Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 105

105

Irreversible words.

It was Oh Sang-cheol, a man known for sticking to his word and pursuing his goals relentlessly.

Oh Sang-mi looked at him, a helpless expression on her face.

“Okay. But what about the current tenant? The lease still has time left, right?”

“Leave that to me. I have a way of handling it.”

“Alright. You take care of that, but will you be working at the store too?”

“I wasn’t planning to initially, but with how things are turning out, I don’t see how I can avoid it. But, if that store across the street goes under, I’ll quit that very day. So, we need to make sure they can’t stay in business this year.”

“Don’t worry; it won’t take more than three months to deal with those small fries. But you have to keep your promise too.”

Oh Sang-cheol nodded, conveying his understanding.

A subtle smile then crept onto Oh Sang-mi’s lips. As siblings, their smiles bore a striking resemblance.

However, neither of them knew that Hyun-sung had also been in business for over 20 years, albeit in a completely different field.

After leaving his sister’s place, Oh Sang-cheol headed to the snack bar run by Lee Jung-woo’s mother, Shin Myung-soon.

*Creak.*

The moment Oh Sang-cheol opened the door and stepped inside, Shin Myung-soon’s expression clouded over.

“What is it this time, Sang-cheol?”

“What do you mean, ‘why’? I need to talk to the owner, Shin.”

“No, the lease is up at the end of next month anyway, so what’s there to discuss now…?”

“Well, you’ll see. Have a seat first.”

Shin Myung-soon reluctantly sat down across from Oh Sang-cheol. As soon as she was seated, Oh Sang-cheol pulled a document from his pocket and placed it on the table.

Seeing this, Shin Myung-soon looked at Oh Sang-cheol and asked, “What’s this?”

“What else would it be? It’s the contract you signed.”

“I’m not asking because I don’t know what it is. I’m asking why you’re bringing it up now.”

Shin Myung-soon couldn’t grasp the purpose of Oh Sang-cheol’s actions. The lease was ending next month. Everything had already been discussed, so why now?

Shin Myung-soon shook her head slightly, puzzled.

Seeing her reaction, Oh Sang-cheol smirked and said, “Read this part.”

Oh Sang-cheol pointed to a specific section of the contract. Shin Myung-soon’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him.

The section Oh Sang-cheol was pointing to contained the special clauses.

Of course, these clauses had been written with Shin Myung-soon’s consent when the contract was initially signed.

The problem was why he was bringing them up now. He hadn’t mentioned them the last time he told her to vacate the store.

Shin Myung-soon repeated her question. “Why is this coming up now?”

The special clause Oh Sang-cheol was referring to was an additional condition added when they first signed the contract 10 years prior.

Original Restoration.

The clause stipulated that upon leaving the store at the end of the lease, she was obligated to restore the premises to its original condition.

At the time, the store had been a simple neighborhood corner store.

Since Shin Myung-soon intended to run a restaurant, she had been required to install a kitchen.

Oh Sang-cheol had insisted on the original restoration clause as a safeguard.

It was a precaution to prevent Shin Myung-soon from abandoning the lease prematurely for any reason.

Shin Myung-soon’s expression darkened considerably.

She understood perfectly that Oh Sang-cheol’s sudden emphasis on this clause meant he had ulterior motives.

The rumor that Oh Sang-cheol’s younger sister would be opening a restaurant in the space after she left was already widespread.

Naturally, this meant a kitchen would be necessary.

But the fact that he was bringing up the restoration clause suggested he intended to exploit it for his own gain.

First and foremost, she needed to determine his true intentions.

Shin Myung-soon directly confronted Oh Sang-cheol. “Stop beating around the bush. What’s the real reason for this?”

“If you come at me like that, it makes it easier for me to talk. I was getting annoyed having to explain everything to someone who couldn’t understand.”

“Your words are really…”

She couldn’t fathom how someone could be so unpleasant.

She had known him for over 10 years, and he was the most disagreeable person she had ever encountered.

It seemed impossible to be so deliberately offensive, yet his words and actions were consistently obnoxious.

At times, she felt ashamed that they were both human beings.

*Sigh.*

A sigh involuntarily escaped Shin Myung-soon’s lips.

At that moment, Oh Sang-cheol spoke. “Leave by the end of this month.”

It was the moment Oh Sang-cheol finally revealed his true intentions.

“Ha!”

Shin Myung-soon could only manage a hollow laugh.

She had hoped for the best, considering the lease was ending soon, but Oh Sang-cheol didn’t disappoint. He was determined to squeeze every last advantage from the situation.

He must have known that the moment he played this card, Shin Myung-soon would have no choice but to concede.

If that was the case, his objective became clear.

His primary goal was to force her out of the premises as quickly as possible.

Of course, if she left by the end of the month, the original restoration clause would become irrelevant.

Conversely, if she resisted, he would use that clause as leverage to pressure her.

There was no need to overthink it.

This was a battle she couldn’t win from the start.

She had no real choice. Shin Myung-soon couldn’t afford the cost of restoring the store to its original condition.

Wait!

Shin Myung-soon had a question.

She was curious why he was so insistent on her leaving so quickly.

