Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 76

I received a call from Park Hee-cheol last night. He asked if there was anything he could help with.

So, I asked him to send me a good, reliable contractor.

“Ah, nice to meet you.”

Hyeonseong naturally extended his hand.

The contractor gladly took Hyeonseong’s hand and said,

“I’m Yu Min-cheol. I look forward to working with you.”

“I should be the one saying that. And you’re much older than me, so please feel comfortable speaking casually.”

“I can’t do that. You’re a customer, after all. My conscience won’t allow it.”

“Oh, is that so? Then please do as you feel comfortable.”

Hyeonseong was actually more trusting of this attitude.

He had often seen people who would start speaking informally right away just because they were older.

You can tell a lot from one thing, and he was initially a likable person. Of course, he knew that it couldn’t be an absolute standard.

That’s something he’d find out over time.

After exchanging a few more simple greetings, Hyeonseong said to Yu Min-cheol,

“First, how much would it cost to move the kitchen to the opposite side?”

“You’re thinking of moving the kitchen?”

“It’s not 확정 [hwakjeong – confirmed] yet, I’m just getting an estimate to decide.”

“May I ask why you’re considering moving the kitchen?”

Yu Min-cheol tilted his head.

According to Park Hee-cheol, he was definitely opening a ramen shop. So, he didn’t think there was a need to move the kitchen.

Hyeonseong replied,

“It’s impossible to use the inner building with this kitchen layout.”

“The inner building?”

“Yes.”

Yu Min-cheol was even more dumbfounded.

Using the inner building meant that the hall was insufficient, which didn’t make sense even on the surface.

But that was none of his business.

Yu Min-cheol looked at Hyeonseong and said,

“Yes, I understand. Then, let me confirm a few things.”

“Go ahead.”

“First, the water and sewage pipes…”

Hyeonseong answered Yu Min-cheol’s questions completely, sharing his thoughts. The questions were mainly about plumbing work, followed by questions about the sink and shelves, among other things.

Each time Hyeonseong answered, Yu Min-cheol meticulously wrote it down in his notebook.

After about 20 minutes,

Yu Min-cheol said,

“Student… no, Mr. President, if we do all the construction as you said, the cost will be quite significant.”

“Roughly how much would it be?”

“Hmm… the exact amount will require more calculation, but I think it will be at least 1.2 million won [approximately $900 USD].”

“Minimum means it could be more?”

“Most likely.”

“That’s more than I thought.”

Initially, he had planned to finish all the repairs, including the deposit, hall, and kitchen, for 1 million won.

But now, it would cost 1.2 million won just to install the kitchen. And that was the minimum.

This meant that the investment costs would increase significantly more than initially expected.

He hadn’t even gotten an estimate for the hall yet. The same went for the sign, and if he were to fix up the inner building as well, that amount would be considerable.

Hyeonseong pondered for a moment and then asked Yu Min-cheol,

“If I don’t move the kitchen and keep the original layout, but do it with the conditions I mentioned earlier, how much would it be?”

“I think the difference would only be about 400,000 won [approximately $300 USD].”

“So, not a big difference.”

“That’s right. Because the conditions you want are twice as large as the existing kitchen. In the end, about 2/3 of the existing kitchen would have to be completely rebuilt.”

“So, it comes down to the size of the kitchen.”

This meant that the problem was how to handle the size of the kitchen. The cheapest way would be to somehow solve it within the existing kitchen space.

But no matter how he looked at it, the kitchen was too small.

It felt cramped even with just two people inside.

The kitchen is the heart of a restaurant. It’s the most important thing.

Moreover, he wasn’t just going to run the business for a day or two.

And the important thing was to do it right from the start.

If he had to redo it later, the business would suffer, and he’d lose money.

Hyeonseong, after contemplating, looked at Yu Min-cheol and said,

“I understand. I’ll think more about the kitchen issue and decide.”

“Yes, I understand. Shall we take a look at the hall now?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Hyeonseong moved towards the entrance.

“Please remove the sliding door here…”

The entrance door was to be completely removed and replaced with a glass door. This was to make the entrance cleaner and more convenient to use.

