Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 427

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“Kim quit school entirely?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh asked Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young, as if to reconfirm the report he had just received. He had been told that Kim was still considering the school issue right before his discharge.

But the report said that the first thing Kim did after being discharged was to rush to Gangneung and drop out of school. Chairman Shin wanted to double-check, just in case.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Strange. He didn’t mention anything like that before his discharge.”

“Indeed. And there wasn’t anything particularly significant that would have changed his mind overnight.”

“Hmm…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh was silent, seemingly lost in thought.

He nodded a moment later.

“Perhaps…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh started to speak, then stopped again. He seemed to be carefully considering whether his thoughts were correct before speaking.

“This is just my opinion, but… I think he felt there was nothing more to gain from school.”

“Ah, so that’s why he made that decision…”

“Exactly. As Chief Secretary Choi knows, he passed the notoriously difficult CPA [Certified Public Accountant] exam on his first try after finishing just one year of college.”

“Yes, that’s right. Others study for years after finishing all four years, and still might not pass. That just shows how different Kim is from others.”

“That’s my point. He finished the four-year course after only one year, accomplishing what others can’t even do after graduating. So, of course, he wouldn’t feel the need to continue attending school.”

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young nodded unconsciously, agreeing with Chairman Shin Chun-oh. Then, he immediately spoke up.

“Plus, he has a mountain of work piled up.”

“That’s right. Construction has already started, and there’s only a year left before we start operations, so time is of the essence. Moreover, it wouldn’t be easy to entrust that work to someone else.”

“Kim’s personality also plays a part. He’s the type who wants to do everything himself.”

“Haha, you know Kim inside and out now.”

“I’ve been accompanying you, Chairman…”

A slight smile spread across Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young’s face.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh immediately asked,

“Why?”

“I was just thinking about when I first met Kim. I wondered what kind of person he was, but that was already six years ago.”

“Time really flies. By the way, were there any unusual occurrences in Gangneung?”

“Well…”

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young hesitated to speak.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh immediately asked,

“Why? Is there something?”

“There’s nothing else, but there’s one thing I don’t understand. It’s the ‘Grandma’s Tofu’ restaurant in Chodang.”

“Why, did he go there again?”

“Yes, that’s right. The first place he went to after arriving in Gangneung was there. But he didn’t eat; he just checked the owner’s face and left the parking lot.”

“So, eating wasn’t the purpose?”

“That’s why it’s strange. If eating isn’t the purpose, what else could it be?”

“Hmm…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh was silent, seemingly lost in thought.

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young was also silent.

After a brief pause, Chairman Shin Chun-oh broke the silence.

“Then there’s only one answer, isn’t there?”

“One answer?”

“Yes, it’s not just once or twice; he always goes to the restaurant first. If eating isn’t the purpose, then the only other purpose is a person.”

“A person?”

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young tilted his head. He couldn’t grasp what Chairman Shin Chun-oh meant by saying a person was the purpose.

“Chairman, I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you mean…”

“What did Chief Secretary Choi say earlier? He didn’t even get out of the car; he just checked the owner’s face and left the parking lot. Doesn’t that mean there’s someone else Kim is waiting for?”

“You mean there’s someone else he’s waiting for?”

“Yes, of course, we don’t know why he’s waiting for that person. But what’s certain is that he’s waiting for someone at that restaurant. And that person is probably the owner of the restaurant.”

“…”

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young couldn’t understand what he was saying, no matter how much he thought about it. But he couldn’t keep asking Chairman Shin Chun-oh for the reason, so he remained silent.

“Why? Do you still not understand?”

“I’m sorry. I honestly…”

“There’s no need to apologize. I don’t know if Chief Secretary Choi remembers, but Kim has a special ability. It’s precognitive dreams.”

“Ah, yes, of course. I remember. So, you’re saying he might already know the owner of the restaurant? And that’s why he’s waiting for that person.”

“That’s right. Now you understand what I’m saying. He probably has a special connection with that person.”

“But Chairman, one question still remains.”

“I think I know what it is. Why doesn’t he know exactly when the owner will change?”

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young immediately nodded. He thought that if Kim had a precognitive dream, he would know exactly when the owner would change.

