Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 343

343

Sniff, sniff.

“What’s that smell?”

Hyun-sung, who had come outside for his morning exercise, sniffed repeatedly. As soon as he opened the store door, he was hit with the strong smell of gasoline.

Last night, after receiving a call from Chairman Shin Chun-oh and checking the gas stove and the locked entrance, there was no smell when he opened and closed the door.

That meant something must have happened overnight.

“What is this?”

Hyun-sung found the source of the smell. It was coming from about 2 meters to the right of the store entrance. There were still traces of gasoline on the ground.

“How could this happen?”

Even with a quick thought, it didn’t make sense. There was no way there would be gasoline here unless someone had deliberately poured it. That meant someone had poured gasoline here last night.

Pouring gasoline?

There could only be one purpose.

Arson.

The conclusion was that someone had poured gasoline here to commit arson. Who on earth would do such a thing?

‘Wait a minute!’

A question popped into Hyun-sung’s head. If someone had tried to commit arson, why did they stop at this point?

This alley is almost deserted at night. If they were determined, they could have easily committed arson and gotten away with it.

‘But why?’

After a moment of thought, two possibilities came to Hyun-sung’s mind.

One was a change of heart. They had initially planned to commit arson but changed their mind at some point. The exact reason was unknown, but the first thing that came to mind was the aftermath.

The consequences would be too severe to handle.

Of course, Hyun-sung himself would have been the first to suffer. He could have been in a life-threatening situation while he was asleep.

“Hoo!”

As he thought about it, he couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

And another thing. The surrounding buildings were mostly wooden houses. If the fire had spread, the damage would have been unimaginable. Whoever it was, they must have had some sense of that.

The second possibility, though unlikely, was that someone had stopped them. Of course, that someone would have been a person who happened to be passing by the alley at that time.

“No matter how I think about it…”

Hyun-sung shook his head. No matter how he thought about it, the second possibility was too unlikely, so he didn’t think it was that.

Whoever it was, they must not have been confident in handling the aftermath. Hyun-sung concluded that it was the first possibility.

Thud.

Hyun-sung went back inside the store instead of exercising.

Then, he connected a hose to the faucet and started cleaning the front of the store with detergent. If he left it as it was, the gasoline smell would obviously interfere with business.

After some time.

Shin Myung-soon, who had come to work, saw Hyun-sung just finishing cleaning and asked.

“Huh? What’s that smell?”

“Do you smell something?”

“It smells like something, it’s not strong, but I think there’s a slight smell.”

“Oh, really? I came out this morning and someone had an accident here. It seems like someone was quite desperate last night.”

Hyun-sung lied on purpose. He thought she would be psychologically anxious if he told her that someone had poured gasoline.

Shin Myung-soon immediately responded.

“Seriously, who would do that in front of someone else’s store…”

“I don’t know who it was, but they left a lot. So, I’ve been cleaning it for an hour now.”

“Seriously, you’ve been through a lot this morning because of that crazy person. In that sense, shall we have a cup of coffee? We still have time before we start *yeong-eop* [business hours].”

“Shall we then…”

Before Hyun-sung could finish speaking, Shin Myung-soon disappeared into the store.

A moment later.

Hyun-sung took a sip of coffee, put down the cup, and said.

“The coffee is really good.”

“*Sajangnim* [store owner/boss], coffee is all the same, what are you talking about…”

“No. Strangely, I think the coffee my mother makes is the best. And I’ll say it again, can’t you speak comfortably at least when it’s just the two of us?”

“I told you about that from the beginning. Even though he’s your son’s friend, you’re still my boss, so I can’t do that. And I’m used to it now, so it’s okay. So, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Haha, I always feel that your mother’s stubbornness is amazing.”

Hyun-sung smiled and looked at Shin Myung-soon.

Then, Shin Myung-soon laughed even louder and immediately continued.

“Hahaha, did you just say stubborn? As far as I know, there’s no one around here as stubborn as you. My brother, no, Chairman, says that your stubbornness is like a bull’s. He says that even the Chairman can’t beat you.”

“Did *abeonim* [father (term used for one’s father-in-law)] say that?”

