Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 370

370

I met Lee Hye-sun again the next day.

Of course, she didn’t remember what she had said the day before. And of course, there was no way to confirm whether she was telling the truth.

But I was actually relieved she didn’t remember. If she had brought up the previous day’s conversation seriously, it would have been even more awkward for Hyun-sung.

And I learned two more things about her.

One was something Hyun-sung himself had been curious about: why Lee Hye-sun, with her excellent grades, had chosen Kangsang University instead of Korea University.

The reason was her parents. She didn’t want to leave her two elderly parents alone and move to Seoul.

To be honest, hearing that changed my perception of Lee Hye-sun. At her age, most people would prioritize their future above all else, but she was different. It wasn’t a matter of right or wrong, just a reflection of her caring nature.

The other thing I learned was that ‘Gyeongpodae Raw Fish Restaurant’ was owned by her parents. Given that it was the largest restaurant of its kind in Gyeongpodae, it meant they were quite wealthy in Gangneung.

***

A few days later.

After class, Hyun-sung left the lecture hall with Jo Young-min, heading towards the library.

Lee Eun-ji from the German Language and Literature Department was walking with her friends to class, but Lee Hye-sun, who was usually with her, was nowhere to be seen.

It was a delicate situation to inquire about.

But then Lee Eun-ji spoke first.

“Did class end?”

“Yeah, all done for today. There was supposed to be one more, but the professor had an emergency and canceled it.”

“Really? Then, if you have time, could you call Hye-sun?”

“Hye-sun? What do you mean? Didn’t she come to school today?”

“No, I waited just in case, but she hasn’t shown up. I still have classes. I’m just asking in case something happened.”

“Okay, I got it. I’m heading to the library, so I’ll try calling her. Do you have her number?”

Hyun-sung got the number from Lee Eun-ji and continued towards the library.

Jo Young-min, walking beside him, looked at Hyun-sung and asked, “What’s the deal between you three?”

“What deal? What are you talking about?”

“It’s weird. Two girls and one guy. But it also seems so natural. I can’t wrap my head around it.”

Heh.

Hyun-sung chuckled.

Of course, he knew what Jo Young-min was implying. But for Hyun-sung, it didn’t feel strange at all.

The reason was simple: no matter how much they looked like peers, mentally, there was a difference of over 30 years. As a result, neither Lee Hye-sun nor Lee Eun-ji registered as ‘women’ in Hyun-sung’s mind.

Hyun-sung said casually, “We’re just friends.”

“So, that’s possible? I don’t get it. Are you impotent or something?”

“What? You son of a…”

Hyun-sung was speechless, completely dumbfounded. Of course, if he hadn’t regressed, it wouldn’t have been easy for Hyun-sung to be ‘just friends’ with them. But the problem was, there was no way to explain that.

In the meantime, they arrived in front of the library.

Hyun-sung said, “I’ll make a call and then go in, so head in first.”

“Hey, look over there and say that.”

Hyun-sung followed Jo Young-min’s gaze. There were five people waiting in line in front of a public telephone.

Back then, it was a common sight, but as a regressor, Hyun-sung still couldn’t get used to it. It was a moment when he desperately missed having a cell phone.

Hyun-sung walked to the coffee vending machine, inserted a 100-won coin, and got two cups of coffee.

He handed a cup to Jo Young-min and asked, “How’s the Gosi [preparatory] class going?”

“To be honest, I only joined because you recommended it, but I can’t really focus since it’s still the beginning of the semester. And I don’t even know if I’m good enough to take the certified public accountant exam. When I looked into it, there wasn’t even one senior from our school who passed.”

“That’s why we’re important. Like I said a few days ago, don’t worry about other subjects right now and just focus on English. You can start the other subjects after you come back from military service anyway.”

In his previous life, Jo Young-min had started preparing for the certified public accountant exam in the second semester of his sophomore year, after returning from the military. As a result, he had to give up his studies and get a job after graduation.

He had wanted to study more, but difficult family circumstances forced him to choose a job. That’s why he always regretted not setting his goal earlier.

Knowing this, Hyun-sung had actively encouraged Jo Young-min to join the Gosi class. Of course, it was possible because he knew Jo Young-min had the aptitude.

