Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 402

A week later.

A real estate agency in Ilsan.

Creak.

Two men emerged from the real estate office. One appeared to be in his mid-60s, and the other in his early 20s.

The two men left the real estate office and headed towards a nearby parking lot without a word.

What was strange was their expressions.

They looked slightly flushed, as if something significant had just happened, but neither sad nor angry.

The two quietly got into the car.

Click!

The young man in the driver’s seat locked the doors first. Locking the doors from the inside suggested a precaution against potential external threats.

It was strange behavior for broad daylight. But the two didn’t seem to mind, and only after checking the locks once more did they let out a sigh of relief.

“Hoo!”

“Haa…”

And a moment later.

Shashak!

The two simultaneously flipped through their bankbooks, as if by appointment, and began to check the amounts that had just been deposited.

The young man asked first.

“How much is it?”

“Fifty billion [Korean Won, roughly equivalent to $37 million USD]. How about you?”

“Five hundred billion [Korean Won, roughly equivalent to $370 million USD].”

“…”

“…”

The two, who had been silent, suddenly looked at each other.

“Hyun-sung!”

“Yes, Father!”

That’s right. The people who had locked the doors in broad daylight and were checking their bank balances were none other than Hyun-sung and Park Hee-chul.

A week ago, before leaving Gangneung, they had already contacted the real estate agency to request a sale. Since it was the same agency they had dealt with three years ago, it was easy to talk to them.

The sale went smoothly, and after all the processes, including the transfer of ownership and capital gains tax, were completed, they received the sale proceeds today.

Park Hee-chul pinched his thigh in disbelief.

“Ugh!”

“Stop it. It’s not a dream!”

“No matter how much I think about it, I can’t believe it. Even when the new city was announced in April, it wasn’t this much, but now that fifty billion is actually in my account, I can’t help but…”

Park Hee-chul’s words went on and on. He talked about this and that, but the conclusion was still the same: he couldn’t believe it even though he was seeing it with his own eyes.

That was true for Hyun-sung as well.

Of course, he knew from the time he first bought the land three years ago that it would increase at least 100 times. Among them, the land Hyun-sung bought was where apartments would be built later, so he expected it to be worth at least five hundred billion after deducting brokerage fees and capital gains tax.

However, the human emotion was that even though he already knew it, he couldn’t calm down when he actually saw the amount with his own eyes.

Thinking about it and seeing it with your own eyes were definitely different.

When Park Hee-chul finished speaking, Hyun-sung immediately asked.

“Father, what are your plans for the future?”

“First of all, I have to find the family burial ground again.”

“The family burial ground?”

“Yes, I sold the family burial ground to raise funds from loan sharks after being betrayed by my children. I committed a great sin against my ancestors. So I’m going to find it first. Even if they ask for double, no, ten times the price, I’m going to find it.”

Park Hee-chul took a moment to catch his breath and then continued.

“And I’m going to hold on to the remaining money for now. I’m not going to give it to my children in advance like I used to. I’ve been fooled once, but I can’t be fooled twice, can I?”

“Ah, yes…”

That’s obvious. As you get older, money is power.

Even when you get older, children will visit you more often when you have money in your hands.

Otherwise, you’ll end up giving away your inheritance to your children early on, and become like a dog with a dried persimmon [a Korean idiom for someone who is neglected and unwanted after their usefulness is gone]. I’ve seen a lot of people end up like that.

Of course, not all of them are like that, but Hyun-sung had seen a lot of those human trash in his past life, so he had nothing to say about it.

This time, Park Hee-chul asked.

“What are you going to do?”

“Before I go to the army, I’m going to finish the basic construction of the restaurant site and complete some of the landscaping. And I’m going to buy more land.”

“Buy more land? As far as I know, you’ve already bought enough.”

“Yes, I’ve bought 100,000 pyong [approximately 82 acres] so far, but I don’t think that’s enough. I have additional plans.”

Park Hee-chul tilted his head and asked again.

“100,000 pyong is not enough?”

“Yes, that’s right. Actually, Nongshim…”

Hyun-sung began to explain the story he had shared with Chairman Shin Chun-oh. Who was Park Hee-chul, if not anyone else? Of course, he was an unfortunate relationship in his past life, but in this life, he was the one who had helped him get started.

He thought it was his duty to explain his future plans to such a person in advance.

When Hyun-sung’s explanation was finally over, Park Hee-chul immediately asked with a surprised expression.

“Nongshim is building a factory?”

“Yes, the chairman has already made a decision. I have to create the basic foundation within the next five years.”

“Heh heh, is that so…”

Park Hee-chul closed his eyes slightly, as if he was thinking about something.

A moment later.

Park Hee-chul looked at Hyun-sung and opened his mouth, as if he had organized his thoughts.

“This is beyond imagination… If that’s the case, I can’t just sit still. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“I think I’ve already told you?”

“Hmm? What do you mean? When did you tell me?”

“Your sons.”

“Sons? Are you talking about Min-soo and Beom-soo?”

Hyun-sung smiled instead of answering and nodded.

Then Park Hee-chul chuckled and continued.

“So you wanted me to take care of those guys for three years?”

“Among other things.”

“Among other things?”

“Yes, the most important thing is to live with Father. That’s what Father wants the most.”

Park Hee-chul nodded as if he agreed.

Then Hyun-sung immediately continued.

“And this is just my opinion, but I think your sons probably don’t know Korean food, and their Korean language is probably poor. They probably don’t know the basics of being Korean, such as the National Education Charter [a historical document outlining educational goals and values in South Korea] or the national anthem. I think they should have those basics. At least they should know what kind of country their roots, Korea, is, don’t you think?”

“Heh heh, so you’re saying to make those guys Korean, is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes, that’s right. And frankly, Father is also responsible to some extent…”

“Haha, hahaha…”

Park Hee-chul started laughing loudly before Hyun-sung could finish speaking.

