Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 136

Hyun-sung, having said goodbye to Park Hee-chul, made his way to the ramen shop.

Shin Myung-soon was already open for business.

“Morning, Mom.”

“Hyun-sung, you’re here? You’re early again.”

“The kids aren’t here yet?”

“Not here? They’re already inside, studying. I’m so grateful, you know. You even got Jung-woo studying. You’re a big help in so many ways.”

“It’s nothing…”

Shin Myung-soon seemed to be in a good mood; she looked brighter than usual.

After greeting his mother, Hyun-sung went inside.

Kim Il-soo and Lee Jung-woo were already at the table, books open. They’d agreed to study at the shop for about an hour each morning before school, since it was too noisy at school itself.

Of course, this was only possible before the ramen shop officially opened. Once business hours started, they’d have to help out, and their study time would be over.

For now, they were starting this routine to build a study habit.

“You’re here,” Kim Il-soo said as Hyun-sung walked in.

“Yeah, you’re early?”

“Yeah, I came a little earlier than yesterday. After doing it for a few days, I’m starting to get the hang of it.”

“You rascal, that’s impressive.”

Kim Il-soo smiled, looking pleased with himself.

Then, Lee Jung-woo, who was sitting next to him, looked up at Hyun-sung and said, “Hey, how can the teacher be so late?”

“I had something to do. I had to meet someone this morning. Anyway, how about you?”

“Hehe, I think I’m starting to get the hang of it too. At first, I didn’t understand anything, and it wasn’t fun, but as I started to understand things, it became more interesting. Plus, it’s much more fun studying together like this.”

“That’s a relief.”

In his past life, both of them had avoided studying like the plague.

Especially Kim Il-soo. But now that he’d started, he seemed to have perseverance and a will of his own, which was a huge relief.

At this rate, he seemed more than capable of raising his grade by the five levels he was aiming for.

Lee Jung-woo seemed a bit better off compared to Kim Il-soo.

He was especially quick-witted, and his comprehension wasn’t bad either.

In any case, it was true that both of them were adapting surprisingly well compared to their past selves, who had completely shunned studying.

Hyun-sung sat down and said, “Hey, shouldn’t we have some kind of team-building activity?”

Lee Jung-woo was the first to react to the words “team-building activity.”

“Team-building activity?”

“Yeah, we’ve started studying together like this, shouldn’t we do something fun together too?”

“Sounds good, but do you have any good ideas?”

This was the method Hyun-sung had come up with: getting Kim Il-soo to come to his house. He had to think of a way to do it without going against his mother’s wishes, or he’d be constantly nagged.

Hyun-sung continued, “Since tomorrow is Saturday, let’s go to my house.”

“To your house?”

This time, Kim Il-soo asked first.

Then Hyun-sung continued, “Yeah, let’s go to my house and catch fish in the stream and have a picnic.”

“A picnic?”

“Wouldn’t that be perfect for this weather?”

“Sounds good. Then we’ll have to stay overnight.”

“That’s right. We’ll catch fish and play during the day, study together at night, and even sleep over for once. Wouldn’t that be great?”

He had been racking his brain trying to figure out how to get Kim Il-soo to his house. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with a better idea than this.

Hyun-sung then looked at Lee Jung-woo and asked, “What do you think?”

“I’m all in, of course. It sounds like fun for once.”

“Then we’re all agreed to go.”

“Okay.”

Lee Jung-woo and Kim Il-soo nodded.

Then Lee Jung-woo looked at Kim Il-soo and immediately said, “Hey, you must be nervous.”

“Why would I be?”

“Isn’t it like visiting your future in-laws? Hehe… isn’t it?”

“You little punk, who are you teasing? If you say that in front of Ji-yeon, I’ll kill you.”

Kim Il-soo shook his fist at Lee Jung-woo, fuming.

Then Lee Jung-woo looked at Kim Il-soo with amusement.

“Hey, why are you still shaking your fist around?”

Lee Jung-woo would never have dared to say that in the past.

“You little punk, seriously.”

“Haven’t you come to your senses yet?”

“Alright, alright. I have to be patient. So, what should I do? Should I treat you to some fishcakes?”

“Hehe… that would be nice too.”

Kim Il-soo jumped up from his seat, grabbed a pot, and went outside.

Come to think of it, both of them had changed a lot.

Lee Jung-woo used to be almost silent, but at some point, he’d become talkative. His school life had also become incomparably more active than before.

Most importantly, he smiled more often.

Kim Il-soo was the same.

In the past, he was always busy bullying weaker friends.

But these days, he had become a gentle lamb, receiving praise from teachers in class. And now, he joked and talked with quite a few friends.

Kim Il-soo came in carrying a pot full of fishcakes.

Seeing this, Hyun-sung asked, “Didn’t you eat breakfast?”

“I did, but I’m already hungry. I must have been studying too hard. And Mom’s fishcakes are amazing.”

That was true.

That’s why Hyun-sung was worried about this these days.

The rumor that Shin Myung-soon’s fishcakes were delicious had already spread throughout the school. They had no plans to sell fishcakes when they started the ramen shop.

But seeing how well the fishcakes were selling these days, he couldn’t help but worry.

One advantage was that it required less work than *tteokbokki* [spicy stir-fried rice cakes]. All he had to do was make a lot of broth in the morning.

Since there was still time, he decided to think about this part a little more.

*Slurp, slurp.*

Kim Il-soo and Lee Jung-woo were already engrossed in eating fishcakes.

