Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 394

394

“What?”

“He passed. I just checked, and Hyun-sung’s name is on the list of successful candidates.”

“Not a namesake [someone with the same name]?”

“No. It’s definitely the Kim Hyun-sung we know. I even checked his application number. Hyun-sung really did it, Chairman!”

Kim Young-woo’s voice was filled with excitement as he answered. It was understandable, considering Hyun-sung had passed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) first exam, a nationally recognized qualification, after only finishing his freshman year.

“Heh, in the end…….”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh was just as excited.

Of course, he had said he believed in Hyun-sung, but he couldn’t honestly say he had no doubts. He knew all too well that the CPA exam was no walk in the park.

“And he’s the youngest ever.”

“The youngest?”

“Yes, Hyun-sung is twenty years old this year, isn’t he? That makes him the youngest in history to pass.”

“I suppose so. He passed right after finishing his freshman year. I didn’t think he’d actually do it, but he’s quite remarkable. By the way, what’s his plan going forward?”

“He said he’s going to visit his hometown for a bit. Apparently, he didn’t even go home after the semester ended last year and immediately dedicated himself to studying.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh nodded, and Kim Young-woo continued.

“And then he’s going to start preparing for the second exam right away.”

“When is the second exam again?”

“June 27th and 28th, over two days.”

“Hmm… so he’s going to finish it this year, just like he said?”

“Yes, it seems so. And then he’s going to join the military right away. He says it’s October 5th, but I can’t believe that part. I don’t understand how he knows a date that even the Military Manpower Administration doesn’t know. I have no idea what he’s basing that on.”

Kim Young-woo shook his head as he spoke. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand that part.

“Hmm… he’s always been unpredictable, so we’ll see about that. Is there anything else unusual?”

“He apparently said something strange while talking to Park Hee-chul a few days before the exam.”

“Park Hee-chul, the person who bought land in Ilsan [a district in Goyang, South Korea] with Hyun-sung? Is that who you mean?”

“Yes, that’s right. You remembered?”

“Either way, he’s the one who helped Hyun-sung get back on his feet from the beginning, isn’t he? Anyway, what did they say to each other?”

“Well…….”

Kim Young-woo hesitated to speak.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh couldn’t wait and asked directly.

“What did they say that you’re hesitating like that? Just tell me.”

“He said there aren’t many days left.”

“Not many days left? What are you talking about?”

“The land in Ilsan, I mean.”

“Land?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s voice suddenly grew louder.

He had been hoping that Ilsan would be included when the government announced the ‘Construction of 2 Million Housing Units’ plan last September.

However, Sanbon, Jungdong, and Pyeongchon were included, but Ilsan was left out.

So, Chairman Shin Chun-oh was naturally surprised to hear about the land in Ilsan now.

“Yes, he said less than a month left.”

“Less than a month… what does that mean? The first new towns were already announced last September, weren’t they? Are you saying they’re going to announce a second round of new towns in less than a year?”

That was obviously nonsense.

Only seven months had passed since the announcement of the first new towns. It didn’t make sense to announce a second round already. If they kept doing that, development would be happening everywhere under the name of new towns.

This was logically impossible.

“It’ll be insufficient.”

“Insufficient? What will?”

“Two million units won’t be enough. He said that won’t be enough to control the soaring housing prices.”

“That means…….”

“Yes, so Ilsan will be added in the second round. Along with Bundang [another district in South Korea].”

“So, you’re saying that instead of a second round of new towns, Ilsan and Bundang will be added to the first round? If that happens, there will be five places in total, including the three announced last year?”

Kim Young-woo nodded instead of answering.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh asked again.

“Kim said that for sure?”

“Yes, he definitely said that.”

“Ilsan and Bundang…….”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh was silent, seemingly lost in thought.

His silence continued for longer than expected.

Then, at some point, he opened his mouth.

“Kim.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“You said that Shinseong’s funds flowed into Bundang last August, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. According to the information team’s report, Shinseong’s funds were heavily invested in Bundang last August. I confirmed it with my own eyes.”

