Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 1

Reincarnated as a Landlord

The scene unfolded between an old man in his late 60s and another in his early 50s, a classic landlord-tenant standoff.

“I made my position clear,” the older man stated.

“Isn’t that the same as telling me to shut down my business?” Hyun-sung countered.

“That’s Mr. Kim’s decision to make. I’m just giving you the required notice. Don’t say you weren’t warned. Oh, and don’t bother with the demolition; save yourself the expense.”

With those words, the landlord, Lee Se-ho, turned and left.

Hyun-sung’s mind went blank. He felt like he’d been struck by lightning. He’d been a little worried with the lease expiring next month, but he never imagined it would come to this so suddenly.

“What was that about?”

*He* doesn’t need to bother with the demolition?

Did that mean someone else was already lined up to take over the space after he left?

“Ah! Why all of a sudden…”

He had been running his business in this location for a solid decade. Three years ago, he’d even remodeled it into a manga cafe. Before that, it was a video rental shop.

It was four years ago, in the summer of 2015, to be exact.

Not only Korea but many parts of the world were suffering from an intense heat wave.

According to a NASA study, July 2015 was the hottest month on record since weather observations began.

It was the hottest since NASA started measuring global average temperatures in 1880.

This led to severe droughts in many regions, including Asia, and extreme weather events like floods and droughts in South America and Africa.

Amidst all this, a peculiar phenomenon occurred in the Korean manga industry.

As tropical nights made it difficult to sleep, people started venturing out of their homes.

The reason was surprisingly simple.

It wasn’t just about sleep; it was about the electricity bill. Running the air conditioner all night was too expensive with the progressive electricity rates [where the price per kilowatt increases with usage].

Thanks to this, manga cafes across the country experienced unprecedented success.

Then, in the second half of that year, a nationwide manga cafe boom began.

This was fueled by the expectation that abnormal weather patterns would become increasingly common year after year.

In a market economy, supply naturally follows demand.

Of course, Hyun-sung saw the potential and jumped at the opportunity.

Before he knew it, Hyun-sung had been in this industry for over 20 years. Starting with a video rental store, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he had dedicated his youth to it.

Of course, it was nothing particularly remarkable, just an ordinary person’s life.

He figured this might be his last chance.

With the rise of smartphones, the paper book market was plummeting at an alarming rate. This unusual climate offered an opportunity when he was even considering closing down.

Naturally, he had deep concerns.

Will it even work?

Isn’t this just a temporary fad?

To be sure, he visited popular chain stores across the country and did his research, a process that took three months.

That’s where his worries ended.

Making the decision was tough, but once he committed, the construction went smoothly.

With the help of a friend, he started the renovations himself.

First, he began with demolition, then painting, electrical work, attic construction, and finally the flooring. While others took a month or two, he finished everything in just 20 days.

He combined rental and cafe services to cater to the local residential area.

He couldn’t ignore his existing rental customers; they were the ones who had supported him all along.

At 165 square meters [50 pyeong], it was a bit small, but he focused on practicality rather than a fancy exterior.

He anticipated that the number of customers would decrease over time.

He was sure it would be a fad, and he predicted a period of adjustment after the bubble burst.

Hyun-sung’s prediction was almost spot on.

As the bubble burst, large chains that had rushed in with capital started to fail, seduced by the sweet talk of franchise operators.

The excessive start-up costs, expensive rent, and labor costs from hiring full-time staff began to eat away at their profits.

Fortunately, Hyun-sung had considered these issues beforehand and managed to avoid them to some extent. As expected, the support of his regular rental customers was a huge help.

And luckily, the easy access for young children in the residential area led to frequent family visits on weekends.

He considered it his last shot at retirement, borrowed the remaining construction costs from a friend, completed the renovations, and paid off most of the loan. He was finally settling down.

But…

Suddenly, an unexpected problem arose. In fact, he had been feeling uneasy for months, because of the landlord, Lee Se-ho.

He usually sent the monthly rent to his bank account, so he rarely saw him.

