Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 186

That evening.

Kim Ji-sook, having finished work, headed towards Rose Dabang [a type of Korean coffee shop or tea room].

Arriving at Rose Dabang, she found Choi Min-sung already waiting for her.

Choi Min-sung asked,

“Are you done now?”

“Yes, I finish work at 7 PM, and after washing up and finishing things, it ends around this time.”

“Anyway, what about the item?”

“You’re too much, mister. You should at least offer a cup of coffee when someone arrives. Even if you’re in a hurry, what is this?”

Kim Ji-sook said with a hint of dissatisfaction.

Judging by the atmosphere, anyone could see that Kim Ji-sook was in a superior position. But Choi Min-sung’s attitude was not like that.

Smirk.

Choi Min-sung chuckled lightly, as if finding it absurd.

Kim Ji-sook immediately asked,

“What’s with that laugh?”

“Kim Ji-sook, I think you’re mistaken about something…”

Choi Min-sung crossed his legs and adjusted his posture. Then, he continued,

“Let’s be clear about our positions.”

“Huh? What do you mean…”

It was Kim Ji-sook who was flustered. She thought Choi Min-sung was the one in need. But judging from his tone, that wasn’t the case.

Choi Min-sung continued,

“Do I look easy to you just because I’m doing this kind of work?”

“No, why are you suddenly saying that?”

“That’s how you’re talking. If you want coffee, you should ask politely. Why are you talking to me like I’m your subordinate? And while we’re on the subject, do you know I’m thirteen years older than you?”

Choi Min-sung suddenly brought up his age.

Kim Ji-sook was still dumbfounded.

“Why are you suddenly talking about age, and what did I even say? I just meant we should have a cup of coffee and talk…”

“No, that’s not how you sounded earlier. It was like you were talking to someone beneath you. Words are determined by the listener’s perspective, so if that’s how I heard it, that’s how it is.”

“…”

Kim Ji-sook had nothing to say. What Choi Min-sung said wasn’t entirely wrong.

“I’m not wrong, am I?”

“If that’s how you heard it… I apologize. But I didn’t mean to look down on you or anything.”

“Then, that’s fine. And since we’re on the topic, can we drop the honorifics from now on?”

“Yes? Ah, yes…”

The atmosphere had turned strange. But there was nothing she could do to resist, so Kim Ji-sook had no choice but to follow Choi Min-sung’s lead.

After all, it was true that Choi Min-sung was older, and he was the one who hired her.

At that moment, Choi Min-sung called a Rose Dabang employee and ordered coffee.

A moment later.

“The item?”

“Yes? Ah, here it is.”

Kim Ji-sook took a small food container out of her bag and handed it to Choi Min-sung.

“Why is it so small?”

“I had to sneak it out.”

“You want ten thousand won [Korean currency, approximately $7-8 USD] for this much? I know money is good, but isn’t this too much?”

Kim Ji-sook was dumbfounded. Even though she was younger, he had no manners.

Thud.

Kim Ji-sook snatched the container back.

Choi Min-sung was surprised.

“What are you doing?”

“If you don’t like it, forget it. Do you know how anxious I was to steal this?”

“No, what are you going to do if you take it back?”

Kim Ji-sook could clearly see it in Choi Min-sung’s expression.

That it was Choi Min-sung, not her, who was in need. No matter how much of an employer he was, in the end, the one who needed it would bow their head. She regretted momentarily getting caught up in the other person’s atmosphere.

“If you don’t like it, we don’t have to do business. Who would want to listen to such things for just ten thousand won?”

“Is ten thousand won not enough?”

“Of course, it’s not a small amount, but I don’t want to sell my pride for that much.”

“Huh… Pride? Sounds like you’re not desperate enough.”

“Mister!”

Kim Ji-sook’s voice grew louder.

Choi Min-sung looked at Kim Ji-sook with a dumbfounded expression.

“What are you doing?”

“What are you doing? Is it okay to mock someone like this with just ten thousand won? And frankly, is that even your money? We’re all in the same boat anyway…”

“What, the same boat?”

“Am I wrong? Aren’t you and I just leeches clinging to President Oh?”

