Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 716

719

After everyone left, Oh Myung-hwan was left alone.

A long sigh escaped his lips.

“Hoo…….”

He had spoken boldly, but the truth was that worry preceded everything else.

‘What should I do?’

It wasn’t just ten or twenty *pyeong* [a Korean unit of area, approximately 3.3 square meters], but a whopping 200 *pyeong*.

Honestly, Oh Myung-hwan himself was new to business. How could he not be worried?

After pondering, Oh Myung-hwan made a phone call.

Ring, ring.

After two rings, the other person answered.

-Hello.

“Hyung-nim [an honorific term for an older brother or male friend], it’s me.”

The person Oh Myung-hwan called was none other than Hyun-sung.

-Oh? CEO Oh. What’s the matter?

“Things have unfolded strangely.”

-Strangely? What do you mean?

“Well, a little while ago…….”

Oh Myung-hwan began to explain what had happened in the office earlier. As soon as he finished his explanation, Hyun-sung’s voice was heard immediately.

-So, you’re saying that CEO Oh will be directly managing the *Janchi Guksu* [banquet noodles, a Korean noodle dish] flagship store?

“Yes, that’s right.”

-Haha, hahahaha…….

Suddenly, Hyun-sung’s laughter was heard from beyond the phone.

Oh Myung-hwan, unable to understand the reason, was momentarily dumbfounded.

It was Hyun-sung, of all people. He had called him thinking that he would understand his situation better than anyone else, but he just started laughing without any explanation. How could he not be dumbfounded?

Just then, Hyun-sung’s voice was heard again.

-CEO Oh.

“Yes, Hyung-nim.”

-Congratulations.

“Yes? Congratulations?”

Oh Myung-hwan couldn’t help but be dumbfounded once again.

Congratulations in this situation? How could that make sense?

He had spoken boldly about running the 200-*pyeong* store because the situation had forced him to, but now that he had to actually run it, he felt suffocated and had made the call.

But the other person was congratulating him.

“Hyung-nim, I’m serious right now. How can you congratulate me?”

-What’s so serious?

Hyun-sung asked lightly, as if it were nothing. Oh Myung-hwan replied immediately.

“It’s my first time.”

-First time?

“Yes, doing business. Everyone said that no one could do it, so I had no choice but to agree to run it myself, but I’m also new to business, so I’m very worried right now. But I can’t tell anyone, so I called you, Hyung-nim, but you’re just saying it’s nothing. What am I supposed to do?”

-I was just so glad.

“Yes? Glad?”

Oh Myung-hwan couldn’t understand.

Glad? What was there to be glad about?

“Hyung-nim, what are you talking about? I don’t understand what you’re glad about.”

-It’s because it’s CEO Oh, not someone else, who’s going to be running it directly. Actually, I didn’t express it, but I was wondering who would be running that store. But I was glad that CEO Oh was going to run it directly. I can trust CEO Oh, even if I can’t trust anyone else.”

Hyun-sung was being honest.

In fact, he had been worried a lot even before coming up from Gangneung. He wondered who would take charge and manage that large store.

But fortunately, Oh Myung-hwan had agreed to run the store himself, so he was glad. He could trust him, even if he couldn’t trust anyone else.

Oh Myung-hwan said in a weak voice.

“Ah, yes……. But I also don’t have any experience…….”

-It’s okay, you don’t have to worry.

Hyun-sung said in a confident voice before Oh Myung-hwan could even finish his sentence.

But Oh Myung-hwan couldn’t understand easily. It wasn’t just ten or twenty *pyeong*, but a 200-*pyeong* store. He, a novice, was going to run such a store, and he was being told not to worry at all? What was this all about?

“You’re saying I don’t have to worry?”

-Yes, CEO Oh can do it well enough, even if no one else can.

“Me?”

Oh Myung-hwan tilted his head. Even at a glance, he couldn’t figure out what basis Hyun-sung had for saying that.

-Yes, do you know why?

“Well, I don’t know. What basis do you have for saying that I can do well?”

-The answer is the broth.

“The broth?”

-Yes, who made that broth? It’s CEO Oh, isn’t it?

“Yes, that’s true, but…….”

That was true. No matter what anyone said, he had taken the lead in making that broth.

