Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 160

Hyun-sung looked at Park Hee-chul and asked,

“So, that’s why you came in early today?”

“I won’t deny it. But that’s not the only reason. More than anything, I was very curious about the first day’s sales at a spot that’s supposedly a goldmine.”

Hyun-sung nodded, feeling grateful that Park Hee-chul was being so honest with him.

“First of all, thank you for believing in me and acting so quickly. I know it couldn’t have been easy. Since you’ve taken action like this, it’s my turn to reciprocate.”

“First, get this place up and running. The first day was good, and from now on, work even harder to double the current sales.”

“Double?”

Doubling it meant making more than 100,000 won a day.

Selling only ramen and making 100,000 won a day…

It wasn’t an easy amount by any means. But Hyun-sung thought it wasn’t impossible.

His biggest worry when he first opened was whether he could get enough support from regular customers in the morning. If he could, that amount would be possible.

Again, the key was morning sales.

Then Park Hee-chul continued, “But don’t overdo it.”

“What do you mean?”

“My mind is already made up. I just want to confirm your words later. And…”

Park Hee-chul didn’t finish his sentence.

Curious, Hyun-sung asked immediately, “And is there another reason?”

Park Hee-chul slowly nodded instead of answering. But there was something strange in his eyes as he looked at Hyun-sung.

A gaze as affectionate as if he were looking at his own grandson.

‘What does that look mean?’

As Hyun-sung remained silent, Park Hee-chul continued, “It’s for you.”

“Yes? For me?”

“That’s right. You must achieve the goal for your own sake. In life, the path of someone who has achieved a goal and someone who hasn’t is very different. Moreover, aren’t you a special case?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head. Then Park Hee-chul continued, “Isn’t it too young to experience society like this?”

“Well…”

In front of Park Hee-chul, who had no idea that Hyun-sung had regressed [gone back in time], there was nothing special Hyun-sung could say.

“So it’s an even more important time. I want to see with my own eyes the way you rejoice after achieving your goal. That reason is much bigger than the desire to confirm it.”

Only then could Hyun-sung understand to some extent why Park Hee-chul was looking at him that way.

Park Hee-chul wanted to see Hyun-sung himself rejoice after achieving his goal, rather than simply confirming his own judgment. The desire to see someone other than himself happy.

Hyun-sung looked at Park Hee-chul for a moment.

The heart to prioritize the happiness of someone other than oneself.

It’s a heart that not everyone possesses. But now Park Hee-chul, of all people, was showing it. Even if it wasn’t the old Park Hee-chul, this was something Hyun-sung had never expected. Somehow, the look in his eyes had been unusual.

Hyun-sung looked at Park Hee-chul and said, “Uncle, you have a knack for surprising people.”

“Haha, this fellow… that’s because you don’t know me yet. If you get to know me, I’m a very sentimental person.”

“Hehe. That’s what I mean. I saw a new side of you today. I feel rewarded after all.”

“Does that mean you feel rewarded for saving me?”

“Does it turn out that way? Haha…”

Hyun-sung laughed out loud. Then Park Hee-chul also laughed loudly as if he felt good.

Park Hee-chul, who stopped laughing, said again, “All the cash will be ready in a week at the earliest, ten days at the latest.”

As expected, it coincided with the timing Hyun-sung had predicted. But people’s minds were strange. Of course, he had expected it, but when he actually heard it from Park Hee-chul himself, he couldn’t help but feel excited.

But the problem was what came next.

Once the date was set, he became curious about the amount.

However, it didn’t seem appropriate to ask outright, so he looked at Park Hee-chul expectantly.

As if he read Hyun-sung’s mind, Park Hee-chul spoke first.

“How much cash do you think I’ll prepare?”

“How would I know that…?”

“Of course you’d be curious, right?”

Hyun-sung nodded lightly. It would be a lie if he wasn’t curious.

But there was something strange about Park Hee-chul’s tone. For some reason, Hyun-sung felt uneasy, as if Park Hee-chul was hiding something.

Then Park Hee-chul said again, “It’ll probably be less than you expect.”

“Yes?”

Hyun-sung was momentarily taken aback.

It was true that he had felt uneasy. Park Hee-chul had been confident until a moment ago, but now his figure seemed to shrink, and even his voice became smaller.

And one thing that was hard to understand was that Hyun-sung himself had never said how much he expected. But Park Hee-chul was speaking as if he already knew Hyun-sung’s inner thoughts.

Like a thirsty person digging a well, Hyun-sung spoke first, “Please tell me in a way I can understand.”

“I’m telling you in advance because I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. I’m afraid it won’t meet your expectations.”

Park Hee-chul was making him fall deeper into the maze.

Feeling frustrated, Hyun-sung cut off the preamble and asked again, “How much is it?”

“Haha… you have quite the personality.”

“Is this the time to talk about personality? It would have been one thing if you hadn’t said anything from the beginning, but this isn’t right.”

“I guess so, you can’t take it anymore.”

Gulp.

Hyun-sung, looking at Park Hee-chul, swallowed hard without realizing it.

Then Park Hee-chul said, “It’s less than 100 million won [approximately $75,000 USD].”

“…”

Hyun-sung doubted his ears for a moment.

Park Hee-chul had clearly said that he would invest all of his assets. But now, the words ‘less than 100 million won’ came out of his mouth.

In the end, his current assets were less than 100 million won.

Even if it was a small neighborhood, he was still a loan shark in name. Park Hee-chul would be turning sixty next year. He had by no means lived a short life.

‘But less than 100 million won?’

That’s not normal. It’s not logically explainable.

He didn’t think Park Hee-chul was lying to him. Then the conclusion was reached.

