Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 196

196

A few days later.

Saturday evening.

“Mother!”

Hyunsung called out to his mother as he entered the yard after arriving home. His mother, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen, greeted Hyunsung with a smile.

“My son, welcome home!”

“Oh? Mother, you look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you.”

“Hoho, really? Maybe it’s because I’ve been using the nourishing cream your son bought me. My face feels so smooth when I touch it; it feels wonderful.”

“Really? I bought another one for you, so don’t be stingy and use it generously. Especially in this dry weather, you know you have to apply it a lot, right?”

“No, I still have half of the last one left. You bought another one already?”

“I can’t come home every day, so I bought it in advance. This should last until winter.”

Hyunsung took out the nourishing cream from his bag and handed it to his mother.

His mother wiped the water from her hands on her apron and took the nourishing cream from Hyunsung, saying,

“This mother is living the good life these days, all thanks to my son.”

“Mother, it’s just a nourishing cream. What good life are you talking about?”

“Don’t say that. I’m the only one in our neighborhood who uses nourishing cream. When I went to the neighborhood meeting a few days ago, everyone was saying how great my skin looked. So, I told them it was because of the nourishing cream my son bought me, and they were all jealous.”

That was the era.

Perhaps it was even more pronounced because it was a rural village in Gangwon Province.

The top priority was making a living.

Rice paddies were precious, so rice was precious. So, on rainy days, they mainly ate noodle dishes. At the time, they always did that, so they thought it was natural, but later, as time passed, they realized that they were eating flour to save rice because there wasn’t enough rice to eat.

The environment improved somewhat after the 1988 Olympics [Seoul Olympics, a significant event for South Korea’s development]. That’s when the rice paddy reorganization project was completed. Only after the fields were properly converted into rice paddies was the rice problem solved.

His mother’s words continued.

“Our son must be hungry, right? I’ve already cooked rice to be ready on time, so go inside quickly. Let’s eat.”

“Where did Father go?”

“He went out to the front rice paddy; he’ll be back soon.”

Just then.

“Hyunsung, are you here?”

It was his father.

“Father, I’m here.”

“Yes, you worked hard to come. Is everything alright?”

“Of course, Father. Is everything alright with you too?”

“I’m always the same. Let’s not stand here and go into the room. We need to eat.”

“Yes, but where did Jiyun go?”

If she were home, she would have run out already, but his sister, Kim Jiyun, was nowhere to be seen.

“She said she was going to her friend’s house in the back to do homework, so she must not be back yet.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Just then.

Pat, pat.

Someone was running into the house.

“Oppa! [Older brother, used by females]”

It was his sister, Kim Jiyun.

“Jiyun.”

“Oppa, when did you get here?”

“A little while ago.”

“Sorry, I was going to come quickly because you were coming, but I didn’t realize it was so late because I was finishing the remaining homework.”

Hyunsung smiled as he looked at Kim Jiyun.

In his past life, Kim Jiyun would have been having the hardest time around now because she decided to go to a vocational high school in Namyangju because of the difficult family situation.

Of course, he only found out about that later. That’s how little conversation there was between them back then. It was Hyunsung’s own shortcoming.

The four people entered the room.

Father, mother, and sister Kim Jiyun sat around the table.

A typical family scene. But now Hyunsung knew how precious that ordinary scene was.

Perhaps that’s why.

A smile spread across Hyunsung’s face.

His mother looked at Hyunsung and asked.

“Our son, is something good happening?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. I’m just happy that the whole family is together eating.”

“Well, it must be hard to eat alone every day, right?”

“Hehe, it is a bit…….”

Hyunsung scratched his head. In fact, the hardest thing about being out on his own was eating alone. At times like that, he honestly missed his wife, Yoon Jisoo, the most.

His mother said.

“Try some of this.”

“Oh? This is braised spicy chicken stew, right?”

“Your father caught a chicken because our son is coming home. So eat a lot and cheer up.”

Hyunsung looked at his father.

His father nodded and smiled.

That was his father’s way of expressing himself. He could feel his father’s love in a single glance more than in many words.

“Father, I will enjoy the meal.”

“Yes, eat slowly and a lot. Jiyun, you eat a lot too…….”

“Yes, Dad. Dad, you eat a lot too.”

Kim Jiyun said with a smile.

How much time had passed?

Kim Jiyun looked at Hyunsung and asked.

“Oppa, I heard hangover ramen is trending these days?”

“Originally, it was made as a substitute for hangover soup for adults, but from some point on, female students started looking for it more?”

That was true.

Of course, most adults definitely prefer hangover ramen to regular ramen. So it’s true that the number of adult customers has increased a bit.

But something strange happened.

From some point on, female students started looking for hangover ramen.

The reason was twofold.

The first was that bean sprouts are low in calories and rich in protein, which is good for dieting. And the second was that bean sprouts contain vitamin C and vitamin E, which are said to be good for skin beauty and prevent aging of skin cells, so female students who are sensitive to skin started looking for it.