Jo Young-min continued, “Okay. I’m trusting you on this, so please take care of me in the future.”

“Okay, don’t worry. If you do as I say, you’ll pass the exam the year you graduate, so just trust me and follow my lead.”

“If that really happens, I won’t have any regrets. Ah, it’s great just to imagine it.”

A smile spread across Jo Young-min’s face. He was the guy who had stayed with me for three nights at my father’s funeral. At the time, I had just said thank you, but now it was different. There was still plenty of time, and I knew what he wanted, and how to achieve it.

Hyun-sung smiled and held out his fist.

“Let’s work hard together!”

“Okay. Let’s make a great start, like you said!”

Jo Young-min bumped his fist against Hyun-sung’s. Then he nodded and smiled brightly.

Soon it was Hyun-sung’s turn to use the public telephone.

Hyun-sung inserted a coin and dialed the number Lee Eun-ji had given him.

Drrr, drrr.

The call was answered after only two rings.

-Hello!

A hurried voice came through the receiver. It was Son Mi-jeong, Lee Eun-ji’s mother. But something was off about her voice. Even at first glance, I could sense the urgency.

Hyun-sung identified himself first.

“Hello. This is Kim Hyun-sung. I was with Hye-sun a few days ago…”

-Our Hye-sun…!

Before Hyun-sung could finish, Son Mi-jeong’s voice interrupted again, even more urgent than before. Hyun-sung had a strong feeling that something was wrong.

Hyun-sung’s voice quickened.

“What’s wrong with Hye-sun? What’s going on?”

-……She’s gone!

“Yes? What do you mean?”

-I have another call to make, so I’ll hang up now…

Click.

Son Mi-jeong hung up the phone.

Hyun-sung’s expression hardened completely.

‘What is it?’

She clearly said Lee Hye-sun was gone. That meant one of two things: running away from home, or…

Hyun-sung’s thoughts stopped there.

“I have to go somewhere…”

Hyun-sung started to say something to Jo Young-min, but then just ran off.

Thump, thump.

He saw a student getting out of a taxi in front of the library. Hyun-sung ran over and immediately got into the taxi.

“Ajusshi [Taxi driver], Gyeongpodae. Quickly!”

The taxi sped away from Kangsang University towards Gyeongpodae.

After a while.

Hyun-sung arrived at Gyeongpodae Raw Fish Restaurant and ran straight inside. There were no other customers on the first floor, only Lee Seung-cheol, Lee Hye-sun’s father, and Son Mi-jeong, her mother, standing by the phone with anxious expressions.

Hyun-sung looked at Son Mi-jeong and asked, “What’s going on?”

“Our Hye, Hye-sun…”

Son Mi-jeong couldn’t finish her sentence.

Hyun-sung had no choice but to ask Lee Seung-cheol, who was standing next to her.

“What happened?”

“Th, that’s…”

Lee Seung-cheol began to explain the situation in a trembling voice. As he spoke, Hyun-sung’s expression turned to disbelief.

Lee Hye-sun had disappeared last night.

She had left the restaurant around 8 p.m. to go home and hadn’t been in contact since.

But it wasn’t just a simple disappearance; it was an abduction. And what was even more unbelievable was what he said next.

This wasn’t the first time, but the third time.

Hyun-sung asked immediately, “Did you report it to the police?”

“No!”

Lee Seung-cheol shook his head violently and shouted firmly.

Hyun-sung was so surprised by his reaction that he was speechless.

After a moment, Hyun-sung regained his composure and asked again, “Yes? What do you mean, you can’t?”

“If I report it, I might never see Hye-sun again…!”

Lee Seung-cheol’s voice was trembling severely. Even so, he kept glancing at the phone.

Hyun-sung asked again, “Did you get a call from the culprit?”

“It came an hour ago. He said he’d call again at 6 o’clock if I had the money ready.”

“Money?”

Lee Seung-cheol nodded.

The kind of thing I’d only seen in dramas and movies was happening right in front of my eyes. Hyun-sung couldn’t believe it, even as he was hearing it directly.

“What time will he call again?”

“6 o’clock.”

