Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 382

382

That evening.

“Breaking news. We have just received reports of an accident. A bus traveling along the coastal road near Woljeong-ri in Jeju has reportedly crashed into the sea. We will go live to our reporter Lee Han-min, who is on the scene, for more details. Lee Han-min!”

The urgency in the news anchor’s voice conveyed the severity of the accident. The screen changed, filling the TV with footage of the accident scene. A reporter stood in the center, holding a microphone.

-Yes, this is reporter Lee Han-min. I am currently at the scene of the accident in Woljeong-ri.

“Is the scene behind you the accident site?”

-Yes, it is.

“The accident reportedly occurred around 6:30 PM. What are the details?”

-The accident occurred at 6:25 PM, to be exact. Fourth-year students from the Department of Economics at Gangsang University in Gangneung were on a graduation trip. The accident happened as they were returning to their accommodation after completing their schedule for the day. Fortunately, despite the crash, there were no fatalities.

“That’s a stroke of luck. What was the reason there were no fatalities despite such a major accident?”

-There were two reasons. First, all the students on the bus were wearing their seatbelts. Second, the rapid response of the rescue team was crucial.

The screen showed the accident scene again. The front of the bus was submerged in seawater, indicating that it had been underwater at the time of the accident. The anchor immediately asked:

“Judging from the footage, the front of the bus appears to be submerged in water. It’s amazing that there were no fatalities. What was the reason for this?”

-Yes, that’s correct. As I mentioned earlier, it was thanks to the rapid response of the rescue team. They began the rescue operation immediately after the accident.

“I’m sorry, what do you mean? It would take at least a few minutes for the rescue team to arrive at the scene. How could the rescue have been immediate?”

-That’s what’s so strange. According to eyewitnesses, ten ambulances were following the bus. What’s even more unusual is that someone hired those ten ambulances today specifically for the Gangsang University students.

“What? What are you saying? Are you suggesting they knew the accident was going to happen…?”

Click!

Chairman Shin Chun-oh pressed the remote, turning off the TV.

“…….”

Silence between the two men.

After a moment, Chairman Shin Chun-oh spoke first.

“Good work, Secretary Kim.”

“I simply did as you instructed, Chairman. But the more I think about it, the more incredible it seems. It’s even frightening. How could something like this happen?”

“Indeed. I never expected it…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh bit his lower lip. He couldn’t understand it, no matter how hard he tried. Not just once or twice, but this was the third time. Ssin Ramen’s image, the general election results, and now this accident.

He had dismissed the first two as coincidences. But this time, it was a major accident. In any case, the important thing was that lives had been saved because of it.

After a moment of silence, Chairman Shin Chun-oh spoke again.

“Secretary Kim.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“I’m realizing once again that this isn’t something we can understand. Let’s just be content with continuing to do what we can, as we have been doing.”

“Yes, I agree. This is simply beyond comprehension…”

Secretary Kim Young-woo shook his head. He hadn’t dared to say it out loud when he was hiring the private ambulances on Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s orders, but he had thought it was insane. But the moment he saw the TV news, he felt like his breath was taken away. He couldn’t believe that the impossible had actually happened.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh continued.

“In any case, the important thing is that we saved lives this time.”

“Yes, that’s right. If the paramedics hadn’t been there immediately, there would have been many casualties. It’s all thanks to your wise decision, Chairman.”

“Enough, enough. I don’t need to hear that… Anyway, let’s go out for dinner. Let’s go eat some spicy braised monkfish. And have a drink or two. We deserve that much of a reward for our hard work, haha…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh began to laugh loudly, seemingly in a good mood. Secretary Kim Young-woo felt the same way. Whatever the reason, they had saved lives.

The two men left the chairman’s office in good spirits.

***

At the same time.

Park Min-seok covered his mouth as he watched TV.

He hadn’t believed it. He had waited all day for the time to pass. He had thought that there wouldn’t be an accident anyway, and that time would prove it.

But…!

An unbelievable scene appeared on the TV screen. It was footage of the bus crash. And that bus was the one his friends were on.

If Hyun-sung hadn’t pulled him off the bus that morning, he would be lying in a hospital bed somewhere in Jeju right now, instead of being here. Or, perhaps, as Hyun-sung had said, he might no longer be alive.

Come to think of it, everyone on the bus had been wearing their seatbelts. That was why there were no fatalities. In fact, wearing seatbelts was also thanks to Hyun-sung.

When they had left Gangsang University on the bus, almost no one had been wearing a seatbelt. When Hyun-sung pulled him off the bus, he had earnestly asked Lee Sang-woo to wear his seatbelt. He had specifically said that if they didn’t wear seatbelts while traveling by bus in Jeju, they would all die. He had clearly heard his friends fastening their seatbelts after that.

“In the end…”

Everything came down to Hyun-sung. The fact that everyone, except for a few with moderate injuries, had only minor injuries despite the bus crashing into the sea was due to the seatbelts, which meant that everyone was able to get away with just that thanks to Hyun-sung.

“How could this happen…?”

It didn’t make sense. But the important thing was that it was happening now. And as a result, he was able to watch TV perfectly fine like this.

“This is no time for this!”

Park Min-seok jumped up from his seat.

At that moment.

“Hoo…!”

Hyun-sung let out a long sigh of relief without realizing it. He had been worried, but the accident had happened exactly as it had in his previous life.

But thankfully, there were no fatalities. In his previous life, a total of five people, including Park Min-seok, had died.

“Anyway…”

One question lingered in his mind. It was about the presence of the ambulances. The reporter had said earlier that the ambulances had been following the bus. Not just one, but ten of them. What was even stranger was that someone had deliberately hired those ambulances.

“Does that make sense?”

