Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 302

302

It was Hyun-sung who was taken aback.

“No, why are you doing this?”

“Please, save my kids, Mr. President.”

“Please, get up first. I don’t know what abilities I have, but please get up and talk. This isn’t right. Please…”

Only after Hyun-sung spoke several times did Shin Mi-sook finally rise from her spot.

Her eyes were already moist. Shin Mi-sook appeared to be in her late 30s. The fact that she could kneel so readily before the young Hyun-sung meant that her situation was desperate.

Indeed, just listening to what her younger sister, Shin Mi-ae, had said earlier was enough to guess the extent of her circumstances.

Shin Mi-sook said,

“Mr. President, I’m sorry. I was so desperate that I acted impolitely…”

“No, I’m fine. How difficult must it have been for you to do this to someone as young as me? So, what do you want to say to me?”

“I want to start a business.”

“A business?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head. This was because his expectations were wrong. Earlier, Shin Mi-ae had talked about her older sister, Shin Mi-sook, and then Shin Mi-sook knelt before him.

At that moment, he had thought it was about a job.

Hyun-sung thought that Shin Mi-sook wanted a job at the ramen shop. But now, Shin Mi-sook was saying that she wanted to run her own business, which made Hyun-sung puzzled.

Shin Mi-sook continued,

“I want to open a ramen shop.”

“A ramen shop?”

Hyun-sung’s mind became complicated again. Among many businesses, Shin Mi-sook wanted a ramen shop. That meant she wanted him to help her open a shop.

In the end, her purpose in coming here from the beginning was the ramen shop.

The problem was the location.

At least it wouldn’t be near here, so the remaining places would be Hongcheon, Hoengseong, or even Wonju.

Then Shin Mi-sook said,

“The location is downtown Hongcheon.”

“Downtown Hongcheon?”

“Yes, it’s near a school. One potential spot is currently a snack bar, and the other is an empty storefront. But since I have no experience, I don’t know which one to choose. That’s why I came to see you, Mr. President. Please help me.”

“…”

Hyun-sung couldn’t answer easily.

This was because it wasn’t an easy question to answer. It wasn’t just about making ramen, but about choosing the store itself, so Hyun-sung had to be cautious.

Shin Mi-sook spoke again.

“You’re the only one I can trust, Mr. President.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but I don’t think I have the ability to help. It’s hard for me to say anything.”

“I heard that you chose this store yourself, Mr. President? I heard it was empty for two years. Everyone else avoided it because they said someone had died there, but you came in and made it a jackpot location, didn’t you? With that kind of insight, you’re more than qualified, aren’t you? Please, help me.”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

He had chosen this place solely because of his memories from his past life. But Shin Mi-sook had no way of knowing that. In her eyes, he was just a capable person who had taken a chance on a store that everyone else avoided and turned it into a jackpot location.

In this situation, he couldn’t just say no without any reason.

He had to say something, somehow.

Hyun-sung reluctantly opened his mouth.

“It was just luck.”

“Did you just say luck?”

“Yes, I was lucky. Otherwise, how could I have…”

“That’s too much.”

Before Hyun-sung could finish, Shin Mi-sook’s dissatisfaction burst out.

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but be taken aback.

“Yes? What do you mean…”

“If you’re going to call it luck, how are you going to explain the ramen taste?”

“The ramen taste?”

“Yes, why do you think I came to see you, Mr. President? At first, I came out of curiosity because my sister said your business was doing well.”

“Curiosity?”

“Of course, wouldn’t you be curious? It’s amazing that a young student is running a business, and even more amazing that it’s doing well. Since I was thinking about starting a business myself, my curiosity was even greater.”

That was plausible.

Hyun-sung nodded without realizing it.

Then Shin Mi-sook continued,

“Honestly, since I came out of curiosity, I didn’t have high expectations for the food. And since it was just ramen, my expectations were even lower.”

“Yes…”

“But the moment I tasted the ramen, I was shocked. I immediately realized that my assumption that ramen was just ramen was wrong.”

“Is that so?”

Hyun-sung nodded and replied.

Then Shin Mi-sook said immediately,

“From that day until yesterday, I came to eat ramen every day without fail. That’s almost fifteen days. Why do you think I did that?”

“Well, that’s…”

“It’s because of the ramen.”

“The ramen?”

“Yes, more precisely, it was to find out the sauce that goes into the ramen. As you know, Mr. President, this store is smaller and has fewer facilities than the store at the intersection, right?”

That wasn’t necessarily true.

In that case, the store itself has a large area, so it may look that way on the outside, but when you compare the inside, this place is not inferior at all.

But Hyun-sung pretended not to know and nodded, as it wasn’t the time to discuss that.

Then Shin Mi-sook continued immediately,

“But the only reason customers flock here is because of your ramen taste, Mr. President. More precisely, it’s because of the sauce that goes into the ramen.”

“…”

“As I said a moment ago, the reason I came here every day for fifteen days was because of that sauce. At first, I thought I could figure it out after eating it a few times. But after fifteen days, I couldn’t figure out the secret of the sauce.”

