Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 558

560

“-100 won, no exceptions.”

The two men stared at the banner.

Lee Myung-hoon turned to Hyun-sung and asked,

“Is it finally starting?”

“I waited a few more days just in case, but there was no news. If that’s the case, then we have to show them with actions.”

In fact, he had given Movie Heart a final notice a week ago. He told them that if they persisted, he would have no choice but to resort to the last method: ‘100 won’.

Of course, he didn’t expect them to give up easily, but he still wanted to give them one last chance to choose for themselves.

That was the least damaging option for Movie Heart, if you thought about it coldly.

But Movie Heart’s response was silence.

In the end, they were going to fight to the finish.

Therefore, Hyun-sung had no choice but to play his last card rather than waste any more time.

“How long do you think Movie Heart will last?”

“Well, my guess is three months at most, but I don’t know if they can last that long.”

“What happens if they last longer than that?”

“That won’t be easy. They’ll be losing at least 7 or 8 million won a month, so how will they survive?”

Movie Heart’s basic monthly expenses are 10 million won. In that situation, if they charge 100 won per rental, the maximum revenue they can generate in a month is about 3 million won. That’s assuming they rent out 1,000 items a day.

But realistically, they can’t even guarantee that number.

That means it will be difficult to earn even 3 million won a month.

That means they will be losing 7 million won a month, no matter what.

Can they really survive with that kind of deficit?

Of course, they *can* survive. But the important thing is that it’s meaningless. There’s no hope, even if they do survive.

“So, the best thing for Movie Heart is to close down as soon as possible?”

“There’s no choice. If the rental store district in this neighborhood is to properly establish itself… It’s all karma anyway.”

“Karma?”

“Yes, Movie Heart’s initial goal when they came to this neighborhood was to shut down the other stores.”

“Ah, so in the end, Movie Heart is closing down as a punishment for their sins?”

Hyun-sung clicked his tongue, as if he was sorry but there was nothing he could do. Then Lee Myung-hoon asked again.

“So, what happens to Movie Heart now?”

“They’ll either move to another location or go out of business.”

“Wow! So how much will Movie Heart lose?”

“I think it will be at least 200 million won. That’s why people should use their hearts right from the start. Trying to kill everyone else and live alone…”

Hyun-sung shook his head from side to side, stopping mid-sentence. Thinking about his past life, he was reminded of the memories from that time.

Back then, it wasn’t Movie Heart, but Hyun-sung himself who had suffered.

In fact, when you think about it, it’s inevitable in the face of capital [referring to the power and influence of large sums of money].

It was then.

“Oh? What’s going on here?”

Lee Se-yi, the owner of the bakery, asked as she looked at the banner hanging in front of the store on her way to work.

Then Hyun-sung immediately opened his mouth.

“I’m going to end it now.”

“You mean Movie Heart?”

“Yes, there’s no point in dragging it out any longer, and it won’t solve anything, so I think it’s right to end it now.”

“Even yesterday, the Movie Heart owner’s wife was buying bread and was very worried. She said she had lost all her severance pay and didn’t know what to do.”

“The start was wrong from the beginning. It’s not like there weren’t any video store locations to be found, but they insisted on coming to a neighborhood with six stores and trying to live alone by coming in big.”

That was true. There must have been other places to find. But they ignored them because they were all small, and they just barged in.

Of course, that worked in his past life.

“The boss is right. Whatever the reason, it’s true that they tried to kill everyone else and live alone.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“I don’t know why people with money are like that. Can’t they just live together? Why do they have to go that far… tsk tsk.”

Lee Se-yi clicked her tongue as if she felt sorry for them. Hyun-sung felt even more sorry for her when he saw her like that. She also had to fight against a large chain store in just three months.

After Lee Se-yi left, Hyun-sung looked at Movie Heart once and then disappeared into the store.

***

“…….”

Yoo Seung-il of Movie Heart was speechless. He had just heard the story from a customer. Starting today, Cinema Paradise was charging 100 won for rentals.

