Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 11

“Damn it!”

The curse exploded from Park Hee-cheol’s mouth as he stormed out of Hyun-sung’s house.

He was utterly dumbfounded, speechless. This was a first for him.

No matter how he analyzed it, something didn’t compute. He could stomach the rudeness, but those parting words were just ludicrous.

‘You won’t get me this time?’ And then the mention of Song-ah. Sure, it was in the contract. But the key phrase was ‘not yet’.

That implied the plan hadn’t been executed. Yet this guy spoke as if it were a done deal.

No, he was dead certain.

He could dismiss it, of course. But the intensity in Hyun-sung’s eyes made that impossible.

‘Just what the hell is this guy’s deal?’

Even as he walked, Park Hee-cheol couldn’t shake Hyun-sung’s piercing gaze.

“What a crazy bastard…”

Ultimately, Park Hee-cheol wrote Hyun-sung off as a lunatic.

Inside the house, the father turned to Hyun-sung, concern etched on his face.

“Did it hurt much?”

“Hurt? He just made a lot of noise. He was even holding back, you know.”

Hyun-sung offered a reassuring smile.

“I’m so sorry. I’m ashamed to face you as your father.”

“Don’t say that. It’s no one’s fault, least of all yours.”

Now he understood.

The sheer difficulty of life without an inheritance. And the immense responsibility of providing for a family.

His father’s roots were in Anju, South Pyongan Province. He remembered hearing stories of their escape south with his grandfather when he was just five years old.

How could he have done that?

Self-made man? A nice-sounding phrase. Hyun-sung used to believe it was attainable when he was younger.

What if I were in my father’s shoes?

Honestly, he wasn’t sure he could measure up. His father had worked harder than anyone he knew. A realization that only dawned on him when he reached his father’s age.

Hyun-sung looked at his father and said,

“I know better than anyone how hard you’ve worked, Dad. So don’t ever say things like that. I’m proud of you.”

“……”

Hyun-sung took his father’s hand.

The calloused hands were a testament to his father’s life.

Hyun-sung looked into his father’s eyes.

“Dad, let’s cheer up and live right from now on. I’ll get my act together and study hard, okay?”

“Thank you. I didn’t realize my son had grown up so much. Okay, I’ll try to keep my spirits up and work even harder.”

“You’re the best, Dad. How about a big hug to celebrate?”

“Hehe, you…”

Hyun-sung opened his arms, and his father, unable to resist, embraced him.

He hadn’t realized it before.

That his father’s chest was so broad and warm….

Hyun-sung went to his room.

Crunch.

The more he thought about it, the more he ground his teeth. He couldn’t believe Park Hee-cheol would target Song-ah. How could he do that in the same neighborhood?

“Well…”

Then, a distant memory flickered in Hyun-sung’s mind.

Someone had died, and no one claimed the body for the funeral. It involved Park Hee-cheol.

The person who went on a sightseeing trip returned the next day as a corpse. A tour bus had crashed off a cliff.

It was a major incident, covered on the 9 o’clock news.

In the end, distant relatives reluctantly carried the bier [a stand on which a corpse or coffin is placed]. No one else would. Hyun-sung, oblivious at the time, simply wondered what was happening.

Of course, he learned the reason later. Many people had suffered at Park Hee-cheol’s hands. Upon his death, his past transgressions surfaced one by one.

Tsk tsk….

Hyun-sung clicked his tongue.

“To go so pointlessly…”

He heard his mother calling him from outside. It was breakfast time.

“Wow!”

Hyun-sung exclaimed involuntarily as he took in the breakfast spread.

Was it the abundance of side dishes?

No.

It was the sheer disbelief that he could once again sit at his mother’s table.

Hyun-sung sat down and said to his mother,

“Mom, stir-fried potatoes? It’s been ages!”

“You… why are you making such a cheesy joke so early? I made them for you just a few days ago.”

“Haha… really? I’ve been so forgetful lately.”

“It’s not just lately. You’ve been acting strange since yesterday. You’re too different.”

Of course.

It would be strange if he weren’t different.

Hyun-sung felt the same way. Everything felt new and unfamiliar.

But time would resolve everything. For now, he just had to savor the moment.

Hyun-sung reached for his chopsticks, trying to act normal.

His father looked at him and asked,

“Hyun-sung, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, Dad. What is it?”

“What were you talking about with Mr. Park earlier?”

His father couldn’t make sense of the morning’s events. Hyun-sung’s lecture on the law, his talk of illegal debt collection…

He had never heard such things before. He didn’t even know they existed.

Hyun-sung paused, considering his answer. But the hesitation was brief.

“It was all a lie.”

“What?”

“I just said it so he wouldn’t ignore me.”

Besides, the Debt Business Act [a South Korean law regulating debt collection practices] didn’t exist yet. It was enacted later, in October 2002.

Hyun-sung didn’t want to create unnecessary trouble. He felt a pang of guilt towards his parents, but there was no other way.

But that was just Hyun-sung’s perspective.

His mother’s expression changed at his insincere reply.

“Is that so?”

“I was just pissed off. Waking me up when I was sleeping so soundly…”

Hyun-sung began to eat.

