Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 399

400

Day 2 of the exam, second period.

“Alright, 10 minutes left. Check your registration number and name one more time…”

The proctor’s voice filled the quiet classroom.

At that moment, sighs erupted from here and there. Some were sighs of regret, while others marked the end of their hard work.

Most were in their 20s and 30s, with eight people appearing to be in their 40s and 50s.

Among them, one person stood out: a young man in his early 20s sitting in the front row of the third row—Hyun-sung.

He let out a sigh.

“Haa!”

Tock.

Hyun-sung quietly put down his pen. Then, he gently closed his eyes.

In that moment, the past flashed through his mind like a slideshow.

From April of last year to June of this year, he had run without looking back, not even for a moment. Especially during vacation, he maintained his stamina by sleeping only three hours a day and resting on Sundays.

And he maintained that routine after taking a leave of absence after finishing his first year, until three days before the exam.

He wasn’t confident from the start. But about ten days after he started studying, the memories of his past life began to resurface, one by one.

The most important thing in studying is self-management. Perhaps thanks to the years he had lived, he was able to maintain that one thing for sure.

And above all, the determination to make it happen was the driving force that allowed him to run until this moment. Of course, the expectations around him also played a part.

Anyway, it’s over now. He has no regrets because he did his best.

In his past life, he always had regrets, no matter what he did. It was a natural result because he didn’t do his best at that moment.

He was inevitably lacking. But now, at least, he will never regret what he has done. He will do his best in everything. One life of regret is enough.

Hyun-sung opened his eyes.

It was then.

The proctor was looking at him. When their eyes met, he smiled and asked.

“What year are you in?”

“I finished my first year last year and took a leave of absence.”

“Pardon?”

The proctor erased the smile from his face and asked again.

“Which school are you from…?”

“Kang Sang University. It’s in Gangneung.”

“Kang Sang University in Gangneung?”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just… good job.”

The proctor slightly lowered his head. Then, he shook his head as if he was dumbfounded.

It was perhaps a natural reaction.

It was not common to be in this place after finishing only the first year, not even the third year.

Hyun-sung got up from his seat and left the classroom. Or, that’s what he was going to do. But without realizing it, his gaze turned back to the classroom.

In his past life, although the classroom was different, he had come to Hanyang University three times to take the first exam. Each time, his steps back were heavy.

But today, the feeling was definitely different from then.

Was that why?

Hyun-sung’s steps were light as he turned around. And a smile was already spreading across his face.

***

Hyun-sung was walking towards the main gate when it happened.

“Mr. Kim!”

Someone in the distance raised his hand towards him. It was Shin Chun-oh, the chairman of Nongshim [a major South Korean food and beverage company].

Since they had promised to meet today, he naturally thought he would be waiting outside the main gate. But since he came out later than others, he seemed to have entered the school.

Tada-dak.

Hyun-sung immediately ran.

“No, Chairman. If you had waited a little longer…”

“Good job.”

Before Hyun-sung could finish speaking, Chairman Shin Chun-oh hugged Hyun-sung. Then, he patted Hyun-sung’s back.

The scene was exactly like a grandfather taking care of his grandson.

A moment later.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh pointed to the small bag Hyun-sung was holding and asked.

“What’s that?”

“Ah, this. It’s a lunch bag.”

“Lunch bag?”

“Yes, I have a chef friend who packed lunch for me yesterday and today.”

“Are you talking about a friend named Kim Il-soo?”

“Huh? How did you know, Chairman?”

Hyun-sung stopped walking.

Of course, he had talked about Kim Il-soo a long time ago. But that was already two years ago.

It wasn’t even on purpose, but at the end of another conversation, he was asked who his close friends were, so he mentioned three people.

Of course, those three people were Kim Il-soo, Lee Jung-woo, and Lee Soo-hyuk.

He was just surprised that he remembered Kim Il-soo even after two years.

“Isn’t he your friend?”

“Of course, but how can you remember my friend’s name, whom I mentioned once three years ago, and even his name?”

“Did you mention it again?”