Of course, the sooner she vacated the store, the sooner he could open his sister’s restaurant. But she didn’t believe he would go to such lengths just to open a little earlier.

When he first brought it up two months ago, he hadn’t mentioned any of this.

That meant something must have changed since then, for some reason.

Shin Myung-soon looked at Oh Sang-cheol and said, “Can I ask you something?”

Oh Sang-cheol nodded, and Shin Myung-soon continued. “What happened in the meantime?”

“That’s…”

Oh Sang-cheol hesitated, choosing his words carefully.

He couldn’t bring himself to admit that he was plotting against young Hyun-sung.

“Okay. I understand enough, and I’ll think about it.”

It was Shin Myung-soon’s last vestige of pride.

Logically, she knew she had to leave early, but emotionally, she couldn’t accept the situation.

It was a store she had nurtured and protected for 10 years.

She never imagined she would be forced out in such a cruel manner.

“Haa!”

A sigh escaped Shin Myung-soon’s mouth.

After Oh Sang-cheol left, Shin Myung-soon was paralyzed with despair.

She just felt utterly pathetic.

After a while.

*Drop.*

A tear finally trickled down Shin Myung-soon’s cheek.

It was then.

*Creak.*

Someone opened the door and entered.

Shin Myung-soon quickly wiped away her tears and stood up from her seat.

“Welcome. Chairman, what brings you here at this hour…”

It was Park Hee-cheol who had entered the store.

He had left home immediately after receiving Hyun-sung’s call.

“I came to check something out, but the Miso Restaurant down the street hasn’t opened yet. So, I thought I’d stop in for a moment.”

“Ah, yes.”

“And I also wanted to say hello.”

Shin Myung-soon tilted her head, puzzled.

He was a regular customer, occasionally stopping by for *kimchi kalguksu* [kimchi noodle soup].

That was all, but Shin Myung-soon was a little surprised that he suddenly said he came to say hello.

“Say hello…?”

Shin Myung-soon asked cautiously.

Park Hee-cheol smiled kindly and waved his hand dismissively. “Haha, don’t misunderstand. I’m just here to ask you to take good care of our Hyun-sung in the future.”

“Our Hyun-sung?”

Shin Myung-soon tilted her head again.

The way Park Hee-cheol spoke, it was as if he were Hyun-sung’s grandfather.

When Shin Myung-soon repeated her question, Park Hee-cheol continued. “I heard from Hyun-sung that you’ve agreed to help out at the ramen shop in the future. So, I wanted to introduce myself.”

“…Yes.”

Shin Myung-soon still had questions.

She hadn’t heard that Hyun-sung had a grandfather.

However, given the circumstances, Shin Myung-soon decided to remain silent.

As if sensing her confusion, Park Hee-cheol spoke again. “Actually, I’m a little interested in that store.”

“Interested?”

“Yes, if that store does well, I have a lot to consider. So naturally, I’m paying close attention to it.”

It was the truth.

At first, he hadn’t believed in precognitive dreams. But the events that had unfolded were undeniable. Among them, the fact that Park Hee-cheol himself had avoided the accident was irrefutable.

But this time, Hyun-sung had suddenly announced he was going to open a ramen shop.

Of course, it meant he had foreseen in a dream that it would be a huge success. He wanted to dismiss it as ridiculous, but he couldn’t.

He was already the biggest beneficiary of that dream.

With a skeptical mind, he had set a condition. If the dream proved true this time, he would invest all his assets.

So naturally, he couldn’t help but be concerned and interested.

Shin Myung-soon nodded slightly, indicating she understood.

Park Hee-cheol smiled awkwardly and continued. “Can I order what I usually get?”

“You mean *kimchi kalguksu*?”

“I really enjoy the *kimchi kalguksu* you make.”

“Haha, Chairman… Alright. I’ll make it for you right away.”

The Shin Myung-soon who had been crying moments before was nowhere to be seen.

Just as Shin Myung-soon was about to head into the kitchen, Park Hee-cheol’s voice stopped her.

“Not one bowl, but two bowls.”

“Two bowls? Is someone else joining you?”

“Yes? Ah… yes.”

Park Hee-cheol was slightly taken aback, but he nodded and answered affirmatively.

A smile then spread across his face for some reason.

Shortly after.

“Here you go.”

Shin Myung-soon brought out the *kimchi kalguksu* and placed it in front of Park Hee-cheol. Then, she placed another bowl across from him.

As soon as he smelled the *kimchi kalguksu*, Park Hee-cheol reacted with delight.

“Um… that’s the aroma.”

He then looked at Shin Myung-soon, who asked, “Why? Do you need anything else?”

“That’s not it… If you don’t mind, would you sit here for a moment?”

Park Hee-cheol said politely, gesturing to the seat opposite him.

Shin Myung-soon hesitated for a moment, unsure why, before carefully sitting down on the chair Park Hee-cheol had indicated.

“Didn’t you say someone else was coming? They seem to be late.”

“They’ve arrived. Already…”

“What do you…”

Only then did Shin Myung-soon realize what he meant, and she quickly stood up, exclaiming, “No, what are you saying… This is absurd.”

“If you feel offended, I sincerely apologize. But I’m not joking, and I have no ulterior motives. Actually, I just happened to see it on the way in…”