Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 492

A few days later.

Hyun-sung checked his watch, looking as if he were waiting for someone.

About ten minutes passed.

A car approached Hyun-sung’s location.

As the car stopped, Hyun-sung hurried to it and opened the back door. “Welcome, Chairman!” he said with a welcoming tone.

The person who emerged from the back seat was Chairman Shin Chun-oh. He had arrived a little early, as the academy was scheduled to open in ten days.

Finally, Chairman Shin Chun-oh of Nongshim was beginning his rural life.

“Mr. Kim, how have you been?”

“Yes, Chairman. Was your trip down here comfortable?”

“What discomfort could there be for me, just sitting? Our Chief Secretary Choi always bears the brunt of the travel.” [Chief Secretary is a high-ranking administrative position, often handling sensitive or confidential matters.]

Hyun-sung bowed to Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young, who had gotten out of the driver’s seat.

“Thank you for your hard work in coming, Chief Secretary.”

“No, I rather enjoyed it. I was looking forward to escaping stuffy Seoul.”

“Chief Secretary, could you please speak a little more casually? I feel uncomfortable when you’re so formal.”

“I can’t do that. You are the president of this establishment, not just anyone. It might be a little awkward at first, but you’ll get used to it. Please bear with it, even if it’s uncomfortable.”

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young used to speak informally when he visited in previous years. But now that he had decided to move here, he seemed to have changed his approach.

Hyun-sung’s position must have made him conscious. After all, in this place, Hyun-sung was the top person in charge, no matter how you looked at it.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh, who had been listening to the two of them, spoke up. “Chief Secretary Choi is right. Even though Mr. Kim is young, he is the top person in charge here. So, listen to Chief Secretary Choi.”

“Still, that’s a bit…”

“No, Chief Secretary Choi is right. Now, stop talking about it and let’s go inside the house. It’s quite chilly.”

“Yes, I understand. This way…”

Hyun-sung had no choice but to agree with Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s words. It wasn’t wise to insist when even Chairman Shin Chun-oh was saying that.

He led Chairman Shin Chun-oh and Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young to the country house that had been completed a month prior. Only Chairman Shin Chun-oh and Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young had decided to move down, while the other family members had opted to stay in Seoul, so only one house had been prepared.

“Oh! The house is excellent.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh nodded in satisfaction, looking around the house.

“Indeed. There are no drafts, and the house is very cozy.”

This time, it was Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young who spoke.

Hyun-sung immediately seized the opportunity to add, “I paid the most attention to insulation when building the house. Since this area gets cold, I had no choice but to prioritize it. You won’t feel cold while you’re inside.”

“Our president must have taken good care of it. The house is much better than I expected.”

“Haha, is that so? I paid special attention to it since it’s a place where the chairman of Nongshim, not just anyone, would be staying.”

Logically, this situation was unusual.

Even though he had retired from the day-to-day operations, he was still the chairman of Nongshim. Why would such a person choose to live in this rural area?

But Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s thoughts were definitely different from most people.

It was a path he had chosen himself.

He said he wanted to spend his later years running a private school in the countryside.

In such a situation, how could Hyun-sung prepare carelessly? He spent about three times more than the average cost of other country houses to build this one.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh continued, “Mr. Kim did unnecessary work.”

“Yes?”

“This house. It’s obvious that you spent too much money on finishing materials, wallpaper, and even the fireplace. You didn’t have to do this.”

“No. Isn’t money meant to be spent? I just want you to be comfortable, Chairman.”

That was his honest feeling.

If you thought about it, the reason why this place was so successful now was all thanks to Chairman Shin Chun-oh.

Nine years ago, if Chairman Shin Chun-oh hadn’t given him 1 billion won [approximately $800,000 USD, a significant sum for investment], this place wouldn’t have grown to this size.

Of course, he would have made money somehow, but it wouldn’t have been this much.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh nodded and continued. “Anyway, thank you. Thanks to Mr. Kim, I think I will be comfortable in a good house. Well, I want to confirm one thing with Mr. Kim. Chief Secretary Choi, I’m sorry, but could you make me a cup of weak coffee?”

“Yes, Chairman, I understand. I’ll prepare it right away.”

As Chief Secretary Choi disappeared into the kitchen, Chairman Shin Chun-oh looked at Hyun-sung as if he had been waiting for this moment and asked immediately, “About that story I told you on the phone last time, can you explain in detail what that means?”

When they had last spoken on the phone, Hyun-sung had said that he would be fine for at least 25 years. Chairman Shin Chun-oh was asking about that as soon as he arrived. It was clear he had been curious about that statement all along.

Hyun-sung answered, “It is as I said. You will have no problems for at least 25 years, Chairman. I mean you will be healthy.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes, that’s right. How dare I lie?”

“Hehe, oh my…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh didn’t have anything special to say.

In fact, he had been so confused that he had trouble sleeping for several nights after their phone conversation.

It was all because of Hyun-sung’s one sentence.

-You will be fine for the next 25 years.

He had gotten goosebumps the moment he heard those words. It wasn’t a shaman [a person believed to have special powers to communicate with spirits], nor was it someone he didn’t know, but someone he knew so well who had said that, so how could he remain calm?

The core of the problem ultimately came down to one thing.

The issue of trust.

The question was whether to believe those words or ignore them.

But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t make a decision. So, he was meeting him in person today to confirm those words again.

“Chairman, I brought coffee.”

After Chief Secretary Choi put down the coffee and left, Chairman Shin Chun-oh took a sip and continued, “Mr. Kim, let me confirm one more thing.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“Can you take responsibility for those words?”

“Of course. I don’t know what kind of responsibility you’re talking about, but I can definitely say that my words are correct. And how do I think of you, Chairman? How dare I say useless things?”

