Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 333

333

After Shin Myung-soon left the room, Lee Jung-woo was left alone.

He pinched his thigh hard.

“Ugh!”

He screamed without realizing it, probably because he pinched it too hard.

The pain meant it definitely wasn’t a dream.

“How could this happen…….”

No matter how much he thought about it, it didn’t feel real. When he first heard it from his mom, he thought it was so absurd that he doubted his ears.

It was only after his mom’s additional explanation that he could barely believe it.

“You’re going to have a thorough examination this summer vacation, and surgery during the winter vacation?”

If that were the case, he would be able to walk properly by next spring at the latest.

He had thought he would have to live his whole life limping. But now, he was being told that he could walk like everyone else if he just had surgery.

“Hehe!”

Lee Jung-woo shook his head vigorously. It was his way of expressing joy.

Then, he looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

It was just past 11 o’clock.

‘Is it okay?’

After a moment of hesitation, Lee Jung-woo jumped up from his seat.

Lee Jung-woo went outside and said to Shin Myung-soon in the master bedroom.

“Mom, I’m going out for a bit.”

“Where at this hour?”

Shin Myung-soon asked, opening the door.

Lee Jung-woo scratched the back of his head and said,

“I’m going to see Hyun-sung for a bit.”

“At this hour? It’s so late……, oh, no. Go ahead. Be careful on your way back.”

“Okay. I will.”

Watching Lee Jung-woo’s disappearing back in the darkness, Shin Myung-soon nodded and smiled.

For a moment, she thought it was too late, but more than that, she could imagine how Lee Jung-woo must be feeling right now. That’s why she stopped herself from saying anything else.

Lee Jung-woo must be feeling like he’s dreaming.

Why wouldn’t he?

He must have thought he would have to live his whole life with an uncomfortable body. But now, he was being told that if he had surgery, he could walk somewhat normally, even if not perfectly, so his heart must be filled with emotions that were hard to express.

Shin Myung-soon closed the door long after Lee Jung-woo disappeared into the darkness.

At the same time.

Hyun-sung was on the phone with Shin Mi-sook.

“Is that really true?”

-Yes, Mr. President. Today, we finally exceeded 100,000 won [approximately $75 USD]. I never thought this day would come.

“Congratulations. You’ve worked hard.”

-No, it’s nothing. I just did what you told me to do. You were right, as always. I was worried at first because the shopping district was too far inside, but people who tasted the ramen once kept coming back.

“That’s a relief. And as I said from the beginning, what’s just as important as the ramen is the kimchi [fermented Korean cabbage] that goes with it. Don’t use other sauces from unknown sources to cut costs.”

-Yes, I understand. Don’t worry about that. That will never happen. I know how much you’ve helped me, so I would never do such a bad thing!

Hyun-sung could feel the strength in Shin Mi-sook’s voice. That meant her determination was strong.

Hyun-sung nodded and continued.

“And I have one more favor to ask.”

-Yes, please tell me.

“You need to pay special attention not only to the students but also to the general customers. I think I mentioned it briefly at the beginning, but if you only cater to students, it will be difficult during the vacation period. To avoid that, you need to put in a lot of effort on a regular basis.”

-Yes, I understand what you mean. And I’m not sure when I’ll be able to do it because I’m still too busy, but when I have more time, I’m going to do volunteer work regularly like you. Would that be okay?

“Of course. If you do that, the people in the neighborhood will like you too. The better they like you, the better your business will be. You’ve made a good decision.”

-Well, I’m just following your example. And by the way, my kids told me they went to see you last time. I don’t know if they said anything strange. They’re very sensitive these days.

“Haha, you mean Soo-min and Soo-yeon?”

-Yes, I didn’t know until yesterday. So I was wondering if my kids made any mistakes.

“No, nothing like that. I’m grateful, actually.”

Just then.

Knock knock.

He heard someone knocking on the door from outside.

“Mr. President, I’m sorry, but it looks like someone’s here.”