In fact, he had received a final notice from Hyun-sung a week ago. He said that if he persisted, he would have no choice but to use his last card.

But there was nothing he could say.

The only options were to close down or move, but how could he make any decisions when it had only been 100 days since he opened?

That’s why he couldn’t say anything.

But in the end, the last card came out today.

‘What am I supposed to do now?’

There’s no way he can compete. How can he compete with someone who earns 600 million won in net profit a day?

But he can’t just close down right now. The lease still has two and a half years left. Not only that, but the contract with the head office also has the same amount of time left.

Even if he closes down right now, he will still have to pay the monthly rent, and the head office will demand a penalty.

What is he supposed to do in this situation?

It was then.

Ding-dong!

A woman came in as the store door opened.

“Oh? What brings you here?”

The person who opened the store door was none other than his wife, Han Mi-sook.

“Did you hear about it?”

“Hear about what?”

“The 100 won thing. I went to the supermarket a little while ago, and a customer there said that Cinema Paradise is charging 100 won starting today…”

“Yeah, I heard about it a little while ago too.”

Yoo Seung-il said before Han Mi-sook could finish speaking. Then Han Mi-sook asked again.

“Is your blood pressure okay?”

“How about you?”

“I was surprised at first, but I’m okay now. I came running as soon as I heard that, just in case.”

“I was expecting it to some extent because I received a notice a week ago. That’s why the shock was a little weaker. Anyway, the problem is what happens next.”

The basic monthly expenses are 10 million won. If they charge 100 won per rental, the maximum monthly revenue will be 3 million won, which means they will be losing 7 million won a month.

The problem is that this won’t end in a month or two.

And the bigger problem is that it won’t solve anything even if they endure it.

It wouldn’t be a problem if it could be solved by enduring it. They could endure the deficit for now if they could solve it by enduring it.

But this case is different.

The opponent is too strong. The game itself is not working.

But the important thing is that even though he knows all these facts, he doesn’t know what to do in this situation.

Han Mi-sook asked with a worried expression.

“So, what are we going to do now?”

“That’s what I’m saying. To be honest, I can’t make any decisions right now. If we quit, there’s a lot of time left on the lease, and if we keep going, there’s no answer.”

“Um……”

Han Mi-sook thought for a moment and then opened her mouth again.

“Should I meet him once?”

“Meet who?”

“That kid, no, that CEO Kim.”

“What are you going to say when you meet him?”

“We have to say something. We can’t just sit here and die.”

“Haa……!”

Yoo Seung-il let out a deep sigh instead of speaking.

He knew what she meant. But there was no way to solve it by meeting Hyun-sung. What was he going to say when he met him?

From the beginning of the opening, he had said only one thing.

That it would be wisest to close down now. He had heard that three times, and he had heard it again a week ago.

In the end, he knew from the beginning that this day would come.

Han Mi-sook carefully opened her mouth again.

“What if… we talk to the head office?”

“The head office?”

“Yes, wouldn’t Director Park be better than us? Of course, it’s unfair to think about what we’ve been through, but that’s the only place we can go right now…”

“Hmm……”

Yoo Seung-il couldn’t answer easily. Maybe his wife was right. But the problem was that he didn’t trust them, given their past behavior.

If he asked for help again, they would try to take more money from him.

“Let’s think about the head office a little more.”

That was the conclusion Yoo Seung-il came to. He had entrusted them with consignment management, and they had given them 40 million won in three months. No matter how he thought about it, Yoo Seung-il concluded that this was not the way to go.

***

Movie Heart headquarters.

“What did you say just now?”

Chairman Min Hong-sik asked Director Park Seon-woo. Then Director Park Seon-woo repeated what he had said a little while ago.

“That kid in Bupyeong has finally played his last card. He’s been charging 100 won across the board since three days ago.”

“In the end……”

“Yes, it seems he has made a final decision.”

“What does CEO Yoo of the Bupyeong branch say?”

“That’s strange. I can’t reach him. It’s been three days and I haven’t heard from him.”