“What, leeches?”

Choi Min-sung was just dumbfounded. But the problem was that he had no words to refute it. When you think about it, Kim Ji-sook’s words weren’t wrong.

Kim Ji-sook continued,

“And I can’t give this to you for ten thousand won anymore.”

“What? Are you saying you want more money now?”

“Since my pride has been hurt this much, I should get more money. If you don’t like it, forget it.”

Kim Ji-sook was bold.

Since her pride was already hurt, she figured she might as well get more money.

On the other hand, Choi Min-sung was in a terrible situation.

He couldn’t give up the sauce. If he did, Oh Sang-cheol wouldn’t let him off the hook. So, the answer was clear. He had to get the sauce no matter what.

But the problem was money. Kim Ji-sook asked for more, but Oh Sang-cheol, who didn’t know the situation, wouldn’t approve.

So, in the end, he would have to bear the additional cost himself.

Haa.

It was natural to sigh.

Now, the only way left was to minimize the additional cost. That’s why his voice had no choice but to become humble.

“Ji-sook…”

“What is it? What’s with that tone?”

“Let’s just do it for ten thousand won as we talked about at first. We’re going to see each other for more than just a day or two…”

“No, I can’t do that. You were the one who trampled on my pride first. I may be doing this because my husband is sick, but I still have my last bit of pride. And you ignored that.”

“I didn’t mean to…”

“You said it yourself earlier. Words are determined by the listener’s perspective. You may not have meant anything by it, but as the listener, it was humiliating.”

“…”

Choi Min-sung had nothing to say.

Choi Min-sung reluctantly asked quietly,

“Then how much more do I have to give you?”

“Since it’s come to this, I should get five thousand won more. I’ll sell my pride and buy my husband a nutritional supplement.”

“Five thousand won…?”

Choi Min-sung was at a loss. He only had two thousand won in his pocket right now.

Then, Kim Ji-sook continued,

“You don’t happen to not have five thousand won, do you?”

“That’s…”

“That’s what? Maybe you…”

“I’m sorry, but… can I give you three thousand won later?”

“…”

Kim Ji-sook had nothing to say. It was perhaps Choi Min-sung’s last bit of pride. She didn’t think it was right to say any more. She couldn’t go that far.

Kim Ji-sook took the food container out of her bag again.

“Here.”

“The money…?”

“Just give me ten thousand won. And let’s cheer up, Choi Min-sung!”

“Huh? Uh…”

Kim Ji-sook left Rose Dabang, leaving Choi Min-sung speechless.

Choi Min-sung was left alone.

“Haa!”

Only a deep sigh escaped his lips.

***

Oh Sang-cheol held the food container in one hand and asked Choi Min-sung,

“Is this the sauce?”

“Yes, it is.”

“But is this all there is? You received ten thousand won for this one container?”

“Yes…”

Choi Min-sung answered weakly.

Then, Oh Sang-cheol asked,

“What’s wrong? Why are you so weak?”

“It’s nothing, I just feel too pathetic today.”

Oh Sang-cheol tilted his head and called his younger sister, Oh Sang-mi.

“Sang-mi.”

“Yes, Oppa [older brother, used by a female].”

Oh Sang-mi, who was in the kitchen, came out to the hall.

“This is the sauce that kid made. Can you make it exactly the same?”

“You want me to make this exactly the same?”

“Yeah, the students are going crazy for this taste these days. I don’t like it because it’s too spicy, but I can’t help it if the students like it.”

Oh Sang-mi opened the container, dipped her pinky finger in the sauce, and brought it to her mouth.

Chew, chew.

“Cough.”

Oh Sang-mi spat out the sauce as soon as she put it in her mouth.

The reason was simple. No matter how much of a sauce it was, it was a taste she couldn’t possibly eat.

“Oppa, how can you eat this?”

“Why?”

“I can’t eat it at all. It’s just spicy, and I can’t taste anything else.”

“No, it’s just because it’s the first time. Don’t do that, try eating it slowly again.”

Oh Sang-cheol was frustrated. To do business, he had to find out the secret of the sauce no matter what. But the person who had to find it out said she couldn’t eat it after tasting it once, so he was going crazy.

