Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 106

106

I ended up seeing Shin Myung-soon’s tears.

At first, I was taken aback. I wondered if I should just turn around and leave. But it seemed more awkward to turn back, so I ordered *kimchi kalguksu* [kimchi noodle soup].

And when people are feeling down, *milgaru* [wheat flour] dishes are good for a change of pace. That’s why I ordered another bowl.

After hearing Park Hee-cheol’s explanation, Shin Myung-soon lowered her head, seemingly apologetic, and said,

“I didn’t know and thought you were making fun of me.”

“How could I…”

“Actually, there are occasionally people who do that.”

It’s true.

Having lost Jung-woo’s father early and running the business alone, it wasn’t the first time something like that had happened. Especially with customers who had been drinking.

It was always awkward.

She couldn’t just get angry. She had to endure it for Jung-woo’s sake. She had no choice but to force a smile and get through it.

She had endured like that for 10 years.

Park Hee-cheol spoke again, as if he understood.

“If you’re feeling better now, would you be able to eat that *guksu* [noodle soup]? I don’t know what’s going on, but eating it will make you feel a lot better.”

“…, Yes, thank you. But still, it’s a bit…”

“If that makes you uncomfortable, I’ll move to another seat, so I hope you can eat comfortably in that seat.”

*Beoltteok* [Sound of suddenly standing up].

As soon as Park Hee-cheol finished speaking, he picked up the *guksu* bowl and moved to the next table.

Then, as if nothing was wrong, he started eating the *guksu*.

*Huuruluk. Huuruluk* [Slurping sounds].

“Kimchi *kalguksu* is definitely this taste!”

Shin Myung-soon, watching him, was just dumbfounded.

To be honest, she had roughly guessed it from the moment he ordered the *guksu*. It was the first time for Park Hee-cheol, but she had occasionally experienced this from other people.

In *dabang* [old-fashioned Korean coffee shops], the girls openly ordered and ate their coffee, but she never thought such a thing would happen even in a *bunsikjip* [snack bar].

But today’s case is a bit unique.

Unlike other people who aim to do something foolish, he was different.

He said it was to soothe her depressed mood, and Shin Myung-soon was speechless.

*Hororok* [Sound of lightly slurping].

Shin Myung-soon also carefully started eating *kimchi kalguksu* at the table next to Park Hee-cheol.

*Huuruluk* [Slurping sounds].

*Hororok* [Sound of lightly slurping].

In the quiet *bunsik gaege* [snack bar], only the sound of eating *kalguksu* could be heard for a while.

Park Hee-cheol, who came out of Shin Myung-soon’s *bunsik gaege*, headed to Miso Restaurant.

“Hyung [older brother/male friend], what brings you here so early?”

Miso Restaurant’s owner, Kwon Oh-young, greeted Park Hee-cheol warmly.

“Come sit over here.”

Park Hee-cheol took Kwon Oh-young to the table. Kwon Oh-young had no choice but to be led by Park Hee-cheol, still holding the rag he was cleaning with.

No sooner had he sat down than Park Hee-cheol spoke first.

“What time did I come here yesterday?”

“It was probably a little after 6 PM. But why all of a sudden?”

“Were there other people here besides our team at that time?”

“Of course, there were a few teams since it was dinner time.”

*Deureuk* [Sound of pulling a chair].

Park Hee-cheol pulled his chair closer and asked again.

“Were there people in the rooms as well as the hall team?”

“Just a moment…”

Kwon Oh-young looked up at the ceiling for a moment, as if retracing his memories.

After a while.

Kwon Oh-young opened his mouth again.

“There were four teams.”
“Do you remember who those four teams were?”

“Hyung, why are you doing this? Even so, I’ve been doing this business here for over 15 years. Of course, I remember about four teams.”

*Kkulgeok* [Sound of swallowing hard].

Park Hee-cheol even swallowed hard.

Was that why?

Park Hee-cheol looked at Kwon Oh-young and asked immediately.

“Who are those four teams?”

“Pardon?”
“I’m asking who those four teams are? You said you remember them all?”