“That’s strange.”

Chairman Min Hong-sik tilted his head.

Even at first glance, this didn’t make sense. If something happened, it was basic to contact them.

But he hasn’t contacted them?

In the end, doesn’t that mean he doesn’t trust them?

“In the end, doesn’t that mean he doesn’t trust us?”

“I think that’s probably the case. Otherwise, there’s no reason why he wouldn’t contact us like this.”

“Hmm……”

Chairman Min Hong-sik thought for a moment and then immediately opened his mouth.

“Maybe it’s a good thing.”

“Yes? You said it’s a good thing?”

“Yes, because even if he contacts us, we don’t have any special way to help him.”

“I guess that’s true.”

Director Park Seon-woo had no choice but to nod.

If they were simply competing with each other, they could fight as much as they wanted. After all, the chain stores across the country started by competing with the surrounding stores from the beginning.

But this case is different.

The opponent is qualitatively different from other ordinary people.

He said that he earns 600 million won in net profit a day. That kind of person started a fight first.

The purpose of the fight is not simply to compete, but to completely close the store.

How can they fight against that kind of person?

“If CEO Yoo contacts you, pretend you don’t know. If we get involved in that fight, we could get into trouble.”

“Surely he wouldn’t do anything to our headquarters?”

“Have you already forgotten? That friend earns 600 million won in net profit a day. If that kind of friend rushes at us to kill us, do you think we can win?”

“Ah, yes.”

Director Park Seon-woo had no choice but to admit it. After all, he had already concluded a little while ago that he couldn’t compete.

Chairman Min Hong-sik continued.

“From now on, completely withdraw from the Bupyeong branch. If anything happens, we could get into trouble.”

“I understand.”

“But don’t miss out on the closing sale.”

“Yes, of course. If they close down, we will definitely seize the penalty and the goods. After all, that’s more money.”

“Okay, and just in case, don’t neglect to monitor that kid until the Bupyeong branch is cleared up. I feel uneasy for some reason.”

Director Park Seon-woo immediately bowed his head as if he understood. Then Chairman Min Hong-sik also nodded slightly as if he understood.

But there was something they didn’t know. Hyun-sung had a grudge against the Movie Heart headquarters.

***

One month later.

“Haa……!”

Yoo Seung-il of Movie Heart let out a deep sigh without realizing it. That’s because the monthly settlement showed that the deficit exceeded 70 million won.

Of course, he had expected it to some extent, but when it actually happened, he felt so dizzy that he couldn’t think straight.

“Is there really no way out?”

No matter how he thought about it, this was not the way to go. From 9 a.m. to 2 a.m., that’s 17 hours.

He was working 17 hours and the deficit exceeded 70 million won, let alone labor costs, so this was not something a person should do.

Yoo Seung-il thought for a moment and then started making a phone call.

-Hello.

“Director Park, this is Bupyeong [referring to the Bupyeong branch of Movie Heart].”

The place Yoo Seung-il called was Director Park Seon-woo of the head office. No matter how he thought about it, he had come to the conclusion that the only place he could turn to for help was the head office.

-Ah, CEO Yoo, it’s been a while. But what’s going on at this late hour?

“Please save me.”

-What’s wrong?

“That’s……”

Yoo Seung-il began to explain what had happened over the past month. But Director Park Seon-woo, who was on the phone, took the phone away from his ear. He already knew what Yoo Seung-il was talking about without listening.

When Yoo Seung-il’s explanation was over, Director Park Seon-woo immediately said.

-I’m sorry.

“Yes?”

-As you know, CEO, that kid is a grim reaper. There’s nothing we can do.

“No, does that make sense? Even so……”

Yoo Seung-il was just dumbfounded. Wasn’t this the head office? But how could they come out like this?

It was then.

Director Park Seon-woo’s voice was heard again.

-Then I’ll be going now……

“Director, Director…… Hey!”

Yoo Seung-il shouted without realizing it.

Right at that moment.