Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 369

369

[Gyeongpodae Raw Fish Restaurant]

Hyun-sung’s eyes were drawn to the sign of a raw fish restaurant.

It was the very place he’d first seen upon regaining consciousness after being rescued by the coast guard two years prior. The huge sign stood out, even from a distance.

“It’s really big.”

And it wasn’t just the sign. The raw fish restaurant itself was enormous, roughly over 2,800 square feet [approximately 260 square meters, a ‘pyeong’ is a Korean unit of area]. It occupied the entire first and second floors.

Then, something else caught Hyun-sung’s eye: the container across from the restaurant, only about 100 feet [30 meters] away.

He’d visited it during summer vacation last year, so the memory was clear.

Step.

Hyun-sung changed direction and headed toward the container, the space used by the coast guard.

As expected, the container was tightly closed. Being a private organization that only operated during the peak summer season, it was currently deserted.

Taptap.

Hyun-sung lightly tapped the container twice.

Even though no rescue team members were present, it was a gesture of gratitude. He felt grateful even for the container where their presence seemed to linger, thinking that he was alive now thanks to them. Having visited last summer, he felt less regret, but he was still a bit disappointed that no one was there.

At that very moment,

On the second floor of the raw fish restaurant, two people were observing Hyun-sung’s actions.

“Is that the student?”

“Yes.”

“That’s the top student, right?”

“Yes, Mom.”

The two people talking were Lee Hye-sun and her mother, Son Mi-jeong.

Son Mi-jeong asked again,

“What’s so great about him?”

“At first, I was just curious because he was the top student, but now I just like him. Sometimes he’s cute.”

“Cute? He looks tall to me. I don’t see any cute side.”

“That’s because Mom doesn’t know him. If you watch what he does, he’s very cute.”

“Hoo…”

A sigh escaped Son Mi-jeong’s lips involuntarily.

She wouldn’t trade her daughter for anything, especially since she was an only child.

For over ten years after marriage, she couldn’t conceive. She thought it was fate and was giving up.

But then, one day, a miracle happened.

When she was 42, one autumn day, she went to the hospital for indigestion and heard unbelievable words from the doctor.

She was pregnant.

She had such a precious child.

Despite being an older mother, Hye-sun grew up well without any problems and excelled at her studies.

Based on her grades alone, she was qualified to attend Korea University [one of the most prestigious universities in South Korea]. But she insisted on staying in Gangneung. Parents can’t win against their children, so she had no choice but to respect her wishes.

That’s how she took the entrance exam this year, and Son Mi-jeong thought securing the top spot was a sure thing.

But she came in second.

And it was just a few days ago that she went to a meeting and met the top student.

But the problem started after that. At first, she thought he was just a nerdy student who only studied because he was the top student, but when she actually saw him, he was completely different from what she expected. Then, she suddenly started liking that student and started pursuing him.

It was absurd, but she couldn’t just ignore it. In fact, that was even more unsettling. That’s why she decided to bring him to the restaurant and observe him, while concealing their family’s status.

Son Mi-jeong said,

“But what’s he doing at that container?”

“Well, I don’t know either. I’ll ask him later.”

Just then, Hyun-sung turned away from the container and started walking toward the restaurant.

Lee Hye-sun said urgently,

“Mom, you remember the sashimi I told you about, right? And be careful not to make it obvious. Actually, this feels like a betrayal to Hyun-sung, but I’m only doing it because Mom and Dad asked me to.”

“What? Only doing it once? When were you begging?”

“Shh! Mom, Hyun-sung is coming in.”

At that moment, Hyun-sung opened the door and entered.

Son Mi-jeong stood up from her seat with the menu and said,

“Welcome.”

Hyun-sung slightly bowed his head in response to Son Mi-jeong’s greeting and sat across from Lee Hye-sun, saying,

“I thought we were just going to eat. Why a raw fish restaurant all of a sudden?”

“I really love sashimi. I’ve eaten a lot of it since I was little, so I always crave it.”