At that moment,

Chairman Shin Chun-oh suddenly started laughing.

“Haha…”

“Chairman.”

“Why do you think I’m laughing?”

“Well, I have no idea. You’re laughing at the most crucial moment…”

“Chief Secretary, you know the saying, ‘Even monkeys fall from trees,’ right?”

“Yes, of course. But why are you suddenly saying that…”

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young looked at Chairman Shin Chun-oh, still curious.

Then, Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled and continued,

“Kim is exactly like that right now.”

“Pardon?”

“He had a precognitive dream, but the date didn’t appear in the dream. So, he runs to the restaurant whenever he has time. He’ll keep doing that until he meets that person. So, keep a close eye on him. I’m curious to know who that person is that Kim is so obsessed with. Well, what do you think? Is my brain still working? Haha…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh started laughing loudly, satisfied with his conclusion.

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young was in a difficult position. The final conclusion was clearly flawed, but the important thing was that he couldn’t say anything while looking at the laughing Chairman Shin Chun-oh.

‘Hmm…’

After a moment of contemplation, Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young’s choice was to laugh along with Chairman Shin Chun-oh.

“You’re right, Chairman. Hahaha…”

A moment later,

Chairman Shin Chun-oh asked again,

“How is Kim doing these days?”

“He’s very busy.”

“It’s only early March, and he’s busy? What’s keeping him so busy?”

“He’s busy planting canola flowers. He needs to finish planting in over 200,000 pyeong [approximately 165 acres] by this week.”

“Canola flowers?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh tilted his head and immediately asked,

“As far as I know, canola flowers are planted in the fall and overwinter before blooming the following spring. Why is he planting them now?”

“I thought so too, but that’s only true for the warmer southern regions. In Hongcheon, Gangwon-do, where Kim is, they would freeze to death because the winter is so cold.”

“Freeze to death? You mean they’d die from the cold? So, he has no choice but to plant them in the spring?”

“Yes, that’s right. And if he plants them in the spring, they can bloom from May 10th to the end of the month.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh tilted his head once more and continued,

“Hmm? I thought canola flowers usually ended before May. You’re saying they can bloom until the end of May?”

“Yes, according to Kim, if he plants them in early March, they’ll bloom around May 10th, 70 days later, and last until the end of the month. That way, they can see the flowers for about 20 days longer than other regions. The canola flowers will bloom almost right after the cherry blossoms fall.”

“Haha, so he’s going to let people see canola flowers after the cherry blossoms? That means they can see flowers for almost two months, April and May. Then, of course, people from all over the country will flock to see the flowers. And those people will naturally go to the restaurant. So, that’s what he meant by flower marketing.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh nodded. From the beginning, Hyun-sung had talked about flower marketing. At the time, he didn’t know what it meant, but after hearing the explanation, he seemed to understand what it meant.

“But how does Kim know so much about canola flowers at such a young age?”

“I find that strange too. I found out that no one in that village grows canola flowers, but how did Kim know and choose that flower?”

“He’s always a subject of study. Anyway, does that mean we can finally see the flowers properly this spring?”

“Yes, that’s right. Cherry trees and canola flowers have already been planted in all areas except for the greenhouse complex, which is over 200,000 pyeong, so we’ll be able to see cherry blossoms starting in a month, followed by canola flowers.”

“Just imagining it is breathtaking. Flowers in over 200,000 pyeong…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh closed his eyes and smiled as if he were looking at the flowers.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh, who had closed his eyes for a moment, opened them and asked again,

“And by the way, what happened to that friend you mentioned a while ago, Park Beom-soo?”

“He’s still diligently learning to cook. Thanks to that, his father, Park Hee-cheol, is very happy.”

“I’m sure he is, eating the food his son makes every day. By the way, is his cooking skill good?”

“He may not have a professional certificate, but he seems to have a natural talent for cooking. He can make most dishes with the cookbooks Kim bought him.”

“Haha, that’s something…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh chuckled lightly and asked again,

“Did you say that friend is thirty-five this year?”

“Yes, that’s right. He went to Japan to study when he was young and returned to Korea three years ago. Anyway, thanks to Kim, that friend has found a new life, and he treats Kim with great respect, calling him ‘President’.”

