The Greatest Estate Designer

Chapter 2: Model House, Open (1)

The taverns interior was as messy as a battlefield. There were broken tables and chairs lying around. Occasionally, broken pieces of dishes could also be found strewn all across the floor.

Oh, geez. I overdid it.

There was a sweeping sound. It became clearer when Lloyd saw the owner who was cleaning up the mess.

Oh, youre here?

The bald man who was cleaning had a bitter expression on his face. As soon as he saw Lloyd, his complexion paled. Anger flashed across his face. However, it quickly disappeared. He forced an awkward smile instead. It was the smile of the weak who had no choice as he still needed to make a living in this territory.

Thinking about what I did last night made my blood boil.

Lloyd couldnt even make fun of it. The sight left a bad taste in Lloyds mouth. It was because past memories suddenly popped up.

When I was working at the pub, I had a lot of bad customers.

He had to work all sorts of part-time jobs just to eat and live. It included a job at the pub. Since it was a pub, there were various kinds of customers. Obviously, there were some friendly customers too. No, there were quite a lot.

At the pub, getting drunk and talking down to the employees were a common occurrence. Some people flipped the tables or broke the bottles over trivial matters such as: the drinks were too expensive, the side dishes were not good, and the employees didnt bow politely. In some circumstances, they even swung a broken alcohol bottle around while yelling for the boss to come out.

Sigh.

Lloyd sighed when he recalled that time. At that point in time, he was just an employee. There was nothing he could say to the bossy customer. You wouldnt believe how enraged he could get when such customers came.

Lets stop thinking about it.

The memory was bitter. Thanks to that, Lloyd was able to fully understand how the owner felt. Even though he wasnt the one who created this mess, even if it was the previous owner of this body who did it, he apologized sincerely to the owner.

I came to apologize for what I did last night.

Pardon?

Its my fault. I shouldve just been drinking quietly, but I ended up causing a big accident. I wont gloss over it. All of the blame was on me.

He was genuine. However, did the tavern owner misinterpret his sincerity?

Ex, excuse me, young master? Why are you doing this? The owners complexion turned from white to blue. It was as if hed just met a grim reaper.

Young Master, are you unsatisfied about something last night? Then, tell me what I did wrong.

No, I (tl/n: Lloyd was using formal speech to speak with the taverns owner.)

Why did you speak so formally? Thats even scarier.

.

This body seemed to be firmly hated by the people in this territory. Lloyd smacked his dry lips and said, Is it better if I speak comfortably?

O, of course.

Then, will you accept my apology?

.

Im going to reimburse all the furniture I damaged last night.

Really?

Has the owner of this body been deceiving people his whole life?

Lloyd clicked his tongue.

Of course, its true. How about I make you an ondol to make up for it?

Yes?

Its a room with a heated floor, do you know?

I know, its when you use heated stones and pour water on them.

Thats a wet sauna that uses steam. This heats up the floor itself. Ondol. You dont know?

.

As expected, he didnt know. The pub owner became silent just like Javier before. Then, there was a possibility that the plan would work. Lloyd licked his lips.

Thats too bad. You dont know about ondol. If you know, it would be great for your mother.

Sorry?

Ive heard some rumors. Your mother, I heard shes not feeling well these days.

Ah, yes, thats right.

Thats why I recommended Ondol for you.

.

It heats up the floor itself. You dont even need a bed or anything. You can just lay on the floor and laze around all day long. It cannot even be compared to a sauna.

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Its getting to him. Its slowly getting to him. Lloyd could see his pupils shake.

The tavern owner wavered even more when he heard Lloyds next argument.

When its cold in the winter, sometimes the body gets chilled to the bone. So this is perfect for elderly people with stiff joints.

Elderly people like my mother?

Thats correct.

Older people like it very much when its hot.

But, are you giving it to me? The Young Master?

Uh, to be exact, Ill make it for you.

Youre making it?

Uh-huh.

.

Cant believe it?

Thats a matter of course.

Of course you cant believe it. Now you mustve been wondering what sort of scam I was trying to pull, whether I could make that ondol or something, and whether that thing called ondol really exists. But, listening to it reminded you of your mother so youre sitting on the edge of your seat right now. Its tempting, isnt it?

.

Lets sign a written contract with me, then.

What do you mean, a contract?

Uh. A contract for the construction.

What.

Get me a pen and some pieces of paper.

The owner had a confused face. Still, he politely brought the pen and paper. Lloyd skillfully scribbled down the form of the impromptu contract on the paper.

Its only a form anyway. I can make it myself.

The employer was the tavern owner. The contractor was Lloyd. The construction site was at a vacant lot behind the pub.

