Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 663

666

***

The two left the café and headed to the hospital, eager for definitive results.

Bupyeong St. Mary’s Hospital, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department.

“Congratulations, you’re pregnant. You need to be especially careful for the next three months…”

The doctor continued to speak at length.

But for Yoon Ji-soo, only the word ‘pregnant’ registered. It felt surreal, like a dream.

Truthfully, she had almost given up a few years ago, after turning thirty-five.

She never thought this day would come.

Then, a year ago, she met Hyun-sung.

The anxiety lingered. She knew all too well that getting pregnant at thirty-eight was not easy.

She had longed for this so much. To become a mother, as a woman.

And that dreamlike event had happened today.

The two stepped outside.

They looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

Hyun-sung spoke first.

“Ji-soo, congratulations. And thank you.”

“……”

Yoon Ji-soo couldn’t find the words. No words could express the overwhelming emotions she felt right now.

Before she knew it, her eyes welled up with tears.

Hyun-sung, watching her, also felt a lump in his throat.

He remembered her words from his past life:

-How wonderful it would have been if we had met just a little earlier.

She especially loved children. She couldn’t pass by a child without stopping to admire them.

Seeing that always made him feel a pang of regret.

A moment later.

The two got into the Jeep.

Hyun-sung spoke first.

“Ji-soo, should we call your mother first?”

“Yes? Call who… ?”

“Your mother. Your mother will be the happiest of all.”

“Ah, my mom!”

Yoon Ji-soo seemed to snap out of her daze and took out her phone to make a call.

A moment later.

Yoon Ji-soo, who was on the phone, suddenly handed the phone to Hyun-sung.

“Mom wants to talk to you.”

Hyun-sung immediately answered the phone.

“Mother, it’s me.”

-Oh! Son-in-law Kim! Congratulations!

An Young-soon’s voice was louder and more energetic than ever. It probably meant that she felt vindicated as well.

It was understandable enough.

In his past life, An Young-soon always apologized for Ji-soo’s inability to conceive. He told her several times that she didn’t need to, but she acted as if she had committed a sin.

Hyun-sung, after finishing the call with An Young-soon, said,

“Your mother’s voice is full of energy.”

“She must have been very worried. Well, it’s only natural. Her daughter is getting older… Anyway, my mom can finally sleep soundly. I guess that’s how all mothers with daughters feel.”

“There’s no need for her to do that…”

“That’s because you’ve never been a woman, Hyun-sung.”

“Ah, is that so.”

Hyun-sung had no choice but to agree. He already knew enough about it through An Young-soon in his past life.

Hyun-sung continued.

“Oh, right, should we call my mother and father too?”

“How embarrassing…”

“What’s embarrassing…? Why do you think that way? They’ll be very happy.”

Hyun-sung immediately started making a call.

Beep, beep.

After two rings, the other person answered the phone.

-Hello.

“Father, it’s me!”

Hyun-sung’s voice was different from usual. He seemed excited, so his voice got louder.

-Oh, yeah, Hyun-sung. But why does your voice sound like that? Is there something good going on?

“I have good news.”

-Good news? What is it?

“Father, I’m going to be a dad.”

-What? A dad? Does that mean… ?

“Yes, I just came from the hospital after confirming it.”

-Is that really true?

His father’s voice suddenly got louder. Of course. There wouldn’t be anyone who wouldn’t be happy to see their grandchild.

His father’s voice was heard again from the other side of the phone.

-Wait a minute. Your mother is making a fuss about wanting to talk to you.

A moment later, his mother’s voice was heard.

-Hyun-sung, is what your father just said true?

“Yes, Mother. It’s true. I confirmed it at the hospital a little while ago.”

-Oh! Is there ever a time like this to be so happy. Finally, I….

His mother, like his father, was clearly delighted. After that, his mother talked for a long time before hanging up.

Hyun-sung, after ending the call, looked at Yoon Ji-soo and said,

“They’re both very happy.”

