Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 300

It was late at night two days later when Shin Young-hoon came to see Hyun-sung.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but be surprised. It was past 11 PM. He couldn’t think of any reason why Shin Young-hoon would visit him at this hour.

Shin Young-hoon held out a black plastic bag to Hyun-sung.

“Please, accept this first.”

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing much, just some beef I bought.”

“Beef?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head. He couldn’t understand why Shin Young-hoon was suddenly acting like this.

Shin Young-hoon continued.

“Yes, I wanted to give you something to show my gratitude, but I couldn’t think of anything suitable.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden…?”

“Actually…”

Shin Young-hoon began to explain why he had come so late. The reason was simple: they had made the highest sales today since opening. Of course, he said it was all thanks to the sliced pork belly shabu-shabu with mushroom *kal-guksu* [Korean noodle dish] that Hyun-sung had told him about.

When Shin Young-hoon finished explaining, Hyun-sung immediately asked,

“So, how much did it increase?”

“It increased by a whopping 50,000 won [approximately $40 USD]. As you know, sir, it’s only been two days since we started selling the new menu. At this rate, I think we’ll easily reach 100,000 won soon, just like you said.”

“How are the customers reacting?”

“It might sound immodest to say this myself, but they’re going crazy for it.”

“Haha, going crazy?”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but laugh.

Shin Young-hoon immediately continued,

“I’m not exaggerating, but everyone who has tried it says the same thing.”

“What do they say?”

“They say it’s the best thing they’ve ever tasted in their life.”

“Is it that good?”

“I didn’t expect the reaction to be this explosive. And there’s another surprising thing.”

Hyun-sung stared at Shin Young-hoon.

Shin Young-hoon said immediately,

“It’s the price. You were exactly right.”

“You mean…?”

“Yes, the ’10 won aesthetics’ you mentioned. Even though the price difference is only 10 won [less than a cent], the difference in nuance that customers feel is significant. I was worried that they might complain about us playing around with 10 won, but I was wrong.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Oh! And there’s one more thing.”

Shin Young-hoon slapped his knee as if he had suddenly remembered something.

Hyun-sung smiled at the sight.

“What is it this time?”

“Alcohol.”

“Alcohol?”

“Yes, as you said, customers are drinking alcohol while eating the sliced pork belly. Today alone, the alcohol sales exceeded 10,000 won.”

It was just as he had expected. They might have a drink or two with *kal-guksu*, but when eating pork belly, the consumption of alcohol would naturally increase.

Hyun-sung nodded and said,

“That’s good. And let me say again, don’t be stingy when running a restaurant. Always be generous and treat your customers with a relaxed attitude.”

“Don’t worry about that. As you said, we’re giving them plenty of noodles, and if they ask for more vegetables and mushrooms, we give them more.”

“You’ve done well. If you keep doing that, you’ll definitely see good results.”

“Yes, I understand. And this…”

Shin Young-hoon handed an envelope to Hyun-sung.

“What’s this?”

“It’s the overdue rent. This is what I earned today. I never thought this day would come for me. It’s all thanks to you.”

Hyun-sung took the envelope and chuckled.

“Is that why you came so late?”

“Of course, that’s one reason, but the real reason is different.”

“Huh? The real reason?”

Hyun-sung had naturally assumed that Shin Young-hoon had come because of the overdue rent. But those unexpected words came out of his mouth.

Curious, Hyun-sung asked again,

“Did you just say the real reason?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You’re saying there’s another reason, but what could it be?”

“It’s a confession. I’ve committed a great sin against you. So, after much deliberation, I rushed over here late at night.”

“Did you just say a confession?”

Hyun-sung couldn’t understand what Shin Young-hoon was talking about. A confession? What could Shin Young-hoon possibly have to confess to him? He hadn’t done anything seriously wrong.

Then, Shin Young-hoon continued,

“From the beginning, I only intended to use you.”

“Huh? What do you mean? Use me from the beginning?”

“Actually…”

Shin Young-hoon’s explanation became longer. As Shin Young-hoon’s explanation went on, Hyun-sung’s expression began to change subtly. And finally, when Shin Young-hoon’s explanation ended, Hyun-sung let out a hollow laugh as if he was dumbfounded.

“Ha…”

“I’m sorry.”

“So, you’re saying you approached me from the beginning because I’m young?”

“…Yes.”

Shin Young-hoon barely managed to answer and then lowered his head.

Hyun-sung was simply dumbfounded.

According to Shin Young-hoon, he had approached him intentionally from the beginning. The reason was simply because he was young.

What is this…

Hyun-sung quietly opened his mouth.

“Let me ask you just one thing.”

“Yes.”

“Then what was that passion and spirit you showed me at the beginning? Was that all just a show too?”

“Absolutely not. At that time, I really did my best. It was the first time in my life that I had worked so hard. I didn’t even feel tired while doing market research from early morning until late at night.”

There was strength in Shin Young-hoon’s voice. As if emphasizing that that alone was not a lie.

Looking at Shin Young-hoon, Hyun-sung asked again,

“Then let me ask again. You said that the reason you chose me at the beginning was because I was young, but was there a reason why you had to do that?”

“I thought it might be possible.”

“Possible? Possible for what?”

“To persuade you. As I said a little while ago, I didn’t have any money, and I didn’t want to work under someone else, but I wanted to be the owner of a store, so I had no choice but to choose you.”

