Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 4

Hyun-sung rushed back to the beach where he had been rescued moments ago. Lee Jung-woo, who had come on the trip with him, was waiting there.

As soon as Hyun-sung saw Lee Jung-woo, he shouted abruptly,

“Jung-woo, let’s go home.”

“Are you crazy, you bastard?”

It was a natural response from Lee Jung-woo, who didn’t know what was going on. But Hyun-sung ignored Lee Jung-woo’s reply and started packing his bag.

There was no point in explaining. The priority was to prevent his mother’s accident. Explanations could come later.

When Hyun-sung actually started packing, Lee Jung-woo was dumbfounded.

“Hey, what’s going on? Where are you going with this nonsense?”

“Jung-woo, later… I’ll explain everything.”

“Hey, don’t do that and tell me what’s going on?”

Lee Jung-woo was taken aback. He thought Hyun-sung was just joking, but he was really packing. And no matter how he looked at it, Hyun-sung seemed out of his mind.

Lee Jung-woo asked again urgently,

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“My mother is in danger!”

“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden? Mother is in danger?”

Instead of answering, Hyun-sung started running towards the road.

There was no way to explain it with words anyway. If he kept answering, he would only waste time. Hyun-sung figured he had to move as quickly as possible if he wanted to make a difference.

On the other hand, Lee Jung-woo was different.

“This crazy bastard…”

Lee Jung-woo cursed as he watched Hyun-sung disappear into the distance.

He jumped into the sea as soon as he arrived, causing the emergency services to be called. Now he was saying he was going home, acting like a madman. It was driving him crazy.

He hadn’t even dipped his toes in the sea yet.

And now he was saying his mother was in danger.

He wanted to ask what he meant, but Hyun-sung was already running far away.

Lee Jung-woo shouted, looking in the direction Hyun-sung had run.

“You son of a bitch, if you’re lying, you’re dead to me today.”

Lee Jung-woo had no choice but to sling the remaining bag over his shoulder and start running in the direction Hyun-sung had disappeared.

Hyun-sung hailed a passing taxi. He quickly got into the front seat.

But he saw Lee Jung-woo struggling to run from a distance.

Oh, crap!

In his haste, he had forgotten that Lee Jung-woo was not in good shape.

Hyun-sung said to the taxi driver,

“Excuse me, just a moment.”

Hyun-sung got out of the car and started running back towards Lee Jung-woo.

“Give it to me!”

Hyun-sung snatched the backpack from Lee Jung-woo and started running again.

“Hurry up!”

“I’m going, you bastard,” Lee Jung-woo grumbled, running after Hyun-sung.

As soon as Lee Jung-woo got into the back seat, Hyun-sung told the driver his destination.

“Seomyeon, Hongcheon.”

“Huh? Seomyeon? Ah, okay.”

The taxi driver seemed momentarily flustered at the long distance during the day.

Hyun-sung looked at the taxi driver and said in a hurried voice,

“My, uh, my mother is in danger right now! Please hurry as much as possible!”

“Your mother?”

The taxi driver didn’t quite understand, but he didn’t ask any more questions at the word ‘mother’ and immediately stepped on the accelerator.

Vroom!

Only after the taxi started did Hyun-sung turn to look at Lee Jung-woo in the back. He was sorry, but Hyun-sung had no choice.

Hyun-sung glanced at Lee Jung-woo for a moment and called his name.

“Jung-woo!”

He was the only friend he could contact comfortably at any time, even in his old age. A friend who would ask each other for help whenever they had difficulties. A friend with whom there was no discomfort even if he couldn’t grant the request.

He met such a friend again. And he was back in his school days.

But that was only Hyun-sung’s one-sided feeling. From Lee Jung-woo’s point of view, he was furious.

Was that why?

“What, man?”

As expected, a prickly answer came back. But for now, there was no way to explain it. Time would solve this too.

Hyun-sung continued,

“Thank you for everything. And I’ll pay you back ten times the remaining five million won [approximately $3,750 USD] in the future.”

“Is this bastard really crazy?”

“I have to settle the accounts properly.”