“Hmm…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh was silent, lost in thought.

Hyun-sung quietly watched him.

He knew how the Chairman felt and didn’t want to confuse him further with unnecessary words.

He thought that waiting patiently was the best approach for Chairman Shin Chun-oh.

After a while, Chairman Shin Chun-oh slowly raised his head and looked at Hyun-sung as if he had made a decision. “I will believe Mr. Kim’s words.”

Believe?

It would never have been an easy decision.

He was the one who couldn’t believe it until now, even after a lot of time had passed since their phone call. The fact that the word ‘believe’ finally came out of his mouth was an important moment.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh spoke again. “Of course, I know better than anyone that it doesn’t make sense. But I will believe it because those words were said by Mr. Kim, not anyone else.”

In the end, he was saying that he trusted Hyun-sung.

People trust people?

Maybe that’s natural. But if that means guaranteeing the future for the next 25 years, then that’s a different story.

It’s impossible without considerable trust.

But Chairman Shin Chun-oh was now saying that he would believe Hyun-sung’s words.

There was no way Hyun-sung wouldn’t understand that meaning.

Hyun-sung immediately bowed his head. “Thank you, Chairman.”

“Why would you be thankful? I’m sorry that I couldn’t believe your words all this time. But I couldn’t help it. I hope you understand that.”

“Of course. No one in the world would believe my words. It would be a relief if they didn’t curse me for being crazy.”

That was natural.

Who would believe such words that guarantee the next 25 years? That’s how difficult a decision Chairman Shin Chun-oh made, and that’s how much he trusted Hyun-sung.

“To be honest, I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t known you. But I believe in your precognitive dreams. No, I have no choice but to believe it. You have already proven your ability of precognitive dreams several times.”

When they first met, Hyun-sung knew in advance about the release of Shin Ramyun [a popular brand of instant noodles in Korea], and even the design on the sign was exactly the same as the original. Besides, there was also the land in Ilsan [a planned city in South Korea].

And there was one more thing: the election result. In the 13th presidential election, he was the only one who picked President Roh Tae-woo when everyone else said it would be DJ [Kim Dae-jung] or YS [Kim Young-sam]. He also accurately predicted YS’s victory in the 14th presidential election, and none of his predictions were wrong.

In this situation, how could he doubt his precognitive dreams?

But one question still remained.

That is, why 25 years?

What about after that?

Out of curiosity, Chairman Shin Chun-oh asked again, “It may be my greed, but what about after that?”

“Yes? After that?”

“Yes, why 25 years? What happens after that?”

“I don’t know either.”

“You don’t know? Why?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh was dumbfounded. Hyun-sung clearly hadn’t said that he would end his life in 25 years. So, there would be life after that. But now Hyun-sung was saying he didn’t know what would happen after that, so Chairman Shin Chun-oh, the person involved, was taken aback.

Hyun-sung answered, “That’s all that came out in my dream.”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help it either. He said it was a precognitive dream, but since the last time he saw him was on TV before he returned, he had no choice but to say that.

“That’s all?”

“Yes, 25 years from now. So, of course, I don’t know after that.”

“So, you saw me in your dream until 25 years later, so you don’t know what happens next?”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Hehe, oh my…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh was frustrated, but he had nothing more to say. Hyun-sung said that’s all he saw in his dream, so what could he say?

After thinking for a while, Chairman Shin Chun-oh asked again, “How’s your health?”

“Health?”

“Yes, I’m asking how your health was 25 years from now. You should know that, right? You said you saw me in your dream.”

“Oh? That’s…”

Hyun-sung was at a loss for words.

He hadn’t seen him in person, but only on TV, so how would he know his health condition?

But the important thing was that it wouldn’t work to say that. Chairman Shin Chun-oh now firmly believed in precognitive dreams.

But who was Hyun-sung?

Anyway, he knew the answer the Chairman wanted to hear.

After hesitating for a moment, Hyun-sung immediately said, “You were very healthy.”

“Is that true?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s expression was brighter than ever.

Maybe it was a natural reaction. In 25 years, he would be over 90 years old. But Hyun-sung was saying he would be healthy, so how could he not feel good?

The desire to live a long and healthy life.

That’s what everyone wants. The older you get, the more you want it.

Was that why?

Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled and continued before Hyun-sung could answer, “You mean I was healthy even when I was over 90?”

“Yes, Chairman. So, don’t worry about anything and enjoy your rural life leisurely while running a private school for children.”

“Mr. Kim, people’s minds are so strange.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“To be honest, I was anxious even before I came down here. I wasn’t sure yet. But after meeting you and confirming again…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s words continued.

His voice was so full of energy that Hyun-sung could fully understand how he felt.

His words were long, but Chairman Shin Chun-oh wanted to convey two main things.

One was that he felt energized just by hearing that story.

And the other was that he felt differently when he thought that his life was so long.

Until now, he thought it was the end of his life, but now he thought he could start something new.

As Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s words ended, Hyun-sung immediately said, “Just tell me. If there is anything you want, Chairman, I will prepare it for you.”

“Okay. I will think about it starting today. By the way, if it weren’t for Mr. Kim, I would have wasted my remaining life. I thought I had only 10 years left at best.”

What people often regret is that.

-I didn’t know I would live this long.

They regret it when they get old and lose their energy. If I had known I would live this long, I would have done something sooner.

I don’t know if that’s human nature, but if you think about it a little more, you might not regret it.

Of course, one thing is needed to do that.

Taking action.

That time is today. Not tomorrow.

It starts today.

They say today is the youngest day of my life.

Anyway, no one knows what will happen tomorrow.

The way to regret the least is to start before today is over.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh suddenly called Hyun-sung. “Mr. Kim.”