Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 17

“What are you talking about? I’m fine. Just wait a bit.”

My mother was adamant.

But as she was about to go into the kitchen, she looked at Hyun-sung’s face and asked, puzzled, “Hyun-sung, wait a minute… what’s wrong with your face?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your face has changed.”

“Mom, come on, it hasn’t even been a month. What are you talking about?”

Then my mother looked at my father and said, “Honey, there’s something strange about Hyun-sung’s face.”

“What’s wrong with his face?”

With those words, my father looked at Hyun-sung’s face. After staring intently, my father tilted his head as if something was wrong and approached Hyun-sung closely.

Hyun-sung stepped back.

“Father, what are you doing?”

“Just stay still.”

My father kept tilting his head as if something was wrong, then opened his mouth.

“Huh! That’s strange… this is unusual.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

My father only shook his head from side to side instead of answering.

Now, Hyun-sung himself was curious.

He couldn’t understand why his father and mother were acting like that because of how his face had changed. It hadn’t even been that long, less than 20 days.

At first, he thought they were just teasing him. But the expressions on his father’s and mother’s faces seemed too serious for that.

Then he should check it himself.

Hyun-sung jumped up to look at the mirror hanging on the wall.

“Huh?”

His face had really changed. Hyun-sung had always had a dark complexion since he was young. It got a little better after he became an adult, but not much.

As a result, it had always been a complex [inferiority complex] during his sensitive school days.

But the face in the mirror now was completely different.

‘How could this happen…?’

‘Could it be?’

No matter how he thought about it, that was the only explanation: eating the wild ginseng.

He had been unconscious for two days. That meant the potency was that strong. So, does the wild ginseng have a component that changes skin color?

He had never heard of wild ginseng having such an effect in his life.

He grinned.

Hyun-sung smiled without realizing it.

The important thing wasn’t the components of the wild ginseng, but the fact that his complexion had changed, which made him laugh. What else could it be?

Hyun-sung came down from the floor and approached his mother and father.

“I’ve lived long enough to see this kind of thing.”

“What?”

“Haha, I’m just saying.”

His complexion changed after regressing [time-traveling]? The more he thought about it, the more he laughed.

His father and mother touched Hyun-sung’s face several times as if they were amazed, but they still couldn’t believe it.

It was the same for Hyun-sung.

Besides his face, there was something else Hyun-sung was wondering about.

It was his parents’ expectations for the wild ginseng.

He thought they would ask about it first. But instead of asking about the wild ginseng, they were just saying his face looked strange.

Did they give up on the wild ginseng altogether? Or did they not have any expectations from the beginning? Anyway, it was a part that he couldn’t understand at first.

Hyun-sung looked at his mother and asked, “Mom, aren’t you curious about the wild ginseng?”

“Ah! That’s right.”

“I clearly went to dig up wild ginseng.”

“Now that you mention it, I had completely forgotten about the wild ginseng. How could I have thought of that when I didn’t even know what happened to my son?”

Ah!

That was it. Hyun-sung came before the wild ginseng.

Hyun-sung didn’t say anything and just looked at his mother and father for a moment.

Then his mother looked at Hyun-sung and asked slyly, “So, did you dig it up?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Really?”

“Of course, I’ll show you.”

He couldn’t help but want to show it off, even though he was old. He opened his backpack because he wanted to show it off quickly. No, he was about to, but his father spoke faster.

“Let’s eat first.”

“Yes?”

Hyun-sung wondered for a moment. It’s not doraji [bellflower root] or deodeok [lanceolata root]. It’s that precious wild ginseng. It’s wild ginseng. It’s not something to be pushed back.

But?

Then his father winked at his mother.

Then his mother nodded and quickly disappeared into the kitchen.

Hyun-sung wondered what this was all about. But it was awkward to open his backpack and show off the wild ginseng in this situation.

‘This isn’t it…’

Then the smell of stew wafted from the kitchen to the living room.

Grumble.

‘Okay, let’s eat first.’

Anyway, the wild ginseng in the backpack won’t run away.

Hyun-sung chuckled and headed to the kitchen. He hadn’t even thought about eating until now, but he laughed at himself for reacting immediately to the smell of stew.

Hyun-sung said as he entered the kitchen.

“Mom, I’m here.”

“Are you going to help set the table? I’m so grateful, thank you, son.”

“Why are you so touched by just setting the table?”

“It’s the first time….”

Hyun-sung was speechless at his mother’s words.

That’s right. Hyun-sung had never even helped set the table before.

After finishing dinner, Hyun-sung started taking out the wild ginseng from his backpack.

His mother and father were watching the scene.

“Hyun-sung!”

“Kim Hyun-sung!”

His mother and father’s mouths dropped open as they looked at the wild ginseng Hyun-sung had taken out. It wasn’t just one or two roots, but six roots.

