Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 340

340

“What?”

Lee Soo-hyuk stared at Hyun-sung, seemingly surprised.

Hyun-sung chuckled and continued.

“Why are you so surprised? It’s not like it’s anything new.”

“No, there’s still a week left before vacation ends. Why are you leaving already? If a week is too much, can’t you stay even 5 days, no, even 3 days longer?”

“No need. I don’t think it’s necessary anymore. You can handle it on your own now anyway.”

“What do you mean? I don’t think so. Don’t do that…….”

Hyun-sung raised his hand to cut off Lee Soo-hyuk before he could finish speaking.

“Soo-hyuk!”

“Huh? Why?”

“You can do well enough on your own now. Believe in yourself. And me staying three more days won’t particularly help you. And as you know, you’re doing everything yourself now. Right?”

“That’s only because you’re here…….”

“No, that’s not it. And I need to go somewhere.”

Hyun-sung used the last resort because it seemed like the conversation would drag on. Otherwise, it felt like the same words would just be repeated. But that didn’t mean it was a complete lie.

“Huh? Where?”

“Gangneung.”

“Gangneung? Why Gangneung all of a sudden?”

“I have someone to meet. I’m planning to go before the vacation ends. So, start getting used to doing things alone from now on. Just keep doing what you’re doing now.”

Lee Soo-hyuk sighed and continued.

“Hoo……! Who are you meeting?”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it since the vacation started. Actually, I was going to go as soon as vacation started, but I had to postpone it.”

“Because of me?”

“It’s not just because of you. I was hesitant because of my own lack of study, but then you asked for help, so it turned out that way.”

“I have nothing to say when you put it like that. It’s not right for me as a friend to ask for more favors. Okay, I understand. I’ll try to do it alone for the rest of the time. I don’t know who it is, but have a good meeting.”

“Okay, I understand. Of course, I know you’ll do well on your own, but don’t skip your workout time, no matter how annoying it is. It’s a battle of stamina in the end.”

Lee Soo-hyuk nodded as if he understood.

Just then.

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

It was the sound of announcing dinner time.

***

“I have something to tell you.”

Lee Soo-hyuk put down his spoon after finishing dinner and said.

Then Lee Soo-hyuk’s mother, Yoo Soo-min, looked at Lee Soo-hyuk and said.

“What is it?”

“Hyun-sung is leaving.”

“What? What do you mean? Leaving? Where is he going?”

“Well, that is…….”

Lee Soo-hyuk told his father and mother exactly what he had talked about with Hyun-sung a little while ago. When Lee Soo-hyuk finished speaking, Lee Man-soo looked at Hyun-sung and asked immediately.

“Hyun-sung, is what Soo-hyuk said true?”

“Yes, it is. And now, Soo-hyuk can do well enough on his own without me. So, you don’t have to worry.”

“Haha, really…… I want to hold you back, but you say you have circumstances, so I can’t, this is…….”

Lee Man-soo’s face was filled with regret.

Because Lee Soo-hyuk is an only child, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He seemed to be studying hard in his own way, but his grades weren’t improving, so it was natural for him to be anxious.

So, after discussing it with his wife, the last method they chose was to have him tutored again. But the problem was that Lee Soo-hyuk refused tutoring. The reason was simple: it wasn’t helpful.

But he couldn’t back down, so he recommended tutoring again several times. At that time, Lee Soo-hyuk set another condition.

He didn’t want anyone else, but he would accept his friend Hyun-sung.

At first, he thought it was absurd. But there was no other way. The person himself wanted it.

He had no choice but to accept it with a desperate heart. But after a few days, the effect was immediate.

Lee Soo-hyuk’s complexion changed. The guy who had been struggling so much when he was alone was now smiling.

It was the first time in his life that he had seen him smile while studying. That alone was enough to satisfy him.

Then one day, he solved a practice test problem he got from a Seoul academy and got 240 points. His grades, which hadn’t improved even after studying so hard, had risen by 32 points from the last practice test. It was a remarkable achievement made in just 20 days of studying together.

But now that he was saying he was going home, how could he not feel regret?

Then Yoo Soo-min looked at Hyun-sung and carefully opened her mouth.

“I’m sorry, but could you stay 2 or 3 days longer…….”

“Honey!”

Lee Man-soo cut off Yoo Soo-min’s words.

Then he continued immediately.

“Let’s stop. It’s not polite to ask for more here.”

“But I’m so sorry…….”

“It’s too much greed. It’s not like he’s just leaving, he’s saying he has circumstances, so that’s not right. Now that it’s come to this, let’s send him off with applause. We’ve been really grateful for everything he’s done.”

“Of course, but…….”

Yoo Soo-min’s eyes were still full of regret.

Then Lee Man-soo looked at Yoo Soo-min and shook his head. He was strongly telling her with his eyes that he couldn’t do it anymore.

But Yoo Soo-min’s resistance was also considerable.

Then Lee Soo-hyuk, who was watching the scene, called Yoo Soo-min in a low voice.

“Mom!”

“Huh? Yes, okay. Why?”

“Stop it. Hyun-sung has really suffered a lot [gone through a lot of trouble]. Who in the world has a friend who helps them by sacrificing their 24 hours? And it’s not just for a day or two, but for almost a month. And…….”

Lee Soo-hyuk paused for a moment, looked at Hyun-sung once, and then continued.

“I also felt a lot this time. From now on, I’m going to work hard on my own. So, Mom, please let go of your feelings so that Hyun-sung can leave with a light heart.”

“Huh? Can you really do it alone……?”

“Yes, there was something I didn’t know until now. But it’s not like that anymore. This time, I knew what my problem was and what my strengths were. Of course, Hyun-sung made me realize that. So, please trust me this time. I won’t disappoint you anymore.”

