Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 220

220

Chairman Shin Chun-oh looked at Manager Kim Young-woo and asked,

“How much further?”

“We’re almost there. But what do we do about the late hour?”

“It’s not like we did it on purpose. What can we do? We’ve come this far, so let’s hurry. If it doesn’t work out, there’s nothing we can do.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh checked his watch.

It was just past 9 o’clock. He hadn’t expected it to take this long. The reason it was so late was that the road from Hoengseong to the signing location was unpaved.

A little later.

The car carrying Chairman Shin Chun-oh stopped in front of an alley.

Manager Kim Young-woo said,

“Here it is.”

“It’s inside that alley?”

“Yes, that’s right. I saw on TV that you have to walk about 100 meters inside to find the restaurant.”

“Alright, let’s get out.”

Click.

The back door opened, and Chairman Shin Chun-oh got out of the car.

“It’s very dark.”

“It seems streetlights haven’t been installed in this rural area yet.”

“And just in case, even if you meet that young friend, don’t call me Chairman.”

“Yes? Ah, yes. I understand perfectly.”

Manager Kim Young-woo nodded. It happens occasionally. While others want to reveal their status, Chairman Shin Chun-oh sometimes tries to hide his identity like this.

Walking a little further into the alley, a sign came into view.

Even though it was closed, the sign was lit. Perhaps that’s why the inside of the alley was bright, unlike other places. It was as if it were acting as a streetlight.

Manager Kim Young-woo said,

“Chairman, look at that sign.”

“Haha, the sign is completely Shin Ramyun [a popular brand of instant noodles in Korea].”

The reason Chairman Shin Chun-oh laughed was because of the sign’s image. The overall atmosphere made it clear to anyone that it was Shin Ramyun.

“And what about the name written on the sign?”

“I know, right? How did they come up with such a name for the sign?”

The two couldn’t take their eyes off the sign for a moment. It was because of the sign’s image, but also because of the name written on it.

The sign read:

[Shin Ramyun That Makes a Man Cry!]

Manager Kim Young-woo said,

“Shall we knock?”

“We can’t just turn back after coming all this way, can we? It’s rude, but we have no choice.”

“Yes, I understand. Then I’ll knock.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Manager Kim Young-woo began to knock on the store door.

Knock knock.

At that moment.

Hyun-sung, who was studying in the inner room, tilted his head. He heard a sound from outside.

“What is it?”

He checked the time, and it was 9:10 PM.

Hyun-sung thought he might have misheard, so he remained seated.

Knock knock.

“Who is it at this hour?”

He hadn’t misheard. He could clearly hear someone knocking on the store door.

Hyun-sung got up and headed to the store.

Clang.

When he opened the store door, three people were standing outside.

“We’re already closed…….”

Hyun-sung stopped mid-sentence.

He could intuitively tell that these weren’t people he could turn away just because they were closed. They probably knew they were closed too. But the fact that they knocked meant they weren’t just here for ramen.

And he could sense from their attire that they weren’t ordinary.

Hyun-sung immediately changed his words.

“Please, come in.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled.

He expected to be turned away because they were closed. But he was pleased that they were welcomed instead.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh said with a smile on his face,

“Thank you for welcoming us even though you’re closed.”

“I figured you weren’t just here for ramen.”

“Haha, is that so?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled leisurely and looked at Hyun-sung. He was amazed at Hyun-sung’s ability to assess the situation so quickly, even in such a short time.

Then Hyun-sung asked,

“You don’t seem to be from around here. Did you come from far away?”

“We came from Seoul.”

At the word Seoul, Hyun-sung tilted his head. There was no one in Seoul who would come all the way here to see him.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Yes, thank you. You’re as handsome as I saw on TV.”

“Yes? TV?”

“I saw you on TV yesterday. That’s why I came to visit today.”

Hyun-sung nodded. Now he seemed to understand why they had come.

“If you saw me on TV, you must have come to eat ramen, but it’s very late.”

“We got stuck in the Maseong Tunnel for two hours. There must have been a big accident in the tunnel.”

Hyun-sung knew about it.

He had heard about the accident on the 7 o’clock news. It was a 20-car pileup on the Maseong Tunnel’s southbound lane. So the tunnel was blocked for about two hours.

“Yes, it was a big accident. It was on the news earlier.”

“I wondered why it was taking so long.”

“So you haven’t eaten anything since then?”

“That’s how it turned out.”

Hyun-sung jumped up from his seat.

Then Chairman Shin Chun-oh immediately asked,

“Why all of a sudden…….”

“I’m going to make ramen. If you haven’t eaten until this hour, you must be very hungry.”

“Haha, are you going to make ramen for us at this hour?”

“I don’t know the details, but you came all the way from Seoul, so this isn’t right. Just wait a moment, and I’ll bring it out quickly.”

With those words, Hyun-sung disappeared into the kitchen.

As Hyun-sung disappeared, Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled and continued,

“We’re lucky.”

“Indeed. I didn’t expect to eat ramen at this hour.”

“It’s all thanks to the young owner’s consideration, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. From the way he greeted us from the beginning, he was different. I can’t help but think that the young man is amazing.”

A little later.

