Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 386

386

“Chairman!”

He had his doubts. The moment Hyun-sung heard the voice, he questioned his own ears. It was a little past 5 a.m., and this wasn’t Seoul but Gangneung. How could he possibly be hearing his voice?

He naturally assumed he was mistaken.

But after turning around and seeing for himself, the voice undoubtedly belonged to the person he thought it was.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh was smiling and looking at him.

“Chairman! What’s going on? How did you get here at this hour…?”

Instead of answering, Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled and spread his arms wide. Hyun-sung knew what that meant and immediately approached him.

Squeeze!

Chairman Shin Chun-oh hugged Hyun-sung tightly as he embraced him. He seemed genuinely happy, like a grandfather meeting his grandson after a long time.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes, Chairman. Have you been alright?”

“I’ve been well, thanks to you. But let me take a good look at your face.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh released his arms and grabbed Hyun-sung’s shoulders.

“Hmm… Heh, you look like a proper adult now. You’ve completely changed from when I saw you a year ago. You seem taller too.”

“Haha, is that so? I’m not sure, but how did you get here? How did you come all the way here, especially at this hour?”

It was incomprehensible no matter how he thought about it. To arrive at this hour, he would have had to leave Seoul around midnight. It didn’t make sense for the chairman of a company, not just any individual, to be moving around at that time.

Then, Chairman Shin Chun-oh said something absurd.

“I came because I wanted to see you.”

“Pardon? What do you mean…?”

“I suddenly wanted to see you this afternoon. I can endure almost anything, but I can’t stand not eating what I want or seeing the people I want to see.”

“But still, at this hour?”

“Secretary Kim said this was the only time you were available. He said you haven’t been sleeping because you’ve been studying. So, I had no choice but to come at this hour.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh had no choice but to blame Secretary Kim Young-woo. Otherwise, he couldn’t explain why he came at this early hour.

Hyun-sung, on the other hand, tilted his head. He wondered how Secretary Kim Young-woo knew he would be at his place at this hour.

But that question didn’t last long.

Who was Kim Young-woo? He was the secretary of a large corporation’s chairman. If he put his mind to it, finding out something like that would be nothing.

“Let’s go.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh said, looking at Hyun-sung.

Hyun-sung immediately asked,

“Yes? Go where?”

“You must be tired from staying up all night. Let’s go have some hangover soup and rest.”

“Hangover soup?”

“Yes, right now, the most important thing for you is hangover soup. Eat it and get some rest.”

Smile.

Hyun-sung was momentarily puzzled by the mention of hangover soup, but he immediately smiled. At first, he wondered what the chairman of a large corporation was talking about, coming all this way to talk about hangover soup, but then he realized that at this moment, there was no better food for him.

And what was even more appreciated was Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s thoughtfulness. He had thought in advance about what the other person needed, rather than just going through the motions.

As Hyun-sung walked with Chairman Shin Chun-oh towards the car, Secretary Kim Young-woo and driver Choi Jin-young, who were outside, greeted Hyun-sung warmly, and Hyun-sung also greeted them.

As the car started, Hyun-sung said with a smile,

“You two must be suffering because of the chairman. You can’t even rest on a Sunday.”

“You’re saying that because you don’t know. We’re actually grateful to the chairman.”

Secretary Kim Young-woo waved his hand. But it didn’t sound like he was just saying it out of politeness, but sincerely.

Hyun-sung asked again,

“Really?”

“Yes, I even got praised by my wife when I left the house at 11 p.m. today.”

“Praise?”

Hyun-sung shook his head slightly. He couldn’t understand what Secretary Kim Young-woo was talking about.

Secretary Kim Young-woo immediately explained.

“I left with a check [cheque].”

“A check?”

“Yes, it’s a bit awkward to say this in front of the chairman, but the chairman gave us each a check as a special allowance.”

“A check as a special allowance?”

Hyun-sung turned his head and looked at Chairman Shin Chun-oh next to him. Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled and continued,

“Hey, I’m not such a bad employer.”

“Who said you were a bad employer? I meant it as the opposite, with respect.”

That was true. Which chairman would give a check to his secretary and driver for working on a Sunday? Of course, the check would be for 100,000 won, which was not a small amount at the time.

“It’s not like it’s respect… Pfft.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled lightly, as if he didn’t dislike it.

Hyun-sung looked at driver Choi Jin-young this time and asked slyly. He was curious about his reaction too.

“Driver, did you get praised too?”

“Me? Well… Hehe.”

Choi Jin-young suddenly covered his mouth and started laughing. But he looked like a child who had done something good and received praise.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t curious.

Hyun-sung immediately asked,

“What does that laugh mean?”

“Do you know what my wife said to me?”

“What did she say?”

It seemed Hyun-sung wasn’t the only one curious. Secretary Kim Young-woo and Chairman Shin Chun-oh were also looking at Choi Jin-young.

Then, Choi Jin-young smiled and opened his mouth.

“She told me to go every week.”

“Every week?”

“Yes, she said I don’t have to come home on Sundays anymore. Hehe.”

As soon as Choi Jin-young finished speaking, he covered his mouth and started laughing again.

It was then.

“Haha, hahahaha…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh was the first to start laughing loudly. Then, Secretary Kim Young-woo and driver Choi Jin-young, who were sitting in the front, looked at each other for a moment and started laughing at the same time, as if they had made a promise.

But their laughter was definitely different from Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s. It felt like there was a bitter feeling in their laughter.

“Which way should we go?”

When they reached an intersection, Choi Jin-young looked at Hyun-sung and asked.

To go to the hangover soup restaurant, they had to turn left. But after thinking for a moment, Hyun-sung turned in the opposite direction, to the right.