Lets do this. The entire price including the contracts amount will be paid with all of the items I damaged last night. How about that?

Are you saying that instead of paying money for the entire damaged objects, youre going to make an ondol or something?

Yeah.

Lloyd nodded. The Baron was in debt, that was the fact. The money to reimburse the tavern owner was also lacking. But, what if he could get the job done right?

I could get rid of a splendid amount of deficit from the compensation with it.

It wasnt about just getting rid of the deficit. If he did well, he would get a tremendous amount of benefit. The starting point of a huge profit that would get bigger and bigger, just like a rolling snowball. That was the big picture Lloyd was planning.

Because this is what I can do best.

He had been a civil engineer, studied hard in his own way. Indeed, he hadnt had any grand dreams back then. Like others, he had chosen his school and department based on his CSAT score and just tried to get adequate grades for a stable job. Nevertheless, perhaps the knowledge he had accumulated before could be put to good use here.

Its land sales, especially construction that makes the most money.

Apartments, buildings, bridges, roads, dams, breakwaters, canals, ports. Building anything costs money. Among them, construction companies, especially contractors in particular, were the ones who get to sit on a money cushion. The bigger the project, the richer they got. Lloyd was aiming for that possibility.

Well, thats why were going to sign a contract. What do you say?

Then, is Young Master serious?

Ill be the one making it. Why? Do you dislike that?

Well, thats not true.

The owner, who was hesitating, eventually signed the Ondol Construction Contract.

As Kim Suho, a civil engineering student from South Korea and Lloyd, the eldest son of Baron Frontera, this was the first contract he had gotten in this unfamiliar world.

Even if it was small, he first decided to take one step at a time.

So, that was how the long-awaited first construction began.

Hes a naive and desperate man. It had only been a minute since Lloyd left the tavern. Javier, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke.

What do you mean? When Lloyd looked back, Javiers face was as expressionless as before.

No, is it just me or does the temperature drop just like when a cold wind blows?

A man who is cornered will become desperate. As such, it narrows his view of the situation and blurs his judgment. People like these are easy preys for a wicked scoundrel.

A prey?

Thats right.

Oh, so the bar owner is the pitiful prey and Im the evil bastard who preyed upon him?

Whether youre evil or not will depend on what youre going to do after this.

Oi.

Somehow, Lloyd felt the atmosphere was colder than usual. Only then did he realize what Javier was thinking.

You. Do you think Im scamming the tavern owner?

Thats not true.

Then?

I think youre taking advantage of the situation of the weak who was cornered.

That was it. Lloyd sighed deeply. For some reason, after possessing this body, he was getting misunderstood for everything he did.

Lets get this straight, then. Youre skeptical that Im going to make an ondol for the tavern owner, arent you?

Thats correct.

Why?

Lloyd-nim never got dirt on his hands even once before in this life.

How do you know that?

Ive heard it from here and there.

So that means youve never seen it in person, right?

Indeed.

Thats absurd, Javier.

Pardon?

Javiers picturesque eyebrows frowned for the first time. Lloyd stared at Javier, who was about 5 centimeters taller than him, and then said, Im a little disappointed. Javier, do you judge people just based on hearsays?

Thats.

Youre prejudiced.

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So, just now you saw me sign a contract with the bar owner, right? What do you think Im going to do with that contract?

Of course-.

Did you think Im going to throw the contract to the corner and then play with it?

Thats not it.

What do you mean, no?I was correct.

As Lloyd had noticed before, Javier was bad at lying. He had a habit of avoiding eye contact when he lied. He was just that kind of person.

You assumed I was swindling the bar owner with the pretext of a contract. I can just make the ondol some other day and then delay the remuneration continuously for the damage Ive done using that lie.

I just

Thats what prejudice is about. Judging others prematurely based on your own assumptions. It could rouse conflicts, support discrimination, shake the family, and crumble the territory.

I guess Javier didnt expect such a counterattack.

Javier kept his mouth shut. Hed probably think it was only sophistries, but Lloyd didnt even bother to try to change Javiers mind.

Instead, Lloyd jabbed at Javier, Anyway, I know what youre thinking so could you please step aside?

Yes?

Just two steps to the side. Yeah, that way. Im going to do a rough estimation.

He was going to do it before Javier opened his mouth. Anyway, this place was where the ondol would be built. The most important thing to do before designing was to observe the ground and prepare the materials.

I dont think I need precise measurements because the building is going to be small. But, the ground here was slightly tilted. Ill have to raise it a little bit.

There was a pub on one side of the land where the building was going to be built. On the other side, there was the owners house where the tavern owner lived. It would be better to build the ondol in the space between.

