Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 408

409

“The top award?”

“Yes, the recruit training camp graduation ceremony was held today, and he was selected as the top trainee.”

“As expected of Kim Gun. Of course, I thought he would do well, but to this extent… Haha, hahahaha.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh laughed heartily, punctuating his sentence with a loud noise, clearly in a good mood.

Many things had changed since he met Hyun-sung. The biggest change was in Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s own personality.

Due to the demands of his position, he had always lived a life under constant tension, resulting in an impatient and sharp personality.

Moreover, when it came to company affairs, he felt compelled to handle things himself rather than trusting and delegating to executives, which created difficulties for both the executives and himself.

Then he met Hyun-sung and, by a stroke of luck, discovered an abnormality in his body, all thanks to Hyun-sung’s special ability—the ability to detect abnormalities in another person’s body simply by holding their hand and concentrating.

But strangely, it didn’t work on everyone. It was a perplexing problem, but what mattered was that he had discovered an abnormality in his own body.

He immediately went to Seoul, and the examination revealed early-stage liver cancer. The doctor said he was lucky because the liver is a silent organ, and it’s not easy to detect problems until they’ve progressed significantly due to the lack of noticeable symptoms.

But then, something even more unbelievable happened: it might be curable. Of course, that was according to Hyun-sung.

It sounded absurd, but for some reason, he trusted him. And then, miraculously, the cancer cells in his liver disappeared without a trace in just one month.

That’s where it started.

He decided he couldn’t continue living as he had been and began to change his ways. The first thing he did was to alleviate the tension at work, trying to trust and delegate to his staff as much as possible. It wasn’t easy at first, but time was the cure.

With his newfound spare time, he began to notice the people around him whom he had previously overlooked, starting with his family, then his old friends, and even his constant companion, Chief Kim Young-woo.

As he lived like that, he found himself smiling without even realizing it. A life he had always thought was lacking began to fill with gratitude.

But what Hyun-sung had said was funny.

It was the last day he was receiving treatment from Hyun-sung in Gangwon-do before leaving for the city.

-Happiness begins when you feel grateful.

And he said something else.

-Happiness runs away the moment you start comparing yourself to others.

At first, he brushed it off, thinking the young man was just spouting textbook wisdom. But at some point, those words resonated with him.

It was on a Sunday when he woke up later than usual. When he opened his eyes in the morning, the sunlight streaming through the window was beautiful, and he felt a sense of gratitude.

And at that moment, he felt happiness from the bottom of his heart—a feeling he couldn’t express in words.

That’s when he remembered what Hyun-sung had said, and he slapped his knee without realizing it.

That’s Hyun-sung.

Perhaps he was the one who completely changed his way of life, reminding him, who had forgotten the meaning of happiness, how precious the sunlight streaming through the window was.

And that’s not all.

He also gave him the motivation to live for a new purpose even after retirement. How could he not be happy when Kim Gun, who was the best among so many trainees, received the top award?

Chairman Shin Chun-oh asked again.

“In which area did Kim Gun excel?”

“He was outstanding in all areas except one. His shooting skills were unmatched. He hit the target every time.”

“Hehe, hit the target every time?”

“Yes, so much so that he even gave a shooting demonstration in front of the other trainees instead of the instructor. But… Hehe.”

Chief Kim Young-woo covered his mouth and laughed mid-sentence.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh looked at him and said, “Chief Kim, is it okay for you to be like this since it’s your last year? What am I supposed to do if you laugh without me knowing?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t help it…”

Chief Kim Young-woo immediately bowed his head deeply.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh waved his hand and continued, “No, I’m not saying you have to be so serious. Don’t make people feel awkward… Anyway, explain why you’re laughing. I want to know.”

“Yes, that’s…”

Chief Kim Young-woo began to explain why he had laughed. As Chief Kim Young-woo’s explanation continued, Chairman Shin Chun-oh began to shake his head in disbelief. Finally, when Chief Kim Young-woo finished, he burst into laughter.

“Haha, hahahaha…”

“…”

Chief Kim Young-woo couldn’t laugh and covered his mouth with his hand.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh, who had been laughing for a long time, barely managed to stop and asked, “So, he’s good at shooting, but his posture is terrible? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes, that’s right. But it seems his posture is worse than I thought—so much so that the instructor stopped him from demonstrating in front of his fellow soldiers. And what he said was quite a sight to behold.”

“No, what did he say…?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh stared at Chief Kim Young-woo, curious.

Chief Kim Young-woo cleared his throat twice before answering, “He told him to only shoot while lying down.”

