Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 31

“……”

“What’s important is how you’ve lived, and how you’re going to live from now on.”

Hyun-sung finished speaking and went into his room.

Left alone, Park Hee-cheol looked up at the sky for a moment. Then, he pondered Hyun-sung’s words.

– What’s important.

– How you’ve lived.

– And how you’re going to live from now on.

After a moment of thought, Park Hee-cheol’s eyes changed. He quietly left Hyun-sung’s house.

As Park Hee-cheol left, the remaining three people – the father, mother, and younger sister – only exchanged glances without saying a word.

They were dying of curiosity about what was going on, but the two main characters had disappeared, leaving them frustrated.

‘Come to think of it,’ Hyun-sung had mentioned going on a trip to see Park Hee-cheol.

It seemed like that day was today…….

Unable to bear it any longer, the father gestured to the mother. Then, the mother quietly got up and headed to Hyun-sung’s room.

The younger sister followed behind, and finally, the father also subtly headed to Hyun-sung’s room.

The three gathered in front of Hyun-sung’s room.

This time, the mother poked the father in the side.

But the father pretended not to notice, not moving at all, and instead looked back at the mother.

Hyun-sung, who was in the room, jumped up from his seat. He knew that his family would be curious outside, but he couldn’t just sit still and pretend not to know.

That was torture.

In any case, he was the one who created the situation. So, he couldn’t just stay like this. He had to fix it somehow.

Hyun-sung opened the door.

Creak.

“Ah!”

As Hyun-sung suddenly opened the door, the three outside screamed almost simultaneously.

The three who entered the room only stared at Hyun-sung’s mouth, waiting for him to speak.

Finally, Hyun-sung’s mouth opened.

“So…….”

He had no choice but to lie.

He turned it into a dream.

He said he saw it in a dream, so he stopped Park Hee-cheol from going on the trip. He implied that it all actually happened in the dream.

Then, the faces of the three were filled with disappointment. It was a story that didn’t make sense to anyone. But no one argued.

That’s because it was an accident that had already been reported on the news. Everything Hyun-sung said matched the news reports. So, they couldn’t say anything even if they wanted to.

That’s how the Park Hee-cheol matter was settled.

But feeling regretful about just leaving it at that, the father looked at Hyun-sung and asked quietly.

“By any chance, was what you said to us also something you saw in a dream?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why, your mother is 90 years old, I am 100 years old…….”

At the father’s words, Hyun-sung barely managed to hold back his laughter. Because he was holding back his laughter, his answer was a bit delayed.

Then, the mother looked at the father with pitiful eyes.

“Let’s stop, honey. There’s no end to it once a person starts to look pathetic.”

“What? Are you really doing this in front of the kids?”

Kikik.

The younger sister, who was listening to the conversation between the father and mother, burst out laughing. She didn’t know what they were talking about, but it felt like the father was being unilaterally defeated.

“I’ll go first. Hehe….”

The younger sister left the room first.

Hmph!

Then, the father also cleared his throat and quickly left the room.

Now, there was only one person left.

The mother came closer to Hyun-sung.

“It’s not a lie, is it?”

“What isn’t?”

“90 years old.”

Instead of speaking, Hyun-sung nodded his head vigorously. Then, the mother smiled and left the room.

‘As expected, it’s mother,’ Hyun-sung thought.

Park Hee-cheol returned home.

He didn’t even know how he got home.

Park Hee-cheol, who was sitting on the floor, thought back to what Hyun-sung had said a little while ago.

‘What’s important is how you’ve lived, and how you’re going to live from now on.’

How much time had passed?

Park Hee-cheol jumped up from the floor.

“That’s right!”

The important thing is that he is alive now. If it weren’t for Hyun-sung, he would already be wandering in the afterlife.

If that had happened…….

The thought alone was terrifying.

Children?

He has two sons. One is in America, and the other is in Japan.

He can’t even remember their faces.

Who can he blame?

He sent them to study abroad from a young age. His purpose was that he couldn’t learn much himself, so he wanted his children to learn as much as they wanted.

He achieved that goal to some extent. Both of them even received doctoral degrees.

But that was it.

Six years ago, after he had settled everything and even divided his inheritance in advance, the two of them stopped contacting him as if they had made a promise.

The following year, his wife also passed away.

They were worse than enemies. After his wife passed away, he even thought about death. But at the last moment, he became stubborn and resentful.

He couldn’t just disappear like dew like this.

As the saying goes, he had to use what he had learned, so he had no choice but to start the private loan business again, which he had been doing all his life.

The funds he had left were not enough. He had no choice but to sell off the family burial grounds to make capital.

Then, he desperately used that money.

He realized once again that money was the only thing he could trust.

The resentment towards his children was directed towards the people in the county.

People pointing fingers?

He could ignore it as much as he wanted. No, it was just laughable.

He made countless people shed tears, even tears of blood. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to survive.

Conscience?

He had given up on it a long time ago.