That’s right, this was the natural reaction.

Hyun-sung felt a little more confident.

Then suddenly, his mother’s voice grew louder.

“Why didn’t you show it to us sooner?”

“Yes?”

What was that supposed to mean?

Hyun-sung wondered if he had misheard. He had clearly said he had dug up wild ginseng before eating. At that time, they completely ignored it, and now they’re asking why he didn’t show it to them?

Wait, the person who said let’s eat first was someone else.

Hyun-sung looked at his father.

“Father.”

“……Why?”

His father, who was obsessed with wild ginseng, didn’t even look at him and just answered vaguely.

“Don’t you have anything to say?”

“What do you mean?”

“Huh! Ah…, it’s nothing. Just keep looking.”

Hyun-sung gave up talking. His father, who was already completely absorbed in the wild ginseng, didn’t seem to hear anything.

His father was the one who told him to eat first.

‘What was he thinking before, and what is he thinking now…’

He could guess roughly.

He probably didn’t expect Hyun-sung to really dig up wild ginseng. But when Hyun-sung said he did, he probably thought he had dug up a small root somewhere.

But when he opened it, it was an unbelievable situation, so he was showing a dualistic appearance.

Hyun-sung chuckled as he looked at his father and mother.

After a while.

Hyun-sung chose the two largest wild ginseng roots among the six.

“Eat one root each.”

“What?”

“I already ate one in the mountain.”

“What?”

His father and mother couldn’t say anything and just stared at Hyun-sung, as if they were looking at someone who wasn’t in their right mind.

He had expected this to some extent. Hyun-sung was also conflicted, to be honest.

According to his memories from his past life, there should have been eight roots.

But when he dug them all up, there were only six roots. Of course, he expected there would be a difference in the number because of the time difference, but he didn’t know there would be a difference of two roots.

When he first went up the mountain, he was determined to have his father and mother eat one root each no matter what.

But when his expectations were off, he became greedy.

He thought it wouldn’t be enough to pay off the debt and start something with what was left.

But when he thought about what was most important, the answer came right away.

Family!

As soon as he put the two words ‘family’ at the top of the priority list, his worries were resolved in an instant.

Money?

Of course, it’s important, but for now, family was the priority.

Ugh!

The two people were holding a wild ginseng root each and were deep in thought.

His mother opened her mouth first.

“How can we eat this precious thing?”

“You should eat it because it’s precious.”

“Hyun-sung’s father, what should we do with this?”

In the end, his mother passed the ball to his father. His father’s expression also showed that he was in trouble.

“Huh!”

His father couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

‘How can he eat this?’

His young son roamed the mountains for almost 20 days to find this wild ginseng to pay off his debt.

How scared and afraid would he have been?

No matter how he thought about it, this wasn’t right.

When he thought about how much his young son had been wandering around in the mountains, he couldn’t say anything, but he felt like his blood was running backwards.

But now, to accept it and eat it just because he was told to, was something a person couldn’t do. Especially a parent.

His father seemed to have made up his mind and put his mother’s wild ginseng back in front of Hyun-sung.

“Hyun-sung, I’ll just take your heart. I don’t think this is right.”

“Yes, Hyun-sung, how can we…….”

His mother added her sentiment from the side.

Hyun-sung knows why his father and mother are doing this.

How could he not know? That’s why he felt more grateful and thankful for their hearts.

Hyun-sung looked at his father and mother for a moment and smiled as if he had an idea. Then the two people smiled awkwardly.

It was then.

Thud! Thud!

“Hyu Hyun-sung!”

“Kim Hyun-sung!”

Dolphin sounds burst out from his father and mother’s mouths almost simultaneously.

Hyun-sung was holding two wild ginseng roots with the nodes [the point where a leaf or stem attaches to the main stem] and bodies separated in his hands. Hyun-sung judged that the two people would never eat the wild ginseng if he didn’t do this.

In his past life, he sent both his father and mother to heaven with only regrets left. He bitterly felt that no matter how much he grieved later, it was useless.

It’s right to do it when you can.

It’s just a struggle to cover up your own faults if you cry in front of the memorial table later.

Regret is always too late, no matter how early you do it. He will never do that again.

Chuck.

Hyun-sung handed a wild ginseng root to his father and mother again.

“Now you can eat it comfortably.”

“I don’t know what to say…….”

His father still seemed to have some discomfort left. Hyun-sung was about to get up from his seat because he thought it would be more uncomfortable if he kept talking.

But then he saw his mother’s appearance.

Pfft!

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Mom, what are you doing?”

“Huh? I’m wondering if it’ll stick if I put it back on, this is worth so much money…….”

His mother was attaching the broken node to the wild ginseng body.

His father saw that.

“You should wrap it with a bandage.”