Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 509

“Heh heh…”

Choi Yun-soo chuckled lightly, offering no further comment.

He felt a twinge of shame for having momentarily worried about money, but more than that, he was simply bewildered by the situation.

A moment ago, Hyun-sung had explicitly stated that 2,000 won per video was practically a steal.

That implied he was well-versed in the going rates within the used video market – and accurately so.

Of course, if he owned a video store, knowing the used market prices wouldn’t be unusual. After all, every rental store dabbled in used videos.

But Hyun-sung was different.

He claimed to have only helped out at the store sporadically in his free time. Yet, his grasp of used market prices was remarkably precise.

Choi Yun-soo stopped chuckling and tilted his head, a puzzled expression on his face.

No matter how he analyzed it, something about Hyun-sung seemed off, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Ahem, ahem.”

A dry cough escaped Choi Yun-soo’s lips. He wanted to voice his questions directly, but the words seemed to catch in his throat.

Then, Hyun-sung, noticing Choi Yun-soo’s discomfort, spoke first.

“Is your throat feeling scratchy?”

“Huh? No, it’s not that… It’s just that something’s been bothering me, something I can’t quite figure out.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“It’s about you, CEO Kim.”

“Me? What about me?”

Hyun-sung looked at Choi Yun-soo, waiting for him to elaborate.

Choi Yun-soo didn’t hesitate.

“A little while ago, you mentioned that 2,000 won per video was a gift, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

“That implies you knew the standard price in the used market is around 12,000 won, correct?”

Of course, he knew. He had been running a rental store for years; how could he not know that much?

Hyun-sung nodded, responding promptly.

“Yes, of course. But what’s the issue?”

“That’s what I don’t understand. You clearly stated that you’ve only occasionally helped out at a friend’s store. How could someone in that position know the used prices so accurately?”

“Ah, that.”

Only then did Hyun-sung realize the source of Choi Yun-soo’s silent contemplation.

It was indeed unusual for someone without direct rental store experience to possess such detailed knowledge of used prices, a fact that understandably puzzled Choi Yun-soo.

Hyun-sung answered without missing a beat.

“I asked a sales representative.”

It was, of course, a fabrication. There was no need to consult a sales representative for such information. But for the moment, he believed this explanation offered the most plausible way to appease Choi Yun-soo’s curiosity, so he stuck with it.

And it worked.

He could immediately see a shift in Choi Yun-soo’s demeanor.

“Ah, a sales representative…”

Choi Yun-soo had no choice but to accept the explanation. Even if others didn’t, a sales representative would undoubtedly be familiar with used prices.

Hyun-sung continued.

“How else would I know? Right?”

“Exactly! Someone who hasn’t run a rental store and has only helped out occasionally knowing the used prices… I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.”

After finishing his explanation, Choi Yun-soo paused, then refocused the conversation.

“Let’s set that aside for now. What’s the reason?”

“Reason? What reason?”

“The price. You know the used prices, so why are you offering them to me for 2,000 won cheaper?”

“Ah, that. Didn’t I mention it earlier? It’s a gift.”

“A gift?”

“Yes, it’s a gift from me to you, hyung [older brother/friend]. So…”

“Hold on a second!”

Choi Yun-soo raised his hand, interrupting Hyun-sung. He then asked directly.

“A gift? Okay, that’s nice. No one dislikes gifts. But what’s the reason? Why are you giving me a gift? I need to know the reason so I can decide whether to accept it or not.”

From Choi Yun-soo’s perspective, this was a crucial point he couldn’t overlook.

In fact, he had found the word “gift” suspicious from the moment he first heard it.

He had met Hyun-sung for the first time in Anyang, then again on the day he helped move the closed store’s videos a few days ago, and this was only their third encounter. For Hyun-sung to suddenly offer a “gift” seemed odd, to say the least.

Hyun-sung continued to press.

“Can’t you just accept it without questioning it?”

“I can’t do that. This isn’t a small gift. At 2,000 won per video, even with a basic 250 videos, that’s 500,000 won per title. And that’s not all; even if you calculate six titles a month, that’s a total of 3 million won. You’re asking me to accept that for no reason? It doesn’t make sense. No, I shouldn’t accept it.”

