Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 168

168

That evening.

“What?”

“I just got a call from that woman, and guess what? Starting Monday morning, they’re giving out free rice.”

“Free?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Oh Sang-cheol’s expression twisted at that moment.

After thinking for a moment, Oh Sang-cheol looked at Choi Min-sung and said again.

“No, is that bastard crazy?”
“That’s what I’m saying. Giving out free rice… I never even imagined it, so I don’t know what to do.”

“This is a headache. If we follow suit, there’s no solution, but if we ignore it, the customers will be bothered. What should we do about this…”

Oh Sang-cheol’s face was filled with worry.

The problem is the students’ reaction.

Lowering the ramen price had almost no effect on the students. When they first lowered the ramen price, they naturally expected the students to respond. From the students’ perspective, they thought that 50 won was definitely not a small amount.

But when they opened the lid, the result was the opposite. The students’ reaction remained unchanged. No, the *ssollim* [concentration/focus] phenomenon was even worse.

It was something that didn’t make sense logically, but it was a reality they had to accept.

It was humiliating, but there was nothing they could do.

The problem starts now.

The opponent has moved. But the move the opponent has made is not a simple method.

If they follow suit, there’s no solution, but if they ignore it, they’ll be bothered.

Then Choi Min-sung asked.

“What are you going to do, *hyungnim* [term for older brother or respected male figure]?”

“No matter how I think about it, there’s no way right now. But we can’t lower the price today and give out free rice on top of that.”

“That’s true, but… will it be okay?”

“Let’s wait and see for now. And more important than that, we need to figure out why the students didn’t react to the price in the first place.”

“Ah, I see.”

Choi Min-sung nodded.

Then Oh Sang-cheol asked again.

“Do you have any ideas?”

“As a matter of fact, I heard something while I was on the phone a little while ago.”

“You mean from that woman, Kim Ji-sook?”

“Yes, I guess money is good after all. I gave her a little more money, and now she’s passing on information from that side on her own. Hehe…”

Choi Min-sung grinned, revealing his teeth.

Then Oh Sang-cheol said.

“Do it well, but don’t get caught. If the tail is too long, it will be caught, so use it appropriately and then get rid of it.”

“Don’t worry about that. Once I get all the information I need, it’ll be over that day.”

“Okay. Anyway, what did that woman say?”

“They analyzed that it’s because of the spicy flavor.”

“Spicy flavor?”

Oh Sang-cheol tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

Then Choi Min-sung said again.

“And they said that there will be a spicy flavor craze in the future when it comes to food.”

“You mean that brat?”

“Yes, and they concluded that the reason why the students didn’t come here this time was because of the spicy sauce he made.”

“A spicy flavor craze…”

Oh Sang-cheol shook his head from side to side as if he still couldn’t believe it.

Then Choi Min-sung said.

“But *hyungnim*, do you think that makes sense?”

“I honestly don’t understand it either. What suddenly *eoreo jugeul* [literally ‘freeze to death,’ an expression of disbelief or annoyance] a spicy flavor craze?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

The two still looked like they couldn’t believe it.

Then Oh Sang-cheol asked again.

“Did that woman say she tried the spicy ramen?”

“Yes, she tried it, but she said it was too spicy for her. But the important thing is that the students like it. Today, 50% of the orders were for spicy ramen.”

“What? That means…”

Oh Sang-cheol was startled.

Until a little while ago, he was *ginga minga* [unsure, doubtful]. But if what he said is true, then the students really like the spicy flavor.

If that’s the case, then the story changes.

Oh Sang-cheol’s eyes changed.

“What the hell is that spicy flavor?”

“Have you ever heard of Habanero?”

“Habanero? What’s that?”

“It’s the name of a chili pepper. They say it’s from Mexico, but I’ve never heard of it before either.”

Oh Sang-cheol looked at Choi Min-sung as if he was curious.

“So, you’re saying that the spicy flavor is coming from Mexican Habanero?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What the hell is that chili pepper that’s causing such a fuss?”

“They say it’s ten times spicier than regular *Cheongyang* [a type of Korean chili pepper] chili peppers. So they even have a warning sign on the menu.”

Oh Sang-cheol was still *eoridungjeol* [dazed, bewildered].

Then Choi Min-sung said again.

“But the important thing is that the number of students who are addicted to that spicy flavor and are looking for it more and more is increasing.”

“No matter how I think about it, I can’t understand it.”

“In the end, isn’t that the problem? We may not know it, but maybe a spicy flavor craze has started like that brat said.”

“Huh… !”

Oh Sang-cheol let out a hollow laugh as if he was dumbfounded.

Choi Min-sung, who had been silent for a moment, opened his mouth again.

“What should we do? Shouldn’t we prepare for it?”

“Prepare?”

“We can’t just sit back and take it, can we?”

“That’s true, but…” Oh Sang-cheol trailed off as if he was missing something. Then Choi Min-sung asked immediately.

“Is there anything bothering you?”

“That brat.”

“What about the brat?”

“No matter how I think about it, it’s amazing. I don’t understand how he knew in advance and chose spicy ramen from the beginning.”

“I feel the same way, but what does it matter now? The important thing is that we need to prepare quickly.”

