Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 177

177

That afternoon.

Two people were running laps around the schoolyard.

Lee Soo-hyuk grumbled to Hyun-sung.

“Hyun-sung, isn’t 50 laps a bit much just for being late?”

“I know, right…? Especially since I even called to let them know.”

“Calling was a mistake. If I hadn’t called, we could have gone to the roller rink today.”

Lee Soo-hyuk looked genuinely disappointed.

Hyun-sung smiled and nudged him. “Are you that bummed out?”

“Of course, I am! I’ve only heard about it, and it would have been my first time. Should we pick a day after the midterm exams and go then?”

“Are you sure that’s okay with you?”

“Of course. Thanks to you, I finished talking with my mom on the roof earlier. Hehe…”

Lee Soo-hyuk’s face lit up with a wide smile. This was because he had successfully negotiated with Yoo Soo-min to temporarily suspend their tutoring sessions until winter vacation.

Of course, the condition was that it would start up again as soon as winter vacation began.

“Are you really that happy about it?”

“I am! It’s all thanks to you. But seriously, how did you even think of saying that at that moment?”

“I just didn’t want to send you back to your… situation. If my friend is suffocating, I have to make a breathing hole for him, right?”

“Either way, I survived thanks to you. And I’m really grateful for what you said earlier.”

Hyun-sung looked at Lee Soo-hyuk and smiled warmly.

Then Lee Soo-hyuk spoke again, his tone more thoughtful.

“Actually, I realized something important today.”

“Oh? And what profound wisdom did you glean, oh wise one?”

“You said it yourself, that what is obvious to me might be special to someone else. I can’t stop thinking about that.”

“That’s good. So, from now on, try to appreciate how good you have it. Listen to your mother, okay? And your mother must have been very worried today. When you go home tonight, tell her you’re sorry and that you won’t do that again.”

As Hyun-sung finished speaking, Lee Soo-hyuk stared at Hyun-sung, a puzzled expression on his face.

Then he tilted his head. “You *are* my friend Kim Hyun-sung, right?”

“What are you talking about? Of course, I am.”

“No, it’s just… no matter how I look at it, you seem too… mature to be called a friend.”

“Really? Then call me ‘hyung’ [older brother or older male friend] from now on.”

“Hyung? Haha…”

Lee Soo-hyuk laughed loudly and happily, the sound echoing across the schoolyard.

That was the moment Lee Soo-hyuk’s first act of rebellion ended, not with a bang, but with laughter.

At that time, across town.

Oh Sang-cheol looked at Choi Min-sung and asked, a worried frown etched on his face. “How many people came this morning?”

“More than 100, they said.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, that’s what the woman said. Apparently, there was a long line in front of the store from the crack of dawn.”

“What, a line?” Oh Sang-cheol couldn’t wrap his head around it, no matter how hard he tried.

Even if they were giving away free rice, why would people line up from the morning to eat *ramen*?

Choi Min-sung added, “And they said they’re planning to camp out for three days straight, starting today.”

“For three days?”

“Yes, apparently they’re really fed up with the trash situation. They said they’re going to catch the culprit this time, no matter what.”

“Who do they think they are, deciding something like that?”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

Tsk tsk.

The two men began to chuckle, revealing their stained teeth as if they were sharing a secret joke.

At that moment.

Creak.

The door opened, and two female students walked in.

Oh Sang-cheol plastered on a welcoming smile. “Welcome! Just two of you today?”

“Yes, we’d like ramen, please. Shin Ramyun, right?”

“Of course, everyone’s looking for Shin Ramyun these days. So, two Shin Ramyuns it is?”

“Yes, but make it extra spicy, please.”

The female students finished ordering and found a table.

One of them looked around the empty shop and asked Oh Sang-cheol, “Why is it so empty in here?”

“Huh? Well… customers come and go, you know? Hehe…”

“That’s strange. The place upstairs is so packed people are lining up and waiting. We were just too hungry to wait, so we came here.”

Ugh.

Oh Sang-cheol’s mood plummeted. But he couldn’t let it show.

After a short wait.

“Here’s your ramen. If you need anything while you’re eating, just call…”

“Okay.”

The female students eagerly began to eat.

Slurp.

The short-haired student, who tasted the broth first, immediately called Oh Sang-cheol over. “Mister?”