“Of course, I remember them. But they are our customers. I don’t know why you’re doing this, Hyung, but I can’t just say it.”

Kwon Oh-jung was adamant.

It was a natural thing to say.

Even if he didn’t know, Kwon Oh-jung thought that the reason Park Hee-cheol was asking was definitely not a good thing.

He knew very well that if the words leaked out and something went wrong, all the responsibility would be on himself.

On the other hand, Park Hee-cheol was just dumbfounded.

He met an unexpected obstacle in an unexpected place. He never thought he would get a no here.

He has a special relationship with Kwon Oh-jung.

Beyond being senior and junior in school, they are, in common terms, debtor and creditor.

When he remodeled the store a year ago, he needed money and used 5 million won of Park Hee-cheol’s money. Of course, the interest rate at that time was no joke.

But recently, he came to him himself and changed it to the bank interest rate. Of course, it was a voluntary act of rehabilitation for giving Hyun-sung a new life.

Kwon Oh-jung said something at that time.

– I will treat you like the sky from now on.

It hasn’t even been two months since he said that. He clearly said the sky at that time. But Park Hee-cheol didn’t like the way he was treating the sky.

Park Hee-cheol wanted to take a rebellious stance today.

“Kwon Sajang [Restaurant owner]! Are you really going to do this?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t help it. It’s my duty to protect the secrets of my customers.”

“Is that how you treat the sky now?”

He knew it was a childish method even to himself, but he couldn’t help it. That’s how urgent Park Hee-cheol was.

But that was just Park Hee-cheol’s thought alone.

“I can’t do this no matter what…, I’m sorry, Hyung.”

Kwon Oh-jung still had no intention of backing down. That’s because protecting the secrets of his customers was not only a natural duty but also a promise he had kept with his customers for 15 years in this business.

He couldn’t break that.

Park Hee-cheol fell into *gomin* [deep thought/worry].

He ran into an unexpected obstacle.

Is there no way?

It was when Park Hee-cheol was about to fall into *gomin* [deep thought/worry].

“May I ask what’s going on?”

“Well, it’s a bit difficult to say…”

Park Hee-cheol hesitated for a moment because it was too childish to even put it into words. Then, Kwon Oh-jung, who was full of curiosity, couldn’t stay still.

“No, Hyung, what’s going on? You have to tell me so I can think about it one more time, right?”

Kwon Oh-jung inevitably left room for *yeoji* [wiggle room/possibility].

The reason for leaving *yeoji* [wiggle room/possibility] is simple.

It’s because it’s Park Hee-cheol.

If he refused unconditionally without a valid reason, he didn’t know what kind of retaliation he would suffer later. Nowadays, people have changed and are only at that level, but in the past, there would have been no mercy.

Of course, the means of retaliation was money, which was linked by a special relationship.

At Kwon Oh-jung’s words that he would think about it one more time, Park Hee-cheol had no choice but to slowly open his mouth again.

“Well, that’s…”

“Yes?”

It was Kwon Oh-jung who was surprised when Park Hee-cheol’s words ended.

This was an absurd case.

Is it even possible to call the school, no, the principal’s office, right away and argue about a student drinking a glass of beer?

And what, suspension?

Ha!

Kwon Oh-jung, who took a deep breath, gasped as if he was getting even more angry.

That’s because the person who provided the alcohol was none other than Kwon Oh-jung himself.

Of course, it’s illegal to sell alcohol to minors by law. But where can the world only live by the law, and there’s *jeong* [Korean concept of affection/connection], how can you do that?

It’s not for business.

You can drink a glass or two appropriately and learn about alcohol, and that’s how you can do well in social life when you go out into society.

Everything is a process. Even if you suddenly go from a hot bath to a cold bath, you’re likely to have a heart attack if you’re unlucky.

The same goes for alcohol culture. Instead of suddenly *pureojul* [unleashing/allowing] one day, you have to learn step by step.

Moreover, it wasn’t just the student alone, but there were two adults with them.

But even with that…

“What *saekki* [son of a bitch/jerk]…”

A curse word came out of Kwon Oh-jung’s mouth.