Since Shin Myung-soon and Park Hee-cheol got married, he calls Park Hee-cheol ‘*abeonim*’. Before that, he called him *ajeossi* [mister/uncle], but since he became a friend’s father, it was natural for the title to change.

Of course, it wasn’t easy to change the title from the beginning. But he thought it would be better for his friend Lee Jung-woo, so he did so.

“Yes, so I don’t think you’re the one to talk about stubbornness. Don’t you think so?”

“Haha, is that how it turns out again?”

“Of course.”

“Since you say so, I have nothing to say. By the way, how is Jung-woo doing these days?”

Strictly speaking, Shin Myung-soon’s words were all correct, so Hyun-sung quickly changed the subject.

Then, Shin Myung-soon smiled brightly and continued.

“He’s very excited these days. After hearing from the hospital that he’ll be able to walk without much problem after the surgery, he’s completely changed.”

“Changed? How?”

“First of all, he’s full of confidence. He smiles a lot more than before. And most of all, I think his perspective on the world has changed, and I like that the most.”

Hyun-sung nodded.

Why wouldn’t he? He thought he would have to live with a disability for the rest of his life, but now he can live a somewhat normal life if he has surgery, so the joy is hard to express.

Hyun-sung opened his mouth with a smile on his face.

“He’ll have more than enough. It’ll probably feel like living in a different world.”

“That’s right. That’s why I feel good just looking at Jung-woo’s eyes these days. In fact, I couldn’t say it until now, but as a mother, I felt guilty for the rest of my life, but I’m so relieved that I can relieve it even a little bit like this…”

Shin Myung-soon trailed off and brought the coffee cup to her lips. It was a part where he fully understood how much she had been suffering mentally without being able to say it.

As Hyun-sung nodded silently, Shin Myung-soon put down the coffee cup and continued.

“And I was surprised once again by you this time.”

“Me?”

“Yes, the Chairman told me to pretend I didn’t know, but I can’t do that. How could you readily offer such a large sum of money, not just a few pennies, but 15 million won [approximately $11,000 USD], for the surgery?”

“Ah, that. It’s because it’s Jung-woo. I wouldn’t be able to do that if it were someone else. It’s possible because it’s Jung-woo.”

“No, our Jung-woo has always only received help from you, so what…”

“No. There’s a secret between us that *eomeoni* [mother] doesn’t know. So, you don’t have to worry about that at all.”

That’s right.

In his previous life, Lee Jung-woo was the one who lent him the money he needed to remodel the rental store into a manga cafe. He even broke his only savings account to do so.

In this world, how many friends would break their savings account to help a friend, no matter how difficult they were?

Shin Myung-soon lowered her head and continued.

“Since you say so, I can’t say anything more, but I’ll never forget this grace. In fact, you’re like a savior to our mother and son. When I was kicked out by the landlord, and this time with Jung-woo’s matter… I’m just grateful and thankful.”

“I’m just as grateful. If *eomeoni* wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be able to run the store so stably now. So, you shouldn’t feel any burden at all. Got it?”

“*Sajangnim*, really… Thank you, even if it’s just *binmal* [empty words/flattery].”

Hyun-sung looked at Shin Myung-soon and shook his head lightly.

“I’m not the type to say *binmal*. Then, I’ll be going now. I have to leave around now to catch the first bus to Wonju.”

“Ah, that’s right! You said you were going to Gangneung today, right?”

“Yes, I have to hurry to go there and back.”

“Yes, quickly… Oh! I heard a strange story from the *samgeori* [three-way intersection] supermarket owner on the way here a little while ago.”

“A strange story?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head.

Then, Shin Myung-soon immediately opened her mouth.

“You know the *samgeori* ramen shop, right?”

“You mean Mr. Min from the ramen shop?”

“Yes, that’s right. That Mr. Min and Mr. Choi who works there were taken to the hospital this morning.”

“Yes? What do you mean? Taken away? Even in the morning?”

“The supermarket owner said they seemed to have been beaten by someone. But it seems like they were beaten pretty badly. The 119 ambulance [emergency services] came and took them away.”

