Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 472

As Chief Manager Choi Jin-young finished his explanation, Chairman Shin Chun-oh immediately asked,

“So, out of 500 tour buses, 100 came from the provinces, you say?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“And why is that significant?”

“It seems that CEO Kim hasn’t advertised in those regions. So, what that means is…”

“Hold on!”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh raised his hand, cutting off Chief Manager Choi Jin-young’s explanation, and continued, “I get the gist without further explanation. So, what you’re saying is that even without advertising, people from the provinces are finding their way there on their own?”

“Yes, exactly. CEO Kim has been focusing on Gangwon Province, Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon, but people from other regions are coming without any promotion. What does that tell you?”

“It means the place has already become a nationally recognized attraction. And CEO Kim didn’t even anticipate this?”

“Yes, that’s right. So, CEO Kim is quite encouraged by this.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh nodded.

It was only natural.

The restaurant hasn’t even been open for a year, just a little over a month.

If people are finding it on their own before any advertising, what could be better than that?

Smirk.

A faint smile spread across Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s lips.

It was because he remembered what Hyun-sung had said from the beginning.

-Because it’s the largest in Korea, customers will come looking for it.

That’s what he had said from the start of the restaurant’s construction.

The symbolism of ‘largest’ that he emphasized.

He said he would market by stimulating people’s curiosity and desire to show off.

But as soon as the lid was opened, his words came true.

In the end, he had predicted today’s outcome from the beginning.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh nodded and continued,

“So, all of CEO Kim’s judgments were correct.”

“Are you referring to the size of the restaurant that CEO Kim mentioned from the beginning?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what CEO Kim said from the start. Even though it’s a rural area, customers will come looking for it because of the symbolism of being the largest. Of course, that wasn’t just about the size; it was also based on the premise that the service would be top-notch.”

“In conclusion, it seems CEO Kim was right. He truly is something else.”

Chief Manager Choi Jin-young couldn’t help but nod.

When they first started building the restaurant, he couldn’t say it out loud, but he was worried.

It was because of the size.

Anyone could see that it was by far the largest in Korea. But the question was whether the restaurant could survive in that rural area.

But today, Hyun-sung has confidently proven that all those worries were unfounded, with a daily revenue of 1 billion won [approximately $750,000 USD].

It was why Chief Manager Choi Jin-young had no choice but to nod.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh asked again,

“Anyway, are there any other notable points?”

“The whole village is in an uproar.”

“An uproar? Why?”

“Isn’t the reason obvious? Tens of thousands of people are flocking there every day, so the restaurant CEO Kim runs can only accommodate a limited number of people at a time. So, where do those people end up going?”

“You mean all the restaurants in the village are busy?”

“Yes, that’s right. So, all the restaurants are celebrating. Some restaurants are even taking customers in their living rooms because they don’t have enough space.”

“Haha, so CEO Kim’s initial prediction is already becoming a reality.”

It was what Hyun-sung had said from the beginning.

That he would revitalize the village. And that’s becoming a reality just a month after opening the restaurant.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh couldn’t help but think he was amazing.

Then, Chief Manager Choi Jin-young continued,

“And also, about the factory site. They’re starting construction on the wild vegetable factory this fall.”

“That quickly?”

“Yes, the plan has been changed. Originally, the Ssin Ramen factory was supposed to be built first, and then the wild vegetable factory a year later, but with the Ssin Ramen factory being put on hold, they’ve moved up the wild vegetable factory. Along with that, they’re adding 200 more vinyl greenhouses.”

“200 more?”

“Yes, that scale is necessary to operate the wild vegetable factory.”

“Hmm…?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh tilted his head.

Of course, he had vaguely heard about it during their last phone call. But there was no mention of rushing things this much.

That meant something must have changed in the meantime.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh asked out of curiosity,

“Is something going on with CEO Kim? He didn’t mention rushing things this much when we talked last time…?”

“Well, I heard something strange.”

“Strange?”

“Yes, but no matter how much I think about it, I can’t understand it.”

