“Yeah, it’s home.”
Cain had freaked out so much that Satin felt a little embarrassed.
To be honest, compared to the other houses in the village, it was shabby. Still, it had everything they needed—running water, a fireplace.
Saying he never felt any inconvenience living here would be a lie, but the kind of minor discomforts he experienced weren’t exactly unique to this place. A washing machine, for example—that’s probably not even available in the royal palace.
Climbing the hill that led to the cabin, Satin spoke as if he weren’t the least bit self-conscious.
“It’s almost evening, so just stay at my place tonight, even if it’s a bit uncomfortable.”
“Just tonight?”
Cain’s voice, short and low, carried an eerie undertone.
“Uh, well. It’s not like you want to stay here forever, right?”
“Right.”
“Then… I guess we’ll have to find somewhere else tomorrow, yeah?”
Glancing at Cain’s face, Satin stumbled over his words. He hadn’t said anything particularly wrong, but Cain’s expression soured like he’d been deeply offended. With that big frame and that dark look, Cain suddenly felt intimidating. Satin instinctively shrank his neck.
Cain clicked his tongue quietly, then his expression returned to normal.
“I’m not leaving without you, so quit imagining weird shit.”
“Uh, yeah…”
Satin just nodded and left it at that. Cain was saying that now, but who knew how long that resolve would last?
‘He might wake up tomorrow morning and change his mind.’
They reached the vegetable garden at the top of the hill when Satin felt a sense of unease. The neatly maintained garden—sure, that could be thanks to someone in the village taking care of it. But the open cabin door? That didn’t sit right. There’s no way someone from the village would just waltz into his home uninvited.
‘People around here aren’t that rude.’
Satin hurried his pace. Cain, though puzzled, followed suit. Before long, he realized what had prompted Satin’s sudden urgency.
“Looks like someone’s inside.”
Satin didn’t respond. He quickly cut across the garden. As the cabin came into view, so did the presence inside. Something clattered. Like someone was in the kitchen—preparing dinner?
Sure, it was dinner time, but who the hell cooks in someone else’s house—especially when it’s empty? A house fairy?
Satin finally reached the open door. He stepped in cautiously and instantly flinched.
A large, bearded man was emerging from the kitchen and scowled the moment he spotted Satin.
“Who are you?”
That’s what I should be asking, thought Satin.
***
Just like that, Satin found himself homeless. The blow hit harder than expected.
‘It wasn’t really mine to begin with, anyway…’
Maybe he’d let himself believe it was, since the real owner had never shown up.
Satin had lived in the cabin with his grandfather, never bothering to find out who actually owned the place. He’d assumed, perhaps too hastily, that no one would ever come back for it. Who’d go out of their way to reclaim a shabby old hut?
‘But now, here we are.’
According to the forest keeper he met earlier, the government had recently resold the forest. The new owner of the nearby woods wanted someone familiar with the area, and the forest keeper had no reason to refuse the offer.
Returning to his post, the forest keeper had simply unpacked his things at the cabin he’d originally used. And even if someone else had moved in during his absence—so what? He was the rightful owner.
Satin figured he should be thankful he wasn’t being charged back rent.
‘Is the housing crisis this bad in other worlds, too…?’
That snarky little title floated through his head, but it didn’t bring him much amusement.
Cain, on the other hand, seemed almost relieved. He grabbed the coachman mid-meal and demanded they leave the village immediately.
The coachman protested, asking what kind of nonsense this was, but when Cain offered triple the fare, the man tossed his fork aside and stood up.
‘Disgusting capitalism.’
And so, Satin returned to Cloverland.
‘Though I’m not even sure “returned” is the right word.’
The first thing he did back in Cloverland was find an inn to stay at. The trip there had already taken ages, and after making the round trip, it was already dawn. There was nothing else to do at that point.
After sunrise, Satin headed out onto the streets with Cain.
“Where are you going?”
“We need a place to stay, don’t we?”
Unlike Satin, who wandered aimlessly with no sense of direction, Cain moved through Cloverland’s backstreets like he knew every corner. His steps were steady and without hesitation.
‘Well, he is from here, after all.’
Trusting Cain, Satin followed closely behind.
Cain’s destination turned out to be a real estate office—though, of course, they wouldn’t call it that around here.
An elderly man with graying hair was manning the place. At the sight of Cain, he lifted his head with a familiar tilt.
“You looking for work?”
Judging by the casual tone, the old man clearly knew Cain from before.
‘Huh. Didn’t expect that.’
Satin had never imagined Cain would have anyone he was on friendly terms with. Sure, he was human too, and it was possible, but still—unexpected.
Cain glanced briefly at Satin before answering the old man.
“Nah. I’m looking for a place to live.”
Cain spoke in casual speech, even to someone easily three times his age. Whether it flustered Satin—who was raised in a country obsessed with Confucian respect—didn’t concern Cain in the slightest. He said what he wanted to say.
“It’ll be for two people. I don’t want it too noisy. Somewhere with little foot traffic, good natural lighting. Clean running water’s a bonus. Oh, and trash pickup better not be irregular—I hate dirty places.”
