Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 132

132

Lee Jung-woo was the first to show his firm resolve.

From Lee Jung-woo’s perspective, it seemed he believed this bet was to his advantage, mainly because Kim Il-soo had consistently ranked last until now.

On the other hand, Kim Il-soo’s expression was equally determined.

His face was set, as if he was absolutely determined to beat Lee Jung-woo this time.

Kim Il-soo, a slight curve forming on his lips, declared, “Call!”

That was the moment the two officially made their midterm exam bet.

At that very moment.

Oh Sang-cheol and his younger sister, Oh Sang-mi, were busy organizing the kitchen equipment they had purchased the day before for their snack bar.

Oh Sang-mi looked at Oh Sang-cheol and asked, “Did you hear about it, Oppa [Older brother]?”

“Hear about what?”

“I’m talking about the new guy at that kid’s store. Apparently, he used to run his own business.”

“I heard about it yesterday. Honestly, that guy’s got to be desperate. What was he thinking, going to work there?”

Oh Sang-cheol shook his head, clearly baffled.

Oh Sang-mi chimed in, “I know, right? How can he work in someone else’s store after running his own business? Especially a place run by a kid.”

“Unless he’s lost his mind, why would he go into such a dead-end alley? And on top of that, it’s a place where someone died.”

“That’s not all. Now they only sell fish cakes [odeng] and tteokbokki [spicy rice cakes] outside. They can’t even sell inside the store. Well, what else can you expect from a woman with no luck in marriage?”

“That’s true. Anyway, are you confident about this?”

Oh Sang-mi glanced at Oh Sang-cheol, then smirked, as if he was being ridiculous. “Oppa, why are you acting like this? Even though I’m in this situation, I used to be a successful woman in Seoul. If that guy hadn’t guaranteed that debt, I wouldn’t have ended up in this rural village.”

“What about me? Do you know what they’re saying about me in the neighborhood?”

“Oppa, why are you so worried about what others think? Saving this store is the priority now. So, Oppa, you need to be determined, too.”

“Okay, just make sure to shut down those people’s business within six months.”

Oh Sang-cheol was also feeling frustrated.

He never imagined he would get so deeply involved from the start.

Initially, he thought everything would be resolved once he kicked Shin Myung-soon out of the store. But a few days after notifying Shin Myung-soon, he heard some strange news.

The store in the back alley had suddenly closed down. After investigating, he discovered that a kid had leased the place.

He didn’t pay much attention to it at first.

But the real problem wasn’t the kid, but Park Hee-cheol, who was backing him.

A man who had wounded his pride for life.

A wound he was too ashamed to even talk about, a deep wound that lingered even after time had passed.

So, he had vowed to get his revenge this time.

But it wasn’t as easy as he had anticipated, giving him a constant headache.

The problem was that this kid, Kim Hyun-sung, was proving to be a nuisance. He had assumed the kid wouldn’t know anything, but that wasn’t the case.

Not only had he completely transformed the run-down store, but he had also put ramen, which wasn’t even officially released yet, on the signboard, and now it was even being advertised on TV, which was driving him crazy.

Then, Oh Sang-mi looked at Oh Sang-cheol and asked, “Oppa, what should we do about our opening event?”

“Do we really have to do that?”

“We have to do something. We need to give rice cakes to the surrounding stores as a basic courtesy. And it would be good to have other events if possible. When we were in Seoul, we used to hire event teams and do it in a fancy way.”

“Get a grip. This isn’t Seoul. So, think of something that doesn’t cost too much money.”

“Okay. I’ll take care of that.”

The two began organizing the kitchen equipment again.

***

The effect of the bet was immediately apparent in their attitude in class that day.

Kim Il-soo, who used to sleep through class every day, had completely changed. The same was true for Lee Jung-woo.

The teachers even commented on it, clearly amazed.

The same transformation was evident during breaks.

The guys who used to goof off began to read books quietly.

Their friends even teased them.

“Hey, what’s wrong with Kim Il-soo?”

“I heard you’re dating these days, is that why you’re doing this?”

Each time, Kim Il-soo just smiled and refocused on his studies.

The study method was simple.

Reading the textbook. Repeatedly reviewing the material covered in the midterm exam range. It was the method Hyun-sung had taught them.

The same was true for Lee Jung-woo.

Lunch time.

The three gathered again.

Before eating, Lee Jung-woo looked at Hyun-sung and asked, “Hey, is it really enough to just read the textbook like this?”

“Why? Don’t you believe me?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t believe you, but I think I should also solve practice questions.”

“First, you need to fully understand the content, and then move on to the practice questions. If you start with the practice questions without understanding the material, it’s pointless.”

Then, Kim Il-soo, who was listening nearby, quietly said to Lee Jung-woo, “Hey, do you even understand anything from reading it?”

“Honestly, I don’t know what it’s talking about.”

Hyun-sung nodded as he looked at Lee Jung-woo and Kim Il-soo.

“It won’t be easy at first. But just keep reading. You’ll probably understand the content after reading it several times, and then when you solve the practice questions, it’ll really sink in.”

“Really?”

Lee Jung-woo’s eyes sparkled with renewed hope.

