Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 679

682

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Hyun-sung arrived in Mapo to meet Park Yoon-sung, the building owner, and entered the underground parking lot of a restaurant across from the Mapo Police Station. The restaurant was located on the second floor.

As he stepped out of the elevator on the second floor, he was immediately at the restaurant entrance.

“Welcome!”

A staff member in a modernized hanbok [traditional Korean dress] greeted Hyun-sung warmly. Then, he politely asked,

“Do you have a reservation under what name?”

It was clear that the restaurant operated on a reservation system.

Later, Hyun-sung learned that the restaurant, named ‘Mapo Golden Korean Cuisine,’ was quite famous.

Hyun-sung immediately gave the name ‘Park Yoon-sung,’ and the staff member checked before guiding him to a private room.

Sitting back in his chair, Hyun-sung took a sip of water.

Looking at his watch, it was 11:30 AM. There was still about 30 minutes before the appointment time.

“That guy!”

The image of Lee Sang-hyuk before he left Incheon came to mind.

He could feel his determination from the sight of him bowing deeply and his eyes filled with tears.

If he started now, he would be able to pass the civil service exam he was aiming for in five years at the latest.

Of course, the prerequisite was that he had to work hard.

If that happened, he would have no problem living in this world.

Hyun-sung smiled and nodded.

Just then,

Ding-dong!

His phone rang.

Hyun-sung immediately answered the call.

“Hello.”

-Hyung [Korean term for older brother or close male friend], it’s me!

The caller was Oh Myung-hwan from Gangneung. He used to be involved in private lending and now runs a street stall business.

His voice was full of energy, so it seemed like something had happened.

“Oh, yeah. Mr. Oh, what’s up?”

-Hyung, it’s finally out.

“Huh? What’s out?”

-The company registration, I mean. I just checked it a little while ago. That’s why I’m calling you first, Hyung!

Oh Myung-hwan’s excited voice could be heard over the phone.

In fact, he had recently applied for formal incorporation for ‘Street Stall Co., Ltd.’ It seemed that the registration had come through today.

“Congratulations, Mr. Oh. No, I should call you CEO Oh now.”

-Haha, why are you making me feel embarrassed? Anyway, it’s all thanks to you, Hyung. If you weren’t there, I would still be acting like a neighborhood thug. I would like to thank you again. Thank you, Hyung!

A smile immediately spread across Hyun-sung’s face.

It was a moment when he felt anew that human connections were truly amazing. When he first heard that his mother-in-law had collapsed, he never imagined that there would be such a result.

Whatever the reason, Hyun-sung was pleased that things had turned out this way as a result.

Hyun-sung deliberately called out his title loudly.

“CEO Oh!”

-Yes, Hyung.

“I’m also grateful. To be honest, I didn’t expect it from the beginning, but it seems that I got this result because CEO Oh followed me better than I thought.”

-That’s all because you treated us sincerely from the beginning, Hyung. As you know, aren’t our guys usually ordinary? If those guys follow you, it’s all thanks to you, no matter what anyone says.

“No, CEO Oh has worked hard in the meantime. The other friends are the same. Anyway, now that you’ve officially created a company, let’s do business properly. In that sense, how are the street stalls doing these days?”

-It’s going better than I thought. So, I’m planning to add five more within this month. At this rate, I think I can achieve the target of 20 by the end of this year!

There was strength in Oh Myung-hwan’s last voice. That meant he was confident.

It was last March that he started the street stalls.

The initial start was with 10 stalls. But he was talking about adding 5 more within this month and 5 more by the end of the year, for a total of 20 stalls.

In the end, it took less than 10 months to open 20 stalls.

It was quite fast.

Even when he first opened, he didn’t know it would grow this fast.

Hyun-sung also smiled as if he was in a good mood.

“Okay, now that you’ve officially created a company, run it properly.”

-Yes, I understand. Now that I’ve gained momentum and the company registration has been officially issued, I’m going to work harder.

“Um, good. And from now on, you should try to change the form of the street stalls.”

-Yes? What do you mean by changing the form?

“I’m talking about changing it to an indoor street stall. We can’t just set up stalls on the street and do business forever. Don’t you think so?”

From the beginning of starting the street stalls, the next goal was indoor street stalls. He knew from the beginning that street stalls outside were illegal anyway, so there was a limit.

-So, you’re saying we should go inside the building?

“Yes, we can’t just do business illegally forever. From now on, let’s pay taxes and do business with dignity. Honestly, I’m annoyed every time the crackdown comes.”

-That’s true. It’s a waste of money to pay fines every time there’s a crackdown.

“So, from now on, let’s go inside the building and do business. And our ultimate goal is for everyone to become building owners.”

-Yes? Building owners?

Oh Myung-hwan’s voice suddenly grew louder. That meant that he had never thought about the word ‘building owner’ that Hyun-sung had said.

Perhaps it was natural. That’s because becoming a building owner wouldn’t be easy.

But the reason Hyun-sung said that was simple.

That was goal setting.

Until now, he had just lived as he went, but from now on, he was talking about setting clear goals and living.

He had already realized while living in his previous life that the difference between having a goal and not having one in life was extreme.

“Yes, building owner. Although we’re setting up stalls outside and doing business now, we’ll become building owners in the future. It’s a kind of goal setting. A life goal.”

-A life goal?

“Yes, the difference between having a goal and not having one in life is huge. If a person lives without a goal, they just live day by day, but on the contrary, if they have a goal, they can live towards that goal without wavering.”

-…….

Oh Myung-hwan was silent. It seemed like he was thinking about something. Hyun-sung waited for his answer for a while.

About a minute passed.

His voice was heard again over the phone.

-Hyung!

“Yeah, CEO Oh. Speak.”