Then Park Hee-cheol immediately *bada* [received/accepted] the words.

“That’s what I’m saying, we have to catch that *eotteon saekki* [which son of a bitch/jerk].”

“Just a moment, Hyung.”

*Seukseuk* [Sound of writing].

Kwon Oh-jung started writing something on a memo pad.

After a while.

*Tak* [Sound of putting something down].

When Kwon Oh-jung put down the pen, there were ten names written on the memo pad.

“Here you go, Hyung.”

Park Hee-cheol *bada* [received/accepted] the memo pad.

Park Hee-cheol, who was checking the memo pad for a while, looked at Kwon Oh-jung and opened his mouth.

“Do you have any magnifying glasses there?”

“Pardon? Ah, Hyung, really…”

“I know, you could have just said it, but why bother writing it down? Anyway, you don’t have to give me this month’s interest.”

“Really?”

It was the moment when a *hambak kkot* [big smile] was about to bloom on Kwon Oh-jung’s face.

*Deureureuk* [Sound of door opening].

The door opened and someone came in.

“Hy, Hyung?”

“This person from the morning, am I that glad to see you? Huh? Hee-cheol, what brings you here from the morning?”

“Oh, Sang-cheol is here.”

The person who opened the door and came in was Oh Sang-cheol.

Then Kwon Oh-jung’s eyeballs started spinning around.

*Hwik hwik* [Sound of spinning around].

Kwon Oh-jung’s hand crossed the air, looking at both sides.

*Tuk* [Sound of grabbing].

Kwon Oh-jung snatched the memo pad from Park Hee-cheol’s hand.

“Hyung, I’ll write it bigger and give it to you again.”

“Why bother, just give me a magnifying glass.”

“No. I’ll rewrite it for you.”

*Hwik* [Sound of turning around].

Kwon Oh-jung disappeared somewhere across the hall as if he wouldn’t listen to Park Hee-cheol anymore.

Then only Park Hee-cheol and Oh Sang-cheol were left in the hall.

“Did you come to eat breakfast?”

Park Hee-cheol asked first.

“What can a widower do? What about you…”

“I ate *kimchi kalguksu* at that *bunsikjip* [snack bar] over there.”

“Then, why are you here?”

“To catch a rat.”

It was when Oh Sang-cheol tilted his head as if he didn’t know what he was talking about.

Kwon Oh-jung came out with a memo pad and handed it to Park Hee-cheol.

“Here, I wrote it again in a big size. Now, look at it.”

Park Hee-cheol, who was checking the memo pad, nodded and said.

“Good job, this size is big enough that I don’t need a magnifying glass. Let’s see…”

Park Hee-cheol started to look at the memo pad carefully.

Kwon Oh-jung, who was watching him, stroked his chest and quietly sighed.

*Hyuu…* [Sound of sighing]

It was a terrible moment just thinking about it.

Then Park Hee-cheol opened his mouth again.

“Thank you, Kwon Sajang [Restaurant owner]. I’m going to catch a rat now. Sang-cheol, eat your breakfast well…”

Park Hee-cheol disappeared leisurely.

Oh Sang-cheol, who watched him, looked at Kwon Oh-jung and asked.

“What are you talking about?”

“Ah, it’s nothing, he said there were many rats in his house, so I asked him to write down the name of the rat poison…”

“Rat poison name? There are all kinds of crazy people. You can just go to the seed store and ask for it, anyway, give me some food.”

“Yes, Hyung.”

Kwon Oh-jung disappeared into the kitchen.

It was a moment of life and death, although it was a short moment. It was fortunate that Park Hee-cheol had presbyopia [age-related farsightedness]. If not…

“*Eueueueue…*” [Sound of shuddering]

Kwon Oh-jung shuddered just thinking about it.

Park Hee-cheol came out.

“That’s strange…”

No matter how much he looked at the memo pad, there was no one special that came to mind.

There was something Park Hee-cheol didn’t know.

That Kwon Oh-jung’s second memo pad had two names missing from the original list.