Nine Gate Residence — Basement Lounge – Weekend Morning
The underground relaxation hall of Nine Gate Residence was alive, as usual.
The " seven lucky winner's family" of the building gathered every weekend — for breakfast, for gossip, and for unofficial meetings disguised as casual conversation.
Sofas were arranged in a circle, coffee machine hummed loyally in the corner.
Bookshelves leaned against the walls.
Small art pieces gave the place an oddly intellectual charm.
Miss Oh, placed a large bowl of noodles in front of Moon Jae-yun.
"Eat slowly," she said gently. "Even on weekends you don't rest. If you collapse, how will you take care of Woo-jin? "
"He's grown now. You don't have to worry about him every second. Pay attention to your health too."
Jae-yun smiled while eating.
"Miss Oh, after eating your noodles, I gain enough energy to work double shifts. So of course I have to go earn money worthy of this energy."
Miss Oh waved her hand lightly.
"You and your sweet talk. Woo-jin studies very hard. Your efforts will bear fruit."
Seo Dong-hyuk took a sip of his coffee.
"Woo-jin is a good kid. I worry more about Da-rim. She spends her time acting like a street boss. At least since Woo-jin started tutoring her, her grades have improved."
Min-gyu nodded seriously.
"The Moon brothers are extraordinary. They are our future."
Then his voice lowered dramatically.
"We should protect them. Especially from intruders. That new couple… that man doesn't feel right. My seventh sense is tingling."
Hae-in blinked.
"Seventh sense? I think sleeping on the sofa has damaged your brain. It's called sixth sense."
Min-gyu puffed up proudly.
"Oh, that's with you, honey. I only have the seventh sense — I can sniff out criminals just by their scent."
Mi-yeon smile.
"You two should just plan for a child already. At least then you'll focus on your personal life instead of inventing new senses."
Laughter rippled across the room.
And Then—
Soft footsteps echoed from the staircase.
Baek Soo-ah appeared, messy ponytail, glasses slightly crooked, clearly exhausted.
"Good morning, Miss Mi-yeon. Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Park. Good morning, Mr. Seo. Good morning, Miss Oh."
Everyone replied warmly.
"Good morning, Dr. Soo-ah."
Mi-yeon stood and circled her like a stylist analyzing a client.
"You need to come to my salon. Your hair is in critical condition. I'll give you ten percent discount."
Soo-ah smiled tiredly.
"Thank you. Once my emergency shifts end, I'll come."
She walked over and sat beside Jae-yun.
"Good morning," she said softly.
"Good morning," he replied, sliding a small pouch toward her.
"These are herbal leaves. Make tea from them. It's good for exhaustion. I think you'll like it."
Her expression softened.
"Thank you Jae-yun"
Miss Oh placed a bowl of noodles in front of her as well.
"You were busy in surgery all night again. You need to take care of yourself. The last time your mother saw you like this, she was very worried."
Soo-ah gave a tired but reassuring smile.
"There have been too many highway accidents. these past two days emergency room was overflowing with patients. I just want to take a shower, and sleep."
Chaos Enters
Suddenly—
"Appa!"
Da-rim's voice echoed through the room.
She stormed in wearing oversized street-style clothes, confidence radiating off her.
Dong-hyuk raised an eyebrow.
"Morning study finished? Where is Woo-jin?"
"I finished mine," she said proudly. "But look who we found outside."
She stepped aside dramatically.
Behind her—
A tall man stood at the entrance.
Luggage in one hand.
A sleek black cat carrier in the other.
Ho-seok.
Calm. Unbothered. Slightly amused.
"This man claims he owns the seventeenth-floor apartment," Da-rim announced. "So does that mean we can finally kick out the intruders?"
The entire room froze.
All eyes locked onto Ho-seok.
Ho-seok bowed "Hello everyone. I'm Kang Ho-seok. I'll be living here from now on. I hope we'll become good neighbors."
Min-gyu leaned toward Hae-in and whispered loudly,
"I told you. Seventh sense."
Mi-yeon stood.
"Let's verify."
Elevator Ride – Collective Suspicion
Within minutes, the entire group escorted Ho-seok to the elevator like an investigative committee.
Mi-yeon crossed her arms.
"Mr. Kang, are you saying Miss Kim personally approved you?"
"I clearly remember her saying a family would move in," she added sharply.
Hae-in stepped forward.
"Then tell us. The man and woman inside — who are they to you?"
Ho-seok blinked once.
(Man and woman? Hyung… did you bring someone here? Is that Hae-rin?)
He smiled politely.
"They are my family. I'll introduce you properly."
(These entire building residents seem crazy. I'm not even this intimidated by the police.
If they try anything suspicious, I'll just bury them right here.)
The elevator doors opened on the seventeenth floor.
Ho-seok walked carefully to the door.
He entered the password calmly.
The lock beeped.
The door clicked open.
And the entire delegation of Nine Gate Residence stepped inside—
Only to witness a scene that immediately froze them in place.
On the living room floor, Nora and No-Gul were sprawled in a very compromising position.
Ho-seok blinked once.
"…Dream sister-in-law?"
Hae-in instantly slapped her hand over Da-rim's eyes.
Min-gyu dramatically covered his own eyes but left his fingers slightly open to peek.
Mi-yeon waved both hands in the air.
"Very energetic!"
Hae-in gasped softly. "They're actually a real couple."
Soo-ah eyes shining. "How romantic…"
On the floor, Nora's face turned bright red.
Miss Oh, dignified as ever, turned around gracefully.
"Let's go. We should come back later. We must not interfere with their personal time."
Mi-yeon nodded very seriously.
"Continue!"
To Be Continued…