Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 453

“Heh heh.”

Kim Il-soo couldn’t help but chuckle.

He never imagined that would come out of Hyun-sung’s wallet.

It was a few years ago.

A few days before the high school graduation ceremony, he had lunch with Hyun-sung. Before they parted, he handed him a card.

The card was a small one he had made at home the day before.

He wanted to give him something as a token of his gratitude.

His life had completely changed thanks to him, so he wanted to express his gratitude as he finished high school.

After agonizing [고민 – gomin, Korean word for deep contemplation] for a few days, he suddenly thought of a blank check. A check with no limit, a check that would unconditionally pay whatever amount the other person wanted.

But the concept of a blank check he had in mind had a different meaning.

He gave it a different meaning instead of money.

It meant that if the other person wanted something, he would unconditionally follow it, no matter what. It was perhaps similar to a slave contract.

So, he made a white paper the size of a business card. Instead of a blank check, he made a blank card.

And of course, he carefully wrote his signature on it. At the time, he thought it was the best he could do and the best gift he could give.

– This card is a blank card. In the future, if there’s anything you want, show me this card, and I will unconditionally follow your words, no matter what. I don’t have much to give you right now, so this is the best I can do.

That’s what he said while giving the card.

It might seem like childish play, but at the time, he was serious and sincere. He was so grateful that he wanted to express his gratitude in any way he could.

But now, years later, he never thought that the card would actually be used like this.

But the important thing is that Hyun-sung is going to use that card now.

Kim Il-soo held the blank card he received from Hyun-sung in his hand, looked at him, and chuckled.

“You’ve been holding onto this all this time?”

“Of course, what kind of card is this? It was the best gift you ever gave me.”

“And you’re going to use it now?”

“Of course.”

Hyun-sung smiled lightly and nodded.

When he received the card, he honestly didn’t think the day would come when he would use it. But at the time, Kim Il-soo’s actions felt so sincere that he had cherished it until today.

But a little while ago, while talking about the vice president, the card suddenly came to mind.

Of course, if he had to explain why Kim Il-soo should become the vice president, he could explain it as much as he wanted. But the problem is Kim Il-soo.

No matter how much he explained, it would not be easy for him to accept the position given his personality.

Why?

Because that’s the kind of guy he is. He’ll think it doesn’t suit him.

So, he pondered [고민 – gomin] for a moment, and the method he came up with was the blank card that he had given him a few days before his high school graduation.

“……”

Kim Il-soo, holding the card in his hand, didn’t say anything, as if he was thinking about something.

After a while.

Heh heh.

A smile spread across Kim Il-soo’s face, and after nodding as if he had made up his mind, he immediately opened his mouth.

“Okay, the 효용 [hyoyong – utility/usefulness] of this card ends from this moment on.”

“You’re going to accept it?”

“Of course. It’s a promise I made with my own mouth, so I can’t break it. But I’m sorry, there’s one condition.”

“Condition?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head at the word ‘condition.’

The reason is that the word condition shouldn’t come out of his mouth at this moment. He clearly said that he would unconditionally follow his words, no matter what, when he gave him the card.

Hyun-sung’s voice grew louder.

“Hey, that’s cheating. You clearly……”

“Hear me out.”

Kim Il-soo cut off Hyun-sung’s words. Then, he smiled and immediately continued.

“No take-backs.”

“What?”

“No take-backs. That’s my condition. How about it? Are you still going to use this card now?”

Kim Il-soo continued to speak before Hyun-sung could answer.

“You need to think carefully. I’m also a 욕심 [yoksim – greed] guy, so once I sit in the vice president’s seat, I’ll never step down. If you’re going to regret your decision later, it’s not too late to take this card back now. This is the last chance I’m giving you.”

“Last chance?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be 욕심 [yoksim – greedy]? But I’m holding on with my last bit of 양심 [yangsim – conscience]. Decide quickly. I don’t think I can hold on any longer.”

“……”

Hyun-sung looked at him instead of answering.

At first, when he heard Kim Il-soo’s condition, he thought it was cheating. He thought it didn’t make sense for him to set a condition when he had agreed to follow his words unconditionally.

