Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 169

The three of them entered the room.

The dinner table was already set.

“Wow, how can there be so many side dishes?”

Hyeonseong couldn’t help but be surprised as he looked at the table. There were more than ten different kinds of side dishes.

Then, Isehee said,

“Wait a minute, I’ll grill some pork belly.”

“No, you should eat pork belly with Inhye later. These side dishes are enough.”

“I can’t do that. I bought it on purpose. It’ll only take a minute.”

With those words, Isehee disappeared into the kitchen.

The two people left in the room.

Hyeonseong looked at Seoinhye and asked,

“Is today a special day?”

“No, Mom has been preparing since earlier because you were coming, Oppa [Korean term for older brother or male friend used by a younger female]. I think Mom has something to say to you.”

“To me?”

Hyeonseong tilted his head.

‘What could she want to say?’

Even with a quick thought, nothing came to mind. Seoinhye had mentioned this morning that it was because of what happened last time. The only thing that happened last time was Seoinhye’s running away from home.

But the atmosphere didn’t seem right to think that she had prepared all this just to say thank you.

And also, Seoinhye’s attitude.

She had been different since this morning. He couldn’t find her usual smiling face.

He didn’t know the reason, but it was clear that she wasn’t the Seoinhye he knew.

It’s the same now.

Her somehow anxious expression bothered Hyeonseong.

Hyeonseong looked at Seoinhye and asked,

“Is something wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, no, nothing like that.”

“Then why do you have that expression? It was the same yesterday and today. You have to tell me what’s wrong so I can know. What’s wrong?”

“That’s, Oppa, actually…”

That’s when it happened.

Isehee came in with a plate of pork belly.

Hyeonseong sat down and said,

“I’m worried I might have created more work for you.”

“Don’t say that. Thanks to you, we get to eat pork belly too. Don’t say things like that.”

Isehee put the plate of meat in the middle and said,

“Anyway, I made it with my poor skills, so I don’t know if the side dishes will suit your taste.”

“Then shall we see your skills, Madam?”

Hyeonseong smiled and picked up his chopsticks.

Chew, chew.

Hyeonseong, who was eating braised mackerel, looked at Isehee and said,

“This is braised mackerel, right?”

“Why? Does it taste strange?”

“No, it’s not that, but I’m asking because I can’t smell any fishiness at all. Do you have any special secrets?”

“It’s nothing special. Just soak it in rice water for 30 minutes before cooking.”

Hyeonseong nodded.

He knew that rice water had various benefits, but he didn’t know that it could also remove the fishy smell.

“Ah, I see. I learned something new today.”

“Hyeonseong, you seem to be very interested in cooking?”

“Yes, I’m just a little interested. It’s not like I’m good at it, I just like it.”

“You don’t have to be so modest… No wonder you ended up running a restaurant. Even if you only sell ramen, you can’t do it without a basic sense of cooking. There was a reason for everything.”

That’s right.

Even if you only sell ramen, you can’t do it if you don’t like it yourself. That’s the thing about the food business.

Hyeonseong himself didn’t know it when he was young.

Later, after getting married and living with his wife, Yoon Jisu, he realized that he didn’t dislike cooking and actually liked it.

After a while.

Isehee called Hyeonseong.

“Hyeonseong.”

“Yes, Madam. Did you have something to say…?”

“Actually, the reason I asked you to come today was to thank you for last time.”

“Ah, yes…”

“I was too flustered at the time to even say thank you. It’s late now, but I have to say this. I was really grateful back then.”

Isehee’s eyes showed sincerity.

That meant she was desperate at the time. Why wouldn’t she be? Her only daughter had disappeared, so how could she not be worried?

Hyeonseong continued,

“I’m glad I found her quickly.”

“I know, right? But no matter how I think about it, I think it’s amazing that you went all the way to Hongcheon and found Inhye. How could you do that?”

“I was lucky.”

