Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 419

The next day.

“Here it is.”

Yoo Min-cheol, who had been waiting outside, raised his hand toward Hyun-sung, who had finished processing his discharge.

“When did you get here?”

“I arrived an hour ago. I left early just in case, but it took a long time because of the distance. Still, I’m glad I arrived on time.”

“I told you not to come, but you insisted… Anyway, thank you for coming all the way here.”

Hyun-sung bowed his head to Yoo Min-cheol. Yoo Min-cheol had insisted on driving him to the base even during his last leave. Hyun-sung knew how much he cared for him, so he bowed his head in gratitude.

Yoo Min-cheol asked immediately,

“Is it all over now?”

“Yes, the discharge is finalized. Please wait a moment. I just need to say goodbye to a few guys.”

At that moment, Hyun-sung spotted Baek Doo-soon. He was a fellow recruit from training. They had done community service together during training, and Hyun-sung was so impressed with his work ethic that he asked if he had any plans to farm afterward. Baek Doo-soon had said he would think about it during his service.

Hyun-sung called out to Baek Doo-soon as he walked out.

“Hey, Baek Doo-soon.”

“Oh, Hyun-sung. You haven’t left yet?”

“I should at least say goodbye since it’s the last time. Anyway, did anything happen while you were serving?”

*Tsk.*

Baek Doo-soon smiled instead of answering and lightly smacked his lips. It seemed like something had happened.

Hyun-sung tilted his head for a moment. Of course, anything could happen, but at first glance, he didn’t seem like the type to cause trouble in the military.

Hyun-sung asked immediately,

“Why? What happened?”

“No, it’s not that, it’s just…”

“What is it? Why can’t you speak properly?”

“Actually…”

Baek Doo-soon began to explain. Hyun-sung started laughing as he listened. Then, before he could even finish, Hyun-sung spoke first.

“So, the conclusion is that you were made for the military?”

“Yeah, I was surprised too.”

“So you were seriously considering making a career out of the military?”

“Yeah, the recruiting officer kept trying to persuade me to stay in with him. Later, even the company commander said the same thing.”

As expected. That’s what he felt from the first time he saw him at training. Seeing him being so proactive in everything he did, he thought that maybe the military was his calling.

Hyun-sung asked again,

“So?”

“So what? I discharged after much deliberation.”

“Why?”

“I saw something dirty.”

“Something dirty?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head. He was curious to know what had bothered his easygoing personality so much.

Curious, Hyun-sung asked again,

“What exactly upset you so much?”

“A young punk was chewing out someone old enough to be his father. I saw that that day and realized that I could never be a non-commissioned officer. Does that make sense? A guy who’s not even thirty yelling at someone who’s almost fifty…”

Baek Doo-soon shook his head.

Hyun-sung immediately understood what Baek Doo-soon was talking about. The military is a hierarchical society, so age doesn’t matter in front of rank.

No matter how old a non-commissioned officer is, they are inevitably lower in rank than an officer. As a result, they sometimes get treated unfairly.

Although it’s rare, there are some newly appointed lieutenants who try to solve everything with rank. The problem is when there’s a conflict between the two. There could be many reasons, but sometimes they resort to throwing their weight around before even considering the reasons.

In such cases, as long as they are soldiers, no matter how old they are, they are bound to be victims of that abuse because rank is king. The case Baek Doo-soon is talking about is exactly this.

*Thump.*

Hyun-sung thumped Baek Doo-soon on the shoulder and continued,

“So that’s why you decided to discharge?”

“Of course. I’d rather do manual labor in society than see that happen. And there was also what you said…”

Hyun-sung’s expression suddenly brightened.

Hyun-sung immediately opened his mouth with joy.

“You haven’t forgotten. I was a little worried that you might have forgotten in the meantime.”

“I can’t forget. You talked about it so much.”

“So, have you made a decision?”

“To be honest, I’m still not sure. That’s why I’m planning to visit you soon. I think I need to see it with my own eyes before I make a decision.”

Hyun-sung immediately nodded.

That’s only natural. It’s not just anything, it’s a matter of a lifelong career. All they’ve done is train together at training. It would be more problematic if he made a decision based solely on Hyun-sung’s words.

“Good thinking. Seeing the site is definitely the priority. Don’t forget to contact me before you come.”

“Okay, I’ll contact you and go soon. But who is that behind you…?”

