Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 467

“I need to find my wife.”

“Pardon?”

Yu Min-cheol was taken aback by Hyeon-seong’s words.

*Just a moment ago*, he said he was going to meet his wife, and now he says he needs to find her. *What on earth is he talking about?*

What’s truly incomprehensible to Yu Min-cheol is the word ‘wife’ that Hyeon-seong used.

Generally, the term ‘wife’ is used by a married man to refer to his female spouse. In other words, to call someone a wife, the social act of marriage must first be in place.

But what about Hyeon-seong now?

He’s only twenty-five, which makes this story unbelievable to anyone.

“Sir, what are you talking about? Did you perhaps get married without telling me?”

Yu Min-cheol felt pathetic even asking that question. No matter how he thought about it, this situation made no sense.

Hyeon-seong continued.

“Chief, you don’t understand, do you?”

“Of course not! This doesn’t make sense to anyone. You, who have never been married, suddenly say you’re going to find your wife. How can that make sense? Moreover, you’re not alone; you have over a thousand employees, and you’re saying you’re going to leave this place. What is this…?”

Yu Min-cheol stopped talking and shook his head from side to side.

But that was only from Yu Min-cheol’s perspective, and the same words came out of Hyeon-seong’s mouth again.

“But still, I must find my wife.”

“……”

Yu Min-cheol simply closed his mouth. Continuing the conversation was meaningless, and he felt pathetic for even responding.

Perhaps that was why.

His expression couldn’t help but harden.

Seeing that, Hyeon-seong continued.

“You seem very upset?”

“……”

“I understand perfectly. Of course, it doesn’t make sense. But I’m just as frustrated because I can’t explain it any other way.”

“……”

Yu Min-cheol deliberately bit his lower lip tightly.

If he said any more, he might say something harsh without realizing it.

Then, Hyeon-seong called out to Yu Min-cheol.

“Chief.”

“……”

“I mentioned this to the Vice President a while ago. But I didn’t talk about a wife then; I just said something might happen. And I haven’t even told the Manager yet.”

“What? What does that mean…?”

From Yu Min-cheol’s perspective, this also made no sense. According to Hyeon-seong, he hadn’t told those two and was only telling him.

Why would he only tell him this?

Hyeon-seong continued again.

“I’m saying I’ve only told you the truth, Chief.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Why didn’t you tell them and only told me such a thing? This ridiculous story.”

The more Yu Min-cheol thought about it, the less sense it made.

Then, Hyeon-seong seemed to think for a moment, changed his expression, and opened his mouth again.

“Why do you think I did that?”

“Pardon?”

“Why do you think I didn’t tell the others the truth and only told you, Chief?”

“Well, I don’t know. Why only me…?”

“Chief!”

Hyeon-seong called out to him quietly before Yu Min-cheol could finish speaking. Then, he immediately continued.

“Haven’t you considered that there might be a reason?”

“A reason? What… reason?”

Yu Min-cheol cautiously asked back. Now that he thought about it, he had only thought it didn’t make sense and hadn’t considered that there might be a reason.

He had been watching for several years, but Hyeon-seong had never acted without a reason. Could there be another special reason…?

Hyeon-seong continued.

“I wouldn’t do this without a reason, would I? I thought you would know that much if you’ve been watching me all this time….”

There was disappointment in Hyeon-seong’s voice.

He continued again.

“I could have not said anything, like I did with the Manager and the Vice President, or I could have just said something was going to happen. But I didn’t do that with you, Chief. Because I thought I should at least be honest with you. But….”

“Wait a minute!”

Yu Min-cheol raised his hand to stop Hyeon-seong. Then, he immediately asked.

“Sir, let me just confirm one thing first.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Are you assuming that what you said to me earlier is true? That you’re going to find your wife?”

“Yes, that’s right. That’s definitely true. Of course, I know you can’t understand it, Chief. But what’s clear is that it’s true. I swear on my name. And I can’t explain about my wife right now, but I can show you and explain it clearly in five years at the latest.”

