Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 497

It was March 1997, six months after that incident, when a letter arrived from Lee Seok-man.

He had mastered Korean enough to write a perfect letter in just six months.

It could have felt like a long time to him, or perhaps it flew by.

Whatever the case, the important thing was that Lee Seok-man must have done his best during that time.

About ten days after Hyun-sung received the letter, Lee Seok-man visited the office again. He announced that he no longer needed the side dishes delivered.

His three children had all visited him two days prior.

Apparently, he had sent letters to his children two days after sending the letter to Hyun-sung.

All three of them had knelt and begged forgiveness for their past transgressions, and they agreed to deposit 200,000 won [approximately $150 USD] per person into Lee Seok-man’s account on the 1st of every month.

Lee Seok-man had dictated the amount, and he had even received a written oath from them. If they broke the promise, they would be excluded from his inheritance.

With this, Lee Seok-man’s last-minute turnaround was a complete success.

***

Last day of March.

Five people, including Hyun-sung, were gathered in his office.

Vice President Kim Il-soo, General Manager Han Min-gu, Manager Yoo Min-cheol, and finally Baek Doo-soon, who would be in charge of the farm.

Hyun-sung was the first to speak.

“The reason I’ve gathered you all here today is…”

Hyun-sung’s explanation stretched on.

Today was his last day working at the restaurant. Starting tomorrow, he would be living in Incheon instead of here.

His words were lengthy, but the core message was simple: he asked the four people to take responsibility and manage the operation well in his absence.

“…So, I’ll trust you all and head up there.”

“…”

No one spoke after Hyun-sung finished. It was clear that they were finding it difficult to accept his departure.

After a moment.

The first to break the silence was General Manager Han Min-gu.

“To be honest, I don’t fully understand this situation, but since the president has already explained his reasons for leaving, I won’t press the issue. However, I do have one request.”

The reason for going to Incheon was his wife.

It hadn’t been easy to persuade the four. Han Min-gu had already voiced his concerns, but the others had been even more resistant.

Since Hyun-sung knew that it wasn’t something they could easily understand, he hadn’t even tried to make them understand from the beginning.

Suddenly announcing that a person who isn’t even married is going to find his wife… who would believe that?

So, Hyun-sung had chosen to simply inform them of his decision.

That wasn’t easy either. But there was no other way. He had persuaded them one by one.

In the end, he hadn’t truly persuaded them. They had concluded that they had no choice but to comply rather than understand.

That’s why they had remained silent a little while ago.

Hyun-sung looked at Han Min-gu and asked.

“One thing? What is it?”

“Please come back as soon as possible. You shouldn’t leave this place empty for too long.”

Han Min-gu’s expression was serious, reflecting his anxiety about Hyun-sung’s departure.

But Hyun-sung’s answer was the opposite of what he had hoped for.

“I’m sorry, but that’s going to be difficult. I have a lot of work to do there.”

Of course, the primary reason for going to Incheon was to meet his wife.

But that wasn’t the only reason.

He had been in business for over 20 years in his previous life, so he had some unfinished business.

This was a second chance. If he had received a favor, he would repay it now, and if someone had wronged him, he would make them pay the price.

Besides that, the ultimate goal of going to Incheon was different: to build a building.

The 50-story building he had planned from the beginning.

Becoming a proper landlord—that was Hyun-sung’s ultimate goal in Incheon.

But Han Min-gu, unaware of this, looked at Hyun-sung with a surprised expression.

“No, Mr. President, what are you talking about? Are you saying that there’s something else besides finding your wife?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“No, then what about here?”

“What do you mean, ‘what about here’? That’s why you’re all here right now, isn’t it? As I said a little while ago, from now on, you will be responsible for managing this place.”

“No, how…”

It wasn’t just Han Min-gu who was surprised. Kim Il-soo, Baek Doo-soon, and Manager Yoo Min-cheol were all staring at Hyun-sung, speechless.

Hyun-sung continued.

“What are you worried about? You’ve all been doing well so far, haven’t you? Just keep working hard in your respective roles. And I have a lot of work to do in Incheon from now on.”

“Yes? You have a lot of work to do?”

“Yes, that’s right. I can’t tell you everything, but if I had to tell you one thing, I’m going to build a building.”

“A building? If it’s a building, how many floors…?”

“50 floors. That’s my ultimate goal.”

“…”

Han Min-gu couldn’t say another word.

The other three were also silent, completely shocked.

Why wouldn’t they be? He was talking about building a 50-story building, not a 5 or 6-story one.

After a while.

Hyun-sung broke the silence.

“Vice President.”

“Yes? Yes, Mr. President!”

Kim Il-soo couldn’t help but be startled when Hyun-sung suddenly called him. His voice rose without him realizing it.

“As I said a little while ago, my ultimate goal is a 50-story building, so I need a lot of money. Vice President, you’re going to have to pay a lot of attention to that.”

“Yes? What do you mean…?”

“I’m saying work hard and make a lot of money. That’s how I’m going to build a 50-story building, isn’t it? Don’t you think so?”

“…”

Kim Il-soo was speechless, unsure if Hyun-sung was serious or joking.

Hyun-sung continued.

“I’ve said everything I wanted to say. I’d like to ask you all again to take good care of things, and I’ll end the meeting here. Does anyone have anything else to say?”

“…”

As if on cue, the four shook their heads, their expressions still surprised. The idea of a 50-story building was clearly shocking to them.

“Okay, then everyone go home today and please take good care of things starting tomorrow.”

That was the end of the farewell.