Baek Doo-soon pointed to Yoo Min-cheol standing behind Hyun-sung and asked.

Then Hyun-sung immediately continued,

“Oh, that’s our site manager. Manager, say hello. This is a friend from training, and he might be working with us in the future.”

As soon as Hyun-sung finished speaking, Yoo Min-cheol reached out his hand to Baek Doo-soon and greeted him.

“I’m Yoo Min-cheol. Nice to meet you.”

“Hello? I’m Baek Doo-soon. But did you come all the way here on purpose?”

“I’m the boss, so of course I have to come and pick him up.”

“Ah, yes…”

Baek Doo-soon couldn’t help but be surprised by Yoo Min-cheol’s response, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Even though he looked to be in his forties, his attitude toward Hyun-sung, who was much younger than him, was extremely respectful.

Moreover, he said that Hyun-sung lived in a township that was an hour and a half further into Hongcheon [a county in South Korea]. To arrive here at this time, he would have had to leave at least before 5 a.m. Yet, he spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, which couldn’t help but surprise him.

Then Yoo Min-cheol’s words continued again.

“Come anytime. You’ll be really surprised when you come.”

“You say that, so I want to go soon. Ah, and please speak comfortably. I’m much younger…”

“That’s not true. You can’t just drop honorifics just because someone is older. Anyway, let’s decide on that issue later, and since you said you’re coming, I’ll guide you around every corner when you come.”

“Yes, thank you. Seeing the manager, I have a rough idea of what kind of person Hyun-sung is. Anyway, it was nice to meet you today. You must have a long way to go, so I’ll be going now…”

Baek Doo-soon bowed deeply to Yoo Min-cheol.

It is said that you can know ten things from seeing one. At first, he was surprised by his attitude toward Hyun-sung, and this time he was surprised by his tone.

At first, he just thought that he was just a person working in the countryside, but after exchanging a few words, he realized that his judgment was wrong.

But what’s even more surprising is that the young Hyun-sung is employing such a person. He was noticeable even in training, but seeing him today, he thought that he might be even more than he had thought.

Baek Doo-soon opened his mouth, looking at Hyun-sung.

“As I said before, I’ll contact you and visit you soon. I want to see it soon after hearing what the manager said.”

“Okay, don’t delay and come as soon as possible.”

“Okay, I will. Then, see you then.”

After the two shook hands and parted ways, Kim Dong-soo came with his father, Kim Jin-yong.

Hyun-sung first spoke to Kim Jin-yong.

“Father, when did you come? I didn’t see you a little while ago?”

“I was a little late. I’m just coming now. Anyway, congratulations on your discharge.”

“Thank you.”

“And I heard a lot about you from our Dong-soo. I heard you had a lot of trouble because of Dong-soo?”

“Father, that’s not true. I was glad to have Dong-soo, and he was a great help to me. So please don’t say that.”

Kim Jin-yong smiled at Hyun-sung’s answer and continued,

“Anyway, thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to live comfortably. And this is nothing special, but take it with you.”

Kim Jin-yong handed two bags to Hyun-sung. They looked like herbal medicine at first glance.

“I don’t have anything else to give you, so I made some herbal medicine for your father and mother to take.”

“No, Father…”

Hyun-sung quickly took the bags that Kim Jin-yong handed him with both hands. He could tell how much there was just from the weight.

“Why is there so much?”

“It’s not much, it’s only enough for six months. I made it with only the best ingredients, so if you take it steadily, you’ll definitely see the effects.”

“Thank you. And I heard that you gave a generous price for angelica root last fall, so I’m getting a lot of help from you in many ways.”

“Speak straight even if your mouth is crooked [a Korean idiom meaning ‘be honest’]. It’s not that I gave you a lot, but your father grew angelica root so well. The goods are good, so it’s natural that the price is good. I rather…”

Kim Jin-yong’s words continued for a while after that. The conclusion was that his father grew angelica root well, so the goods were better than other products.

But Hyun-sung knew. All of that was because Kim Jin-yong paid special attention to him. Anyway, the important thing is that thanks to that, the number of farms cultivating angelica root in the village increased. As a result, of course, income increased and the expressions of the villagers brightened a lot.

***

How much time had passed since he parted ways with Kim Dong-soo?

Hyun-sung’s eyes caught the sign for the ‘Meeting Plaza’ rest area.

“Manager, what time did you leave in the morning?”

