Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 18

He was teasing his mother.

Pfft.

Then, his mother glanced at his father and smirked.

And then, his mother said one thing.

“Why? Aren’t you putting on your ‘red medicine’?” [A euphemism for lipstick or makeup, implying she’s going out to meet someone.]

Hyun-sung watched them and quietly got up and headed to his room. But before he could reach his room, he burst out laughing.

Pfft, Pwahaha…

And a moment later, the laughter of his father and mother echoed throughout the house.

***

The next day.

Hyun-sung took the first bus to sell the wild ginseng. He was going to Seoul.

He forcibly stopped his father from coming with him and boarded the bus alone.

As soon as he got on the bus, a bitter smile spread across Hyun-sung’s face.

Someone was on the bus.

“Hyung [Older brother or respected male figure] Minsu, where are you going?”

It was Kim Min-su.

The neighborhood hyung who ate eight wild ginseng roots by himself in his past life.

Of course, he couldn’t have good feelings for him.

No matter how greedy a person is, he ate not just one or two roots, but a whopping eight. Moreover, he had worked hard for a week together, and Hyun-sung himself was the first to discover the wild ginseng. He hadn’t expected him to wipe his mouth clean like that.

Kim Min-su said.

“I have some business in Hongcheon. But where are you going so early in the morning?”

“Seoul.”

At the word Seoul, Kim Min-su tilted his head. Even at this time, Seoul was thought of as a place where special people lived, so Kim Min-su’s reaction was natural.

Perhaps that’s why Kim Min-su asked immediately.

“Why Seoul?”

“I’m going to sell wild ginseng at Kyungdong Market.”

Hyun-sung said indifferently, as if he were selling goods at the local market.

Then Kim Min-su’s narrow eyes widened.

“Did you just say wild ginseng?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

Kim Min-su looked at Hyun-sung as if he couldn’t believe it.

Pfft.

Instead of answering, Hyun-sung smiled lightly and nodded. No matter how long ago it was, he couldn’t help but feel resentful.

Kim Min-su didn’t like Hyun-sung’s attitude.

“Why are you answering like that?”

“Sorry, hyung. I think I’m tired from digging up some wild ginseng yesterday.”

‘What nonsense is this?’

Tired from digging up wild ginseng? The fact that he dug up enough wild ginseng to be tired meant that it wasn’t just one or two roots, so how many…

Even with a quick thought, it was an incomprehensible amount.

He had been learning herbal medicine from his father for over 5 years. Still, he would dig up one or two roots a year at best. But to dig up so much wild ginseng that he was tired, it was natural for Kim Min-su to not understand.

Kim Min-su couldn’t stand being curious.

“How many roots did you dig up?”

“You’ll be jealous if you know…”

“Don’t joke around.”

Hyun-sung smiled and spread his palm wide.

Then Kim Min-su’s small eyes started to shake once more.

“F-Five roots?”

“No, two more if you include the ones I ate. It made my whole body go crazy.”

“So, a total of seven roots? Where?”

‘Crazy bastard. Do you think I’d tell you?’ That’s what he wanted to say.

But Hyun-sung kindly told him again.

“Apsan Mountain!”

Apsan Mountain?

Ha!

Kim Min-su was once again dumbfounded.

After that, Kim Min-su persistently asked about the location. At first, Hyun-sung said absolutely not. But Kim Min-su wasn’t one to give up like that.

Hyun-sung pretended not to know and told him the location in detail. Of course, on the opposite side of where it actually was.

After explaining, Hyun-sung smiled at Kim Min-su again. Then Kim Min-su thanked him and handed Hyun-sung a thousand won [Korean currency, roughly equivalent to $1 USD at the time] to buy lunch in Seoul.

Hyun-sung held the thousand won in his hand.

Flutter.

He held the thousand-won bill in his left hand and flicked it with his right finger, making a cheerful sound.

Hyun-sung smiled at Kim Min-su.