“I guess so…”

“I’ll find out about that Habanero chili pepper as soon as possible.”

Oh Sang-cheol nodded as if he understood.

A moment later.

Choi Min-sung, who was about to go outside, suddenly called Oh Sang-cheol.

“Oh, *hyungnim*!”

“Why? Is there anything else you want to say?”

“Do you know how much that brat made today?”

Oh Sang-cheol opened his eyes wide and looked at Choi Min-sung.

“Come to think of it, we were talking about other things and that story was *ppajyeotgumeon* [left out, omitted]. So, how much did it go up today?”

“They say it’s over 70,000 won [approximately $50-60 USD]. Today, they say it was *jangnal* [market day, a day of bustling activity], so the village chief and the townspeople all went there.”

“No, what is that brat that even the village chief went there?”

“That’s what I’m saying. No matter how I think about it, he’s really like a *dokkaebi* [goblin, someone unpredictable or unusually talented].”

“Anyway, 70,000 won…”

Oh Sang-cheol just shook his head as if he was dumbfounded. Choi Min-sung also seemed to be dumbfounded, and only a sigh came from his mouth.

At that time.

Hyun-sung’s steps were lighter than ever as he left the store after *yeong-eop* [business hours].

That’s because more than 30 regular customers visited the store today. Since the commercial district is mainly students, increasing the number of regular customers was a *sukje* [homework, task] that had to be solved in order to do business in the future.

Of course, it’s a small number, but it’s definitely not a small number to have confidence.

Hyun-sung, who had left the alley, headed towards Seo In-hye’s house. Seo In-hye invited him to her house in the morning.

‘What’s going on?’

Seo In-hye’s actions in the morning were definitely different from her usual self.

She had an uneasy look on her face.

After walking for about 20 minutes.

He was almost in front of Seo In-hye’s house.

“Oppa [term for older brother used by females].”

Seo In-hye, who was waiting in front of the gate, ran out when she saw Hyun-sung.

“Oh? In-hye. Were you waiting in advance?”

“Yeah, I checked the time and it was almost time for you to come, so I came out in advance. But what’s that?”

Seo In-hye pointed to the bag Hyun-sung was holding.

“Pork belly, I saw that In-hye didn’t have any energy this morning, so I thought if you ate this, you might feel better.”

“Oppa, really… I can’t stop you.”

“Meat is the best when you’re not feeling well. Let’s go in quickly.”

Seo In-hye went ahead and Hyun-sung followed behind.

When they entered the house, Seo In-hye’s mother, Lee Se-hee, greeted Hyun-sung.

“Welcome, Hyun-sung.”

“Hello? You’re always beautiful, *ajumeoni* [term for married woman or older woman].”

“Hoho, don’t say that…”

Lee Se-hee covered her mouth and smiled as if she was embarrassed.

Then Seo In-hye, who was watching the scene next to her, *piseuk* [a soft giggle] laughed.

“Mom, why are you so happy about what he said as a *insachire* [polite formality]?”

“Hey, when did I say I was happy…?”

Lee Se-hee glared at Seo In-hye.

Hyun-sung, who was watching the scene, added another word.

“*Ajumeoni*, I’m definitely not *insachire*. I said you’re beautiful because you’re really beautiful.”

“Hoho…, stop it. I don’t know what else In-hye will say if you keep doing that. Don’t keep embarrassing people.”

Lee Se-hee was still embarrassed.

Then Seo In-hye, who was watching the scene, smiled *binggeut* [slightly, subtly]. Then she held out the bag she had received from Hyun-sung a little while ago.

“Mom, this is pork belly. Oppa bought it.”

“Pork belly? No, how can a student have money to buy something like this?”

Lee Se-hee glanced at Hyun-sung.

Pork belly.

Of course, it’s nothing special. But if the person who brought it is a high school student, then the story is different.

The fact that he brings something to someone else’s house at that age means that he is above the basics.

Was that why?

Lee Se-hee’s eyes felt warm as she looked at Hyun-sung.

Then Seo In-hye opened her mouth.

“Oppa is doing well these days. The word is out among his friends that his business is doing well.”

“Oh, right! Hyun-sung said he started a ramen shop, right? I’ve been so *jeongsini eopseoseo* [busy, distracted] I haven’t even asked. How’s business?”

Lee Se-hee looked at Hyun-sung and asked.

Then Hyun-sung smiled *binggeut* and answered.

“Of course, it’s only been two days, so I don’t know yet, but fortunately, the start is *gwaenchanseumnida* [going well]. I think I’ll have to watch it for at least this month.”

“Still, it’s a relief that the start is *gwaenchanhdani* [going well]. To be honest, I couldn’t believe it when I first heard In-hye say you were going to start a business.”

“Everyone says that. That’s how I ended up doing it.”

“Anyway, it’s amazing. And I hope it goes well since you’ve started it.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best. And please come out sometime when you have time. It’s just ramen, but I’ll make it delicious for you.”

Lee Se-hee responded to Hyun-sung’s words with a smile. Then she pointed to the room with her hand and said.

“Now let’s go into the room. Dinner is already ready, so let’s go in and eat dinner quickly.”

“Yes.”