That was just the kind of person he was.

It seemed that a person’s core character remained constant.

He had always been like that in his past life. He would readily do favors for others, but he himself would never accept even the smallest act of kindness without a clear reason.

He was the same now.

Hyun-sung clicked his tongue, as if resigned, and then spoke directly.

“It’s because of the videos this time.”

“What about the videos?”

“You gave me over 20,000 videos from the closed store. But you only charged me 11 million won for them, including your commission, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. But what’s the connection?”

“When I looked into it, even though they’re from a closed store, items like these could easily fetch at least 20 million won. But you only charged me 11 million won.”

Even though they were closed store items, there was still a fair market value.

Used dealers typically acquire closed store items at the lowest possible price. That’s standard practice in any industry.

The issue arises when they resell those items to open stores.

In the case of videos, the price usually fluctuates based on the quality of the selection. A good assortment commands a higher price, while a poor one fetches less.

That much was obvious.

And regardless of how bad the assortment is, it’s customary to add at least a 20-30% profit margin to the closed store price.

Used dealers need to earn a reasonable profit for their efforts.

But in this case, the assortment was quite good. It was such a well-curated collection that you could have charged double the closed store price, and no one would have batted an eye.

But Choi Yun-soo had acted differently.

He only added 10% to the closed store price. Compared to other dealers, he charged 9 million won less.

Choi Yun-soo responded as if it were nothing special.

“But what’s the big deal?”

“What’s the big deal? Other dealers would have quoted at least 20 million won, but you only charged me 10% more than the closed store price. Why is that?”

“That’s my principle. No matter how cheaply I acquire closed store items, I only take 10% more than that amount. It’s a principle I established when I entered the used video business 10 years ago.”

Hyun-sung was already aware of this.

He had heard it directly from Choi Yun-soo after they had become close in his past life. He had explained that regardless of how cheaply or expensively he acquired closed store items, he only took a 10% cut.

That was what distinguished Choi Yun-soo from other used dealers.

He didn’t subscribe to the common “get-rich-quick” mentality.

Perhaps that was the reason.

Choi Yun-soo was the one who persevered until the very end in the video industry.

But back then, Hyun-sung had been unable to offer him any assistance.

He was always in a position of needing help himself, barely managing to make ends meet. Of course, that was his fate, but he was grateful nonetheless.

But now, things were different. Back then, he couldn’t do anything for him, but now he had enough leeway to repay that gratitude, even if belatedly.

Regardless of how deeply ingrained his principle was, gratitude was still gratitude.

“Yes, I understand. It’s your principle.”

“Yes, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

“No, that’s not true. You may have that principle, but ultimately, I bought good items cheaply thanks to you, so I want to express my gratitude.”

“No, that’s not true. I’m telling you again, I’m just following my principle…”

“Hyung!”

This time, Hyun-sung cut off Choi Yun-soo. He continued without pause.

“That principle isn’t something just anyone can establish. Well, they can set it, but it’s hard to put into practice. Everyone becomes greedy when money is involved. But you were different. That’s why I want to express my gratitude.”

“Hmm…”

Upon hearing Hyun-sung’s words, Choi Yun-soo paused, lost in thought.

After a moment.

Choi Yun-soo slowly addressed Hyun-sung.

“CEO Kim.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Thank you for thinking that way. But that’s as far as it goes.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll only accept the sentiment. No matter how much I consider it, this isn’t right. Besides, I can’t allow myself to receive such a generous gift from a younger brother who’s just starting out, especially not from you.”

“…”

This time, Hyun-sung remained silent.

After a pause.

Hyun-sung looked at Choi Yun-soo and slowly spoke.

“Okay, since you’re being so insistent, hyung, I’ll back down. But there’s a condition.”

“A condition? What is it?”

“Please allow me to do as I said for just this month. I won’t bring it up again after that.”

“What is it? Are you going to keep pushing this until the very end?”

“It’s not stubbornness, I just want to express my gratitude at least once. Please let me do that.”

“Ha, really…”

Choi Yun-soo seemed to be contemplating something again.

It was a little over a minute later that he spoke again, indicating the depth of his consideration.

“CEO Kim, let’s do this.”