It was hard for Hyun-sung to understand.

They weren’t one or two years old, and they wouldn’t have fought at that time, but it was hard to understand that they were beaten and taken away in an ambulance.

Then, Shin Myung-soon spoke again.

“But the strange thing is that they didn’t bleed a drop even though they were beaten like that. They only had fractures in their legs and arms, so it seems like experts did it…”

“Experts?”

“Isn’t it strange? Their arms and legs were all broken, but they didn’t bleed a drop.”

“That’s true. At that level, they won’t be able to do business, but that’s not what I should be doing. I’ll be going now because of the bus time.”

“Yes, okay. Be careful on your way.”

Hyun-sung said goodbye to Shin Myung-soon and came out of the store.

‘Experts?’

Hyun-sung tilted his head as he walked to the terminal. And at that time, two people were following Hyun-sung at a certain distance.

One of them spoke first.

“Mr. Kim said he’d give us a special bonus of 100,000 won [approximately $75 USD] each, right?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Where else can you find a position like this? When you go on a business trip to the provinces, you don’t have to worry about the *bujangnim* [department head], you can eat whatever you want, and you even get a special bonus for doing a good job.”

“I’m telling you, it seems like that kid is the Chairman’s *geosigi* [something important/favorite].”

“Who cares, we just have to protect that kid until we graduate. We’re living the good life during that time.”

“He said he was going to Gangneung today, right?”

“Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s follow him for now. Make sure to keep a certain distance so we don’t get caught.”

“Okay, that’s nothing. I can’t believe I’m doing this after coming out of the UDT [Underwater Demolition Team]… Hehe.”

The two laughed and hurried their steps.

***

Having arrived in Gangneung, Hyun-sung headed to Chodang-dong next to Gyeongpo Beach. To be more precise, it is Chodang Tofu Village.

“Hoo!”

Hyun-sung took a deep breath as soon as he arrived at the entrance of Tofu Village.

There is only one reason to be here. To meet someone.

Yu Bok-soon.

The mother of his wife, Yoon Ji-soo, that is, his mother-in-law.

Until he regressed, he would visit his mother-in-law every fall and stay for 2 nights and 3 days. He couldn’t come during the summer vacation because he was busy doing business, so he would come down in the fall after everyone else’s vacation was over.

If you go a little further, you will find Gyeongpo Beach and Gangmun Beach, so there is no better place to escape the city and relax.

But the problem is whether his mother-in-law is here now.

In fact, he came here last winter vacation as well. But his mother-in-law was not there at that time either. The reason is that she has not yet moved here.

His mother-in-law’s original hometown is Jangseong, Jeollanam-do [South Jeolla Province].

Unfortunately, he doesn’t know when his mother-in-law moved here.

He first met his wife, Yoon Ji-soo, at the age of 30, 11 years from now. At that time, his mother-in-law was already doing business here, so it is natural that Hyun-sung doesn’t know when his mother-in-law moved here.

“Will she be there today?”

Hyun-sung hurried his steps again.

After walking for a while, Hyun-sung stopped. Then he turned around.

‘What is it?’

He had a strange feeling from the moment he arrived at the terminal this morning. It was the feeling that someone was following him.

But the strange thing was that when he took the bus to Wonju, the two people who were following him were also on the same bus. But up to that point, he thought it could be a coincidence.

But those two people also boarded the bus from Wonju to Gangneung. And now they have followed him all the way here.

‘Who on earth is it…’

No matter how he thought about it, there was no one who would follow him. It’s not like he committed any crime.

He didn’t want to pay attention to it, but he couldn’t help but pay attention to it. But it was a bit ambiguous to ask, so Hyun-sung, who decided to watch a little more, moved his stopped steps again.

Thud.

After walking for about 10 minutes.

A tiled house appeared on the right side of the road.

Under the eaves, the sign he saw in winter was still there.

-Grandma’s Chodang Tofu.

But that sign did not change even when his mother-in-law was doing business.

In the end, the only way to check is to go inside yourself.

Hyun-sung moved his steps into the store.

“Welcome.”