Oh Sang-cheol’s gaze turned to the other side this time.

“Come here.”

“Yes? Are you talking to me?”

Choi Min-sung was embarrassed. He was already feeling down because he had been humiliated in front of Kim Ji-sook a little while ago.

In the midst of that, Oh Sang-cheol called him.

The reason for calling him was obvious. He wanted him to taste the sauce, but it wasn’t like he didn’t know the taste. He had already tasted it with Oh Sang-cheol a few days ago.

But who was Oh Sang-cheol?

He wasn’t the kind of person who would consider such circumstances.

“Taste this.”

“No, Hyungnim [term of respect for an older male, like ‘brother’], this isn’t right. Didn’t we already taste it a few days ago?”

“That’s because you ordered it at level 4, which isn’t even on the menu, so it was too spicy. This is different.”

“Even so, this is…”

Choi Min-sung took a step back. But Oh Sang-cheol wasn’t going to give up just because of that.

“Are you really going to do this?”

“Ah, Hyungnim, please…”

“Alright, I’ll taste it with you. Is that okay?”

Choi Min-sung had no choice. He wasn’t just making him eat it alone, and he didn’t have the courage to say no to eating it together.

The two of them put their pinky fingers into the food container side by side. Perhaps because of fear, the sensation wasn’t pleasant.

Slurp.

As if they had promised, the two of them put their fingers into their mouths.

Chew, chew.

Choi Min-sung tilted his head.

He definitely felt the spiciness. But it wasn’t the same spiciness he had tasted a few days ago.

“It’s less spicy than I thought?”

“Really?”

“How is it, Hyungnim?”

“Me? I’m still…”

Choi Min-sung’s gaze naturally turned to Oh Sang-cheol’s pinky finger.

“Gasp! Hyungnim?”

“S-Sorry. I’m a little scared, so I…”

Oh Sang-cheol still had red sauce on his pinky finger. Even at that moment, he was using his brain and putting his fourth finger, not his pinky finger, into his mouth.

Oh Sang-mi looked at the scene.

“Oppa, do you want to do that?”

“You know I’m scared, right?”

“I can’t stop you anyway. No matter what, how can you…”

Oh Sang-mi just shook her head.

Only then did Oh Sang-cheol smile and start tasting the sauce.

Chew, chew.

“Oh? It’s definitely different from the spicy taste I had a few days ago.”

“Right, Hyungnim?”

“It was level 4 that was the problem back then. But what is this aftertaste I feel after the spiciness?”

“I don’t know, it’s hard to put into words, but isn’t that the task we have to solve now?”

Oh Sang-cheol also nodded.

Then, Oh Sang-mi asked,

“Aftertaste?”

“Yeah, there’s a strange taste that you feel after the spiciness. We have to find the secret of that taste, even if we have to stay up all night from now on.”

“I only felt the spiciness earlier.”

“Don’t do that, try eating it again. There’s definitely something there.”

Oh Sang-mi had no choice but to start tasting the sauce again.

Chew, chew.

What was clear was that it was less spicy than when she first ate it. But she still didn’t feel the aftertaste.

“Oppa, I don’t know with this.”

“Then what should we do?”

“What if we boil this? If we boil only this sauce purely without adding ramen, wouldn’t that unique aftertaste come out?”

“There’s too little sauce to do that…”

Oh Sang-cheol was quite serious.

Of course, boiling it could be one way. But there was too little sauce to do that. If he boiled it and couldn’t find the taste, the sauce would just disappear. Then, he would have to get the sauce again.

Oh Sang-cheol looked at Choi Min-sung.

Then, Choi Min-sung asked,

“Why? Hyungnim?”

“Maybe… can you get more of that sauce?”

“More sauce?”

“Yeah, I think that won’t be enough.”

“No, I can’t get it. I absolutely can’t get it. If you want to get it, you should call her yourself now.”

Choi Min-sung seemed to unconsciously recall Kim Ji-sook’s face from earlier. If he had just had three thousand won more, he wouldn’t have been humiliated like that.