Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 680

“Are you perhaps the owner of that restaurant I read about in the newspaper?”

“Which restaurant are you referring to…?”

“The one in Hongcheon’s Seomyeon. The biggest restaurant in Korea, from the first to fourth floor.”

“How do you know about that place, sir?”

Hyun-sung was surprised.

It was a restaurant in a rural part of Gangwon-do, not even in a major metropolitan area.

Of course, it was true that it was the largest in Korea in terms of size, but it was still surprising that Park Yoon-sung knew about it.

“I visited there this spring.”

“You went there yourself, sir?”

“Yes, actually, I saw an advertisement for the restaurant in the newspaper and went out of curiosity. I was really amazed by its size. And what surprised me even more than the restaurant were the cherry blossoms. Every spring, I travel all over the country, from the Jinhae Gunhangje [a famous cherry blossom festival], to see the cherry blossoms, but I’ve never seen so many cherry blossoms in one place.”

“Ah, I see. That’s how it was.”

Every spring, they put out advertisements in the newspaper. It seemed that Park Yoon-sung had seen the advertisement and visited the place.

They did advertise, but it was still a bit surprising that the person in front of him had actually been there.

“You are the owner of that place, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I run the restaurant there.”

“Haha, it’s a small world. To think I’d meet the owner of that place here… Nice to meet you, Mr. Kim.”

Park Yoon-sung shook Hyun-sung’s hand again. His expression seemed genuinely pleased.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Ah, yes. Let’s do that. Mr. Kim, please sit down too.”

The two sat side by side in the chairs. Then, Park Yoon-sung immediately spoke again.

“By the way, how old are you this year…?”

“I’m thirty-one.”

“Haha…”

Park Yoon-sung didn’t say anything else and just chuckled. Then he continued.

“Anyway, you’re really amazing. How can you run such a restaurant at that age?”

“It just happened that way.”

“Well, it would be rude to ask that in a place like this.”

“It’s not that, but it’s hard to answer…”

“Haha, yes, I understand. I’ll hear about it if I get the chance later, but can I ask you just one thing first?”

Just then,

The door opened and the food began to come in.

This place didn’t have a separate menu. It was a Korean set meal [a multi-course meal with various side dishes] that came in courses.

A simple abalone porridge and salad were placed in front of the two men.

Park Yoon-sung said to Hyun-sung.

“Well, let’s eat first. We can talk slowly while we eat.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The two began to eat the abalone porridge in front of them.

After eating about half of it,

Park Yoon-sung looked at Hyun-sung and asked.

“Okay, then let’s continue the conversation from a little while ago. What I’m curious about is the cherry blossoms, even more than the restaurant itself.”

Hyun-sung nodded slightly, and Park Yoon-sung continued.

“To be direct, whose work are those cherry blossoms? Who created that spectacle?”

“That’s naturally my…”

“Did you really do it all yourself?”

Park Yoon-sung’s expression looked quite serious. Hyun-sung could tell from his expression that he was genuinely curious.

Hyun-sung had no choice but to add an explanation.

“I created it myself. At first, I planted only 100,000 pyeong [approximately 82 acres], and then I planted another 100,000 pyeong the following year.”

“So, a total of 200,000 pyeong?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hmm…”

Park Yoon-sung seemed to be thinking for a moment, then immediately continued.

“What’s the reason?”

“What reason are you talking about?”

“The reason you planted cherry trees in that large area.”

“It was for the village.”

At Hyun-sung’s word ‘village,’ Park Yoon-sung tilted his head for a moment and immediately asked.

“Did you just say village?”

“Yes, I thought that was the only way to save the village. You’ve been there, so you know how rural it is. I thought the only way to bring people there was with cherry blossoms.”

“So, you planted cherry trees on 200,000 pyeong?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hmm…”

Park Yoon-sung was silent again, as if he was thinking for a moment. His expression still looked serious.

Then he opened his mouth again.

“So, what was the result? Was it successful?”

“It’s a great success. On weekends, at least 100,000 people visit the place every day. It’s so crowded that the word ‘packed’ is an understatement. As a result, the village’s income is naturally bound to increase. In addition, in the fall, the place is full of cosmos flowers. So, from spring to fall, the villagers are so busy with business that they don’t have time to rest.”

“Well…”

Park Yoon-sung had no choice but to admit it.

Even when he went last spring, it was so crowded with people that there was no room to set foot. Restaurants, cafes, and even places selling mountain herbs were full of people.

Even to put gas in the gas station, he had to wait more than 30 minutes.

It was no exaggeration to say that the entire village was revived by cherry blossoms alone.

But the important thing was that the person who created such a village was right in front of him.

And he was only thirty-one years old.

Park Yoon-sung looked at Hyun-sung for a moment, then smiled and continued.

“He’s someone I can’t even compare myself to.”

“You’re flattering me.”

“No, I have to admit what I have to admit. I give up. Mr. Kim, you won.”

“Yes? What are you talking about…”

Hyun-sung couldn’t understand what Park Yoon-sung was saying. But he couldn’t ask any more questions. The reason was that the door opened again and the course meals began to come in in earnest.

“Well, eat as much as you want.”

Park Yoon-sung said to Hyun-sung as all the dishes were set on the table.

Hyun-sung was amazed. It was the first time in his life that he had seen a Korean set meal with so many side dishes.

“I will enjoy the meal.”

Hyun-sung bowed his head and began to eat.

How much time had passed?