“Huh? This road seems to lead to the outskirts…”

As Hyun-sung said, Choi Jin-young, who was driving after turning right, tilted his head. Then, Hyun-sung immediately continued,

“Yes, I want to go somewhere before we eat hangover soup.”

“Where are you going at this hour?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh asked curiously. Then, Hyun-sung smiled and said,

“You’ll know when you get there. Driver Choi, just go straight for about 30 minutes from now on.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

Brum!

Choi Jin-young nodded and stepped on the accelerator.

After driving for about 30 minutes, a wide sea appeared. The car stopped next to the national highway overlooking Anin Beach. Anin Beach is about 11km away from Gangneung city center in the direction of the East Sea [Sea of Japan], and it’s a place that outsiders don’t know well.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh got out of the car and asked,

“Where is this?”

“This is Anin Beach. How is it?”

“I understand why you wanted to come here. It’s amazing that there’s a place like this in our country. It’s really spectacular. It’s touching.”

“It’s a gift from me.”

Hyun-sung smiled and looked at the sea. It’s always a pleasant place to see.

He first learned about this place in his previous life when he was a junior in college. A week before the end of summer vacation, he traveled along the coastal road for a week with two friends on bicycles. That’s when he first learned that there was a place like this in Gangneung.

The biggest charm of this place is that the sea comes into view the widest. Especially on a clear autumn day, looking at the vast blue sea is so touching that you wonder if this is really Korea.

It was then.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh urgently called Hyun-sung.

“Kim!”

“Yes.”

“Is that it over there?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh was pointing to the horizon with his finger. The sky there was already turning red. It looked like the sun would rise soon.

Hyun-sung said in a bright voice,

“Yes, that’s right. It looks like the sun will rise soon. It’s a sunrise.”

“Really? The sun will rise from there?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh couldn’t hide his excitement, as if he had returned to his childhood. Then, driver Choi Jin-young came with a camera that he had prepared at some point. But the camera he was holding didn’t seem like a camera that ordinary people use.

“Chairman, take a great position against the backdrop of the sea. I think the best work will come out today.”

“Ah! That’s right. Driver Choi’s major was photography, right?”

“Oh, you remembered that?”

“Of course, I did. Even if I don’t remember anything else, I remember that… Alright, take a good picture. I’ll give you a generous price for the photo today.”

With those words, Chairman Shin Chun-oh called Hyun-sung.

“Kim, come here. Can you take a commemorative photo with me?”

“Of course. But my modeling fee is a bit expensive.”

“Hehe, alright, alright. I’ll give you anything since I received such a wonderful place as a gift.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s face was full of smiles, as if he was in a good mood.

The four of them started taking pictures of each other in turn. Like students on a school trip, the expressions of the four people were all bright. Perhaps that’s why the sun, which they see every day, seemed unusually bright today.

***

After watching the sunrise, the four headed to a soft tofu restaurant in Chodang. It took almost 50 minutes to get from Anin to Chodang, but the expressions of the four people remained bright throughout the journey. That meant everyone was satisfied.

“Is this the place you talked about on the phone?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh asked as he got out of the car when they arrived at the parking lot. Then, Hyun-sung nodded and pointed to the sign.

“Yes, this is the place I called last time. I think the food here suits my taste the best.”

“Really? Is that so… Well, let’s go in.”

While the two were talking, Secretary Kim Young-woo and driver Choi Jin-young had already entered the store.

“Please sit this way.”

Secretary Kim Young-woo guided Chairman Shin Chun-oh, as if he had already secured a seat. When Chairman Shin Chun-oh took his seat, Secretary Kim Young-woo and driver Choi Jin-young took separate seats in the back.

Seeing that, Chairman Shin Chun-oh called Secretary Kim Young-woo.

“Secretary Kim!”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Just come this way. And from now on, don’t sit separately, let’s sit together. You don’t have to do that.”

“Yes? But how can we…?”

“I’m sorry. I should have paid attention to it sooner… It’s late, but let’s do that from now on. I’m asking you.”

“Yes? Ah, yes, I understand.”

Secretary Kim Young-woo immediately gave a look to Choi Jin-young. Then, Choi Jin-young immediately got up and came to this table to take a seat.

Hyun-sung naturally took a seat next to Chairman Shin Chun-oh, and Secretary Kim Young-woo and Choi Jin-young naturally took seats across from them.

“Hmm… Yes, this is right.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh nodded and said quietly to himself. Hyun-sung just smiled as he looked at Chairman Shin Chun-oh.

“Jjaebok, four, please.”

As Hyun-sung finished ordering, Chairman Shin Chun-oh immediately asked,

“Jjaebok?”

Hyun-sung had no choice but to explain what Jjaebok was. As Hyun-sung’s explanation continued, the three began to nod as if they had made a promise. And as Hyun-sung’s explanation ended, Secretary Kim Young-woo immediately continued,

“So, it’s a clam that is mainly caught on the east coast?”

“Yes, that’s right. The official name is Mactra veneriformis, but people here call it Jjaebok.”

“Jjaebok… The name is very folksy.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled and nodded.

Then, the ordered food and side dishes were placed on the table.

“Oh? Is this it?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh looked at the stew boiling in the earthenware pot and happily picked up a spoon. It was Biji-jjigae [soybean curd stew].

The eyes of the three sparkled.

But Hyun-sung’s mind was full of other thoughts. It was because of the writing he had seen when he came into the store a little while ago.

[For Rent]

‘Is my mother-in-law finally coming here…?’

If his mother-in-law takes over this store, he will naturally be able to hear news of his wife, Yoon Ji-soo. Can he finally meet her now?