But what did that have to do with anything?

Oh Myung-hwan held the phone close to his ear. He was curious about what Hyun-sung would say next.

-The life of a restaurant is the taste of the food, no matter what anyone says. And CEO Oh can make that. That alone qualifies CEO Oh to run it. And the techniques of running it will naturally improve after running it for a month or two.

Hyun-sung continued immediately.

-So, have confidence. And how many years has CEO Oh lived? With that much experience, you’ll adapt quickly. I believe in CEO Oh.

“Do you really think I can do well?”

-Yes, I do. CEO Oh can do better than anyone else. The reason I congratulated you a little while ago was because of that. The most important thing in a restaurant is the taste, and CEO Oh is the one who created that taste. So I thought it was right for CEO Oh to take over that store.

The moment Oh Myung-hwan heard Hyun-sung’s words, he felt the uneasy feeling he had had until just now gradually disappearing.

It was true that he could always maintain the same taste no matter what.

The time he had spent day and night trying to find that taste a year ago flashed through his mind.

Hyun-sung’s voice was heard again from beyond the phone.

-Do you remember what I said last as I was leaving CEO Oh’s office yesterday?

“If you’re talking about what you said last…… are you perhaps talking about not playing around with the amount of noodles and getting close to the students?”

He clearly remembered. The last two things he had said before leaving the office were those two things.

-Yes, that’s right. Those are the two things. If you add the taste of the broth to those two things, the flagship store that will open this time will definitely be a hit.

“So, you’re saying three things in the end. The taste and amount of the noodles, and the students who visit the store, those three things.”

-Okay, that’s it. If you can keep those three things for sure, the game is over. No matter how good the taste is, the amount can’t be small. At that age, they’re hungry as soon as they turn around after eating. And it’s natural to be friendly with those students. And here’s one more tip…….”

Hyun-sung paused for a moment and then continued.

-There will be a *Bireong Festival* at Gangsang University in the third week of October.

“*Bireong Festival*? What’s that?”

-It’s Gangsang University’s festival. They have a festival every year in October. Do you know why I’m telling you this?

“Well, I don’t really…….”

Oh Myung-hwan shook his head slightly. He had no idea why Hyun-sung was talking about the festival.

-Sponsor.

“Sponsor?”

-Yes, when they have a festival, the students need sponsors to hold events. They don’t need much, just about 50,000 to 100,000 won [Korean currency] per department will be enough. Then it’s like advertising automatically. CEO Oh should play that sponsor role. There’s no better advertising for the students than that.

“Ah! Advertising!”

Only then did Oh Myung-hwan immediately understand why Hyun-sung was talking about the festival.

Hyun-sung was now telling him how to get the maximum effect with the minimum cost.

If he volunteered to be a sponsor during the festival period, it would be like automatically advertising to all the students at Gangsang University.

“Hyung-nim, I understand what you’re saying. I’ll try to contact Gangsang University today.”

-Yes, I don’t think there will be that much effect. It’s helpful to CEO Oh and helpful to the students, so it’s good for each other.

“You’re helping me again, Hyung-nim.”

-What help? It’s nothing like that…… Well, take care and good luck with the opening. Let’s talk again next time.”

Click.

Oh Myung-hwan’s expression after hanging up the phone was completely different from before he had made the call.

Oh Myung-hwan looked at his watch. It was just past 12 o’clock.

Oh Myung-hwan immediately made a phone call somewhere.

Ring.

After one ring, the other person answered immediately.

-Hello.

“Min-soo, it’s me.”

The person Oh Myung-hwan called was Jang Min-soo, the third-year student representative of the Department of Business Administration, whom Hyun-sung had introduced him to at the opening ceremony yesterday.

-Yes, Hyung-nim Myung-hwan. But how…….”

Jang Min-soo felt a little awkward. He had met him for the first time yesterday through Hyun-sung’s introduction, but he didn’t expect to receive a call so soon.

In fact, the word ‘Hyung-nim’ didn’t come out at first. It was natural, since there was a difference of more than 20 years in age.

However, Oh Myung-hwan said that it would be better to just call him ‘Hyung’ so that they could get along better, so he had no choice but to call him ‘Hyung-nim’.

“Where are you now?”

-I’m at the school library.

“Lunch?”

