Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 153

Hyunsung was surprised when Lee Woo-jin, standing at the door, greeted him cheerfully.

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], it’s me!”

“Oh? Hey, Woo-jin. How long have you been waiting?”

“About 10 minutes.”

“You could have just opened the door and come in.”

Lee Woo-jin shook his head.

“No, I can’t do that. I have to keep business hours.”

“Business hours?”

“My mom used to say that. You must keep business hours.”

Hyunsung chuckled.

“Come on in.”

“No, just a minute.”

Lee Woo-jin looked back, his eyes fixed on the end of the alley as if waiting for someone.

“Why? Is someone coming?”

“Just wait a minute. I’m the sales manager, so I have to show you my skills.”

“What? Haha….”

Hyunsung couldn’t help but laugh at Lee Woo-jin’s earnest expression.

His eyes were so serious, as if he was certain someone would arrive.

And then, a group of children began to pour into the alley. The sheer number of them was astonishing.

Lee Woo-jin smirked.

“The kids are finally here.”

“Who are they?”

“Who else? They’re here for ramen. Hyung, get the ramen ready.”

“Really?”

Hyunsung could barely believe it, even seeing it with his own eyes. There were easily more than 30 kids.

“How’s that?”

Lee Woo-jin puffed out his chest with pride. He had brought exactly 42 friends.

Hyunsung looked at Lee Woo-jin.

“Did you really invite all of them?”

“I told you, I’m good at sales. They’re all from our class, and almost everyone came.”

Hyunsung looked at the 42 children gathered in front of the store and couldn’t help but laugh. It was completely unexpected.

The store was packed with little customers.

The main area was full, and so was the back room.

He was swamped with orders.

Then Lee Woo-jin called out to the children.

“Hey, let’s try to unify the menu if we can. The hyungs working here are new, so it’ll be easier if you all order the same thing. Who wants Shin Ramen Level 1?”

Lee Woo-jin started collecting orders.

First, Level 1, then Level 2, and finally Level 3. After surveying everyone, he walked over to Hyunsung.

“Hyung, everyone wants Level 3.”

“All the same?”

“Most people want Level 3. So give them all Level 3.”

“Are you sure?”

Hyunsung was genuinely worried. It wasn’t just regular Cheongyang peppers [a type of Korean chili pepper], but habaneros. And it was Level 3. Habaneros are at least 10 times spicier than Cheongyang peppers.

These kids had no idea what they were in for. They couldn’t even imagine the heat.

They probably just chose it because they didn’t want to be outdone by their friends, without knowing how spicy it was.

‘What should I do?’

Hyunsung couldn’t help but worry. They were only in the third grade of elementary school. It would be too much for them.

But he couldn’t refuse them.

Lee Woo-jin, oblivious to Hyunsung’s worries, nudged him.

“Hyung, what are you doing? 42 Shin Ramens, Level 3. Aren’t you taking the order?”

“Huh? Oh. Okay. Are you sure Level 3 is okay?”

“Hyung, don’t worry about it. Just make it.”

Pfft.

Hyunsung laughed.

He imagined what the kids would look like a little later.

Shortly after, his fears were realized.

“Woo woo woo….”

“Aaaaah….”

Most of them were eating ramen while constantly gulping down water. Fanning themselves was a given, and many were sweating profusely.

But a few were eating ramen as if nothing was wrong. Lee Woo-jin was the most prominent among them.

Hyunsung approached Lee Woo-jin.

“Isn’t it spicy?”

“Not really.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, is this really Level 3?”

Lee Woo-jin even double-checked.

Hyunsung tilted his head. That couldn’t be right. Hyunsung had tasted it himself, and it was a taste he never wanted to experience again.

Even now, Hyunsung didn’t know that Lee Woo-jin was gritting his teeth and enduring the spice in front of his friends because of his pride.

That’s how much Lee Woo-jin hated to lose, even when eating ramen in front of his friends.

Anyway, that was the first and last time Lee Woo-jin ate Shin Ramen Level 3. After that, Lee Woo-jin always ordered the basic Shin Ramen.

Meanwhile, Choi Min-sung was busy reporting to Oh Sang-cheol.

“So, I confirmed it myself. There were at least 40 people, and they were all young students.”