“Yes, do you need anything else?”

“Is this supposed to be spicy ramen?”

“I put in two spoons of Cheongyang chili powder [a type of Korean chili pepper], why isn’t it spicy enough?”

The short-haired student exchanged a look with her friend.

“How about you? What do you think?”

“It’s definitely different from the spicy taste I had at the place upstairs…”

“Right? The initial taste is just… bland.”

Oh Sang-cheol was beyond frustrated. He had clearly put in two spoons of Cheongyang chili powder. But what could he do if they said it wasn’t spicy?

The problem wasn’t just these students, either.

Every student who came in said the same thing: that it tasted bland. Of course, the inevitable comparison was with the ramen shop run by Hyun-sung.

Oh Sang-cheol couldn’t fathom how the taste could be so intense that they would describe ramen with two spoons of Cheongyang chili powder as bland.

“Um… should I bring you some more Cheongyang chili powder?”

“No, it’s okay. Even if you put that in, you can’t match *that* taste. That place uses habanero peppers from Mexico, which are, like, ten times spicier than Cheongyang peppers, so there’s really no comparison. That taste is subtly addictive, you know?”

“Is your stomach okay after eating something so spicy?”

“Yes, it’s fine. And it’s only really spicy when you’re eating it, but it’s okay after a while.”

Oh Sang-cheol had no choice but to nod. If the customer said so, then that was that.

After a while, as the two female students were getting up to leave, Oh Sang-cheol cautiously approached them.

“Are you finished eating?”

“No, we only ate half. We’re too full…”

“…”

Oh Sang-cheol was speechless. Just moments ago, when they ordered, they had explicitly said that they were hungry.

He hesitantly asked, “Is there really that much of a difference?”

“Compared to the place upstairs, you mean?”

Oh Sang-cheol nodded, his face a mask of forced politeness.

The short-haired student didn’t mince words. “Honestly, there’s a *huge* difference. I didn’t want to say anything because I thought you’d be upset, but I’m answering honestly because you asked.”

“Even though it’s the same Shin Ramyun, there’s that much of a difference?”

“Yes, first of all, the noodles are different.”

“Huh? That’s strange, I cooked it for the same 2 minutes and 30 seconds.”

“I don’t know about that, but anyway, the noodles feel a little undercooked.”

There was something Oh Sang-cheol didn’t know. Even if you cook it for the same amount of time, the texture of the noodles will be different depending on the heat of the stove.

Oh Sang-cheol pressed on. “And what else?”

“As I said before, the spiciness is no match. The reason why students don’t come here is probably because of that.”

The short-haired female student kindly offered her conclusion.

As the female students left, Oh Sang-cheol immediately called Choi Min-sung.

“The woman clearly said 2 minutes and 30 seconds, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. She said she even installed a timer and cooks it for exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“That’s what I’m saying! I’m positive it’s 2 minutes and 30 seconds…”

After a moment of frustrated silence, Oh Sang-cheol spoke again. “Let’s double-check that problem later. The immediate problem is the spiciness. How spicy is it that the students are making such a fuss?”

“Hey, hyung. How about we go there ourselves?”

“We go ourselves?”

“Yeah! Let’s go during a slow time and each have a bowl of ramen. Why don’t we go today, since we’re already talking about it?”

“Today?”

“Yes, strike while the iron is hot, right?”

Oh Sang-cheol seemed to be weighing the idea, his lips pursed in thought.

After a moment, he looked at Choi Min-sung with a newfound resolve. “Let’s go right now.”

“Right now?”

“Since it’s this time of day, most of the students must have already come and gone, so it should be a slow time, right? Let’s go now and see what all the fuss is about.”

Just then, someone blocked their path. It was Oh Sang-cheol’s younger sister, Oh Sang-mi.

“Where are you two going now?”

“Where else would we be going? To that little punk’s store.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Oh Sang-mi frowned, glaring at the two men.

Oh Sang-cheol looked genuinely confused. “Why? What’s wrong with that?”

“Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves?”

“What’s there to be ashamed of? I’m going to a ramen shop to eat ramen. You heard what the students were saying. So, I have to go and see how spicy it is for myself.”

Oh Sang-cheol’s voice grew louder, his frustration bubbling to the surface.