-Not yet. I’m about to eat.

“Really? That’s good. I’m going to go to the front of the school now, so let’s have lunch together. If you have any friends, you can come out with them. There’s a meat restaurant in front of the school. Let’s meet there.”

-Yes? Ah, yes. I understand.”

Click.

After the phone call ended, Jang Min-soo tilted his head for a moment and then smiled. He was going to eat lunch anyway, so he thought it wouldn’t be bad to eat meat if possible.

And decisively, he was introduced to Oh Myung-hwan by Hyun-sung, not anyone else.

He thought it would be okay to get close to someone like that.

***

“Sponsor?”

Jang Min-soo, who was eating meat, looked at Oh Myung-hwan, who was sitting in front of him, straight in the face at the word ‘sponsor’. Then Oh Myung-hwan nodded immediately and said.

“Yes, I heard you’re having a festival in October.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I heard that you need a sponsor when you have a festival. So I wanted to help, even if it’s just a little. Of course, I have other personal purposes too.”

“Other purposes?”

“Yes, I can’t usually beat around the bush, so I’ll be honest. Actually, I’m going to open a *Janchi Guksu* restaurant in the basement of this building next month. Maybe the sponsorship is an excuse, and the truth is that I needed to advertise the noodle restaurant.”

Oh Myung-hwan spoke honestly. He thought it would be better to be honest and ask for help than to beat around the bush.

“Ah, yes. So you finally made a decision?”

Jang Min-soo also knew to some extent about the noodle restaurant. He had talked about the *Janchi Guksu* restaurant at the opening ceremony yesterday.

Besides, he was the one who recommended the commercial district in front of Gangsang University.

“Oh, yes. I made a decision after discussing it with Hyung-nim Hyun-sung yesterday, and I immediately signed a contract for the store in the basement here. I’m going to start construction tomorrow.”

“Ah, I see. But the basement here is quite large, isn’t it?”

“That’s right, it’s 200 *pyeong*. I’m going to try to do it big since I’m starting anyway. That’s why I came to Min-soo to ask for help.”

Jang Min-soo seemed to be thinking for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“Well, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it, but I’ll do my best to help if I can.”

He was introduced to him by Hyun-sung, who was a senior in the department, not anyone else. So he thought it was right to help him willingly.

Meanwhile, Oh Myung-hwan felt like he was flying.

In fact, he had some concerns.

It wasn’t easy to ask for help from someone he had just met yesterday.

Moreover, he couldn’t help but hesitate because there was a difference of more than 20 years in age. But fortunately, the other person readily agreed to help, so he couldn’t help but feel good.

Oh Myung-hwan nodded, smiled, and picked up the *soju* [Korean distilled beverage] glass in front of him.

“Thank you for responding so quickly. Well, let’s have a drink in that sense. Oh, by the way! You don’t have to drink if it interferes with your studies.”

“No, this much is okay.”

Jang Min-soo picked up the *soju* glass in front of him.

The two men clinked glasses in the air and emptied their *soju* glasses.

After that, the two men talked about *Janchi Guksu* for a long time. Oh Myung-hwan mainly talked, and Jang Min-soo was mostly listening.

Then, at one point, Jang Min-soo said.

“Hyung-nim, do you have any plans to sponsor other departments?”

“I’d like to if it’s not rude to Min-soo…….”

“I don’t mind. If the purpose is advertising anyway, it would be helpful to sponsor as many departments as possible. Of course, the departments that receive the sponsorship will also like it. Everyone is in a situation where they need every penny anyway.”

That was true. When they have a festival, each department has an event. Then, of course, they need money.

As a result, everyone has no choice but to run around in all directions to get a sponsor during the festival.

Jang Min-soo said again.

“Can I help you a little?”

“How?”

“If I just make a phone call now, at least ten department representatives will come running.”

“Really? I’d be grateful if you could do that for me.”

“It’s the basics for someone who was introduced by the legendary senior Hyun-sung, not anyone else. I’ll make a phone call right away.”

With those words, Jang Min-soo began to make phone calls.

Oh Myung-hwan’s expression, watching him, brightened endlessly. He was already worried about how to approach other departments.

But how grateful he was that he was taking the initiative and doing it himself.

About 30 minutes passed.