But lately, he had been loitering around the store.

Hyun-sung didn’t say anything, assuming it was just his way.

He was uneasy, but he pretended not to notice.

In the end, that anxiety came to a head today.

[Lease Renewal Not Possible!]

One month before the expiration date, he received a unilateral notice from the landlord, Lee Se-ho.

“Crazy bastard!”

A curse escaped Hyun-sung’s lips.

He must be getting greedy. It must have looked easy. So, he’s trying to take everything in one bite?

That won’t work! No, it can’t!

“There’s the Commercial Building Lease Protection Act, clearly…”

But those were just words.

Now that it had happened, he couldn’t help but feel anxious. His heart had been telling him something was wrong all day.

Gulp, gulp.

Hyun-sung took a pill from the medicine bottle, swallowed it, and chased it with a glass of water.

Hoo!

A sigh escaped him.

He didn’t know how he got through the day.

If he went into a legal dispute, could he even win? That’s all he could think about.

At least the interior costs…

As soon as he thought about that, he felt hopeless.

He thought this kind of thing only happened on TV, but now that it was happening to him, the pressure felt like his heart was about to explode.

“Already?”

He looked at the clock; it was past closing time.

He shook his head violently.

He was trying to clear his mind, even for a moment, but it was no use. He couldn’t shake it off.

When he stepped outside, it was raining.

He would have enjoyed the rain on a normal day, but today it only made him feel more depressed.

“What am I going to tell my wife?”

Ha!

The moment he thought of his wife at home, his sigh deepened.

His wife, Yoon Ji-soo, was seven years older than Hyun-sung, making them a so-called older woman-younger man couple.

But as they say, age is just a number.

It had never been an issue in their relationship. If he had one regret, it was that they hadn’t met sooner.

Hyun-sung was thirty-three and Yoon Ji-soo was forty when they first met.

His wife, Yoon Ji-soo, always said the same thing.

“If only we had met a little earlier…”

His wife, Yoon Ji-soo, hadn’t been feeling well lately.

The area where she had hip surgery a few years ago had been hurting. The hospital said it was nothing serious, but it broke his heart to see her in pain.

At times like that, his wife, Yoon Ji-soo, would joke.

“I’m getting old.”

Then she would laugh, as if embarrassed.

Even so, Yoon Ji-soo always smiled when Hyun-sung left for work in the morning so that he wouldn’t worry.

He just wanted to live like this, nothing more, nothing less.

The two of them would eat together, go to the hospital when they were sick, share soju [Korean rice wine] with pork belly from time to time, and take care of each other.

They didn’t have children, and he just wanted them to live an ordinary life like that, and he thought they could.

But was that even a luxury?

Beep.

He arrived at the parking lot, opened the car door, and got into his 1-ton Porter truck. Although it was over 10 years old, it was still running well.

Ring ring.

The phone rang just as he was about to start the engine.

He looked at the screen; it was his wife, Yoon Ji-soo. He tried to sound calm as he answered.

“Oh, honey.”

“Why are you so late?”

“I’m just about to leave.”

“What? I heard it was raining, so I made your favorite kimchi pancake and waited…”

It was around the time he usually got home, so his wife had prepared kimchi pancakes. Of course, there would be makgeolli [another type of Korean rice wine] in the refrigerator.

‘What’s so special about life? This *is* life.’ He had always believed that.

“Ah! I’m sorry, I’ll be there soon. But it’s raining so hard.”

“I know. Don’t rush and be careful.”

“…Okay, I got it.”

“But what’s wrong?”

Wife Yoon Ji-soo sensed that Hyun-sung’s voice was weaker than usual.

Moreover, she found it strange that he didn’t react much even though she said she had made his favorite kimchi pancake.

His voice would have been much more enthusiastic normally.

“No, what could be wrong…”

“Okay. Drive carefully.”

“…Ji-soo!”

Hyun-sung suddenly felt like calling his wife Yoon Ji-soo’s name. He rarely called her by name, so it felt a little awkward.