“He told him to only shoot while lying down?”

“Yes, he said not to shoot in any other position because it looked strange.”

“No, how strange must it be to hear those words? Well, there was a guy like that when I was in the army. He was a month younger than me, and his posture was strange, but he always hit the target. He had a comfortable military life because of that and even received a commendation from the division commander. Back then, being good at shooting was the best.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled, reminiscing about the past, then immediately continued, “By the way, where is his unit?”

“It’s a tank unit in the city. His specialty is driving.”

“Hehe, his military life is completely set.”

“Yes? What do you mean…?”

“Think about it. Kim Gun is confident in driving, and even though his posture is strange, he hits the target. If he’s good at driving, which is his specialty, and good at shooting, then his military life is set, isn’t it?”

Chief Kim Young-woo nodded.

That’s right. What could be more important to a soldier than that? If you’re good at your specialty and good at shooting, you’ve already laid the foundation for 90% of your military life.

At that moment, something came to Chief Kim Young-woo’s mind.

“Chairman, but one question remains.”

“A question? What is it?”

“Didn’t I tell you last time that Hyun-sung knew his unit in advance?”

“Yes, I think he said Unit 6233 at that time?”

“Yes, that’s right. But today, the unit that Hyun-sung is going to is Unit 6233. He told that to Major General Yoo Min-cheol on the day he enlisted. How did he know which unit he was going to in advance…?”

“Chief Kim.”

Before Chief Kim Young-woo could finish, Chairman Shin Chun-oh interrupted, “Let’s skip those questions. Frankly, all the abilities that Kim Gun has shown us so far are impossible. Didn’t he already know the date he was going to the army a year ago? And that’s not all. The new city in Ilsan is the same. There’s no end to the things we could talk about, right?”

“Yes, the chairman is 100% right.”

“So, let’s not argue about that anymore. No matter how much we think about it, it seems we can’t understand it. From now on, I’m just going to accept what Kim Gun does. I think that’s better for our mental health… What do you think, Chief Kim?”

“Ah, yes… I think that’s right.”

Chief Kim Young-woo nodded slowly.

That’s right.

There have been countless things we couldn’t understand. The most memorable is, of course, the new city in Ilsan.

Even a year ago, no one thought that place would become a new city. But what we had hoped for actually happened.

5 billion won [approximately $4.5 million USD].

That’s money I couldn’t even imagine in my dreams, and it was deposited into my account a month ago. Just thinking about that makes me smile even when I’m sleeping.

“What are you thinking about that your expression is so good?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh asked, looking at Chief Kim Young-woo, who was smiling.

“Did you know that your face has been smiling a lot lately? Can I know what’s going on?”

“Yes? Ah, yes… It’s nothing special, just…”

“So, I’m curious about what that ‘nothing special’ is. Can’t I know?”

“That’s not true. After all, the chairman gave it to me.”

“Me? Are you perhaps…?”

“Yes, the chairman is right. To be honest, I can’t sleep well these days. Some days…”

Chief Kim Young-woo began to talk about his feelings openly. As he explained, a smile spread on Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s face. When he finished, Chairman Shin Chun-oh immediately asked, “Is that the reason?”

“Yes, it’s something I couldn’t have imagined.”

“Okay, now that we’re talking about it, what are you going to do in the future? I think there’s a little over a month left?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

“You’re thinking about it… That sounds like you’re considering something, am I right?”

At Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s question, Chief Kim Young-woo paused before slowly saying, “Actually, I’m thinking about traveling.”

“Traveling?”

“Yes, my wife used to love traveling when she was young. She traveled a lot, both domestically and internationally.”

“That’s right, I think you mentioned it before. You said you met your wife while traveling.”

Chief Kim Young-woo began to talk about his previous trips as if he had returned to the past. Chairman Shin Chun-oh listened intently, nodding as if he enjoyed the story.

After some time passed and Chief Kim Young-woo’s story ended, Chairman Shin Chun-oh said, “Young-woo!”

“Yes?”

Chief Kim Young-woo was momentarily surprised because Chairman Shin Chun-oh had never called him by his first name so affectionately.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh continued, “Why are you so surprised? Didn’t I tell you that we should be friends from now on? There’s only a little over a month left this year, so shouldn’t we start practicing now?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh took a breath and continued, “Anyway, we’re only two years apart. In society, that’s enough to be friends, right?”

“No matter what, that’s not possible. How can I…”

“Anyway, your stubbornness is amazing.”

“What’s not, isn’t.”

