Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 323

323

“What? The fifth floor?”

Park Young-jin couldn’t believe Choi Sung-pil’s words. Not just a few square feet, but 200? And now he was saying they were going to build a fifth floor, which was just absurd.

It was all about Hyun-sung.

Just a moment ago, he had heard about Hyun-sung’s plan from Choi Sung-pil. But the plan was so ridiculous that he was speechless.

Park Young-jin asked again.

“Do you think that makes sense?”

“I was also taken aback at first, but looking at Kim’s eyes, it didn’t seem like he was talking nonsense at all. The plan is also very specific. As you know, hyung [older brother or friend], Kim is no ordinary kid.”

“Oh, come on. No matter how special Kim is, does that make sense? Not just a few square feet, but 200, and building a five-story steel frame on top of that? This isn’t right, this just doesn’t make any sense.”

Park Young-jin shook his head.

Then, Choi Sung-pil stared directly into Park Young-jin’s eyes and said again as if he had made up his mind.

“Hyung, are you ignoring me?”

“It’s not ignoring… okay, let’s say that kid is telling the truth, as Choi says. What about the money? The construction costs alone will be enormous.”

“5 billion won [approximately $3.7 million USD].”

“What, 5 billion won?”

“Yes, that’s the budget Kim is talking about. That’s the estimated amount to fully set up the building, the surrounding environment, and even the rooftop.”

Park Young-jin’s eyes widened, and he asked again.

“Did you just say 5 billion won?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s an amount I can’t even imagine, but Kim was talking about it so casually. He said that’s the amount he’s expecting.”

“Heh heh…”

Park Young-jin just laughed.

5 billion won, it sounds good, but how can ordinary people even imagine such a huge amount of money?

Park Young-jin just chuckled, afraid that Choi Sung-pil would get annoyed if he said anything else.

But Choi Sung-pil, who couldn’t possibly miss the meaning, continued immediately.

“You still don’t believe me, do you?”

“Ahem, I’m sorry, I just can’t…”

Park Young-jin couldn’t hide his feelings any longer.

Then, strange words came out of Choi Sung-pil’s mouth.

“The land in Ilsan.”

“The land in Ilsan? Why is that coming up all of a sudden?”

“That’s Kim’s source of money.”

“Source of money?”

“Yes, he clearly said that. Kim said it himself. What does that mean? To be honest, I don’t care if Kim opens a 200-square-foot or a 10,000-square-foot restaurant there. I’m only interested in…”

“Wait!”

Park Young-jin interrupted Choi Sung-pil. Then he continued immediately.

“So, what you’re saying is that the land in Ilsan is going to go up that much? Does that mean Ilsan is really going to be announced as a new city?”

“Two years.”

“Two years?”

“Yes, it will be announced as a new city in two years.”

“What? Is that real?”

Park Young-jin’s voice suddenly grew louder. Why wouldn’t it? The ultimate reason Choi Sung-pil had offered to take Hyun-sung home was to find out that information at all costs.

In his haste, Park Young-jin asked again.

“Are you saying that kid directly said that Ilsan will be announced as a new city in two years?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What’s the source?”

Perhaps that was the most important part. If he could just confirm that the information was accurate, there would be no reason to hesitate any longer.

Perhaps that’s why Park Young-jin’s eyes shone even brighter at that moment.

“That’s…”

“What is it? Why are you hesitating at the most important moment? What’s the source? That’s the most important thing.”

“…There isn’t one.”

“There isn’t? What does that mean?”

Park Young-jin couldn’t understand what Choi Sung-pil was saying for a moment. A little while ago, he had clearly said that the kid said Ilsan would be announced as a new city in two years. But now he was saying that there was no source for that information, so of course he couldn’t understand what he was saying.

Then, Choi Sung-pil said as if throwing the words out.

“It’s just his thought.”

“Thought? What thought?”

“Kim’s thought. He thinks that Ilsan will be announced as a new city in two years.”

“So, you’re saying that it’s not based on any information, but just Kim’s own thought?”

Choi Sung-pil nodded instead of answering.

Then, Park Young-jin continued in disbelief.

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“I was also so dumbfounded at first that I couldn’t say anything…”

“And?”

“I couldn’t help but be swayed by Kim’s serious demeanor. And he said he would start construction in two years. What does that mean?”

“So, in the end, you’re saying that the land in Ilsan will be returned in cash in two years?”

“That’s right. According to you, hyung, Kim will have at least 50 billion won [approximately $37 million USD]. At least 100 times more.”

“This is just…”

Park Young-jin was frustrated. If he believed it, it didn’t make sense, but if he ignored it, he felt uneasy. One way or another, it was bothering him.

Then, Choi Sung-pil said again.

“Kim said something like this at the end.”

“What else did he say?”

“People see as much as they believe.”

“What? See as much as they believe?”

“Yes, but that’s bothering me. I don’t know if he’s telling me to believe it or not.”

“You’re just saying more and more nonsense. See as much as they believe… Hmph!”

Park Young-jin let out a long sigh.

A moment later.

Park Young-jin looked at Choi Sung-pil and said,

“Do you have a cigarette?”

“Yes? Ah, yes. Here you go. But hyung, you quit smoking, didn’t you?”

“I already smoked earlier anyway, I just feel like I need to smoke to breathe. It’s not just a few pennies; if you bury 100 million won [approximately $74,000 USD], it becomes 10 billion won [approximately $7.4 million USD].”

Click.

Whoosh…

As Choi Sung-pil lit his cigarette, Park Young-jin took a deep drag and exhaled a long stream of smoke. But that wasn’t enough to calm him down, and he jumped up and started pacing around the real estate office.