“In the end…….”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh seemed to sink into thought again without saying anything.

But this time, unlike before, his silence didn’t last long.

“He said less than a month left?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“If that’s the case, then since today is April 3rd, the government will be making a second announcement within this month.”

“Since Hyun-sung said less than a month, there’s a 99% chance of that happening. Of course, it could be May 1st or 2nd, but the important thing is that it’s still within a month.”

“Heh, a month…….”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled lightly and looked at Kim Young-woo. Then he continued.

“Kim, we’re in big trouble.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“We’re not going to get any sleep for a while.”

“No sleep?”

“Yes, man. If what Kim said is true, you and I will each be making 5 billion won [approximately $3.7 million USD] in a month.”

“…….”

Kim Young-woo momentarily covered his mouth. Otherwise, he would have shouted without realizing it.

He had forgotten about it all this time.

Last year, he bought 100 million won [approximately $74,000 USD] worth of land in Ilsan on Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s instructions. At the time, Chairman Shin Chun-oh said that if there was a profit from that land, they would split it in half.

But back then, he honestly just thought, ‘Okay.’ He didn’t give it much thought since it was unlikely to happen anyway.

But the situation had changed a year later.

The possibility had become quite high. And the important thing was the timing.

A month.

That was the time left. The decision would be made within a month at the latest.

If, by any chance, that place was announced as a new town, as Hyun-sung said, it would be 100 times the investment, no joke.

100 times 100 million, 100 million would become 10 billion [approximately $7.4 million USD]. Half of that is 5 billion.

Kim Young-woo glanced at Chairman Shin Chun-oh.

‘Would he really……?’

It was said that there were no saints in the face of money.

Even though he was the chairman of a large company, it wasn’t 100 million or 200 million, but 10 billion. What would his reaction be when he actually had 10 billion won in front of him?

It wasn’t a document, but just a verbal promise. Would he really keep that promise?

Who knows…….

Kim Young-woo thought for a moment and slowly shook his head from side to side.

That’s when it happened.

As if reading Kim Young-woo’s mind, Chairman Shin Chun-oh continued.

“Why? Do you think I’m going to eat it all myself [keep all the money]?”

“Yes? No, it’s not that…….”

“What do you mean, it’s not that? You didn’t care at all when we bought the land last year, but today your eyes are different. Now that you hear that 100 million will become 10 billion in a month, you’re thinking differently, right? And you’re wondering if this old man will really give you the money, right?”

“…….”

Kim Young-woo couldn’t say a word. He couldn’t bring himself to lie and say ‘no’ in front of Chairman Shin Chun-oh, who seemed to be able to see right through his mind.

“Kim.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“That’s what money is.”

“Yes?”

“That’s why there are no siblings, no friends, and not even parents in the face of money. That’s how scary money is. But…….”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh paused for a moment and then continued.

“I’m not the same as I used to be. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m definitely different from how I was three years ago. It sounds funny for me to say this myself, but I’ve realized that there are things more important than money now.”

“…….”

“Do you know who’s responsible for that?”

“…….”

“It was Kim. As you may recall, I gave Kim a blank check three years ago. Do you know what that friend said to me that day?”

Kim Young-woo shook his head slightly.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh immediately continued.

“He said he was going to find meaning in money.”

“Meaning?”

“Yes, honestly, I didn’t know what that meant back then. But as time went by, I vaguely understood what that meant. Of course, I don’t know if that’s the meaning he was talking about.”

Kim Young-woo looked at Chairman Shin Chun-oh. It meant that he didn’t quite understand.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled and continued.

“Do you remember what I said when I bought the land in Ilsan last time?”

“Yes? I’m sorry, I don’t remember that far back…….”

“I said I would give you severance pay. Do you remember now?”

“Ah, yes. Now that you mention it, I definitely remember. But what does that have to do with the meaning of money and…….”

