Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 682

“What? Who?”

Hyun-sung momentarily doubted his ears. The reason was that the name Lee Jung-woo mentioned was someone he had never expected.

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but ask again to confirm.

“Hey, who did you say it was?”

-Jiyeon, Kim Jiyeon!

“……”

Hyun-sung was speechless. It was a complete shock.

The ‘Kim Jiyeon’ he just mentioned was definitely someone Hyun-sung knew very well.

Kim Jiyeon!

She was none other than Hyun-sung’s only younger sister.

Hyun-sung asked again to make sure.

“Hey, is that Jiyeon the Jiyeon I know?”

-… Yeah, that’s right. Your only younger sister, that Jiyeon!

Lee Jung-woo’s voice, which seemed hesitant for a moment over the phone, was clearly heard.

Hyun-sung briefly took the phone away from his ear. Then, he stared blankly into the air for a moment. Then, Yoon Ji-soo, who was sitting in front of him, asked without making a sound, only mouthing, ‘Who is it?’

Hyun-sung covered the phone with his hand and answered.

“My friend, Lee Jung-woo.”

“Mr. Jung-woo?”

Yoon Ji-soo, seeing Hyun-sung covering the phone with his hand, asked in a small voice. Hyun-sung nodded and continued.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What about Mr. Jung-woo?”

“Jung-woo says he’s seeing our Jiyeon.”

“Yes?”

Yoon Ji-soo’s voice suddenly grew louder. It meant that she was just as surprised by the situation.

Hyun-sung quickly brought his thumb to his mouth towards her. It was a sign to be quiet. Then, Yoon Ji-soo quickly nodded as if she understood.

Hyun-sung put the phone back to his ear. Then he immediately called his name.

“Hey, Lee Jung-woo.”

-Yeah, tell me. I’m already prepared, so say whatever you want.

“You’ve been seeing our Jiyeon for three months?”

-Yeah, that’s right. Since last January.

“But why didn’t you tell me?”

-I told you a little while ago. I was afraid of disappointing you. So until now…….

“Hey, Lee Jung-woo!”

Hyun-sung interrupted him and called his name in a loud voice. Then he immediately continued.

“How could you say that to me?”

-Huh? What do you mean……?

Lee Jung-woo didn’t seem to understand Hyun-sung’s words. Then Hyun-sung’s voice grew louder again.

“Hey, you son of a bitch! What the hell am I supposed to be disappointed about?”

-Well, as you know, my body is…….

“Crazy bastard! What’s wrong with your body?”

The words ‘crazy bastard’ came right out of Hyun-sung’s mouth. That meant he didn’t care about Lee Jung-woo’s physical disability.

In other words, there was no reason to be disappointed, as Lee Jung-woo had said.

Lee Jung-woo’s voice was heard again.

-As you know, I have a disability.

The word ‘disability’ came out of Lee Jung-woo’s mouth explicitly. Then Hyun-sung’s voice became sharper.

“So? What’s wrong with that?”

-Are you saying you don’t care about that now?

“Hey, Lee Jung-woo. What the hell are you talking about?”

-A little while ago, when you found out that I was seeing Jiyeon, you were silent for a long time. That means you were disappointed, right?

“You son of a bitch, really!”

Hyun-sung was furious.

The reason Hyun-sung himself was surprised at first was simply because something he had never expected had happened.

He had never dreamed that Lee Jung-woo would date his younger sister. The reason was that the two had no contact in their past life.

In that situation, Hyun-sung couldn’t help but be surprised that the two were dating. That’s why he couldn’t speak for a while, but there was no other meaning.

“Hey, you’re misunderstanding.”

-Misunderstanding?

“Yeah, you idiot. The reason I was silent when I first heard that you were seeing our Jiyeon wasn’t for the reason you think, but because I never dreamed that you two would meet; there was no other meaning.”

-Is that true?

“Hey, don’t tell me you don’t believe me now?”

