Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 561

“Boss!”

Park Cheol-ho, who had gone out for a delivery, burst in and called out to Hyeon-seong loudly. Before Hyeon-seong could even respond, he continued, “It’s a disaster!”

“A disaster?”

Hyeon-seong shot up from his seat at the word ‘disaster,’ looking at Park Cheol-ho with wide eyes. Lee Myeong-hoon, who had been organizing videos in the display case, also approached the counter, his curiosity piqued.

“There’s a police car parked in front of Movie Heart up the street.”

“A police car? Why?”

“I was wondering the same thing, so I hung around for a bit, and well…”

Park Cheol-ho launched into his explanation.

Apparently, the owner of Movie Heart had briefly entrusted a customer with his bankbook to withdraw some money, but the customer had withdrawn the entire balance and vanished.

Having heard this much, Lee Myeong-hoon couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked, “How much was in the account?”

“A little over 30 million won, I think.”

“30 million won? [Roughly $25,000 USD] So, the customer took all that money and just disappeared?”

“Yeah, that’s what I heard.”

Hyeon-seong tilted his head, puzzled. Even at a glance, the story was hard to believe.

It wasn’t just a few pennies; it was 30 million won. How could anyone so easily entrust such an account to someone else?

Hyeon-seong had no choice but to ask directly, “Who was this customer?”

“I don’t know his name, but I think he was a regular. The customer asked to borrow 200,000 won [Roughly $170 USD], but since the owner didn’t have any cash on hand, he gave him the bankbook and told him to withdraw it. But that customer…”

“So, he gave him the password and the bank seal too?”

“Yeah, so he went to withdraw it. Seriously, what kind of jerk…”

Park Cheol-ho couldn’t hold back his anger and cursed.

Well, that was a natural reaction for anyone with a sane mind. From the Movie Heart owner’s perspective, he had entrusted his bankbook to someone he trusted, and they had stolen all his money and run off.

“He’s already having a tough time these days; that guy’s really unlucky,” Lee Myeong-hoon chimed in, looking concerned.

That’s right. He was already struggling because Hyeon-seong was charging only 100 won for rentals, and now he had lost all the money in his account. How must he be feeling?

“Boss, what happens in a situation like that?” Park Cheol-ho asked, looking at Hyeon-seong. Hyeon-seong replied immediately.

“Of course, that guy is a scumbag, but Director Yu is also at fault. He handed over the password and the seal.”

“So, he’s just out of luck?”

“It would be great if they caught him, but even if they do, I don’t know if he’ll still have all the money. He might have already gone somewhere and spent it. Moreover, he probably withdrew it all in cash… Tsk tsk.” Hyeon-seong stopped talking and clicked his tongue. Whatever the reason, it was a sad situation.

At that moment.

Clang!

Another employee who had gone out for a delivery came in as the store door opened.

“The Movie Heart owner was just taken away in an ambulance!”

“Taken away? Where to?”

“119 [Korean emergency services number], he must have collapsed.”

“Well, 30 million won is… I wonder if he’s going to be okay,” Lee Myeong-hoon continued, looking worried. The other employees shared his concern. Everyone started talking amongst themselves, looking anxious.

“Hmm…”

Hyeon-seong, leaving the employees behind, went outside and looked towards Movie Heart without a word.

After a moment.

Step.

Hyeon-seong started walking towards Movie Heart.

Five minutes later.

Hyeon-seong, who arrived in front of Movie Heart, hesitated for a moment and gently pushed the store door.

But fortunately, the door didn’t open.

It seemed someone had locked it.

The reason Hyeon-seong had come was simple: he was worried the door might be open. If that were the case, customers could enter the unattended store.

“Hoo…!”

A deep sigh escaped Hyeon-seong’s mouth. Although their relationship had ended badly in his past life, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy when he heard that Yu Seung-il had collapsed.

Hyeon-seong turned around and started walking back the way he had come.

***

Movie Heart Headquarters.

“What? Director Yu collapsed?” Chairman Min Hong-sik asked, looking at Manager Park Seon-woo.

Manager Park Seon-woo immediately replied, “Yes, I received a call a little while ago.”

“A call? From whom?”