“Thank you, it’s all thanks to you, hyung.”

“What does that mean?”

“There’s something like that. Anyway, I guess that’s why they say the world is fair.”

“Fair…?”

Kim Min-su only tilted his head, as if he didn’t understand what he was saying.

Hyun-sung’s petty revenge ended like that.

***

Hyun-sung arrived in Seoul.

Hyun-sung’s pace quickened.

The destination was already set. It was Kyungdong Market, the largest herbal medicine market in Korea.

It is the distribution center of Korean herbal medicine, where oriental medicine clinics and herbal medicine stores are concentrated, and it supplies 80% of the nation’s medicinal herbs.

Among them, the place Hyun-sung was heading to was a large herbal medicine store that, without exaggeration, had the highest trading volume in Kyungdong Market.

It was a 3-story building located on the left side, about 5 minutes inside from the Kyungdong Market intersection towards the post office.

He had come here before with his army buddy, Kim Dong-soo. He came exactly twice, for his first vacation and his last vacation.

Kim Dong-soo.

In his past life, he was Hyun-sung’s army buddy and the only son of Sungsim Herbal Medicine Store, which is his current destination.

But currently, Kim Dong-soo naturally doesn’t know Hyun-sung. It’s natural since they’re destined to meet in the army in a few years.

Then that means Kim Dong-soo’s existence isn’t necessary right now.

But why did he come here?

“Huh… things are working out like this.”

Hyun-sung let out an involuntary laugh.

The only reason he came to this place among the many herbal medicine stores is to get the highest price for the wild ginseng.

How?

The reason is surprisingly simple.

His army buddy, Kim Dong-soo, had told Hyun-sung in detail about his father, Kim Jin-yong’s, trading methods.

It was commonly referred to as inside information.

“Kim Dong-soo, you’re helping me.”

Hyun-sung arrived in front of the herbal medicine store and looked at the sign.

[Sungsim Herbal Medicine Store]

As expected, it was the same as before.

The 1st and 2nd floors are herbal medicine stores, and the 3rd floor is a residential building.

Oh!

Come to think of it, Kim Dong-soo, you’re also the son of a landlord. Eventually, you’ll become a landlord.

Perhaps because he was last taken advantage of by a landlord in his past life, he could feel himself becoming unknowingly sensitive.

“Wait.”

Landlord?

Landlord…

“There’s no reason why I can’t do it.”

Hyun-sung chuckled.

Suddenly, he could feel something wriggling inside his chest with some kind of confidence.

“The problem is the initial capital…”

What could it be…?

After paying off his debt with these three wild ginseng roots, it would be insufficient to do anything.

I wonder if the youngest sibling ate the wild ginseng well.

Before leaving this morning, he handed his father a wild ginseng root to give to the youngest sibling to eat.

He wanted to give it to him himself, but he couldn’t even see him because he had been going to his friend’s house for the past few days to do his vacation homework, saying that there were only a few days left until school started.

Come to think of it, he hasn’t even seen this guy’s face since he regressed.

Clang.

When Hyun-sung opened the door of the herbal medicine store, there was a sound from the door.

“Welcome.”

When the employee saw Hyun-sung, he rushed over and greeted him happily.

He was someone he knew. He was happy because it was a face he had seen before. But it was a situation where he couldn’t pretend to know him.

“Yes…”

He had no choice but to greet him lightly and then quickly looked around the store.

He glanced around to see if Kim Dong-soo was there. Then the employee looked at Hyun-sung and asked.

“Are you looking for something?”

“No. Is the owner on the 2nd floor?”

Kim Dong-soo was not visible. He was not in a position to call him. Even if he did call him, Kim Dong-soo wouldn’t know Hyun-sung, so it would be useless.

Then the employee asked again.

“He is on the 2nd floor, but what’s the matter?”

“Ah, I came to sell something.”

“Something?”

