Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 219

219

The next day.

Knock, knock.

Planning Director Lee Il-woo visited the Chairman’s office.

“You called for me?”

“Come in. I called you regarding the TV broadcast. I heard you were the one who planned this broadcast, is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Haha, could you briefly explain it to me?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh looked at Director Lee Il-woo with a smile.

Director Lee Il-woo began to explain.

“Yes, Chairman. Well, the thing is…”

As Director Lee Il-woo continued his explanation, Chairman Shin Chun-oh nodded with interest.

Finally, when Director Lee Il-woo finished, Chairman Shin Chun-oh spoke again.

“So, you’re saying that initially, it wasn’t for advertising but because of a young friend?”

“Yes, that’s right. The young man’s passion was truly remarkable. So, I wanted to help him and contacted a junior at the broadcasting station.”

“I see. And how did you get to know this friend?”

“Ah, I met him through Yoo Seong-il, the head of the Wonju branch. There was something unusual when he first ordered the ramen.”

“Unusual?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh tilted his head.

Director Lee Il-woo elaborated, “The order came in even before the ‘Scene Ramen’ commercial aired on TV.”

“What do you mean? An order came in before the commercial even aired…”

“I couldn’t believe it at first either. But what was even more absurd was his response.”

“What did he say?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh unfolded his legs and leaned forward.

Director Lee Il-woo replied, “He said he had a dream.”

“A dream?”

“Yes, he dreamed about ‘Scene Ramen’ being released.”

“Huh…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh chuckled, a hollow sound.

Director Lee Il-woo continued, “But the amazing thing is that the dream was accurate. He knew the exact release date of ‘Scene Ramen’.”

“No, how could that be…”

“I still can’t believe it. But the important thing is that it’s true. And there’s another surprising thing.”

“What else is there?”

“The sign. Of course, I confirmed it later, but he had already made the sign image with ‘Scene Ramen’. And it was the exact same image as the official ‘Scene Ramen’ sign.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh shook his head in disbelief.

“How could such a thing be possible?”

“That’s what I’m saying. No matter how I think about it, I can’t understand it, but the important thing is that it’s all true.”

“Haha, really…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s response was a hollow laugh, as if he were at a loss for words.

It was a situation that defied common sense. Dreaming about a product before its release, and placing an order based on that dream… it seemed impossible.

Moreover, even the sign image…

This was an impossible situation.

Then, Director Lee Il-woo spoke again. “There’s one last thing he said to me.”

“Lastly… what is it?”

“He said ‘Scene Ramen’ would be a huge hit.”

“He said that?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Haha, a huge hit…”

It had only been a little over a month since ‘Scene Ramen’ was released. It was true that it was performing better than expected. But he was still cautiously optimistic.

But now, this friend was predicting a huge success.

This was the same friend who dreamed about ‘Scene Ramen’ before it even existed. Coming from him, the prediction carried weight.

Perhaps that’s why a smile began to spread across Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s face.

After a moment, Chairman Shin Chun-oh asked, “What was that friend’s name again?”

“Kim Hyun-sung.”

“Kim Hyun-sung… After hearing your story, Director Lee, I’m even more curious about him.”

“He’s definitely a unique individual. And the important thing is that, just as he said, the response to ‘Scene Ramen’ is quite good right now. Especially after yesterday’s broadcast, the order volume has increased by more than 5% nationwide this morning.”

“That much?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh couldn’t help but be surprised.

Of course, he had anticipated a boost, but he hadn’t expected such a significant jump overnight.

Director Lee Il-woo continued, “I was also surprised when I received the report this morning. It really highlights the power of television.”

“I expected some impact, but this is beyond my expectations.”

“Yes, that’s right. I didn’t expect the response to be so immediate. If it continues like this, I expect orders to increase by more than 10% this afternoon.”

“Haha, it seems we’re seeing a tangible benefit from this friend’s insight.”

A broad smile now dominated Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s face.

Then, Director Lee Il-woo added, “That’s right. If we were to quantify this broadcast’s impact in monetary terms, it would be an unimaginable amount.”

“Haha, that’s why I called you, Director Lee. Here, take this.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh handed over an envelope.

Director Lee Il-woo looked surprised. “What is this?”

“Whatever the reason, this is thanks to your work, Director Lee. It’s a special gift from me. Go and treat your team to a nice company dinner.”

“I just…”

“Don’t refuse. Even if that wasn’t the initial intention, it ultimately benefited the company greatly. I’m giving it on behalf of the company, so please accept it in that spirit.”

“Yes, Chairman. Then I will gratefully accept it.”

Director Lee Il-woo stood up and bowed to Chairman Shin Chun-oh.

Then, Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled and continued, “I intend to personally express my gratitude to this friend.”

“Yes? What do you mean…?”

“I’m planning to visit Gangwon-do this afternoon.”

“Are you saying you’re going to Gangwon-do yourself, Chairman?”

“That’s right. I’m thinking of going with Director Kim after the morning meeting and having lunch there. I’ve been needing some fresh air, so I’m going to take this opportunity.”