“Since you were little? Do your parents run a raw fish restaurant?”

“Huh? Oh, no.”

Lee Hye-sun couldn’t help but be surprised by Hyun-sung’s sudden question. She felt like a thief caught red-handed.

Then Hyun-sung asked again,

“Then does your father at least own a fishing boat?”

“Huh? A boat? How did you… know?”

Lee Hye-sun was dumbfounded even as she answered. She’d just said she’d eaten sashimi since she was young without thinking, but she hadn’t realized it would corner her like this.

Hyun-sung’s words followed immediately.

“You said you’ve been eating it since you were young. If it’s not a raw fish restaurant, what else could it be but a boat?”

“Ah, right…”

Lee Hye-sun had no choice but to nod, as Hyun-sung’s logic was sound. On the other hand, Lee Seung-cheol, Lee Hye-sun’s father, was suddenly demoted from a raw fish restaurant owner to a boatman because of his daughter’s lie.

Hyun-sung asked immediately,

“Have you ordered?”

“I did. I ordered a large assorted sashimi platter. Is that okay?”

“Huh? Large?”

“Yeah, I really like sashimi.”

“Oh, okay… good choice.”

Hyun-sung nodded. A large size was a lot for two people, but he didn’t want to be rude since she’d already ordered. And Hyun-sung also liked sashimi quite a bit, so he figured it was better to have too much than not enough.

Just then, Son Mi-jeong arrived with a three-tiered cart laden with food.

It was an array of side dishes, the kind people often talk about.

As expected, the amount was considerable, just like before.

He had been here several times in his past life, drawn by the size of the restaurant and the abundance of side dishes. It wasn’t just a few token dishes. No matter where he went, he had never seen so many side dishes served like here. Yet, the price of the sashimi wasn’t higher than other places.

Students’ wallets are always light, so it was natural to seek out places with generous portions.

Still, as a raw fish restaurant, it was more expensive than other options, so he only came once or twice a year for department events or special occasions.

Hyun-sung said, looking at the food that filled the table,

“The side dishes are still amazing.”

“Still? Have you been here before?”

“Yes? Oh, last year. I came here once with my friends when I visited Gyeongpodae. I was surprised by the amount of side dishes back then, too.”

They say practice makes perfect, and Hyun-sung was becoming quite skilled at lying.

At that moment, Lee Hye-sun said,

“Give me beer… too.”

“Yes?”

Son Mi-jeong was momentarily flustered.

Alcohol might seem harmless, but it’s easy to make mistakes if you’ve never had it before.

She had never seen her daughter drink alcohol. Hye-sun had always refused whenever there was a chance to drink at home. So, she was naturally surprised when she suddenly ordered alcohol.

But she couldn’t say anything, because Lee Hye-sun was sitting here as a guest, not as her daughter.

Son Mi-jeong wasn’t the only one surprised by Lee Hye-sun’s order.

Hyun-sung was equally taken aback.

At first, he thought they were just going to have a simple meal, but unexpectedly, she chose a raw fish restaurant.

Even if he couldn’t object to that, he clearly sensed a hesitant feeling in her voice when she ordered beer as soon as the food arrived. He could tell she was subtly hinting that she didn’t have much experience with alcohol.

She had come to the front of the lecture hall for three consecutive days. And now, straight to a raw fish restaurant, and now even alcohol.

There’s such a thing as a gut feeling. Intuition or insight, there are times when you can just sense things without being told.

He felt that this was exactly one of those moments.

Deliberately.

Lee Hye-sun was deliberately creating this situation. He didn’t know exactly what her purpose was, but he was sure she had one.

What did she want to say so badly that she was willing to use alcohol to do it?

Hyun-sung thought this wasn’t good. He had an uneasy feeling that he might get into trouble today.

It’s best to avoid a downpour.

However, if you block it completely, the opposite effect might be greater. Hyun-sung knew that in this case, you just needed to adjust the level appropriately.