Hyun-sung shook hands with each person, replacing a longer goodbye.

***

Hyun-sung was left alone.

“Hoo!”

A long sigh escaped his lips.

He had spent five years, or four full years, running the restaurant.

Perhaps because he had been so busy, he couldn’t help but sigh at the thought of leaving. It wasn’t that he was dissatisfied with his life so far.

It was just a strange feeling.

Then came a knock on the door.

It was Kim Il-soo, who had shaken hands and left a little while ago.

Hyun-sung asked immediately.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“I came back to talk to you, Mr. President.”

“Hey, let’s talk comfortably when we’re alone. So, what do you want to say?”

“Just a moment.”

Kim Il-soo seemed nervous. He drew cold water from the water purifier and drank two glasses before approaching Hyun-sung.

“I came back because I couldn’t answer you a little while ago.”

“A little while ago?”

“Yeah, when you told me to make a lot of money because it costs a lot to build a 50-story building.”

“Ah, that’s obvious.”

It was true. A 50-story building wouldn’t be cheap, and the money had to come from the restaurant.

“To be honest, I was so out of it that I didn’t know if you were serious.”

“What about now?”

“Even now, I still can’t believe it. So, I’m going to check one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“Is it true? Are you really going to build a 50-story building?”

Hyun-sung simply laughed lightly instead of answering. Even if he answered, Kim Il-soo’s reaction would be the same. He hadn’t believed him before, so he wouldn’t believe him now.

Kim Il-soo continued.

“Don’t just laugh, answer honestly.”

“You didn’t believe me before, so why would you believe me now?”

“Yes, I’ll believe you. I was too dumbfounded to believe you before, but it’s different now. Just tell me honestly.”

Kim Il-soo looked serious, as if he had a new mindset. Hyun-sung decided to tell him the truth.

“Okay, it’s true. I don’t know why your mind changed, but my answer is the same as before. My ultimate goal is to build a 50-story building. Are you satisfied?”

“…”

Kim Il-soo paused, then said.

“Okay.”

“Huh? What? What’s that answer?”

“I believe you. I’ll believe what you say.”

“…?”

Hyun-sung was confused. It had only been about 10 minutes. He hadn’t believed him before, but now he was saying he would believe him?

“What happened? You didn’t believe me 10 minutes ago, but now you’re saying you’ll believe me? What’s going on?”

“Because it’s you.”

“Because it’s me?”

“Yeah, it’s what you always say. I should believe you even if other people don’t, right? No matter how much other people can’t believe you, I think I should believe you at least. So, I decided to believe you. Is that good enough?”

“So, you’re not believing because you have faith, but you’ve decided to believe, so you believe?”

“Yeah, it may seem like a play on words, but that’s also a method. Just like you believe in me, I decided to believe in you unconditionally. So, I’m saying I’ll believe what you say.”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but laugh.

He wasn’t believing because he had faith, but he believed because he had decided to believe? In a way, it was a play on words, but perhaps it was also a way to believe in someone.

There’s a saying like this:

You don’t believe because you see it, but you see it because you believe it.

Of course, it’s a common saying in religion, but what Kim Il-soo said was similar.

He had decided to believe in Hyun-sung, so he would believe whatever he said unconditionally.

Kim Il-soo was talking about faith in the person itself. Absolute faith. Because he had that faith, he would believe whatever Hyun-sung said.

Kim Il-soo continued.

“It’s the way you’ve shown me: unconditional faith.”

“You’ve improved a lot, you son of a bitch. So, you came back again?”

“Yeah, I felt so uncomfortable leaving. You’ve believed in whatever I’ve said so far, but I can’t believe you. Isn’t that unfair?”

“Fairness?”

“Yeah, you said something like that once. Human relationships are give-and-take relationships, whether it’s material or mental. That’s how relationships last long.”

Hyun-sung laughed again.

Then Kim Il-soo continued.

“I think that’s right. I didn’t know it before because I didn’t think about it, but now that I’m turning thirty next year, my thoughts are changing. So, I came back. I think I should give at least as much as I received.”

“So?”

“I’m going to work hard to run the restaurant and make a lot of money as you said. That’s how I’m going to help build that building. I think it’s a good opportunity.”

“A good opportunity?”

“Yeah, I’ve only been receiving from you so far, but now it’s an opportunity for me to give back. So, what I’m saying is…”

Kim Il-soo stopped and looked at Hyun-sung before continuing.

“I’ll really work hard. I may not be as good as you, but I’ll do my best. So, don’t worry about things here and have a good life in Incheon.”

“Hehe, our Kim Il-soo is all grown up now.”

Kim Il-soo was definitely showing a different side than before.

“Oh! I have a question…”

“Huh? What is it?”

“What’s the most important thing in running a restaurant?”

“People.”

“People?”

“Yeah, you know that there are almost 2,500 employees here now. Managing those people is what you’re going to have to do from now on. The kitchen is the kitchen, but now you’re in my place, so you have to manage all the people here well.”

Kim Il-soo nodded, seeming to consider something before speaking.

“Okay, I got it. To be honest, I’m not confident, but I’ll do my best.”

“Don’t be too nervous. Just run it as you are now. And if anything happens, contact me immediately.”

Hyun-sung held out his hand for a handshake.

Kim Il-soo immediately grabbed Hyun-sung’s hand.

“Take care and be healthy.”

“Yeah, you too.”

The two shook hands.

Now Kim Il-soo would run this place in place of Hyun-sung. In his previous life, they were like enemies. This time, they had become business partners. This was also a big change among the changes.

500

Becoming a Landlord After Regression