Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 403

“Hey, what brings you guys here at this hour?”

The guys who came running towards Hyun-sung were none other than Han Myung-soo and Kim Tae-jin, who used to lead the Jandi Faction.

“We heard someone saw you going into a real estate agency, so we rushed over here,” Han Myung-soo said, panting.

After graduating from high school, they had talked on the phone a few times, but this was the first time they had seen each other in person. So, Hyun-sung was genuinely happy to see them.

Hyun-sung checked the time and immediately asked, “Hey, have you guys had lunch?”

“We were just about to go in and eat.”

“Let’s go, let’s talk over lunch. Follow me.”

Hyun-sung led the way to the restaurant. Han Myung-soo and Kim Tae-jin followed behind.

Arriving at the restaurant, Hyun-sung asked about the menu first.

“What do you want to eat? Eat whatever you want.”

“We’re fine with anything.”

“Okay, got it.”

Hyun-sung ordered five servings of Bulgogi [Korean marinated beef]. Since lunchtime was limited, he figured Bulgogi would be a quick way to eat.

As soon as Hyun-sung finished ordering, Han Myung-soo spoke first.

“Congratulations, Senior. The school was in an uproar when they heard you passed the first round of the Certified Public Accountant exam last April.”

“That’s right, Senior. It was a real festival back then. And the second round of exams seems to be over too, did you do well?”

Kim Tae-jin picked up Han Myung-soo’s words and asked about the second exam.

Hyun-sung stirred the meat on the grill and continued to answer. Then, when the meat was cooked, he moved it to Han Myung-soo and Kim Tae-jin’s plates.

“Okay, it’s all cooked. Eat up. We only have 20 minutes left for lunch, so we need to eat quickly. But don’t choke, so chew carefully.”

“Yes, Senior, please eat too.”

“Okay, I will, so eat up.”

A smile spread across Hyun-sung’s face as he looked at them. He felt good that these guys, who had caused so much trouble at school, were graduating without any accidents.

“Here, have some cider while you chew……”

Hyun-sung poured cider for them again.

After drinking the cider, Han Myung-soo looked at Hyun-sung and asked, “Senior, is that promise you made back then still valid?”

“Are you talking about the heavy equipment license?”

“Oh? You remember? I honestly didn’t think you would. So, I thought I should check at least once, but seeing that you remember, it wasn’t just empty words?”

“Hey, Han Myung-soo. Why would I say empty words to you? Don’t worry about that and get your heavy equipment license as I said. And if you have that, you’ll go to the army in that field, so it will help your career. And when you get out, come to me, and I’ll give you a job for life.”

Suddenly, Han Myung-soo stood up abruptly and bowed to Hyun-sung.

“Thank you, Senior. Then I’ll trust you and get my heavy equipment license.”

“Have you looked into academies?”

“Yes, there are places that are subsidized by the government, but they seem a bit lacking, so I’m just going to pay and go to a private one. I’m thinking of going to an academy in Yongin.”

“If you’re short on academy fees, let me know.”

“No, I told my parents, and they were happy and said they would support me as much as I needed.”

Hyun-sung nodded and then asked Kim Tae-jin, “What’s your score on the mock exams these days?”

“I got 252 on the last mock exam.”

“252? Oh! You’ve been working hard.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Senior. The school atmosphere has completely changed since you passed Korea University two years ago. Everyone has hope that they can do it too. And do you remember the notebook you gave me when you graduated back then?”

“Of course. So, you still have that notebook?”

He had given Kim Tae-jin a notebook that summarized all the subjects when he graduated. It wasn’t just a summary, but it also checked the parts that had appeared on the exam for each unit and summarized what type of questions would be asked in which part.

Kim Tae-jin continued to answer.

“Of course. And all the friends who want to go to college have that notebook.”

“All of them?”

“Yes, I made copies for all the friends who wanted them. At first, I was greedy and hesitated, but I remembered what you said when you gave me the notebook, ‘The school will develop only if you think of ‘us’ rather than ‘me’ first,’ so I decided to share it. And then a really amazing thing happened.”

“Amazing thing?”

Hyun-sung was curious about Kim Tae-jin’s answer. Honestly, he was curious about how well they would use the notebook when he gave it to them. Because the effort he put into making that notebook was no joke.

Kim Tae-jin continued to answer.

“20 points.”

“20 points?”

“Yes, the average mock exam score has increased by 20 points. Isn’t that amazing? At this rate, the number of people going to college this year will set a record.”

“Really?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head at the word ‘record.’ He had heard that 20 people went to regular universities and 30 people went to vocational colleges last year.

