Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 248

248

“You haven’t forgotten me, have you?”

“Why are you here?”

Hyun-sung finally remembered.

Min Doo-shik, the man Mr. Park In-soo from the real estate agency had mentioned earlier, was the very person who had made a fortune with a ramen shop in this location in his past life.

The problem was why Min Doo-shik was appearing at this point in time.

Hyun-sung first saw Min Doo-shik when he was preparing to open the ramen shop. Of course, even then, it wasn’t a pleasant encounter.

Min Doo-shik had demanded that Hyun-sung hand over the store to him out of the blue.

Despite Hyun-sung’s rejection of such nonsense, Min Doo-shik had made repeated requests. In the end, Hyun-sung had barely managed to get rid of him with the help of the police.

Naturally, Hyun-sung thought that was the end of it.

But the fact that he had reappeared like this meant that there was a possibility of some new change occurring.

Moreover, according to Mr. Park In-soo, Min Doo-shik had already surveyed the shopping district that afternoon. That meant that, just like in his past life, Min Doo-shik could start a business again.

The difference was that the location might change to a different spot, not the one Hyun-sung was currently running.

In the end, the flow of his past life was proceeding as it was.

Min Doo-shik looked at Hyun-sung and asked,

“Why are you so surprised?”

“What brings you here?”

“I just have something to confirm. By the way, can’t we go inside the store to talk? It’s quite cold outside.”

“Sure.”

Since Hyun-sung was curious about the reason for Min Doo-shik’s visit anyway, he readily took him inside the store.

Once inside, Min Doo-shik began to examine the store, going here and there. Only after checking the inner room did he sit down and open his mouth.

“You said you were a sophomore in high school? No, now that the year has changed, you’ll soon be a junior, right?”

Min Doo-shik asked a casual question as if it were nothing, but Hyun-sung couldn’t hear those words.

Hyun-sung’s only concern was why Min Doo-shik had come here. As a result, Hyun-sung’s question was bound to be obvious.

“What’s your business?”

“Why are you in such a hurry? We’ll probably see each other often in the future anyway, so let’s talk slowly.”

Unlike Hyun-sung, Min Doo-shik had a relaxed expression.

Then Hyun-sung said again.

“I don’t know, will we have any reason to?”

“You never know what might happen. Anyway, you’re really amazing.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“How did you think of remodeling the inner room like this? It’s completely different from what it looks like from the outside. The more I look at it, the more amazing it is.”

Min Doo-shik was still acting leisurely.

When Hyun-sung didn’t say anything in particular, Min Doo-shik spoke again.

“Instead of remodeling the inner room, you made the kitchen this big. It must have been a difficult choice, but anyway, you’re definitely a born businessman.”

“Stop it and tell me why you came to see me.”

Min Doo-shik was someone Hyun-sung hadn’t liked from the first time they met. There was no way that feeling would have changed after a few months. That’s why Hyun-sung didn’t want to talk for long.

Min Doo-shik chuckled and said.

“How much would it take?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I’m asking how much it would take to hand this place over.”

“No, what…?”

Hyun-sung was dumbfounded.

How could someone come to a store that was doing well and suddenly ask to take it over? This was Min Doo-shik, who had been bothering people with ridiculous talk since the first opening. But now, he was talking nonsense again, asking to take over a store that was running smoothly.

Hyun-sung’s expression couldn’t help but twist.

Then Min Doo-shik’s words continued.

“Now that you’re a senior [in high school], you need to study, right? I’ll give you a good price, so hand it over to me.”

“What is this?”

“I’m saying this for your own good. Don’t regret it later.”

“Regret? Are you threatening me now?”

“Does it sound like that?”

“Isn’t that what you’re saying? Coming to someone who’s running a business and telling them to hand over the store so they don’t regret it later, what else is that if not a threat?”

Hyun-sung was utterly dumbfounded.

This was unheard of.

It wasn’t like he had put the store up for sale. But suddenly, someone came and told him to hand over the store, along with a warning not to regret it later.

Anyone could see that it was a warning pressure.

No matter how he thought about it, this wasn’t right.

Hyun-sung said again.

“Mister, who are you?”

“I told you a few months ago, I’m someone who wants to do business in this place. So, even now, don’t be stubborn and hand it over to me.”

“Are you really saying that now? Even kids wouldn’t play such a prank. You’re a grown adult, this isn’t right.”

There was sarcasm in Hyun-sung’s voice.

Then Min Doo-shik smiled and continued.

“You should think about it calmly…”

“Should I? Then let’s.”

Hyun-sung also smiled.

In any case, Min Doo-shik’s current behavior was abnormal. It didn’t make sense to respond normally to abnormal behavior.

Then there was only one way, to respond in a way that suited him.

Hyun-sung looked at Min Doo-shik and asked.

“Mister, then shall we haggle?”

“You should have done that from the start. Okay, how much would it take?”

“Two hundred million [Korean won, approximately $150,000 USD]. If it’s that much, I’ll consider it.”

At the mention of two hundred million, Min Doo-shik smiled knowingly and looked at Hyun-sung. Then he slowly opened his mouth.

“Two hundred million… are you perhaps talking about two hundred thousand [Korean won, approximately $150 USD]?”

“Two hundred thousand? Mister, are you kidding me right now?”

“What, a joke?”

