Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 347

347

“The meal is ready.”

The person most pleased by that statement was Hyun-sung. Naturally, his response was loud.

“Yes!”

A moment later, the table was set.

Rice, five side dishes, two types of stew, and a plate of buckwheat pancakes were neatly arranged.

It seemed only Hyun-sung appreciated the spread. The other three wore expressions that clearly telegraphed, “What is this?”

“Please try this before you eat anything else,” Hyun-sung said to Chairman Shin Chun-oh, pointing to the buckwheat pancakes.

Shin Chun-oh asked without picking up his chopsticks, “What is that?”

“You don’t know buckwheat pancakes?”

“Oh? That’s *buckwheat pancake*?” Shin Chun-oh finally reacted, likely because the color differed from what he was used to.

“The color will be different from what you eat in the city. This is made with 100% buckwheat. The taste will definitely be different, too. Please, try it.”

When Hyun-sung urged him again, Shin Chun-oh finally picked up his chopsticks and took a small piece of the buckwheat pancake to his mouth.

Chew, chew.

‘Hmm…’

Shin Chun-oh tilted his head. It definitely tasted different from the buckwheat pancakes he ate in Seoul. It was somewhat bland, or rather, a subtle taste. But strangely, he didn’t dislike it.

Swish.

Shin Chun-oh quickly took another chopstick of buckwheat pancake to his mouth.

Chew, chew.

‘Is *this* the taste?’

The taste was definitely different from his first bite. Initially bland, the second time, he could taste the unique, savory flavor of buckwheat.

“How is it?”

“Hmm… honestly, I wasn’t sure at first, but after the second bite, I can definitely tell the difference. What should I say… it’s not a strong taste, but it’s savory and deep, and I think I can feel that unique taste. But I like it. The aftertaste is clean, too.”

“That’s right. That’s the taste of buckwheat. It’s not strong, it’s a mild taste, but the lingering taste lasts a long time. And especially this buckwheat is good for our blood vessels, right? That’s why older people like it more.”

“Haha, is that so? But how does a young friend like you know that?”

“Don’t you call me an old soul?”

“Haha, does that work that way, too?”

Shin Chun-oh laughed lightly.

In his past life, one of Hyun-sung’s interests was the efficacy of food. Naturally, he came to know the benefits of various foods. He hadn’t expected to use that knowledge like this again.

“Manager and Driver, please try it, too. It will definitely be different from what you eat in Seoul.”

“Oh, okay. I’m going to eat a precious food thanks to Hyun-sung.”

The two began to eat buckwheat pancakes as if they had made a pact.

After a couple of bites, Manager Kim Young-woo nodded and said, “Chairman is right. It’s definitely different from the buckwheat pancakes I ate in Seoul. The rustic taste subtly stimulates the appetite.”

“Right? It’s not soft, but that taste makes you want to eat more.”

“I can definitely feel a deep taste.”

As Driver Choi Jin-young joined in the praise, Shin Chun-oh smiled and looked at Hyun-sung.

“Thank you for letting me eat such a precious food.”

“You’re welcome. This time, please wrap these greens in the buckwheat pancake and eat it.”

“What kind of greens are those?”

“They’re hardy kiwi shoots.”

“Hardy kiwi shoots?”

“These hardy kiwi shoots are usually harvested from late April to early May…”

Hyun-sung’s explanation continued, and Shin Chun-oh nodded repeatedly and smiled. When Hyun-sung finished, he immediately asked, “So, these hardy kiwi shoots are especially good for the stomach, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. And they’re rich in vitamin C, so they’re especially good for relieving spring fatigue.”

“I didn’t know you had this talent, too… anyway, it’s a subject of research. So, you’re telling me to wrap these greens in this buckwheat pancake and eat it, right?”

“Yes, if you eat it, you’ll be able to taste something different from just the buckwheat pancake.”

As soon as Hyun-sung finished speaking, the three began to wrap hardy kiwi shoots in buckwheat pancakes and eat them as if they had made a promise.

Crunch, crunch.

After a moment, Shin Chun-oh spoke first.

“What is this aftertaste?”

“Do you feel a subtle sweetness?”

“That’s what I’m saying! I didn’t taste that at all when I only ate the buckwheat pancake earlier. But this time, the aftertaste is refreshing, and there’s even a faint sweetness. Do these hardy kiwi shoots have a sweet taste?”

“Yes, that’s right. Hardy kiwi shoots are rare among spring greens for having a sweet taste. That’s why people here harvest a lot of them in the spring. Then they boil and dry them and eat them all year round.”

“What is this?” This time, Manager Kim Young-woo pointed to the plantain greens and asked.

Hyun-sung’s explanation continued, and the three nodded, looking at Hyun-sung with amazement.

After that, all five side dishes were evaluated in a similar fashion, with three questions and answers repeated for each.

Hyun-sung’s lips curved into a smile as he watched their expressions, so different from when they had first received the meal.

Then, Shin Chun-oh pointed to the stew and asked, “This tofu must have been made here, too, right?”

“Of course. They probably made it this morning. Would you like to try it? How is the taste of Seoul tofu different from Gangwon-do [province known for its tofu] tofu?”

As soon as Hyun-sung finished speaking, Shin Chun-oh immediately cut off a piece of tofu and brought it to his mouth.

Munch, munch.

Before Shin Chun-oh had even swallowed, he pointed to the tofu stew and mumbled to Manager Kim Young-woo and Driver Choi Jin-young, “Woo, woo, woo, woo!”

No one misunderstood what that meant.

The two began to taste the tofu stew at the same time.

This time, Driver Choi Jin-young spoke first. “Oh…!”

That was all he said. Then he immediately raised his thumb.

Shin Chun-oh, who was eating the tofu stew like crazy, looked at the stew next to it and asked, “What is this?”