That’s right. In his previous life, he had borrowed fifteen million won from Lee Jung-woo for insufficient construction costs, paid back ten million won, and the remaining amount was five million won.

Money transactions between friends?

It is common for everyone to dissuade it.

But the two were in a special relationship. They did what others told them not to do without any problems.

Then Lee Jung-woo asked with a worried expression.

“Stop talking nonsense, what about your mother?”

“That’s what I’m sorry about, but for now, I can’t explain it…”

There was no way to explain it.

Even if he told the truth, he would only be called a madman.

Hyun-sung had no choice but to ask Lee Jung-woo for his understanding, saying that he would tell him everything later. Then he only got a barrage of curses.

The taxi had already left the city and was heading towards Daegwallyeong [a major mountain pass in the Taebaek Mountains].

Hyun-sung, sitting in the passenger seat, was constantly fidgeting with his hands, unable to contain his anxiety.

There is only one reason for being anxious.

He knew the accident happened, but he didn’t know the exact time and place.

In his previous life, he fell into the sea and was rescued by the rescue team, barely surviving. After that, he did not return home.

Since there was no particular problem other than the accident, he spent a few days happily in Gyeongpo [a popular beach area] as it was. It was a trip he had been looking forward to so much that he couldn’t give up the trip because of such a thing.

Perhaps it was a natural thing.

If his mother hadn’t had an accident, there would have been no problem.

But when he came home, his mother was hospitalized due to a traffic accident.

She was hit by a car while crossing the street.

It had been several days since the accident, so he didn’t ask for the exact place and time. It was already in the past and treatment was the priority.

But who would have known that he would regret it so much?

Well, it’s no one’s fault. The word regression itself is something that cannot happen.

Anxious, Hyun-sung looked at the taxi driver and said,

“Excuse me, can you please hurry a little more?”

“Hehe…, look at the dashboard and say that.”

Hyun-sung knows it too.

Even he thought the taxi was driving fast enough now. He just said it without realizing it because he was so anxious.

The taxi driver glanced at Hyun-sung.

Perhaps feeling Hyun-sung’s earnest heart, the taxi driver stepped on the accelerator once more.

Vroom!

Even in the running taxi, Hyun-sung kept thinking about his mother’s past.

The sight of her limping for the rest of her life after severely injuring her leg in a traffic accident and suffering even more in winter because her legs were cold due to the aftereffects of the accident kept coming to his mind.

It hurt his heart to think about it again.

‘This time, I must…’

He only thought that he had to stop it unconditionally.

The taxi was already speeding past Daegwallyeong.

And it was about 10 minutes after passing Jinbu [a town in Pyeongchang County].

‘Hmm…?’

Why is this happening suddenly?

He felt like the speed was gradually decreasing. He was running out of time, so he wondered what was going on.

Hyun-sung stretched his neck and began to look ahead.

Then the taxi driver looked at Hyun-sung with a worried look and said,

“What should I do? It seems like there was an accident ahead…”

“Yes? An accident?”

“Seeing that the distance between cars has been getting closer since a while ago, it seems like that’s the case.”

“Ah, is there any way?”

He felt like his heart was shrinking. There was no time, but the speed was decreasing.

Hyun-sung was in a terrible situation because he didn’t know when his mother would have an accident. At this rate, it would be impossible to arrive before the market closes.

He must arrive before the market closes no matter what. Otherwise, his mother would have to live in pain like that for the rest of her life.

He barely got a chance, but what’s going on again?

It can’t be.

He couldn’t let his mother go through those days of pain again.

It was when he was so anxious.

Squeak!

Eventually, the taxi stopped with the sound of brakes.

“This is a disaster. It seems like there was a big accident…”

Hyun-sung could only be speechless at the taxi driver’s words. What he had feared would happen had finally happened.

‘What should I do?’

Is there any way?

It can’t be…

Hyun-sung’s vision was blurred. Is this the end here?

Flutter.

Hyun-sung’s lips trembled.

“How can you…”

“Ha! I’m frustrated too.”

The taxi driver also had a difficult expression on his face.

‘Is there any way?’

