Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 32

Then Park Hee-cheol continued,

“Having crossed the threshold of death, I understand now. From now on, I will live a new life with a reborn heart. Please watch over me. So, although it’s a small thing, please accept it as a token of this old man’s heart.”

Hyeon-seong looked at Park Hee-cheol.

You can tell a lot, if not everything, about a person by looking into their eyes. At least, Hyeon-seong couldn’t see any malice or pretense in Park Hee-cheol’s eyes right now.

If anything, he seemed almost naively pure, which didn’t quite fit his age.

Park Hee-cheol’s attitude was sincere and genuine.

This beef right now?

It wasn’t just a lump of meat, as Park Hee-cheol had said.

A heart filled with sincerity!

It was Park Hee-cheol’s sincerity (眞心) [true heart].

Hyeon-seong was conflicted.

But his hesitation didn’t last long.

He didn’t want to make lame excuses. When someone speaks sincerely, you can’t assign other meanings to it.

Hyeon-seong accepted the black bag that Park Hee-cheol offered.

“Then…”

“Thank you for accepting it. I was worried you might reject it until the end.”

“I saw your sincerity.”

“Sincerity…”

Park Hee-cheol looked at Hyeon-seong’s face again. He was definitely a young man, but his words and actions made him seem like he had experienced all sorts of hardships. He shook his head involuntarily.

He hadn’t expected to put so much effort into giving away a piece of beef.

It was only possible because he had put his whole heart into it. Hyeon-seong’s attitude was so different from the standards he had lived by, which was puzzling, but strangely, it warmed his heart.

And then, something suddenly came to Park Hee-cheol’s mind.

That was… 10 billion won [approximately $7.5 million USD].

The amount Hyeon-seong had mentioned as the price for being slapped. Of course, it was conditional on being a lifesaver.

Park Hee-cheol himself had readily agreed to it.

Transaction complete.

It was ridiculous, but there were no flaws in the deal. Of course, there was no objective proof, but they both knew the details.

Park Hee-cheol looked at Hyeon-seong.

‘What should I do?’

It was a dilemma.

The problem was that it would be childish to bring it up, but it also felt uncomfortable to just let it pass.

The reason was obvious.

Hyeon-seong had been slapped.

Thinking from the slapped person’s perspective, how unfair would it be? He had been dragged down to be saved, but all he got in return was a slap.

He felt that at least an apology was in order as an adult.

Park Hee-cheol cautiously opened his mouth.

“Um…”

“Is there anything else you want to say?”

“It’s not that…”

Instantly, the number 10 billion won flashed in his mind. Even though he knew it was a joke, Park Hee-cheol couldn’t help but be sensitive about money.

That’s why he hesitated to speak.

Then Hyeon-seong spoke first.

“Well, take care. I’m busy with school starting today…”

With those words, Hyeon-seong bowed his head and headed to his room. There was nothing more to say, and he didn’t want to get involved with Park Hee-cheol any further.

Park Hee-cheol was left alone.

He watched Hyeon-seong head into his room, unable to stop him, and could only stare. The atmosphere was already broken, so there was nothing more he could say.

After a while, Park Hee-cheol also quietly disappeared from Hyeon-seong’s house.

In the end, he couldn’t bring up the 10 billion won.

Hyeon-seong went into his room and prepared for school.

Was it because it had been so long?

Everything felt awkward. But he felt good.

There were guys he wanted to see, and guys he didn’t, but thanks to the years he had lived, he felt he could handle them all now.

Of course, he had no intention of throwing punches. He was too old for that.

He didn’t have the ability to, either…

Actually, after blocking the pickpocket’s knife in Wonju, he had wondered if he had gained any abilities like in novels.

But after trying various things, he couldn’t find any abilities.

But one thing was certain. His stamina had definitely improved.

“That’s good enough.”

Creak.

Hyeon-seong changed his clothes and left his room.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to wear a school uniform. He was part of the generation that had the freedom to choose their own clothes, thanks to the liberalization policies of the Fifth Republic [South Korea’s government from 1981-1987].

Of course, three years later, it would change again at the discretion of the school principal. The problems with liberalization were significant.

***

He was waiting to take the bus after eating breakfast.

Screech.

A silver sedan stopped next to Hyeon-seong.

There was only one person in this neighborhood who owned a sedan…

Then, the passenger window rolled down, and a voice came from inside the car.

“Get in.”

Looking at his face, it was Park Hee-cheol as expected.

He didn’t feel good about getting involved with him again.

So his voice was curt.

“What is it?”

“Just get in.”

Hyeon-seong still refused Park Hee-cheol’s kindness.

Even if he couldn’t help it with the beef in the morning, he really didn’t want to get involved like this. If he had known this would happen, he shouldn’t have accepted the beef in the morning.

He regretted saying things like ‘sincerity’.

Click.

When Hyeon-seong didn’t budge, Park Hee-cheol got out of the car.

Then he went around to the back and opened the passenger door, saying,

“Just get in.”

“No, mister…”

He really didn’t expect him to open the door and tell him to get in. But what was even more surprising was Park Hee-cheol’s expression.

He must be crazy.

Park Hee-cheol was smiling.

Opening the door for young Hyeon-seong.

This wasn’t the Park Hee-cheol that Hyeon-seong knew.

Even if he had experienced the brink of death, could a person really change this much overnight?

