Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 27

While the three of them were laughing and enjoying the beef tartare, Park Hee-cheol, who was standing there stiffly, felt like he was about to lose his mind.

Park Hee-cheol was trapped, utterly powerless.

If he’d just swallowed his pride and taken a bite at the start, he wouldn’t be in this pathetic mess. Now, his situation was just plain awful.

But what could he do?

Just moments ago, that jerk had threatened to keep quiet if he didn’t eat. Knowing his recent behavior, he was more than capable of following through.

He’s not just rude; he’s now resorting to childish torment.

The more he looked at him, the more disgustingly unlucky he seemed.

But the real problem was that he, Park Hee-cheol, was the one who needed something from him.

Haa.

There was no choice. It was humiliating, but beggars can’t be choosers.

‘Even now…….’

Park Hee-cheol glanced sideways.

Huh!

Oh, no!

He accidentally made eye contact with Hyun-sung’s mother.

Ugh! What a disgrace.

He wished he could disappear into a hole. Why did things keep getting more complicated…….

He couldn’t just go home, and this was the most awkward situation he had ever been in.

Now, it looked like the beef tartare was all gone, so he had no choice but to wait…….

Haa!

All that was increasing were wrinkles and sighs.

Pfft!

Suddenly, his mother laughed and emptied her soju [Korean distilled rice liquor] glass. Seeing this, his father asked.

“Why?”

“Just because.”

“You’re so boring…….”

His mother, with a smile on her face, got up and disappeared into the kitchen, seemingly pleased about something.

The beef tartare was finished, and Hyun-sung exchanged a few more words with his father before getting up from his seat.

Then, Park Hee-cheol also stood up in a daze. He was anxious because he still needed to ask about something but hadn’t even brought it up.

But that was only Park Hee-cheol’s problem. Hyun-sung, having nothing to lose, ignored Park Hee-cheol and headed to his room, almost flaunting it.

‘You little bastard!’

Park Hee-cheol wanted to smack Hyun-sung upside the head right then and there.

He probably knew why he was here, but he was deliberately ignoring him, making him feel like a worn-out doormat.

But what could he do?

He was still the one who needed help.

The moment Hyun-sung went into his room, the situation would become even more difficult.

Step.

Park Hee-cheol had no choice but to move.

“Hey, just a moment…….”

“…….”

When Hyun-sung didn’t answer, Park Hee-cheol followed him and spoke to the back of his head.

“How did you know?”

“…….”

Hyun-sung remained silent. Then, Park Hee-cheol closed his eyes and tilted his head back, biting down on his lower lip.

If he didn’t, he felt like his fist would fly out any second.

Suddenly, Hyun-sung turned around. He looked at Park Hee-cheol and said.

“You wouldn’t believe me anyway, would you?”

“At least, I’ll listen…….”

“No thanks. Why bother saying something you won’t believe? And does it even matter how I knew?”

No matter how much he explained, Park Hee-cheol wouldn’t believe him, and even if he was a little worried, he was definitely going on that trip.

It was enough to meddle in someone else’s life to a certain extent.

This was it. He was just saying it out of courtesy for the last time, but it was a futile effort.

“Have a good trip.”

That was Hyun-sung’s final farewell.

“…….”

Park Hee-cheol returned home and sat in his room without even turning on the light. He was still almost certain that this guy was right.

Based on what?

He wanted to ignore it, but it kept bothering him like a splinter under his fingernail.

Ring.

At that moment, the phone rang.

“Hello.”

– “Chairman Park, this is Chief Gu. I’m sorry for calling so late.”

“Oh, yes, Chief Gu, what’s the matter?”

– “I’m calling one last time to confirm about the event.”

“It’s the day after tomorrow, right?”

– “Yes, that’s right. There are no changes, are there?”

“…… Well, what changes could there be?”

– “Yes, I understand. Then I’ll see you the morning after tomorrow.”

Even after hanging up the phone, Park Hee-cheol’s head felt like it was about to explode.

It was supposed to be a pleasant trip.

It wasn’t costing him any money, and the assemblyman’s office sent him on this trip once a year as an annual perk.

Only 30 people from the entire county went each year. You could see the sights, eat, have fun, and then shake hands with Assemblyman Choi at the end.

Plus, they gave you a generous per diem [daily allowance], so there was no better way to get some fresh air.

But…….

“Kim Hyun-sung, I’ll deal with you when I get back.”

Park Hee-cheol finally decided to go on the trip.

***

The next day, dawn.

Huff! Huff!

A steady breathing sound cut through the morning air – the sound of Hyun-sung running.

It had been almost a month since he had regressed [returned to the past].

In his past life, his mother had an accident, but in a twist of fate, the target had changed from his mother to his father.

But thankfully, he was able to prevent the accident.

And he also cleared the debt that had been a burden on his parents’ lives. Thanks to that, he was able to save the calf in the barn.

“That’s enough…….”

For now, he had finished what he could do urgently.

Then the question was how to live in the future.

How should he live?

