Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 283

283

Hyun-sung’s explanation continued for over 20 minutes.

Although it took a long time to explain, the main point he wanted to make was this:

Be grateful!

Even though one leg is impaired, shouldn’t you be grateful that at least the other leg is fine?

The reason Hyun-sung said this was that he wanted to shift Jung-woo’s perspective.

Usually, when people see a glass with half the water remaining, their reactions are divided into two.

– They either say, ‘There’s only half the water left!’ or ‘There’s half the water!’

Either way, depending on how you perceive it, there will be a clear difference in its value. Focusing on what you have means clearly understanding your own existence. The value of your existence is the degree of your self-esteem, and you are the one who gives value to your life.

But…….

Was it greed?

As soon as Hyun-sung’s explanation ended, words that he never expected popped out of Lee Jung-woo’s mouth.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Huh? Nonsense……?”

“Yeah, you’re telling me to be grateful in this situation? How can you, who knows better than anyone else how much I’m suffering because of this leg…….”

Lee Jung-woo looked at Hyun-sung with a disappointed expression.

Hyun-sung was embarrassed. Of course, it wasn’t that he hadn’t worried before bringing up this story. It was because of Lee Jung-woo’s age.

He wondered if Lee Jung-woo could understand and accept the commonly referred to ‘aesthetics of half a glass of water’ [a philosophical concept of appreciating what one has]. However, he brought up the story because he thought it might be possible, given the personality Lee Jung-woo had shown him in the past.

It may have been a somewhat unreasonable attempt, but it was an action for Lee Jung-woo’s sake. If Lee Jung-woo understood and accepted what he meant, he was sure that there would be many positive changes in his life in the future.

Lee Jung-woo will inevitably have to live his whole life with the inconvenience of one leg. In that case, there is bound to be a huge difference in quality between living while resenting the inconvenience, as he does now, and living while being grateful for the other healthy leg.

Hyun-sung’s wish was exactly that.

– A life of gratitude, not resentment.

Hyun-sung looked at Lee Jung-woo. His expression was distorted, as if his resentment had not yet been resolved.

“Are you that upset?”

“Would you be okay? The friend I trusted most is saying nonsense. He’s also digging into the place where I hurt the most.”

“That’s…….”

Hyun-sung wanted to say that it wasn’t like that and that it was all for him, but he closed his mouth. It was because he knew that no matter what he said now, it would be useless.

When Hyun-sung didn’t say anything, Lee Jung-woo asked right away.

“Why did you do that?”

“…… I’m sorry.”

There were many things he wanted to say, but Hyun-sung replaced them with the word sorry.

Perhaps it was greed from the beginning. Hyun-sung himself had realized this after living for more than 50 years anyway. But it was absurd to expect Lee Jung-woo, who was only 19 years old, to accept it.

Hyun-sung had no choice but to admit that his expectations were too high.

“Jung-woo, I think I was too greedy. I’m sorry.”

“Greed? What do you mean?”

“It’s hard to explain……, there is such a thing. Whatever the reason, I apologize because I made a mistake. And the study group problem…….”

“I’ll go now.”

Before Hyun-sung could finish speaking, Lee Jung-woo turned around.

Clang.

Lee Jung-woo left the store without looking back.

Hyun-sung, watching him leave, could only stand there for a long time, looking at the door where Lee Jung-woo had disappeared with a bitter feeling.

Lee Jung-woo returned home.

“I’m home!”

Shin Myung-soon immediately asked at Lee Jung-woo’s blunt tone.

“Did something happen with Hyun-sung? Why do you look like that?”

“No. Just…….”

Shin Myung-soon tilted her head. It was Lee Jung-woo who went out to meet Hyun-sung, not anyone else.

Who is Hyun-sung? He is his best friend. But the expression on his face after meeting such a friend was too dark.

Shin Myung-soon asked again.

“What’s wrong?”

“Actually, that’s …….”

Lee Jung-woo began to explain to Shin Myung-soon what had happened with Hyun-sung a little while ago. As Lee Jung-woo’s explanation continued, Shin Myung-soon nodded as if she understood why his expression was not good. And finally, when Lee Jung-woo’s explanation ended, she said right away.

“So that’s what happened.”

“Yes, how can that make sense? He tells me to be grateful for having one leg intact, so I was so dumbfounded that I almost…….”

Lee Jung-woo was about to get emotional again, as if he was still angry.

Shin Myung-soon, seeing this, asked again.

“Were you that angry?”

“Of course I’m angry. I resent this side of me so much, but he tells me to be grateful, so how absurd would I be? If it weren’t for Hyun-sung, I would have punched him on the spot.”

Lee Jung-woo shook his fist in front of Shin Myung-soon.

Shin Myung-soon couldn’t say anything after seeing that.

It was because Lee Jung-woo’s appearance was so pitiful. The reason Hyun-sung said that was only for Lee Jung-woo’s sake.

He is in a situation where he has no choice but to live as a disabled person for the rest of his life. In that case, there are two ways to live.

One is to live a life of resentment. And the other is to live with gratitude, feeling fortunate that at least one leg is healthy, although it will be difficult.

There is no need to say which of the two methods, living with resentment or living with gratitude, is better.

The important thing is the person involved.

Only the person himself can choose what kind of life he will live.