On the other hand, Oh Sang-mi was simply dumbfounded. No matter how young the competitor was, the fact remained that it *was* a competing business.

She couldn’t understand the audacity of going there to taste the ramen.

Oh Sang-mi asked again, her voice laced with disbelief. “Are you really going to do this?”

“What’s stopping me? If I want to go, I’ll go.”

“…”

Oh Sang-mi had no words left.

Seeing her silence, Oh Sang-cheol turned to Choi Min-sung and repeated, “Let’s go.”

“Yes, hyung.”

The two men confidently strode out of the store and began walking towards Hyun-sung’s ramen shop.

After a short walk, they arrived.

Choi Min-sung spoke first, his voice tinged with surprise. “Hyung, are people still lining up?”

“That’s what I’m saying! Even at this hour…”

An hour had passed since school ended. Oh Sang-cheol had naively assumed it would be quiet by now. But that was clearly wishful thinking.

Choi Min-sung turned to him, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. “Hyung, what should we do?”

“I’m worried. It doesn’t exactly look good for us to be lining up to eat ramen there, but I’m also really curious about the taste… what should we do?”

The two men were lost in thought for a moment, their faces etched with indecision.

But Oh Sang-cheol’s hesitation didn’t last long.

“Get in line.”

“Yes? But still, how can we…”

“It’s something we have to experience at least once. Let’s just eat and get it over with, instead of agonizing about it and coming back later. If I had known this would happen, I would have brought sunglasses.”

Oh Sang-cheol knew it was embarrassing, and he desperately wanted to conceal his identity, even if just a little bit.

Choi Min-sung simply scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

Meanwhile, inside Hyun-sung’s ramen shop, the atmosphere was buzzing with activity.

Shin Myung-soon called out to Hyun-sung from behind the counter. “Boss, could you please check how many more people are waiting outside?”

“Yes, I got it.”

Hyun-sung stepped outside to assess the length of the waiting line.

“Huh?”

His eyes widened in surprise as he scanned the crowd.

Step.

Hyun-sung moved forward, his curiosity piqued.

He approached Oh Sang-cheol and Choi Min-sung and greeted them with a disarming smile. “What are you doing here?”

“Hmm… why can’t we stand in line? Is there a law against it?”

“No, it’s not that, it’s just… unexpected.”

“You’re still young, so you don’t understand, but traditionally, people in the same industry taste each other’s food, you know? Since you didn’t invite us, we had no choice but to come.”

Oh Sang-cheol was clearly making things up as he went along.

Pfft.

Hyun-sung couldn’t suppress a chuckle.

*’I’m too young to understand?’ And ‘people in the same industry taste each other’s food?’ Where does he come up with this stuff?*’

He had heard similar nonsense before, back when his shop was still under construction. Oh Sang-cheol had barged in then, spouting some nonsense about industry etiquette…

And here he was again, pulling the same stunt.

Hyun-sung knew perfectly well that their motives were far from pure, no matter how they tried to sugarcoat it.

He simply smiled and said, “Is that so? Then, by all means, do as you please…”

Hyun-sung turned and headed back inside.

As he walked away, Choi Min-sung leaned in and whispered to Oh Sang-cheol, “Hyung, did you see that little punk smiling?”

“Hmm…” Oh Sang-cheol just coughed, avoiding eye contact.

Hyun-sung returned to the kitchen and said to Shin Myung-soon, “Do you know who’s waiting outside right now?”

“No, who is it that’s making you so amused?”

“Prepare yourself, you’re not going to believe this.”

Hyun-sung leaned in and whispered Oh Sang-cheol’s presence to Shin Myung-soon.

Her eyes widened, and she burst out laughing.

“Hoho, really?”

“Yes, they’ll be coming in soon.”

“I can’t imagine what kind of face they must have to come here.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Anyway, I’ll personally cook the ramen for those two.”

Hyun-sung’s smile widened, and Shin Myung-soon seemed to understand his intentions perfectly.

“Okay, but you have to make sure you send them off properly.”

“I’ll show them what *real* spicy taste is.”

The two exchanged a knowing, slightly sinister smile and returned to their respective tasks.

Ten minutes later.

Clang.

The bell above the door jingled, and Oh Sang-cheol and Choi Min-sung entered the ramen shop, trying to project an air of confidence they certainly didn’t feel.