-Ah, yes. I understand. Then I’ll hang up. I’ll contact you again.

Click.

The call was disconnected, and Hyun-sung glanced at his watch. It was just past 11:30.

‘Who is it?’

No one should be coming at this hour…….

Hyun-sung went outside and was surprised. Lee Jung-woo was standing outside.

“Hey, what brings you here at this hour?”

“I have something to tell you.”

“Something to tell me?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head for a moment. He couldn’t understand the situation at all.

But that was only for a moment.

It was his best friend, someone he liked and trusted the most. The thought that such a friend had come to see him at this hour because he had something to say made him more worried than anything else.

That’s why Hyun-sung spoke quickly.

“What’s wrong? What is it!”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“How can I not be surprised? What time is it? What’s wrong that you’re coming to see me so late?”

Hyun-sung looked at Lee Jung-woo with an uneasy expression. But Lee Jung-woo’s expression was completely the opposite of Hyun-sung’s. In fact, he was even smiling at Hyun-sung.

Hyun-sung couldn’t just stand by.

“Are you smiling in this situation?”

“Yeah, man. So stop making that face. What’s with that look like something terrible happened?”

“How can I not? What time is it? What’s wrong? Tell me quickly.”

Hyun-sung still couldn’t relax.

Then, Lee Jung-woo looked at Hyun-sung and opened his mouth.

“I think I’m going to have surgery.”

“Surgery?”

It was the moment when Hyun-sung’s pupils dilated more than ever.

Then, Lee Jung-woo smiled and continued.

“Hey, it’s not that surprising. Actually…….”

Lee Jung-woo began to explain what he had heard from his mom. As Lee Jung-woo’s explanation continued, Hyun-sung’s surprised expression disappeared, and he began to tilt his head as if he couldn’t believe it. And finally, when Lee Jung-woo’s explanation ended, Hyun-sung asked immediately.

“Is that true?”

“Yes, it is. I heard it from my mom a little while ago, and I thought I should tell you first, so I rushed over here.”

“So, what you’re saying is that you can walk properly if you just have surgery?”

“That’s right. My mom told me clearly. The doctor said so.”

“So, the method is to correct the crooked legs and lengthen the bones at the same time?”

“Yeah, it’s a treatment method that doesn’t exist in Korea yet, but they’re going to start it in Korea soon for polio patients while studying cases abroad.”

It was the first time he had heard of it.

In his past life, Lee Jung-woo had never had leg surgery even when he was over 50. If he had known about such a surgical method as now, he would have definitely had the surgery.

But Lee Jung-woo lived his whole life with uncomfortable legs.

‘What happened?’

After thinking for a moment, Hyun-sung could think of two possibilities.

First, he simply didn’t know.

Lee Jung-woo had suffered from uncomfortable legs all his life. If he had known about such a surgery, there was no reason why he wouldn’t have had it.

And another possibility was that he knew but couldn’t do it due to unavoidable circumstances.

Of course, the unavoidable circumstance was probably economic reasons.

Lee Jung-woo’s situation was not good at the time.

‘Wait!’

A memory popped into Hyun-sung’s head.

It must have been when he turned thirty.

One day, he received a call from Lee Jung-woo. Then, he said, ‘Do you have any money?’

At that time, Hyun-sung had been running a video store for about two years. He had opened the store with a loan from the Nonghyup Bank [National Agricultural Cooperative Federation bank] from his father, so he naturally didn’t have any money to spare.

Therefore, the only amount he could give was about one million won. Then, Lee Jung-woo said ‘Okay’ as if he had given up.

When he asked how much he needed, he said he needed at least 30 million won. Lee Jung-woo never told him the reason even when he asked.

‘Maybe…….’

Hyun-sung could now somewhat guess why Lee Jung-woo needed 30 million won at that time in his past life.

But it was only a guess, not certain.

Hyun-sung immediately walked to the phone.

Then, Lee Jung-woo asked immediately.