Looking at the clock, there were about 30 minutes left.

Hyun-sung asked again, “You said this is the third time?”

“Yes, it always happens like this every two years.”

“Is the method the same?”

Lee Seung-cheol nodded again.

Hyun-sung tilted his head.

‘The method is the same?’

Then there was a high probability that the culprit was the same person. But for some reason, something felt clumsy about it.

Logically, unless you’re a fool, it doesn’t make sense to use the same method to commit a crime, especially repeatedly.

‘Repeat?’

Hyun-sung looked at Lee Seung-cheol and asked, “You said a little while ago that it happens every two years?”

“That’s right. It was when Hye-sun was in the third grade of middle school, the second time was in the second grade of high school, and this is the third time.”

“Middle school 3rd grade, high school 2nd grade, and this time? It’s really exactly every two years.”

Tok, tok.

Hyun-sung tapped his head lightly with his finger.

It was a habit he had when he was worried about something.

‘Every two years…’

Then there was a high probability that the culprit wouldn’t stop this time. Maybe, if he didn’t get caught, he’d commit the same crime for the rest of his life.

In the end, the culprit’s goal was money. A long-term scheme, like boiling bones to make broth. Well, if you don’t get caught, there’s no better way to make money.

Then the problem now was the amount. How much money was the culprit demanding?

Hyun-sung asked again, “Is the amount the culprit demands the same every time?”

“Not really. The first time was a hundred, the second time was a hundred and twenty, and this time it’s a hundred and forty.”

“Yes?”

Hyun-sung doubted his ears for a moment.

Until a little while ago, he had thought the culprit’s goal was money. But if what Lee Seung-cheol said was true, then that was a different story.

Hyun-sung asked again to confirm the amount.

“So you’re saying that the first time was one million won [about $800 USD], the second time was one million two hundred thousand won, and this time it’s one million four hundred thousand won?”

“That’s right.”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but tilt his head.

Of course, one million won was not a small amount back then. But it seemed questionable to kidnap someone for that amount.

And what was even harder to understand was the amount demanded the second and third time.

The amount increased by 200,000 won every two years, and Hyun-sung couldn’t understand the amount that seemed to reflect the inflation rate.

If the purpose was money, this couldn’t be the case. And Lee Seung-cheol’s family was a well-known wealthy family in Gangneung. The culprit must have known that, even after committing the crime three times. Then the conclusion was clear: this wasn’t about money.

Then…

After thinking for a while, Hyun-sung looked at Lee Seung-cheol and said, “It’s strange.”

“Strange? What do you mean?”

“The culprit’s goal isn’t money. If it was, he wouldn’t demand it in this way, while even kidnapping someone.”

“That’s what I’ve been thinking too. That’s why I’m so anxious. I’d rather give him as much money as he wants if he just asked. But it’s not that, and it keeps repeating like this…”

Lee Seung-cheol looked like he was about to burst into tears. How could he not? She was his only child, born after he was in his mid-40s, and she had been kidnapped not once or twice, but three times.

It was the same with Son Mi-jeong next to him. Her eyes were already wet.

Hyun-sung looked at them and slowly said, “Hye-sun will be safe.”

“Huh? What do you mean? You mean our Hye-sun will be safe?”

“The culprit’s goal isn’t a lot of money, and he doesn’t intend to harm Hye-sun. He just needs that much money right now. But the problem is what happens next.”

“What happens next?”

Lee Seung-cheol stared intently at Hyun-sung.

Hyun-sung continued, “Yes, if you give him the money this time, Hye-sun will come back safely. But the problem is two years from now.”

“Two years from now?”

“Yes, if it’s the same pattern as now, the culprit will do the same thing again.”

“No, that can’t happen! If that happens, the two of us…”

Thump, thump.

Lee Seung-cheol stopped talking and hit his chest hard with his fist. He didn’t want to experience it again.

Looking at Lee Seung-cheol, Hyun-sung said, “So, no matter what happens this time, you have to catch the culprit.”

“Is there any way…?”

“You have to report it to the police. You have to catch him this time, no matter what.”

Then Son Mi-jeong’s voice rang out, “I can’t! I don’t trust those guys!”