-Actually, I was the typical person. Honestly, I didn’t have a goal until now. I just lived day by day.

“What about now?”

-It’s different now. Since I met you and started the street stall business, I have a goal. Moreover, now that I’ve created a proper company, my mind is different from before.

“So, you’re saying we should set a proper goal now. That’s the building owner. Imagine all 50 people, including CEO Oh, owning a building each. Isn’t it cool?”

Becoming a building owner.

Of course, it won’t be easy. But Hyun-sung judged that if he set a clear goal of ‘building owner’ and lived from now on, his mindset would be completely different from what it had been until now.

-50 people owning a building each?

“Yes, of course, it’s impossible right now, but wouldn’t it be possible in 20 years?”

Anyway, it’s not a goal that can be achieved in a short period of time. The purpose of bringing up this story from the beginning was to set a long-term goal.

Then, until then, he would run towards that goal.

-You’re saying we should go for the long term?

“That’s right. Anyway, becoming a building owner doesn’t happen in a short period of time. Let’s set a goal of 20 years from now and go. Then, what kind of changes do you think will happen in the future?”

-Um… If that happens, wouldn’t our mindset change?

“How?”

-Since we have a goal, wouldn’t we have hope?

The moment Hyun-sung heard the word ‘hope’ from Oh Myung-hwan’s mouth, he slapped his knee.

Hyun-sung’s purpose was exactly this.

Hope!

He wanted to give them a clear hope for living in the future.

That was the building owner.

Just like the first goal Hyun-sung had when he regressed was to become a building owner.

“Yes, that’s it. When a person has hope, the taste of life changes. That’s what CEO Oh has to do in the future.”

-Me?

“Yes, now that the company has been officially created, set a proper goal for them. The hope that everyone will have a building each in 20 years. How about it? Can you do it?”

-Can I really…….

Oh Myung-hwan’s voice grew smaller. It was a different, weaker figure than before. It seemed like he felt burdened by becoming a building owner.

Perhaps it was a natural reaction. That meant that it was not easy for the average person to become a building owner.

Hyun-sung’s words followed immediately.

“Why, do you think it’ll be difficult?”

-Honestly, it’s not easy to become a building owner by running a street stall. It sounds good, but realistically…….

“What if I help you?”

-Yes? You, Hyung?

“Yes, contact me whenever you need me.”

-Really?

Oh Myung-hwan’s voice grew louder again. His voice was heard again over the phone.

-If you help me, Hyung, the story will be different.

“Are you confident now?”

-Yes, of course. It’s hard for us, but if you help us, Hyung, we’re confident. In the end, you’re saving us again.

His voice followed immediately.

-I will tell everyone about what you said today at the general meeting tomorrow morning. And from now on, I will set the first goal as an indoor street stall.

“Okay, let’s make the first one an indoor street stall and the second one a building owner.”

-Yes, I will. Maybe then everyone’s eyes will change. Because they have new hope.

“Okay, I understand. I hope everyone works hard and becomes a building owner.”

-Yes, I understand. I will work hard to make it happen.

“Okay, I got it. I have to hang up now. It’s time for the guests to come. Then, let’s talk again next time.”

Hyun-sung took the phone away from his ear to hang up.

Just then,

Oh Myung-hwan’s urgent voice was heard again over the phone.

-Hyung!

“Oh, why? Do you have anything else to say?”

-Um, that’s…….

For some reason, Oh Myung-hwan couldn’t continue speaking.

Hyun-sung immediately asked.

“What’s wrong? Why can’t you speak right away?”

-Um, that’s it. I got over 50 points.

“50 points? What are you talking about?”

-I took the English test yesterday, and I got over 50 points for the first time.

Only then did Hyun-sung know the meaning of the 50 points he had said a little while ago. He is now preparing for the GED [General Educational Development test, a high school equivalency credential in the US and Canada].

50 points!

Maybe it’s a terrible score. But at least from Oh Myung-hwan’s point of view, that score would be the best score.

He would have made a lot of effort to get that score.

He wants to show it off now.

Hyun-sung said in a loud voice on purpose.

“Is that real?”

-Yes, it is. I finally got over 50 points in two months.

“Congratulations. And thank you for your hard work. Thank you for your hard work.”

Hyun-sung sincerely congratulated him. He is over 40 years old. He dropped out of high school and is preparing for the GED again. He sincerely congratulated him because he knew how hard he had worked to get that score.

-Hehe, thank you. I wanted to brag to you, Hyung, even if no one else did.

“Okay, good job. If anything like that happens in the future, contact me right away.”

-Yes, I understand. Then, please go in. I’ll contact you again next time. You hang up first, Hyung.”

“Oh, yeah. Let’s talk again next time.”

Click.

A smile automatically spread across Hyun-sung’s face after he hung up the phone.

To be honest, he was anxious when he first registered for the GED academy.

Whether he can do it.

He took the English test and boasted that he got over 50 points for the first time. That’s why Hyun-sung couldn’t help but be happy.

Hyun-sung smiled once again.

Just then,

Knock knock.

With a knock, the door opened and a person came in. He could immediately tell who he was without having to explain it. He was Park Yoon-sung, the building owner Hyun-sung had been waiting for.

“Hello, nice to meet you.”

Hyun-sung immediately got up from his seat and bowed to Park Yoon-sung.

“Hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Park Yoon-sung.”

Park Yoon-sung held out his hand to Hyun-sung. Then, Hyun-sung quickly grabbed his hand and said.

“I’m Kim Hyun-sung.”

“Oh? Kim Hyun-sung?”

Park Yoon-sung looked at Hyun-sung’s face and tilted his head. He seemed to know Hyun-sung’s face.

Then he immediately opened his mouth.

683

Returning, Building Owner