Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 163

Seo Min-gyu and his friends smiled broadly as they looked at Hyun-sung.

Seo Min-gyu, entering the inner building, said to Hyun-sung,

“Give us all Shin Ramyun at level 1. If it’s good, we’re thinking of trying level 2 tomorrow.”

“Yes, I understand. The chili powder we use is Habanero, and it’s not just spicy. There’s a sweet aftertaste, so you’ll find it quite tasty.”

“Haha, is this friend really new to business?”

“Thank you for seeing me in a positive light. I’ll put in your order, so please enjoy your meal. I have to go to school now, so I won’t be able to see you off.”

“Ah, you’re a student, right? Go on, hurry before you’re late. We’ll take care of ourselves, so don’t worry about us.”

Hyun-sung bowed and left the inner building, heading to the kitchen.

“Mom, five Shin Ramyun [a popular brand of instant noodles] at level 1. And delay the timer by 15 seconds.”

“15 seconds?”

“Yes, from now on, for older customers, set it to 2 minutes and 45 seconds instead of 2 minutes and 30 seconds.”

“Yes, I understand perfectly. Our boss is so thoughtful.”

Shin Myung-soon didn’t ask for more details. She understood what Hyun-sung meant without him having to say it.

As Hyun-sung left for school, Kim Ji-sook looked at Shin Myung-soon and asked,

“Sister, why did the boss suddenly say to boil it for 15 seconds longer?”

“You’ll understand when you get older.”

“Huh? What does that mean? How is the boss going to explain it?”

“That’s why he’s the boss. He’s a boss for a reason. I didn’t even think of it, but he did…….”

Shin Myung-soon nodded, watching Hyun-sung’s retreating figure.

***

“What?”

Oh Sang-cheol was dumbfounded as he received Choi Min-sung’s report.

He had told him to keep an eye on things, just in case. When he heard they were opening the ramen shop at 7 AM, he initially thought they were crazy.

But according to Choi Min-sung’s report, it wasn’t such a crazy idea after all.

Oh Sang-cheol looked at Choi Min-sung and asked,

“So, Park Hee-cheol went into the shop first?”

“Yes, he went inside exactly at 7 AM.”

“That crazy bastard, he went there at 7 AM just to eat a bowl of ramen.”

“But, that’s…….”

Choi Min-sung trailed off, leaving a sense of incompleteness. Oh Sang-cheol wouldn’t let that slide.

“What? Is there another reason?”

“When I think about it, it seems he didn’t just come to eat ramen.”

“What are you talking about now?”

“He stayed there too long just to be eating ramen.”

Oh Sang-cheol’s brow furrowed.

“So, you’re saying he had other business to take care of in the morning?”

“That’s what I think. And Hee-cheol hyung’s [older brother/friend] behavior has been strange lately.”

“Why, what’s wrong with Hee-cheol?”

“Well, he hasn’t been taking interest for some time now. How can a loan shark not take interest?”

“What?”

Oh Sang-cheol was dumbfounded.

Park Hee-cheol was known as one of the most ruthless guys around. But he had heard that he was charging bank interest rates instead of loan shark rates.

That was already unbelievable, but now he’s not taking any interest at all? Oh Sang-cheol couldn’t understand it.

Oh Sang-cheol asked again,

“Is there a condition for not taking interest?”

“The condition is that they have to pay back by next week.”

“So, you’re saying if they pay back by next week, they don’t have to pay any interest?”

Choi Min-sung nodded.

Oh Sang-cheol asked again,

“What about the people who can’t pay back by then?”

“He told them to just keep using the money at bank interest rates.”

“No pressure, just keep using it? At bank interest rates, not loan shark rates?”

“Yes, isn’t it strange?”

Oh Sang-cheol tilted his head. This didn’t make sense.

Who is Park Hee-cheol?

He’s a well-known loan shark in the county. Compound interest was the norm, and if you missed a payment, he would force you to sign outrageous agreements.

Now he’s saying he won’t take interest if they pay back the principal.

Does that make sense?

It’s completely illogical.

But the problem is that Park Hee-cheol is actually doing these illogical things.

That means you can’t solve this by approaching it logically.

So, the answer is clear.

What Park Hee-cheol wants now is to recover the principal. We need to find out why he needs to recover the principal, even if it means giving up the high interest.

‘Why is he recovering the principal…….’

A loan shark recovering the principal? Even giving up the blood-like interest…….

‘Then…….’

Another investment opportunity.

That’s it! Park Hee-cheol has found a new investment opportunity. A new investment opportunity that can bring even greater profits than giving up the interest.

Just then,

Choi Min-sung urgently called out to Oh Sang-cheol.

“Hyungnim! [term of endearment for older brother/friend]”

“Why? Did you think of something?”

“Do you know that there was an investment presentation at the Hongcheon Resort a few days ago?”

“That thing about the hot springs, right?”

Oh Sang-cheol knew about that.

Someone had contacted him. But he had other business to attend to that day and couldn’t go. He looked into it later, but he didn’t think it was reliable, so he didn’t pay attention to it.

Choi Min-sung said again,

“Hee-cheol hyung [older brother/friend] was there too. Someone I know saw him there.”

“Of course, he would go. He wouldn’t miss something like that.”

“Could that be it? Otherwise, Hee-cheol hyung’s [older brother/friend] behavior can’t be explained.”

“Are you saying Hee-cheol is recovering the principal to invest there?”

Choi Min-sung nodded and continued,

“I’m sure of it. Otherwise, there’s no reason for him to give up that blood-like interest to recover the principal.”

“Hmm……, that makes sense, but…….”

Oh Sang-cheol trailed off. There was something nagging at him.