Whatever the reason, it was a happy cry for Hyunsung.

Then his mother said.

“What is hangover ramen?”

“Mom, what it is, is that Oppa made it as a new menu item, and it’s made by putting bean sprouts in Shin Ramen [a popular brand of instant noodles in Korea] and boiling it. But it’s supposed to be so good for skin beauty and dieting, so the kids in our class are going crazy for it these days. That’s right, isn’t it, Oppa?”

Hyunsung smiled and nodded.

Then Kim Jiyun said again.

“Oppa, can you make us hangover ramen too?”

“Of course. Instead, let’s all go to the store tomorrow.”

“To the store?”

“Yeah, I’m going to the bathhouse with Dad anyway tomorrow. So let’s go to the bathhouse with Mom and you too. And then we can cook hangover ramen at the store.”

Kim Jiyun thought for a moment and looked at her mother and asked.

“Mom, what do you think?”

“That sounds good too. I’m curious about that hangover ramen too.”

“Hmm……, then we can all go to the bathhouse tomorrow and then go to Oppa’s store to eat hangover ramen.”

His father nodded, saying he understood.

Then his mother said.

“Then we should have a drink today, right?”

“Huh?”

“If we’re going to eat hangover ramen tomorrow, we should have a drink today. Don’t you think so, Honey?”

His mother looked at his father.

Then his father chuckled.

“You’re not drinking to eat hangover ramen, but you’re drinking *to* eat hangover ramen?”

“What does the order matter?”

“Huh……, this person.”

His father was dumbfounded and let out a hollow laugh.

Then Hyunsung jumped up from his seat.

Then his father looked at Hyunsung. Then he asked.

“Don’t tell me you’re not?”

“You’re right to be suspicious. I think Mother is right today. What does the order matter? We have snacks, and hangover ramen is waiting, so we should drink.”

“Hoho, our son is the best!”

His mother next to him looked at Hyunsung and gave him a thumbs up.

A little later.

Hyunsung came out with four soju [Korean distilled spirit] glasses and soju.

Kim Jiyun, who was watching the scene, smiled and said.

“Oppa, can I drink too?”

“You’re going to drink it when you grow up anyway.”

“What? Are you talking about the order again?”

“That’s not wrong, is it?”

“I shouldn’t have said anything. Okay, but don’t blame me if I get drunk and act crazy.”

Then his father quietly started eating chicken wings.

Then his mother said.

“Honey, why are you eating snacks without drinking?”

Then his father smiled and said.

“What does the order……, hahaha, hahahaha…….”

His father couldn’t say the rest of the words and just laughed.

His mother, who was watching the scene, was dumbfounded and laughed. Then Kim Jiyun, who was sitting next to him, burst out laughing.

“Kikik…….”

Eventually, Hyunsung couldn’t hold back his laughter, and it leaked out.

It was a time when the whole family could get together and laugh.

After finishing dinner, Hyunsung went into his room.

Click.

When he turned on the light, the room came into view at a glance.

It was a cozy space no matter when he looked at it.

Among them, the most noticeable was the wooden bed that his father made as a middle school entrance gift.

Hyunsung lay down on the bed.

“Good!”

It was a pleasant time with his father, mother, and sister. They ate together, laughed together, and drank soju together. His sister’s cheeks turning red after the first glass was also lovely.

Family!

He didn’t know the value of it in the past.

So even when they were together, he didn’t know how grateful he was. He just thought everything would last forever.

Sometimes he didn’t hesitate to say things that could hurt their feelings. Only after a lot of time had passed did he realize that it was wrong.

By then, it was too late to apologize.

But it’s different now.

He knows how precious the family next to him is. That that person will not last forever.

And he now knows that he must be careful even when saying a word.

Even the smallest wound can only hurt.

There is not enough time to live while loving.

No matter how early you regret it, it’s too late. He will not make the same mistake again.

Hyunsung got up from his seat and went outside.

He looked up at the sky.

Countless stars filled the sky.

Just then.

The door to the main room opened, and someone came out.

It was his father.

“What are you doing?”

“I just came out because I couldn’t sleep.”

“Nothing hard these days?”

“No. But why aren’t you sleeping and came out, Father?”

“I don’t know why, but I can’t sleep today.”

“Are you worried about something?”

His father usually goes to bed at 9 o’clock.

“No, not that, I’m just in a good mood.”

“Huh?”

Hyunsung looked at his father at the words that he was in a good mood. Then he immediately asked.

“Why is our father in such a good mood?”

“That’s probably…….”

His father looked at Hyunsung. Then he chuckled.

“What is it?”

“That’s probably because of you…….”

“Because of me?”

“Because you’re here, it feels like this place is full.”

His father tapped his chest lightly.

Hyunsung looked at his father.

His father has always been quiet. Such a father is now confessing right in front of his eyes.

“Father!”

“Thank you. I don’t know how reassuring it is to have you.”

“Father, I am also very happy to have you. And…….”

‘Thank you.’

It was the last thing he wanted to say in his past life.