“Huh? Something you can’t understand? What is it?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh looked directly at Chief Manager Choi Jin-young, seemingly curious. Even at a glance, he could see a look on Chief Manager Choi Jin-young’s face that he hadn’t seen before.

That meant his expression was serious.

Chief Manager Choi Jin-young’s answer followed immediately.

“He said he’s going to look for his wife.”

“What? Did you just say wife?”

“Yes, according to the report, that’s what CEO Kim said.”

“No way…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh was speechless.

How could that be possible? A person who isn’t even married suddenly says he’s going to look for his wife…

Chairman Shin Chun-ho couldn’t believe it, so he asked again.

“CEO Kim definitely said he’s going to look for his wife?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“No, how can that be? Did CEO Kim get married without us knowing?”

“That’s what I’m saying. I heard that and couldn’t believe it, so I checked again, but it was true. But more importantly, he said he’s going to look for his wife in 3 years at the earliest, 4 years at the latest.”

“Haha, this is something else…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh couldn’t understand it no matter how much he thought about it, so he could only laugh in disbelief.

Then, Chief Manager Choi Jin-young said something else.

“Incheon.”

“Incheon?”

“Yes, that’s the region CEO Kim said he’s going to look for his wife in.”

“So, you’re saying CEO Kim is going to go to Incheon to look for his wife?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And that’s why he’s building the wild vegetable factory and the vinyl greenhouses beforehand?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Chief Manager Choi Jin-young couldn’t understand the situation even as he answered.

But since there was no more information to be gathered at the moment, there was nothing more to say.

Sigh.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh was in the same boat.

A person who isn’t married is going to look for his wife.

How should he take that…?

But the important thing is that his words probably aren’t empty. As he has always done, none of his words have been false.

What on earth is going on…?

Chairman Shin Chun-oh seemed to think for a moment, then called out to Chief Manager Choi Jin-young with determination.

“Chief Manager Choi!”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Has there ever been a time when CEO Kim didn’t keep his word?”

“Of course not. Are you saying…?”

“Yes, I know it’s something that doesn’t make sense, but…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh hesitated for a moment, as if contemplating once more, then continued, “One way or another, I think we have no choice but to believe his words this time.”

“…”

Chief Manager Choi Jin-young couldn’t answer easily.

No matter how much he thought about it, it didn’t make sense that Hyun-sung, who is only twenty-five, is going to look for his wife, not even a girlfriend.

But the important thing is that they can’t just ignore Hyun-sung’s words.

The reason is simple.

As Chairman Shin Chun-oh said a moment ago, he has never failed to keep his word.

After pondering for a moment, Chief Manager Choi Jin-young nodded a few times as if he had made up his mind, and then continued,

“Yes, I understand. I agree with your words, Chairman.”

“Of course, I don’t understand it either. But as we’ve seen over the years, we’ve decided to believe CEO Kim based on the judgment that he’s definitely different from us ordinary people.”

“Yes, I feel the same way.”

“But you know, even if that’s the case, there’s something else I don’t understand.”

“Yes? You mean there’s something else?”

Chief Manager Choi Jin-young tilted his head.

After all, the most important thing is whether to believe Hyun-sung’s words or not. But one way or another, they decided to believe those words a moment ago.

But since Chairman Shin Chun-oh said there’s something else that’s hard to understand, Chief Manager Choi Jin-young couldn’t help but tilt his head.

Then, Chairman Shin Chun-oh continued,

“If they build a factory and create 200 farms [vinyl greenhouses], they’ll have to hire at least a thousand more employees, right?”

“Of course…”

“There are already over a thousand employees. If they hire another thousand or more, that’s at least over 2,000, right?”

“That’s right. I estimate about 2,300 in total.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Yes, what do you mean…?”

Chief Manager Choi Jin-young tilted his head once more. Even at a glance, he didn’t understand what Chairman Shin Chun-oh was talking about.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh continued immediately.

“Like Chief Manager Choi said, it’s not just one or two hundred employees, but a whopping 2,300. But he’s going to leave those employees and go to Incheon alone? Does that make sense?”

