Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 5

The taxi, having cleared Unuryeong Pass, was now traveling on level ground.

Just then, the taxi driver gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands and said,

“Alright, here we go again.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the taxi driver pressed the accelerator even harder.

Vroom~!

The taxi seemed to lurch forward with a loud noise. The impact, amplified by the unpaved road, was considerable.

The taxi sped along the dirt road, kicking up a cloud of dust.

‘Mother, please hold on a little longer,’ Hyun-sung murmured inwardly.

After a while.

Haa!

The taxi driver took a deep breath and shouted energetically. “Alright, we’re here. Luckily, we made it on time.”

Looking at his watch, Hyun-sung saw that there were about fifteen minutes left before the market closed. It was a miracle born of sheer determination.

Han Gwang-hyun.

The name of the taxi driver, a testament to willpower.

Hyun-sung etched the taxi driver’s name in his heart during the ride. It was a valuable connection, the first he’d made since his regression. He wouldn’t forget it; he would remember it. And definitely…

Hyun-sung got out of the taxi and called out his thanks.

“Mr. Han Gwang-hyun! Thank you. Thank you so much. Please, keep the change as a token of my gratitude.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to do this… Well, may your mother be safe…”

Hyun-sung exited the taxi before the driver could finish speaking. Gratitude could wait. The only urgent matter now was finding his mother.

***

“Huh?”

Hyun-sung, having stepped out of the taxi, froze. He had expected it to some extent, but seeing it in person, it felt so distant, so unfamiliar, as if it wasn’t the hometown he used to know.

Well, it wasn’t just ten years, but a whopping thirty-three years ago…

It would be stranger if it didn’t feel alien. It was like stepping into a time travel movie.

It was like watching an old black and white film.

That’s when it happened.

“What are you doing?”

Lee Jung-woo’s voice snapped him out of his daze. He had lost himself for a brief moment.

Hyun-sung shook his head to clear his mind and said to Lee Jung-woo, “Ah! Sorry, it’s been so long…”

“Hey, get a grip. What nonsense are you talking about? Anyway, you said your mother is in danger?”

Lee Jung-woo stared at Hyun-sung, raising his chin in a silent question.

He was asking what the plan was.

Hyun-sung, who had regained his senses, said in a hurried voice, “Right! Jung-woo, you search the upper part of the market. I’ll look in this lower section. If either of us finds her first, come back to this spot…”

Thump, thump.

Before Hyun-sung could finish speaking, Lee Jung-woo started running towards the upper part of the market. Lee Jung-woo was a man of action, not words.

From Lee Jung-woo’s perspective, this whole situation was bizarre. But instead of questioning it, he trusted Hyun-sung implicitly and began searching for his mother.

Indeed, he was his friend, Lee Jung-woo.

“Right! First, my mother!”

Thump, thump.

Hyun-sung started running towards the bus terminal, in the opposite direction from Lee Jung-woo.

He figured she might be heading home by bus.

Hurry was evident in Hyun-sung’s voice as he pushed through the crowd. “Excuse me! Excuse me!”

He started running, weaving his way through people. Fortunately, the sidewalk wasn’t too crowded, perhaps because the market hadn’t yet closed for the day.

He was almost near the terminal when…

Tuk!

Someone lightly tapped him on the shoulder.

“Aren’t you Hyun-sung? What’s wrong? Why are you running like this?”

Turning around, he saw Oh Jin-soo, the neighborhood head who lived upstairs. It had been a while, but he recognized him instantly because of his bald head.

“Ah, hello? Have you seen my mother by any chance?”

“Your mother? I did see her. I saw her at Gwangdeok Restaurant up there a while ago, but I don’t know if she’s still there…”

“Thank you.”

Whack!

Hyun-sung started running back towards the opposite side of the terminal before Oh Jin-soo could finish speaking.

“That’s it!”

He had confirmation that his mother was safe, at least for the moment. Now he had been given a chance. Whether he could prevent the impending disaster was entirely up to him.

Thump! Thump!

His heart pounded even harder.

“I have to stop it, no matter what.”

Swish, swish!

Hyun-sung weaved through people, trying to pick up as much speed as possible.

How far had he run?

[Gwangdeok Restaurant]

Finally, the restaurant sign he was looking for came into view in the distance.

It was too early to relax until he saw her with his own eyes.

Hyun-sung summoned his last ounce of strength to increase his speed.

“Just a little more!”

That’s when it happened.

Screeeeeech!

Thump!

The sound of tires screeching on the pavement filled the air, followed by a sudden, sickening ‘thump’.

There was no room for doubt.

“It’s an accident!”

Hyun-sung’s head snapped around involuntarily.

It was… near the terminal he had just left a moment ago.

‘This shouldn’t be happening….’

“Could it be?”

Dash!

He didn’t have time to think. Hyun-sung’s body was already running back towards the terminal.

He had been told she was at Gwangdeok Restaurant a little while ago, but could she have already come this way? The distance was only about 100 meters, so it wasn’t impossible.

It wouldn’t be.

It definitely wouldn’t be.

No, it shouldn’t be.

