Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 268

268

The Next Day.

It was Saturday, and after finishing his morning classes, Hyun-sung headed to the terminal to meet a graduated senior who ran a bakery in Hongcheon. This senior was someone Principal Park Sang-hyun had contacted, but he declined the lecture request, citing his busy schedule.

His name was Kim Myung-shik.

He graduated 15 years ago, making him 35 years old this year.

Hyun-sung figured that he wouldn’t have refused without a reason, though he didn’t know what that reason might be.

Preconception.

Judging something without properly investigating it beforehand.

Avoid preconceptions.

This was one of the virtues Hyun-sung valued in his past life.

Arriving at the terminal, Hyun-sung first checked the bus schedule.

“20 minutes left.”

After buying his ticket, Hyun-sung sat in the waiting room, waiting for the bus.

About five minutes passed.

Someone entered the waiting room. Seeing who it was, a smile spread across Hyun-sung’s face.

The person who entered the waiting room was Choi Mi-yeon, the math teacher.

Choi Mi-yeon looked at Hyun-sung and asked,

“Where are you going?”

“I’m heading to Hongcheon for some business. Where are you going, teacher?”

“Oh, it’s the weekend, so I’m going to see my mom in Seoul.”

“Ah, I see. It must be tough to go today and come back tomorrow afternoon?”

Choi Mi-yeon shook her head at Hyun-sung’s question and continued,

“No, it’s more comforting to see my mom, who’s been alone since my father passed away, even if it’s just for a short time. Otherwise, I feel uneasy and it’s hard for me.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Just a moment…”

Choi Mi-yeon headed to the kiosk for a moment after Hyun-sung finished speaking.

A moment later.

“Drink this on your way.”

Choi Mi-yeon handed Hyun-sung a canned coffee.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

“And thank you so much for yesterday. If it weren’t for you, I would have had another shouting match with the landlord over the burglar bars.”

“I’m glad it worked out that way. But are you happy with the burglar bars?”

“Yes, I love them. The installer did a very sturdy job. And did you hear the news?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head and asked,

“What news?”

“I heard from the neighborhood president yesterday that they’re going to start installing streetlights in the alley next week.”

“Really?”

Hyun-sung asked, pretending not to know.

Choi Mi-yeon, like a child, happily continued,

“But the neighborhood president was saying something strange.”

“Strange?”

“Yes, he said someone donated a large sum of money for the streetlight project.”

“Donated?”

Hyun-sung had no choice but to continue pretending not to know.

Choi Mi-yeon smiled again and continued,

“Yes, whoever that person is, they’ll be blessed. I couldn’t even go out at night because there were no streetlights.”

“That’s great.”

“Now that I have streetlights and burglar bars, I feel like I can finally sleep soundly at night. I’ve been scared every night until now.”

Hyun-sung looked at Choi Mi-yeon as she spoke, a faint smile on his face.

At that moment, Hyun-sung noticed a bus entering the terminal.

“Teacher, I have to go now. You’re going to Seoul, right?”

“Yes, I am. Go ahead. And thank you so much for yesterday.”

Hyun-sung nodded and left the waiting room.

Even as Hyun-sung boarded the bus, Choi Mi-yeon was still waving. Hyun-sung bowed slightly to Choi Mi-yeon and waved back.

She was the only one who felt like a true teacher in his past life. Perhaps that’s why he felt good whenever Choi Mi-yeon smiled. He simply liked the way she was happy about the streetlights a moment ago.

The bus left the terminal and diligently traveled the unpaved road toward Hongcheon. This unpaved road will be paved in two years.

And then, there won’t be any more dust flying up every time a bus passes.

About an hour later, the bus arrived at the Hongcheon terminal.

Hyun-sung got off the bus and crossed the street.

After walking for about 20 minutes,

A sign came into view.

– Kim Myung-shik Bakery

It was a fairly large bakery for a neighborhood shop. It looked clean, and the location on a four-way intersection seemed good.

*Clang.*

Hyun-sung opened the door and entered the shop. A female employee at the counter greeted him cheerfully.

“Welcome.”

“Hello.”

Hyun-sung bowed in return.

The female employee immediately continued,

“Please let me know if you’re looking for any cookies or bread.”

“Excuse me, but could I see the owner? Actually, I’m not here as a customer, but to see the owner.”

Hyun-sung deliberately stated his purpose for being there.

The female employee glanced at Hyun-sung and then called out to the kitchen in a low voice,

“Boss, someone’s here to see you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, please come out for a moment.”

“Just a moment…”

Kim Myung-shik seemed busy making something inside.

A moment later.

Kim Myung-shik came out of the kitchen and looked at Hyun-sung.

“Oh, you’re…”

“Yes? Do you know me?”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but be surprised by Kim Myung-shik’s reaction. Judging by his behavior, he clearly seemed to know him.

Seeing Hyun-sung’s surprise, Kim Myung-shik chuckled.

“You’re Kim Hyun-sung from Seo Myeong High School, right?”

“How do you know me?”

“You were on TV last year, weren’t you?”

“Ah, yes. I happened to be on for a bit. So you saw me then?”

Kim Myung-shik nodded.

Hyun-sung was dumbfounded.

It was true that he had been on TV briefly. Of course, some people with good memory can recognize someone after seeing them once or twice.

But Kim Myung-shik’s case was different. He not only recognized him but also remembered his name accurately.