This didn’t make sense at all. He knew about the accident in advance because of his memories from his previous life, but who else could have known about the accident in advance and had ambulances follow the bus? Ten of them, no less. If the ambulances hadn’t been following, there would definitely have been fatalities.

“Who on earth could it be?”

Just as Hyun-sung was getting lost in thought,

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

He had a general idea of who it was. They would have heard about the accident by now. So they would have come right away.

Sure enough.

The person who opened the door was Park Min-seok, as expected.

“Hyun-sung!”

Park Min-seok, his face pale with shock, called out Hyun-sung’s name. As soon as he entered the room, Park Min-seok knelt down in front of Hyun-sung.

“Hyun-sung, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say…”

“Hyung [older brother/friend], don’t do this.”

Hyun-sung quickly grabbed Park Min-seok’s shoulders and helped him up. It wasn’t like he was great or anything, he just knew in advance thanks to his regression. Of course, there had been some unpleasantness in the process of informing them about the accident, but that was to be expected. Maybe it was fortunate that it ended there.

Park Min-seok barely straightened his knees and bowed his head again.

“Hyun-sung, I’m really sorry. I must have been crazy about the graduation trip for a moment. I just lost it without realizing…”

“No, hyung. I’m okay. Rather, I’m sorry for getting angry earlier. I shouldn’t have done that…”

In fact, looking back, he felt sorry. If he were in their shoes and someone told him they had a dream and asked him to believe it, he would have refused as well.

Park Min-seok continued.

“I’m so sorry to say this now, but thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I would be lying in a hospital bed right now. Or maybe I would have had an even bigger accident, and if that had happened…”

Park Min-seok shook his head from side to side as if he didn’t want to imagine it. Hyun-sung looked at Park Min-seok and said immediately.

“Hyung, it’s all over now. So forget about it. And anyway, you’re safe and the other hyungs are safe too. That’s all that matters.”

“Of course, that’s true. But… I’m sorry, but can I ask you one thing?”

“What is it?”

“About the ambulances, how did that happen? Did you prepare that too?”

“No. Actually, I’m curious about that too. I wonder who did that. It doesn’t make any sense…”

He couldn’t understand it no matter how hard he tried. He knew about it because of his dream, but he couldn’t understand how anyone else could have known about the accident in advance.

Park Min-seok continued.

“It wasn’t you? Then who on earth…?”

“That’s what I’m saying. I saw it in a dream, but someone else also knew that the accident was going to happen. I have no idea who that could be.”

“That’s really strange. I naturally thought it was you…”

Then, one person came to Park Min-seok’s mind. It was the Fan Master he had visited yesterday afternoon. That person had clearly said that ‘that person’ would take care of it.

Park Min-seok glanced at Hyun-sung. Judging from his expression, Hyun-sung was still curious. Park Min-seok slowly opened his mouth.

“Hyun-sung…”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Actually, I went somewhere with the class representative yesterday. And that person said…”

Park Min-seok began to explain about his visit to the Fan Master yesterday. As Park Min-seok’s explanation continued, Hyun-sung began to show interest. And finally, when Park Min-seok’s explanation ended, Hyun-sung asked immediately.

“The Fan Master in Ponam-dong?”

“Yeah, I originally went to see a famous shaman, but he said he had gone to the mountain to pray. So I had no choice but to turn back, and I saw a sign for the Fan Master and went in. Honestly, we were worried after hearing about your dream.”

“And the Fan Master told you to just go on the graduation trip because that person would take care of it?”

“No, he didn’t specifically tell us to go on the graduation trip, but he just told us to do whatever we wanted. He said that person would take care of it.”

“He said that person would take care of it?”

“Yeah, so when I saw the TV earlier, I thought that person was you. I thought you had prepared the ambulances just like you pulled me off the bus.”

“…….”

Hyun-sung didn’t have anything to say in particular. He had never believed in such people. But he didn’t ignore them either. It was hard to say anything in that situation. But he was curious about who ‘that person’ the Fan Master had mentioned was.

Then, Park Min-seok spoke again.

“I can go back and ask about that tomorrow, but there’s one more thing I’m curious about.”

“About me?”

“Yeah.”

“What is it?”

“This morning, how could you lie about Mom collapsing? Honestly, if it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have gotten off the bus with you. Even now, I’m amazed at how you could make up such a lie at that moment.”

That was true. If Hyun-sung had lied about something other than his mom at that moment, he probably wouldn’t have gotten off the bus. At that moment, there was nothing more important than his mom to replace the graduation trip.

Hyun-sung’s answer followed immediately.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Obvious?”

“Yes, because I knew that at that moment, there was nothing more precious than my mother. Oh? Mother? Hyung! This is no time for this!”

Hyun-sung suddenly spoke loudly. Han Soo-jin’s image flashed through his mind. He thought that Han Soo-jin would be more shocked than anyone else after seeing the news. She was the one who had lost Park Min-seok in her previous life and lived in pain for the rest of her life. Right now, the person who needed comfort the most was Han Soo-jin, her.

Park Min-seok asked.

“Why are you suddenly shouting?”

“Hyung, get up quickly. The person who needs comfort the most right now is your mother. How shocked must she have been? This is no time for this. Go to your mother quickly.”

“My mom?”

“Yes, hurry! Quickly!”

Hyun-sung pushed Park Min-seok out the door.

Park Min-seok came out.

Park Min-seok slowly moved his feet towards the main room.

Creak!

Park Min-seok opened the door and was startled.

“Mom!”

Han Soo-jin’s face was swollen from crying so much. Seeing that, Park Min-seok couldn’t help but burst into tears.

He had forgotten for a moment. The person who would be most shocked was his mom.

“My son!”

Han Soo-jin got up from her seat and looked at Park Min-seok.