Welcome to Lee Woo Villa Epilogue

Epilogue. Welcome to Lee Woo Villa

“Yes, it seems like we’ve covered almost all the agenda items for today. Just to remind you again, please make sure to check the boiler regularly.”

“I got it, so can we finally grill some meat now! The issue isn’t the boiler—it’s our empty stomachs!”

That lively voice—whether it belonged to 303 or 305, Yiwoo still couldn’t tell. But he knew one thing for sure: only one of the twins kept interrupting him like this. The other was actually scolding the first. It was amazing how two people with the same face could have such different personalities.

“Ah, sorry I’m late!”

A man from 204 rushed up the stairs in a hurry, and right behind him, the tenant from 205 followed closely. 204 had said he’d be late, but 205 had been loitering in front of the villa for a while—Yiwoo had no idea why he was late too.

“It’s fine. Let me quickly summarize the agenda—”

“Let’s eat first!”

Again, one of the twins cut Yiwoo off. The tenants from 204 and 205 also passed by Yiwoo, already looking for empty seats. Yiwoo let out a short sigh and began in a resigned tone.

“Alright, enjoy your meal.”

“Yes! I’ll grill it up~”

If only all the tenants were as earnest and cheerful as the one from 104. But Yiwoo couldn’t exactly pick tenants based on their personalities. He forced a smile and kept it at that.

“Please, everyone, eat up. And please bear with the construction noise from Lee Woo Villa Building B next month.”

“You’re even giving us a rent discount during the construction—we have no complaints!”

“Exactly! Where else would you find a landlord like this? Thank you!”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you! I’ll enjoy the meal!”

The sizzle of meat hitting the hot grill was accompanied by shouts of gratitude from all around. Yiwoo smiled on the outside, but inside, he felt a pang of guilt. When his father had first suggested the barbecue and rent discount, Yiwoo had vehemently opposed it—why waste money like that? What kind of landlord does that? He’d even gotten scolded for it, his father kicking him out and telling him not to treat the tenants of his villa like that.

But seeing how happy everyone was, the lingering regret he’d felt seemed to fade away. Before the meat was even fully cooked, they were already pouring beer and soju. Yiwoo quietly observed them. Using the spacious rooftop like this was a first. The tenants weren’t dorm students, so there was never a reason for them all to gather like this. They’d set up grills on the wide wooden platform, and even borrowed three large folding tables from the convenience store out front.

Yiwoo lowered his gaze to the meat on the grill in front of him. But the meat was already sizzling away, perfectly placed on the grill. The tenant from 302 was grilling beside him, so Yiwoo set out a disposable plate and poured himself a drink. As they exchanged a few words, 302 began slicing the meat that was almost done. The tenant from 301, who had been watching 302’s busy movements, reached out a hand.

“Should I do it?”

“Ah, no! I’ll do it!”

302 shook his head fiercely and gripped the tongs tightly. 301 didn’t insist further and withdrew his hand.

“Wow~ Now you’re even saying no, Jaehee?”

301 smiled brightly, and 302 stiffened up.

“Huh, no, that’s not—”

“Why are you so surprised? Hehe, eat lots of meat. You’ll need your strength later.”

302’s body twitched, and he bit his lip. Yiwoo, who had been watching the strange tension between the two, quietly placed some cooked meat on his plate and stood up, stepping away from the platform. Did something happen between them? Not wanting to get caught up in whatever it was, he slipped away quietly. He looked around for Do-young and spotted him sitting at a table across the way. As Yiwoo started to head over, the tenant from 203 suddenly approached him, followed closely by the one from 103.

“Um, Yiwoo, when does 203’s lease end? I, uh, was thinking of moving in with 103—”

“Ah, ah, no way! Absolutely not! Never ever ever!”

“Aww, why? It’d save money.”

“I can’t live with Jihun! I’d go crazy taking care of him! Absolutely not! Yiwoo, don’t worry about it. Haha. We’re just planning to renew our leases as usual. Why would he spring this on me without even talking to me first…”

“But Sejun said not to ask—”

“That’s not what he meant! Just ask! Ask everything from now on!”