“Why are you calling all of a sudden?”

“There’s something I need to check.”

Hyun-sung immediately called Park Hee-chul.

After a few rings, Park Hee-chul answered the phone.

-Hello.

“Mr. President, it’s me. I don’t know if I’m calling while you’re sleeping.”

-Um, no. It’s okay. But what’s wrong at this hour?

“There’s something I need to check.”

-Check? Okay, what is it?

“It’s about Jung-woo’s problem, what you said today…….”

Hyun-sung explained what he had heard from Lee Jung-woo a little while ago and finally asked about the surgery cost. Then, Park Hee-chul asked immediately.

-Surgery cost?

“Yes, there’s something I need to check.”

-It’s a bit expensive……, they said it would cost at least 20 million won to start with. After all, they have to do a lot of tests, and above all, it’s the first time they’re trying this surgery method, so it’s bound to be a bit expensive.”

“Ah, yes…….”

Hyun-sung quickly calculated in his head.

Lee Jung-woo called him in his past life in the early 1998, 11 years from now. At that time, the minimum amount needed was 30 million won.

20 million won and 30 million won, plus the difference of 11 years……. If he calculates the value of money in 11 years, the calculation shows that his prediction is somewhat correct.

So, Lee Jung-woo wanted to have leg surgery at that time. That’s why he called him, but Hyun-sung himself didn’t have the ability. Of course, it would have been impossible to have surgery due to his family situation.

So, he had no choice but to give up.

Hyun-sung glanced at Lee Jung-woo next to him.

Then, he felt the sense of loss that he had felt in his past life all over his body. If he had money, he could have had surgery, and if that had happened, he wouldn’t have suffered from his legs all his life.

But in the difficult reality, he couldn’t do that. He felt sorry for Lee Jung-woo, who had no choice but to endure the pain.

But now it’s different.

In his past life, he couldn’t help at all, but now it’s different.

And now Park Hee-chul won’t have any money to spare. He invested most of his cash in the land in Ilsan last year, so he has no choice but to have no cash. If he wants to have Lee Jung-woo operated on, the only way is to take out a loan.

Then there’s no need to hesitate any longer.

Hyun-sung, who had organized his thoughts, said to Park Hee-chul in a firm voice.

“I’ll take care of Jung-woo’s surgery.”

-What? What are you talking about?

“You don’t have any cash right now. After all, you invested everything in Ilsan last year.”

-That’s true, but…… there are plenty of ways.

“I know. You mean a loan. But don’t do that. There’s no need to do that when I’m here.”

-Jung-woo is my son from now on. So, I should naturally…….”

Hyun-sung continued before Park Hee-chul could finish speaking.

“Yes, that’s why I’m grateful. I’m so grateful that you think that way. And thank you for finding out that there is such a surgery method. So now I’m going to take responsibility for the surgery cost.”

-That’s not right. That’s not a small amount of money…….

“I couldn’t help it in the past, but now I can afford it. So I…….”

-The past? What are you talking about?

“Ah, there’s something like that. That’s not important, but anyway, I’ll take responsibility for Jung-woo’s surgery this time.”

-That’s not going to happen. I can’t do that when I’m here. Are you ignoring me?

“It’s not ignoring…….”

The two people’s conversation was endless.

Lee Jung-woo, who was watching the scene, felt his eyes get hot without realizing it.

From what he had heard a little while ago, the surgery cost was said to be at least 20 million won. 20 million won is a huge amount of money that he can’t even imagine.

When he heard about the surgery from his mom earlier, he didn’t even think about the surgery cost. He was just too excited to be able to walk straight.

But when he heard about the surgery cost, he was worried for a moment. He knows very well how big that amount of money is.

But a strange thing happened before his eyes.

Hyun-sung and Park Hee-chul, the two of them are now talking on the phone for several minutes without any concession, saying that they will take responsibility for his surgery cost.

Lee Jung-woo looked at Hyun-sung, who was on the phone, and quietly turned his head.