Hyun-sung said, looking at Son Mi-jeong,

“Just one bottle of beer, and I’ll have a cider.”

“What?”

Lee Hye-sun glared at Hyun-sung. It was a different expression from the smiling one she’d worn until now.

But Hyun-sung wasn’t the type to be intimidated by that.

“How can a student who is studying drink alcohol in broad daylight?”

“What?”

“And you’re not good at drinking, are you?”

“How do you know if I’m good at drinking or not?”

“You don’t have to…”

Just then,

As Hyun-sung was about to say more, Son Mi-jeong, who was next to him, interrupted and confirmed the order.

“One beer, one cider, like this?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll be right back…”

Son Mi-jeong hurried toward the refrigerator. She was incredibly relieved to hear Hyun-sung’s suggestion of one bottle of beer, as she had been beside herself with anxiety.

“One bottle should be okay.”

Son Mi-jeong muttered to herself as she took a bottle of beer out of the refrigerator.

But there was one thing that neither Hyun-sung nor Son Mi-jeong knew: Lee Hye-sun’s alcohol tolerance.

After a while,

Hyun-sung asked, looking at Lee Hye-sun, whose face was red,

“Are you okay?”

“Of course, I’m fine…”

Lee Hye-sun’s tongue started to twist slightly.

Hyun-sung was dumbfounded. She had only drunk one glass of beer, yet her face had been red for a while, and now her words were starting to slur.

Taptap.

Hyun-sung tapped the table lightly and said again,

“Lee Hye-sun, get a grip.”

“I’m telling you I’m okay, but, are you that great? Why are you making things so difficult?”

Lee Hye-sun’s words started to drag on more and more.

“Lee Hye-sun!”

Hyun-sung called Lee Hye-sun in a slightly louder voice, hoping to snap her out of it and get out of there quickly.

But words he never expected came out of Lee Hye-sun’s mouth.

“Don’t call my name like that. It makes me so flustered every time…”

“What?”

“Hey, Kim Hyun-sung! Why did you do that that day? Why did you choose Eun-ji instead of me? What do I lack compared to her?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Hyun-sung was utterly dumbfounded.

He’d only met Lee Hye-sun for the first time at the meeting a few days ago.

And she had come to the front of the lecture hall for two days, and today was the third.

Of course, there were circumstances, and he felt sorry. But fortunately, he had time today and thought he needed to talk to her.

It wasn’t a matter of liking or disliking. He just thought he needed to talk because she had been coming to see him.

But Lee Hye-sun’s actions were showing that it wasn’t that simple.

Lee Hye-sun is only twenty years old.

Of course, age doesn’t matter when people meet, but at least the current Hyun-sung is different from other people.

The problem is that she doesn’t know that.

But what’s also important is Lee Hye-sun’s feelings. Although she’s saying it under the influence of alcohol, it doesn’t seem like she’s saying it carelessly.

“Huh…”

Even for Hyun-sung, who is over 50, this situation was just difficult.

At that moment, Son Mi-jeong came and asked Hyun-sung,

“Are you okay?”

Son Mi-jeong’s heart was racing as she asked.

She didn’t know that Lee Hye-sun couldn’t handle alcohol this poorly. It’s understandable since she’s never eaten with her at home, but whatever the reason, as a mother looking at her daughter in this state, she was at a loss.

She can’t reveal that she’s her mother now, and she can’t pretend she doesn’t know, that’s even worse.

Right then, Lee Hye-sun looked at Son Mi-jeong.

“Mom? It’s my mom. Hehe…”

“Oh? Th-that’s…”

Son Mi-jeong was so taken aback that she covered her mouth.

At that moment, Hyun-sung was surprised.

Hyun-sung looked back and forth between the two.

Then he looked at Lee Hye-sun and said in a loud voice,

“Lee Hye-sun, get a grip!”

“You shouldn’t do that, jerk…”

Thud.

That was the end of Lee Hye-sun’s words.