Hyun-sung started running like a madman again.

“Please!”

His heart felt like it was about to explode. He had come all this way, and if he failed to prevent his mother’s accident, he felt like he would lose his mind.

Swish, swish!

He ran towards the terminal, dodging people.

After a while.

A large crowd had gathered at the scene of the accident. He could hear the murmurs of the onlookers.

“Oh my, oh my! What should we do?”

“That, that blood…”

“Looks like they’re badly hurt… tsk, tsk.”

People clicked their tongues and expressed their sorrow. Shards of glass were scattered across the ground.

The vehicle appeared to have come to a stop only after mounting the curb, demolishing a public telephone booth, and colliding with a utility pole.

A fluid, likely coolant, was leaking from the car onto the pavement.

“Could it be, like this… It can’t be!”

Hyun-sung muttered to himself, trying to dispel the growing sense of dread. He stopped at the edge of the crowd.

He desperately wanted to push his way through and see who was involved. No, that was what he *should* do.

But his body refused to obey his will.

His feet were rooted to the spot. He couldn’t move.

“It can’t be!”

Hyun-sung repeated, as if reciting a protective incantation.

But he couldn’t remain paralyzed. Time was of the essence. He couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

Squeak.

Focusing his gaze, Hyun-sung slowly extended a trembling hand into the crowd.

He gently pushed someone aside, creating a small opening.

He cautiously peered through the gap.

A person was lying on the ground.

It was a man.

At least it wasn’t his mother.

Haa!

The breath he had been holding escaped in a rush.

Thud!

Perhaps overwhelmed by the intense stress,

Hyun-sung collapsed onto the ground.

At least it wasn’t his mother. The fact that the victim was a man confirmed that it wasn’t her.

This wasn’t the time to be collapsing. He had already wasted about five minutes. The realization that time was still slipping away jolted him back to his senses.

Hyun-sung scrambled to his feet.

Wobble!

His legs, weakened by the strain, threatened to buckle beneath him.

“Is this all the stamina I have?”

As expected, regression hadn’t magically improved his physical condition. He recognized that his lack of stamina was the underlying issue, even if his anxiety was exacerbating it.

In stories, when other people regress, they gain incredible martial arts skills through lucky encounters, or even develop superpowers… [referencing common tropes in regression fantasy novels]

It seemed he wasn’t so fortunate.

He barely managed to regain his balance and glared ahead. If he couldn’t run, he would crawl.

Crunch!

Hyun-sung clenched his teeth.

Then he forcibly steadied his trembling legs.

“Let’s go!”

He took another step.

Wobble.

His legs were shaking uncontrollably, but he kept his eyes fixed forward and continued to move, one step at a time.

“I have to go!”

His body trembled, but he started running again.

After a while.

Huff! Huff!

His breath burned in his throat.

The ‘Gwangdeok Restaurant’ sign came into view once more.

“Just a little more!”

Dash!

He burst into the restaurant with all his remaining strength.

“Mother! Mother!”

Hyun-sung ran inside, calling out for his mother in a loud voice. But she wasn’t there.

The restaurant owner informed him that she had left a short while ago.

He turned and rushed back out of the restaurant.

Just then, Lee Jung-woo, who was coming down from the upper part of the market, urgently called out to Hyun-sung.

“Hyun-sung!”

Hyun-sung turned to see Lee Jung-woo pointing to the other side of the road. There, his father and mother were browsing at the hardware store.

“Haa!”

The breath that had been trapped in Hyun-sung’s chest exploded outward.

First and foremost, he had succeeded in confirming his mother’s safety with his own eyes.

Sigh.

Then, perhaps because the tension had finally broken, he felt all the strength leave his body.

“It’s not over yet.”

Hyun-sung didn’t allow himself to relax.

He knew all too well that it was too early to breathe easy.

The reason was simple.

Because he hadn’t actually *done* anything since he came back. He had only confirmed his mother’s presence. That meant the accident was still to come.

Tap, tap!

Hyun-sung struck his head sharply with his hand.

It was to prevent himself from becoming complacent. Because now was when the real challenge began.

Hyun-sung opened his eyes wider than ever.

“Huh?”

At that moment, his mother, who was on the other side of the road, began to move.

Hyun-sung called out to his mother in a panic. “Mother!”

But the sound wouldn’t come out. His throat was constricted.

He grabbed his neck and began to massage it.

He knew this wasn’t the time to succumb to such emotions.

“Mother!”

Hyun-sung called out to his mother again.

His voice barely escaped, a hoarse whisper. But it wasn’t loud enough to be heard across the road.

Flash.

This time, Hyun-sung raised both hands and started waving them frantically. But that was all he could do. There was no way his figure could be distinguished in the bustling crowd.

Whack, whack!

Hyun-sung quickly turned his head to look left and right.

He needed to cross the road.

Hyun-sung was about to step into the street when…

Honk, honk!

A truck came speeding towards them from a distance.

“Huh?”

Hyun-sung suddenly felt a surge of panic. There wasn’t enough time to cross safely.

He was trapped. He could only wait for the truck to pass safely…