“There’s an 11-year age difference, but he calls him ‘President’… Well, age isn’t important. So, will that friend work at the restaurant later?”

“We don’t know yet.”

“You don’t know? What do you mean? Isn’t the reason Kim is investing in that friend for the restaurant?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh couldn’t help but tilt his head. When he first received the report, he thought that Kim was investing in that friend to put him in the restaurant. But now that he says he doesn’t know yet, he couldn’t understand.

“He left the choice up to him.”

“What do you mean?”

“From the beginning, Kim told his friend Park Beom-soo that. He told him to find his talent and decide what he wants to do.”

“What he wants to do? You mean that friend has something else besides cooking?”

“He mentioned a academy.”

“A academy?”

“Yes, a Japanese language academy. He’s lived in Japan for over 20 years, so he must have the skills. So, he told him to make his own choice.”

“But you know…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh tilted his head as if he didn’t understand and asked again,

“Will a academy work in that rural area?”

“I didn’t understand it at first, but Kim’s thinking was different.”

“Different thinking? What did Kim say?”

“He said he’s going to run it for free.”

“For free? No, does that make sense? Running a academy costs a lot of money, and what about the instructors’ salaries?”

It was something that couldn’t be understood with basic common sense. So, Chairman Shin Chun-oh shook his head violently from side to side and stared at Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young. He was telling him to explain the rest.

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young, who couldn’t possibly not know the meaning, immediately answered.

“He called it social contribution.”

“Social contribution? What does that mean?”

“In the end, he’s going to return the money he earns from the restaurant to the children in the village. Not only that, but he’s also planning to run an English academy together. For free, of course.”

“Hmm…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh couldn’t say anything for a while, as if he had been hit on the head with a blunt instrument.

Social contribution.

There’s no way he wouldn’t know what it meant. Even companies have no choice but to make donations. But the fact that the young Hyun-sung was already thinking about that was quite shocking.

‘The purpose of running a restaurant isn’t just about money.’

That’s what Hyun-sung said to him when he first said he was going to run a restaurant. At the time, he didn’t take those words seriously. He thought that even if he said that now, he would inevitably chase after money later.

But now, according to his words, it’s clear that it wasn’t just empty talk.

How could someone who’s only twenty-four years old have such thoughts? Maybe he had a different way of thinking from others from the beginning.

The reason he started the ramen shop in the first place was for his friend’s mother.

“…”

A smile spread across Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s face, who had been silent, and he slowly opened his mouth.

“Chief Secretary.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“This is just hypothetical, but… what do you think about me becoming a teacher?”

“Pardon? What are you suddenly talking about?”

“Chief Secretary, you’re old enough to know what a village school is, right?”

“Yes, of course. There used to be a village school in my hometown until 15 years ago, but it’s gone now. But why suddenly a village school… Chairman, could it be…”

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young looked at Chairman Shin Chun-oh with a surprised expression.

Then, Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled and continued,

“I may not know anything else, but I’m still confident in Chinese characters. Anyway, if I go down to the village where Kim lives in two years, I won’t have anything special to do. Maybe it would be nice to do that before I die. But I’m not saying I’m going to do it for sure, only if Kim allows it…”

“Pardon? Allows it?”

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young shouted before Chairman Shin Chun-oh could finish speaking. He couldn’t help but shout at the word ‘allows’.

“Hey, why are you so surprised?”

“Chairman, I couldn’t help but say that because you said ‘allows’…”

“Haha, don’t you know yet? Kim is our master now. I think I already said that when Kim was discharged. So, of course, we have to get his permission. I’ll have to ask for his permission when I go flower viewing next month. By the way, is Kim meeting someone new again this week?”

“Ah, yes. It’s a friend named Baek Doo-soon.”

“Baek Doo-soon? Who’s that friend?”

“He’s a fellow recruit from military training. According to Kim, he’s very good at his job. So, that friend is coming to visit this week.”

“Hmm… He’s slowly gathering the people who will work for him in the future.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh nodded and looked at the calendar. In a month, the cherry blossoms will start to bloom there. Cherry blossoms in over 200,000 pyeong…

It was a moment when a smile spread across his face just thinking about it.