Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 516

518

The next day.

Knock knock!

“Huh? What’s that sound?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head, glancing at the clock as he was about to have breakfast. It had just passed 7 AM.

Just then.

“Boss!”

A familiar voice echoed from outside the building.

Hyun-sung quickly opened the window and looked down.

“Hey, what brings you here so early?”

The person was none other than Yoo Young-seok, whom he had been drinking with until late last night.

Since it was still an hour before work, Hyun-sung couldn’t help but be puzzled.

Then, Yoo Young-seok said loudly,

“Boss, I made some hangover soup! Please open the door.”

Yoo Young-seok was holding something in his hands. Seeing that, Hyun-sung smiled without realizing it.

A moment later.

Yoo Young-seok, who had come up to the second floor, immediately asked,

“Have you had breakfast yet?”

“No, I was just about to eat.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried I was late… Whew!”

Yoo Young-seok sighed in relief and headed straight to the kitchen.

Following him, Hyun-sung immediately asked,

“Did you say hangover soup a moment ago?”

“Yes, please wait a moment. I’ll prepare it right away so you can eat.”

Clatter.

Yoo Young-seok ladled the hangover soup he had brought into a bowl and placed it on the table. Then, he started putting something else on a plate.

Seeing that, Hyun-sung asked again,

“What’s that again?”

“Hehe, side dishes. I made a few this morning.”

“A few?”

Curious, Hyun-sung approached the table. There were already three unfamiliar side dishes on the plates.

The side dishes were stir-fried potatoes, rolled omelet, and stir-fried fish cakes.

Of course, they weren’t difficult dishes. But the problem was that the person who made them was a twenty-year-old young man.

“You made all of this this morning?”

“It’s easy to make this much. Come on, boss, come over here now.”

Yoo Young-seok answered casually.

Of course, he had shown some confidence in cooking last night, so Hyun-sung had a rough idea, but he didn’t expect it to be this good.

“Okay, let’s eat first. Let’s see how good our Young-seok is…”

Slurp.

Hyun-sung first tasted the dried pollack and bean sprout soup [hangover soup] with a spoon.

“Huh?”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but be surprised after tasting the soup.

The reason was that it was perfect, comparable to the dried pollack soup he had eaten at a famous hangover soup restaurant. No, perhaps the feeling after eating it was cleaner and deeper.

“How is it?”

Even then, Yoo Young-seok was staring at Hyun-sung without even holding a spoon.

Looking at him, Hyun-sung gave him a thumbs up.

“The best!”

“Really?”

“Yes, it’s the best dried pollack hangover soup I’ve ever had.”

“Nice!”

Yoo Young-seok clenched both fists. His expression was so happy that he looked like he was about to shout.

“But why is this soup so clean-tasting?”

“Eggs.”

“Huh? Eggs…?”

Come to think of it, there were no eggs in the dried pollack and bean sprout soup that Yoo Young-seok had made. Usually, it’s common to add beaten eggs almost at the end.

Then, the secret to this cleanliness is that he didn’t add eggs. In the end, he didn’t add something to create a certain taste, but rather he brought out the taste by removing something.

Hyun-sung glanced at Yoo Young-seok and immediately asked,

“How did you think of that? Usually, everyone adds eggs.”

“I’ve tried both, and I thought this was better.”

“So, you’re saying you tested both?”

“Yes, instead, I filled the lacking taste with rice water. To create a clean yet deep flavor.”

“Ah, I see…”

Only then did Hyun-sung realize the secret to the clean yet deep flavor he had felt when he ate it earlier.

Of course, everyone has different tastes.

Some people may prefer it with eggs, and others may prefer the opposite.

But the important thing here is not whether to add eggs or not. After all, that depends on each individual’s preference.

The important thing is that Yoo Young-seok had already compared the two tastes. And he found his own taste.

Even though he hadn’t professionally learned to cook.

In the end, he basically had that much skill when it came to food.

Munch munch.

This time, Hyun-sung picked up a rolled omelet and put it in his mouth. Again, it was soft and didn’t have the unique fishy smell of eggs at all. Yet, it had a deep flavor.

“What did you use to season the rolled omelet?”

“Salted shrimp.”

“Salted shrimp?”

“Yes, if you add salted shrimp, the taste becomes deeper than when you season it with salt.”

“…”

Smirk.

Hyun-sung smiled at him instead of answering. He couldn’t help but smile at his cooking skills that exceeded expectations.

Hyun-sung then tasted the stir-fried potatoes and stir-fried fish cakes one by one.

Again, it was a taste that didn’t disappoint. Even if you compared it to what you ate at a decent side dish shop, it was better, not at all inferior.

Hyun-sung looked at Yoo Young-seok and immediately asked,

“Young-seok, how many side dishes can you make right now?”

“Well, I haven’t counted, but if you include kimchi [fermented cabbage], I think I can make almost twenty kinds.”

“Twenty kinds? Huh…”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but gape. Of course, he had expected it to some extent after seeing him change the taste of the pork by adding a little more Cheongyang chili powder [Korean hot pepper powder] last night, but he really didn’t expect it to be this much.

