Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 502

As expected, his question was exactly the same as in my past life, down to the last syllable.

It was more of a demand than a question.

He loved Chinese martial arts movies. So, he wanted to be contacted first whenever a martial arts movie was released on video.

In my past life, I immediately agreed when I heard that.

Because I thought the request wasn’t bad. As a salesman, I thought there was no harm in it.

But I only realized what it meant later.

His request had another meaning besides just wanting to see the video first.

Free.

What Park Sang-jin meant was that he would watch the movie, but for free.

Of course, I didn’t know that at first. So, as soon as the video was released, I contacted him right away. But he didn’t pay when he borrowed it.

He borrowed it several times, so I asked him to pay the outstanding balance the next time he came.

That’s when the problem started.

Nagging.

It was fine until he paid the outstanding balance, but after that, he would come and nag me all the time.

Only then did I realize what he had meant at first.

In the end, I had no choice but to lend him the video for free against my will.

In a way, it was a despicable and wretched act as a human being. But it turned out that Park Sang-jin was such a wretched human being.

“What can I do?”

Park Sang-jin looked at Hyun-sung and asked again, as if trying to get a promise.

Smirk.

Hyun-sung smiled instead of answering.

In my past life, I thought the landlord’s word was law, so I answered right away, but now I wasn’t the Hyun-sung of that time, so I could afford to be relaxed.

Then Park Sang-jin’s reaction was interesting.

“An adult is talking, and you’re laughing without answering? What does this mean? Mr. Yoo, what do you think of this situation?”

“Yes? Are you talking to me?”

Yoo Young-chul, who was suddenly called, stared at Park Sang-jin as if he was embarrassed.

Then Park Sang-jin continued.

“Well, I’m still a landlord in name. But you’re treating my words like this…”

“Boss!”

It was Hyun-sung who interrupted Park Sang-jin.

Since he knew that he would only boast about being a landlord no matter how much he listened, he interrupted him in the middle.

Park Sang-jin was acting like the landlord was a big deal.

Hyun-sung’s words followed immediately.

“What are you upset about, boss? I don’t think I’ve given you any answer yet. Isn’t that right?”

“Really? Then what was the meaning of that smile just now?”

“Isn’t it because I’m so grateful?”

“Grateful?”

“Yes, isn’t it obvious? It’s not just anyone, but the landlord is helping me with my business, so when else would I be more grateful than that? Isn’t that right?”

“Help, you say?”

Park Sang-jin seemed to not understand Hyun-sung’s words at first and asked again.

Then Hyun-sung nodded and immediately continued his answer.

“Yes, you said you’d borrow the video as soon as it comes out, so of course it’s helpful. You wouldn’t be so wretched as to watch it for free, would you?”

Even though it was something that happened in my past life, I wanted to address it once. So, I deliberately used the word ‘wretched’.

Then Park Sang-jin, who heard those words, let out a hollow laugh as if he was dumbfounded and immediately asked back.

“Huh, are you calling me wretched right now?”

“Ah, please don’t misunderstand. I’m just talking about the case where there are such people, not that you are like that, boss. There’s no way someone as great as our boss would do that. Isn’t that right, boss?””Oh? Oh, hmm… Of course, how much is a video that I would be so wretched as to do that…”

Park Sang-jin was smearing his own face with poop.

Hyun-sung looked at Park Sang-jin and continued.

“I’ll call you as soon as the Chinese martial arts movie is released, so don’t worry…”

Hyun-sung’s lip service continued.

But I won’t be calling him anyway. And even if I do call, he’s not the kind of person who would watch a video. After all, he never intended to pay to watch the video from the beginning.

Sure enough.

As soon as Hyun-sung finished speaking, Park Sang-jin’s true feelings came out.

“Just don’t call me. I’ll go myself if I need to.”

He would be a wretched human being if he watched it for free, and he didn’t intend to pay to watch it from the beginning, so in the end, his choice was to give up.

But who is Hyun-sung?

I was wronged in my past life, so I didn’t want to back down here.

“No. I will definitely call you. No, I’ll deliver it to your house myself.”

“Oh, it’s okay.”

“No, you like martial arts movies so much, so of course I have to…”

“I said it’s okay!”

Park Sang-jin’s voice suddenly grew louder.

It seemed like he was very annoyed that things were going in a completely different direction from what he had expected.

But Hyun-sung wasn’t the type to be intimidated by that.

This time, Hyun-sung went even further.

“Why, have you changed your mind already? If you want, boss, I can lend it to you for free without taking that 2,000 won [Korean currency, roughly $2 USD].”

This time, Hyun-sung was smearing poop on his face.

Because the moment he accepted Hyun-sung’s offer, he would become a wretched human being.

But no matter how low Park Sang-jin’s character was, he couldn’t abandon his last bit of pride.

“Oh, why are you trying to make me a wretched human being when I said it’s okay?”

“I’m not saying that…”

“That’s enough!”

Park Sang-jin raised his hand and interrupted Hyun-sung’s words. It seemed like he didn’t want to be insulted any further.

Then he immediately called Yoo Young-chul, the licensed real estate agent.

“Mr. Yoo!”

“Yes, boss.”

“Hurry up and get the lease agreement. I think I need to go somewhere quickly. So, hurry up and make the contract.”

Park Sang-jin’s face was slightly red. That meant he was very uncomfortable with the situation. How could he not be?

He missed the opportunity to watch videos for free for a long time.

Then Yoo Young-chul opened his mouth.

“Did you say lease agreement?”

“Yes, since we’re going to make a contract anyway…”

“Boss.”

Hyun-sung called Park Sang-jin in the middle.

Then Park Sang-jin looked at Hyun-sung and immediately opened his mouth.

“Why? What are you going to say this time?”