“Ah, now that you mention it…”

Chief Manager Choi Jin-young seemed to understand what Chairman Shin Chun-oh was saying.

Come to think of it, this is no ordinary problem.

A whopping 2,300 people.

He’s going to leave those employees and go out on his own?

What will happen to the restaurant operation then?

Chairman Shin Chun-oh opened his mouth again as if he had thought of something.

“Do you remember what you said last time, Chief Manager Choi?”

“Yes? What did I say…?”

“About those three people. Manager Han Min-gu, Department Head Yoo Min-cheol, and Vice President Kim Il-soo. In a company, those three are executives, right? Didn’t CEO Kim say something to them?”

“Ah, are you talking about that?”

It was about two months ago.

Hyun-sung had called the three of them and talked to them. It was about the division of roles for the future operation of the restaurant.

What he said at that time was that the three of them should properly divide their roles so that the restaurant could operate normally even without him.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh opened his mouth again.

“Maybe, CEO Kim has been preparing since then.”

“Now that you mention it, it seems so. I think that’s why he gave the three of them full authority along with the division of roles at that time.”

“Hmm…”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh was silent for a moment, as if thinking about something.

It was about two minutes later that he opened his mouth.

“Chief Manager Choi.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“It seems like the conclusion has already been reached.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“CEO Kim had all the plans from the beginning when he started the business. Otherwise, all of this can’t be explained.”

“Ah, yes…”

Chief Manager Choi Jin-young nodded slowly as he answered.

He had no choice but to admit it. Of course, he didn’t understand everything 100%, but now that he thought about it, he had no choice but to admit that he had all the plans from the beginning, as Chairman Shin Chun-oh said.

Click.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh lightly smacked his lips.

He felt a little bitter for some reason that he had only reacted to things as they happened, not knowing that he had all the plans from the beginning.

Then, Chief Manager Choi Jin-young said something else.

“There are still two more things left.”

“Two? You mean there’s more to report?”

“Yes, that’s right. One of them is the issue of hiring people with disabilities at the wild vegetable factory.”

“Hiring people with disabilities? Explain in more detail.”

“Yes, well…”

Chief Manager Choi Jin-young began to explain how employees would be hired at the wild vegetable factory in the future. As his explanation continued at length, Chairman Shin Chun-oh nodded and smiled contentedly.

And finally, when his explanation was over, he opened his mouth immediately.

“So, you’re saying that 50% of the employees at the wild vegetable factory will be people with disabilities?”

“Yes, that’s right. And he said there would be no wage gap with non-disabled people. Frankly, CEO Kim is doing something that even our Nongshim [a large South Korean food and beverage company] couldn’t do and that the country can’t do right now.”

“Hmm… I have nothing to say.”

“That’s what I’m saying. How can he think of such a thing…?”

“In the end, CEO Kim’s goal isn’t money. But what’s ironic is… do you know what it is?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled and looked at Chief Manager Choi Jin-young.

“Yes? I don’t know.”

“His goal isn’t money, but nevertheless, it will make money. Why? Because the employees will understand CEO Kim’s heart.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh paused in the middle of his words and then continued.

“I don’t know for sure, but their productivity will never be behind. They’ll work harder than non-disabled people. In the end, it’s the same pay for the same work. So, the factory will naturally make a profit.”

“So, in the end, you’re saying the wild vegetable factory will also make money?”

“Of course. But even so, CEO Kim won’t eat that money alone. He’ll give it back to the employees in some way. Even if he operates that way, CEO Kim will still have more than 60 billion won a year.”

“60 billion won?”

“Yes, that’s the minimum. He’ll have a net profit of 5 billion won a month.”

“…”

Chief Manager Choi Jin-young was speechless. 5 billion won a month, 60 billion won a year. And that’s just the net profit. And that’s the minimum.

Then, what’s the maximum…

Chief Manager Choi Jin-young asked out of curiosity,

“Chairman, what if, well, that’s…”