“Pardon?”

“I remember because he’s your friend. Now that we’re on the subject, what happened to Lee Jung-woo and Lee Soo-hyuk among those friends? If I remember correctly, Lee Jung-woo was going to have surgery as soon as he graduated, right?”

“…….”

Hyun-sung had nothing to say.

Does this make sense? No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t make sense. How could he remember the names of his friends whom he had briefly mentioned three years ago and even what their situation was?

Hyun-sung asked Chairman Shin Chun-oh again, just in case.

“Do you perhaps remember Soo-hyuk too?”

“Lee Soo-hyuk, you mean? I think his father was the head of the association, and he said he was studying with you to go to Korea University. So, did that friend go to Korea University?”

“…….”

Hyun-sung shook his head from side to side instead of answering.

How could this happen? No matter how Hyun-sung thought about it, he was just dumbfounded by what Chairman Shin Chun-oh was showing him.

A moment later.

“Il-soo became a chef as planned, and Jung-woo…”

Hyun-sung began to explain in detail what happened to his three friends. As Hyun-sung’s explanation continued, Chairman Shin Chun-oh nodded with a pleased expression and began to listen. And finally, when Hyun-sung’s explanation ended, he immediately began to applaud.

Clap clap clap!

“As expected of your friends. Il-soo is a chef, Soo-hyuk is at Yonsei [one of the top three universities in South Korea, along with Seoul National University and Korea University], and finally, Jung-woo’s surgery went well, and he can run in just six months. That’s really great. And he’s even preparing for the civil service exam.”

“Chairman, there’s one thing I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

“No, how did you remember all my friends so well?”

“Did you mention it again?”

“Yes? Ah, no. Never mind.”

Hyun-sung shook his head.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s answer was only one thing: He remembered them because they were Hyun-sung’s friends, only that reason.

Hyun-sung, who couldn’t possibly not know what that meant.

The desire to take care of even the people around the person I cherish—that was Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s heart.

***

The car carrying the two of them left Hanyang University and began to run towards Namsan [a mountain in the heart of Seoul].

After running for about 20 minutes, the car arrived at what looked like a Korean restaurant at first glance.

But what was surprising was the atmosphere of the restaurant. It was a place where the exterior and interior design were far from modern, exuding an old-fashioned charm, to the extent that one wondered if such an old building remained in the middle of Seoul.

Perhaps that’s why it felt like being in a folk village.

“Welcome, Chairman!”

A man in his early 40s, wearing a brown modified hanbok [traditional Korean clothing], greeted Chairman Shin Chun-oh warmly as soon as he got out of the car. At first glance, his expression was full of joy, as if he had met him on a regular basis.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes, Chairman. Have you been comfortable too, Chairman?”

“Yes, I’m very good these days. And today, I’ve brought a very precious guest. So, please take good care of him.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled as he looked at Hyun-sung.

Then, Hyun-sung immediately bowed his head.

“Hello.”

“Welcome. Nice to meet you. By the way, you have a very good appearance.”

“Yes? Ah, thank you.”

Hyun-sung smiled lightly.

Then, Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s words immediately followed.

“Hehe, is it just his appearance… you’ll be even more surprised if you know his abilities. He’s on his way from taking the Certified Public Accountant second exam today.”

“Yes? Is that true?”

“Anyway, he’s the best guest for me, so please take good care of him today.”

“Yes, I understand. Chairman, please come this way.”

The man led them to a room marked ‘Sarangchae’ [a traditional Korean reception room] on the right side of the inner courtyard. It was a room full of antique feeling that he had only seen in TV historical dramas.

“What are you doing? You two come in quickly too.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh gestured to Secretary Kim Young-woo and reporter Choi Jin-young, who were hesitating outside.

Then, Secretary Kim Young-woo immediately continued.

“Chairman, you said you had something to talk about with Hyun-sung today…”

“We can talk about that later, we have to eat first. Come in quickly.”

“We’ll just eat over there…”

“Oh, don’t do that, let’s eat together. We’ll be friends in a little while, so we should get into the habit from now on. Come on, quickly.”

When Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s words ended, Secretary Kim Young-woo nodded to reporter Choi Jin-young and entered Sarangchae.

Hyun-sung’s gaze was already on Chairman Shin Chun-oh.

The reason was that he didn’t know what one of Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s words meant a little while ago.

He couldn’t ask, though.

Then, as if Chairman Shin Chun-oh had read Hyun-sung’s mind, he immediately opened his mouth.

“Are you curious?”

“Yes? Ah, yes. To be honest, I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’m going to stop now.”

“Yes? Stop… what are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the chairman’s title. I’m only going to do it until this year, and from now on, I’m going to go back to being a regular person. I’ve already told the executives about my position.”

“Yes?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head.

Anyone could see that there was nothing wrong with Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s health right now. He looked healthy enough to run the business for at least 10 more years.

But suddenly, he said he was going to step down from the front lines, so Hyun-sung naturally didn’t understand.

Then, the food started to come in.

“Let’s talk about that after dinner. I have something to discuss with Mr. Kim about that issue.”

“Yes? Ah, yes…”

Hyun-sung nodded, but the question did not go away. It didn’t make sense that the chairman of a company was consulting with a young man like himself about his retirement.

But for now, he couldn’t know the details, so he had no choice but to postpone the story for now.

Then, the food began to be set on the table.

‘Huh?’

Hyun-sung tilted his head as he looked at the food on the table.

Anyway, it was a restaurant that the chairman of a company had visited. Of course, the secretaries would have selected the restaurant according to the chairman’s taste, and reservations would have been essential.

But the first feeling he had while looking at the table was that it was excessively frugal.

Then, as if he knew Hyun-sung’s mind, Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s words continued again.

“Why? Is there any problem?”

“Yes? Ah, no, it’s not that…”

“Do you perhaps remember what you said in the past?”

“What are you talking about?”

“It was probably when we went to a restaurant in the mountains. At that time, you said the word ‘poverty in the midst of plenty,’ right?”

“Ah, that time.”

Of course, he remembered. It was probably around the end of the summer vacation of his third year of high school. Chairman Shin Chun-oh suddenly came down from Seoul, so they went to a restaurant in the mountains on the way to Hoengseong.

At that time, he said the word “poverty in the midst of plenty” while looking at the few side dishes.

“But as you’ll see, this is different from that.”

“Different?”

“Yes, this is a two-hour course.”

“A two-hour course?”

Hyun-sung couldn’t believe it. There were seven side dishes and one stew, but he couldn’t believe that he would eat this for two hours.

‘Wait a minute!’

But that thought was only temporary, and another thought came to his mind.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh clearly said it was a course. That meant that this wasn’t all, and there was something else.

Then, Secretary Kim Young-woo, who was in front of him, smiled and continued.

“Ten times.”

“Yes? Ten times?”

“Yes, it means the table setting changes ten times. If the food is served all at once, the stress of choosing side dishes is not easy, so to compensate for that shortcoming, when the chairman comes, he divides it into ten times to eat.”

“Ah! There’s such a method… Haha.”

Hyun-sung laughed without realizing it.

That meant that there were 70 side dishes and 10 stews. That’s why it took two hours.

What is this…

“Let’s all start together. Mr. Kim, eat little by little. As we go back…”

“…….”

Hyun-sung quietly began to eat the abalone porridge in front of him.

Later, he learned that Chairman Shin Chun-oh was the only one who ate like this. Other people put all these side dishes on one table and ate them.

Anyway, Hyun-sung learned for the first time that day that there were so many Korean side dishes. Almost half of the side dishes were the first time he had ever eaten them.

The important thing was that he really enjoyed eating those foods for two hours.

“Was the meal okay?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh, who had taken a sip of sweet pumpkin Sikhye [a traditional Korean rice beverage] that came as a dessert, looked at Hyun-sung and asked.

Secretary Kim Young-woo and reporter Choi Jin-young had already left after finishing their meal.

Tock tock.

Hyun-sung lightly patted his stomach and answered.