Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 291

291

After Hyun-sung left, Shin Young-hoon was left alone.

“Hoo!”

Shin Young-hoon exhaled, releasing the breath he had been holding.

What a disgrace. To be looked down upon by a kid, a high school senior, nineteen at most…

– Start from the basics again.

Those were Hyun-sung’s parting words.

Of course, he couldn’t just give up, so he had to ask for help. But he never expected to be treated with such contempt.

And what’s with the homework?

If he’s going to teach, he should just teach properly. Why waste precious time trying to figure things out on my own?

He had to swallow his pride to survive, but he couldn’t help but feel angry.

“Just you wait.”

For now, he had to endure. Survival comes first.

Once he gets through this, he won’t have to bow before that brat anymore.

It was a reckless start from the beginning anyway. He didn’t even have enough for the deposit. But he knew the landlord was a young student, so he took a chance, knowing it was a long shot.

That was an emotional appeal.

He thought that if he showed his passion, the young student would be sympathetic, even though he didn’t have the money. The plan worked perfectly, without a single hitch.

But the problem was what came next.

Skill.

His cooking skills were nowhere near good enough to run a restaurant.

He was somewhat interested in cooking, so he was confident at first. But it didn’t take long to realize he was mistaken.

He underestimated *kalguksu* [Korean knife-cut noodle soup], and that was his downfall.

So, as a last resort, he decided to use the brat one more time.

But the problem is this brat’s attitude.

His attitude of telling him to start from the basics again, as if he were at a Shaolin Temple, that’s what he didn’t like.

But!

He had to endure. He had a different purpose for coming here from the start.

To be the boss.

He wanted to be the boss. His dream since he was young was to be the boss. Others might not understand, but he loved hearing the word ‘Boss’.

That’s why he opened a restaurant here.

Of course, this isn’t the end. This place is just a stepping stone for bigger business ventures in the future.

Two years.

He only needs two years here. He’ll suffer for two years and then get out with some key money [a large, often non-refundable, sum paid to a landlord at the start of a lease]. He doesn’t plan to do business in this rural area for long anyway. He just needs some basic funds and experience to move to Hongcheon.

Until then, he’ll use this brat.

“Hehe.”

A smile spread across Shin Young-hoon’s face.

Hyun-sung left the *kalguksu* restaurant and headed towards Lee Soo-hyuk’s house. Lee Man-soo, Lee Soo-hyuk’s father, had asked him to do something earlier in the day.

After walking for about ten minutes.

He was just passing by the real estate agency.

“Mr. Kim.”

Park In-soo, the owner of the real estate agency, called out to Hyun-sung.

“Oh? Mr. Park, hello.”

“Oh, hello. Where are you headed?”

“I’m going to my friend’s house.”

“If you’re not busy, could you come in for a moment? I have something to talk about.”

“Yes, sure. It’s not urgent anyway.”

Hyun-sung followed Park In-soo into the real estate agency.

As soon as Hyun-sung sat down, Park In-soo handed him a business card.

“What’s this?”

“As you can see, it’s a business card.”

“Of course, I know that, but why are you giving it to me?”

“Take a look first. Then we’ll talk.”

Hyun-sung glanced at the business card Park In-soo handed him. The name Choi Sung-pil, County Councilman, was printed on the card.

Hyun-sung placed the business card on the table and asked, “Who is this person?”

“As you can see, he’s a county councilman. He came by today.”

Hyun-sung tilted his head, curious as to why Park In-soo was doing this. He wouldn’t just give him this business card simply because a person named Choi Sung-pil had visited the real estate agency.

There must be some connection between Choi Sung-pil and himself, but Hyun-sung had never even heard the name Choi Sung-pil. So why is he doing this?

“I don’t know what this has to do with me. I’m hearing the name Choi Sung-pil for the first time today.”

“That person wants to meet you.”

“What? What do you mean? Why would that person want to meet me…?”

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand it. He’s never even heard the name before, so why would that person want to meet him?

Park In-soo continued, “It’s because of the land.”

“The land?”

“Yes. Choi Sung-pil wants to buy your land.”

“If it’s land…?”

“I’m talking about the land on the mountainside. The land you said you’d use for a restaurant later.”

Something flashed through Hyun-sung’s mind.

*Swoosh.*

Hyun-sung picked up the business card on the table again and began to examine it closely. His gaze fell on a word printed on the business card.

‘County Councilman’.

‘That’s it!’

He remembers. He didn’t know the name, but he definitely recalled someone mentioning a county councilman. In his past life, he heard that the person who opened a barbecue restaurant on the mountainside was a former county councilman. So that county councilman’s name must be Choi Sung-pil.

Hyun-sung, having recovered his past life’s memories, showed interest, unlike before.

The reason was simple. Just a moment ago, he didn’t know who Choi Sung-pil was, so he wasn’t interested at all, but now it’s different. That person is the one who opened a garden restaurant with a scale of over 150 *pyeong* [approximately 5,340 square feet] on that land in his past life.

Hyun-sung looked at Park In-soo and asked, “What did he say he was going to do there?”

“He didn’t say much. He just said he wanted to buy the land. But what’s strange is the price of the land.”

“The price?”

“Yes. He offered 10,000 won per *pyeong*. As you know, that land isn’t even traded for 2,000 won now. Offering five times the market price seems strange, doesn’t it?”