But he just wanted to call her for some reason.

“Why are you calling my name all of a sudden? It’s unfamiliar.”

“I just wanted to call you. I’m always grateful, sorry, and… I love you!”

“You…, okay. I love you too.”

Wife Yoon Ji-soo started to say something but stopped. Then the phone hung up.

“What’s wrong with him?”

She couldn’t shake her unease.

Something must have happened. He rarely expressed his love, even after she said it several times, and even then, he expressed it shyly.

That’s why those words were so precious and sounded so sincere.

But what’s wrong with him today…

Hyun-sung was about to leave the parking lot.

Ring ring.

The phone rang again. He thought it was his wife and answered.

“I’ll be there soon, just wait a little longer.”

“What? Kim Hyun-sung, it’s me.”

“Oh, Jung-woo. What’s up at this hour?”

It was Lee Jung-woo, his best friend from his hometown. He was the friend he had asked for help when he didn’t have enough money for construction.

“Why, did you have a dream?”

He’s the type of guy who calls to ask if everything is okay whenever he has a strange dream. He must have had a dream today too.

“No, just. It’s okay if everything is okay.”

“Jung-woo!”

“Why are you calling your friend’s name so intensely in the middle of the night?”

“Friend, thank you!”

“What’s wrong with you? Are you going through menopause?”

“You son of a bitch, …go back to sleep. Let’s have a real drink when I come down next time.”

“Okay, let’s do that. Good job today. Go in.”

This voice, it’s always nice and comforting to hear. He’s a friend you can contact comfortably at any time, even as you get older. He’s the kind of guy you don’t envy even if you have ten friends.

Hyun-sung, having left the parking lot, began to hurry. He was already late, and he was delayed even more because he was talking to his friend Lee Jung-woo.

Fortunately, he immediately got a left turn signal at the intersection.

The closer he got to his house, the faster his heart beat.

The reason was obvious. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, his heart started racing when he thought of his wife’s face.

He was at a loss as to what to say and how to say it.

Hoo hoo!

To calm down, he took a long, deep breath. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, repeating it several times.

“Now, if I get over this hill, I’m home. Let’s cheer up, aja [a Korean expression of encouragement]!”

Hyun-sung deliberately shouted loudly and clenched his fist. He wouldn’t be easily defeated. How did he get here…

It was when Hyun-sung’s Porter was crossing the hill and entering the downhill.

Flash!

The surroundings suddenly lit up. And after a moment, a loud noise was heard.

Rumble… Crash, crash!

With the rain, lightning, and thunder, it seemed like today was the day.

He barely arrived near his house and was looking for a place to park. Despite the late hour, there was luckily an empty spot next to the utility pole.

It was when he had just finished parking.

Flash!

The lightning was so bright that it lit up the surroundings more brightly than he had ever seen in his 50 years of life. And soon after, he heard a sound that seemed to tear his eardrums.

Crackling! Crash! Crash!

Spark! Flash!

“What?”

Suddenly, sparks flew from the utility pole near his head.

“Uh?”

He heard something falling on the roof.

Pat pat! Thud!

Suddenly, a thick wire appeared in front of him.

Thud! Thud!

Sparks began to fly every time the wire moved. All of these events happened almost simultaneously. The situation was so sudden that he instinctively cringed.

But he immediately realized that this was not the time to panic.

Click!

It was when he was about to grab the car door handle with his left hand and pull it open.

“Ugh!”

Why now…, was it because he was surprised? At that moment, his heart suddenly started to tighten. He hurriedly reached for his medicine bottle.

“Uh?”

The moment he opened the lid, he dropped the medicine bottle. Without thinking, he immediately bent down and reached out his hand.

It was when he barely touched the medicine bottle with his fingertips.

Thud!

With a loud noise, something seemed to fall on the roof of the car, and then it began to press down strongly on Hyun-sung’s back and shoulders.

The utility pole had broken.

“Uh?”