Chapter 38

Chapter 38

When the paint dried perfect, the inside of the house changed like a white canvas dazzling to the eyes.

But only now having erased the musty haunted-house smell, to become a house a real person lives in, many small finishing processes still remained to fill.

Kitchen, bathroom, floor boards, electrical, and even the doors.

Alone it would have been distant, but beside me was Dong-myeong, strong and quick.

We went straight on with the remaining work without a gap to rest.

"Right, don't slack because the paint ended, let's finish fast!"

The first we put a hand to was replacing the doors.

When Dong-myeong held a pry bar and tore off the old doors noisy, I hung new hinges on black new doors of a modern design fitting the white walls.

The rustic door handles rusty stiff were replaced clean with refined matte-metal handles too.

With only the click sound of the new door closing soft without a gap, the house's look changed sharp.

Next was the floor.

"If you've taken all the doors off, open the floor boxes and carry them busy beside me. Mix well so the pattern doesn't overlap."

"Yes, hyung!"

We began laying click-type laminate from the living room to the rooms.

Material that fits the boards together matching grooves like Lego blocks without adhesive, so installation was easy, and above all fast.

I took a place in the corner, matched the board grooves using the sound right hand and elbow, then hit with a rubber mallet, tang, tang!, and stuck them, and Dong-myeong set the next board without rest.

Over the dark cement floor, warm oak-tone wood-grain boards covered the whole house in an instant.

The moment the floor ended we jumped to the kitchen and bathroom.

"Aigu, hyung. Why are these kitchen cabinets this heavy?"

"No talk, hold the upper cabinet tight so it doesn't go crooked. Driving screws."

Matching the flat-pack assembly sink bought at the materials market wasn't greatly hard either.

When Dong-myeong lifted the heavy cabinets flashy and stuck them to the wall, I matched the level with a power drill, fixed them firm, set the wide artificial-marble top, and finished with silicone, and it was the end.

The bathroom too, we applied waterproofing careful in the spot the old tub was torn out, and split modern dark-gray tile and laminate half and half, dividing shower and basin.

The rest we laid fast as an overlay.

When Dong-myeong filled the grout and wiped the surface with a wet sponge, a clean bathroom matching a hotel was done in a snap.

The last finishing touch was the electrical finish.

"Breaker sure down?"

I took off all the sticky, faded old switch and outlet covers, and replaced them with white new covers.

Changing even the old light fittings to a minimal design and raising the breaker, dazzling light filled the white living room.

Weeing—

Last I ran an industrial vacuum and sucked even one grain of sawdust and dust left in the corners without leaving.

And turning the vacuum off, a quiet stillness came to the empty house.

"······."

"······."

Dong-myeong and I stood blank in the middle of the living room and quietly looked around the result we had completed.

Warm afternoon sun pouring in beyond the window hit the white wall and lit the living room bright.

Ceiling molding falling smooth, new floor boards making a pleasant friction sound every step, and the paint and wood smell peculiar to a new house drifting faint.

When I first entered this house holding a demolition pry bar, a look I could not imagine at all, that garbage-dump-like house smelling rotten changing like this.

"Wow... fuck."

Dong-myeong couldn't hold it and let out an exclamation mixed with sticky curses.

Right, me too, fuck.

His pupils were trembling fine with emotion.

"Hyung... is this really what we did? Doesn't it seem a model house?"

"We did it, right, kid. You carried drinking dust bones breaking, and the result I finished."

"Ai! At a time like this you should show a look of welling emotional too! 'The result I finished.' What's this?"

"What, kid! This bastard climbing up these days?"

When I approached threatening, Dong-myeong tucked his tail right away.

"Ehei! Hyung! Not that! Making a masterpiece like this, and speaking indifferent as if nothing, that's what I'm saying."

Before he was a rain-soaked puppy, and these days he seems to have become an ignorant adolescent puppy.

I looked around the house once more.

Sparkling sun, the white wall reflected in it, clean lights and the structure inside.

From the future, obvious things.

Rather, thinking of things like LED lighting, wasn't the interior a bit short? That thought even came.

But to Dong-myeong, a person of this era, it seems a shocking interior.

A small smile formed at my mouth.

'Ended.'

* * *

A few days later, I went to work at the company with light steps.

Around lunchtime, toward the colleagues and Foreman Gary gathered in the site office opening lunch boxes, I brought up words as if tossing them.