“Let’s go down again soon [to visit them]. Last time, we came up without even sleeping for one night, so they seemed very disappointed.”

“Okay, let’s go down again when the weather gets a little warmer. By the way, is there anywhere you want to go today?”

“Where to?”

“Anywhere is fine. Just tell me if there’s anywhere you want to go, Ji-soo. It’s okay to go shopping at the department store.”

Yoon Ji-soo shook her head slightly and said,

“No, I’ll just go to the café. It hasn’t been long since we opened, so I can’t keep leaving my post.”

“Speaking of the café, shouldn’t you stay away from the café for the time being?”

“Yes? What do you mean? Don’t go to the café…”

It was hard for Yoon Ji-soo to understand. It had only been about a week since the café opened. But telling her not to go to the café, did that make sense?

Hyun-sung’s answer followed immediately.

“The doctor told you to be especially careful for about three months. So, I think you shouldn’t go to the café for at least three months. If you keep going, you’ll overdo it.”

“It’s only been a week since we opened, I can’t do that. You know how much I wanted to run a café.”

“That’s true, but…”

It was an ambiguous situation for Hyun-sung. On the one hand, Yoon Ji-soo was right.

Hyun-sung knew better than anyone that she wanted to have a café.

“Um…”

Hyun-sung had no choice but to fall into *gomin* [Korean: 고민, meaning ‘deep thought’ or ‘worry’]. Her stability was important, and her café was also important. Neither of the two was unimportant.

A moment later.

Hyun-sung, who had finished *gomin*, immediately continued to speak.

“Ji-soo, then let’s do this. Let’s hire one more person.”

“Hire one more person?”

“Yes, it’s too much for Ji-soo in this state. You have to stand for at least eight hours in this state, and that’s not going to work. Isn’t that right?”

“Um…”

Yoon Ji-soo seemed to think for a moment, then immediately nodded her head.

“It seems like what you’re saying is right. It’s a little difficult when customers come all at once.”

“Three hours a day.”

“Three hours?”

“Yes, that’s as much time as I can give up [from my own schedule]. No more than that.”

“Do you really have to go that far…”

Yoon Ji-soo shook her head slightly. It seemed like it was a difficult situation for her to accept.

But Hyun-sung also showed no signs of giving in.

“I can’t give up any more. Absolutely!”

That was the conclusion Hyun-sung had reached. A way to catch both rabbits [idiom for achieving two goals at once], since nothing was unimportant, he had adjusted it as much as possible.

Hyun-sung’s words continued.

“I wish you wouldn’t go to the café at all, but I think it would be hard for you, so I’ve given up as much as possible. What do you think, Ji-soo?”

Pfft.

Yoon Ji-soo smiled lightly instead of answering.

How could she not know? That all of this was for her.

She was just grateful. It was fortunate that he didn’t tell her to give up the café entirely.

“Yes, I understand. If Hyun-sung is talking like that, it’s not human to be stubborn.”

“You agree.”

“Yes, I’ll do that. And thank you. For listening to my opinion as much as possible.”

Yoon Ji-soo let out a sigh of relief. It wouldn’t have been strange if he had told her to give up the café.

The baby and the café—the baby was absolutely important to the point where there was no comparison. But even so, Hyun-sung adjusted the time as much as possible to take care of the café.

Hyun-sung’s words continued again.

“And one more thing.”

“There’s more?”

“We’re starting to live together today.”

“Living together?”

Yoon Ji-soo’s voice grew louder. It was something she hadn’t even thought about.

“Yes, I’m going to be by Ji-soo’s side from now on. I was *gomin* about it anyway, but I’ve made a decision this time. As a father, I don’t think I should hesitate any longer.”

Actually, he was *gomin*: whether to move in together after getting married in October, or to live together before that.

But after hearing the news of the pregnancy today, he thought that he shouldn’t delay any longer.

“What do you think, Ji-soo?”

“Um, well… I’m a little embarrassed…”

Yoon Ji-soo was in an ambiguous situation. Of course, she thought she would live together later, but not yet.