Choi Min-sung looked at Oh Sang-cheol and asked,

“Why? Is there something bothering you?”

“From what I’ve heard, the hot springs haven’t even been discovered yet, and it’s just a possibility……, I wonder if Park Hee-cheol would have moved on just that much information.”

“Is that so?”

“I don’t think so…….”

Oh Sang-cheol still couldn’t be sure.

Park Hee-cheol is cautious when it comes to investing, to the point of testing every stone before crossing. It doesn’t make sense for him to invest based on just that much potential.

But the important thing is that he has moved.

Oh Sang-cheol called out to Choi Min-sung.

“Hey.”

“Yes, Hyungnim [term of endearment for older brother/friend].”

“I think we’re missing something. Otherwise, Park Hee-cheol wouldn’t be moving like this.”

“Then what……?”

Choi Min-sung stared at Oh Sang-cheol.

Oh Sang-cheol said again,

“First, find out more about the hot springs. There must be some high-level information we don’t know about. I can’t shake the feeling that Park Hee-cheol has moved.”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll look into it more.”

The two, unaware that they were barking up the wrong tree, had serious expressions.

A moment later.

Oh Sang-cheol looked at Choi Min-sung again and asked,

“By the way, you said students were going into the ramen shop in the morning?”

“To be exact, students started going in 10 minutes after the first bus arrived. At first, I couldn’t believe it. Ramen so early in the morning…….”

“Yeah, how many students went in?”

“I roughly counted, and it was at least over 50. I can’t understand it, but it’s true.”

Oh Sang-cheol couldn’t understand it either. When he heard they were opening at 7 AM, he thought they were completely crazy.

But according to Choi Min-sung, the ramen shop was full of students in the morning.

Oh Sang-cheol asked again with a dumbfounded expression,

“Did you say 50 people?”

“You don’t believe it either, do you, Hyungnim [term of endearment for older brother/friend]?”

“No, what kind of ramen are they eating in the morning…….”

“That’s what I’m saying. Are they not eating breakfast at home?”

The two were staring blankly into space.

Oh Sang-cheol was the first to come to his senses.

“A natural talent is a natural talent.”

“That’s right. Who would have thought anyone would eat ramen at that time? No matter how I think about it, he’s not an ordinary guy.”

“Ramen is one thing, but what’s more amazing is that he created the space in the inner building in advance. That guy predicted this situation.”

Choi Min-sung nodded.

That’s right. If there wasn’t space in the inner building, the hall alone wouldn’t have been able to accommodate that many people.

Students are short on time because they have to go to school. They don’t have time to stand in line. But what solved that time constraint was securing the space.

Choi Min-sung said,

“He’s a scary guy. How did he calculate all that in advance?”

“Perhaps from the moment he chose that shop that everyone else avoided, all the calculations were already done in his head.”

“Really?”

“It’s not just perhaps. Look at the situation now. Isn’t something happening that we didn’t even think was possible?”

Oh Sang-cheol’s expression was more serious than usual. That meant his perception of Hyun-sung had changed.

Oh Sang-cheol continued,

“We’ve been underestimating that guy.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true. We just thought he was young, but looking at the current situation, it seems that was the wrong judgment.”

“Hmm…….”

Oh Sang-cheol slowly nodded.

He had underestimated him just because he was young. But it was clear that it was his misjudgment.

He didn’t want to admit it, but it was the reality he had to accept.

Oh Sang-cheol looked at Choi Min-sung and said again,

“From now on, we need to be more careful. Remember that we could be the ones who get hurt if we think carelessly.”

“Yes, Hyungnim [term of endearment for older brother/friend]. I understand perfectly. So, shouldn’t we open at 7 AM too?”

“Well…, it’s not as easy as it sounds…….”

Oh Sang-cheol’s expression stiffened.

To open at 7 AM like Choi Min-sung said, there’s a problem that needs to be solved first. That’s persuading his sister, Oh Sang-mi.

It’s not a problem that can be solved by simply informing her. It’s a matter of increasing the business hours by 3 hours from the current hours.

It’s physically impossible to handle.

In the end, it means we have to hire more people…….

Oh Sang-cheol shook his head.

That’s impossible right now. With the sales structure not increasing easily, it would put a strain on his neck with the burden of labor costs.

At least for now, it’s not a solution.

Oh Sang-cheol looked at Choi Min-sung and said,

“Let’s think about that method a little more, and the flyers will arrive this afternoon.”

“Flyers?”

“We decided to lower the ramen price like we talked about last time.”

“Ah……, that. Well, that’s one way. We’re lowering the price of one of our many menu items, but for that kid, who only has one menu item, the impact will be that much greater. And if he doesn’t lower it, it’s even better for us.”

Choi Min-sung grinned.

Oh Sang-cheol continued,

“When the flyers come out this afternoon, have them distributed when the kids get out of school.”

“That’s no problem. We can just call a few kids and have them distribute them. And while we’re at it, let’s distribute them in the residential areas too. Especially in front of the senior center.”

“Ah! Speaking of those old people at the senior center, you said they went to the ramen shop this morning?”

“Yes, Min-gyu hyung [older brother/friend], the president of the senior center, took a few friends with him.”

“Tsk, what are those old people going to eat ramen for in the morning, tsk tsk…….”

Oh Sang-cheol clicked his tongue and made a pathetic expression. Then he immediately continued,

“Don’t distribute them near the senior center.”

“Yes?”

“They’re just people who won’t help even if you distribute them, and they’re annoying when they come. And when old people come to the shop, it takes them a long time to eat and they just smell.”

“Yes? Ah……, yes. Smell…….”

Choi Min-sung glanced at Oh Sang-cheol as he answered. Then he slowly shook his head without Oh Sang-cheol noticing.