“Ah!”

His past flashed through his mind like a panorama. He had completely ignored and trampled on the pain of many people in order to live.

Hoo…….

Park Hee-cheol sighed deeply. Then, he closed his eyes.

How much time had passed?

Trickle!

Tears streamed down his cheeks from his eyes.

Park Hee-cheol stroked his stinging eyes and got up from the floor.

He couldn’t fall asleep even after entering the room.

He had been running forward mindlessly all his life, but when he looked back, he had lived a life full of regret, with nothing left.

He also ruined his children’s lives.

And he lived with resentment and spite, but now even that life only leaves regret.

But, as fate would have it, he was given another chance.

Then…….

If he could seize that opportunity……, what would happen?

To some extent, wouldn’t that life, which was filled with sighs and regrets, be a little better…….

“But what should I start with?”

His worries deepened.

More time passed.

“Huh?”

Before he knew it, it seemed like it was getting bright outside.

Park Hee-cheol stayed up all night with his eyes open.

It was too late to sleep anyway. Park Hee-cheol got up from his seat, opened the refrigerator door, and took out a black bag.

Then, he left the house.

A second chance.

If this is also the will of heaven, then that heaven is now Kim Hyun-sung.

Rather than hesitating, he will do what he can do.

“One by one!”

***

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The steady breathing sound of running on the new road pierced through the dawn air.

For physical training, Hyun-sung ran again today. As he felt again, he could see that his physical strength had improved to an astonishing degree, even by his own standards.

When Hyun-sung returned home after his morning exercise, Park Hee-cheol was waiting for him.

“What’s this from the morning?”

He was already tired enough from what happened last night.

And because it wasn’t a welcome sight, his words didn’t come out nicely. He had saved his life for now, but because his memories of his past life were so bad, he didn’t want to get involved any further.

But Park Hee-cheol was different.

Despite Hyun-sung’s blunt words, Park Hee-cheol spoke affably as if nothing was wrong.

“What do you mean? I came to see you.”

“This early in the morning?”

“Actually, I couldn’t sleep a wink. Would you be able to sleep if you were me?”

“Yes!”

Hyun-sung answered ‘yes’ right away as if he was trying to tease Park Hee-cheol. Then, Park Hee-cheol gave Hyun-sung a strange smile.

Hyun-sung stared at him.

‘What’s wrong with this guy?’

Park Hee-cheol was clearly completely different from usual.

A smiling face?

He doesn’t remember it. It was always a venomous and grumpy expression.

Could a change of heart have occurred due to the changed fate?

At that time, Park Hee-cheol held out a black bag to Hyun-sung.

“This is beef. I bought it at the market last time and didn’t even touch it. I brought it for you to make soup in the morning.”

“Yes?”

“I want to give you something, but this is all I have. And I will gradually repay the grace of life while I am alive. You are now my heaven.”

“No thanks!”

Hyun-sung refused without even thinking about it.

The reason Hyun-sung refused was simple.

He didn’t want to get involved.

Hyun-sung’s thought was that he wanted to avoid any contact with Park Hee-cheol in any way.

But that was just Hyun-sung’s thought.

“I’m not okay with that!”

Park Hee-cheol came on even stronger.

Whether it was a belief or pride, his voice was filled with more strength.

But Hyun-sung was not one to back down easily.

“Don’t be stubborn from the morning and just go back. I don’t want to waste energy on this.”

“That’s what I should be saying. At least let me live as a human being from now on. Don’t let me live as a thankless wretch anymore.”

Park Hee-cheol’s will was firm.

But somehow Park Hee-cheol’s eloquence was unusual. A person shouldn’t start being pushed back by words…….

But he couldn’t just coldly reject him when he said that much.

“……, then I’ll just accept your heart.”

Hyun-sung had no choice but to take a step back.

Then, Park Hee-cheol spoke again.

“Why are you doing this? Making me feel embarrassed. I already felt embarrassed bringing it because it was too small, are you going to keep making me feel so pathetic?”

“That’s not it. I have my own reasons for doing this.”

In fact, there were two reasons why he strongly refused from the beginning. The first was that he didn’t want to get involved with Park Hee-cheol anymore, that was the biggest reason.

And the other was because of human greed.

People’s greed has no end.

There’s no guarantee that once will become twice, and twice will become ten times.

Even if he has regressed, Hyun-sung knows that he can’t help but have vulgar tendencies. So, Hyun-sung’s judgment was that he shouldn’t leave any room from the beginning.

Despite Hyun-sung’s repeated refusals, Park Hee-cheol’s stubbornness did not change.

Park Hee-cheol continued to speak.

“Don’t do that and accept it. It’s my heart, a token of gratitude for gaining a new life. Although it’s a small piece of meat, this is all I can give you right now. So, please accept it with your heart.”

“Your heart?”

“That’s right. I thought a lot last night, as you advised. And I realized how wrongly I have lived.”

“…….”

Hyun-sung had nothing to say.