His mother’s glare was intense, but it was best to play dumb. He knew she was particularly persistent when curious.

Hyun-sung decided there was no way to reason with them at this point.

Instead, he focused on eating.

Home-cooked meals, especially his mother’s, were the best.

“More rice, please?”

Hyun-sung held out his bowl to his mother. She smiled.

The rice tasted like honey.

He wanted more, even after two bowls. His mother’s stir-fried potatoes and soybean paste stew were culinary masterpieces.

Hyun-sung glanced back and forth at his parents as they ate. He had taken their presence for granted, never realizing how precious this happiness was.

Was that why?

A smile spread across Hyun-sung’s face.

His mother noticed.

“Our son, what’s got you so happy?”

“Everything.”

“Honey, is this really our Hyun-sung?”

The mother looked at the father, seeking confirmation. It wasn’t a question that demanded an answer, but the father responded anyway.

“Doesn’t seem like our son to me.”

“Right?”

The mother agreed. They exchanged a look, and the father continued.

“He’s talking too much.”

“Exactly!”

“I was too out of it to say anything yesterday, but seeing him today, it’s definitely not him.”

“That’s right!”

The parents were teasing Hyun-sung. He had forgotten that he used to be quiet, not just at home but at school too.

“Where’s my father?”

Hyun-sung burst out laughing.

Poo, haha, hahahaha….

The two of them looked cute, and he just felt good. He couldn’t stop laughing.

“Heo, he he, he he he…”

“Hoho, hohoho…”

The three of them laughed together at the breakfast table for a long time.

After a while.

As he finished breakfast, Hyun-sung looked at his parents and said,

“I’m going to the mountain today.”

His father looked surprised.

“What? What are you talking about? Why the mountain all of a sudden?”

“I told you earlier. To pay off the debt…”

“Debt?”

Hyun-sung spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but his parents were taken aback.

They were skeptical.

They had heard him shouting at Park Hee-cheol, but they assumed it was just empty talk.

They never expected this.

He was going to the mountain, but there was no way he could actually do anything about it.

It was pathetic, but they couldn’t say anything. He was the one who messed up, so he couldn’t get angry.

Hmm….

He decided to hear him out first.

The father looked at Hyun-sung and asked,

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to dig up wild ginseng. That’s how I’ll pay off the debt.”

“What, wild ginseng?”

Hyun-sung was going too far.

Ha!

The father was speechless. Now he just looked pathetic.

Wild ginseng….

It wasn’t something you could just find like a stray dog.

The father’s eyes were filled with disappointment.

He regretted thinking his son had matured, even for a moment.

Was that why?

This time, his father’s words were curt.

“That’s enough. You’re not a kid…”

“Yes? A kid?”

Hyun-sung was momentarily taken aback. He had lived for years, so a kid?

But that wasn’t the immediate issue. Hyun-sung realized his mistake after seeing his father’s reaction.

How absurd must it sound from his father’s perspective? Suddenly declaring he would dig up wild ginseng to pay off the debt. Even Hyun-sung had to admit it sounded ridiculous.

His desire to help had led to recklessness.

‘What should I do?’

The problem was, there was no way to explain. He couldn’t insist, and he couldn’t reveal his past life.

Then, a savior appeared.

“Maybe, a dream…”

Before his mother could finish, Hyun-sung jumped in. He was desperate.

“Exactly! You’re right, Mom. How did you know?”

“Really?”

His mother’s eyes widened. The father seemed intrigued.

Hyun-sung’s quick thinking kicked into high gear.

“Actually, I had a dream last night, and…”

“So?”

“I dug up eight radishes!”

Radishes in dreams often symbolize wild ginseng. It was a common trope in the TV show ‘Legend of Hometown’ [a popular Korean horror anthology series]. Hyun-sung eagerly recounted his dream.

He thought it would convince his parents.

But it was just wishful thinking.

“Wake up from your dream!”

The father’s voice boomed.

Hyun-sung looked at him.

“Father!”

“Stop talking nonsense and be quiet. I’ll figure out how to solve the debt problem, so don’t worry about it.”

He was willing to listen, but the father couldn’t tolerate his son’s nonsensical dream talk.

Even the thought of him falling into the sea yesterday sent shivers down his spine.

If something went wrong….

The thought was unbearable.

Putting his son in danger again?

Not because of the mess he had created. Even if he conceded everything else, this was something he couldn’t allow.

Hyun-sung was just as serious.

‘This isn’t working…’

Just as he was struggling to explain, his mother mentioned a dream. He seized the opportunity, weaving a plausible story.

He thought it would be easy to convince them.

But his father’s expression shattered that illusion.

Of course, he understood his father’s feelings.

He knew he was worried, but he didn’t expect such a strong reaction.

‘What should I do?’

Tuk tuk tuk tuk….

He tapped his temple with his index finger.

He couldn’t think of a way to convince his father.

The father stood up, ending the discussion.

“Your shoulder isn’t healed, so stay home today.”

He left the room.

Hyun-sung could only watch his father’s retreating back.

Later.

Hyun-sung lay in his room.

His face was etched with worry, as if he carried the weight of the world.

“What should I do…”

He couldn’t think of a way to convince his parents.