Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 20

‘What the heck is going on?’

Hyun-sung was still racking his brain trying to figure it out.

Just then, CEO Kim Jin-yong gave Hyun-sung a look. He knew what it meant.

It was a signal to take out the wild ginseng from his backpack.

‘What should I do?’

Taking it out felt like a complete surrender, but not taking it out lacked justification. He had been nodding along, agreeing with CEO Kim Jin-yong’s long speech.

If it was unfair, he should have said something already.

So now, there were only two options left. Either here or somewhere else…….

Another herbal medicine shop?

No way!

Hyun-sung shook his head involuntarily. No matter how he thought about it, that wasn’t the answer either.

‘Wait a minute!’

Then, Kim Dong-soo’s words from before popped into Hyun-sung’s head again.

The way to beat CEO Kim Jin-yong in a head-to-head battle.

A super strong move!

A method used when you are 100% confident in the item.

Confront him head-on.

Direct breakthrough!

The important thing was that if done carelessly, you could be turned around and defeated.

He couldn’t be dragged along like this anyway.

It was said that to live, you must be willing to die.

‘Okay! Kim Dong-soo, I trust you.’

Hyun-sung jumped up from his seat.

“It seems I’m not meant to do business with you, sir.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I think I should go across the street to the Kyungdong Herb Shop.”

“Why?”

CEO Kim Jin-yong really felt like crying. He abandoned his 30-year belief and tried to trade the way his father taught him.

He abandoned his greed for the item and tried to shake the other person’s heart first, and he did it his way. And he thought he had almost brought him over to his side.

Now, he didn’t know how much wild ginseng was in the backpack, but he was about to lowball him based on his intuition.

But suddenly, he was leaving.

And to Kyungdong Herb Shop. Anywhere else would be fine, but not there…….

He felt like a curse word was about to burst out of his mouth.

Haa!

He was on the verge of tasting something bitter in his mouth.

Hyun-sung subtly watched CEO Kim Jin-yong’s reaction.

It worked!

Hyun-sung knew it instinctively.

Then, he just needed to take one more action.

Hyun-sung looked at CEO Kim Jin-yong and expressed his regret with all his heart, thinking it was his last greeting.

“It’s a shame, but I’ll be going now. Take care of your health.”

Thud.

Hyun-sung moved his feet as soon as he finished speaking.

Stride?

Of course, it would be narrow since he had no intention of leaving.

At that moment!

CEO Kim Jin-yong was on the verge of going crazy. If he missed him here, it was over. Now, the wild ginseng wasn’t the issue. It was a matter of the family’s pride.

He couldn’t let the Kyungdong Herb Shop steal the big item, no matter what.

He couldn’t abandon his father’s will even more. No, he couldn’t. He had to catch him no matter what.

Face?

Such things were a luxury for a merchant.

Thump.

CEO Kim Jin-yong reached out and grabbed Hyun-sung.

“Huh? Mr. President, what is this……”

Seeing CEO Kim Jin-yong grabbing his pants, Hyun-sung finally breathed a sigh of relief. He wondered what would happen if he just let him go, even if it was just in case, since he had nowhere else to go.

‘Thank you, Dong-soo!’

He was so grateful to Kim Dong-soo that he could cry.

Thanks to CEO Kim Jin-yong’s courage(?), the deal proceeded smoothly.

Now, the deal would be over if Hyun-sung agreed to the amount CEO Kim Jin-yong suggested.

But that was just CEO Kim Jin-yong’s judgment.

Um…….

Hyun-sung mumbled, as if thinking about something.

There was one thing that CEO Kim Jin-yong hadn’t mentioned. It was about the dormancy period, one of the characteristics of wild ginseng.

Wild ginseng stops growing or being active when external environments or conditions are not good. To put it simply, it goes to sleep. It is said to be dormant for a short period of 2 to 3 years, and a long period of 10 to 20 years.

The final price that CEO Kim Jin-yong is currently offering is 3 million won.

The problem is that the dormancy period is missing from that calculation. If you include the dormancy period, the heart age increases, and of course, the price should go up.

But he’s pretending not to know?

Is this the nature of a merchant after all?

As Hyun-sung’s final decision was delayed, CEO Kim Jin-yong began to get impatient. But he couldn’t rush him rashly. If he said he was going again like before, he really didn’t even want to imagine it.

All the conditions were met as the other party wanted.

Except for one thing, could it be that he’s worried about that…….

Then Hyun-sung looked at CEO Kim Jin-yong and asked quietly.

“Is there anything you might have forgotten?”

He decided to give him a chance for now.

For CEO Kim Jin-yong?

I don’t know.

I don’t think Hyun-sung is that nice again.

At Hyun-sung’s question, CEO Kim Jin-yong felt like his heart was stopping.

Does he really know that?

He’s not an expert, he’s just a high school student.

But he can’t talk about it now. He’s already offered the final price, and if he mentions it now, he’ll just be a scammer.

Then there’s only one way.

Hold on!

“Forgotten something? I think I’ve said everything….”

“Really?”

“Of course! Of course!”

CEO Kim Jin-yong’s voice grew louder as he wanted to finish the deal as quickly as possible.

Pfft.

A smile spread across Hyun-sung’s lips. But Hyun-sung’s expression, which was smiling, was strangely twisted.

I gave you a chance, but you’re going to keep doing this until the end?

Hyun-sung opened his mouth again.

“What if.”

“What if?”

“Yes, what if you are hiding something from me, what would you do?”

“No, what am I hiding?”

CEO Kim Jin-yong felt like his blood was drying up. He was more frustrated because he couldn’t do anything about it now.

Hyun-sung continued.