Perhaps many things would be confusing, and he would need time to adjust since he had returned to the past.

But Hyun-sung judged that there wouldn’t be any major problems.

Hut!

Hyun-sung slightly increased his running speed.

In his past life, his biggest problem was his physical strength. Because he was weak, it was difficult to live a proper life in every aspect.

Studying, friends, and even social life.

But this time it was different.

The time he spent searching for wild ginseng had actually benefited Hyun-sung. He had no doubt that the medicinal properties of the water-filled deodeok [Codonopsis lanceolata, a type of root vegetable] and wild ginseng had a significant effect on improving his physical strength.

“Okay!”

His physical strength was good enough.

Then the most urgent thing now was his duty as a student…… Of course, it would be nice if he could make money, but that was a matter for later.

But studying…….

‘Can I do it?’

Pfft.

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but laugh.

There was no way he could. How long had it been…….

Tsk.

He knew he would have to start from the bottom anyway.

“I’ll just have to try.”

It was his second chance. He hoped it would be better than the first time. He wondered if his brain would work well.

Hyun-sung turned and started running home.

Huff…, huff….

As he got closer to home, Hyun-sung slowed down and focused on his breathing.

“But what was that?”

Hyun-sung suddenly thought about what had happened in Wonju [city in South Korea].

When the purple tracksuit was wielding the knife, the tip of the knife surprisingly came into Hyun-sung’s eyes. At the same time, he defended and attacked.

“It’s amazing.”

It was amazing even though he was the one who did it.

“I can’t help it; I’ll have to wait and see…….”

Hyun-sung postponed it because there was no way to verify it for now.

When Hyun-sung arrived home, there was a commotion.

The reason was absurdly because of a wild boar. As soon as his mother saw Hyun-sung, she began to explain what had happened in the morning.

“You won’t believe it…….”

She was about to go into the kitchen to prepare breakfast when she found something. At first, she thought it was a puppy.

But when she looked closely, it was a baby wild boar.

What was strange was that it wandered around and then headed to Hyun-sung’s room at some point, and it wouldn’t move from in front of that room.

Hyun-sung’s footsteps naturally headed to his room.

The moment he saw the baby wild boar, Hyun-sung was dumbfounded.

“Hey! Joon-chi!”

The main character of the commotion was none other than Joon-chi. Of course, not the fish, but the name Hyun-sung had given to the baby wild boar while he was in the mountains.

He had saved its life when it was almost dead and had been with it for several days. When they parted, he was sad, but he left it alone in the mountains for the sake of nature’s order.

But now it had come back to find Hyun-sung.

Then his mother looked at Hyun-sung and asked.

“Do you know him?”

The question was a bit strange. How well could he know a wild boar? But the words weren’t wrong, so he answered.

“I saved it when it was dying…….”

“Then you have to take responsibility.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“It’s a baby.”

Huh!

He had nothing to say.

Usually, silver wolves appear in novels because they seem mysterious and have something special about them.

But what was this?

He didn’t even expect silver. Brown wolves were okay too. But no matter how he looked at it, the guy in front of him was definitely a wild boar with a protruding snout.

Hyun-sung looked at the guy in front of him.

He must have been tired. He had fallen fast asleep.

Well, how far was it from there to here? Especially with those short legs.

Hyun-sung looked at the sleeping Joon-chi again.

“Joon-chi!”

Hyun-sung called, but there was no response.

“Okay, sleep for now.”

Hyun-sung thought of this as fate. He thought it was right to take responsibility, as his mother said. He was the one who reached out his hand in the first place.

That’s how all the situations seemed to be settled.

“No way!”

Hyun-sung was startled and turned around.

“Father!”

“Don’t even dream of bringing it into the house.”

“Then what about the little one?”

“That’s not my business, but absolutely not. Moreover, this one is a male. We won’t be able to handle it later.”

His father’s will was firm.

Of course, he knew his father’s intentions. He knew something about the habits of wild boars, and Hyun-sung’s head began to ache.

Swoosh.

Hyun-sung looked at Joon-chi. Joon-chi, unaware of the situation, was sleeping soundly.

This time, he looked at his father.

His eyes were in stark contrast to Joon-chi’s peace.

Ugh.

He couldn’t see a solution.

Then his mother looked at his father and said.

“Do you have a solution then?”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it. Is there a way to send him back now? He came all the way here from those deep mountains with those short legs. Do you think he’ll leave if we chase him away now?”

“That’s not my business.”

His mother looked at his father with a slightly pathetic look.

“How can you say that? Irresponsibly…, especially in front of the child.”

“What irresponsible?”

“You can’t just say no. You have to tell us the method and then say no. You’re being cowardly as a father, as an adult!”

His mother came on so strong that it seemed a bit much.

Hyun-sung, who was watching the scene, was anxious. He knew that his father’s stubbornness was not to be underestimated.

Then his father’s mouth opened.

“Still, no. Absolutely no. No reason. Find a way and send him back unconditionally.”

“You stubborn old man…….”