As Cain laid out the list, the old man frowned. Maybe he was surprised by how picky the request was.
Satin, however, was surprised for a different reason.
“What do you mean, two people? You and me? We’re living together?”
“Got somewhere else to go?”
“Well, no, but…”
“Would you rather hole up in a cheap inn long-term?”
“No, that’s not it…”
“Then what’s the issue?”
“I thought you were looking for a place for me. I mean, a place for me to live alone.”
Whatever his reasons, Cain had clearly been worrying about Satin and looking out for him with almost annoying devotion. He had witnessed firsthand as Satin lost his home, and he knew Satin had no one to lean on.
So of course, Satin couldn’t help but have some expectations. Maybe Cain was trying to find him a place to stay. Maybe, just maybe, he’d even help him find work. After all, Cain had spent a lot of time in Cloverland and knew the place well.
But this? What the hell was this?
Cain, wearing his usual blank expression, asked:
“You got the money to live alone?”
Satin could just get a job. Sure, it’d be easier with Cain’s help, but he could manage on his own. He was an adult. Even when he’d lived with his grandfather, he’d done odd jobs to earn his share of living expenses.
“Well, I’d work, of course…”
But his voice trailed off. Cain’s face was slowly twisting into a look of discomfort. Satin suddenly felt like a criminal caught in the act.
‘What the hell did I do wrong?’
Soon, Cain spoke.
“You’re going to live with me.”
“Would it kill you to ask me first?”
“What kind of place would you want, then?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
While Satin fumbled for words, mouth opening and closing like a fish, the old man who had been watching them all this time cut in.
“So… you gonna look at the house or not?”
***
“This is the one.”
The old man puffed his chest with a note of pride, but Cain’s response was underwhelming.
“So what?”
“Isn’t it nice?”
“I’ll have to see the inside. How would I know just by looking at the outside?”
Looking on the bright side, at least Cain was being thorough. The old man reluctantly nodded and muttered, “Fair enough,” before opening the front gate. Cain followed behind him, and Satin brought up the rear.
The small single-family house was actually quite decent. The yard was small, sure, but considering it was in a busy district, they were lucky to even have one. It wouldn’t be great for growing flowering trees, but there was enough room to plant a small vegetable patch.
For a moment, Satin found himself imagining what he might grow.
‘Chili peppers are too much work. I’ll need something low maintenance since I’ll have a job.’
As the thought crossed his mind, he found it a little funny. He hadn’t even agreed to live here yet, and he was already planning out the garden. Acting like he wasn’t just a tag-along.
“What’s so funny?”
Hearing Satin chuckle, Cain turned to look at him. Satin quickly waved it off and tried to explain.
“It’s nothing.”
“What kind of ‘nothing’ makes you laugh?”
Cain’s eyes narrowed. If he tried to dodge the question again, it would only make him look suspicious. So Satin came clean.
“I was just thinking… it’d be nice to have a little garden.”
Saying it out loud embarrassed him a bit, and he let out an awkward laugh. Surprisingly, Cain didn’t mock him—he just gave a slight nod.
The front door was painted a pale sky-blue. The color was still vivid, like it had been painted recently.
As they stepped inside, the old man added another boast.
“This one’s the newest house in the area. Only built five years ago.”
“Hard to argue with that.”
Despite the flat tone, Cain examined the place pretty thoroughly. He scrutinized the wallpaper, knocked on the floorboards, even opened and shut the windows to hear how they sounded.
Satin didn’t go to quite the same lengths, but he agreed with the old man’s assessment—it really was a fine house. Sure, any house would seem better compared to the rundown cabin he’d lived in for the last four years, but this one genuinely looked great.
‘Didn’t he say an old couple used to live here?’
He recalled what the old man had said on the way. It was a much more ornate house than he’d expected. The wallpaper was densely patterned, and the carved railing on the staircase gleamed from years of use.
The furniture was all antique. The chairs in the sitting room looked like something straight out of a royal palace—you could almost believe a king had once used them.
‘Then again, simple modern design didn’t really show up until much later, right?’
What really stood out, though, was the kitchen. It was practically luxurious—almost like a mid-20th-century American home, if he was being generous.
Satin hadn’t had much trouble cooking in the old cabin, but this? This setup would make it even easier.
“What do you think?”
Cain, having found no major issues, turned to ask Satin’s opinion.
“I think it’s fine.”
“‘Fine’ isn’t good enough. Do you like it?”
“Ah—yeah. I like it.”
The words slipped out, and Cain squinted, clearly trying to gauge whether Satin actually meant it or was just saying it to move things along.
The old man chimed in, giving Satin’s shoulder a few hearty pats.
“You won’t find many places like this these days. You’ve got the market nearby, and all the neighbors are good folks.”
Like a seasoned real estate agent, the old man skillfully nudged Satin’s interest. Having lived first with his father and then with his older sister, Satin had never experienced living on his own.
The old man’s pitch landed clean. Satin nodded almost without thinking.
Cain gave the old man a brief glare, then sighed.
“Alright.”