“I left a little after 4 o’clock. It was my first time going there…”

It was somewhat expected. Later, the road got better, so you could go in about 3 hours, but back then, there were many unpaved roads, so it took at least 5 hours.

Besides, it was his first time, so he would have left with a little more time to spare.

“Manager, then you haven’t had a proper breakfast yet, have you?”

“No, it’s not that, I had something while leaving the house…”

Next to Yoo Min-cheol, who was saying that, Hyun-sung’s eyes caught an empty bread bag and an empty milk carton. He didn’t have a family, and he wouldn’t have had breakfast while leaving at that early hour.

Hyun-sung immediately spoke.

“Manager, let’s go into the rest area.”

“No, it hasn’t even been an hour since we left?”

“I’m hungry. I didn’t eat breakfast this morning either.”

Of course, it’s a lie. But he wanted to fill Yoo Min-cheol’s empty stomach even if it was just like that. When he first hired him, he didn’t think that he would be so devoted to Hyun-sung himself. But as time went by, he was just surprised by his thoughtfulness.

Hyun-sung, who entered the rest area, immediately ordered beef rice soup. It was the Maljukgeori beef rice soup that you must try when you stop by the Meeting Plaza rest area.

“Manager, eat.”

“Is this beef head rice soup?”

“It’s not beef head, it’s beef rice soup. This is the Maljukgeori beef rice soup.”

At that time, it wasn’t very famous. Only people who knew about it ate it. Later, it was a food that caused a stir to the point that people from all over the country came to eat it because of a comedian’s words.

“How is it?”

“It’s good. But why is there so much meat in it?”

“It’s a double portion.”

“Wow! Even if it’s a double portion…”

Yoo Min-cheol tilted his head and started eating the rice soup. Hyun-sung glanced at Yoo Min-cheol and then smiled and started eating the rice soup.

In fact, while ordering the rice soup, he asked the lady to take 1/2 of his meat and put it in Yoo Min-cheol’s bowl. He wanted to convey his gratitude even if it was just like that.

The two people even had coffee for dessert.

Hyun-sung spoke first.

“Manager, give me the car keys.”

“Yes? Ah, no. I’ll drive.”

“Give them to me, I’ll do it for just an hour. Then you do it. I can’t do it for long either.”

“Well… then it’s just for an hour. After that…”

“Yes, I know.”

Hyun-sung took the car keys and immediately got into the driver’s seat.

Vroom!

The truck with the two people in it left the Meeting Plaza rest area and started running on the highway.

About 10 minutes passed.

Yoo Min-cheol, who was next to him, had already fallen asleep.

Hyun-sung quietly turned off the radio.

***

“Hyun-sung!”

The first to greet Hyun-sung when he arrived home was his mother. Of course, his father, who was next to her, also greeted Hyun-sung.

“You worked hard. Thank you for coming back safely like this.”

“Father, Mother, please sit down. I’ll bow to you.”

Hyun-sung bowed deeply to his father and mother.

“You’ve had a lot of hardships, haven’t you? Thanks to your concern, I came back safely. Now, put your mind at ease and sleep comfortably.”

“Yes, yes. Now I can sleep with my legs stretched out. Ah, I can’t be like this.”

With those words, the mother headed to the kitchen.

But what was strange was the father’s behavior. In the past, he would just sit still when his mother set the table. But today, when his mother got up, his father also headed to the kitchen.

“Father, what are you doing?”

Hyun-sung asked, watching his father setting the table in the kitchen.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s not that… It’s just that it seems like something has changed since before I went to the military.”

“You said it every time you sent a letter, didn’t you? That love is about expressing it. So I’m going to change from now on.”

Of course, what he always said to his father while writing letters was exactly that.

But he didn’t expect him to change like this.

Hyun-sung smiled and immediately continued,

“Father! You’re awesome. You’re the best.”

Hyun-sung immediately raised both thumbs. In his previous life, he didn’t write letters after writing a few letters when he was a private, even while he was in the military, until he was discharged.

But this time it was different. He wrote letters every week. What he said every time was exactly what his father said a little while ago.

But that’s what changed his father again. After all, the saying that people don’t change was not the truth.

“Son, let’s eat.”

“Yes! Mother, and Father!”

Hyun-sung smiled and looked at his father and mother. The three of them sat down together for a meal for the first time in a long time. What had changed from the past was that the father’s words at the table had become more than before.