Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 124

124

Oh Sang-cheol grew increasingly dumbfounded as he listened. Every story he heard defied common sense.

However, he didn’t want to dwell on every single detail. He had too many other things to worry about.

After a moment of thought, Oh Sang-cheol looked at Choi Min-sung and spoke again.

“The important thing is the ramen shop right now. So, forget about the bathroom story. It has nothing to do with us anyway.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“The opening is on October 3rd, you said?”

“Yes.”

“This is going to be a headache. We need to open earlier than that bastard somehow, but we don’t have much time. Is there any good way?”

Oh Sang-cheol felt frustrated.

At that moment, Choi Min-sung said,

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], what are you worried about? It’s your shop anyway. Just tell him to only do business until this week.”

“We already moved it up a month, how can we do it again…? Isn’t there a better way?”

“Mention restoring the original condition again. Tell him to do business until this week or restore the original condition. Then, Mr. Shin will have no choice.”

“I guess so. If he refuses, I’ll just let him stay until October. Then, I’ll tell him to restore the original condition and leave. He won’t be able to do anything about it.”

Before he knew it, a sly smile spread across Oh Sang-cheol’s face.

Shortly after.

Oh Sang-cheol, after leaving Jangmi Dabang [Rose Tea Room], headed straight to Shin Myung-soon’s snack shop.

Creak.

As Oh Sang-cheol entered, Shin Myung-soon’s complexion changed.

“What brings you here so early in the morning?”

She couldn’t be happy to see him. Perhaps that’s why her words were sharp.

However, Oh Sang-cheol wasn’t one to care about such things.

Oh Sang-cheol said nonchalantly,

“I have something to say to you, Ms. Shin.”

“Do you still have something left to say? Wasn’t it already settled that I would vacate by the end of this month?”

It was already a done deal.

But for some reason, she had a bad feeling about this.

As Shin Myung-soon stared at him, Oh Sang-cheol continued,

“Well… there’s been a change in the schedule.”

Shin Myung-soon felt that Oh Sang-cheol was hesitating slightly.

But only for a moment, Oh Sang-cheol finally blurted out what he wanted to say.

Shin Myung-soon was momentarily taken aback.

She had already agreed with Oh Sang-cheol to vacate the shop a month earlier. Just thinking about it made her want to cry blood. So, naturally, Shin Myung-soon was taken aback when he said there was another change in the schedule.

Shin Myung-soon quickly asked,

“What do you mean by that?”

“I want you to only do business until this week. I have to start construction here from next week, so I have no choice.”

“How can you do that? It’s only been a few days since we agreed that I would use it until the end of this month, and now you’re suddenly changing your mind again?”

“Either continue doing business as originally planned until next month, or restore the original condition according to the contract. The decision is up to you, Ms. Shin.”

Shin Myung-soon was speechless.

How could someone wear a human mask and do this? It was already a settled matter. But now, he was changing his mind again in a matter of days.

It was a choice in name only, but it was the same as forcibly kicking her out. How could he be so cruel to someone who had been doing business for over 10 years?

“You’re really going too far.”

“I’ve made myself clear. The decision is up to you, Ms. Shin. But I believe you’ll make a wise choice. Well, I’m busy, so I’ll be going now.”

Oh Sang-cheol disappeared without even listening to Shin Myung-soon’s reply.

“How can a person…”

Shin Myung-soon had nothing more to say.

Grit.

She clenched her teeth tightly.

No more tears came out. Her hands trembled.

Even if he was the building owner, this wasn’t right. Oh Sang-cheol was reversing his own promise in a matter of days, as if flipping his hand.

She would watch with her own eyes what would become of such a person.

Shin Myung-soon clenched her teeth once again.

At that time.

Nongshim headquarters, Planning Department.

Team Leader Lee Il-woo had been staring intently at a fax sent from the Wonju branch for some time.

“How could this happen…”

The fax contained information about Kim Hyun-sung.

Among the various details, one line caught Lee Il-woo’s eye.

– The image of the sign is 90% identical to the image sent from headquarters.

This didn’t make sense.

The advertisement would start in a few days. If the sign was made after that, it would make sense. But the sign was said to have been made several weeks ago.

That meant the person who made this sign already knew about Shin Ramyun.

According to the report, he has prophetic dreams.

No one but a madman would believe that.

Then how on earth…

Lee Il-woo got up from his seat.

After leaving the headquarters, Lee Il-woo turned the steering wheel of his car towards Wonju.

That afternoon.

“Is this the place?”

Lee Il-woo asked, looking at Director Yoo Seong-il.

“Yes, this is the ramen shop that student will be opening.”

“That’s the sign.”

Lee Il-woo began to carefully examine the sign Hyun-sung had made.

Sigh!

After examining the sign for a long time, Lee Il-woo let out a long sigh. Then, he looked at Director Yoo Seong-il, who was standing next to him, and said,

“Director, what do you think?”

“I don’t know what to say. It’s like a ghost is playing tricks. How could something like this happen?”

“It’s really like a ghost is playing tricks.”

The two men shook their heads in disbelief.

After a long silence.

Director Yoo Seong-il spoke first.

“Would you like to meet that student?”

“Well, since we’ve come all the way here, we should at least hear more of the story.”

Yoo Seong-il glanced at his watch and continued,

“It’s almost closing time, so if you wait a little longer, he’ll be done soon.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Lee Il-woo began to examine the sign again.

Shortly after.

Hyun-sung was just entering the alley after finishing his class.

“Over here.”

Yoo Seong-il spotted Hyun-sung from afar and raised his hand.