But when he actually heard the condition, it was the opposite of what he had expected.

He might be right.

Vice President.

That position is by no means a small one.

There’s no one who isn’t 욕심 [yoksim – greedy], as long as they’re human. Kim Il-soo would be the same.

But now he’s saying that he’s holding on with his last bit of 양심 [yangsim – conscience].

That’s the kind of guy he is.

He could just pretend not to know and accept it, but he’s still holding on to it with his 양심 [yangsim – conscience] until the very end.

To delay any longer would be disrespectful to him.

Hyun-sung nodded and said in a loud voice.

“Call!”

“Call?”

“Yeah, I accept the condition you mentioned.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, as long as I’m doing business here, my friend Kim Il-soo is the only vice president!”

Hyun-sung’s voice was filled with emotion.

People’s hearts are so strange.

Perhaps if he had accepted the position of vice president right away when it was first mentioned, he wouldn’t have felt as emotional as he does now.

But after seeing him hold on to it with his last bit of 양심 [yangsim – conscience], he couldn’t help but feel more emotional.

After a moment of silence, Kim Il-soo smiled awkwardly and continued.

“Then… am I the vice president from now on?”

“Yeah, you idiot. Thanks for accepting.”

“I’m… the vice president….”

Kim Il-soo shook his head repeatedly as if he couldn’t believe it.

Hyun-sung smiled at the sight and immediately continued.

“Mr. Vice President, in that sense, shall we have another can of beer?”

“Heh heh… Mr. Vice President?”

It was the moment when Kim Il-soo’s expression changed strangely.

Hyun-sung got up from his seat, took a can of beer from the refrigerator, and placed it on the table.

Clink.

He opened the can of beer and handed it to Kim Il-soo.

“Come on, let’s toast.”

“Heh heh… good. I can’t not have another drink when I’ve been promoted to vice president. Come on, cheers.”

The two men cheerfully clinked their beer cans in the air.

The two of them spent some time drinking beer and sharing their joy. As time passed, the number of empty beer cans also began to increase.

After a while.

The two men were slightly drunk.

Kim Il-soo spoke first.

“What am I going to do from now on?”

“Before that, let me ask you one thing first. What would you want to do if you were the boss?”

“If I were the boss?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm… well, honestly, I’m a little 정신없다 [jeongshineopda – overwhelmed/mentally disoriented] because of the super-fast promotion, but if I were the boss, I think I would 신경쓰다 [gyeongseuda – care/pay attention] about the business first. After all, the most important thing is the business.”

Hyun-sung nodded and asked again.

“And?”

“Hmm… then there are a lot of employees, so I guess I’d 신경쓰다 [gyeongseuda – care/pay attention] about the employees. After all, this restaurant can only survive and everyone can only live if those people do well.”

“How?”

“How?”

“Yeah, what kind of ways are you going to 신경쓰다 [gyeongseuda – care/pay attention]? There must be some methods.”

Kim Il-soo thought for a moment at Hyun-sung’s question and then opened his mouth again.

“Honestly, after working, I realized that salary is important. But there’s something else that’s just as important.”

“What is it?”

“Not ignoring employees. Even though they’re getting paid, they can’t stand personal insults. I didn’t stay there long enough to experience that, but I heard from other employees that it was no joke.”

Hyun-sung already knew about it. He had seen many cases in his past life where employees were ignored and sometimes even subjected to violence because they were paid.

Hyun-sung asked again.

“What’s the solution?”

“Solution? Well… isn’t the problem the boss’s personality? That won’t be a problem with you, and there are also many cases where employees 괴롭히다 [goerophida – bully/harass] each other. To solve that problem, you have no choice but to listen to the employees.”

“How?”

“There are many ways, but the easiest way is to hear directly from the employees. Of course, confidentiality is essential. And……”

Kim Il-soo’s words grew longer. It seemed that he had a lot of stories he had experienced while working at the restaurant or heard from his seniors.

Not only that, but he also explained the overall management of the restaurant.

Hyun-sung quietly listened to what he was saying.

And when he finally finished talking, he immediately opened his mouth as if he had been waiting.