If what Kim Tae-jin said was true, it meant that more than 30 people would go to college. Even 30 people is almost five times the number compared to his past life.

So, how many people could go to college this year?

A smile spread across Kim Tae-jin’s face, and his mouth slowly opened.

“50 people is enough.”

“50 people? Is that true?”

“Yes, that’s right. Of course, it’s just my prediction, but I think that’s definitely possible. Of course, that’s only possible because of the notebook you gave us, Senior. It’s really amazing the more I look at it. How did you organize it so meticulously?”

“……”

Hyun-sung conveyed his gratitude with a smile instead of an answer. He was ashamed of himself for worrying about the use of the notebook.

“Thank you, Tae-jin. You saved the school.”

“No, why is it because of me? It’s all thanks to you, Senior. And my friends are really grateful for the notebook. They told me to thank you for them.”

“Okay, anyway, that’s great. And the important thing is this summer vacation. Depending on how you spend this vacation, there will be a difference of 10 to 20 points. You know that if you raise 20 more points, you can go to Korea University, right?”

Kim Tae-jin nodded with his lips tightly closed. Judging by the look in his eyes, he seemed to be prepared to some extent.

Looking at Kim Tae-jin, Hyun-sung opened his mouth again.

“You know about the wrong answer notebook, right?”

“You mean the notebook where you write down and organize only the questions you got wrong?”

“Yes, the purpose is not just to organize, but to analyze why you got the question wrong and to make sure you don’t get similar questions wrong again. Make that this summer vacation. And after the summer vacation, solve the problems once a week as if it were the real thing. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yes, Senior. I understand. I will definitely raise 20 more points and go to Korea University.”

“Yes, you’re not an IQ of 148 for nothing, so believe in yourself more than anyone else. Then you can definitely go. Got it?”

Kim Tae-jin nodded once again. As expected, his eyes were shining more strongly than ever.

“Okay, there are 10 minutes left for lunch. Let’s get up. And I’ll be at home until you go to the army, so contact me if anything happens. And it’s nothing special, but from now on, you can just call me Hyung [older brother or older male friend].”

“Is that really okay?”

“Yes, I used to tell you to call me Senior because you were pretending to be gangsters. Now that I see you, I don’t think that will happen.”

“Of course. We’re not the Jandi Faction that used to cause trouble anymore. Then I’ll call you Hyung from now on.”

Hyun-sung replaced his words by lightly tapping Han Myung-soo and Kim Tae-jin on the shoulder.

They were two guys who had no contact at all in his past life. But somehow, they came this far.

Anyway, the important thing is that the guys who used to cause trouble are now saying that one will learn heavy equipment and the other is dreaming of Korea University.

That’s enough.

Hyun-sung nodded as he watched Han Myung-soo and Kim Tae-jin’s receding figures.

***

“This is the place.”

A few days later, Hyun-sung took Yoo Min-cheol, a facility operator, up the mountainside. It was to explain to him where he would be running the restaurant in the future.

Yoo Min-cheol looked around and opened his mouth.

“The view is the best. You can see the whole village at a glance. And you can see the river flowing outside the village. By the way, how did you think of running a restaurant here?”

“If you can eat a meal while looking at such a wonderful view in a place like this, what could be better?”

“Of course. So, Hyun-sung’s plan is to build a 7-story building here and run a restaurant?”

“Yes, that’s right. The first and second basement floors will be used as parking lots, the first floor will be Korean food, the second floor will be Chinese food, and the third floor will be……”

Hyun-sung began to explain in detail how he would operate the building in the future. As Hyun-sung’s explanation grew longer, Yoo Min-cheol’s expression became more and more surprised, and he couldn’t close his mouth.

And finally, when Hyun-sung’s explanation was over, Yoo Min-cheol immediately asked.

“Is that possible?”

“Of course. I’ll start three years after I come back from the army. So, I’m trying to prepare from now on.”

“So, is that possible? To run this, you need at least 2 billion won [approximately $1.5 million USD]……”

Hyun-sung had no choice but to take out a bankbook from his pocket and hand it to Yoo Min-cheol.

It is said that seeing is believing. After all, to persuade him, it would be better to show him directly with his own eyes than to say a hundred words.

“What is this?”

“Check it yourself.”

“This is a bankbook. Wait, what is this? What are these circles……”

Yoo Min-cheol, who was checking the bankbook, couldn’t close his open mouth. The circles stamped on the bankbook were as many as 10.

“How much is this? Billion, ten billion, hundred billion…… Oh, five hundred billion? Is this really five hundred billion [approximately $375 million USD]?”