The employee tilted his head at Hyun-sung’s words. At first glance, he looked like a high school student. He wasn’t some kind of peddler, but he suddenly came in and said he was going to sell something…

Then Hyun-sung looked at the employee’s expression and said quietly, as if to reassure him.

“Don’t worry, I’m not a peddler. It’s wild ginseng.”

“Yes?”

“Can I go up to the 2nd floor?”

“Just a moment, did you just say wild ginseng?”

The employee’s eyes changed at the word wild ginseng. Then he looked at Hyun-sung once more and went upstairs, telling him to wait a moment. Even as he went up, he kept tilting his head and glancing back at Hyun-sung.

After a while.

“You’re going to sell wild ginseng?”

Kim Dong-soo’s father, President Kim Jin-yong, looked at Hyun-sung and asked.

In the past, he used to call him ‘Father’ because he was his buddy’s father. But now, of course, he couldn’t call him that.

Hyun-sung bowed and greeted President Kim Jin-yong first.

“Hello? Please feel free to speak comfortably.”

“Haha… I can’t do that. Even if you’re young, you’re still a customer…”

As expected, he was the same as before.

When Kim Dong-soo and he came out on their first vacation, President Kim Jin-yong had said it himself.

It was his own personal rule.

He said that he doesn’t speak informally to customers, no matter how young they are. He said that this makes customers feel respected and builds trust, which leads to better deals.

But that was just President Kim Jin-yong’s story.

His son, Kim Dong-soo, later said something different.

He said that it was just a means for business. He said that it was just a way to sell things more expensively and, conversely, to lower the price when buying, and that there was no other meaning.

Respect for customers? He said that even a passing cow would laugh.

It was Kim Dong-soo’s drinking habit. Once he had enough alcohol, he would say everything he shouldn’t say. As a result, Hyun-sung knew most of Kim Dong-soo’s family history.

Anyway, Hyun-sung’s purpose is to sell wild ginseng.

He didn’t want to waste any more time talking about things that had no meaning.

“I understand. Please do as you please, President.”

“First, can you show me the item?”

“Yes, I will.”

With his answer, Hyun-sung carefully took out a wild ginseng root from his backpack and placed it on the table.

He left the remaining two roots in his backpack. He had a separate idea.

As with all transactions, it is almost impossible to win against a merchant.

Especially in the case of wild ginseng, which is not an industrial product, the price variation can be unimaginable.

If you don’t know, you’ll get ripped off a lot, and if you know, you’ll get ripped off less.

In other words, there is only a difference in degree.

But if you know President Kim Jin-yong’s trading methods, wouldn’t the story be different? After all, transactions are done by people.

That’s why Hyun-sung came here.

Then how did he know?

The answer is Kim Dong-soo.

It was during his first vacation.

Of course, he drank alcohol and said it was a trade secret… He babbled on and on about his father Kim Jin-yong’s trading methods.

At the time, he thought that was the case. There was no use in listening.

But who would have imagined that there would be a day like today?

‘Thank you, Dong-soo.’

That’s why Hyun-sung is being so relaxed right now.

“Oh!”

President Kim Jin-yong was immersed in wild ginseng and kept exclaiming. He even forgot that someone was watching him and was making a fuss with a microscope.

“Hehe…”

When the employee first came and told him, he didn’t have high expectations.

This is because there are occasional cases where people dig up a small wild ginseng root in the countryside and bring it up. Moreover, since he was a young friend, the expectations were even lower.

But the moment he saw the wild ginseng, he could immediately recognize it.

‘A masterpiece!’

It’s this big and has two medicine containers (body). The shape is also properly positioned in the shape of a person (人).

The fact that the second medicine container is so completely formed means that it is at least over 30 years old. Including the dormant period, it could be much longer.

In addition, not even one of the fine roots was cut off, and the stems, leaves, and even the luscious red berries were all attached. It looked as if it had just been moved from the mountain.

“Oh!”