“Do it that way.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Do it that way. Do everything you’ve said so far. That’s what you’re going to do as vice president.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, that’s why we need the vice president position. And one more thing.”

Hyun-sung held out one finger and continued.

“Not right now, but once the restaurant is on track, I’ll be 비우다 [biuda – emptying/vacating] here sometimes. Then you’ll be in charge of running this place in my place.”

“What are you talking about? How can I?”

“Don’t worry too much. I’m not going to leave in a year or two. You can learn by running it with me in the meantime.”

“Wait!”

Kim Il-soo raised his hand. Then he immediately asked again.

“Did you say you’re leaving here now?”

“I think that’s going to happen. But I’m not leaving completely. I’ll come running if something happens, so don’t worry too much.”

“……”

Kim Il-soo was so 황당 [hwangdang – absurd/dumbfounded] that he couldn’t speak.

Does this make sense? The boss is going to 비우다 [biuda – vacate] the position after creating the biggest restaurant in the country, not just a small restaurant.

“Sigh!”

Kim Il-soo sighed without realizing it.

Then Hyun-sung’s words immediately followed.

“Hey, why are you sighing like that?”

“I can’t understand it no matter how much I think about it. There are a whopping 1,000 people looking at you. But you’re saying you’re going to leave those people and go somewhere.”

“Management is not done by people, it’s done by the system.”

“System?”

“Yeah, so don’t worry too much about that. I’ll create the system and leave. And then I’ll come back again later.”

“……”

Kim Il-soo tilted his head.

What is this again? The system is one thing, but he’s saying he’ll come back again later?

Kim Il-soo immediately asked.

“You’re coming back?”

“Yeah, I don’t know exactly when, but I’ll come back when I achieve my purpose.”

“Does that mean you have another purpose for leaving here?”

“Yeah, the most important thing in my life is waiting for me.”

“The most important thing? What is it?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you yet. I’ll tell you when the time comes, but it’s more important to me than this restaurant. So I have no choice but to 비우다 [biuda – vacate] here.”

That’s why he put Kim Il-soo in the position of vice president. If he has no choice but to 비우다 [biuda – vacate] here, someone he can trust has to take his place.

The restaurant will be fully established in about three years. After all, the operation will be carried out systematically under the management of each team leader, and the customers will be in a stable range by then.

In that case, if Kim Il-soo, the vice president, takes care of the internal affairs and Yoo Min-cheol, the manager, takes care of the external affairs, there will be no major difficulties in operating this place.

And then, the next thing to do is to find his wife, Yoon Ji-soo.

In his past life, he first met her in the spring of 2007 when he was 29 years old. At that time, she was 36 years old.

But at that time, they had no interest in each other at all. They were just the video store owner and the customer.

They met four years later when he was 33 years old. She was already 40 at that time. After dating for a year, the two got married in June 2002, when the country was turned upside down by the World Cup.

-I regret that I didn’t recognize the 인연 [inyeon – fate/destiny] when we first met.

That’s what she said later as a habit. She said that if they had become 인연 [inyeon – fated] when they first met, they would have had children and been happier.

Once is enough. He will never make that mistake again.

He has been given another chance. This time, he will properly and 멋지게 [meotjige – stylishly/splendidly] create 인연 [inyeon – fate/destiny] with her.

So he’s preparing from now on.

Hyun-sung looked at Kim Il-soo and continued.

“You can do it well.”

“Well, I can’t understand it at all, but since you say it’s the most important thing, I have no choice. I’ll try my best for now.”

“Thank you, and have you and Jung-woo host my wedding.”

In his past life, Lee Jung-woo hosted the wedding alone. But now, it seemed like another guy could stand in that place with him.

But that was just Hyun-sung’s thought, and Kim Il-soo immediately continued as if he was 황당 [hwangdang – absurd/dumbfounded].

“Hey, why are you suddenly talking about the wedding here?”

“There’s a reason. You’ll know later. Anyway, let’s toast for our opening tomorrow.”

Hyun-sung raised his beer can high.

Then Kim Il-soo also raised his beer can high.

Thus, the two men’s beer cans collided once again in the air.

‘Where is she now….’

Now that he thought he could meet her in a few years, he missed her even more today.

456

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