Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 194

194

“So, you’re saying you’ve been handing over my information to those people every single day until now?”

“…Yes.”

“And it was the same when I was pulling all-nighters because of the trash last time?”

“…Yes.”

“Haa!”

Hyeonseong couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

He knew that the most dangerous place is under the candlestick [a place of apparent safety where one is actually most vulnerable], but he never expected to be backstabbed like this.

Can you believe this?

A coworker has been reporting the store’s sales and even the boss’s every move to someone every day.

And that’s not all.

He stayed up for three days trying to catch the trash-dumping culprit, and they even told the culprit, making him look like a fool.

Of course, thankfully, he caught the culprit on the fourth day because they didn’t leak any information that day. But if he hadn’t caught the culprit then, he would still be staying up all night trying to catch them. Hyeonseong was beyond dumbfounded; he was just speechless.

Hyeonseong called Kim Jisook.

“Auntie!”

“Yes.”

“How could you do that? You shouldn’t do this! How have I treated you…?”

“…”

Kim Jisook couldn’t say anything. What could she say in this situation?

Hyeonseong asked again.

“And by the way, what’s with the sauce?”

“That’s… they said they needed it…”

“Were they trying to figure out the sauce recipe with it?”

“As far as I know, yes.”

“So?”

“Yes?”

“So, did they figure out the sauce recipe or not?”

Hyeonseong’s voice grew louder.

That meant his emotions were running high.

Why wouldn’t they be? The sauce is a trade secret with independent economic value. But Kim Jisook gave it to a competitor.

Legally, she’d be in trouble if he pressed charges.

Then Kim Jisook said.

“I don’t think they’ve figured it out yet.”

“How do you know that?”

“They contacted me again.”

“Again?”

“Yes.”

“So, did you give them the sauce again this time?”

“No, I didn’t give it to them this time.”

“No?”

“Yes…”

Kim Jisook answered in a small voice.

Hyeonseong tilted his head. If she had given it once, she should have given it a second time. But Kim Jisook said she didn’t.

What’s going on here?

Hyeonseong immediately asked the reason.

“Why didn’t you give it to them this time?”

“Well… I have a conscience, so I couldn’t give it to them a second time.”

“Yes? A conscience…?”

Hyeonseong was dumbfounded.

Kim Jisook was clearly talking about her conscience. Hyeonseong was amazed at how she could shamelessly say the word ‘conscience’ in this situation.

Hyeonseong asked again.

“Did you just say conscience?”

“…Yes.”

“How can you talk about conscience in this situation? Are you being brazen? Or…?”

‘Are you thoughtless?’

He had to swallow the last words.

Then Kim Jisook lowered her head and said.

“I’m sorry. I was so foolish. I shouldn’t have done that, no matter how hard it was…”

“Are you saying this is because of the money?”

“…Yes, they offered me money first, so I…”

“So, you’re saying you sold information for money?”

Kim Jisook pursed her lips and nodded.

If he had seen her like that usually, Hyeonseong would have felt sympathy because of his personality, but today, because of Kim Jisook’s sin, he didn’t feel any sympathy at all.

Hyeonseong looked at Kim Jisook and asked.

“So, how much did you get?”

“30,000 won per month.”

“Per month? Does that mean you have to renew the contract every month?”

“Yes, they said they would decide that.”

No wonder the amount was more than he thought. In the end, they were going to use her appropriately and then throw her away when the information was no longer valuable.

“So, they’re not planning to keep you for long?”

“I thought so too. That’s why I got 10,000 won separately for the sauce.”

“Yes? 10,000 won?”

“Since it wasn’t going to last long anyway, I didn’t want to give it away for free.”

“Still, 10,000 won for a sauce… you’re not an ordinary person, are you?”

Kim Jisook is forty-two years old this year. It’s not a short time. Besides, her husband has been in the hospital for three years.

In the end, he thought that the environment might have made her that way.

Then Kim Jisook continued.

“It’s hard to say this, but the situation makes people do that.”

“The situation?”

“As I told you before, Minjeong’s dad has been in the hospital for three years, so the house is a mess. Besides, Minjeong’s dad’s condition has gotten worse these days because it’s the change of seasons. So, I became greedy for money without realizing it.”

“…”

“Boss, do you know what I did with that money?”

“Yes? That’s…”

Hyeonseong had nothing to say at Kim Jisook’s sudden question.

When Hyeonseong didn’t say anything, Kim Jisook continued.

“I got Minjeong’s dad a nutritional supplement. His immunity was so low because he was always lying in the hospital, so I took the plunge and got him an expensive one.”

“Ah, yes…”

“I’m sorry to the boss, but I was happy that day. Even though it was money earned from stealing and selling the sauce, I was happy to see Minjeong’s dad smile.”

Hic.

Tears were already welling up in Kim Jisook’s eyes.

Hyeonseong couldn’t say anything.

At first, he thought it was an impossible thing because of the betrayal. But when he heard Kim Jisook’s story, he thought, ‘How desperate must she have been to do that?’

Of course, that didn’t justify Kim Jisook’s sin.

After a while.

Kim Jisook, who had stopped crying, called Hyeonseong in a slightly trembling voice.

“Boss!”

“Yes.”