"Foreman. The house work all ended. Thinking of a house party this weekend, bring the family and come."

Foreman Gary drinking coffee opened his eyes round.

"Already? No, hey. Barely a month since you bought the house, and you already fixed that haunted house all?"

"Yes. There's a friend who helps too. Anyway, I'll see you Saturday afternoon. Everyone here, make time and come play too. I'll show the house and we'll do a party proper once."

At my official invitation the inside of the office soon got noisy.

"Oh! A house party, have to go no question! I'll buy a pair of really finishing IPA beer, so empty the fridge clean!"

"Then I'll bring salad and some wine. Nothing else needed?"

The colleagues each got excited saying they'd bring drinks and light food fitting the BYO rule.

"Bring alcohol and only what each drinks. Meat and the main dishes I'll prepare all!"

I shouted spirited to the workers.

Not only Foreman Gary, but on the spur I invited Peter and Uncle Mick and the guys close on site, the lot.

Since doing it, I meant to open a proper noisy Australian barbecue party.

* * *

Australian parties follow thorough Dutch pay and pragmatism.

Alcohol each has to bring themselves, put it in the party icebox, and drink only their own.

If you touch someone else's alcohol without permission, a fight happens too.

For food, sometimes the host prepares meat and sausages, or each prepares food on a plate and they share, a potluck form.

Even a party individualism.

From a Korean gaze a look where 'what kind of party is this!?' comes of itself, but this was an Australian party.

So I decided to host this party Korean style.

Alcohol each would bring, but food I would prepare all.

Still, coming to a housewarming at a Korean person's house, they should taste Korean food proper.

After work I headed for the restaurant Daega.

"Oh my. Welcome, Mr. Jeong-su."

The owner sitting at the counter welcomed me glad.

Because I eat the food so tasty it's good to see, or something?

Anyway the owner saw me very well.

I laughed and said to the owner.

"Owner. I'm thinking of a house party, may I order some party food?"

"Party food?"

The owner made a flustered face.

"...We don't do catering service."

"Just give generous the food Westerners like. Bulgogi, braised ribs, japchae, gimbap or inari sushi is fine too."

The owner, thinking a moment, asked me.

"How many portions each?"

"About thirty portions will be needed."

"Oh my! That many? The price and volume won't be a joke."

Even that seems it won't be enough.

"The people I invite are all Australian locals of a build, and people who have never eaten Korean food once. So I mean to do it a bit big, introducing Korean food too."

"Aigu. Hasn't Bachelor Jeong-su adapted too well in Australia?"

The owner looked as if proud.

I grinned and talked big.

"That's how tasty this house's food is. Thinking of partying Korean style, only Daega came to mind."

"Hohoho. How do you speak this pretty. If I only had a daughter I'd make you a son-in-law right now! Wait a moment. I'll calculate."

The owner took out a calculator and began calculating hard.

I looked around.

'Here too, if the interior is trimmed a bit it would be fine.'

Daega is in Sydney city, but the restaurant location itself wasn't very good.

Around not a restaurant street but surrounded by offices and companies, and the entrance on a side path turning beside the building, underground, should I say a hidden tasty house only people who know know?

But Daega's interior was run like a modern, clean restaurant.

Rather at a time like this, making the concept sure, a side with a bit of a hideout feel, wouldn't be bad either.

The taste of the food follows, so the mood would live much more.

Thinking like that, the owner called me.

"Mr. Jeong-su."

"Yes."

"What are you staring at like that?"

"Just. I was looking around the interior."

The owner showed interest.

"Do you know this side a bit?"

"Of course. I'm from architecture school. A lot of practical experience too. The party this time is a celebration party because the house remodel all ended."

"Oh my oh my. A technician. Hoho. If there's work next I'll ask for sure."

Empty polite words, the owner knows and I know, but I laughed thick-skinned.

"Call whenever."

Then later seeing my work or skill, they'll really contact.

"Anyway, braised ribs thirty portions is 600 dollars, and bulgogi will come about 400 dollars. Japchae, give only 250 dollars. Gimbap and inari sushi, this too seems about 150 dollars. Total 1,400 dollars. No discount, but I'll do the amount very generous."

Even listening I was going wow, wow inside.

Thirty portions and the food would be a mountain, and the price was cheap, too cheap.

In Korea I would have adapted, but Australian prices were still linked to future prices, so I felt it more.

"Good! Please prepare it like that."

The owner asked once more with a worried face.

