Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 463

“What did you say?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh turned his gaze to face Director Choi Jin-young directly. He was reacting to something completely unexpected that had just come from Director Choi’s mouth.

Chairman Shin repeated the question, his voice urgent.

“Director Choi, say that again. What did you just say?”

“That’s…”

Director Choi Jin-young hesitated, unable to continue.

Chairman Shin was growing impatient, and his expression darkened.

“Director Choi, is this really happening?”

“Ah, no. I’ll report immediately. So, that’s…”

Director Choi began to explain. As he spoke, Chairman Shin’s expression hardened.

Finally, when the explanation ended, Chairman Shin spoke.

“So, you’re saying the research center refused to give an answer?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“The reason?”

“It’s an order from above.”

“From above?”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“……”

Chairman Shin fell silent, as if the words ‘from above’ had struck him dumb.

‘Is this how it ends, after all?’

The research center.

Located on the 3rd basement floor of the Nongshim headquarters, it was a 50-pyeong [approximately 165 square meters] space fully equipped with living facilities. One could live comfortably there for over a year without ever going outside.

It was that perfect a space.

However, there was no sign on the office, concealing its true nature from outsiders.

Access was strictly controlled.

Ordinary people couldn’t even approach it.

Only four people were allowed access:

The employees and the chairman.

In reality, that meant only three employees. Their records weren’t even in the personnel department, meaning no one in the company could control them except the chairman.

When the chairman changed, control automatically passed to the successor.

They had only one task:

To do whatever the chairman, the supreme leader of Nongshim, ordered.

They were, in essence, a private organization solely for the chairman’s use.

A month ago, Chairman Shin had given them a mission: to analyze the value of the Dulle Trail [a scenic walking path] created by Hyun-sung.

But now, they were refusing to answer, citing an order from above.

‘An order from above?’

There was only one ‘above’ they could be referring to:

The current chairman, Shin Min-ki.

Until recently, that ‘above’ had been Chairman Shin Chun-oh himself. But now, they were notifying him that they no longer belonged to the former chairman, stating it was an order from above.

They had officially notified him that their master had changed.

“……”

Chairman Shin’s silence stretched on.

Was this how it ended?

He had expected it to some extent, but he hadn’t anticipated it happening so quickly. Customarily, they would listen to the former chairman’s instructions for up to three years after retirement. But that was just a custom, not mandatory, and therefore meaningless.

What stung was that their choice was clearly someone’s instruction, and the culprit was obvious.

But what could he do? This was reality…

“Hoo!”

A long sigh escaped Chairman Shin as he gathered his thoughts.

“Director Choi.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“It would be a regret to hold on any longer, right?”

“I’m sorry, Chairman.”

“No, why should you be sorry? I received it, so it’s natural to hand it over. Of course, I expected it, but now that I’ve been hit, I can’t help but feel bitter. My father must have felt this way too. Director Choi, I’m sorry, but do you have a cigarette?”

“Yes? Ah, yes…”

Director Choi lowered his head as if about to speak, then quickly offered Chairman Shin a cigarette.

Click.

Chairman Shin lit the cigarette and took a deep drag.

Time passed.

Chairman Shin seemed to regain his composure. He took a sip of water and continued.

“Well, that’s something I have to accept. But does that mean we won’t be able to know the value of the Dulle Trail that CEO Kim created after all?”

“That’s the research center’s position. But…!”

Director Choi added a ‘but’ at the end.

Chairman Shin didn’t miss it.

“But? Are you saying there’s something else?”

“Yes, that’s right. An urgent report came from Gangwon-do [province in South Korea] a little while ago.”

“A report? What report?”

Chairman Shin looked directly at Director Choi, curiosity piqued. Perhaps the loss of the research center made him react even more eagerly.

Director Choi answered immediately.

“They’re redoing the Dulle Trail.”

“Redoing the Dulle Trail? Director Choi, what does that mean? Don’t leave me hanging; tell me in detail.”

“Yes, I understand. So, that’s…”

Director Choi began to explain the report in detail. As he spoke, Chairman Shin’s expression shifted. Initially, he looked disbelieving, but soon surprise replaced it.

When Director Choi finished, Chairman Shin asked immediately.

“Is that real?”

“Yes, that’s right. I couldn’t believe it at first, but after checking again, it was true.”

“So, you’re saying people are buying coffee at the cafe and then heading out to the Dulle Trail?”

“Yes, that’s right. And we’re not talking about one or two hundred people, but at least several thousand.”

“Heh, several thousand people… So, they’re installing additional chairs for people to sit and drink coffee?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Heh! This is…”

Chairman Shin couldn’t help but be surprised.

There had been chairs on the Dulle Trail when he visited. But the cherry blossoms hadn’t even bloomed yet, and people were already flocking there, necessitating additional seating.

Chairman Shin wondered why people were suddenly drawn to the trail.

“What’s the reason they’re flocking there?”

“Azalea flowers, they say.”

“Azalea flowers?”

“Yes, they say the azalea flowers are in full bloom these days, even before the cherry blossoms. So, people eat at the restaurant, buy coffee, and go there.”

“Hmm…”

Chairman Shin had a question.

The Dulle Trail had only been completed half a year ago.

‘Less than half a year, and they’re already doing additional construction?’