“……”

Yu Min-cheol seemed to be thinking about something quietly.

After a while.

Yu Min-cheol, as if he had organized his thoughts, looked at Hyeon-seong and opened his mouth.

“Did you just swear?”

“Yes, of course. I just can’t explain it, but I didn’t lie. As I said before, I can prove that it’s not a lie in five years at the latest.”

“Hmm… okay. Honestly, I can’t believe it, but I’ll believe you since you’re saying that much.”

Yu Min-cheol nodded. He didn’t understand, but he thought it would be rude to continue to doubt Hyeon-seong when he was swearing on his name.

Yu Min-cheol immediately continued.

“Actually, I couldn’t believe what you said earlier, so I wasn’t even curious about the reason, but it’s different now. From now on, I’ll acknowledge and believe what you say. So now, please explain why you only told me that story.”

Yu Min-cheol continued at length as if he had made up his mind. That meant he had been thinking a lot about it.

Perhaps that was natural.

Excluding Hyeon-seong, the owner of this restaurant, the next managers are three people.

Han Min-gu, the general manager who manages the restaurant’s hall, Kim Il-su, the vice president who manages the restaurant’s kitchen and staff, and finally, Yu Min-cheol, the chief who is in charge of all facilities and management.

The salaries of the three are the same. That means that no one is higher or different in position; they are all the same. Only their titles are different because they do different jobs.

Yet, he was telling the truth only to him, excluding the other two, so Yu Min-cheol couldn’t help but wonder why.

Hyeon-seong nodded and asked.

“You’re curious now, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s not like you’re discriminating against us three and only telling me.”

“Of course not. The three of you are the ones who will be responsible for and operate each of your respective parts in my place in the future.”

“Yes, I understand. Then please tell me the reason now. Why did you tell me that story, excluding the other two?”

Yu Min-cheol’s expression was definitely different from before.

That was because he had ignored Hyeon-seong’s words before, but now he had a definite expectation that there must be a reason why Hyeon-seong had acted that way.

Hyeon-seong’s expression had also changed.

Until now, he couldn’t say anything because the other person couldn’t accept his words. But now he knew that the other person’s mindset had changed, so he could now say what he wanted to say properly.

That’s why Hyeon-seong’s expression couldn’t help but change.

Hyeon-seong looked at Yu Min-cheol and asked.

“Chief, do you perhaps remember?”

“Pardon? Remember what?”

“The promise I made when I first brought you here and appointed you as the head of facilities.”

“A promise?”

“Yes, I definitely made one promise then….”

“Wait a minute….”

Yu Min-cheol’s eyes narrowed as if he was thinking about something.

After a while.

He opened his mouth a little over a minute later.

“Are you perhaps talking about the promise you made to me at the beginning?”

“You remember?”

“Of course. I accepted your offer because of that promise.”

It was four years ago.

One day, a twenty-one-year-old came and suggested that he quit his facility work and work with him.

Of course, it didn’t make sense.

Not only was he young, but the business he was talking about was so large that it was unbelievable at the time.

Of course, he couldn’t believe it, so he had no choice but to refuse.

Then, he showed him his bank account. After seeing it, he knew that his words were not a lie. It wasn’t just a thousand or two thousand; there was 50 billion won in it, so he couldn’t help but believe it.

But that didn’t eliminate all the anxiety.

It was perhaps a moment that would determine the rest of his life. Of course, he couldn’t help but worry and couldn’t make a decision easily.

There was one reason for his anxiety.

He was worried about being ‘dumped,’ as they say. He might be needed right now, but he was worried that he might be abandoned later when the business stabilized.

At that time, Hyeon-seong made one promise.

-I will discuss all matters with you, Chief, without hiding anything.

Perhaps it was a meaningless promise. A promise can be broken, after all.

But he wanted to believe those words. No, he had no choice but to believe them.