Shin Myung-soon quietly called Lee Jung-woo.

“Jung-woo!”

“Yes, Mom.”

“It was when you were three years old. One day, your whole body suddenly became like a fireball…….”

Shin Myung-soon began to tell a very old story. As Shin Myung-soon’s words grew longer, Lee Jung-woo’s expression could not help but change strangely. It was a story from his childhood that he had never heard before.

When Shin Myung-soon’s story ended, Lee Jung-woo asked right away.

“You mean I woke up after 3 days?”

“Yes, back then, really…….”

Shin Myung-soon was struggling as if she was reminiscing about what happened at the time.

Then Lee Jung-woo asked again.

“Is that when my leg became like this?”

“Yes, these days, medicine is so good that you can treat it, but back then, there was no separate treatment. I went to several hospitals, but the virus that had penetrated the central nervous system had already damaged the brain’s nerve tissue…….”

Shin Myung-soon couldn’t finish her words again.

Lee Jung-woo, seeing this, was silent for a while.

A moment of silence passed between the two.

It was Shin Myung-soon who broke the silence.

“I thought you were really going to die back then. How could your father have grabbed the doctor by the collar and told him to save our son?”

“Father did?”

“Yes, back then, the only goal was to save you. But one day, the doctor said that.”

“What did he say?”

At Lee Jung-woo’s question, Shin Myung-soon hesitated for a moment and then continued.

“He said that you would have to live with a disability for the rest of your life. At that time, your father and I clung to the doctor and said something.”

“What……?”

“Even if it’s just one leg…….”

Shin Myung-soon could not continue speaking after that. Before she knew it, Shin Myung-soon’s eyes were red.

Lee Jung-woo felt his eyes getting hot as he watched her.

After a while.

Shin Myung-soon opened her mouth again.

“I don’t know what you’ll think if I say this, but when we heard from the doctor two months later that there was nothing wrong with one of your legs, your father and I were so grateful.”

“…….”

Lee Jung-woo couldn’t say anything.

When he first heard from Hyun-sung that he should be grateful for having one leg healthy, he thought it was nonsense.

But now that he heard it directly from his mother, not someone else, Lee Jung-woo couldn’t help but be confused.

Then Shin Myung-soon opened her mouth again.

“Jung-woo!”

“……Yes.”

“I wanted to talk about this issue at least once someday anyway.”

“…….”

When Lee Jung-woo didn’t say anything, Shin Myung-soon continued right away.

“How long are you going to live with resentment?”

“Yes?”

“As you know, you know that you have no choice but to live with a disability for the rest of your life.”

“That’s…….”

Lee Jung-woo had no choice but to nod. It is a reality that he has no choice but to admit, no matter how much he wants to deny it.

Then Shin Myung-soon said again.

“So, I was wondering if you should change your mind from now on if you have to live with a disability for the rest of your life anyway. Of course…….”

Lee Jung-woo’s words were faster before Shin Myung-soon’s words ended.

“Mom!”

“Huh? Yes, go ahead and say it.”

“Mom, are you saying the same thing as Hyun-sung now?”

“That’s right. I wanted to tell you that no matter what, I wanted to tell you when I had the chance. You can’t just live with resentment forever…….”

“Mom!”

Lee Jung-woo interrupted Shin Myung-soon.

Then this time, Shin Myung-soon continued right away as if she had made up her mind.

“No, listen to what Mom has to say first. You’re not a child anymore. You can’t just resent your uncomfortable leg forever. It doesn’t make sense for me as a mother to say this, but I have to say it today. What if both of your legs were uncomfortable?”

“Yes? Where does that come from?”

“No, at first, the doctor didn’t even know. So your father and I begged him to save even one of your legs.”

“…….”

“We wouldn’t have had a heartache because of your painful leg, would we? But in that situation, saving at least one leg was the best we could do. And now I’m saying this, but do you know what your father said to me until the moment he closed his eyes?”

“Yes? That’s…….”

Lee Jung-woo had no choice but to not know. It was because he had passed away when he was so young that he couldn’t even remember his father’s face.

Shin Myung-soon’s words continued.

“It was to raise you strong.”

“Strong?”

“Yes, he told me to raise you stronger than others because your body is uncomfortable. He repeatedly told me to make you exercise from an early age. Until the very end.”

Lee Jung-woo tilted his head.

The reason is that this is the first time he has heard what Shin Myung-soon is saying now. And there’s another strange thing. Shin Myung-soon has never told him to exercise since he was young.

Isn’t it strange?

His father wanted him to exercise so much until he passed away, but his mother didn’t say a word.

Lee Jung-woo looked at Shin Myung-soon and asked.

“But why didn’t you tell me to exercise?”

“That was my mistake.”

“Yes?”

“I made you do it at first. But every time I made you exercise, you cried because your leg hurt. I should have made you do it more strongly at that time, but I couldn’t. Out of pity…….”

Lee Jung-woo seemed to know why his mother didn’t make him exercise.

After a while.

Shin Myung-soon got up from her seat and walked to where the drawers were. Then she seemed to be taking something out from the very bottom.

Shin Myung-soon, who came back to Lee Jung-woo, held out what she was holding in her hand.

“Take this.”

“What is this?”

What Shin Myung-soon held out was an old notebook.