Hyun-sung asked again.

“How do you remember my name?”

“We’ll talk about that later. Come and sit down first.”

Kim Myung-shik led Hyun-sung to a table. As Hyun-sung sat down, Kim Myung-shik immediately asked,

“It seems like you came to see me on purpose. What’s going on?”

“Actually…”

Hyun-sung began to explain why he had come to see Kim Myung-shik. As Hyun-sung’s explanation continued, Kim Myung-shik clasped his hands together and seemed to be deep in thought. And finally, when Hyun-sung finished explaining, he nodded and continued,

“Let’s go out for a bit.”

“Yes?”

“A junior from my school came all the way here to see me, so I can’t just let you go. We should go out and eat something while I tell you my story.”

“Isn’t this during your business hours?”

“It’s okay at this time. I finished making the dough for tomorrow’s bread a little while ago, so I have some time until dinner. Let’s go.”

Hyun-sung was quite surprised by Kim Myung-shik’s kindness.

You can tell a lot from one thing. Kim Myung-shik’s actions were a perfect example.

Of course, it was true that Hyun-sung was a junior from his school. But they didn’t have a meaningful relationship that would warrant him taking him out and treating him, even during business hours. They had only met for the first time today.

Nevertheless, the fact that he was treating him so well showed how much affection Kim Myung-shik had for his alma mater [school].

Kim Myung-shik took Hyun-sung to a Chinese restaurant not far from the shop.

Kim Myung-shik looked at Hyun-sung and asked,

“Our junior, is there anything you want to eat?”

Kim Myung-shik asked affectionately, like an older brother taking care of his younger sibling.

Seeing that, Hyun-sung could feel it. This person was sincerely caring for Hyun-sung. He had lived for over 50 years. How could he not read a person’s heart from their words?

Perhaps that’s why a natural smile spread across Hyun-sung’s face.

Hyun-sung called Kim Myung-shik affectionately.

“Senior!”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“You’re a very warm person, aren’t you?”

“You’re saying all sorts of things. Anyway, what are you going to eat? Hurry up and choose.”

He had only eaten a carton of milk for lunch. It was to meet Kim Myung-shik as soon as possible.

Perhaps that’s why his stomach had been clamoring for food since earlier.

“Jjampong [spicy seafood noodle soup], extra large.”

“Extra large? You must be very hungry?”

“Actually, I only had a milk after class to see you quickly, senior. So I’m a bit hungry.”

Kim Myung-shik smiled lightly at Hyun-sung and said,

“Have you ever had lajogi [a spicy Chinese dish with fried chicken]?”

“Yes? Lajogi?”

Hyun-sung momentarily asked back. He was going to eat jjampong, but Kim Myung-shik asked about lajogi. It was a testament to Kim Myung-shik’s thoughtfulness.

Hyun-sung smiled and continued,

“I haven’t had it yet.”

Of course, it was a lie. In his past life, lajogi was a dish he occasionally ate with his wife when they dined out. It tasted even better with Chinese liquor.

The reason Hyun-sung lied was simple. It was for Kim Myung-shik.

The reason Kim Myung-shik mentioned lajogi was probably because he wanted Hyun-sung to eat something special. It meant that he cared about his junior that much.

Therefore, Hyun-sung wanted to respect Kim Myung-shik’s feelings as much as possible.

Did it work?

Kim Myung-shik’s expression brightened even more than before.

“Then let’s eat jjampong next time and try lajogi today. This lajogi, you see…”

Kim Myung-shik began to explain about lajogi.

Hyun-sung felt grateful to Kim Myung-shik.

He was simply grateful for the effort he was putting in, just because he was a junior from his school.

When Kim Myung-shik finished his explanation, he called the employee and ordered lajogi and gochujapchae [glass noodles stir-fried with chili peppers and vegetables].

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but smile as he watched.

It seemed that Kim Myung-shik’s warm heart was being conveyed to him.

After placing the order, Kim Myung-shik looked at Hyun-sung and asked,

“You asked earlier how I remembered your name, right?”

“Yes, it’s not easy to remember someone’s name just from seeing them on TV for a short time.”

“You’re right. But you were special.”

“Yes?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head.

Kim Myung-shik immediately continued,

“I would have just thought, ‘Oh, well,’ if you weren’t a student at Seo Myeong High School.”

“Are you saying that you remembered me because I’m a student at Seo Myeong High School?”

“Of course. Have you ever heard the saying, ‘Even a hometown crow is welcome’?”

“Doesn’t it mean that you miss your hometown that much?”

Kim Myung-shik nodded and immediately continued,

“I understand that feeling since I came to a foreign land.”

“Hongcheon is in the same county, so why do you think of it as a foreign land?”

“Of course, it’s not that far in terms of distance, but since my mother and father moved here, it feels like it’s gotten farther away. I can’t go often. And…”

Kim Myung-shik cut off his words.

At that moment, Hyun-sung could feel it. There was something about his hometown in Kim Myung-shik’s heart.

Hyun-sung asked cautiously.

“Did something happen?”

“That’s…”

Kim Myung-shik still couldn’t speak easily.

“…”

Hyun-sung was also silent. Kim Myung-shik’s expression was too dark to ask first.

After some time had passed,

Kim Myung-shik slowly began to open his mouth again.

“Actually…”