Rent Please: The Place We Call Home

In the neon-lit city of Hanrim, rent was everything.

Apartments were tiny, jobs were unstable, and landlords ruled entire districts like kings. At only twenty-three, Jiwoo never imagined he would inherit his late uncle’s crumbling apartment complex called Moonlight Residence. The building was old, half-broken, and filled with troublesome tenants who paid late, argued loudly, and constantly demanded repairs.

Jiwoo himself was soft-hearted, awkward, and terrible at confrontation. Instead of acting like a strict landlord, he spent most days apologizing to tenants while drowning in unpaid bills. Every month felt like a losing battle.

Then Kang Hyun entered his life.

Tall, sharp-eyed, and frustratingly handsome, Hyun was a wealthy real-estate investor who owned several luxury buildings nearby. Rumors described him as cold, calculating, and impossible to impress. The first time they met, Hyun looked around Moonlight Residence with obvious disappointment.

“This place is one leaking pipe away from collapsing,” he said bluntly.

Jiwoo nearly threw him out.

But Hyun unexpectedly made an offer: he would help Jiwoo renovate the building and teach him how to survive as a landlord. In return, Hyun wanted partial ownership of the property once the business succeeded.

Jiwoo hated the idea.

Unfortunately, he was desperate.

So began their strange partnership.

By day, they dealt with chaotic tenants, rising rent prices, suspicious inspectors, and rival landlords trying to buy the property cheaply. Jiwoo slowly learned how to negotiate contracts, manage repairs, and stand his ground. Hyun, despite his cold personality, turned out to be unexpectedly reliable. He cooked when Jiwoo forgot to eat, stayed overnight during storms to fix broken pipes, and silently handled problems before Jiwoo even noticed them.

At first, Jiwoo assumed Hyun was simply obsessed with business.

But little moments began to change everything.

Like when Hyun gently wiped paint off Jiwoo’s cheek during renovations.

Or when he waited outside Jiwoo’s apartment at midnight because Jiwoo had casually mentioned feeling unsafe after work.

Or the way Hyun’s expression softened whenever Jiwoo laughed.

The tenants noticed it before Jiwoo did.

“You two are basically a married couple already,” one elderly tenant teased.

Jiwoo almost choked on his drink.

Hyun only smirked.

As Moonlight Residence slowly transformed into one of the city’s most charming apartment buildings, Jiwoo and Hyun grew closer. Yet both carried emotional scars. Jiwoo feared abandonment after losing his family, while Hyun hid loneliness behind his perfection and wealth.

The turning point came during winter.

A powerful storm damaged part of the building, leaving tenants temporarily homeless. Jiwoo blamed himself and broke down under the pressure. That night, while sitting in the dark office surrounded by unpaid invoices and rainwater dripping from the ceiling, he confessed:

“I m scared, I'll failed everyone”

Hyun quietly sat beside him.

“For someone who thinks he’s weak,” he murmured, “you keep protecting people anyway.”

Jiwoo looked at him, eyes trembling.

“And who protects you?”

For the first time, Hyun had no answer.

The silence between them felt heavier than the storm outside.

Then Jiwoo kissed him.

Soft. Hesitant. Warm.

Hyun froze only for a second before pulling Jiwoo closer like he had wanted this for far too long.

From that moment, everything changed.

Their relationship remained secret at first—though not very successfully, considering the tenants constantly caught them staring at each other or arguing like an old couple.

Together, they continued rebuilding Moonlight Residence into a safe home not only for others, but for themselves too.

Because somewhere between overdue rent notices, broken elevators, late-night ramen, and rooftop conversations, they had unknowingly built something far more important than a business.

...They built a family....

...-THE END-...

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