“Yes, do you believe me now?”

“No, what the hell……”

Yoo Min-cheol looked at Hyun-sung’s face.

Of course, he knows that Hyun-sung is making a lot of money with his ramen shop. And even that he has a building near the terminal. But that’s that, how could he have so much money……

In fact, a few months ago, he received a phone call from Hyun-sung.

He was going to quit the facility business and work with him. At first, he didn’t know what that meant, but he received another call a month ago.

He told him to meet him in a month and talk seriously. Even then, he didn’t know what that meant.

But now that he came here today, listened to the explanation, and checked the money in the bankbook, he realized that it was not just empty words, but sincerity.

Yoo Min-cheol slowly nodded.

Then Hyun-sung immediately opened his mouth.

“Hyung [older brother/friend], how is it? Do you believe me now?”

“……”

Yoo Min-cheol nodded once more instead of answering.

Then Hyun-sung’s words continued.

“Now, make a decision. Would you like to create a new village with me?”

“Can I do it?”

“Of course, I know what you’ve been doing. I’ve been thinking a lot about it. I wondered who I should work with on this. After much thought, I contacted you.”

Of course, it was a problem that he couldn’t help but worry about.

The first priority was the issue of trust. How much can you trust and entrust the work to?

After all, if you want to take responsibility and proceed with the work even when you are not there, you need someone you can trust.

And then there was the person who knew how to do the work. No matter how trustworthy a person is, if they don’t have the ability to do the work, it’s useless.

In the end, he needed someone who could be trusted and could do the work. That was the conclusion he came to, and that was Yoo Min-cheol.

“Hyung [older brother/friend], look this way.”

Hyun-sung pointed to the bottom of the village and continued to speak.

“From here to there, and the fields and rice paddies on both sides of the river, and even down to the mountains over there, I’ve bought them all. It’s about 100,000 pyeong [approximately 82.6 acres].”

“100,000 pyeong?”

“Yes, and if you look over there, you can see that valley, right?”

“Don’t tell me you bought that too?”

“I’ve been buying that side since a few days ago. I’m going to buy up the entire valley. If you add that to the river in front of you, it will be about 250,000 pyeong [approximately 206.6 acres]. I’m going to start developing the entire area from now on.”

“……”

Yoo Min-cheol had nothing to say.

250,000 pyeong was a space that exceeded his imagination to the point where he couldn’t see the end of it just by looking at it.

Then Hyun-sung’s words continued again.

“And I’m going to build houses on the river in front of you. On both sides.”

“Houses?”

“Yes, there will probably be picturesque houses. Of course, I’ll build high embankments along the river. Although it doesn’t rain much now, the amount of rainfall will gradually increase due to global warming over time. I’ll build at least 10 meters in preparation for that. Of course, I’ll plant trees too. And……”

Hyun-sung began to explain in detail the thoughts he had been thinking about. As Hyun-sung’s explanation continued, Yoo Min-cheol just nodded repeatedly and made a face that he understood.

And finally, when Hyun-sung’s explanation was over, Yoo Min-cheol immediately opened his mouth.

“In the end, you’re saying you’re going to create a new village?”

“That’s right. I plan to create an ideal village with rivers, trees, and flowers. Of course, the people who live there won’t have to worry about jobs.”

Hyun-sung took a deep breath and continued to speak.

“To do that, the basic construction that needs to be done from now on is the most important. Drainage channels are basic, and the roads must be built properly from the beginning. That’s why I need a skilled Hyung [older brother/friend]. And by the way, I’ll build a two-story house for Hyung when I build the houses by the river.”

He seemed to be excited without realizing it because he was talking to someone about what he had been thinking about.

Hyun-sung continued to speak.

“How is it? Imagine you and Hyung-soo [Yoo Min-cheol’s wife] forming a family there and the children playing by the river. Wouldn’t that be paradise on earth? You’re doing the basic construction with your own hands. I think you’ll do it more meticulously than anyone else……, am I wrong?”

“……”

“Let’s create such a village together. Yes, Hyung [older brother/friend]?”

Hyun-sung turned his head and looked at the river to wait for Yoo Min-cheol’s decision. The winding river looked particularly beautiful today.

In his past life, people from Seoul built Jeonwon [countryside] houses there and lived there. People who had only farmed all their lives gave up their hometown and left, and people who came down from other places acted as owners.

Hyun-sung’s lips began to smile without him realizing it, thinking that he would never see that sight again.

After a while.

Yoo Min-cheol slowly opened his mouth to Hyun-sung, as if he had made up his mind.

“President……”