“…”

If CEO Baek Jong-woon hadn’t taught him in his past life, Hyun-sung wouldn’t have been able to make that sauce either. The seasoning alone contains seven different kinds.

So, it would be difficult to analyze the ingredients just by tasting the sauce.

Shin Mi-sook continued,

“That’s how great your sauce is, Mr. President.”

“I’m embarrassed.”

“No, it’s not embarrassing, it’s something to be proud of. But if someone who makes such a sauce says it’s luck, who would believe it?”

“That’s…”

Hyun-sung had nothing to say.

He had said it was luck because he thought he had to say something, but when she started to question him like this, Hyun-sung had nothing to say.

Then Shin Mi-ae, who had been quiet until now, opened her mouth.

“Mr. President, please help my sister.”

“Well, I don’t know what help I can be.”

“First of all, as I said before, please choose a location for us. My sister and I have no experience in that area, so we don’t know what to do.”

“Hmm…”

It was Hyun-sung’s turn to be in trouble.

He couldn’t just ignore the situation, but he couldn’t just offer help without thinking.

He had heard that her situation was difficult earlier. That’s why he was more concerned. He couldn’t afford to make a single mistake.

‘What should I do?’

After thinking for a moment, Hyun-sung looked at Shin Mi-sook and carefully opened his mouth.

“First, let me ask you one thing.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“How much capital do you have available right now?”

“Not much. I only have 3.5 million won [approximately $2,700 USD]. That’s why I’m being more careful. If I make even a small mistake, it’ll be a disaster.”

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

He knew all too well that it would not be easy to set up a store in the city with that amount of money, let alone in the countryside.

As Hyun-sung’s expression darkened, Shin Mi-sook said immediately,

“I don’t have enough, do I?”

“Yeah, honestly, a little…”

“That’s why it wasn’t easy to find a store. But fortunately, there were two stores that fit that amount.”

“The size must be small, right?”

“One is 7 *pyeong* [approximately 250 square feet], and the other is about 10 *pyeong* [approximately 356 square feet].”

Hoo!

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but sigh.

After taking out the kitchen, one would be 5 *pyeong* [approximately 178 square feet] and the other would be about 8 *pyeong* [approximately 285 square feet]. Of course, the space for receiving customers would be even smaller.

Hyun-sung asked again.

“Which store is currently in operation?”

“The smaller store. It’s a snack bar.”

“A snack bar?”

“They sell *tteokbokki* [spicy rice cakes], fish cakes, *sundae* [Korean blood sausage], and *kimbap* [seaweed rice rolls]. I don’t know for sure, but it seems to be doing pretty well.”

“What are the conditions for that store?”

“The deposit is 1 million won [approximately $760 USD], the monthly rent is 50,000 won [approximately $38 USD], and they’re asking for 1 million won in key money [a non-refundable upfront payment to the landlord].”

“1 million won in key money?”

“Is it a bit much?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head.

The key money was surprisingly high.

Hyun-sung asked immediately.

“Is it in front of the school?”

“The back gate.”

“No, not the main gate, but the back gate, and the key money is that high?”

“I was surprised too. They said that the main gate is usually twice that much, but that’s because it’s the back gate.”

“Does that mean the business is doing well?”

“Well, I don’t know exactly, but judging by the key money alone, it’s doing pretty well. They say it’s crazy when students get out of school.”

“It’s usually crazy around that time near schools. The important thing is the monthly sales. The important thing is how much the monthly sales will be.”

That was right.

The characteristic of commercial districts near schools is that students flock there at certain times. So, it’s important to look at the whole month.

Shin Mi-sook nodded as if she agreed with that point.

“You’re absolutely right, Mr. President.”

“So, if you like that store, you should watch it for about a week before making a decision.”

“A week?”

“Of course. You’re not going to run a business for a day or two, are you? And you don’t have much money right now. You can’t afford to make a mistake, can you?”

In Shin Mi-sook’s case, she only has 3.5 million won. In other words, it’s the perfect amount to lose everything in one go if she makes a mistake.

The most common mistake people make when starting a business for the first time is impatience. Once they decide to do it, they don’t see anything else.

Shin Mi-sook continued,

“That’s why I need your help, Mr. President. I can’t afford to make a mistake.”

“And you should only believe half of what the previous owner says.”

“Are you saying they’re lying?”

“Of course, not everyone is like that, but many people lie. So, the key money will naturally be set high. You should usually think of it as 60-70% of the asking price.”

“Is there that much of a difference? I thought I would just be able to cut it by about 100,000 won [approximately $76 USD]. I almost made a big mistake.”

“Of course, it depends on the case.”

The important thing is to find the right key money. That’s experience and skill.

Hyun-sung asked again.

“What are the conditions for the other store?”

“There’s no key money there, but the deposit is 1.2 million won [approximately $912 USD] and the monthly rent is 60,000 won [approximately $46 USD].”

“The prices are generally high, aren’t they?”

“It’s near the school, and…”

Shin Mi-sook’s explanation continued. The explanation was long, but in the end, the conclusion was that no decision could be made without going there in person.

The next day.

After finishing class, Hyun-sung headed to Hongcheon with Shin Mi-sook.