Of course, it’s strange. But that’s only from the perspective of ordinary people. The value will inevitably change depending on what the land is used for.

If it’s only for farming, the value will definitely be less than 2,000 won. But if the purpose of the land is for a country house or a restaurant, the value will be ten times, or even dozens of times higher.

Moreover, in two years, a four-lane road will be built in front of that land. If that happens, the value of the land will inevitably rise to a level that cannot be compared to now.

The important thing is whether Choi Sung-pil knew that information in advance, but if he’s offering five times the market price at this point, he must have known it somehow. Otherwise, Hyun-sung thought, he wouldn’t have offered that amount without being asked how much he wanted.

Hyun-sung looked at Park In-soo and said, “There’s nothing strange about it.”

“What do you mean? He’s offering five times the market price, and you say it’s not strange…? Moreover, that place is on the mountainside, and there’s no road, so it’s hard to access, isn’t it?”

“What if, just suppose, a road were to be built there?”

“That would be a jackpot, of course. That place has the best scenery in this village, doesn’t it? If you open a big restaurant there, as you said, you’ll hit the jackpot. But will a road be built there?”

As expected, people can’t see even an inch ahead.

Even Park In-soo, who trades real estate, can’t see two years ahead. Well, in his past life, almost no one would have thought that a road would be built in that direction.

Choi Sung-pil must know that information in advance.

Hyun-sung continued, “Who knows? Maybe a four-lane road will be built there.”

“Haha, well, I don’t think it’ll be possible until 20 years from now.”

At Park In-soo’s words, Hyun-sung smiled and didn’t say anything more. He’ll see it with his own eyes in two years anyway.

Hyun-sung said, “Anyway, what did he say?”

“He asked me to make an appointment with you.”

“An appointment?”

“Yes. I told him clearly that you wouldn’t sell the land, but he stubbornly asked me to make an appointment. He said he would meet you in person and talk to you. And there was something else strange.”

Hyun-sung tilted his head and asked immediately, “Something strange? What is it?”

“He knew too much about you. He knew you were running a ramen shop, and he even knew you were number one in school. Not only that, but he also knew that you had received the land from Hee-cheol as a gift.”

“You mean he investigated me?”

“That’s why it’s strange. What on earth is going on…?”

Of course, it’s not difficult to investigate. You can check the land issue by going to the registry office, and it wouldn’t be difficult to find out that much about personal information if you set your mind to it.

But the question is, is it really necessary to go that far?

If the purpose is simply the land, he could have come to the real estate agency and made a request.

Hyun-sung continued, “So, what did you say, Mr. Park?”

“I said I’d talk to you first.”

“It’s okay. There’s no need to meet that person since I’m not going to sell the land anyway. Please tell him clearly that I have no intention of selling the land at all.”

“Okay. I’ll tell him.”

Hyun-sung was about to say goodbye and leave, but he turned back.

“Oh! What about the land I asked you to buy?”

“I’ve bought about 30,000 *pyeong* so far. It’s not as easy as I thought. Since they’re old people who have lived here for a long time, not many people are willing to sell their land.”

“That’s probably true. I expected it to some extent from the beginning, so don’t push it too hard. And the most important thing is the villagers. You shouldn’t upset them even a little bit. They’re the people we’ll be working with later.”

“Okay. Don’t worry about that. That’s what you asked me from the beginning, isn’t it? I’m paying special attention to it.”

“Yes, I understand. Then I’ll be on my way…”

Hyun-sung said goodbye for the last time and left the real estate agency.

Hyun-sung headed to a public telephone booth after leaving the real estate agency.

Hyun-sung immediately made a call. After a few rings, Park Hee-cheol answered the phone.

– Hello.

“It’s me, Hyun-sung.”

– What’s going on at this hour?

“I have a favor to ask. Do you know anyone in the county office?”

– Why the county office all of a sudden?

“Well, today…”

Hyun-sung began to explain in detail about Choi Sung-pil, which he had heard from Park In-soo a little while ago. When Hyun-sung’s explanation was over, Park Hee-cheol asked immediately.

– So, you’re saying that a man named Choi Sung-pil investigated you?

“Yes, that’s right.”

– Why would that person investigate you?

“That’s what I’m saying. I also find it strange. Mr. Park said he wants the land, but if that’s the case, he could have made a request to the real estate agency, but he insisted on…”

– The more I think about it, the stranger it gets.

“So, I was wondering if you could find out what kind of person he is?”

– How far should I look into it?

“I want to know as much as possible if possible. I don’t think I can just stay still because I feel uneasy. He even knew that you gave me the land as a gift.”

The transfer of ownership can be confirmed by checking the registry, but knowing more than that means he deliberately investigated further.

Park Hee-cheol’s voice, which had been silent for a while, was heard again.

– That means he dug into me too.

“I’m not sure, but there’s a high probability that he did.”

– A county councilman dares to… haha.

“Then please do me a favor.”

– Don’t worry. I’ll find out everything about him in two days, even how many spoons he has at home. I’ll look into it and contact you.”

“Yes, I understand. Then go in.”

The moment Hyun-sung hung up the phone, a strange smile appeared on his face.

Hyun-sung left the public telephone booth and headed towards Lee Soo-hyuk’s house.