Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 479

Squeak!

A sedan arrived at the construction site next to the terminal.

“Director, this is the place.”

“It’s wider than I thought?”

“Indeed, this is large enough for a pretty big hospital. Still, I can’t understand how that young friend is handling such a large construction project.”

Han Seok-ho shook his head from side to side as he spoke.

The scale of the construction unfolding before his eyes was enormous at first glance.

Kim Min-jung, sitting in the passenger seat, felt the same disbelief.

He had only hoped when he saw the advertisement in the newspaper. But seeing it with his own eyes, he realized that all the advertisements were true.

However, what still puzzled him was the young CEO’s capabilities, as Han Seok-ho had mentioned earlier. How could he pull off something like this at his age?

Frankly, construction can be done with enough money. But what he still couldn’t understand was his mindset.

Free lease conditions.

How could he think of such a thing?

This isn’t something you can do just with money.

People’s greed is inherently endless. The more they have, the more they want. But how…?

“Shall we go to the restaurant now?”

Han Seok-ho asked, looking at Kim Min-jung, who was quietly observing the construction site.

Kim Min-jung shook his head slightly and continued.

“No, let’s get out and take a closer look first.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The two got out of the sedan and approached the construction site.

Just then.

The conversation of a passerby caught their ears.

“Cheol-hee’s mom, don’t you think the owner of this building is amazing no matter how you think about it?”

“Right. How could he think of building a hospital in this rural area?”

“But will a hospital really come here?”

“Well… they say eight are coming, not just one or two, but honestly, I can’t believe it. Who would come to this countryside unless they were crazy…?”

As the two walked away, Han Seok-ho spoke first.

“Even the locals don’t believe it?”

“Haha, that’s right. Anyway, seeing that, the young CEO is amazing. He started something that no one else even thought of.”

“I think so too. But now that I’m here, there are surprisingly many people. Look over there, the cars are no joke.”

In the direction Han Seok-ho was pointing, cars were lined up heading somewhere. But what was strange was the license plates of those cars. Even though this was clearly Gangwon-do [a province in South Korea], most of the license plates were from Seoul and Gyeonggi [provinces surrounding Seoul].

Gangwon-do, but more cars from Seoul and Gyeonggi?

What’s going on?

Han Seok-ho looked at Kim Min-jung and asked immediately.

“Director, this neighborhood is strange.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Look at those cars over there. Most of them are from Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. Clearly, we’re in Gangwon-do right now.”

“Didn’t you know?”

“Yes? Know what?”

“Isn’t this the most famous place for cherry blossoms in Korea? As far as I know, there are cherry blossoms filling 500,000 pyeong [approximately 413 acres].”

“500,000 pyeong? You mean that wide land is full of cherry blossoms?”

Han Seok-ho looked at Kim Min-jung with an incredulous expression.

Kim Min-jung smiled and continued.

“What did I say yesterday? Didn’t I say let’s go see the cherry blossoms? That’s exactly where this is.”

“Could that also be the young CEO’s doing…?”

“Yes, that’s what I know. I know that all of that is the work of that young CEO, Kim Hyun-sung. Until a few years ago, that place was farmland. But that young CEO bought the place and planted cherry trees.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard of it. So, all those people came to see the cherry blossoms?”

“Probably. I saw on TV last time that about 100,000 people come on weekends.”

“Wow, 100,000 people…?”

Han Seok-ho couldn’t close his mouth in amazement.

That was only for a moment.

Thump!

Han Seok-ho suddenly slapped his knee and continued.

“Director, now I understand.”

“Yes? Understand what?”

“About the hospital here. I mean, now I know why that young CEO wanted to build a hospital here. Now I see there was a reason for it.”

“A reason?”

“Yes, that is…”

Han Seok-ho began to explain his thoughts on why Hyun-sung wanted to build a hospital here. As his story continued, Kim Min-jung nodded and listened quietly.

And finally, when his story ended, Kim Min-jung continued.

“Ah, so you’re saying he saw the potential in the tourists who came here?”

“Of course, that’s not all of it, but I think those people were also considered. If 100,000 people gather, there will be many who need a hospital. Have you ever heard of medical tourism?”