Hyun-sung seemed to have expected it, as he didn’t look surprised. But contrary to his expression, he greeted Yoo Seong-il happily.

“What brings you here at this hour, hyung?”

“I thought I’d stop by and see my little brother. And this is Team Leader Lee from headquarters. Team Leader, this is the student.”

Yoo Seong-il introduced Hyun-sung to Lee Il-woo.

Then, Hyun-sung bowed his head first and introduced himself.

“Hello, my name is Kim Hyun-sung.”

“Yes, hello. My name is Lee Il-woo. I’m sorry for coming here so suddenly, I hope it wasn’t too much of a bother.”

“No, it’s okay. But what brings you here…?”

The reason he came here was obvious. He had already expected it to some extent since Yoo Seong-il came here yesterday.

He had ordered ramen that hadn’t even been released yet, so it must have already been reported to headquarters. Not only that, but the image of the sign as well.

As a result, headquarters must have become curious and wanted to check it out in person.

“To be honest, I received a report from Director Yoo, but I wanted to see it with my own eyes, so I came down here despite the inconvenience.”

Lee Il-woo answered honestly.

He judged that the other person would know it was an obvious lie, no matter how he tried to beat around the bush.

“Yes, I understand what you mean. So, how can I help you?”

“Well, Hyun-sung’s honest answer would be enough for me.”

“But what should I do?”

“Why, is there a problem?”

“No, it’s not that, but what I told Director Yoo yesterday is all there is to it.”

That was true.

He couldn’t say he had regressed, so he turned it into a prophetic dream. Hyun-sung couldn’t say more than that, so that’s what he did.

As Hyun-sung finished speaking, Lee Il-woo spoke again.

“Are you talking about that prophetic dream?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“So, you saw all of this in a dream in advance?”

“I’m sorry, but even if you ask me a hundred times, my answer will be the same. So, let’s end that question here.”

It was a kind of warning not to ask any more questions.

He didn’t want to be dragged around tiredly because of this issue. Of course, he understood their position, but he also knew that there was no way to solve it. He judged that leaving any more room in this situation would only be tiring for both sides.

“I understand. Since you’ve said that much, it’s not polite to ask any more questions.”

“I appreciate you understanding, and you don’t have to worry about it. There won’t be any damage to the company, so if you’re even a little worried, you don’t have to be. I’ll just quietly run my ramen business.”

“Yes, I understand what you mean.”

“I’m sorry that I made you come all this way for nothing.”

“No, I feel relieved to have heard you talk like this in person. Please sell a lot of our new product when it comes out.”

Hyun-sung grinned. It was going to be a hit product anyway. Shin Ramyun’s popularity was so great that it would change the landscape of the ramen market.

With the release of Shin Ramyun, Nongshim would overtake Samyang and become the number one ramen company in the industry.

Hyun-sung said, looking at Lee Il-woo, who was about to leave,

“Congratulations in advance.”

“Yes? What do you mean…?”

“I’m talking about Shin Ramyun. Your hard work will pay off.”

“Really? Did you see this in a dream too…?”

“Yes, it’s not just a hit, it’s going to be a super hit.”

Thump.

Lee Il-woo suddenly grabbed Hyun-sung’s hand.

“I feel so good even if it’s just empty words. Thank you, Kim Hyun-sung.”

“Empty words? You still don’t believe me?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just…”

“It’s okay. It’s strange to believe it anyway. Isn’t that right? But in my dream, it was definitely a hit. Do you want to make a bet with me?”

Hyun-sung suddenly proposed a bet.

Then, Lee Il-woo nodded as if he liked the idea and said,

“Okay. What kind of bet should we make?”

“If Shin Ramyun becomes a hit as in my dream, Nongshim will give away Shin Ramyun for free.”

“To whom are you referring? Are you referring to Hyun-sung?”

“Team Leader, I’m disappointed. Do you think I’m such a small-minded person that I would sell my dream to run my business?”

Lee Il-woo smiled briefly at the word “small-minded.” Then, he looked at Hyun-sung and asked again,

“Then who are you referring to?”

“Can you share a meal for hungry people?”

“Yes? What do you mean by that…?”

“There are several ways to do it. For example, you could donate to vulnerable nursing homes or orphanages, or you could create a food truck and tour the country like a traveling show. I think you can find the way, Team Leader.”

Lee Il-woo was momentarily taken aback. At first, he took it as a joke, but after listening to Hyun-sung’s story, he realized that it wasn’t.

“I’ll do it. But I can’t give you a definite answer.”

“What do you mean?”

“I will actively suggest it to the higher-ups. As you know, I can’t decide on that level of donation on my own.”

“That’s why I trust you more.”

That was true. If Lee Il-woo had given a definite answer, he would have trusted him less. It was not an issue that could be resolved at the team leader level.

This time, Lee Il-woo asked first.

“So, is my condition the only thing left?”

“Yes, the bet is on if you tell me your condition, Team Leader.”

“It’s simple. I just want a bowl of ramen cooked by Hyun-sung. How about it?”

“That’s unexpected. It may be the most meaningful condition. Then the bet is on.”

“I hope Hyun-sung’s dream comes true. I will start thinking about happy things from today.”

Hyun-sung smiled instead of answering. Whether he knew the meaning or not, Lee Il-woo smiled and held out his hand.

Hyun-sung grabbed his hand tightly. Then, he looked at Yoo Seong-il, who was next to him, and said,

“Hyung, please think about happy things together.”

“It sounds exciting just hearing about it. Then let’s see you next week when you bring the goods.”

Only after Hyun-sung and Yoo Seong-il shook hands did the three part ways.

After the two left, Hyun-sung was about to enter the store.