“No, it’s not that, but I have no intention of signing a lease agreement.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“I want to sign a sales contract, not a lease agreement.”

“Sale?”

Park Sang-jin stared at Hyun-sung as if he was surprised. Then he immediately asked again.

“Did you just say sale?”

“Yes, it’s a sale, not a lease.”

“Haha, a sale… Does our young president have money?”

I could tell right away from Park Sang-jin’s expression. How much he was looking down on Hyun-sung right now. It was a mocking look as if he was coaxing a child.

Smirk.

Hyun-sung smiled lightly when he saw that.

After all, Hyun-sung was the type to repay an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and mockery for mockery.

Then Park Sang-jin frowned as if he was displeased and immediately asked.

“You laughed earlier, and you’re laughing again this time?”

“How much do you want?”

It was a word I wanted to say properly at least once. If it were someone else, I wouldn’t have done this out of courtesy. But since it was Park Sang-jin, I deliberately rubbed salt in his wound.

Abuse of power as a landlord.

It was so petty that it made people tired.

Not only did he want free videos, but he also nagged me all the time to act like a landlord.

“How much do I want? Are you trying to play with me right now?”

Park Sang-jin’s expression was completely different from before, as if he was very angry.

Hyun-sung looked at him and continued.

“I’m not kidding. Why don’t you believe me?”

“Haha, this guy is really…”

Park Sang-jin still didn’t seem to believe Hyun-sung’s words.

It was then.

Yoo Young-chul, who was next to him, looked at Park Sang-jin and opened his mouth.

“Hyung [Korean term for older brother or close male friend], it’s true.”

“What? What’s true?”

“What President Kim here is saying.”

“What? President Kim? When did you see him and call him President Kim? It’s only been…”

“Hyung, please look at me for a second.”

Yoo Young-chul grabbed Park Sang-jin’s arm and went out of the office.

A few minutes later.

The two people came back into the office.

Park Sang-jin’s expression was definitely different from before.

Then he looked at Hyun-sung and slowly opened his mouth.

“So… is what Mr. Yoo said true?”

“Well, I don’t know what Mr. Yoo said…”

“That restaurant. That restaurant in Gangwon-do is the most…”

Park Sang-jin’s explanation continued. Hyun-sung just quietly listened to his explanation.

After a while.

Park Sang-jin finished his explanation and asked again.

“Is everything I just said true?”

“…”

Hyun-sung nodded slightly instead of speaking.

Then Park Sang-jin glanced at Yoo Young-chul next to him and turned his head to look at Hyun-sung again.

His eyes were definitely different.

Then he carefully opened his mouth again.

“Excuse me, if you don’t mind… how much is the daily sales of such a big restaurant…?”

Park Sang-jin had already changed his tone.

Hyun-sung smiled at Park Sang-jin and opened his mouth.

“It’s not much. About 1 billion won [approximately $750,000 USD].”

“…”

Park Sang-jin didn’t say anything more.

30 minutes later.

Yoo Young-chul looked at Hyun-sung and said.

“President Kim, it’s all done now. So, how will you pay…?”

“I’ll give it to you right now.”

As soon as Hyun-sung finished speaking, he took out three checks from his wallet and handed them to Park Sang-jin.

“Here you go. Two of them are 100 million won [approximately $75,000 USD], and the other one is 50 million won [approximately $37,500 USD]. That’s a total of 250 million won [approximately $187,500 USD].”

“Yes, President.”

Park Sang-jin quietly took the checks that Hyun-sung handed him. He was still speechless.

It was about a minute later that he opened his mouth again.

“President Kim, can I ask you just one thing?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“What’s the reason?”

“The reason?”

“Yes, I don’t understand why someone who runs such a big restaurant would come all the way here to run a video store, of all things.”

No matter how much Park Sang-jin thought about it, he couldn’t understand.

He said the daily sales were 1 billion won. What reason would such a person have to come all the way here to do a video store, not even another business?

It wasn’t Hyun-sung who answered Park Sang-jin’s question, but Yoo Young-chul.

“Hyung, I know the answer to that. I asked him earlier, and he said that the president here really likes movies. So, he’s running a video store himself.”

“Do you believe that?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t believe that. No one in the world would run a video store himself, no matter how much he likes movies…”

Park Sang-jin’s words meant that he couldn’t believe it.

Perhaps Park Sang-jin’s reaction was right. No one in the world would run a video store himself, no matter how much he likes movies.

But Hyun-sung had nothing else to say after hearing Park Sang-jin’s story. He couldn’t tell the truth that he was running a video store to meet his wife.

Hyun-sung’s answer had to be the same as what he had told Yoo Young-chul earlier.

“Mr. Yoo here is right. I just like movies…”

“Haha…”

Park Sang-jin just laughed as if he was dumbfounded when Hyun-sung finished answering. Hyun-sung didn’t feel the need to explain any further, so he just let it go.

But then Park Sang-jin, who had stopped laughing, opened his mouth again.

“Do you… happen to need another building?”

“Another building?”

“Yes, I have another building, and I was wondering if I should just sell it off this time.”

Hyun-sung also knew about the building. It was about a 5-minute distance from the video store. That building was very old, so it wasn’t worth much as a building.

But the problem is a year later. A year later, that building will be torn down, and a police station will be built in its place.

Thanks to that, Park Sang-jin received three times the current market price for that building. Of course, Park Sang-jin doesn’t know that fact right now, so he’s saying he’ll sell it.

What a windfall.

Smirk.

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but smile.

He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Park Sang-jin regretting it a year later.

Hyun-sung looked at Park Sang-jin and immediately opened his mouth.

“I’ll buy that building too.”

It was the moment to properly repay what I had suffered in my past life.

505

Returning and Becoming a Building Owner