“That’s why I said what if, didn’t I? If you’re confident, what do you have to worry about?”

When you’re fishing, there’s something called a barb [a backward-pointing projection].

On a fishing hook, there is a small hook made like a thorn so that the fish does not fall out once it bites.

Hyun-sung is slowly making barbs now.

So that you can’t get out once you get caught.

CEO Kim Jin-yong said, pretending he couldn’t win.

“Haha… well, so?”

“If I’m wrong, I won’t get paid for the wild ginseng I brought.”

All in!

Hyun-sung bet everything.

That means he’s confident.

Then CEO Kim Jin-yong’s eyes were about to pop out.

“What, what did you say?”

“I’m saying I’ll just go empty-handed quietly.”

“What, what……”

Bite it! Please…….

Hyun-sung cast a spell in his heart.

The moment you bite, the price of wild ginseng doubles. Where else can you find such a deal? Even if I pay off my debt with that money, it’s not enough to do anything.

On the other hand, CEO Kim Jin-yong was so anxious that he was about to break through.

It seemed like his father appeared in his dream last night, and he got caught properly today.

Then Hyun-sung’s mouth opened again.

“If it’s the opposite, I’ll get double. How about it?”

“Do-double?”

“Why are you so surprised? You’re even stuttering?”

Stop testing me and bite me quickly.

Hyun-sung chanted the spell again.

On the other hand, CEO Kim Jin-yong was on the verge of becoming a wreck.

This doesn’t make sense. There’s no gamble like this. Or maybe that sly fox knew from the beginning but pretended not to know.

He’s been waiting for this situation on purpose.

That look, that expression, how can that be the appearance of a second-year high school student?

The problem is that the moment you agree, everything is over, and the bigger problem is that there is no way out.

I’m going to kneel this time, not just grab my pants.

Kneel?

What are you worried about for a whopping 3 million [Korean currency, roughly $2,300 USD]?

This game is over.

Thud!

“Mr. President?”

“I’m sorry. I won’t make any pathetic excuses. I made a big mistake to someone like my son. I’ll pay the appropriate price.”

In the end, CEO Kim Jin-yong knelt down in front of Hyun-sung. This is the first time in 30 years of business.

On the other hand, Hyun-sung only made a regretful expression while looking at CEO Kim Jin-yong.

‘This is not it…….’

In the end, he received an additional 200,000 won [Korean currency, roughly $150 USD] per piece. And he added 100,000 won [Korean currency, roughly $75 USD] for the sin of being unpleasant, and agreed to a total of 3.7 million won [Korean currency, roughly $2,800 USD].

Swish.

CEO Kim Jin-yong handed the wad of money to Hyun-sung.

“Here it is.”

He lost his face, pride, and even money. No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t make sense in a common sense way.

How did he know?

It’s about the dormancy period of wild ginseng. Ordinary people don’t know anything about it. Moreover, he is a young high school sophomore.

‘Should I ask?’

What’s the point now?

In this situation where everything is over.

“Um…….”

In the end, CEO Kim Jin-yong, who couldn’t stand it, ended up shooting himself in the foot. Why doesn’t the feeling of curiosity dull even when you get older?

“Is there anything you want to ask?”

“Oh, that?”

Hyun-sung barely held back his laughter.

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t help but laugh. He couldn’t help but laugh when he thought that Kim Dong-soo, CEO Kim Jin-yong’s son, was at the center of this whole situation.

After a while.

It was when Hyun-sung was about to open his mouth about the dormancy period.

‘That bastard…….’

Kim Dong-soo was entering the entrance on the second floor. Maybe it’s because he’s big, but if you didn’t know, you wouldn’t think it was strange to call him a man in his 30s.

He was teased a lot by his seniors in the army because of that.

His nickname was ‘Uncle Soldier’.

In fact, Kim Dong-soo told him about the dormancy period of wild ginseng in the military. He said that ordinary people usually don’t mention it at all because they don’t know about it.

He said that it can’t be confirmed with the eyes either. That’s why people who know it take care of it that much more and get the price.

Kim Dong-soo would have heard it from his father, Kim Jin-yong, of course. No matter how much life goes around, I thought it was going around strangely.

Was it because of the joy?

Hyun-sung saw Kim Dong-soo walking towards him and spoke first.

“Nice to see you! Kim Dong-soo!”

“Wh-who……?”

Kim Dong-soo was embarrassed when Hyun-sung called his name happily. He wondered if he had seen it wrong, so he opened his eyes wide and looked again, but it was still someone he didn’t know.

Kim Dong-soo immediately looked at his father, CEO Kim Jin-yong, and pointed at Hyun-sung with his chin. He’s asking who it is.

Then CEO Kim Jin-yong briefly introduced Hyun-sung.

But Kim Dong-soo was still unfamiliar with Hyun-sung. What’s the point of being happy to see him for the first time just because they’re the same age? He’s just a guest…….

But Hyun-sung was different.

He’s an army comrade. Those who have experienced it know that there is no one as reliable and supportive as a comrade in the military.

Moreover, thanks to Kim Dong-soo, he was able to sell wild ginseng properly.

But the important thing is that it’s just a feeling that only Hyun-sung feels.

That’s it.

I wish I could talk all night, but there’s no end to it. But that’s not how people should be. He’s someone who remains in precious memories.

Hyun-sung didn’t want to make his military comrade any more difficult by being drunk on his own feelings.

He’s a relationship that he’ll meet again in the future. That’s it for today.

Hyun-sung looked at Kim Dong-soo with a regretful heart and said.

“See you next time.”

“Huh? Next time……?”

“Yeah, in the military.”