Hyun-sung came out with ramen on a tray.

“I prepared hangover ramen. I don’t know if it will suit your taste.”

“Ah, is this the famous hangover ramen?”

“Yes, please try it.”

“Then…….”

The three began to eat the hangover ramen as if they had made a promise.

Slurp.

“Oh?”

The first to react was Chairman Shin Chun-oh.

Seeing this, Hyun-sung asked,

“Why, is the taste strange?”

“It’s not that, it’s the opposite. I’m amazed at how this taste can come from ramen. Is this really made with our ramen?”

“Yes? What do you mean by our ramen…….”

Shin Chun-oh realized that he had made a slip of the tongue. Without realizing it, he had called Shin Ramyun our ramen.

“No, I mean, I meant to say Shin Ramyun, but I……, I made a mistake.”

Hyun-sung tilted his head.

The atmosphere had been strange from the beginning. The fact that the three were wearing suits, and more importantly, one of them looked familiar.

‘Where have I seen him before…….’

Hyun-sung began to search his memory.

After a moment.

‘That’s it!’

Hyun-sung finally remembered.

He had seen him on TV sometime.

Hyun-sung looked at Chairman Shin Chun-oh and asked cautiously,

“Are you perhaps the Chairman [referring to the Chairman of Nongshim]?”

“Yes? How did you…….”

“Are you right? My eyes won’t be wrong. I’ve seen you on TV sometime.”

“Haha, I don’t know what to say…….”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh couldn’t continue, looking embarrassed.

He had no choice but to look at Manager Kim Young-woo next to him and wink.

Then Manager Kim Young-woo, who was next to him, looked at Hyun-sung and said,

“The owner is right. This person is the Chairman of Nongshim [a large Korean food and beverage company]. We hid it because we thought the owner might be uncomfortable, but our Chairman made a slip of the tongue…….”

Manager Kim Young-woo couldn’t finish his sentence, feeling a little embarrassed.

Then Hyun-sung bowed and said again,

“It’s an honor for me that you came all the way to this humble place, Chairman.”

“Haha, Mr. Kim, I just came to eat ramen, but the atmosphere has become strange.”

“And please speak comfortably. I’m very uncomfortable.”

“I can’t do that. Even if you’re young, you’re the representative of a business, so I can’t commit such rudeness.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh shook his head.

Then Manager Kim Young-woo, who was next to him, looked at Hyun-sung and said,

“Mr. Kim, our Chairman is like this. It’s better to let the Chairman do as he pleases.”

“Yes, I understand. Since the Chairman said so…….”

Hyun-sung bowed and turned away.

As Hyun-sung stepped aside, the three began to eat ramen again.

“Chairman, the ramen tastes really good.”

Manager Kim Young-woo said, looking at Chairman Shin Chun-oh.

Then Chairman Shin Chun-oh also nodded and replied,

“I’ve never tasted ramen like this in my life. What kind of seasoning did you use to make ramen taste like this?”

“I know, right? The spicy and deep taste is really good.”

The two nodded repeatedly while eating ramen.

How much time had passed?

Manager Kim Young-woo, who had finished eating ramen, looked at Chairman Shin Chun-oh and said,

“We’ll be outside, so please talk.”

“You don’t have to do that…….”

“No, we’ll be outside. Then we’ll be going…….”

Manager Kim Young-woo took Choi Jin-young and left the store.

As the two left the store, Chairman Shin Chun-oh looked at Hyun-sung and said,

“The ramen was excellent.”

“I’m glad it suited your taste.”

“But who made this seasoning?”

“I made it, but…….”

“Yes?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh doubted his ears. He thought that his mother or another third party would have made it.

No matter how he looked at it, it was unbelievable.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh asked again,

“Is that really true?”

“Yes, it is.”

“How…….”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh still looked at Hyun-sung with an unbelievable expression.

Then Hyun-sung said,

“Why, don’t you believe me?”

“I’m sorry to say this to Mr. Kim, but it’s hard to believe. How could you at that age…….”

“I can’t explain that part any further…….”

Hyun-sung couldn’t explain any further either.

Of course, Hyun-sung knows. How absurd this story is logically. In fact, it is a seasoning that Hyun-sung could not have obtained if he had not regressed.

But the important thing is that Hyun-sung regressed and obtained the seasoning thanks to Baek Jong-woon.

Then Chairman Shin Chun-oh opened his mouth again.

“What should I do? Now that I think about it, I’ve committed a great rudeness.”

“…….”

“I don’t know why I couldn’t believe it and committed such a rude act, saying that age has anything to do with seasoning.”

“…….”

It’s not wrong. There’s no law that says you can’t make seasoning just because you’re young. But Hyun-sung couldn’t say anything because he wasn’t in that situation.

“Are you not saying anything because you’re upset?”

“Yes?”

“Because you’re not saying anything.”

“Haha, Chairman…….”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but laugh.

Then Chairman Shin Chun-oh said again,

“I’m glad you’re laughing. Anyway, about that seasoning.”

“Yes, what about the seasoning?”

“Is it possible to teach me how to make it?”

Hyun-sung looked at Chairman Shin Chun-oh and smiled. Then he continued,

“That’s…….”