Lee Soo-hyuk’s expression was quite serious. It was a serious appearance that he had never seen before.

Yoo Soo-min’s gaze, who was watching the scene, turned to Hyun-sung.

Then she slowly opened her mouth.

“……Hey, Hyun-sung.”

“Yes, Mother. Please speak comfortably.”

“I think I was too greedy. I just liked that our Soo-hyuk’s score was going up so much, so I wanted you to stay a little longer, but when I thought about it, I was just being greedy again. Actually, this is the first time this has happened. None of the other teachers have ever raised the score this much. But you raised it by more than 30 points in just 20 days, and I couldn’t help but…….”

Yoo Soo-min took a sip of water on the table and continued.

“Actually, I was very anxious when Soo-hyuk first chose you as his tutor. I was so nervous because I thought there were only a few months left until the college exam [the College Scholastic Ability Test, or CSAT]. I was wondering if we were just going to go through trial and error again.”

“…….”

“But that thought disappeared in 3 days.”

“3 days?”

“Yes, that’s right. After 3 days, our Soo-hyuk’s expression changed. So, ah! I had hope that maybe this time it could be different. But when I saw that he had raised 32 points in 20 days, I couldn’t help but cry. He had been sitting at his desk for so long, but his grades didn’t go up.”

“That was the problem.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Yoo Soo-min asked immediately, surprised by Hyun-sung’s words.

Then Hyun-sung calmly opened his mouth.

“Soo-hyuk is different from other friends.”

“Different?”

“Yes, people usually think that if you sit at your desk for a long time, your grades will go up, but that’s not really the case. Of course, there are people like that, but there are also people who aren’t. The representative person is Soo-hyuk.”

“Our Soo-hyuk?”

“Yes, in Soo-hyuk’s case…….”

Hyun-sung began to explain in detail how he had understood Lee Soo-hyuk and how he had studied. As Hyun-sung’s explanation continued, Yoo Soo-min, who had been tilting her head at first, began to nod and listen to Hyun-sung’s words. Lee Man-soo’s expression was similar to Yoo Soo-min’s. And when Hyun-sung’s explanation finally ended, Lee Man-soo asked immediately.

“So, in our Soo-hyuk’s case, his efficiency decreases if he sits for a long time?”

“It’s not always the case.”

“What does that mean again? It’s not always the case?”

“It’s different for each subject.”

“Different for each subject?”

Hyun-sung was also embarrassed at first. He didn’t know at first, but later he realized that his concentration and the time he concentrated were different in the subjects he liked. It was perhaps obvious, but he didn’t think about it at first.

“Yes, he definitely has a higher concentration and sits for a long time in the subjects he likes.”

“Ah, so you’re saying that his efficiency doesn’t decrease even if he studies for a long time in the subjects he likes?”

“That’s right. This tendency appeared especially in history and Korean.”

“Haha, this is really…… No, then what have the other tutors been doing so far?”

Lee Man-soo laughed in vain as if he was dumbfounded.

Then Yoo Soo-min, who was next to him, carefully opened her mouth.

“Did you just say history and Korean?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Then it would be right to go to college in that field?”

“If possible, wouldn’t it be better to choose what you like? Of course, Soo-hyuk’s opinion seems to be the most important issue.”

Yoo Soo-min seemed to be thinking for a moment and then asked again.

“By any chance……, how about law school? I want our Soo-hyuk to graduate from law school and become a lawyer.”

“Law school?”

“Yes, a prosecutor or a judge. Or a lawyer is fine too.”

“Well, as I said a little while ago, Soo-hyuk’s opinion seems to be the most important issue.”

“No, what I’m saying is that I want to hear your thoughts, Hyun-sung. You’ve been watching him, so you know what our Soo-hyuk is like.”

Hyun-sung glanced at Lee Soo-hyuk.

In fact, he had talked to Lee Soo-hyuk about that issue a week ago. His mother wanted him to go to law school. But Lee Soo-hyuk himself said he didn’t want to. The reason was that he wanted to go to Korean literature instead.

His dream is to be a writer.

He said he liked writing since he was young. And in fact, Lee Soo-hyuk had won several writing contests while attending school.

But the problem was that his mother, Yoo Soo-min, only wanted him to graduate from law school and become a lawyer.

Lee Soo-hyuk nodded slightly. Hyun-sung, who couldn’t know what that meant, looked at Yoo Soo-min and opened his mouth.

“Mother!”

“Huh? Yes. Tell me.”

“Is my opinion important?”

“Of course. Why else would I ask?”

“Then please make one promise first.”

“Promise?”

Yoo Soo-min looked at Lee Man-soo with a somewhat dumbfounded expression. Then Lee Man-soo cleared his throat and answered instead.

“Okay, what is that one thing?”

“To absolutely respect Soo-hyuk’s opinion.”

“Absolutely?”

“Yes, to follow Soo-hyuk’s own opinion, not your father’s or mother’s wishes. Whatever it is.”

“That’s a bit…….”

Lee Man-soo shook his head slightly.

It was an expected answer anyway.

Hyun-sung quietly got up from his seat.

Then Lee Man-soo looked at Hyun-sung with wide eyes.

“You’re not planning to leave like this, are you?”

“No, that’s right. I’ve finished dinner, there’s nothing more to say, and I need to rest early today to go to Gangneung tomorrow. Then I’ll be leaving…….”

“Haha, this friend…….”

Lee Man-soo looked at Hyun-sung as if he was dumbfounded. But Hyun-sung got up from his seat as if nothing was wrong and turned his steps towards the front door.

It was then.

Thud!

Lee Man-soo grabbed Hyun-sung’s wrist as he passed by.