Hyeonseong then pointed to the wall and said,

“Please install mirrors on this wall.”

“Mirrors?”

“Yes, since the hall is small, mirrors will create the effect of doubling the space. It’s an optical illusion, but it will make the place look bigger and more lively.”

“Ah, that could work.”

“But since it’s glass, please use thick glass for safety.”

Yu Min-cheol was just amazed as he wrote in his notebook.

To be honest, he had initially had bad intentions because he was a student. He thought it was too good to be true.

But he was wrong.

He was confused about who was the contractor.

If he got greedy in this situation, he would be taken advantage of.

He just needed to get paid for the work he did.

He wondered why Park Hee-cheol hadn’t asked for a referral fee. That old man always 챙기던 [chaenggideon -챙기다 (chaenggida) means to take care of,챙기던 means used to take care of] a referral fee, even for small jobs. But strangely, he hadn’t said anything this time.

He wondered why, but there was a reason.

‘That sly old man.’

Yu Min-cheol looked at Hyeonseong and asked,

“What are you going to do with the ceiling?”

“Just remove everything and do the electrical work.”

“Yes? Then what about the finishing?”

“Since it’ll be cement concrete after demolition, just paint it. That’ll make the space look bigger and cleaner. Plus, it’ll save a lot on construction costs.”

In fact, this was almost unheard of at the time. It was an interior design style that would become popular later.

He had done the ceiling like this when he was working on the 만화카페 [manhwakafe – manga cafe, a cafe where people can read comic books].

Yu Min-cheol was dumbfounded by Hyeonseong’s words.

If he did as Hyeonseong said, it meant he wouldn’t be finishing the ceiling. He was just going to finish it with paint, but did that make sense?

Especially in a restaurant.

He had done countless construction projects, but this was the first time.

Yu Min-cheol asked again, just in case,

“Are you really going to proceed like that?”

“Yes, of course. Why, is there a problem?”

“Ah, no. There’s no problem… it’s just the first time I’ve done it this way.”

“This is how many people will do it later.”

“Yes? Later?”

“Ah, that’s… I mean, things can change later.”

He had made a mistake without realizing it, but Hyeonseong brushed it off as if it were nothing. Time must be a great healer.

At first, he thought the 짜장면 [jjajangmyeon – black bean noodles] price was cheap, but now he was much more accustomed to the value of money.

The only thing that didn’t work was the mismatch between his mind and body.

But that was also a great blessing in some ways, so he was trying to think of it in a positive light.

Hyeonseong then took Yu Min-cheol to the inner building.

Fortunately, there wasn’t much to fix in the inner building except for the doors. And instead of wallpapering the two rooms, they decided to paint them neatly.

After much deliberation, they also decided to move the kitchen.

It was too good to use the inner building only as a living space, and since he wasn’t just going to run the business for a day or two, he thought he should do the kitchen right from the start.

And he decided to entrust all the construction to Yu Min-cheol.

At first, he had thought about doing some of it himself, but he stopped because he thought it wouldn’t be polite to the contractor, Yu Min-cheol.

To be honest, he had been suspicious because he had been introduced by Park Hee-cheol.

He was doing better these days, but he had been so malicious before that he couldn’t help but have prejudices.

But as he watched him give the estimate, he realized that his concerns were unfounded.

The two men came out of the store.

Hyeonseong spoke first.

“As I said before, please do the sign first.”

“Yes, I understand. You want to advertise in advance.”

“It’s been vacant for so long. And I think it’s good that just putting up a sign will be an advertisement.”

He ordered a front sign and a protruding sign.

He had about a month before the opening. Hyeonseong thought that just putting up the sign in advance would be an advertisement.

Moreover, if he turned on the lights at night, it would brighten up the alley and be an advertisement, killing two birds with one stone.

“The 상호 [sangho – business name] and design will proceed as you said earlier, right?”

“Yes, just do it as is.”

“If I give the sign maker the 시안 [sian – draft/layout] tonight, the construction will probably be finished in two days.”

“Then let’s do the sign that way, and when will you start working, Mr. President?”

There was no need to rush. He would start 영업 [yeong-eop – business operations] when 신라면 [Shin Ramyun – a popular brand of instant noodles] was released, so he had plenty of time.

