Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 309

309

“Yes, no matter what, there needs to be an overall rent adjustment in this commercial district.”

“Is that the condition?”

“Yes, it is.”

“What’s the reason?”

“You know very well, don’t you? That things can’t go on like this. Under these conditions, I can’t come in here either. If the commercial district doesn’t thrive, I can’t survive. Please, don’t miss this last chance.”

“About that last chance…….”

Park Young-jin paused mid-sentence before continuing.

“I don’t think I can do it without your help. What do you think?”

“Excuse me? What are you talking about?”

“Let me ask you something first.”

Park Young-jin’s expression became more serious than before.

Hyun-sung nodded, and Park Young-jin immediately opened his mouth.

“Do you believe that lowering the rent alone will revive this commercial district?”

“Well, if the rent goes down…….”

“No, I don’t think that’s the case.”

Park Young-jin interrupted Hyun-sung before he could finish.

Hyun-sung immediately asked.

“Are you saying that lowering the rent alone won’t revive this commercial district?”

“That’s what I think. As I said before, these people are already stuck in their ways. They can’t think of changing themselves. If we lower the rent, instead of working harder to grow this commercial district, they’ll just be happy that their profits have increased by the amount of the reduced rent.”

“…….”

Hyun-sung couldn’t speak easily.

Perhaps Park Young-jin was right.

When people get stuck in their ways, they hate change itself. They just want to settle into their current lives, that’s the way humans are.

It is said that you can know ten things from seeing one.

The first sight that came into view when I got off the bus was very disappointing.

Cigarette butts and trash scattered on the sidewalk, and a pile of garbage next to the bus stop. Even at a glance, it was clear that this was not enough to be called a downtown area.

That wasn’t all.

The commercial buildings were so old that the paint was peeling off, the walls were damaged in places, and there were old signs hanging on them.

What was even more surprising was the location of the protruding signs. Each store tried to stand out more, so they put them on top of each other, and the sight from afar looked more like a deformed monstrosity than a sign.

Among them, the most impressive was the pile of garbage. They put out the garbage that was supposed to be taken away in the early morning before it even got dark, so how would it have looked?

When Hyun-sung couldn’t speak, Park Young-jin continued.

“So, how about you and I divide the work?”

“Divide?”

“That’s right. I’ll persuade the landlords. So, you find a way to grow this commercial district by targeting the tenants. No, you already know the way, don’t you?”

“Excuse me? Me?”

“Yes, you said it yourself earlier, didn’t you? When Myung-soon asked, you said to start with cleaning. And you talked about signs and window tinting.”

“Ah, that…….”

That’s true. When Kim Myung-soon asked what the tenants could do for the shopping district, he had clearly said it himself.

First of all, basic cleaning, and then the signs that he had mentioned.

In a way, they are the most basic things.

In fact, if you think about it, there are endless things that tenants can do if they are willing to. The problem is that it is not easy to make up your mind to do it.

In the end, the key is people’s hearts. Something is needed to move those hearts. That’s all you need to find…….”

As Hyun-sung’s thoughts grew longer, Park Young-jin spoke again.

“Am I wrong?”

“It’s not that…….”

“Is there any other problem?”

“It’s not a problem, but I’m worried about whether I, who came from another town, can persuade the people here.”

“Why are you worried about that, my friend? You’ve already persuaded two people, haven’t you?”

“Two people?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head.

Then Park Young-jin immediately continued.

“Me and Myung-soon. Don’t forget that you persuaded me first. As you know, I cut the rent by 50%, didn’t I?”

“Ah, is that how it works?”

“It’s a matter of money for me, so why wouldn’t there be conflict? But I had no choice but to make a bold decision. Do you have any idea why?”

“Well, I don’t know…….”

In fact, Hyun-sung was surprised to see Park Young-jin’s actions earlier. That’s because of the amount. When he first talked about the need to adjust the rent, he didn’t talk about the amount exactly.

But Park Young-jin boldly cut it by 50%.

At first, he thought that even if the rent was adjusted, it would be great if it was only about 30%. That’s because it’s almost impossible for a landlord to cut the rent that much.

Park Young-jin continued.

“It’s because of you.”

“Excuse me? What are you talking about?”

“You were different from other people. From the beginning, you didn’t represent the interests of one side, but an approach for all members, that is, both tenants and landlords. If you had only talked about cutting the rent from the beginning, I would have ignored you. But from the beginning, your purpose was to revive the entire commercial district, so I was able to make a bold decision.”

“Isn’t that obvious? The parts live only when the whole lives. If I had to prioritize, I think the whole is more important than the parts.”

“That’s why you’re different from other people. Usually, people think about their own interests before thinking about the whole. But your approach from the beginning was definitely different from other people. That’s what moved my heart.”

Hyun-sung nodded. He understood what Park Young-jin was trying to say.

Park Young-jin continued again.

“As you heard earlier, Myung-soon asked me to cut the rent by even 10,000 won [approximately $7.50 USD] a month ago.”

“Yes, I heard it briefly earlier.”

“Do you know why I didn’t cut it?”

“Well, that’s…….”

Hyun-sung immediately realized what Park Young-jin was trying to say. It was to elaborate on what he had said a little while ago.

But he deliberately pretended not to know and kept his mouth shut because speaking first here would interrupt Park Young-jin.