“Hey…….”

Hyun-sung had a headache. As his mother said, even if he sent him back, he would come back again. But keeping him at home had more than one or two problems, as his father feared.

Why did this guy come down…….

Huh!

He was pathetic for worrying about a wild boar when he was supposed to be a regressor.

The three were silent.

But it was Hyun-sung who broke the silence, and he said something unexpected.

“Shall we put doenjang [Korean soybean paste] on him?”

“What?”

“You crazy bastard!”

His mother and father glared at Hyun-sung at the same time.

Hyun-sung barely managed to hold back his laughter because he was just saying something he didn’t mean on purpose.

It was to confirm his father and mother’s feelings one last time.

It was confirmed that there was no intention to kill him.

And everyone agreed that no matter how much they sent him back, he would come back again. Then there was only one way left.

Conditional.

Hyun-sung looked at his father.

“I’ll raise him for a month.”

“A month?”

“Yes, that’s the only way. My heart is too uncomfortable to just chase away that little one.”

His father stared at Hyun-sung.

What was this again?

He was just a wild animal, but an uncomfortable heart…….

His father looked at Hyun-sung and raised his head slightly. It was a sign to explain.

Then Hyun-sung’s mouth opened again.

“The first time I saw him…….”

Hyun-sung began to explain in detail what had happened in the mountains, starting from the first time he saved Joon-chi, giving Joon-chi a name, and even the story of how he dug up wild ginseng on the cliff thanks to Joon-chi.

“……, that’s how it happened.”

“So you’re saying you owe him a debt of gratitude?”

Hyun-sung nodded.

Then his father asked again.

“What about after a month?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’ll find a way again then,” Hyun-sung said honestly. He couldn’t answer anything for now. He didn’t want to make excuses with clumsy lies.

Then his father said.

“Hah! Such irresponsible words…….”

But his father couldn’t finish the sentence because his mother cut him off mercilessly in the middle.

“Honey!”

“Why are you shouting and making a fuss?”

“Don’t tell me you think you have the right to say that?”

“What…….”

In the end, his father couldn’t answer his mother’s question. After that, they thought about it a little more, but no one came up with a solution.

Inevitably, the Joon-chi issue was postponed to a month later.

It was the beginning of an awkward cohabitation with Joon-chi.

It was Oh Jin-soo, the head of the neighborhood who lived upstairs, who gave the answer a month later. Joon-chi’s mission was given.

Stud service!

To do his best to increase the village’s income when he was capable enough(?).

A condition was also attached.

To bring one baby to his father each time he had offspring.

***

The next morning.

When he looked at the clock, it was almost 7 o’clock. He had definitely set the alarm for 5 o’clock and went to bed, but he must have missed it.

It must have been because he overdid it yesterday building Joon-chi’s house.

His whole body was stiff.

He thought it was nothing, but once he started working on it, it wasn’t easy. Among them, making the roof was the most difficult.

In the end, he was able to complete it only after receiving help from his father.

“Shall we start?”

Hyun-sung came out of the house and started running. He decided to train steadily because he didn’t want to go back to being in poor physical condition again just because his physical strength had improved.

Physical strength is national power – no, Hyun-sung knows that physical strength is effort.

After running for about 5 minutes.

The first bus was coming down from afar. Because it was such a rural area, the bus only ran three times a day.

Morning, lunch, and dinner.

Later, every house had a car, so there was no problem, but at this time, cars were so rare that there was no choice.

Starting tomorrow, school would be in session, so the bus would be full.

The bus stopped in the middle. Then someone got on.

It was probably Park Hee-cheol.

“You’re going on that trip no matter what?”

Hyun-sung muttered and continued running.

Boom.

The bus passed by Hyun-sung. Because it was unpaved, the bus left a cloud of dust as it passed.

Hyun-sung covered his mouth with his hand and stood still for a moment.

When the dust settled, Hyun-sung moved again. No, he was about to.

But Hyun-sung’s gaze was already on the back of the bus that was far away.

What was this feeling again?

He was trying to ignore it with his head, but his feet wouldn’t move.

If he left him alone, Park Hee-cheol would die today anyway.

Judging by his actions in his past life, he deserved it. How could the villagers not care when someone died?

Would people change?

Shakes head.

Hyun-sung’s head moved from side to side on its own.

After living a little longer, he knew how difficult it was. How could there be a saying that a habit of three years goes to the grave?

Of course, he had heard of cases where people changed very rarely. Honestly, he had never seen it himself.

He had only seen it on TV, in movies, or in books. Most of them had experienced death in some way, directly or indirectly.

It was really 0.00001%.

Hyun-sung’s head was in turmoil.

What would happen if he stepped in and saved Park Hee-cheol?

But he was honestly hesitant about whether it was okay to interfere with someone else’s fate so recklessly.

Just last time, his mother’s accident had changed to his father’s accident. At that time, he hadn’t tried anything new.

He had only gone to that place to prevent the accident. But his father and mother’s fates had changed.