“Do you only see this store as being worth that much? Just the construction costs alone were a lot.”

“Then, could it be two million [Korean won, approximately $1,500 USD]?”

Min Doo-shik couldn’t finish his sentence, as if he was dumbfounded.

Then Hyun-sung chuckled and said.

“If it’s that much, I’ll consider it once.”

“Two million for a ramen shop… so you’re saying you have no intention of selling after all?”

“Are we done here?”

There was strength in Hyun-sung’s voice.

Then Min Doo-shik looked at Hyun-sung and said.

“You’ll regret it…”

“Me?”

“Do you perhaps think you can compete with me?”

“Compete? That sounds like you’re saying you’re going to open a ramen shop, am I right?”

“I’m seriously considering it right now. But that store will be only 5 minutes away from here, are you going to be okay?”

“…”

Hyun-sung was speechless.

It was like a cat worrying about a mouse, and the way he spoke was arrogant.

Looking at Min Doo-shik, Hyun-sung said.

“Do you think I’m easy to deal with?”

“Well, it’s a bit much for me to say it myself, but it won’t be a match.”

“You’re very confident?”

“I’ve lived for so long, there’s no way I’d lose to a high school student, right?”

“Lived for so long? Haha…”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but laugh. The reason was that Min Doo-shik was roughly in his early 40s. For him to talk about how long he had lived in front of Hyun-sung made him laugh without realizing it.

Min Doo-shik continued.

“I clearly gave you a chance. Don’t say anything different later.”

“If I have to taste it to know if it’s poop or soybean paste [a Korean idiom meaning ‘to experience something obvious to know it’s bad’], there’s nothing I can do. Do whatever you want and don’t come to me again for such things.”

“Hehe, so that’s how you’re going to be, well, then there’s nothing more I can do.”

“Mister, I understand, so please stop and leave. If you’re so confident, why don’t you try it? And just remember one thing. Even if you’re doing business, you have to live while keeping the basic business ethics.”

With those words, Hyun-sung threw open the store door.

It was an expulsion order.

Min Doo-shik couldn’t possibly not know the meaning.

“I understand, then I’ll look forward to it. You’ll find out that the world isn’t so easy.”

Min Doo-shik was someone who always had to say what he wanted to say until the end.

Looking at Min Doo-shik, Hyun-sung could only click his tongue.

Min Doo-shik, who came out of Hyun-sung’s store, headed to the real estate agency.

Creak.

As Min Doo-shik opened the store door and entered, Mr. Park In-soo greeted him.

“I thought you were coming tomorrow, but you came today?”

“The confirmation is over.”

“Confirmation?”

“Yes, I was going to give that kid one last chance, but that bastard kicked it away himself.”

Mr. Park In-soo tilted his head and asked.

“Who are you talking about when you say that kid?”

“I’m talking about that ramen shop guy.”

“Ah, yes. But what do you mean by the last chance…?”

“I said I would take over that store.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

Mr. Park In-soo couldn’t understand Min Doo-shik’s words.

It had only been 4 months since it opened. And it was doing better than any other store in the neighborhood.

But the fact that he had brought up taking over such a store was incomprehensible.

Then Min Doo-shik’s words continued.

“Since we’ll have to compete if I open a store anyway, I thought it would be better for that kid if I took over that store.”

“Yes? What do you mean by that?”

“Think about it. If I open a store, will I be competing with that kid? Until now, the customers flocked to him because he was the only one there, but if I open, where will those customers flock to?”

“… I don’t know.”

Mr. Park In-soo was dumbfounded. He was just amazed at how he could think of such a thing, like a madman.

Min Doo-shik said again.

“I’ve been running restaurants for over 10 years. So, if I put my mind to it, that kid will be out of business within 3 months.”

“Hehe…”

“Don’t you believe me?”

“Well, it’s a bit much for me to say anything…”

“You’ll know if you watch. He’s still young, so he doesn’t know, but he’ll learn a lot about social experience this time.”

Whoa!

After taking a short deep breath, Mr. Park In-soo looked at Min Doo-shik and asked.

“Anyway, what did Mr. Kim say when you said you were going to take over the store?”

“At first, he didn’t react, but later he called out an amount. But do you know how much that guy called out?”

“Well, how much did he call out?”

“He called out 200 million won. I was so dumbfounded…”

Mr. Park In-soo was just as dumbfounded. The fact that Hyun-sung called out 200 million won meant that he deliberately called out an absurd amount because it wasn’t worth responding to.

But Min Doo-shik, who was running wild without knowing the meaning, was pathetic. But he couldn’t show it.

Mr. Park In-soo asked again, pretending not to know.

“So you just came out?”

“I definitely gave him a warning before I came out. I told him I would show him that the world isn’t so easy.”

“Does that mean you’re going to open a store after all?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll come again tomorrow afternoon, so please prepare the contract.”

“Yes, I understand. But you’re not thinking of selling ramen in that large 40-pyeong [a Korean unit of area, approximately 1,422 square feet] space, are you?”

“Well, that’s a secret for now. Then I’ll be on my way…”

Min Doo-shik greeted Mr. Park In-soo and went outside.

As soon as Min Doo-shik left, Mr. Park In-soo thought for a moment and chuckled.

“It’s going to be noisy for a while.”

Mr. Park In-soo picked up the phone and started calling somewhere.