Then he opened his mouth again.

“So, in the end, you’re saying that I’m responsible because they’re my children?”

“Honestly, it’s not wrong, is it? Hehe…”

Hyun-sung laughed lightly on purpose.

He wanted to express his desire to solve the problem as naturally as possible rather than by force.

Was it effective?

Park Hee-chul’s expression felt relaxed.

“I understand. Listening to you, I don’t think anything you said is wrong. It’s all my fault because of my greed. Like you said, these guys might not even be able to eat kimchi properly. I’ll try to teach them one by one from now on.”

“It won’t be easy.”

“Of course it will be. How long has it been? It’s been 25 years. You can’t turn back time… Anyway, I’ll do my best.”

Hyun-sung nodded quietly.

Then Park Hee-chul continued.

“By the way, there’s one thing I want to ask you…”

“Yes, please tell me.”

“Let’s say I make these guys into decent human beings in three years, is there anything they can do?”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“Huh? Does that mean you’ve already decided what to entrust to these guys?”

Hyun-sung shook his head and continued.

“It’s the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

“Yes, I’ll start looking for it when I get out of the army. I’ll find out what kind of work my brothers can do while working with me directly.”

“With you?”

“Yes, I’ll start from the bottom. I’ll also be working with my own feet, not just talking about it. If I do that, won’t there be something that suits my brothers?”

“What do you mean by the bottom…”

Park Hee-chul glanced at Hyun-sung, who was driving.

Then Hyun-sung chuckled and continued.

“First of all, I’ll start with shoveling, and then there will be cleaning the restaurant, and there are many other things to do. But don’t worry too much. I won’t make my brothers do only physical work on purpose. The most important thing is my brothers’ mindset. And what I hate the most is pretension.”

“Pretension?”

“You know what that means without me having to explain it, and anyway, I’ll make the most of my brothers’ aptitude. So, Father, please just set the basic framework properly until I get out of the army, as I said earlier.”

“Heh heh, the basic framework… And then you’ll take care of the rest, I see. Thinking about it, that seems right too.”

Park Hee-chul had no choice but to nod.

To be honest, it would be a lie if he said he had no expectations. He hoped that Hyun-sung would mention a management position, even if it was for his sake. After all, they had studied abroad.

But Hyun-sung didn’t even mention the management position itself. Rather, he blocked it by saying that he would start with shoveling or cleaning.

But he couldn’t say anything against it because Hyun-sung said he would do it himself.

And the last thing he said made people even more dumbfounded.

No pretension.

What does that mean?

In a word, it means don’t act like you’re hot stuff just because you studied abroad. Well, what can you say when you’re coming back to your home country after failing?

For now, he had no choice but to wait and see.

The car carrying the two was passing over the Han River and heading towards the Jungbu Expressway.

Hyun-sung opened his mouth slightly.

“Father, what are you thinking so hard about?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just thinking about this and that.”

“Please take care of me in the future. I can’t do anything alone. I need Father to help me a lot. Will you do that?”

“Heh heh…”

Park Hee-chul just smiled instead of answering. He wondered if he was being pushed back as an old man. No, he firmly believed that.

‘What is it?’

Is it not yet?

He would know the truth if he watched more, but what was funny was that he couldn’t control his expression.

Park Hee-chul turned his head and looked to the right. Otherwise, he thought his smiling face would be caught.

The car was already running at high speed on the Jungbu Expressway.

***

The next day.

The first place Hyun-sung visited was the real estate agency.

“Welcome, Mr. Kim!”

When Hyun-sung entered, Park In-soo, the president of the real estate agency, greeted him happily.

“Have you been well?”

“I’ve been well. Honestly, isn’t it all thanks to Mr. Kim? Speaking of which…”

President Park In-soo’s words continued. It was a complaint that it was difficult because there were no deals in the countryside. At the end of his words, Hyun-sung walked to the map hanging on the wall and continued.

“President, then you have to work a little harder from now on, right?”

“Why? Do you have another deal?”

“Please look at this map. Right here as the center…”

Hyun-sung pointed to a spot with his hand and drew a long circle.

Then President Park In-soo’s eyes quickly changed to a surprised expression.

“You don’t mean all of it…?”

“It’s not just a possibility; please buy up this entire valley.”

“The entire valley? That’s land that can’t be farmed because there are many stones.”

“Yes, that’s why it’s even better. How long will it take to buy all of this?”

“Hmm… Well, there are several owners there, so I have to check, but I think it will take about 6 months?”

Hyun-sung, who was thinking for a moment, opened his mouth again.

“If you finish it within 3 months, I’ll give you another bonus in addition to the brokerage fee.”

“Another bonus?”

“Yes, is it possible?”

“I have to make it possible no matter what. I understand. I’ll move from tomorrow, no, from today. By the way, what are you going to do with that large land?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s…”

“Ah, I understand. I don’t need to know the purpose.”

Hyun-sung deliberately hid the fact that Nongshim’s factory would be built there. He thought that if the word leaked out, it might interfere with the progress of the work.

So, even when he told Park Hee-chul about it yesterday, he thoroughly asked him to keep that part a secret.

Hyun-sung opened his mouth again before leaving the real estate agency.

“President, and if there are any shops or buildings coming up for sale in this neighborhood, please grab them all.”

“Shops and buildings?”

“Yes, all of them, no matter what.”

“No matter what…? Ah, I understand. But that…”

President Park In-soo covered his mouth. He realized once again that his role was only to mediate.

Hyun-sung, who came out of the real estate agency, moved his steps to where the truck was parked.

It was then.

Two people were running towards him from the front.

‘Huh? Those guys are…’

A smile began to spread on Hyun-sung’s face.