Lets examine the ground.

Lloyd lowered his body and examined the soil where the ondol would be built. He touched the dirt and rubbed it on his fingers.

Oh, this reminds me of when I was at school.

Touching the soil naturally reminded him of the lecture on soil mechanics. It was a subject that studied properties such as the volume, the particles, and the pores in the soil. Thanks to that, he could know how much soil he needed to scoop up.

It didnt end there. The dirt he had dug was rolled up like a dung beetles poop. It had to be rolled but it shouldnt break. He had even baked, roasted, and steamed the soil in the oven. Thanks to this, Lloyds past experiences would be a great help today.

The soil was good enough.

It wasnt just good. Contrary to the dark surface, only a few centimeters in, reddish soil came out. It was clay.

This is awesome.

Lloyd stood up and shook his hands. Then, he met Javiers strange gaze.

What? Why?

.

Have you never seen a man touch the dirt?

At least, Ive never seen Lloyd-nim do this.

Then, get used to it. Youll see it often in the future.

Javiers eyes shone even more strangely. Lloyd ignored him and moved away. He left the scene to wander around the land. It looked like a leisurely walk, but Lloyds eyes were surveying the terrain all over the territory. Among them, the focus was on the river crossing the center of the territory. The purpose was to collect clay in large quantities.

Come on, lets go home.

Even at the mansion, Lloyd never stopped working. All because it was the monumental first construction.

Because you must do a great job with the first order.

One incorrect construction could result in bad reviews. Catching the next customer was bound to be harder. Then, the business would be doomed from the beginning. In order to avoid that, it was important to produce the best quality he could afford.

The customers happiness is the foundation of my money-making plans.

Lloyd was used to staying up all night because of his part-time jobs and assignments. From dusk until dawn, he drew a blueprint on a blank piece of paper. As soon as the sun was up, he went to the mansions administrator.

How much wood do you have in the warehouse?

Pardon?

It was too early in the morning. Forget having breakfast, the administrator couldnt even wash his face yet. He tilted his head and pondered. Did this guy have been drinking since this morning?

What are you going to use the wood for?

What am I going to use it for? Im going to use it to build a building. Here.

This is?

Move as much wood as it says here to the taverns backyard. Got it?

If you were going to swiftly make it work, you had to be bold like a bulldozer.

Because of Lloyds attitude, the administrator nodded before he knew it. Thanks to this, before lunch, the wood Lloyd had ordered was already piled up in the backyard of the tavern.

Now that the materials are here, lets get started.

Lloyd took off his cumbersome outer garment. He wore only a light shirt and worker gloves and even carried a shovel here. He couldnt be more at ease.

Im used to this kind of hard work every vacation.

Even when he was in the armybecause he majored in civil engineeringwhenever there was a large or small construction job, the administrative officer called him. Finally, by the time he was discharged from the military, he was treated as a major certified working machine.

As expected, a real man shovels.

Starting from scratch, he dug the ground beside the yard. The excavated soil was moved to the site for the ondol. Every time, the soil was dug carefully and firmly.

If I move a lot of soil and build the foundation at once, its going to get messy later.

That was a common mistake to make when building a foundation. The soil was hardened very well but the bottom part wasnt done properly.

So, what would happen if the soil was piled up thickly and packed all at once? The surface would look solid, but the inside would remain soft. A few years later, it would be disastrous if the building got tilted.

Lloyd, who knew this fact well, scooped the soil, moved it, and hardened it over and over again.

Suddenly, he looked at Javier. Javier had been standing still for a while. Faithful to his job as an escort.

Oi.

Did you call me, Lloyd-nim?

Yeah, I did.

Do you have anything youd like to order me?

Uh-huh, I do. Lets shovel together.

. Javier was speechless.

Dont want to? Is that the case?

.

If you were willing to shovel together, the work could be done twice as fast.

.

Ah, the tavern owners mother must be suffering from the cold right now. If she could sleep in a warm ondol room, she would soon be able to relieve her pain. But, its impossible for the time being. Why? Because the noble Sir Asrahan refused to shovel.

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Ah, if the mother laid down inside the ondol room, her stiff joints would be loosened and her face will be filled with laughter. But, its impossible for the time being. Why? Because the noble Sir Asrahan refused to shovel.

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Ah, the last simple wish of a woman whose days are numbered.

Shovel, please.

In the end, Javier, who couldnt bear it, picked up the shovel. An evil smile formed on Lloyds face.

A Barons foolish son and an unknown knight. The two mens ondol construction was in progress. The news quickly spread all over the territory.