"Really all right?"

"Yes. Spreading Korea's culture, and 1,400 dollars is complete cheap."

"Hoho. Bachelor Jeong-su, I saw from when you eat that you're hearty. Got it. Then by when should I prepare?"

"The party is this weekend."

"Good. I'll prepare perfect by then. Deposit, give half first. The rest when you pick up the food."

"Yes. I'll pay by card."

"Right."

Thanks to Foreman Gary and the other workers' help I could save a lot on material prices, so still over 20,000 dollars cash was in the account.

I paid by card and came out, and ordered generous at the butcher the steak and sausages to grill on the barbecue too.

In case there was someone who doesn't like Korean food.

* * *

And finally the weekend afternoon returned.

Under Sydney's sky clear and sunny without a cloud, cars began arriving one after another in the yard of the old house I had torn and fixed myself.

The first to arrive was Foreman Gary and his wife, and a teenage daughter.

Foreman Gary, the moment he got out of the car, looked up at the exterior of the house with a blank face.

The outer wall that had yellowed and looked ugly was covered clean with bright cream paint, and the roof cleaned neat and the rotting front deck were replaced clean with sturdy treated timber and sparkling.

"Good heavens... Gary, this is the house your mother lived in, right? It seems a completely different house?"

"That's what I say... from the outside it's a different picture."

Foreman Gary's wife opened her mouth as if she could not believe it.

I, wearing an apron instead of a tool belt, opened the front door and went out and greeted them.

"Welcome to Jeong-su House! Come in, foreman! Madam welcome too. Please come in."

I laughed bright and guided them inside.

And the moment Foreman Gary opened the front door and took the first step inside, he froze in that spot like a waiting-stone, literally.

"······Jesus Christ."

A winded exclamation leaked from his mouth.

The parents' house Foreman Gary remembered in the past was a stuffy structure, open the front door and a long narrow corridor comes out, and the living room at the end.

The body smell peculiar to the old and the chemical smell soaked everywhere, the musty mold sometimes felt. That was the look of the house Foreman Gary remembered.

The scene spread before his eyes now was completely different.

Thanks to the non-load-bearing walls pushed refreshing, from the entrance to the living room and kitchen, nothing blocking, a tremendous openness greeted them.

"The wall... the wall is gone. The living room was this wide?"

He walked into the living room as if possessed.

Under the feet the pleasant friction of the new floor was heard, and at the nose, instead of an unpleasant chemical smell, a fragrant diffuser scent and new-wood smell circled.

Above all, what gave Foreman Gary's family the biggest shock was the kitchen.

One side of the wall of the dark kitchen that had been like a dungeon, sunlight not entering proper in the past, was taken out entire, and a large triple-glass folding door leading straight to the yard was hung.

Through that wide glass, warm afternoon sun was pouring like a waterfall onto the kitchen's white marble top.

"Oh my god... Jeong-su, this isn't the house I know. It seems a luxury new-build house in a magazine!"

Foreman Gary's wife stroked her chest and let out admiration.

Foreman Gary stroked the wall and the smooth kitchen cabinets in turn with a trembling hand.

"Good heavens... in a month, and that with a hurt arm, the two of you did all this? I can't believe it. That old, sad house where our parents' traces remained, changing into a perfect, beautiful new house like this, I couldn't even imagine."

In his voice, with deep shock, a lightness of shaking off the past load, and sincere respect for my touch, was held.

The haunted house where he had spent his childhood, but that had fallen to a terrible headache and burden after the parents passed, was now gone from this world.

"Hyung! The meat fire is all lit! When should I grill?"

Timing good, beyond the folding door on the yard side, Dong-myeong holding barbecue tongs shouted lively.

Only then Foreman Gary, coming to, burst a big laugh.

"Hahaha! Excellent, Jeong-su. Really the best! Right, looking is enough, let's go out to the yard right now and open beer! The alcohol I brought today, brace to bottom it all!"

"Of course! Today I'll feed you until you die!"

The back of Foreman Gary going out to the yard over the kitchen door opened refreshing looked lighter than any time.

Soon Peter and the site colleagues began arriving heavy in both hands bursting admiration, and in the yard the smell of meat sizzling and pleasant laughter began rising.

The moment a space full of dust and mold fills with people's warmth and laughter.

Now this house began to live, breathing new.

* * *

"OH MY FXXKING GOD!"

A familiar woman's voice was heard from the entrance.

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