Before Yiwoo could even open his mouth, the tenant from 103 dragged the one from 203 away. The way 203 hung his head, looking utterly defeated as he was scolded, made Yiwoo feel a pang of sympathy. But since when had those two gotten close enough to talk about living together? 203 used to complain about the noise from 103 all the time, but now they’d actually become friends. Yiwoo finally understood why they’d been so cooperative when fixing the leak. He nodded to himself, picked up a piece of pork belly from his plate, and popped it into his mouth. The slightly cooled meat tasted especially good. He took another piece as he walked over to where the tenant from 201 was sitting, drinking beer and chatting happily with 202.

“Um, do you work out at home at night? It’s really loud…”

201 suddenly turned his head away unnaturally, avoiding Yiwoo’s gaze. Beside him, 202 wrapped an arm around 201’s shoulder and grinned.

“Sorry, we were just playing a game together. We’ll be careful next time. Let’s do it at my place from now on, Seongjun hyung.”

Yiwoo watched as the stiff 201 left with 202, tilting his head in confusion before heading toward Do-young’s table. Do-young was sitting alone, grilling meat. Weren’t 401 and 402 here with him earlier? The empty plates left behind suggested Yiwoo wasn’t imagining things.

“Where’d they go? Why are you eating alone?”

“They saw you coming and ran.”

“Huh? Why? They haven’t been fighting lately. What’s going on? They used to act like they wanted to kill each other, but now they’re friends?”

Yiwoo sat down in the empty seat, accepted the beer glass silently offered to him, and took a sip, his face full of bewilderment.

“Hey, Do-young.”

Do-young leaned in, clinking his plastic beer cup against Yiwoo’s with a clink, answering his unspoken call with a look. Yiwoo, used to his taciturn nature, took another sip before continuing.

“Everyone seems really close with their neighbors, don’t they?”

“Like us?”

“Huh? No, we’re not like that. Hmm. It’s the first time we’ve all gathered like this, but it doesn’t feel awkward at all. I guess they’re all just really friendly with each other. It’s surprising in this individualistic era. Even the people who used to fight all the time seem to have made up. Well, as a manager, it’s better than having conflicts… but I hope they’re not too close to the point of causing problems.”

Yiwoo mumbled to himself, his gaze following Do-young’s as they looked around at the tenants scattered across the rooftop, each enjoying their own time. The alcohol seemed to have loosened everyone up—they were all acting without restraint, their closeness going beyond the usual. Do-young’s eyes returned to Yiwoo. His large hand ruffled Yiwoo’s hair, still wearing a serious expression. Yiwoo looked up at him, grinning, when he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the message, letting out a sigh before suddenly standing up, drawing the attention of the Lee Woo Villa tenants.

“Everyone! One more announcement from the landlord!”

“We’re eating! Can’t it wait?”

“It’s good news, so listen up! You all know 403 has been empty for a while, right? My father—cough—the landlord, Jang Seongwoo, said if we find a tenant for 403, he’ll throw another barbecue party!”

“Woooo!”

“Wow, our landlord is the best! Meat, meat!”

“Land!lord! Land!lord! Yeah~!”

Somehow, they’d all drunk enough to be loud and rowdy. Yiwoo, worried about noise complaints, gestured for them to quiet down as he finished delivering the message.

“So if you know anyone looking for a place, please introduce them!”

No sooner had Yiwoo finished speaking than 404 raised his hand lightly from the crowd.

“Ah. I have a colleague looking for a place.”

He was a writer, so was his colleague a writer too? 404 had never missed a rent payment, but freelancers were always a bit risky. Yiwoo hesitated, but the drunken crowd grew even more excited and pressed in.

“Ooooh! We’ll get to eat meat again soon!”

“Ask them now! If it gets cold, we can’t have a party!”

“Video call them!”

“Why video call?”

“We have to! We’re gonna be neighbors! We need to introduce ourselves! Introduce this place!”

“Agh, you’re so loud! Quiet down!”

“Should we all say hi to the new neighbor? I mean, the meat? I mean, the new neighbor!”

“You only care about the meat, don’t you?”

“Ahahaha!”

“Wait, wait, let’s all greet them together! Welcome to Lee Woo Villa! How’s that?”

“No, no, you have to emphasize Lee Woo Villa more!”

Amid the silly, alcohol-fueled chatter, a loud ring-ring echoed. It seemed 405 had snatched 404’s phone and called his colleague. 404, who had tried to stop him, gave up and chugged his drink. The call was put on speakerphone, the ringing loud and clear, until someone picked up. The moment a face appeared on the screen, someone started a countdown. Then, in unison, they shouted their welcome.

“Welcome to Lee Woo Villa!”