However, since he was going to finish with paint, he had to finish the construction by the end of the month to completely remove the paint smell before 영업 [yeong-eop – business operations] started.

Yu Min-cheol seemed to understand Hyeonseong’s intention and said immediately,

“Don’t worry. I have other work scheduled for tomorrow, so I can’t do it, but if I start right away the day after tomorrow, there won’t be any problem finishing by the end of the month.”

“Yes, I understand. Then I’ll see you the day after tomorrow morning.”

“You must be busy getting ready for school, so you don’t have to come.”

“I can’t do that. It’s the first day, so I have to say hello.”

Yu Min-cheol smiled at Hyeonseong.

Saying hello on the first day?

That was a 인성 [in-seong – character/personality] that not everyone had.

Moreover, with this level of construction, the person ordering it could be picky and put on airs.

But this friend was nothing like that.

The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to study him.

He was a friend who was impossible to understand with a logical approach.

Well, the fact that a high school student was starting a business was already illogical, so what more could he say?

Yu Min-cheol looked at Hyeonseong and said,

“Yes, then I’ll see you that day.”

Hyeonseong smiled and extended his hand.

“I’m glad it seems like 아저씨 [ajeossi – a respectful term for an older man, like ‘uncle’ or ‘mister’] introduced me to a good person. Then…”

The two shook hands lightly and parted ways.

Yu Min-cheol came out of the alley and went into a nearby public phone booth.

He had known Park Hee-cheol for quite some time.

Due to the nature of his business, the more people he knew, the more helpful it was in many ways. Especially Park Hee-cheol, who had many contacts, was very helpful.

Of course, he had to pay a referral fee each time, but it was still helpful, so he had always maintained the relationship.

But strangely, he hadn’t mentioned the referral fee at all this time. He thought it was strange, but after dealing with this young friend today, he thought he knew why.

Yu Min-cheol quickly dialed the number.

After a few rings, Park Hee-cheol answered the phone.

– Hello.

“어르신 [eoreushin – a very respectful term for an elder], it’s Yu Min-cheol.”

– Yes, how did it go?

“How did it go? Who is this friend?”

– Hehe, what’s wrong?

“This isn’t a student, it’s a complete 괴물 [goemul – monster]. I’ve done countless jobs, but this is the first time I’ve seen a friend like this.”

– A 괴물 [goemul – monster]… haha, that’s an interesting

– expression.

Park Hee-cheol could only laugh at Yu Min-cheol’s words.

Just in case, he had given no information about Hyeonseong except that he was a student.

He knew Yu Min-cheol’s work style to some extent. Even inflating the construction costs by 적당히 후려쳐 [jeokdanghi huryeochyeo – moderately rip off].

In fact, the reason he had introduced Yu Min-cheol this time was to watch Hyeonseong one more time. He was curious to see how he would handle the work.

But listening to Yu Min-cheol’s voice, it seemed that the conclusion had already been reached.

“Are you laughing now?”

– Okay, I have to watch a drama, so I’ll hang up now.

“어르신 [eoreushin – a very respectful term for an elder]!”

– Why?

“어르신 [eoreushin – a very respectful term for an elder] knew, didn’t you? That’s why you didn’t mention the referral fee.”

– Ah, right! Speaking of the referral fee, you don’t have to give me a referral fee anymore. Just work hard when I introduce you from now on, for my sake. Do you understand what I mean? I’m hanging up.

Beep beep beep…….

Yu Min-cheol couldn’t believe his ears.

Who was Park Hee-cheol?

He was more thorough than anyone when it came to money. He didn’t waste a single penny and even calculated interest on private loans at compound interest.

The same went for the referral fee. He had demanded even a few pennies, no matter how small the job was.

But now he was telling him not to give it.

When a person suddenly changes…….

“What? Is this old man about to die…….”

At that moment.

Hyeonseong looked around the entire store again, locked the door, and was about to leave.

Someone approached the store.

“This is the 새끼 [saekki – literally means ‘offspring’ but is used as a derogatory term, like ‘bastard’ or ‘jerk’]!”