This meant the initial prediction had been wrong, no matter how you looked at it.

Kim Hyun-sung, who was he?

He had first met him in 1987, six years ago. He had learned one thing while watching him: that he was perfect.

Nothing was lacking or wrong. His studies, his business acumen, even his prediction of the new city development three years ago had been accurate.

But less than half a year after construction, they were redoing the Dulle Trail?

Did that make sense?

It meant something had been wrong from the start when they designed the Dulle Trail.

Could someone who predicted the new city development three years in advance not see six months into the future?

It didn’t make sense.

Why had he made such a mistake?

Chairman Shin looked at Director Choi with curiosity and asked.

“By any chance, Director Choi, don’t you think it’s strange?”

“Yes? What are you talking about?”

“CEO Kim. As you know, has he ever made a mistake? He even predicted that Ilsan [city in South Korea] would be announced as a new city three years ago. But less than half a year later, he’s redoing the Dulle Trail that he directly constructed? Isn’t something strange?”

“Oh? Now that you mention it, Chairman, it is like that. Among the things CEO Kim has done, there has never been anything wrong or incorrect.”

Director Choi tilted his head.

Now that he thought about it, it didn’t make sense. He had been watching for a long time, but nothing like this had ever happened. It wasn’t something from years ago, but a construction completed just four months ago.

But four months later, they were redoing it?

It wasn’t logically possible.

Director Choi continued.

“Now that I hear you say it, Chairman, it’s really strange. How could CEO Kim have made such a mistake, of all people?”

“That’s what I’m saying. What on earth happened…”

“I will investigate that and report back.”

“Hmm, yes. I think it’s necessary to clarify what that is. Why did our CEO Kim make such a mistake?”

Chairman Shin, unaware of Hyun-sung’s true nature, couldn’t help but grow more curious.

But Hyun-sung couldn’t help it. He could accurately predict new cities with the memories of his past life, but he was running restaurants for the first time, so mistakes were inevitable.

Chairman Shin continued his questioning.

“How long will the construction take?”

“Five days, they say.”

“Five days? I know the Dulle Trail is quite long. Is that possible in that time?”

“They say they’ll be working 24 hours a day in three shifts.”

“Three shifts?”

“It’s not a typical three-shift system. They’ll be working normally during the day and only two shifts at night. They decided that way because fatigue is severe at night.”

“That would cost a lot in labor costs, right?”

That was obvious, as they would have to pay additional night allowances.

“You know CEO Kim’s style well, don’t you?”

“CEO Kim’s style?”

“Yes, that level of cost…”

“Ah, yes. He’s a friend who can afford it. He’s not one to worry about that level of cost. But how many chairs are they adding this time?”

“That’s another jackpot.”

A smile spread across Director Choi’s face.

Chairman Shin asked immediately.

“How many are there that your expression changes like that?”

“Don’t be surprised. A thousand.”

“A thousand?”

“Yes, but that’s not all. They’re also building a concert hall this time.”

“Heh, a concert hall…”

Chairman Shin was dumbfounded.

Building a concert hall meant they would be holding performances. And the concert hall would be located in the mountains. They were going to perform in the mountains. Chairman Shin couldn’t help but be amazed.

Chairman Shin smiled and continued.

“As expected of CEO Kim.”

“That’s what I’m saying. It’s amazing that they’re installing a thousand more chairs, but now they’re even building a concert hall in the mountains. How can I not be surprised? CEO Kim is definitely different from others.”

“That’s right. Building a concert hall in the mountains means they’re going to perform there. Who would have thought of that?”

“Anyway, it’s fun just imagining it. When I think about the sound of music in the mountains, I can’t help but…”

“Wait!”

Chairman Shin raised his hand, interrupting Director Choi. He continued immediately.

“It’s not just imagination. Shouldn’t we start preparing little by little from now on?”

“Prepare?”

“Yes, why have you already forgotten? We decided to build a factory there, didn’t we?”

Director Choi nodded.

Of course, he knew. It was something Chairman Shin and Hyun-sung had promised each other years ago. When Hyun-sung said he would take care of Chairman Shin in the countryside, Chairman Shin had promised it as a reward.

The promised time was next fall.

“Yes, that’s right. It was next fall.”

Director Choi answered. But his expression was strange, full of worry.

Chairman Shin noticed his expression and couldn’t remain silent.

“Oh? Director Choi, why do you have that expression?”

“Yes? Ah, it’s nothing.”

“Heh, you’d rather deceive a ghost. How long have I known you, and you’re trying to deceive me? Tell me what’s going on.”

“Well, that’s…”

Director Choi hesitated.

Chairman Shin was even more curious.

He had known him for over 20 years. He saw emotions in his expression he had never seen before.

When people get older, they can tell things just by looking at someone’s face. And if they have known that person for a long time, that intuition is bound to be more accurate.

But his expression was something he had never seen before.

That meant something had happened.

Chairman Shin asked again.

“Director Choi, what’s going on?”

“Well… Actually, I went to the planning department a few days ago and heard rumors. But the rumors are a bit…”

“Rumors?”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Director Choi’s expression darkened further as he answered.

Chairman Shin asked immediately.

“Rumors from the planning department? What is it?”

Chairman Shin’s voice trembled slightly as he asked. He felt an ominous feeling.

Director Choi slowly opened his mouth.