It was hard to understand.

Kim Young-woo tilted his head again, and Chairman Shin Chun-oh continued.

“Simply put, 5 billion won is definitely a lot of money. But if you think of it not as that, but as an expression of gratitude for the 20 years you’ve spent with me, the meaning changes.”

“…….”

“You could say it’s the value of money… anyway, when I think about it that way, I don’t think of that 5 billion won as such a large sum. It’s about not just looking at money as a number, but giving meaning to that money. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Chairman, honestly, I don’t really…….”

“Heh, I understand. Let’s talk about that later. The important thing is, don’t worry. I’m going to keep the promise I made. You’ve worked hard by the side of a grumpy old man for 20 years. Please accept that money as my gratitude. Of course, we’ll have to see the government’s announcement in a month to know for sure.”

“Chairman……!”

Kim Young-woo bowed deeply. He was endlessly sorry for having doubted him, even for a moment.

***

Hyun-sung arrived in front of the main gate of Kang Sang University.

“That was fast.”

Hyun-sung’s gaze was directed at the banner hanging at the main gate.

[Kim Hyun-sung, Department of Business Administration, Class of ’88, Passed the 24th Certified Public Accountant First Exam]

It was a banner put up by the school.

But there wasn’t just one banner. There were five more. The student council, the alumni association of the Department of Business Administration, the Kang Sang University Civil Service Exam Preparation Class, the Department of Business Administration Class of ’88, and even a congratulatory banner from Nongshim [a major South Korean food and beverage company], which he hadn’t expected.

Beep, beep.

Hyun-sung was about to drive the truck through the main gate when it happened.

The security guard blew his whistle and stopped the car. It was Lee Kwang-soo, the security guard he knew well.

“Hello, Mr. Lee. What’s wrong?”

“Hyun-sung, wait a minute.”

The guard left those words and immediately ran into the security office.

And a moment later.

He had a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

“Take this.”

“No, what’s this bouquet for?”

“I don’t know much about that exam, but seeing so many banners hanging up, I figured it must be a pretty important exam, so I couldn’t just stand by. So, I took a taxi to the city before my shift change and bought it.”

“You didn’t have to go to all that trouble…… Thank you, Mr. Lee!”

Hyun-sung tried to say something else, but just bowed his head deeply and expressed his gratitude.

What more could he say? This was someone who had taken a taxi to the city during his busy shift change for him. He thought that simply expressing his gratitude was the proper thing to do.

“If we’re talking about gratitude, I’m much more grateful. I’ve had more soy milk from you than I can count.”

“Oh, Mr. Lee, you’re saying too much. Why are you saying that? I’m more grateful.”

Hyun-sung’s relationship with Lee Kwang-soo actually started in his past life.

It was probably a few days after the start of the second semester of his junior year. It suddenly started pouring rain as he was passing through the main gate. That’s when Lee Kwang-soo lent him an umbrella.

That became their connection, and after that, he always greeted him when he passed through the main gate, and they became close friends until he graduated.

“Anyway, congratulations no matter what. And by the way, my wife told me to thank you for helping us with the move last time. And she said to come over to our house sometime when you have time.”

“Yes, I understand. I can’t this week, but I’ll visit you sometime next week when you’re off. I think your wife likes sashimi, right? I’ll buy some sashimi that day.”

“No, don’t do that. She told you to just come empty-handed. My wife said she’s going to make spicy braised chicken that day. Oh, look at me. I shouldn’t be standing here like this. Hurry up and go. The Gangneung Broadcasting Station has been waiting since earlier.”

“Gangneung Broadcasting Station?”

“Yes, go to the president’s office quickly.”

Swoosh, swoosh!

Lee Kwang-soo started waving his hands as if urging him to hurry.

He was already on his way after receiving a call from the president’s office.

Vroom!

Hyun-sung stepped on the accelerator towards the president’s office.

Hyun-sung still didn’t know it at this point. That there were so many people waiting for him.