Then Park Young-jin said immediately.

“It wasn’t difficult to cut 10,000 won. But I didn’t think it would help anyone. Of course, Myung-soon might get some financial help from that money, but from the perspective of the entire commercial district, I thought it would only cause confusion.”

“Other stores will complain.”

“That’s right. The rumor will spread quickly, and I’ll become the public enemy of other landlords. It’s a result of losing both justification and profit. That’s why I couldn’t grant that request.”

“That’s why you said that the answer was because of fairness with other stores.”

“That’s right. Of course, from the tenant’s point of view, that might sound like a ridiculous excuse, but that’s how I had to find justification.”

“You thought that would prevent the commercial district from being confused.”

Park Young-jin nodded his head greatly and immediately continued.

“As expected, I can communicate with you. That’s what I’m saying. I didn’t want to cause confusion in the commercial district with clumsy sympathy.”

“But it’s different now, right?”

“That’s right, now there’s a clear justification. Maybe soon, or maybe even tonight, other landlords will come to me.”

“I guess so. You cut the rent by 50%, which is not a small amount. I think you were aiming for that, right?”

At Hyun-sung’s words, Park Young-jin smiled and answered.

“Hehe, you’re not ordinary. That’s right, that’s what I’m aiming for. You told me to persuade the landlords.”

“You’re saying that they’ll come to you on their own?”

“That’s right, I don’t have to go to them, they’ll come on their own, so isn’t that the best way for me? Furthermore, now that I have a clear justification for reviving the commercial district, persuading them will be a matter of time. As a rule, it’s difficult to take action if there’s no justification, but on the contrary, if the justification is clear, what can’t you do? Isn’t that right?”

That’s right.

Especially if it is a matter involving the interests of a large number of people, not just one individual, the importance of that justification will inevitably increase.

In that sense, the justification for reviving the commercial district can naturally be the best justification.

Hyun-sung nodded and said.

“There’s no better justification than that.”

“That’s what I’m saying. But do you know who made that justification?”

“…….”

“It’s you. You’re the one who made something that no one else could do today, as soon as you came. Now, give me an answer. Are you going to revive this commercial district with me?”

“That’s…….”

Hyun-sung couldn’t speak easily. Because it’s such an important thing.

There are 25 shopping malls, not just one or two. Even if you only count 4 family members per shopping mall, that’s 100 people. That’s the minimum. And the landlords too.

If you calculate the whole, it’s not a small number at all. Maybe it will determine the future of those people.

That’s why Hyun-sung can’t decide easily.

As Hyun-sung’s answer was delayed, Park Young-jin opened his mouth first.

“Of course, it’s not easy. But in this situation, there’s no one else who can do this job except you.”

“…….”

“If we stay like this, everyone here will die. These people have been doing business here for at least 10 years. Isn’t it too pitiful to fall like this? Please…….”

“Yes, I understand.”

Hyun-sung nodded before Park Young-jin could finish speaking.

Then Park Young-jin’s eyes sparkled for a moment.

“Really?”

“Yes, of course, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it, but I don’t think my conscience will allow me to ignore this situation. And anyway, I said it myself first. I’ve started at least, so I have to see the end, right?”

To be honest, it’s not that I didn’t have any worries.

What I was most concerned about was the reaction of the tenants here.

– What will they think of me?

I was deeply worried, but I couldn’t find the answer in a short time. No, maybe finding the answer was impossible from the beginning.

Instead, what I found after much deliberation was to face the people directly.

I thought that maybe it was something that I had been waiting for like fate since I decided to help Shin Mi-sook from the beginning.

The important thing is to win the hearts of the tenants.

Anyway, I have more than 20 years of business experience in my previous life. I know the feelings of tenants better than anyone else.

The reason why I was able to nod my head even when making the final decision was because I thought it would be possible because of my previous life’s experience.

Park Young-jin continued.

“Then what should I do in the future?”

“As you said earlier, please persuade the landlords. Of course, it will be difficult, but the goal is to reduce the rent by 50%. In fact, that’s right in this commercial district right now. Can you do it?”

“I’m prepared anyway. But I think it’s too much to unconditionally force the landlords to sacrifice, so I was wondering if there’s any good way to persuade the landlords.”

“It’s 2 years.”

“2 years?”

Park Young-jin tilted his head and looked at Hyun-sung.

Then Hyun-sung continued immediately.

“From 2 years later, we will increase it by 20%.”

“Are you saying…….”

“Yes, of course, we can’t force the landlords to sacrifice. That’s too selfish. We’re doing this for each other, so it doesn’t make sense to ask only one side to give in.”

“Hehe, you had all the plans?”

It was a moment when Park Young-jin’s expression brightened.

Then Hyun-sung said immediately.

“If we increase it by 20% every 2 years, normal rent will be established in 10 years. Of course, the commercial district will have revived that much by then. Then won’t the building value here also increase that much?”

“Then the landlords will be compensated for the rent they gave up now?”

“That’s right. Then wouldn’t it be good for both tenants and landlords? Isn’t that symbiosis and coexistence?”

It was then.

Clap clap clap…….

Shin Mi-sook, who was listening to the conversation next to him, started clapping.

“Wow! Our boss is amazing. How did you think of that…….”

Thump.

Park Young-jin grabbed Hyun-sung’s hand with both hands and shook it silently for a long time.