“What’s going to happen to me now? Am I just going to get fired like this?”

“Yes? That’s…”

It was Hyeonseong who was in trouble.

In principle, it was right to fire her as Kim Jisook said. But the current situation didn’t feel right.

First of all, there’s Kim Jisook’s attitude.

She voluntarily revealed all the facts first. If she had wanted to hide it, she could have hidden it. She could have lived as if nothing had happened, as she had been doing. But Kim Jisook came to him and revealed all the facts, even at the risk of being fired.

Why?

Hyeonseong was curious about the reason.

“Auntie, can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“What’s the reason? You could have hidden it and acted like nothing happened. If you had, this wouldn’t have happened…”

“It’s because of the boss.”

“Yes? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Hyeonseong couldn’t help but be surprised.

Kim Jisook said again.

“Do you remember when Suhyuk made a mistake on his first day of part-time work?”

Of course, he remembers. He dropped the ramen on the floor in the yard while carrying six bowls of ramen.

“Are you talking about when he fell?”

“Yes, I saw with my own eyes what kind of person the boss was that day.”

Hyeonseong couldn’t understand what Kim Jisook was saying.

Hyeonseong only took care of the flustered Lee Suhyuk. It wasn’t intentional, and it was just a mistake he made trying to do better.

Hyeonseong looked at Kim Jisook and asked.

“What did you see?”

“The boss’s character.”

“Yes? What do you mean? Character?”

“The boss only cared about Suhyuk’s safety that day, without saying anything else, right?”

“No, isn’t that obvious? What else could I say in that situation?”

Hyeonseong still couldn’t understand what Kim Jisook was saying.

Kim Jisook’s words continued.

“No, that’s what the boss thinks, and that’s not the case in general.”

“In general?”

“Yes, in general, such mistakes are not tolerated. It’s common to be scolded on the spot, and later, the part-timer is even charged for the ramen.”

“That’s…”

Of course, Hyeonseong knows that. He knows that there are more vicious and despicable people in the world than that.

“Anyway, I found out what kind of person the boss was that day. I’m forty-two years old this year. To me, the boss’s appearance that day was touching.”

“I just did what I had to do.”

“That’s right, the boss was that kind of person. People say that if you see one thing, you know ten [if you know one part, you can guess the rest]. It may be just one aspect, but I was touched by the boss’s appearance that day.”

“No, why are you so touched…”

It was Hyeonseong’s job to be embarrassed by Kim Jisook’s sudden praise.

Then Kim Jisook continued.

“That’s when it started.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The time when I started to feel guilty. After seeing the boss’s actions, I decided that day that I would never do anything like stealing again.”

“Are you talking about the sauce?”

“Yes, but coincidentally, I got a second call that evening. So, I was able to refuse boldly.”

Hyeonseong nodded. It wasn’t entirely unreasonable, but Kim Jisook’s change of heart was somewhat explained.

But that didn’t explain everything.

Hyeonseong asked again.

“How would you explain the fact that you revealed all the facts today?”

“That’s because of what the boss showed me after work today.”

“What are you talking about now?”

“I’m talking about the bonus you gave me today.”

“Yes? Bonus?”

Hyeonseong tilted his head.

He didn’t understand what she was saying.

Then Kim Jisook said again.

“When the boss gave me the bonus today, he didn’t just give me the money, but he deliberately put it in an envelope one by one. That means you prepared it in advance.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“That’s what’s amazing. It’s only been half a month, but you thought about giving me a bonus, and you even prepared the envelopes in advance. Anyway, I respect your thoughtfulness at that age.”

She was touched a little while ago, and now she’s even showing respect.

Hyeonseong was still embarrassed by Kim Jisook’s unnatural behavior.

“But this is a bit too much…”

“No, I’m amazed and respect the boss’s character, both in Suhyuk’s case and in today’s bonus. So, I made this big decision today, ready to be fired.”

“No, what…”

Hyeonseong was dumbfounded.

He just did what he had to do. Hyeonseong shook his head as he looked at Kim Jisook, who didn’t hesitate to say that she was impressed by it.

How should he interpret this?

She’s not a person who lacks common sense. Anyone can see that she’s normal.

Then…

After thinking for a while, two letters came to Hyeonseong’s mind.

‘Pure!’

That’s right! That’s the only way to describe this person.

She was impressed by Hyeonseong’s actions in her own way. That’s why her emotions were heightened, and in the end, she couldn’t overcome those emotions and came here on her own two feet tonight.

Just as Hyeonseong’s thoughts were being organized, Kim Jisook called Hyeonseong again.

“Boss!”

“Yes.”

“I want to keep working here. I want to work with a great person like the boss. That’s why I came here to confess on my own. You’ll forgive me, right?”

“…”

Hyeonseong had nothing to say in front of a pure soul.

How much time has passed?

Hyeonseong looked at Kim Jisook and said.

“However, there is a condition.”

“Yes? A condition? Just tell me anything.”

It was the moment when Kim Jisook’s clear eyes shone brighter than ever.

“Do the same as you’ve been doing.”

“Yes? What do you mean by that…?”

“Sell information and sell the sauce.”

“No, boss…”

Kim Jisook looked at Hyeonseong with a surprised expression.