“And the reason for that was because you thought that someone young would prioritize emotions over reason?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

*chuckle*

Hyun-sung laughed without realizing it.

When you think about it, there’s a difference of more than 20 years between him and Shin Young-hoon. But the thought that he had been taken advantage of in this way by Shin Young-hoon made him laugh without realizing it.

Hyun-sung looked at Shin Young-hoon.

“So, the method you chose was to show passion and spirit?”

“Yes, I was sure that you would accept me if I did that.”

“Sure?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head at the word ‘sure’.

When judging someone, you can predict something about that person to some extent. But Shin Young-hoon was clearly saying ‘sure’. That means there was a special reason why he thought that way.

Before Shin Young-hoon could answer, Hyun-sung asked again,

“Was there any special reason why you thought that way? Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense…”

“Don’t you remember?”

“Huh? What memory are you talking about?”

“You said it on TV. You said that the most important thing to you is passion and spirit, no matter what you do.”

“Ah, that…”

Hyun-sung finally remembered. It was what Hyun-sung himself had said when the reporter asked him what he thought was most important when filming a *mat-jip* [famous restaurant] program last year.

Passion and spirit.

Shin Young-hoon continued,

“I was encouraged when I saw that. Although I didn’t have any money, I was more confident than anyone else in my passion and spirit.”

“Ha, really…”

Hyun-sung had nothing special to say.

Of course, it was something he usually thought was important, but he never thought that those words would give courage to someone in this way.

Wait a minute!

Hyun-sung suddenly had a different thought. Of course, it’s true that Shin Young-hoon used him. But he didn’t think it was all that bad.

Isn’t it common for people to lie and even commit fraud to achieve their goals?

Compared to that, Shin Young-hoon’s intentional approach isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Hyun-sung opened his mouth again.

“Hey… wait a minute.”

“Yes?”

“Now that I think about it, I don’t think what you did is bad enough to warrant a confession. Everyone does that much to achieve their goals…”

“No.”

It was Shin Young-hoon who interrupted Hyun-sung. Then he continued,

“That’s just the beginning.”

“Huh? The beginning? What do you mean…?”

Hyun-sung didn’t understand.

Just the beginning? That means there’s something else, but what else could there be?

Then, Shin Young-hoon continued,

“Actually, until the day before yesterday, I was still deceiving you.”

“Deceiving me? What did you deceive me about?”

“Actually…”

Shin Young-hoon’s explanation continued again. But strangely, Hyun-sung’s expression didn’t change at all while listening to Shin Young-hoon’s story.

And finally, when Shin Young-hoon’s explanation ended, Hyun-sung immediately opened his mouth.

“So, you’re saying that you were planning to take over the store and leave as soon as the business got better?”

“Yes, that’s right. That’s why I needed your help.”

“And the reason for that was because this is a rural area?”

“I thought there would be a limit anyway. So, I just thought of this place as a stepping stone to go to a bigger place.”

Even while listening to Shin Young-hoon’s story, there was something that Hyun-sung couldn’t understand.

Even if everything Shin Young-hoon said was true, what’s the problem with that? Maybe most business people can think that way.

Hyun-sung said,

“What’s the problem with that?”

“It’s malicious.”

“Malicious?”

“Yes, I approached you with malicious intent from the beginning, and until the day before yesterday, I was only thinking about using you to save the store.”

“So?”

“But at some point, I saw what you were doing for me, and I thought this wasn’t right.”

It was hard for Hyun-sung to understand, but he decided to listen more.

When Hyun-sung nodded, Shin Young-hoon continued,

“I felt a pang of conscience at that moment, whether you remember it or not.”

“What moment are you talking about?”

“When we invited the elderly to the store for the tasting the day before yesterday.”

“What happened then?”

Hyun-sung didn’t remember anything.

Shin Young-hoon continued,

“You prepared most of the food, and you were the one who called the senior center, weren’t you?”

“Well, I had no choice…”

“Yes, but there was one moment when you were passive. Do you know when that was?”

“Well, did that happen?”

“It was when the elderly people from the senior center first came into the store. I naturally thought that you would greet them first. But at that moment, you stepped back.”

“Well, the owner of the store is clearly you…”

“That’s it!”

Shin Young-hoon’s voice grew louder before Hyun-sung could finish speaking.

It was Hyun-sung who was taken aback.

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“You’re that kind of person. You’re young, but you’re the kind of person who knows how to consider others first. Not just anyone can do that. At that moment, I realized how bad I was for lying to someone like you and only trying to use you.”

“…”

“So, after much deliberation, I rushed over here. Please forgive me.”

“…”

“And I have a request.”

“A request?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head.

Then, Shin Young-hoon immediately continued,

“My mind has changed. Now I want to have a long-term relationship with you. So, please give me a long-term contract.”

“A long-term contract? How long…?”

“10 years. My judgment is that there’s no landlord like you anywhere else. Please.”

Shin Young-hoon lowered his head after saying those words.

“10 years? Haha, hahaha…”

Hyun-sung burst out laughing.

He hadn’t even thought of his actions as considerate. He just thought it was natural and stepped back. But Shin Young-hoon was so moved by that small action that he confessed and even asked for a long-term contract.

It was a moment when he realized that it’s not the grand and big things that move the world.