After the meal, a porcelain teacup containing sujeonggwa [cinnamon punch] was placed in front of the two men. Even the same sujeonggwa seemed to taste different because the container was different.

Hyun-sung took a sip of the sujeonggwa and spoke first.

“Thanks to you, sir, I enjoyed a precious meal today.”

“I was happy to meet a precious person today.”

“Then, shall I get to the main point now…?”

Hyun-sung glanced at Park Yoon-sung as he spoke.

After all, the purpose of coming here was not the meal, but to buy the two buildings he owned in Bupyeong.

Of course, Park Yoon-sung would already know that.

But what was strange was that Park Yoon-sung didn’t say a word about it while they were eating. He waited in case, but he didn’t say a word about the building until the end.

So, Hyun-sung had no choice but to bring it up now.

But his reaction was strange.

“The main point? What main point?”

Hyun-sung was dumbfounded. He wondered what this was all about. He thought that if he talked this much, he would naturally know. After all, the purpose of meeting today was different.

But he couldn’t help but be surprised by his appearance, as if he didn’t know anything.

Hyun-sung said again.

“Didn’t we have a separate purpose for meeting today?”

“Are you talking about the building?”

The word ‘building’ came out of his mouth right away.

He was relieved. He was worried about what this was all about when he was talking as if he didn’t know anything a little while ago, but he was relieved that he seemed to remember our purpose.

“Yes, I really need your building, sir.”

“If it’s about that, didn’t I already tell you a little while ago?”

“Yes? What do you mean…?”

Hyun-sung was dumbfounded again. In his memory, he had never said anything about the building. All he did was eat. But now that he said he had already said that, Hyun-sung couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.

“Before we ate, I clearly said that Mr. Kim won, didn’t I?”

“To me?”

“Yes, I think I clearly said that I gave up and that Mr. Kim won.”

“I heard that story a little while ago, but…”

Hyun-sung still couldn’t understand what he was saying.

His words followed immediately.

“That was the story. That was my answer.”

“Yes? That’s the story?”

“I clearly said that Mr. Kim won, right?”

“Yes, I heard those words too. But I don’t know what those words mean…”

“Haha…”

Park Yoon-sung suddenly started laughing out loud. Then, at some point, he stopped laughing and said again.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t properly finish the story because the meal came in while I was talking. What I meant by ‘Mr. Kim won’ was that I would hand over my building to you.”

“Yes? Is that really true?”

Hyun-sung was still dumbfounded. He had never thought that the words he said would mean that.

But one question arose.

He had never said anything about the building. But he didn’t know why he was suddenly offering to hand over the building to him.

Hyun-sung had no choice but to ask again.

“But why did you suddenly make that decision? I haven’t said anything about the building to you, sir.”

“As the saying goes, if you see one, you can know ten [understand the whole from one example]. You were such a case. You brought people to that rural village. That’s 100,000 people a day. Thanks to that, the village is full of life, right?”

“That’s true, but.”

The place is more vibrant than anywhere else in Korea. Even if the entire village people grow and sell mountain herbs, the supply is not enough.

The conclusion is money.

They make that much money, so the village can’t help but be full of life.

“That’s right. You revived a village at that young age, didn’t you? I don’t need to block the way for someone who is going to save a village in Incheon again, do I? The moment I knew you were the owner of that place, I was already thinking of handing over the building.”

It was something I never expected.

I didn’t know things would work out like this. Whatever the reason, Hyun-sung couldn’t help but feel good that things were working out properly.

“Thank you. And I will never disappoint you.”

“Okay, Bupyeong is a place where I was born, so I have a special affection for it. Please make that village the best place to live in Korea. I ask you.”

“Yes, I understand. I will do my best. And I can promise you this one thing in advance.”

“A promise? What is it?”

“Our children. I will create an environment where our children can run around as much as they want, no matter what. I can promise you that for sure.”

Smirk.

Park Yoon-sung smiled at Hyun-sung. Then he immediately continued.

“Can I ask you just one thing?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I heard that a mixed-use building is going up, but can I ask for the right to move into one of the apartments on the 7th floor?”

“Yes, I understand. I will do that.”

“When I get older, I plan to spend the rest of my life there. I think I should finish in the place where I was born.”

Park Yoon-sung’s eyes trembled subtly as he spoke. It seemed like he was thinking about his own mortality.

Then he opened his mouth again.

“Anyway, thank you. That someone like Mr. Kim is developing the place where I lived.”

“Thank you too. For trusting my lack of experience and handing over the building. I will not disappoint you and create a village where people live properly.”

Just then.

Park Yoon-sung took out a business card from his wallet and handed it to Hyun-sung.

Hyun-sung thought it was Park Yoon-sung’s business card, of course. But the business card had a completely different name on it.

“Who is this person?”

“There are still three buildings in that neighborhood that have not been acquired, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I received two from you, so there are three left.”

“The owner of that business card is the owner of those buildings.”

“Yes?”

Hyun-sung checked the business card again. It said ‘Na Sang-joon.’

“President Na on that business card is a friend of mine. I’ll call him in advance, so please meet him. You’ll probably hear good news.”

“Thank you, President!”

Hyun-sung jumped up from his seat and bowed his head. He had been worried about how to approach the last three remaining buildings.

If he acquires the remaining three buildings, the acquisition of the buildings in that neighborhood will be 100% complete. Then, he will be able to start construction in earnest from now on.

A smile began to spread across Hyun-sung’s face.