“Well, I don’t know if it was just luck, but you were a savior to me.”

Isehee was still nervous, as if she was thinking about it again, and she was stroking her chest.

Then, Seoinhye, who was next to her, looked at Isehee and opened her mouth.

“I’m sorry, Mom, I didn’t know what I was doing back then…”

“How could that be your fault? If you think about it, it’s all my fault. It’s my fault for not being able to send my only daughter to study.”

“Why are you saying that? Don’t say that.”

“Yes, it’s all in the past anyway… Let’s eat. I’m sorry, Hyeonseong. We were talking about unnecessary things.”

Isehee looked at Hyeonseong and said.

The three of them started eating again.

How much time had passed?

It was when they had almost finished eating.

Isehee looked at Seoinhye and said,

“Inhye, are you done eating?”

“Yes, I’m done. Why?”

“I’m sorry, but can you go to the supermarket and buy some cola?”

“Why cola all of a sudden?”

Seoinhye looked at Isehee. Then she tilted her head.

She was her mom who didn’t usually drink cola.

But suddenly asking her to buy cola was strange.

Isehee continued,

“I think I want some fizzy cola because I ate pork belly. Go quickly.”

“Really?”

Seoinhye asked one more time. No matter how she thought about it, it wasn’t her usual mom.

She was her mom who would tell her not to go out at this time because it was dangerous. But deliberately sending her on an errand meant that there was another intention…

‘What is it?’

She thought it was a little strange from the moment she called Hyeonseong Oppa.

If she went out, only her mom and Oppa would be left. That meant that she had something to say to Hyeonseong Oppa while she was gone.

‘What is she trying to say?’

Then Isehee said again,

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? Oh, no, just…”

“Go quickly.”

“Oh, okay. Oppa, do you want to go with me?”

Seoinhye was racking her brains. She couldn’t go alone with an uneasy heart, leaving Hyeonseong alone.

But that was just her own delusion.

“No, go alone quickly.”

“I’m scared…”

“What’s there to be scared of? Don’t be so fussy!”

Isehee didn’t give an inch.

An awkward atmosphere that anyone could see.

Hyeonseong, who couldn’t do anything in that atmosphere, opened his mouth.

“It’s dark and dangerous, so I’ll go.”

“I can’t do that. You’re a guest…”

Then Seoinhye jumped up from her seat and said,

“No, Oppa, I’ll go. Mom, don’t say weird things to Oppa. Okay?”

“You little rascal, what weird things would I say…”

Seoinhye looked at Isehee one more time and left the room.

The two people left in the room.

After sending Seoinhye away like that, the atmosphere couldn’t help but be even more awkward.

Then Isehee looked at Hyeonseong and said,

“You probably noticed by now, but I actually have something to say…”

“…Ah, yes.”

He had already expected it to some extent since she had forced Seoinhye to run an errand. No, he had felt something was strange from the beginning.

But what Hyeonseong couldn’t understand was why she had to send Seoinhye on an errand so forcefully and have something serious to say to him.

Then, as if knowing Hyeonseong’s curiosity, Isehee continued,

“What do you think of our Inhye?”

“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Hyeonseong couldn’t believe his ears.

It was something he had never expected.

Seoinhye was only sixteen years old, a middle school student. Hyeonseong couldn’t understand what she meant by asking what he thought of her.

Hyeonseong asked again,

“No, what are you talking about right now? I can’t understand what you’re saying.”

“It’s as it sounds. I don’t think I need to explain the meaning…”

Isehee’s expression was firm.

She wasn’t the Isehee who had been talking with a smile a little while ago.

Hyeonseong was still embarrassed.

The mental shock was too great to say anything.

Of course, it’s not that he doesn’t know what Isehee means. Hyeonseong has lived for quite a while, after all.

But the important thing is what brought the situation this far. Putting his hand on his chest and thinking about it, he never did anything bad to Seoinhye or had such thoughts.