Hyun-sung also took a bite of a fishcake.

The savory and refreshing taste filled his mouth.

“It’s delicious.”

“Delicious, right?”

“Yeah, it’s delicious.”

Then Kim Il-soo looked at Hyun-sung and asked, “What are you going to do with the fishcakes when you start the ramen business later?”

“I’m worried about that too. It’s too good to give up.”

“If you make the broth in advance, it might be tough for *tteokbokki*, but fishcakes might be okay…”

“That’s what I’m saying. That’s why I’m so worried. Let’s think about that part a little more.”

After a while, the three of them, having finished the fishcakes, sat back down and opened their books.

Hyun-sung looked at Kim Il-soo and Lee Jung-woo and said, “You all read what I told you to read yesterday, right?”

“Of course.”

Lee Jung-woo answered first, and then Kim Il-soo immediately said, “I read it three times. So, I’m starting to get a feel for it.”

“Three times?”

“It wasn’t hard to read because the scope wasn’t wide.”

“Good job. The more you read, the better, so keep doing that.”

Hyun-sung then looked at Lee Jung-woo and asked, “What about you?”

“I got a feel for it after reading it twice.”

It seemed that Lee Jung-woo’s comprehension was definitely faster than Kim Il-soo’s.

“Okay, then let’s study together from now on. Starting from this part…”

Hyun-sung began to read the sentences and check the key points. It was a moment when the eyes of Lee Jung-woo and Kim Il-soo, who were looking at Hyun-sung, shone differently from when they were talking normally.

***

Lunch time.

Hyun-sung, having finished lunch, headed to the faculty office.

Because his homeroom teacher, Shin Min-ho, had called him.

“You called for me?”

“Oh, yeah. I have a favor to ask of you, Hyun-sung.”

“A favor?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing much, but I need you to help me this Sunday. I have something to organize.”

Hyun-sung was startled by the word “Sunday.” That meant he wouldn’t be going up to Seoul to see his mother, Lee Mi-soon, this week.

Shin Min-ho’s mother, Lee Mi-soon, would pass away on the Sunday immediately following the Chuseok holiday [Korean Thanksgiving]. That was this Sunday.

He naturally assumed that he would be going up on the weekend, so he thought it would be the same this week. But the way Shin Min-ho was talking to him now meant that he was on duty this week.

Hyun-sung looked at Shin Min-ho and asked, “Are you on duty this week?”

“Yeah, we take turns, and it’s my turn this week…”

“Then, what about your mother?”

“I had no choice but to ask the caregiver to take care of her.”

“…”

What should he do about this?

He would have ignored it if he didn’t know. But he already knew the truth.

He had to make Shin Min-ho go up to Seoul somehow. That way, he could at least see his mother, Lee Mi-soon, for the last time.

The guilt of a child not being able to be there for their parent’s passing is indescribable. It’s so painful and difficult that it remains a lifelong regret.

That pain that only those who have experienced it know.

Hyun-sung looked at Shin Min-ho. Then he opened his mouth with difficulty. “Teacher, I have a favor to ask of you.”

“A favor? What is it?”

“It’s a bit absurd, but you have to grant it.”

“No, I need to know what it is to grant it. Tell me quickly.”

Hyun-sung hesitated again. He couldn’t bring himself to make such an absurd request.

After a moment of silence, Shin Min-ho asked again when Hyun-sung couldn’t say anything. “What’s the matter? I’ll grant it if I can, so tell me honestly.”

“Well, that’s…”

“What is it? I’ll grant it if I can, so tell me honestly.”

“Then I’ll tell you. Don’t be on duty this week and go up to see your mother. No reason, just do it.”

Shin Min-ho stared at Hyun-sung.

He was a kid who was so quiet that he didn’t even know he existed until recently. But he was a kid who suddenly popped up since the second semester started after summer vacation.

He was a monster-like kid who showed a new side that was incomparable to his old self, and even neatly solved the toilet problem, which had been a long-standing issue at the school, a few days ago.

“What are you talking about?”

“Go up to see your mother. Just do it this week.”

“But why?”

From Shin Min-ho’s perspective, it was absurd.

Of course, he didn’t want to be on duty either. He was also worried about not being able to see his ailing mother.

Even yesterday, when he told her that he couldn’t go up this week during their phone call, he could feel the strength leaving his mother’s voice.

Feeling frustrated, Shin Min-ho opened his mouth again first. “Hey, Kim Hyun-sung. Tell me in detail what you mean. Are you saying that my mother is in danger this week?”

“That’s…”

Hyun-sung was just as frustrated.

It was clear that Shin Min-ho’s mother, Lee Mi-soon, would pass away this week, but he was frustrated because he couldn’t find a way to convince Shin Min-ho of that.

After much deliberation, Hyun-sung opened his mouth again. “Your mother is in danger.”

“So, how do you know that?”

Shin Min-ho’s voice grew louder. Then the gazes of other teachers nearby turned to them.

At that moment, Choi Mi-yeon, the math teacher who was sitting next to him, looked at Hyun-sung and said, “Did you have a dream or something?”

“… Yes.”

Hyun-sung had no choice but to nod because he couldn’t think of any other way to convince him.

Then Shin Min-ho asked again with a serious face. “Is it true?”

“Yes, it is. I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but it was definitely in my dream…”

Hyun-sung opened his mouth with difficulty.

There was no other way. It was an absurd story, but he wanted to convey his feelings even in that way.

Then, unexpected words flowed from Shin Min-ho’s mouth.

137