“Director Yu’s wife. She’s at the hospital now.”

“But why did Director Yu suddenly collapse?”

“I don’t know exactly, but according to his wife…”

Manager Park Seon-woo began to recount his conversation with Han Mi-sook. As he spoke, Chairman Min Hong-sik’s expression darkened.

But it was only for a moment. As soon as Manager Park Seon-woo finished his explanation, his expression returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

It was clear that Chairman Min Hong-sik had no particular feelings about the matter.

He immediately spoke, “So, in the end, he lost 30 million won and collapsed from the shock?”

“That’s right.”

“So, what’s the bottom line?”

Usually, one would ask about the person in the hospital first. But Chairman Min Hong-sik didn’t seem to care about that and asked for the conclusion first.

It was obvious he had no personal interest in Yu Seung-il.

“There’s no other news yet.”

“Then why did that woman call?”

“She just wanted to inform us. From the wife’s point of view, she seems to have called because she was frustrated that she had to close the store.”

“So, what did you say?”

“I just said I understood.”

“Hmm…”

Chairman Min Hong-sik paused for a moment, then immediately said, “Go to the hospital.”

“Yes?”

Manager Park Seon-woo was momentarily surprised, taken aback by Chairman Min Hong-sik’s words.

Just a moment ago, when he first heard that Yu Seung-il had collapsed, he hadn’t even asked about his well-being. But suddenly, he was being told to go to the hospital. It was surprising.

“Don’t you understand what I’m saying? If we’re going to acquire that closed business anyway, shouldn’t we go and make a good impression first? It looks like he’s going to close down before long.”

“Ah, yes…”

Manager Park Seon-woo finally understood why Chairman Min Hong-sik had told him to go to the hospital. In the end, it wasn’t a visit to Yu Seung-il out of concern, but a visit to grab the closed business.

“Visit Director Yu once he regains consciousness. There’s no point in going before then anyway.”

“Yes, I understand. But if he closes down, how much should we offer for the business…?”

“Director Yu won’t have a choice now anyway. It will be difficult for him to do business again in that condition. So, try to lowball him as much as possible. We’re the only ones who can acquire that business anyway.”

“Yes, I understand.”

At that moment.

Beep!

Manager Park Seon-woo’s cell phone rang.

“Hello.”

-Manager, it’s me.

The caller was Han Mi-sook from Bupyeong.

Manager Park Seon-woo quickly covered the phone with his hand and said to Chairman Min Hong-sik in a low voice, “Chairman, it’s that woman.”

“Answer appropriately and tell her we’ll visit in a few days.”

Manager Park Seon-woo quickly nodded and immediately picked up the phone again.

“Yes, ma’am. How is the director?”

-That’s still… sob sob.

Han Mi-sook couldn’t continue speaking and started crying.

“He’ll wake up soon. So, don’t worry too much.”

-Yes, but I feel relieved that the manager is taking care of things. But what will happen to our store in the future?”

Manager Park Seon-woo tilted his head while answering the phone, puzzled as to why she was worried about the store even though her husband hadn’t woken up yet.

But that was their family situation.

Sigh.

Manager Park Seon-woo smiled bitterly and immediately said, “Don’t worry too much about the store. I’ll give you the best price I can. And I’ll visit you once the director wakes up.”

-Yes, I understand. Then I’ll contact you again.

Click.

Manager Park Seon-woo, who hung up the phone, smiled at Chairman Min Hong-sik.

Chairman Min Hong-sik immediately asked, “What did she say?”

“I have a good feeling about it. If we play our cards right, we’ll get the business for almost nothing.”

“To think that Director Yu would help us again in this way… hmm!”

Chairman Min Hong-sik nodded, smiling as if he was satisfied. Manager Park Seon-woo was the same. A smile was already spreading across his face.

***

Meanwhile, as soon as Han Mi-sook hung up the phone, Yu Seung-il immediately asked, “What did he say?”

“He said he’ll come once you wake up, and he’ll give us the best price for the store…”

“Is that so? Hmm…”

As Yu Seung-il nodded, Han Mi-sook immediately spoke again, “But why did you tell me to call Manager Park, even lying?”