Looking at Park Hee-cheol, Hyeon-seong had no choice but to get into the passenger seat.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Park Hee-cheol looked at Hyeon-seong as if nothing had happened and stepped on the accelerator.

Hyeon-seong looked at Park Hee-cheol.

No matter how he looked at him, he wasn’t the same Park Hee-cheol as before.

“Are you going to wear a hole in my face with your stare? Heh heh…”

Park Hee-cheol was full of 余裕 [yoyuu – composure,余裕]. He couldn’t find any trace of his old self. The more he looked, the more amazing it seemed.

This was quite something.

‘I’ll know if I leave it for now.’

When Hyeon-seong didn’t say anything, Park Hee-cheol spoke again.

“Why did you save me?”

The question changed from how he knew to why he saved him.

He wanted to say that he was already regretting it.

He didn’t know he was such a persistent person.

Hyeon-seong just stared in response.

Then Park Hee-cheol continued.

“No matter how much I think about it, I don’t know the reason. Your feelings for me are still this strong. But how…”

“I’m seriously regretting it right now.”

“Huh!”

Park Hee-cheol let out a dumbfounded laugh at Hyeon-seong’s answer.

After driving for about 10 minutes,

A three-way intersection appeared. The left direction was the way to school. But Park Hee-cheol turned the steering wheel to the right.

As Hyeon-seong was about to say something, Park Hee-cheol opened his mouth first as if he had expected it.

“Let’s talk for a bit.”

Park Hee-cheol seemed to have prepared all the scenarios. Since there was plenty of time before school started, Hyeon-seong didn’t say anything.

After driving for about 10 more minutes, the sedan went up a hill and stopped in front of a house at the foot of the mountain.

The house didn’t seem to be inhabited.

Park Hee-cheol parked at the end of the yard and said to Hyeon-seong,

“Get out.”

Hyeon-seong also got out of the sedan.

Park Hee-cheol, who had gotten out of the car, was already standing across the yard in a place overlooking the village. Then he put a cigarette in his mouth.

Puff…

The long exhale of cigarette smoke showed that he had a lot on his mind.

Hyeon-seong kept a certain distance from Park Hee-cheol and began to look around.

‘This place is?’

Hyeon-seong knew this place too. It was now abandoned like a wasteland, but later, a large garden restaurant was built here.

It was the biggest meat restaurant in the township (面) [myeon – a type of administrative division in South Korea, smaller than a county but larger than a village].

He had only been there once in his past life.

The emotions he felt at that time were still vivid.

Alienation.

The feeling of not being able to fit in with the world and being detached, like people from another world.

That was the feeling he felt while watching people laugh and have fun.

Tsk.

The bitter feeling was still there even when he thought about it again.

Hyeon-seong turned his gaze and looked down the hill.

It was higher than the village, so the view was clear. Moreover, there was a mountain right behind it, and a stream was flowing on the side, a little further away.

The scenery was excellent, so he thought it was the best place for a restaurant. It was also the perfect place for a detached house complex.

Then Park Hee-cheol gestured lightly at Hyeon-seong. When Hyeon-seong approached, Park Hee-cheol looked at the distant mountains and asked.

“Do you know what my dream was?”

Of course, he had no idea, and he wasn’t curious either.

Hyeon-seong was just uncomfortable being here with Park Hee-cheol. The old feelings were still there, so no matter what he said, he wouldn’t be able to hear it.

But since he asked, he had to answer.

“I don’t know.”

Of course, his words were short. But Park Hee-cheol didn’t care and continued to speak.

“It was to build a nice house here and spend the last of my life here.”

Huh!

He dragged someone who was going to school and all he was doing was talking about his dream. He wondered if this man had any consideration for others in his brain.

And what, build a nice house?

It was ridiculous.

He made others shed tears of blood and was going to use that money to prepare for his old age? He thought that there was no modern-day Nolbu [a Korean folktale character known for greed and cruelty] like him.

It was when Hyeon-seong’s gaze sharply scanned Park Hee-cheol.

‘Wait a minute!’

He said he was going to build a house here and spend the last of his life here…

Does this mean that this place belongs to Park Hee-cheol?

Something was strange.

In his past life, the owner of this restaurant was not Park Hee-cheol but someone else. So that means Park Hee-cheol died and someone else bought this land, and that person opened the restaurant.

‘I see.’

Now he could roughly see the picture.

And Hyeon-seong had another question.

Listening to Park Hee-cheol’s words now, he was saying everything in the past tense. That means that it’s not the case now.

‘What is it?’

He was curious.

Hyeon-seong looked at Park Hee-cheol and asked directly.

“Are you saying it’s not the case now?”

“I realized it’s all useless.”

“Why?”

“Why, if it wasn’t for you, I would have already died. People never know what will happen tomorrow, but how could I have known that something like this would happen to me?”

Park Hee-cheol’s explanation continued after that.

He had given up on the family gravesite, but he said he hadn’t sold this place because he thought it was the last place to return to.

He said that if he had died after protecting this place, he would have wandered around in the afterlife because of that resentment.

And now he knew.

That there is no meaning in tomorrow without today. So from now on, he was going to live each day to the fullest.

In other words, he concluded by saying that he would live today without regrets.

It was a feeling that Hyeon-seong had also felt while experiencing death, so he fully sympathized with it.