“Medical tourism?”

“Yes, it’s not common in Korea yet, but it’s quite popular as a tourist product in some foreign countries. Of course, for that to happen, the hospital must have its own unique characteristics. In short, there must be a rumor that the hospital is good at curing diseases. Ah, just a moment…”

Han Seok-ho stopped talking and was silent for a moment, as if he was thinking about something.

After a while.

He opened his mouth again.

“It seems perfect for the director.”

“Yes? What do you mean? What do you mean it seems perfect for me…?”

Kim Min-jung looked directly at Han Seok-ho’s face, as if curious.

Han Seok-ho continued immediately.

“Acupuncture.”

“Acupuncture?”

“Yes, frankly, your acupuncture skills are famous even in Gyeongdong Market [a traditional medicine market in Seoul], aren’t they?”

“Well… but why is that?”

“Why is that? If you connect that with the cherry blossoms here, it will be an excellent tourist product.”

“A tourist product…?”

“Yes, leave it to me. After all, that’s my major. But what should we do?”

Han Seok-ho looked at Kim Min-jung with a look of pity in his eyes.

Kim Min-jung couldn’t stay still.

“What’s with that expression again?”

“I’m just worried that you’ll be busy here too.”

“Are you saying that you’re going to incorporate medical tourism into our clinic from now on?”

“Yes, that’s right. That’s exactly it. My head is spinning in that direction right now. So, be prepared. Haha…”

Han Seok-ho started laughing loudly as if he was in a good mood.

Kim Min-jung immediately followed.

“Secretary Han, just keep one thing in mind. From now on, I will definitely rest two days a week. No matter how much work there is. So, do it moderately.”

“Moderately? Are you telling me to neglect my duties?”

“I’m not saying neglect your duties, I’m saying do it moderately. We’ve worked hard so far, so let’s enjoy some leisure from now on. Let’s go fishing on our days off. Do you understand?”

“That’s a bit…”

“No, I’m going to live like that now. I’ve been running blindly forward until now, so shouldn’t I live differently from now on?”

“…”

Han Seok-ho was silent for a moment, then nodded and spoke slowly.

“Yes… I understand what you mean. You’ve worked hard, so you should rest a bit now. Come to think of it, I was greedy for work again out of habit. This greed…”

Han Seok-ho tapped his head. It was self-reproach for being greedy for work out of habit without realizing it.

But what could he do? He had lived like that his whole life.

Kim Min-jung smiled and continued.

“Let’s go. Now let’s go meet that young CEO and see what kind of person he is.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The two got back into the sedan and headed towards the restaurant.

About ten minutes later.

“Director, what is that?”

Han Seok-ho, who was driving, pointed to a certain place.

It looked like the sea. A sea of flowers full of white light, Hyun-sung’s 500,000 pyeong cherry blossom village.

“Haha, I’m watching too. I can’t believe it even though I’m seeing it with my own eyes. The cherry blossoms on Yunjungro in Yeouido [a famous cherry blossom viewing spot in Seoul] can’t even compare. How can this be…?”

Kim Min-jung couldn’t close his mouth.

But the admiration was only for a moment.

An exclamation came from Han Seok-ho’s mouth. It was because of the cars that were lined up all the way to the restaurant entrance.

“Director, look at those cars. Those tour buses. Those cars are all going to the restaurant, right?”

“Haha, I think so.”

“No way…”

Han Seok-ho couldn’t close his mouth this time either.

Kim Min-jung opened his mouth again.

“Do you know how much the daily sales of this restaurant are?”

“Well, at this rate, wouldn’t it be several hundred million won?”

“It’s 1 billion won [approximately $750,000 USD].”

“Yes?”

Han Seok-ho shouted without realizing it.

Kim Min-jung smiled again and continued.

“The annual net profit is a whopping 100 billion won [approximately $75 million USD].”

“…”

“But that was two years ago. I don’t know how much it is now…”

“…”

Han Seok-ho was still silent and kept his mouth shut. No, he couldn’t speak. It was the first time in his life that he had heard of a restaurant earning 100 billion won. And that was just net profit, not total sales.

