate agent had sent me, and, well, let's just say he was the complete opposite of what I had asked for. I had told him my parents' requests, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears. The houses he sent were more like palaces, with private gyms, three types of pools, jacuzzis, meditation rooms, everything that my parents had no need for. What made me laugh was one house had its own tennis court and theater, and rooftop helipad. I can't even imagine what was going through his mind when he sent those over.
Out of the ten houses, only one matched the requirements, but the problem was that it was in the same neighborhood as the South Korean prime minister, the old man. The issue with that is that, while my parents don't speak Korean, they do speak English, as does the old man, and I'm certain that the moment he found out they moved in, he would bombard them. As for the house itself, it was modest, a little bigger than the one my parents currently live in, and the design was similar. The only difference was that it was luxury from floor to ceiling. In terms of security, it was perfect, with a two-meter fence surrounding it, plus an extra hedge row that Cerberus could install with whatever they wanted.
As for the houses he sent for me, well, I won't even bother mentioning them. The cheapest one started at $50 million, full of features I would never use in my life.
After landing and a few hours of driving, we finally arrived at the house that was perfect for my parents. It was exactly as described, everything was in place. Fully furnished, and it had only been completed a few months ago, so almost everything in it was brand new. The only problem was the price. Since it wasn't listed, I had to ask about it.
When he said the price, I felt myself sweat a little. "$32 million." he said with a smile. It wasn't the amount that bothered me, because for me, it was practically pocket change. But if my parents found out that I bought them a house for that price, they would definitely have a heart attack.
"How many copies of the purchase agreement do I get?" I asked, trying to keep my cool.
"Two in total. One from the real estate company and the other from the government."
"Alright, let's proceed with the paperwork." I smiled at him, who had already filled out the forms, almost as if he knew I would buy the house.
Once everything was signed and I officially became the owner, I immediately turned to Emilia, who arrived just a few minutes after we finished.
"Edit these," I said, handing her the documents. "Put the price at two million."
"Two million?" She began laughing. "That's barely the cost of the furniture."
"They don't need to know that." I laughed too, amused by the ridiculous price tag she mentioned for some furniture that my parents would likely replace anyway.
I took another walk through the house to check everything once more, and as I stepped out the front door, Cerberus was already unloading their equipment, disguised as a network installation company, quite convincing.
As I made my way to the car, it was as if fate itself had brought him here, Joon, the old man, drove by with his convoy. I was relieved when the four SUVs passed by, but they quickly reversed.
Joon got out with a big smile and hugged me as if we hadn't seen each other in years.
"What are you doing here, my friend?" He asked with that familiar grin.
"Well..." I considered whether to lie or not, but it would have been obvious soon enough anyway. "My parents are moving here, so I bought them a house." I smiled, and he beamed even more, clearly pleased by the news.
"Do they speak Korean?"
"No, but I'm sure they'll start learning." I replied, already knowing what his next question would be.
"English?" He grinned wider, like a child who'd just found out a secret.
"Fluently." I knew full well that with that answer, I was digging my own grave.
"Incredible, Joseph. Why didn't you tell me sooner? I would've thrown a welcome party, after all, they are your parents."
"You're the prime minister, Joon. How do you still have so much free time?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"For you and your parents, I'll always have time." He said, patting my shoulder warmly and then one of his assistants reminded him it was time to leave.
As he got back into his car, he rolled down the window, his expression suddenly more serious.
"The day after tomorrow is my daughter's and your future wife's birthday, Joseph. I don't need to tell you how happy she is going to be to have you as the surprise guest." He said with a smile before laughing and driving off.
"What surprise—?" I was left completely shocked as his car sped away.
"Emilia!" I called out, spotting her talking to one of the Cerberus agents. "Joon was just here, and he said something about me being a surprise guest at Hana's birthday party."
"Well, I may have told them you went to Japan and wouldn't be back for months." She replied with a grin.
I blinked at Emilia, utterly baffled. "You told them I went to Japan? For months?"
She shrugged casually, a playful smirk on her face. "Well, it was the easiest way to get them off your back while you were setting things up for your parents. Figured you could use a bit of peace."
"And now I'm supposed to be the surprise guest at Hana's birthday..."
"Exactly." She grinned. "Sounds fun, doesn't it?"
"Fun? "What do I even say when I show up?"
"How about, 'Surprise! I'm not in Japan!'" She teased.
"You're hilarious," I muttered sarcastically, then leaned against the car, staring out at the house. "Why is everything always so complicated?"
"Because it wouldn't be interesting if it wasn't," she said with a grin, leaning beside me. "But hey, at least the house is sorted. Your parents are going to love it."
I nodded, the stress still lingering but easing a little. "Yeah, they will. I just hope they don't find out the real price."
"Two million sounds perfectly reasonable," Emilia said with a wink, then paused as her phone buzzed. She glanced down and groaned. "Speaking of complications..."
"What now?" I asked, already bracing myself for more trouble.
"Joon just texted," she said, showing me the screen. "He wants to make sure you 'don't forget' about the party."
I rolled my eyes. "Of course, he does."
"And," Emilia added, raising an eyebrow, "he's suggesting you bring a 'meaningful gift."
I sighed, staring off into the distance. You know I suck with gifts and I barely even know Hana."
Go with your parents to buy the gift."
"What?" I blinked at her, caught off guard.
"I'll be busy with your new house. Hiring staff and taking care of things like that. Your parents love this culture, and I'm sure they'll be really passionate about picking out a gift for a girl. At least your mother will be," she added with a grin. "So go with them."
"I haven't even bought a house for myself."
Emilia chuckled, shaking her head. "I know, but you will in the next few hours," she said confidently, as if it were a foregone conclusion. "And your parents are flying in today."
"Today?!" I exclaimed, my eyes widening.
"Yeah." She said, her tone light as she casually checked her phone. "I told them as you bought it, and they're already on your other plane."
I stood there, staring at her in disbelief. It was exactly what I wanted to avoid. I knew very well that Joon was going to invite my parents, even though they didn't even know each other. This was turning into a nightmare. The last thing I needed was my parents meeting Joon and his family. It would only complicate things further, and I could already imagine the awkward conversations that would ensue.
"You also have the house listing, right?"
"Yes," Emilia replied.
"Good, then go ahead and buy one of them. I still need to sort out a few things." I said, but honestly, all I wanted was to take a moment to relax and clear my head.
Honestly after that, I spent the entire day in my hotel, playing video games.