“Test.”

“Yes? Test?”

“Yes, to see how the headquarters will react.”

“Yes? What does that mean?”

Han Mi-sook stared at Yu Seung-il as if she didn’t understand. Yu Seung-il smiled strangely and continued, “The headquarters will think that I can’t run the store anymore because I’m like this.”

“So?”

“Then what’s left? Only our business.”

“That’s true, but how are you going to test that?”

“It’s all about the price. We need to see how much they offer. If they’re decent people, they’ll offer a fair price because they feel sorry for me, and if not, they’ll try to take advantage of me in this situation and lowball me.”

Yu Seung-il’s goal was to use this opportunity to understand the true nature of the headquarters. If it was a decent headquarters, they would actively step in and help in this situation, and if not, they would try to exploit the situation to get as much as they could.

“Ah, I see. By the way, are you okay now?”

“I’m still a little dizzy, but I’m okay. By the way, I’m so sorry to you. It’s not just a few pennies, but over 30 million…”

“Don’t say that. It’s not your fault; the guy who’s taking advantage of it is the one who deserves to be punished.”

“I must have lived my life wrong; now I’m being taken advantage of by a young kid.”

Yu Seung-il couldn’t help but feel absurd as he thought about it. It really didn’t make sense. How could someone stab in the back someone who was trying to help him like this? Especially by someone who’s not even thirty years old yet.

“I’m so glad you’re okay. I heard you collapsed and…”

Han Mi-sook couldn’t help but shed tears as she spoke. Yu Seung-il took Han Mi-sook’s hand and continued, “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.”

“No, don’t say that. I’m so grateful that you woke up like this. And take this opportunity to rest for a few days and recover. You’ve been working too hard without a single day off.”

“Okay, let’s do that. Let’s rest and think about what to do in the future… and thank you.”

Yu Seung-il held Han Mi-sook’s hand even tighter. The two of them spent a long time holding hands.

***

The next day.

Manager Park Seon-woo visited Yu Seung-il.

“How are you feeling, Director?”

“I’m much better. I usually have high blood pressure, so things got this big. By the way, I don’t think I can continue with the business, so if I close down, how much can I get for it?”

Yu Seung-il didn’t beat around the bush and asked directly, as he had been planning to from the start. Manager Park Seon-woo immediately responded as if he had been waiting for it.

“It’s not just your health, but honestly, there’s no chance with the 100 won rental fee. And that kid is so aggressive that you can’t compete with him.”

“So how much…?”

What Yu Seung-il was curious about was the closing price. He thought there was no point in fighting with Hyeon-seong anymore.

When the topic of money came up, Manager Park Seon-woo hesitated.

“That’s…”

“Why? You know our business better than anyone else since you filled it with our stock… Don’t feel pressured and speak freely. Just tell me what the market price is these days.”

“Yes, before that, do you have any amount in mind?”

It was a common tactic used by negotiators: asking for the other party’s opinion before presenting a price first. It was a meaningless act, but it was to gauge how much the other party knew about the market price.

“Well, how would I know that? It’s only been a little over four months since I opened. I have no choice but to trust what the manager says.”

Smirk.

Manager Park Seon-woo turned his head slightly and smiled. Of course, Yu Seung-il didn’t notice. There was only one reason he smiled: he thought he only needed to offer the minimum price, as he had discussed with Chairman Min Hong-sik.

“Would about 20 million won be okay?”

“How much?”

Yu Seung-il couldn’t believe his ears. The money that went into opening the business four months ago was 80 million won. In addition, he bought about 30 million won worth of videos during those four months. That meant he had spent almost 110 million won [Roughly $93,000 USD].

But the price he was offering now was 20 million won.

“Huh! That’s absurd.”

“The closing amount is different from when you open it. I’ll discuss it with the chairman and add about 3 million more…”

“I understand!”

Yu Seung-il cut off Manager Park Seon-woo before he could finish. Then he immediately continued, “Manager, I’m sorry. I’m tired, so I’ll stop here…”

Yu Seung-il lay down and closed his eyes.

‘You son of a bitch!’

Yu Seung-il bit his lower lip tightly. Otherwise, the curse would have escaped immediately.