Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 533

535

-Three months.

“What? Three months?”

Yoo Seung-il was utterly dumbfounded. With sales like this, the first month’s settlement would undoubtedly be a complete loss, ranging from 4 million to as much as 6 million won. In this situation, what reason could there be to wait three more months?

Yoo Seung-il couldn’t accept it and asked again before Park Sun-woo, the manager, could even speak.

“Why? The situation is this serious, so why wait three more months? What’s the reason? Do I have to die for you to understand the severity?”

-Please calm down first…

“Calm down? Do you think I can calm down right now?”

-……

Yoo Seung-il cut off Park Sun-woo’s words and shouted. There was no sound from the other end of the line, but the call hadn’t been disconnected.

Yoo Seung-il urgently called out to Park Sun-woo.

“Hello, hello, Manager Park!”

-……

Park Sun-woo still didn’t answer. He called out several more times, but there was no sound from the other end of the line.

Perhaps Park Sun-woo was offended by Yoo Seung-il’s sudden outburst.

About a minute passed.

Park Sun-woo’s voice was heard quietly from the other end of the line.

-Mr. Yoo!

“Yes, Manager Park.”

-I have one last request. If you raise your voice recklessly like this again, I will simply hang up. Do you understand what I’m saying?

It was a request in name only, but clearly a warning.

Yoo Seung-il realized his mistake. He then knew that his voice had grown louder because he had become emotional without realizing it.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I made a mistake again without realizing it.”

Yoo Seung-il immediately backed down. He knew all too well that he was the one in need, not the head office.

But no matter what, waiting three more months made no sense.

Yoo Seung-il opened his mouth again, forgetting his apology from a moment ago.

“But no matter what…”

-That’s enough!

Park Sun-woo immediately cut off Yoo Seung-il’s words. It meant that he wouldn’t tolerate any more talk.

But Yoo Seung-il, still not fully grasping Park Sun-woo’s intentions, asked again.

“Yes? That’s enough?”

-Didn’t you just apologize for your mistake? Then don’t say anything else. If you say anything else, the apology will be meaningless, won’t it?

“Ah, yes…”

Yoo Seung-il then understood why Park Sun-woo had cut him off earlier.

He was saying that apologizing and then saying something else was just an excuse.

He was saying that it would negate the meaning of the apology.

Yoo Seung-il had no choice but to quietly shut his mouth.

Then Park Sun-woo’s voice was heard again from the other end of the line.

-Now, let’s get back to the main point. Do you know why I said three months?

“I have no idea. The situation is this serious, so why would you want to wait three more months?”

-It’s simple. Because that’s what you wanted from the beginning.

“Yes? Me?”

-Why? Have you already forgotten? Surely you haven’t really forgotten?

“Yes? If it’s about remembering…”

Yoo Seung-il began to search his memory.

After a moment, a faint memory flashed through his mind.

Yoo Seung-il asked immediately.

“Are you talking about what I said to you a week before the opening?”

-So you do remember? Well, it’s only been two weeks, so you shouldn’t have forgotten. So I’m going to respect your wishes. Do you understand what I mean now?

It was a week before the opening.

Park Sun-woo had come to his house late at night. He said he was on his way back from consulting on an opening in the provinces.

He came that day to say that he had to make a choice.

How to run the store.

Whether to entrust the management to the head office for three months because the situation was bad, or to take the risk and manage it yourself from the beginning.

Of course, there were conditions for entrusting the management. If he entrusted the management, a professional manager would be dispatched from the head office, which would cost an additional 5 million won [Korean currency]. That was the amount of labor, advertising, and other expenses.

Five million a month was, of course, a burden. That’s 15 million won for three months.

After much deliberation, he concluded that he would rather run it himself with that money.

The head office told him not to regret it later, but he was confident to some extent, so he decided to manage it himself.

Park Sun-woo was talking about that very thing.

“Ah, so that’s why you’re saying we should wait three more months?”

-Of course. We don’t force anyone to operate in any case. We give the store owner the right to choose, and we respect their opinion as much as possible. That’s our head office’s management principle.

*Tsk.*

Yoo Seung-il laughed inwardly. Of course, the meaning of that laughter was ridicule.

Respect?

Yoo Seung-il knew that this was not respect, but a complete screwing over.

Avoiding responsibility.

He knew all too well that their main goal was to avoid responsibility.

But the important thing was that he couldn’t argue with anything in this situation.

Why? Because he had promised it himself, not someone else.

That he would never change his mind in any case.

Then there was only one thing he needed in this situation.

To lie flat [to humble oneself and beg for help].

Yoo Seung-il gripped his phone tightly with both hands.

“Manager! Please save me!”

What else could he say? Yoo Seung-il had no choice but to put aside all his pride. He knew all too well what the consequences would be if he stood on his pride even a little bit more.

Park Sun-woo’s reaction came immediately from the other end of the line.

-I’m in trouble if you do this?

“No, Manager. I was ignorant and reckless. I’ll do whatever you tell me from now on, so please…”

Yoo Seung-il had no choice but to lie as flat as possible.

He knew all too well that everything would be in vain if he didn’t.

Was it because it worked?

Park Sun-woo’s voice calling him from the other end of the phone was different from before.

-Mr. Yoo!

“Yes, Manager!”

-Is what you’ve said so far true?

“Yes, it’s true. I can give you a written promise if you want.”

-In writing?

“Yes, that’s right. So please save me. I’ll die if you leave me like this.”

-Hmm…

Park Sun-woo didn’t say anything, wondering what he was thinking.

After a moment.

His voice was heard again from the other end of the phone.

-Since you’ve said so much, I’ll discuss it with the chairman. But there’s one thing you should know before that.

“Yes? One thing?”

-Yes, the situation is already very tilted, so it will cost more to recover than it did at first, but I don’t know if that’s okay.