Hyun-sung’s voice grew louder again. Hyun-sung was angry at the fact that Lee Jung-woo didn’t believe him.

-It’s not that, but from my point of view, I keep thinking that…….

Lee Jung-woo’s voice grew smaller.

Hyun-sung listened to his voice and thought for a moment.

What if he were in Lee Jung-woo’s shoes?

Friend’s younger sister.

Also, the younger sister of his best friend—he dates her?

But he happens to be physically different from other people. A disabled person, as they say.

Of course, he didn’t become disabled because of his own fault, but whatever the reason, the result is that he has no choice but to be in that situation.

In that situation, would he be able to confidently tell his friend that he was dating his younger sister?

‘Hmm……’

After thinking for a while, Hyun-sung slowly shook his head from side to side.

It wouldn’t have been easy.

Maybe it was even more difficult because he was a close friend.

Hyun-sung, having sorted out his thoughts, called his name.

“Hey, Lee Jung-woo.”

-Yeah, okay.

“I’m sorry.”

-Huh? What for?

“I think I was only thinking about myself again. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t have been able to talk about it easily either.”

Hyun-sung had no choice but to admit it.

It would have been easier to talk to a stranger. That’s because there’s no need to consider the other person that much.

But since the other person was his best friend, he must have had a lot of worries.

Hyun-sung now understood what Lee Jung-woo had said at first.

‘I couldn’t tell you because I was afraid of disappointing you.’

He was thinking about Hyun-sung’s position that much.

How painful and difficult that time must have been for him.

But he scolded him, saying, ‘Why didn’t you tell me sooner?’

Looking back, it was his own lacking self.

Hyun-sung called his name again.

“Jung-woo!”

-Yeah.

“Thank you.”

After thinking it over, Hyun-sung actually felt grateful. Jung-woo must have worried a lot, and he was thankful that Jung-woo had spoken honestly before it was too late.

However, that was just Hyun-sung’s thought. On the other end of the phone, Lee Jung-woo’s surprised voice was heard.

-What? What are you talking about?

“I mean, thank you for telling me now, before it’s too late. And…”

Hyun-sung paused for a moment before continuing.

“I’m grateful it’s you. Because if it’s you, I can trust you and leave my sister in your care without any worries.”

-Are you serious?

“Yes, you know that, right? That you’re the guy I trust the most among my friends.”

-That’s just what you say because we’re friends.

“No, not for me. You’re the best as my friend, but also the best as my sister’s boyfriend. I mean it.”

At first, he was surprised when Jung-woo said he was seeing his sister, but it was inevitable because he had never expected it.

But as time passed, that surprise turned into relief.

He could trust Lee Jung-woo more than anyone else.

The disability he’s worried about…

That’s not a problem at all.

Of course, it may be a little uncomfortable to live with, but that’s not a barrier to becoming his sister’s partner.

If there’s one thing he learned from living over 50 years in his previous life, it was how important a person’s character is in life.

He realized that the invisible inner self is much more important than the outwardly visible body.

In that respect, Lee Jung-woo’s character had already been confirmed by living over 50 years in his previous life.

In this situation, what else would he worry about?

And the most important thing is his sister’s choice.

She wouldn’t have started seeing him without knowing about his disability from the beginning. She must have been attracted to his good qualities and made her choice.

Then, as her brother, it is natural to respect his sister’s choice.

Hyun-sung continued.

“I’m really grateful. I wouldn’t allow it if it were someone else, but if it’s you, Lee Jung-woo, there’s no reason to object. I know better than anyone what kind of guy you are. I’ll say it again, thank you so much for meeting my sister.”

-Hey, Kim Hyun-sung…!

Lee Jung-woo couldn’t continue speaking. Then Hyun-sung spoke again.

“Is Ji-yeon next to you right now?”

-Huh? Uh…

Lee Jung-woo’s voice trembled slightly. That meant that he was not yet used to this situation.