Chief Kim Young-woo shook his head.

He met Chairman Shin Chun-oh in college. At that time, Chairman Shin Chun-oh was a senior, and Chief Kim Young-woo was a sophomore.

The two became close when Chief Kim Young-woo returned to school and joined the mountaineering club. Chairman Shin Chun-oh, knowing that Chief Kim Young-woo was having a hard time, provided him with room and board.

At that time, he didn’t know that Chairman Shin Chun-oh was from the Nongshim family [a large South Korean food and beverage company]. But after graduating, Chairman Shin Chun-oh came to his workplace one day and asked him to help him.

That was the beginning, and he naturally became his secretary. That’s been 20 years. But now he wants to be friends… I’m grateful for the words, but what’s not, isn’t.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh continued, “Then, how about calling me ‘hyung’ [an honorific term used by younger males to address older males they are close to]? You used to call me ‘sunbae’ [an honorific term for senior], but it’s ambiguous to call me that now, so how about calling me ‘hyung’ instead? I think that would be good too, what do you think?”

“That’s a bit…”

It’s not like it’s been a day or two; he’s been serving him as chairman for 20 years. How easy would it be to suddenly call such a person ‘hyung’ overnight?

After thinking for a moment, Chief Kim Young-woo said firmly, “That’s not possible.”

“Not possible? Why?”

“I’ve been serving the chairman for 20 years. No, if you count from before I started working as a secretary, it’s been 25 years. But how can I suddenly call such a person ‘hyung’ now? I can’t do that. No, I can’t!”

“…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh was silent.

He didn’t say anything for a while, wondering what he was thinking, and then he moved his feet, took something out of his desk drawer, and came back to Chief Kim Young-woo.

“Do you know what this is?”

In Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s hand was an old watch.

That watch was what Chief Kim Young-woo gave him as a gift on the day Chairman Shin Chun-oh officially became the chairman of Nongshim.

“No, you still have that?”

“Of course. I don’t know what Chief Kim thinks of this watch, but it was symbolic to me.”

“Symbolic?”

“Yes, the original intention. Do you know what you told me when you gave me this watch on the day I first sat in this position?”

Chief Kim Young-woo nodded.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh continued, “You said that this position is only a temporary place to stay. So, you also told me to think of it as serving the company while I’m here. Do you remember?”

“…Yes.”

“Why wouldn’t I have been greedy while I was in this position? But every time, I emptied my mind while looking at this watch. In the end, I kept my promise to you. Do you acknowledge that?”

“Yes, of course…”

“Then, I think it’s your turn now… I clearly made a promise with you at that time, what do you think?”

“…”

I clearly made a promise.

While in the position of chairman, it is not a position for personal wealth but to devote one’s life to serving the company, and on the day of leaving that position, the relationship between the two will be restored to the way it was before.

Not vertical, but horizontal.

“Hoo!”

Chief Kim Young-woo took a short, deep breath and then said, “Thank you for not forgetting and remembering that promise. I was actually forgetting it.”

“Originally, the person who has to keep the promise is the one who remembers it. Thanks to you, I was able to leave this position honorably. Now, shouldn’t we restore our relationship?”

“Yes, I understand. From January 1st next year, as ‘hyung’…”.

Chief Kim Young-woo stopped talking and looked at Chairman Shin Chun-oh and smiled.

The two’s eyes met, and soon Chairman Shin Chun-oh also started laughing.

After a while.

“By the way, you said that Kim Gun excelled in all but one area, what was the one area he missed?”

“Chemical, biological, and radiological defense.”

“Chemical, biological, and radiological defense?”

“Yes, he crawled as much as the other trainees in chemical, biological, and radiological defense…”

“Well, there’s no match for chemical, biological, and radiological defense. Just thinking about it is terrible. That gas… Ugh.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh shuddered and asked again, “Where’s his unit?”

“Yes, he’s waiting at the brigade today, and each unit will come and take him tomorrow.”

“Did he say Unit 6233?”

“That’s what Hyun-sung said, but I don’t know yet.”

“Chief Kim still doesn’t trust Kim Gun. I think it’s going to be Unit 6233. Do you want to bet with me? No, let’s bet. How about tomorrow evening? Let’s go eat that [referring to a specific food or restaurant] for once.”

“Yes, that’s good. I’ve been wanting that lately… No matter how good Hyun-sung is, he wouldn’t even know his unit…”

Chief Kim Young-woo’s eyes were full of confidence. Chairman Shin Chun-oh was the same. Who will laugh and who will cry… .