“Don’t feel pressured. Just think that there’s one guardian who’s always by your side now.”

“Guardian?”

“Yes, of course, I’ve been Ji-soo’s guardian until now, but from now on, there will be two guardians, including our baby. So, think comfortably.”

“Um…”

Yoon Ji-soo didn’t answer right away. She had lived alone all her life, so she was worried about someone coming in next to her.

But who was that person? It was the baby’s father, not someone else.

Yoon Ji-soo, who had been *gomin* for a while, nodded her head and answered.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Have you decided?”

“To be honest, it’s still a little strange, but it’s not someone else, it’s our baby’s father. So, of course…”

Yoon Ji-soo stopped talking and looked at Hyun-sung. Then she continued to speak again.

“It’s like a dream. To be honest, I never thought this day would come for me.”

“Me too. I can’t believe I’m going to be a dad…”

Hyun-sung also felt like he was dreaming. It was a very different situation compared to his past life.

The Jeep they were in had already arrived in front of the café.

Hyun-sung took Yoon Ji-soo’s hand.

“Ji-soo, I’ll protect you from now on.”

“Thank you, I’ll try hard too.”

“Okay, let’s try together.”

The two looked at each other and nodded their heads as if making a promise. The eyes of the two were shining more than ever.

***

Late at night.

Hyun-sung looked at the clock. There were still about 10 minutes left before he could leave work.

“Boss, you’re acting strange today?”

An employee, Kim Min-ki, said.

“Huh? What?”

“You’ve been looking at the clock since earlier. Is there something going on?”

“Did I do that?”

“Yes, you’ve been checking the time every 5 minutes since 30 minutes ago. Do you have an appointment with someone today?”

Wink.

Hyun-sung smiled lightly instead of answering. Then Kim Min-ki asked again.

“Boss, is something going on?”

“Why? Does it look like that?”

“It’s so different from usual. Do you know that you’ve been smiling a lot today?”

Hyun-sung also knew. He was smiling without realizing it. Of course, there was only one reason for that.

Kim Min-ki asked again.

“Can’t you tell us what’s going on?”

“That’s…”

Hyun-sung was embarrassed to say it right away. Then Lee Kyung-min, who was next to him, asked this time.

“Is it good news?”

“Of course it is.”

“What is it?”

“Actually… I’m going to be a dad today.”

Hyun-sung barely said it like a shy child. Then Kim Min-ki and Lee Kyung-min asked at the same time as if they had made a promise.

“A dad?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Wow!”

The two opened their mouths at the same time and couldn’t close them.

After a while.

Kim Min-ki opened his mouth again.

“Are you going to see the madam after work?”

“Oh, of course.”

“Then what are you waiting for? We’ll finish up here, so go quickly.”

With those words, Kim Min-ki started pulling Hyun-sung out of the counter.

“Oh, oh, okay.”

Hyun-sung reluctantly came out of the counter. Then he immediately continued to speak.

“Okay, then please finish up.”

“Yes, boss. Go home first.”

With those words, Hyun-sung left the store and headed to the parking lot. Hyun-sung, who got into the car, immediately made a call.

Yoon Ji-soo answered the phone right away.

-Hello.

“I’m leaving now. I’ll be there in a little while, so wait a little longer. Is there anything you want to eat?”

-Pig’s feet [Jokbal, a popular Korean dish].

“Yes? You don’t usually like pig’s feet, do you?”

-But I strangely want to eat it today.

“Okay, I’ll buy pig’s feet and go right away.”

Hyun-sung hung up the phone and immediately left for the pig’s feet restaurant. His face was full of smiles.

About a minute passed.

Beep!

The phone rang.

“Hello.”

-Hyun-sung, I want to eat sashimi too.

“Okay, I’ll buy sashimi soon and go.”

Hyun-sung’s face was still full of smiles. He was willing to do anything for her if that’s what she wanted.

Beep!

Then the phone rang again.