Rather, he was more careful because she was his younger sister’s friend.

Furthermore, Hyeonseong knew very well how important the time of middle school was for a female student. So he avoided meeting her and physical contact as much as possible.

Hyeonseong straightened his posture and looked at Isehee directly and said,

“I’m sorry, but please explain the meaning of ‘What do you think?’ I don’t know the meaning.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yes, that’s right. I can’t understand it with the common sense I know.”

“Hoo!”

Isehee let out a short sigh.

It was an unexpected reaction.

It wasn’t a difficult question. She thought the answer would come out right away. She thought that age would be enough and asked right away.

But now Hyeonseong’s reaction is asking the question itself again. It means that he can’t accept the question itself based on his standards.

But Isehee wasn’t one to back down.

Isehee seemed to think for a moment and then continued,

“Then I’ll ask more directly.”

“…More directly?”

Hyeonseong tilted his head.

He thought this situation was absurd, but he couldn’t understand why she was saying something else there.

Then Isehee opened her mouth.

“Do you love our Inhye?”

“Huh? Love?”

Hyeonseong once again doubted his ears.

It was an unimaginable word that came out.

Does this make sense?

Hyeonseong said again,

“No, what are you talking about right now? Love? Inhye is only in middle school and I’m in high school. But what…”

Hyeonseong couldn’t finish his words.

Because Isehee interrupted Hyeonseong’s words.

“No, don’t say that. I think it’s old enough to feel that way. Maybe it’s old enough to do that.”

“No, what are you saying…”

“Why? Am I wrong? Of course, you may be embarrassed because it’s such a sudden situation, but you can’t deny it itself. Isn’t that right?”

Isehee was determined to drive Hyeonseong into a corner.

Hyeonseong closed his mouth for now. Then he thought.

Maybe Isehee is right. In Hyeonseong’s case, he’s outwardly a high school student, but inwardly he’s over 50.

If Hyeonseong hadn’t returned to the past, what would his psychology be like now?

Now that he’s over 50, his feelings for Seoinhye are just that of a younger sister he knows. But if that wasn’t the case, what would it have been like?

Could he say that he had no feelings at all like now?

That wouldn’t be the case.

Hyeonseong’s head slowly turned from side to side.

Then Isehee’s actions are not unreasonable at all.

Hyeonseong looked at Isehee.

Then Isehee said again,

“It’s not difficult. Tell me your honest feelings for our Inhye.”

“I don’t know why you’re doing this, Madam, but I think there must be a reason. In that sense, I’ll tell you my feelings honestly.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Isehee looked at Hyeonseong.

Then Hyeonseong’s mouth slowly opened.

“Inhye is just a younger sister I know to me. That’s all. I don’t have the feelings you mentioned, Madam. Is that okay now?”

“Really?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Hyeonseong revealed his honest feelings. He had no feelings of attraction from the first time he met her. Maybe that’s obvious.

No matter how much he looks like a high school student on the outside, he has clearly lived for over 50 years, so there was no way that a child who is now in middle school would feel like a woman to him.

Then Isehee opened her mouth again.

“My feeling wasn’t wrong.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I felt that way while listening to Inhye talk about Hyeonseong all this time. So after much deliberation, I made time today.”

“Then the reason you called me today was because of this?”

Isehee nodded and continued,

“That’s true. But it’s not just that. As I said before, I really wanted to thank you for what happened last time.”

“Ah, yes. But there’s something I can’t understand at all right now.”

“What is it?”

“Inhye is in middle school now. But I don’t know how you can say these things.”

No matter how much he tries to understand, this is not it.

It was impossible to understand that the mother of a child who is now in middle school is coming forward and judging and talking from an adult’s point of view.

“As you know, Inhye is the only one I have.”

“Of course.”

“I’m afraid that Inhye will live like me.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Hyeonseong couldn’t understand what she was saying.

Then Isehee’s explanation followed.

“It was a long time ago. So…”