“Ah, I see. Then how much more…?”

-I won’t know exactly until I have a more concrete plan, but I think you’ll need at least 50% more…

The moment Yoo Seung-il heard the word 50%, he felt like he was suffocating.

The initial cost, including labor, was 5 million won per month. But if he added 50% to that, it would be 2.5 million more. In the end, it would be 7.5 million won.

But the problem was that it was at least that much.

Yoo Seung-il carefully opened his mouth again.

“Um… if it’s at least 50%, then how much is the most…?”

-I don’t know that now. The situation is so bad right now. As you know, the start is the most important thing in a game. But already…

Park Sun-woo’s explanation continued at length, but there was only one thing he wanted to say.

The situation was already too bad, so he had to have an emergency transfusion, so it might cost a lot of money.

In the end, he couldn’t estimate the cost right now.

Then he continued.

-And this is just in case, but of course, the head office will do its best, but I want to tell you in advance that it may be difficult to recover.

“Yes? Are you saying that it could end like this?”

-What can I do? You’ve already created this situation. That’s why I told you at the beginning that it’s never too early to regret it. Surely you haven’t already forgotten what I said?

“…Yes, you did.”

Yoo Seung-il felt his head getting whiter and whiter. In the end, he was saying that he would spend money and might not be able to recover.

Of course, the head office was free from that responsibility.

Then Park Sun-woo’s voice was heard again from the other end of the phone.

-What are you going to do? If you accept everything I’ve said so far, I’ll step in and actively look for a recovery plan with the chairman.

“…Yes, I understand.”

Yoo Seung-il had no other choice. Park Sun-woo was the only one who could save him in this situation.

Then Park Sun-woo asked again as if to confirm.

-Shall we proceed?

“…………Yes!”

It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t worried at the moment of the final decision. That’s why it took so long to give the final answer. He knew all too well that his future would be determined by his decision now.

-I’ll see you soon.

With those words, Park Sun-woo hung up.

“……”

Yoo Seung-il couldn’t say anything after hanging up. He was just barely able to breathe. A tear ran down his cheek.

On the other hand.

Park Sun-woo hung up the phone.

*Snap!*

The crisp sound of his thumb and middle finger snapping echoed in the small room.

Then Chairman Min Hong-sik, who was sitting across from him, asked immediately.

“What’s that reaction now?”

“It’s done.”

“Done? What?”

“I just got confirmation from Mr. Yoo. So that’s…”

Park Sun-woo began to explain the phone conversation he had with President Yoo Seung-il earlier. As his explanation continued, Chairman Min Hong-sik’s expression grew brighter and brighter.

And finally, when his explanation was over, Chairman Min Hong-sik opened his mouth immediately.

“Is that really true?”

“Yes, we’ve taken over the Bupyeong branch. We can go in right away this week.”

“But what’s that about three months?”

“I did that on purpose. That way, President Yoo will be more anxious and clingy. Thanks to that, our share has increased a lot.”

“As expected… Good job. Here, have a drink.”

Chairman Min Hong-sik picked up the bottle of whiskey in front of him as if he was in a good mood. Then Park Sun-woo held out his glass to Chairman Min Hong-sik.

*Pour!*

“Thank you, Chairman!”

“Let’s toast.”

*Clink!*

The two men’s glasses clinked in the air with a cheerful sound.

Park Sun-woo, who had emptied his glass, opened his mouth immediately.

“Can I call the girls now?”

“Of course, we’ve done a great job, so let’s start playing in earnest from now on. Let’s reset the table here.”

*Clap clap!*

Park Sun-woo clapped twice immediately. Then the door opened and five heavily made-up girls began to enter as if they had been waiting.

At the same time.

A potato stew restaurant in Bupyeong.

Two people sitting face to face, Hyun-sung and Moon Hee-yeol. The two men had been talking naturally for a long time.

Then, at some point, Moon Hee-yeol emptied his glass and opened his mouth, looking at Hyun-sung.

“Now tell me, what do you want to say to me?”

“Oh, that’s…”

Since the purpose of today was to inform Moon Hee-yeol of the IMF [International Monetary Fund] crisis, Hyun-sung couldn’t open his mouth easily.

Then Moon Hee-yeol opened his mouth again.

“What? What are you talking about that you’re taking so long to say?”

“Hyung [older brother/male friend], I’ll check one thing first.”

Hyun-sung decided to check the status of the factory that Moon Hee-yeol and his father were running in the Sihwa Industrial Complex first.

“Check? Okay, what is it?”

“How’s the atmosphere at the factory these days?”

“The atmosphere at the factory? Why all of a sudden?”

“I’ll tell you the reason later, so please tell me what the atmosphere at the factory is like these days.”

At Hyun-sung’s words, Moon Hee-yeol tilted his head for a moment, then nodded as if he understood and continued.

“To be honest, I’m a little uneasy.”

“Why?”

“Suddenly, the amount of promissory notes has started to increase. So we have no choice but to pay our suppliers with promissory notes.”

“Since when?”

“It’s been increasing little by little since February, and 80% of it was promissory notes last month. In our case, it’s usually around 50%.”

“Hmm…”

In the end, it means that there’s not enough money circulating in the market.

The biggest reason for that is probably the influence of the Hanbo Group’s bankruptcy in January.

After thinking for a while, Hyun-sung asked again.

“What do you think is the reason for the increase in promissory notes?”

“Well, there are many reasons, but there’s not enough money circulating in the market these days. I think that’s the biggest reason…”

“That’s right. But that’s going to get worse and worse in the future.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Moon Hee-yeol stared at Hyun-sung’s face as if he didn’t know what he was talking about.

Then Hyun-sung opened his mouth immediately.

“Hyung, you know Chung Tae-soo, right?”