“It’s soybean paste stew.”

“Soybean paste stew?”

“Don’t you know soybean paste stew?”

“Isn’t soybean paste the residue left over from making tofu?”

Hyun-sung smiled and continued, “It’s not residue, it’s a by-product. Haven’t you ever eaten soybean paste stew?”

“No, I think I’ve eaten it once, but I don’t think it tasted very good at that time. The texture is rough, so it’s not to my taste…”

“What you ate, Chairman, was probably *raw* soybean paste stew. This is completely different. This is fermented soybean paste.”

“Fermented soybean paste?”

“Yes, if you ferment soybean paste like you ferment *cheonggukjang* [a pungent fermented soybean stew], the taste will be completely different. Please try it; I think you’ll like it the most.”

“Is that so…?”

Shin Chun-oh carefully took about half a spoonful of soybean paste stew and brought it to his mouth.

Munch, munch.

Swish!

Shin Chun-oh’s spoon began to move quickly toward the soybean paste stew.

Thirty minutes later…

Slurp.

Shin Chun-oh, who had finished drinking the scorched rice water [숭늉, *sungnyung*], lightly patted his stomach.

Tap tap.

Hyun-sung smiled at the sight and asked, “How was it?”

“What words are needed? Look at this stomach!”

Shin Chun-oh slightly stuck out his bulging stomach.

Hyun-sung nodded. “That’s a relief. I was worried because you said you had no appetite.”

“I definitely knew.”

“Yes? Know? What are you talking about?”

“That being rich is not always good. Have you ever heard of poverty in the midst of plenty?”

How could he not know? But Hyun-sung asked, knowing that pretending not to know was the art of conversation.

“Poverty in the midst of plenty? What is that?”

“Haha, is there anything you don’t know?”

“Chairman, really… what are you talking about? Of course, there are more things I don’t know. But what is it?”

“That word originally came from economics, but these days…”

Shin Chun-oh’s explanation continued. Hyun-sung also felt that way sometimes in his past life. Especially when he went to a buffet, the thought that came to his mind was ‘poverty in the midst of plenty.’ No matter how many kinds of food there are, it’s meaningless if there’s nothing that suits your taste. And the same goes for TV channels. Even if there are hundreds of channels, that’s the feeling you get when there’s nothing to watch when you actually try to watch it.

When Shin Chun-oh’s explanation was over, Hyun-sung immediately picked up the thread. “So, in the end, that word means the degree of satisfaction, right?”

“That’s right. No matter how many kinds of food there are, it’s meaningless if it doesn’t suit my taste. On the contrary, if you eat a few side dishes and two kinds of stew so deliciously that you can see the bottom of the bowls, like today, that’s the best.”

“Ah, yes…”

“Especially this soybean paste stew that I ate last; I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. I think I’ll come down here sometimes just for that. Anyway, thank you so much for letting me eat such a wonderful meal today. And…”

Shin Chun-oh paused and then continued, “It reminded me of my deceased mother for a moment.”

“Mother?”

“Yes, because of the soybean paste stew. If my mother were alive, she would have liked that soft taste so much. I’ve never tasted this in Seoul.”

Hyun-sung nodded silently.

A faint smile spread across his lips.

Before he was a company representative, he smiled at Shin Chun-oh’s human side, thinking of his mother after eating soybean paste stew.

Then, Shin Chun-oh looked at Manager Kim Young-woo. “Manager Kim, that thing…”

“Yes, here it is.” Manager Kim Young-woo handed a bag to Shin Chun-oh, who then handed it to Hyun-sung. “Take this.”

“What is this?”

“Check it out yourself.”

Click.

Hyun-sung opened the bag and checked the contents. It contained something he hadn’t expected: practice questions for the 1988 college entrance exam.

“What is this?”

“As you can see, it’s a set of practice questions. I remembered what you said on the phone last time, so I prepared it specially.”

“Oh, you remembered that?”

It was probably about two months ago that he had briefly complained while talking to Chairman Shin Chun-oh about the poor educational environment in the countryside, saying that it was difficult to even get mock exam questions, let alone attend academies. Shin Chun-oh had remembered and brought the practice questions now.

“I asked some talented friends to put it together, so it should be quite useful. I hope it will be of some help to you and the friends around you who you felt sorry for.”

“Thank you so much. It will be a lot of help. No, I will definitely make sure it is.”

“Haha, thank you. I feel rewarded that you accepted it so gratefully. And take this, too.”

This time, Shin Chun-oh handed over a document envelope.

“What is this again?”

“It’s an entrance gift.”

“Yes? An entrance gift? No, I haven’t even taken the exam yet…”

Hyun-sung stopped and checked the document envelope. Surprisingly, it contained a one-room apartment lease agreement.

The address of the apartment was what was funny.

Sillim-dong. Hyun-sung couldn’t possibly not know what Sillim-dong symbolized: a neighborhood known for its many *hagwons* [private cram schools] and students preparing for university entrance exams.

“What is this?”

“Didn’t I say it was an entrance gift? It won’t take you a few minutes to get to school from there, so you won’t be late.”

Hyun-sung forcibly suppressed his laughter.

It was too obvious which school Shin Chun-oh was talking about.

Korea University.

One of the best in Korea.

A place he couldn’t even dare to look at in his past life.

Reason?

The reason was simple: his test scores weren’t high enough. It was a score he couldn’t even imagine.

The magic 300s score.

But now…?

It was within reach.

But the problem was that Hyun-sung’s thoughts had changed. In his past life, he wanted to go but couldn’t, but now he didn’t feel the need to go to Korea University.

Swish.

Hyun-sung handed the document envelope back to Shin Chun-oh.

Then he said, “I’m not interested in Korea University.”

“…”