The reason was that his eyes were so clear when he said that.

That’s how the relationship between the two began.

Hyeon-seong was now talking about that promise.

Yu Min-cheol looked at Hyeon-seong and opened his mouth.

“Was that the reason?”

“Yes, because it’s a promise I made.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just thought it was just a promise. I thought you could break it anytime you wanted. After all, there’s no way to confirm it.”

That was his honest feeling. He hadn’t provided any collateral; it was just a verbal promise between the two. So, of course, he thought it would be meaningless if Hyeon-seong, the owner, broke it.

Hyeon-seong’s question followed.

“Then why did you believe my promise and accept it back then, Chief?”

“It was because of your eyes.”

“My eyes?”

“Yes, your eyes were so clear when you spoke to me. That’s why I accepted.”

“Oh? Then that doesn’t make sense, does it? You said earlier that you thought it would be over if I broke my promise?”

Yu Min-cheol had definitely said that earlier. Hyeon-seong was talking about that part.

Yu Min-cheol’s answer followed.

“I thought you would change.”

“Change?”

“Yes, I thought you would naturally change as time went by. I’m sorry to say this, but I thought you made that promise when you were young. But I was honestly very surprised when you mentioned that promise earlier.”

Smile.

A smile began to spread across Yu Min-cheol’s face at the end of those words.

Seeing that, Hyeon-seong immediately asked.

“What about you, Chief?”

“Pardon? Me?”

“Yes, I’m asking if your mind changes easily as time goes by.”

“I’m not originally that kind of person….”

“That’s right. You and I are those kinds of people. We’re not the kind of people who easily break the promises we made just because time has passed. That’s why I chose you from the beginning.”

“Haha, does it work out that way again?”

Yu Min-cheol’s laughter echoed in the office. His expression was brighter than ever.

Then, Hyeon-seong’s words continued again.

“Now, back to square one, I’m saying you should start preparing little by little from now on.”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll inform the vendors in advance. And how many greenhouses should we install?”

“What do you think, Chief?”

“Well, I think 100 greenhouses is too many, like last time….”

“I think the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

Yu Min-cheol couldn’t help but be surprised. 100 greenhouses was no joke in scale. But according to Hyeon-seong’s words, he was saying he would build more than that. So, of course, he couldn’t help but be surprised.

Hyeon-seong’s words continued.

“You know I bought 250,000 more square feet this time, right?”

“Of course. Are you perhaps going to build greenhouses there?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m thinking of building 200 greenhouses there. After all, that side is close to the wild vegetable factory and it will be easier to work.”

“That’s true, but can we handle the wild vegetables coming out of 200 greenhouses?”

Yu Min-cheol couldn’t help but worry. The amount of wild vegetables coming out of 200 greenhouses would be unimaginable.

But Hyeon-seong’s expression was different.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s definitely possible.”

“Pardon? Is that true?”

“Of course. You saw it last year too, Chief. How many people came to see the flowers.”

“I admit that too. On days when many people came, there were almost over 60,000 people.”

“Right? Then what about this year?”

“Of course, it will increase even more. Oh? Now that I think about it, it will increase even more next year….”

Yu Min-cheol’s expression began to shine brightly at some point.

That was because he thought that the number of people coming would increase as time went by, and it wouldn’t decrease.

Then, Hyeon-seong’s words continued.

“Perhaps something that no one can imagine will happen in the future. Of course, this is just my prediction, but even if one person buys only three, more than 300,000 could be sold a day.”

“Huh… 300,000?”

Yu Min-cheol’s head was busy counting circles at some point.

It was the estimated quantity four years from now, before Hyeon-seong left for Incheon. By then, this countryside would have changed beyond comparison to what it is now.

But anyway, that’s later, and what’s important is tomorrow.

How many people will come as the cherry blossoms begin to bloom in earnest.

Perhaps that was why.

A smile began to spread across Hyeon-seong’s face, perhaps due to anticipation.