“Let me talk to Ji-yeon.”

-Huh? Uh, just a moment.

After a moment of silence, his sister’s voice was heard from the phone.

-Oppa [older brother]?

“Yeah, it’s me.”

-Jung-woo oppa told you everything, right?

“Yeah, you did well.”

-Huh?……

Kim Ji-yeon was momentarily speechless. Of course, she didn’t think her brother would object. But she never expected him to praise her right away, saying, ‘You did well.’

-Oppa, thank you.

“What’s there to thank? It’s someone my sister chose, not someone else, so of course, I have to acknowledge it as her brother. And I vouch for Jung-woo’s character more than anyone else, so you don’t have to worry about anything.”

-Thank you!

Kim Ji-yeon couldn’t think of anything else to say besides thank you.

It would be a lie if she said she had no worries at all. No matter how close the two were, she thought their friendship and a romantic relationship with her sister could be two separate issues.

But her brother was not like that.

He recognized him equally as a friend and as his sister’s partner.

She was endlessly grateful to such a brother.

-As expected, oppa is the best.

“You’re saying all sorts of things. And please know this one thing for sure: I believe in and respect our Ji-yeon’s choice, no matter what anyone says.”

In her previous life, she had unilaterally sacrificed herself because of Hyun-sung himself.

Of course, he didn’t even know that fact at the time. It was only after a long time that he learned about it.

As a result, he couldn’t help but feel more affectionate towards her.

The two exchanged a few more words and hung up the phone.

“How did it go?”

Yoon Ji-soo, who had been waiting for the phone to hang up, asked immediately.

“As you can tell from roughly hearing it, I happily and willingly approved of the two dating.”

“Are you okay with it?”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Um…”

Yoon Ji-soo hesitated, unable to continue speaking. It was only after a while that she opened her mouth again.

“It’s a bit awkward to talk about this, but about Jung-woo, isn’t his body a bit… challenged?”

“So?”

“I think as we live in the future…”

“Ji-soo!”

Before Yoon Ji-soo could finish speaking, Hyun-sung called her name seriously. Then he continued.

“What do you think is most important in life?”

“Um, I don’t know…”

“I think it’s a person’s character. What do you think, Ji-soo?”

“Character?”

“Yes, that’s right. I mean the person’s character or personality.”

When Hyun-sung finished speaking, Yoon Ji-soo seemed to think for a moment before continuing.

“Um… I know what you mean, but I think a healthy body is just as important.”

“Of course, that’s true. But you know that there are many guys who look fine on the outside but can’t perform, right?”

“Of course, I know that.”

“People’s greed will never end. Of course, it would be nice if everything was perfect, but with Jung-woo’s character, I don’t think it’s a problem at all even if his body is a little challenged. And…”

Hyun-sung paused for a moment before continuing.

“He’s the person Ji-yeon chose. So, I wanted to approve with a happy heart if possible. Ji-yeon must have made the decision after a lot of consideration. Of course, I know that Ji-soo is worried because she’s thinking about our Ji-yeon, but Jung-woo’s character is the best, so Ji-soo, please be understanding.”

When Hyun-sung finished speaking, Yoon Ji-soo was silent for a while. It seemed like it was a difficult problem to decide easily.

It was only after a while that she opened her mouth.

“Okay. But please know this one thing: the reason I’m being understanding is because of Hyun-sung.”

“Yes? Because of me?”

“Yes, I can’t trust anyone else, but I trust Hyun-sung. I trust Hyun-sung’s choice.”

“Okay, I understand. You don’t have to worry.”

Hyun-sung smiled lightly. He could smile confidently because Lee Jung-woo had already been verified in his previous life.

“Now, shall we do the dishes?”

Hyun-sung got up from his seat and started clearing the table.

At that moment.

Kim Ji-yeon, who had hung up the phone, looked at Lee Jung-woo next to her and said in a confident voice.

“My oppa is this kind of person!”