“Even so…”

Director Lee Il-woo struggled to understand. He knew Chairman Shin Chun-oh valued people, but this seemed excessive. It wasn’t directly related to the company’s core business; it was just a broadcast appearance.

If the initial goal had been to promote ‘Scene Ramen,’ it would be different, but that wasn’t the case. The restaurant was simply chosen for the program’s needs.

Moreover, Gangwon-do was quite a distance. Even with a driver, the round trip would take at least ten hours.

Director Lee Il-woo couldn’t fathom why he would go to such lengths.

Then, Chairman Shin Chun-oh spoke again. “Of course, it will be a long trip, but I want to meet him in person. Especially after hearing what you said earlier, Director Lee, I’m even more inclined to go.”

“Are you referring to his prediction about ‘Scene Ramen’ becoming a huge hit?”

“That’s right. Isn’t he the one who spoke so confidently about our company’s future?”

“Well, wasn’t that just a casual remark?”

“Perhaps, but I still feel compelled to meet him.”

“…Yes, I understand. Then please have a safe trip.”

Director Lee Il-woo bowed his head. He felt that further questioning would be disrespectful to Chairman Shin Chun-oh.

Director Lee Il-woo took his leave.

That afternoon.

The sedan carrying Chairman Shin Chun-oh sped along the Yeongdong Expressway.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh called for his secretary, Kim Young-woo.

“Director Kim.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“This friend… the more I think about it, the more amazing it seems.”

“What are you referring to?”

Director Kim Young-woo turned from the passenger seat.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh, with his arms crossed, replied, “How did he know that ‘Scene Ramen’ would be such a success?”

“I thought the same thing when I heard it from Director Lee Il-woo. It’s almost like he’s a fortune teller.”

“Exactly! I’m amazed by his certainty. And that’s not all – he knew the release date of ‘Scene Ramen’ in advance, didn’t he?”

“That’s right. The fact that he dreamed about it beforehand is unbelievable.”

Director Kim Young-woo tilted his head, pondering.

Then, Chairman Shin Chun-oh spoke again. “Could it be that he has precognitive dreams?”

“Does that really exist?”

“Don’t they sometimes feature such things on TV?”

“That’s true, but I’ve never seriously considered it a possibility. But if Director Lee’s account is accurate, it seems like the only explanation.”

Director Kim Young-woo was simply astonished.

He had heard about precognitive dreams on television, but he had never encountered such a phenomenon in real life. If Director Lee’s story was true, it was the only logical explanation.

Just then, Choi Jin-young, the driver, spoke, “Director, it looks like there’s been an accident ahead.”

“What do you mean?”

“The cars have been slowing down for a while now. And it’s unusual for the highway to be congested at this time. In this situation, there’s a high probability of an accident up ahead.”

“We don’t have much time…”

Director Kim Young-woo was concerned.

Even if they drove without further delays, they wouldn’t arrive in Seomyeon until around 6:00 PM. The distance was considerable, and the road from Hoengseong to Seomyeon was still partially unpaved, adding to the travel time.

They needed to arrive before then to eat ramen.

Because the ramen shop closed at 7:00 PM.

About ten minutes later…

Screech.

The car slowed to a complete stop.

“What’s going on?” Shin Chun-oh asked.

Choi Jin-young answered, “It appears there’s been an accident ahead.”

“An accident?”

“Yes, the traffic has been slowing down for a while, and now we’re completely stopped. It seems the accident occurred inside the Maseong Tunnel.”

Just then, a loud siren wailed from behind.

It was an ambulance, speeding along the shoulder. And behind it, three fire trucks followed.

“Look over there,” Choi Jin-young exclaimed.

Black smoke billowed from the entrance of the Maseong Tunnel.

“It seems like it was a major accident,” Director Kim Young-woo said, glancing at Chairman Shin Chun-oh.

“I hope there are no casualties…” Chairman Shin Chun-oh said, his expression worried.

Two hours later.

The blocked road began to clear, inch by inch.

Director Kim Young-woo spoke. “Chairman, what should we do?”

“Are you saying it’s too late?”

“Yes, that’s right. Even if we drive as fast as possible from here, we won’t arrive until after 8:00 PM.”

“What time did you say they close?”

“7:00 PM.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s expression darkened.

“Are you saying that even if we continue today, we won’t be able to eat ramen?”

“We’ll have to go and see, but it’s almost certain that they’ll be closed. What should we do?”

“Hmm…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh paused, lost in thought.

Even if they continued now, they wouldn’t be able to eat ramen. They might not even be able to enter the store and meet the young man.

But they couldn’t simply turn back after coming all this way…

‘What should I do?’

After a moment of contemplation, Chairman Shin Chun-oh spoke. “Let’s just go.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“If it’s meant to be, we’ll meet. If not, there’s nothing we can do.”

“Yes, I understand. Then I’ll try to hurry as much as possible.”

Vroom!

The sedan carrying Shin Chun-oh sped towards Seomyeon.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s thought was that if people are destined to meet, they will, regardless of the obstacles.