One hour later.

The two arrived at the restaurant parking lot.

“It’s really amazing.”

Han Seok-ho said as he entered the underground 2nd floor parking lot.

Kim Min-jung also looked around and continued.

“The size of the parking lot is really amazing. And the parking attendants every 20 meters, and everything from the attire seems better than most hotels.”

“I’m just speechless. That there is such a big restaurant in Korea. Now I really want to see that friend quickly. I wonder what kind of person runs a restaurant of this size at that age.”

“That’s right. Anyway, let’s go eat.”

The two parked and took the elevator to the first floor. The menu had already been decided on a Korean set menu, after looking at the small menu handed out at the parking lot entrance.

“Welcome. Are you two?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll take you to table number 25 with a good view.”

A manager in a suit greeted the two, and another employee behind him immediately guided them to the table.

“Sir, I’ll help you order. What kind of rice would you like?”

A waitress asked as the two sat down.

Han Seok-ho immediately asked back.

“The side dishes are all the same, only the rice is different, right?”

“Yes, sir. That’s right.”

“And I can choose from five types of rice?”

“Yes, sir. If there’s anything you don’t know about the rice, I’ll explain it.”

“Oh, really? I know about the deureup [angelica shoots], deodeok [lanceolata root], matsutake [pine mushroom], and shiitake [mushroom], but I’m not familiar with this gondre rice. Can you explain it?”

These days, gondre rice is known nationwide, but back then, it was a local dish eaten only in some areas, so it was perhaps natural that Han Seok-ho and Kim Min-jung didn’t know about it.

The waitress immediately explained.

“It is a perennial herb belonging to the chrysanthemum family, called ‘Goryeo Eongeongkwi,’ but here it is called ‘Gondre.’ The flowers look like thistles, and the young shoots are picked and eaten as a vegetable. It is non-toxic, tastes sweet, and has diuretic, detoxifying, and anti-inflammatory properties, making it a good health food.”

“Oh! Really? Then I’ll have that.”

Kim Min-jung reacted first.

Han Seok-ho smiled and ordered.

“Thank you for the explanation. I’m in Gangwon-do, so I should taste the matsutake. I’ll have matsutake rice.”

“Yes, sir. The rice will take about 10 minutes. In the meantime, please enjoy the dishes that come out in advance…”

As the waitress disappeared, Han Seok-ho immediately opened his mouth.

“This isn’t a regular restaurant, it’s a hotel.”

“That’s right. From the food to the employees, there’s nothing missing. And look over there. That’s all cherry blossoms.”

“It’s really spectacular. 500,000 pyeong of cherry blossoms…”

The two’s gaze was already directed towards the cherry blossoms visible outside the window.

One hour later.

The two were sitting back in their seats on the 5th floor cafe.

Han Seok-ho took a sip of the coffee in front of him and opened his mouth.

“The cherry blossoms seen from the 5th floor are different again.”

“That’s right, it’s like a sea of flowers. It’s really touching.”

“By the way, how was the gondre rice?”

“It was very good. The subtle sweetness and aroma of the vegetables were infused into the rice, making it the best. And the seasoning sauce was also the highlight. It was the best Korean set menu I’ve ever had.”

Kim Min-jung was smacking his lips as he spoke.

Han Seok-ho smiled and continued.

“I’m really worried.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“What to eat next time. You said the gondre rice was the best. Actually, the matsutake rice was also fantastic. Clearly, it’s not the season for matsutake, but the aroma was the best.”

“Haha, is that so? Then I think I’ll have to worry next time too. I want to eat matsutake, and the same goes for deodeok. In fact, the aroma of Gangwon-do deodeok is also quite something.”

“Haha, what should we do?”

It was when the two were laughing with happy worries.

Ding!

The elevator doors opened and a man in a suit entered the cafe.

It was Hyun-sung.

He had rushed over as soon as he heard that someone was looking for him.

Step.

Hyun-sung was guided by the employee and walked towards the window.

“It seems that he’s finally coming.”

Han Seok-ho said, looking at Kim Min-jung.

482

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