Hyun-sung looked at Park Hee-chul and asked, “It must be a long story?”

“Haha… is the calculation already over?”

“Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense. You’ve lived a long life, Uncle, and the fact that it doesn’t make sense logically can only be explained by some story, right?”

Park Hee-chul nodded with a bitter smile.

There was something there after all.

Then Park Hee-chul said again, “Unexpected.”

“What is?”

“I thought you’d ask for the reason first. But you pointed out the twists and turns of my life first, didn’t you?”

“Well, if you think about it a little more, the answer comes out, doesn’t it?”

“That’s why I say you’re amazing. Not just anyone can do that. Moreover, considering that you’re only a sophomore in high school, it’s really amazing. It’s not easy to think from the other person’s perspective, not mine.”

For Park Hee-chul, who didn’t know that Hyun-sung had regressed, it was perhaps a natural thing to say.

Then Hyun-sung said, “I can’t hear the whole story here, so please tell me when you have a chance later.”

Hyun-sung tried to cut off the story. He judged that he couldn’t hear Park Hee-chul’s life story in its entirety in this place.

And he thought that was the least respect and courtesy for Park Hee-chul. He didn’t think he should ask in just any place simply because he was curious.

But that was just Hyun-sung’s thought.

Different words came out of Park Hee-chul’s mouth.

“First of all, I’m grateful for your consideration. But to say this much with my own mouth and then put it off until next time is not a courtesy to you.”

“But to tell me in this place…”

“What does the place matter? What matters is who’s going to listen, right? I wouldn’t be able to say it in front of other people. But you’re different.”

Hyun-sung scratched his head. On the one hand, he was grateful that Park Hee-chul thought that way.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever told you, but I had two sons. I was so bitter about not getting an education myself that I sent both of them abroad to study from a young age, thinking I had to give them that opportunity.”

“Ah, yes…”

“I fulfilled my wish in my own way. Both of them received doctoral degrees and started families.”

Hyun-sung nodded and listened to Park Hee-chul’s words.

After that, Park Hee-chul’s story continued.

The eldest son had settled in Japan, and the youngest son had settled in the United States. But the problem started five years ago after he liquidated all his assets and finished their inheritance.

As if they had made a promise, both of them had stopped visiting since then. At first, he thought something must have happened.

Every time he called, they would just say they were busy, and at some point, they couldn’t even talk on the phone at all.

He later realized that it was the last he would see of them.

He had sent them abroad to fulfill his wish that he couldn’t get an education, but it had come back to him as the worst possible boomerang [something that harms the sender].

At first, he was so upset that he even thought about dying. He seriously worried about what face he would show the world after being abandoned by his children.

Then, at the last moment, he was provoked, and he reorganized even the ancestral tomb, thinking it was the last time, and made a foothold again.

Since then, he had lived fiercely, chasing only money. Even though he knew that tears of blood were coming out of other people’s eyes, he didn’t care at all.

He had lived thinking that only money, money, was everything in his remaining life.

In the meantime, he met Hyun-sung, and there was a tour bus accident, and since then, he had lived another life.

As a result, the wealth he had accumulated throughout his life had all passed into the hands of his children, and this was all the money he had earned while living with tenacity.

Hyun-sung nodded and said, “You had such a story?”

“I’m too ashamed to tell others. What can I say after ruining my children’s lives?”

“It’s not like you did anything wrong, Uncle.”

“Is this a matter of who’s right or wrong? It’s all my fault for not educating my children properly.”

“…”

Hoo.

Instead of an answer, a sigh escaped Hyun-sung’s mouth without him realizing it. He felt like his chest was tight just thinking about it.

More than anything, how would the betrayal have felt, considering how much he had believed in them?

Hyun-sung looked at Park Hee-chul.

He felt a strange emotion in his bowed figure.

Betrayal from children he had trusted implicitly, not just one but both.

In a way, Hyun-sung thought it was amazing that Park Hee-chul had regained his venom even in that situation.

Then Park Hee-chul said, “I wanted to get revenge.”

“Did you say revenge just now?”

Hyun-sung doubted his ears. He knew more than enough who the target of revenge was here without even saying it.

Park Hee-chul had brought up the word revenge against his children.

Park Hee-chul’s words continued.

“You wouldn’t understand, would you?”

“…”

“Those guys only know money. That’s why I’ve been making money so fiercely. I’ll make them kneel in front of me someday. Those guys who hammered nails into my heart…”

Unexpected words poured out of Park Hee-chul’s mouth.

He could understand to some extent why Park Hee-chul had been filling his own belly while taking tears of blood from others while running a loan shark business.

Of course, that didn’t mean that Park Hee-chul’s actions had been exonerated.

When Park Hee-chul’s story ended, Hyun-sung asked, “Is that still the same now?”

“I promised in front of my dead wife’s grave. I’ll make these guys kneel no matter what.”

“Then you still need to make a lot of money?”

Park Hee-chul looked at Hyun-sung and nodded.

Hyun-sung asked immediately, “So, the reason you hurried this time…”

“To be honest, my greed was involved. I admit it.”

Park Hee-chul admitted everything honestly.

Children and parents.

Now, Park Hee-chul doesn’t have the kind of affectionate feelings that people generally think of. Well, Park Hee-chul had even brought up the word revenge without hesitation.

How much would it be…

Hyun-sung looked at Park Hee-chul and said, “Okay! I’ll take responsibility for earning that money that even dogs won’t eat. You said it’s less than 100 million won, but how much is that initial capital?”

After listening to Park Hee-chul’s story, Hyun-sung was secretly motivated.

Then Park Hee-chul pursed his lips once more and opened his mouth with difficulty.

“That’s…”

161

Building Owner After Regression