“Yes? How?”

“It seems like we’ll be stuck arguing all night if we keep trying to out-stubborn each other. So, let’s both compromise.”

“Compromise?”

“Yes, I’ll compromise first, so you compromise too. Let’s both give in by 1,000 won each. Let’s trade at 11,000 won for this month only. What do you think?”

Pfft.

Hyun-sung simply laughed instead of answering.

It was a moment that evoked the wisdom of Solomon’s choice [a biblical story where a wise judgment is made to resolve a dispute].

After a moment.

Hyun-sung looked at Choi Yun-soo and spoke.

“You win, hyung.”

“Me? I think it’s the opposite. Today is the first time I’ve broken my principle in the 10 years I’ve been in this business. So, you’re the one who won today.”

“Okay, hyung. Then let’s say we both won. Haha…”

“Yes, let’s do that. Haha…”

The two men looked at each other and laughed heartily.

Perhaps it was because he felt like he was reconnecting with a precious relationship from his past life, but Hyun-sung’s laughter seemed unusually joyful today.

An hour later.

Choi Yun-soo departed, leaving Hyun-sung alone.

The smile on his face lingered.

That was because the video purchase cost had been effectively halved. A short while ago, he had reached a final agreement with Choi Yun-soo.

All the used videos coming out of this store from now on would be distributed by Choi Yun-soo.

He would handle at least 3,000 videos. If that happened, that amount alone would be worth over 30 million won. That meant that about half of the total purchase cost would be covered by distributing used videos.

“Okay, the video problem is solved…”

Hyun-sung was about to rise from his seat when…

Clang.

The store door swung open, and someone burst inside.

“Boss~”

The person who had entered, calling out to Hyun-sung with slightly clumsy pronunciation, was Yoon Soo-jung, the daughter of Lee Se-yi, the bakery owner.

Behind her, Lee Se-yi stood smiling.

“Boss, this!”

Yoon Soo-jung held out a bag to Hyun-sung. He immediately recognized what it contained.

“Oh? What’s this bread?”

“My mom told me to give it to you.”

“I don’t know how to thank you. But what’s our princess’s name?”

“…”

Yoon Soo-jung looked at Lee Se-yi behind her instead of answering. It seemed she was seeking permission to reveal her name.

When Lee Se-yi nodded, Yoon Soo-jung spoke immediately.

“Soo-jung, Yoon! Soo! Jung!”

Yoon Soo-jung answered clearly.

Then Hyun-sung asked again.

“Who does our Soo-jung take after to be so pretty?”

“Hee hee~”

Yoon Soo-jung suddenly turned her head shyly and buried herself in Lee Se-yi’s arms.

Looking at Yoon Soo-jung, Hyun-sung asked.

“Soo-jung, would you like to watch Cinderella?”

Yoon Soo-jung, still nestled in Lee Se-yi’s arms, couldn’t speak, but she nodded eagerly.

Then Hyun-sung looked at Lee Se-yi and asked.

“Is that okay?”

“Yes, please give it to her. But only this once. If the kids get into the habit…”

Before Lee Se-yi could finish, Hyun-sung took the video out of its case, placed it in a plastic bag, and approached Yoon Soo-jung.

“Soo-jung, take this and have fun watching it.”

“…”

Yoon Soo-jung quickly accepted the plastic bag without a word.

Then Hyun-sung continued.

“And from now on, call me uncle instead of boss, okay?”

“Uncwe…?”

Yoon Soo-jung tilted her head and looked at Lee Se-yi, seeking guidance.

“Yes, that’s right. Call him uncle from now on.”

As soon as Lee Se-yi spoke, Yoon Soo-jung hesitated for a moment, then opened her small mouth.

“Uncwe~”

How long had it been since he had heard that sound?

The image of Yoon Soo-jung crying and saying she didn’t want to leave on the last day they moved flashed through his mind.

After a while.

Even after Lee Se-yi and Yoon Soo-jung had left, Hyun-sung continued to stare at the door.

In his past life, he had been powerless and had no choice but to let them go, but this time, things would be different.

The problem was the method.

How to confront Paris Baguette [a popular bakery chain], Hyun-sung’s worries began to deepen.