Then, Kim Il-soo looked at Lee Jung-woo and asked, “Jung-woo, why are you suddenly trying to study?”

“It’s not sudden, it’s because of my mother a few days ago…….”

“Mother?”

“I realized there’s nothing I can do for my mother, so I’m going to pull myself together and study from now on.”

Kim Il-soo nodded.

Then, Lee Jung-woo looked at Kim Il-soo and asked, “Then why are you suddenly doing this?”

“That’s…….”

Kim Il-soo hesitated and glanced at Hyun-sung.

Then, Hyun-sung smiled and finished Kim Il-soo’s sentence. “This guy cheated.”

“Cheated?”

At the word ‘cheated,’ Lee Jung-woo looked at Kim Il-soo with surprised eyes.

Then, Kim Il-soo scratched his head and continued, “There’s something like that. It’s embarrassing, so don’t ask anymore.”

“Hey, what’s that? You make people curious and then tell them not to ask, you can’t do that. What is it?”

“Ah, come on, I told you to just let it go…….”

Lee Jung-woo wasn’t the type to just let it go. But Kim Il-soo wasn’t the type to reveal the truth himself either.

In the end, it was up to Hyun-sung.

Hyun-sung had no choice but to explain. “He said he’d be in the middle of the class.”

“In the middle of the class? To whom?”

“To his girlfriend…….”

“Crazy guy. Wait! If it’s his girlfriend, is it your sister, Ji-yeon?”

Lee Jung-woo pointed at Hyun-sung. Then, Hyun-sung smiled and nodded. Kim Il-soo, who was watching the scene, also smiled.

Then, Kim Il-soo continued, “Hey, stop talking and let’s eat.”

“Can you even eat right now, you bastard? You should cheat on something you can actually achieve, how can you aim for the middle…”

Lee Jung-woo shook his head, dumbfounded.

Kim Il-soo didn’t say anything more and started eating his lunch box.

A smile spread across Hyun-sung’s face as he looked back and forth between Lee Jung-woo and Kim Il-soo.

Anyway, in his previous life, they were people who could never mix, like oil and water. The fact that they can get along like this is a significant change.

It was when Hyun-sung had finished his lunch.

Class president Lee Young-min approached.

“The principal wants to see you.”

“Okay, I will go.”

Hyun-sung headed to the principal’s office.

Knock knock.

When Hyun-sung entered the principal’s office, Principal Park Sang-hyun greeted him warmly.

“Did you have lunch?”

“Yes, I just finished eating. Have you eaten, Principal?”

“I just finished eating too. Shall we have a cup of coffee then?”

“I’d appreciate it if you would.”

After a short wait, Principal Park Sang-hyun handed over a cup of coffee. Hyun-sung quickly took it, took a sip, and placed it on the table.

Perhaps because he had just eaten lunch, his mouth felt refreshed after the coffee.

Hyun-sung looked at Principal Park Sang-hyun and asked, “Is there anything you wanted to talk about…….”

“First of all, I don’t know how to express my gratitude. As you know, this toilet issue was resolved so perfectly.”

“I’m really glad. I didn’t know the alumni association would be so cooperative. In fact, I thought we might have to postpone it until next year if it didn’t work out this time. But I didn’t expect it to happen all at once like this…….”

It was truly amazing.

Ten million won [approximately $7,500 USD] was definitely not a small amount of money. But the alumni association provided it all at once.

That meant that the toilet problem was also a pressing concern for the alumni.

“It’s all thanks to you. Anyway, you’ve done a great job this time.”

“No, it’s impossible to do it with the efforts of just one person. I think it was possible because everyone was united this time.”

“That’s true, but no matter what anyone says, you’re the top contributor. Thank you for your hard work.”

“I’m embarrassed that you say that. The important thing is that it’s beneficial for our juniors as well as us. I’m satisfied with that.”

That’s true.

If that hadn’t happened, they would have had to use the inadequate toilets for at least five more years.

Of course, I heard later that the female students didn’t even drink water properly when they came to school.

Principal Park Sang-hyun, having straightened his posture, carefully broached the next topic. “So, about that…….”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I was wondering what other major problems our school has. I thought you might know better since you’re a student.”

“Other problems?”

“That’s right, if there are any, tell me. I want to improve them if possible.”

Principal Park Sang-hyun seemed to have gained confidence from this incident.

Well, this incident was no ordinary incident, so he would be more than capable of doing so.

Hyun-sung was lost in thought for a moment.

After a while.

Hyun-sung looked at Principal Park Sang-hyun and opened his mouth. “I think it’s the career path problem for the seniors.”

“Career path problem?”

Seomyeong High School is primarily focused on humanities. Since it is located in a small rural area, almost 95% of students automatically enroll in Seomyeong High School after graduating from middle school, without much other choice.

That means that very few students go on to schools outside the area.

Even among the students who do leave, 50% of them return for various reasons, often related to their GPA [Grade Point Average].

Since grades are based on a relative ranking system, they might go to places like Chuncheon [a nearby city] but eventually come back. So, in reality, only about 2-3% of students end up leaving permanently.