“Isn’t today a school holiday?”

“That’s what I’m saying. But the first customers were students. And there were over 40 of them.”

Oh Sang-cheol was already on edge since morning.

Today was the day that kid opened his ramen shop. Last night, he had tried to make ginseng kalguksu [Korean noodle soup with ginseng] to differentiate himself, but he failed.

He thought he could pull it off, but in the end, his younger sister, Oh Sang-mi, just ignored him.

And a little while ago, he received a report from Choi Min-sung.

He was dumbfounded to hear that the first customers were a group. And not just a few, but over 40.

Moreover, today is National Foundation Day [a Korean national holiday], so school is closed, and yet it was full of students. How much busier would it be on weekdays…….

Oh Sang-cheol shook his head violently.

Just thinking about it made him annoyed.

Oh Sang-cheol looked at Choi Min-sung.

“By the way, what about what I asked you to find out last time?”

“You mean the tax office and the county office?”

“Yes, is there anything that violates the law?”

“Well, I checked both places…….”

Oh Sang-cheol swallowed hard as he looked at Choi Min-sung.

“But?”

“There were no loopholes. He already included the back room in the business registration.”

“What…….”

Oh Sang-cheol was speechless.

He thought the kid might have made mistakes in the registration process because he was young. So he asked Choi Min-sung to investigate, but it was just his wishful thinking.

‘What the hell is this guy…….’

Oh Sang-cheol, silent for a moment, looked at Choi Min-sung.

“Anyway, what about the work I told you to prepare?”

“Yes, everything is ready. Three people will be coming from Hongcheon city this afternoon.”

“Don’t make any mistakes and do it right.”

Oh Sang-cheol nodded at Choi Min-sung’s confidence. A bitter smile spread across Oh Sang-cheol’s face.

It was a different expression from the disappointment he had shown earlier.

About 30 minutes after Lee Woo-jin and his friends left, the elders from the senior center arrived at the ramen shop.

“I came because you told me to, but I don’t know if I’m just causing trouble.”

Seo Min-gyu, the president of the senior citizens association, greeted as he entered the shop.

Hyunsung greeted him happily.

“What are you talking about? I’m grateful that you came. Actually, I felt bad asking you to come and eat ramen.”

“Don’t say that. I’m grateful that you’re thinking of old people like us.”

Seo Min-gyu waved his hand, expressing his gratitude for the invitation.

Hyunsung looked at Seo Min-gyu.

“Let’s eat in the back room. I’ll take you there.”

“Back room?”

Seo Min-gyu tilted his head.

It wasn’t his first time here. He had come occasionally two years ago, when the previous owner was running a restaurant.

At that time, the back room was clearly just a residential space. But now the young man was saying it was the back room. That meant he had turned the back room into a business area…….

Seo Min-gyu didn’t think much of it.

He’s just a kid anyway.

He probably just put a table in the room and received guests.

But it didn’t take long for his thoughts to change.

Seo Min-gyu followed Hyunsung.

“Huh!”

He exclaimed in surprise.

The back room was completely different from what he had imagined.

He was particularly surprised that the roof over the entire yard had been raised, and tables had been placed in that space, turning what could have been a wasted area into the best place to eat ramen.

Seo Min-gyu looked at Hyunsung.

“Did you make this?”

“Why?”

“I can’t believe it.”

Seo Min-gyu found it hard to believe, even seeing it with his own eyes.

As far as he knew, Hyunsung was a high school student. He couldn’t believe that a student could do this.

Come to think of it, it didn’t make sense for a student to be running a business.

Clap clap…….

Seo Min-gyu suddenly started clapping.

“Amazing. This young man is extraordinary.”

“Why are you embarrassing me?”

“No, they say you can tell a lot from seeing one thing. I knew it from the first time you came to the senior center. Who greets old people like us to do business these days? You’re definitely going to be a big hit. Isn’t that right? Everyone…….”

Seo Min-gyu suddenly raised his voice to the people around him.

Then something strange happened.

Clap clap clap clap…….

As if on cue, everyone who had gathered began to clap.

Hyunsung was surprised by the sudden applause.

‘No, what…….’

He was dumbfounded, but there was nothing he could do.

“T, thank you.”