It was then.

A road sign caught Hyun-sung’s eye.

‘That’s it! Maybe…’

After thinking for a moment, Hyun-sung turned his head towards the driver’s seat.

“If you go a little further from here, you’ll see Soksa [likely referring to a smaller village or area], right?”

“It will come out if you go about 200m.”

Um….

Hyun-sung fell into thought again.

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t stay like this. He couldn’t just wait, not knowing when the accident cleanup would be over.

He couldn’t just do nothing and waste time worrying.

He has to find it.

He has to find a way no matter what.

If he gets out to Soksa from here, the distance will be further. Moreover, the road is unpaved.

The distance is further and the road conditions are worse?

Then the problem is speed. The question is how fast he can drive on an unpaved road.

Hyun-sung bit his lower lip slightly and looked at the clock on the front of the taxi.

The current time is 4:10, so there is about 1 hour and 50 minutes left until the market closes.

But he needs to shorten it by at least 10 minutes. He only said that the accident happened around the time the market closed. Therefore, he has to take into account an error of at least 10 minutes before and after.

Can he go in 1 hour and 40 minutes?

Hyun-sung, who was calculating the time, glanced at the taxi driver. Then he nodded slowly.

‘That’s it! I’m going.’

He can’t just do nothing and waste time like this.

He’s going to do what he can.

Hyun-sung, who had made up his mind, looked at the taxi driver and said in a strong voice.

“Let’s get out to Soksa!”

“Are you talking about going over Unduryeong [likely a mountain pass or road]?”

The taxi driver immediately understood what Hyun-sung meant.

Then Hyun-sung nodded and said,

“In my judgment, that road seems to be the best way for now.”

“It’s a detour, so the distance gets longer…”

As expected, the taxi driver pointed out the part that Hyun-sung was worried about.

But Hyun-sung concluded that there was no other way, no matter how much he thought about it.

If the road was paved, there would be no need for such worries. But this road will have to be paved for at least 5 more years.

The taxi driver couldn’t make a decision easily.

‘Ah! There’s no time…’

Hyun-sung’s anxiety reached its peak.

He had a chance, but he couldn’t go through the same thing again.

Hyun-sung looked at the taxi driver once more. No, he asked with a desperate heart.

“Please, sir!”

At that moment, tears welled up in Hyun-sung’s eyes.

He really wanted to prevent his mother’s accident this time. He only had the determination not to see his mother suffering in the middle of winter anymore.

Then the taxi driver, who was wondering what to do, looked straight at Hyun-sung.

After a while, the taxi driver nodded his head greatly as if he had made up his mind.

“Ah, I understand. Let’s go!”

Click.

The taxi driver, who pressed the hazard light button, turned the steering wheel to the right ‘휙’ [onomatopoeia for a quick turning sound].

“Okay, hold on tight.”

Perhaps feeling Hyun-sung’s desperate heart, the taxi driver, who had pulled out onto the shoulder, turned on the hazard lights and started running with the high beams flashing.

The taxi, which barely escaped the Yeongdong Expressway through the shoulder, started to pick up speed again.

Vroom!

The taxi driver seemed to have made up his mind the moment he turned the steering wheel.

Because it was unpaved, a cloud of dust was following behind the running taxi. The taxi’s speed was not bad, although not as much as on the highway.

Hyun-sung bowed his head politely to the taxi driver.

“Thank you. Sir!”

Thump, thump.

The taxi was shaking violently, but it did not reduce its speed and continued to run towards Unduryeong.

At some point, Hyun-sung had his hands together.

‘Please!’

He didn’t know how to pray, so he just repeated ‘please’ with a desperate heart.

It was when his clasped hands were shaking slightly.

He felt something touching his left shoulder.

Tap tap.

The taxi driver patted Hyun-sung’s shoulder a few times without saying anything.

Hyun-sung made eye contact with the taxi driver for a moment. Then the taxi driver nodded lightly.

As if not to worry.

Hyun-sung’s age? None of that mattered. When he thought about his mother, the more than 50 years he had lived were just numbers, and he felt an even stronger sense of affection.