Several minutes passed.

“Hyung, what are you going to do?”

Choi Sung-pil couldn’t stand it any longer and finally spoke first.

Then, Park Young-jin opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Let’s think about it for a few more days. No matter how I think about it, that last word bothers me.”

“Right? I feel the same way. I’m sure he didn’t just say it.”

“That’s what I’m saying. See as much as they believe…”

That was the moment when the two men’s 고민 [worries/agonies] began again.

***

At that time.

“Did you call for me?”

Shin Mi-sook said as soon as she entered Hyun-sung’s store.

Then, Hyun-sung bowed his head slightly and continued.

“I’m sorry. I asked you to come so late at night.”

“No, it’s okay. I was waiting for your call anyway. I was curious about how the talk with the store owners went today.”

“The talk with the store owners went well. As soon as the sign and tinting work are finished, we’ll start with the discount event.”

“Discount event?”

“Yes, regardless of the type of business, the discount rate will be 20% unconditionally, and the period will be three months. For now, I’m thinking of holding the event to that extent and then watching the trend.”

“Of course, that also came from your head, right?”

Shin Mi-sook asked with a slight smile.

Then, Hyun-sung continued as if it were nothing.

“I was already thinking about that from the beginning. It’s the easiest way. The problem is what comes next.”

“What comes next?”

“Yes, once that happens, the atmosphere of the commercial district will come back to life to some extent. The problem is that we’ll need a way to maintain and develop that atmosphere so that more customers can come.”

“There’s nothing easy. So, what’s the next method?”

“Coupons and delivery.”

“Coupons and delivery?”

“Yes, we’ll give coupons for a certain amount or more…”

Hyun-sung began to explain the method he was thinking of. As Hyun-sung’s explanation continued, Shin Mi-sook nodded repeatedly with a satisfied expression. And finally, when Hyun-sung’s explanation was over, she said with a smile.

“You’re really something. How can you think of such things?”

“It just happened…”

“Anyway, you’re amazing. So, what did the store owners say?”

“Everyone said it was good. We decided to do it that way, and the reason I asked you to come so late is because of the opening event.”

“Ah! That’s right. I was also curious about that. You told me to think about what would be good for the opening event, but I couldn’t think of anything.”

Shin Mi-sook smiled awkwardly and looked at Hyun-sung. She had been 고민 [worrying/agonizing] about that problem for several days, but she couldn’t think of anything.

Then, Hyun-sung’s words followed immediately.

“I think the best thing would be a free tasting.”

“Free tasting?”

“Yes, people will come because of the taste once they taste it.”

“Hmm…”

Shin Mi-sook’s expression suddenly darkened.

Seeing that, Hyun-sung asked immediately.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“It’s okay, tell me. If you have any other good ideas, feel free to…”

“Can’t we do half?”

Before Hyun-sung could finish speaking, different words came out of Shin Mi-sook’s mouth.

“Half?”

“Yes, 50%. Instead of unconditionally free tasting, can’t we get at least half price?”

“Well, there’s no reason why we can’t, but it will rather reduce the effect. We’re not doing it for several days, we’re only doing it for one day on the opening day, so I think it’s better to just do it for free. After all, we need to make a splash all at once to maximize the effect.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes, of course. People’s psychology is that they’ll come unconditionally if it’s free, but if they have to pay even half price, they’ll hesitate. Moreover, since it’s ramen, people won’t be very interested. But if it’s free, it’s a different story. Especially for students.”

When Hyun-sung finished speaking, Shin Mi-sook was silent for a moment as if she was thinking.

After a while.

Shin Mi-sook opened her mouth again.

“About how many people do you think will come?”

“I’m expecting a basic 300 people, and up to 500 people.”

“That many?”

“Maybe even more than that. The important thing is that the more people come, the more it will help you. Of course, the amount you have to give up is not a small amount, but in terms of cost, it’s not that much. So, you shouldn’t think that it’s a waste. Just think of it as spending the advertising costs all at once.”

Hyun-sung knew why Shin Mi-sook was being so passive, so he told her his honest thoughts.

Then, Shin Mi-sook scratched her head and opened her mouth.

“I guess my thinking was short-sighted. To be honest, I thought that amount was a waste.”

“Of course, it’s not a small amount, but on the other hand, it’s not that much either. If 500 people come, it will cost about 70,000 won [approximately $52 USD] in terms of cost. I think it’s okay to spend that much on advertising. I’ll say it again, but from your point of view, you’ll get dozens of times the effect of the advertising costs you spend.”

“Dozens of times?”

“Yes, so please do it with a good feeling.”

“Okay, I understand. I was just talking nonsense for a moment. I should just trust what you say. Hehe…”

Shin Mi-sook laughed at the end of her words, feeling embarrassed.

Then, she immediately opened her mouth again.

“Shall we move on to the main topic now?”

“Main topic?”

“Yes, the chain store. I think that part is the most important. How are you going to operate the chain store? As far as I know, to open a chain store, there’s a franchise fee, and the interior is basic, and every month…”

Shin Mi-sook began to explain the general operation method of chain stores. She seemed to have looked into it a lot.

When Shin Mi-sook’s explanation was over, Hyun-sung’s answer followed immediately.

“I’m not doing a chain store.”

“Yes? What do you mean? You’re not going to do it now…”

“This is my answer.”

Hyun-sung handed a piece of paper to Shin Mi-sook.

“What is this?”

“First, take a look.”

Shin Mi-sook began to carefully examine the contents of the paper that Hyun-sung handed her. Then, at some point, Shin Mi-sook’s hand began to tremble slightly.