After thinking for a moment, Hyun-sung nodded and continued,

“Let’s eat first. Then, let’s talk about the details after we eat.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“I suddenly thought of something, so let’s eat first. It’s good news, so don’t worry, come on, let’s eat.”

“Ah, okay…”

Yoo Young-seok tilted his head slightly and started eating. He seemed concerned about what Hyun-sung had said he would talk about later.

30 minutes later.

Two cups of coffee were placed in front of the two who had finished their meal.

Slurp.

Hyun-sung took a sip of coffee and immediately opened his mouth.

“That was really good. The hangover soup and the side dishes were the best. I was so happy this morning thanks to Young-seok.”

“Hehe, thank you. I was worried that it might not suit your taste…”

“By the way, when did you start cooking?”

“It’s not really cooking, but since no one was home when I came home from middle school, I started doing it little by little…”

Yoo Young-seok’s explanation continued.

A moment later.

When Yoo Young-seok’s explanation ended, Hyun-sung nodded and suddenly called his name as if he had made up his mind.

“Young-seok!”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

“Let’s start.”

“Start? What are you…?”

Yoo Young-seok didn’t know what Hyun-sung was talking about, so he just looked at Hyun-sung.

Looking at him, Hyun-sung immediately continued,

“Let’s start a side dish shop.”

“Huh? A side dish shop?”

“Yes, what I was talking about last night.”

“You said we should do it after I get discharged from the military, boss…”

“No!”

Hyun-sung interrupted Yoo Young-seok before he could finish. Then, he immediately continued,

“I don’t think we need to wait until then.”

“Huh? What do you mean? I have to go to the military in six months.”

“That’s why I’m saying let’s do it in advance until then.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying at all. To start a business, you need a store first, and to do that, you need money…”

Yoo Young-seok’s words became longer.

When he finished speaking, Hyun-sung immediately opened his mouth.

“I already have a store.”

“You have a store? Where is it?”

“The video store.”

“Yes?”

Yoo Young-seok was so surprised that he couldn’t close his mouth.

Then, Hyun-sung’s words continued again.

“I don’t think there’s a better store than this, what do you think?”

“So, you’re saying we should sell side dishes at the video store?”

“Yes, let’s sell them in advance until you go to the military. You don’t need to prepare anything special, just prepare a side dish refrigerator.”

“Wait a minute…”

Yoo Young-seok put his hand on his head as if he was trying to think.

After a while.

Suddenly, Yoo Young-seok’s expression darkened, and he slowly opened his mouth.

“I don’t think that will work.”

“It won’t work? Why?”

“No matter how much I think about it, I don’t have time. The video store closes at 2 AM, and work starts at 9 AM, so I don’t have time to make side dishes…”

Yoo Young-seok shook his head from side to side as he spoke. He looked like he was about to cry because he was disappointed.

Looking at him, Hyun-sung immediately opened his mouth.

“What if we adjust the work hours?”

“Yes?”

“Adjusting the work hours will solve the problem, right?”

“That’s true, but I’d feel too bad for you, boss…”

“You!”

Thump.

Hyun-sung tapped Yoo Young-seok’s shoulder and continued,

“Hey, I brought up this story anyway, so you don’t have to feel bad. How about 1 PM?”

“1 PM?”

“Yes, the work hours. Anyway, it’ll be a little slow in the morning, so you can make side dishes at that time and come to work by 1 PM.”

“Is that real?”

Yoo Young-seok’s expression was brighter than before.

He immediately asked,

“If that’s the case, I can make it early in the morning and sell it every day. But there’s a problem.”

“A problem? What problem?”

“The problem of fairness. The working hours are different from the other guys. I would appreciate it if you could adjust the salary to account for this. Otherwise, I’ll feel too bad.”

Pfft.

Hyun-sung smiled lightly instead of answering. He was impressed by Yoo Young-seok’s concern not only for himself but also for fairness with others.

Hyun-sung opened his mouth again.

“Before that, let me ask you one thing first.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“What is the purpose of selling side dishes?”

“Purpose?”

“Yes, the actions I can take depend on your answer. So, tell me clearly what your purpose is.”

“Um…”

Yoo Young-seok was silent for a moment as if he was thinking.

It was about two minutes later that he opened his mouth again. That meant he had thought a lot about it.

“Experience.”

“Experience?”

“When I think about it, I don’t think you’re giving me this opportunity because of money.”

“Really? Why?”

“I’m still young, but I’m quick-witted. I grew up like that since I was young… Hehe.”

Yoo Young-seok scratched his head shyly and continued,

“At first, I thought about money when you told me to sell side dishes, but when I thought about your usual demeanor, I didn’t think that was the case.”

“My usual demeanor?”

“Yes, I haven’t known you for a long time, but I realized that money is not the top priority for you. So, even though I don’t have anything, I’m still young, so I thought I should imitate you, and now I know that I need to gain experience, not money. I thought that was your intention.”

Smirk.

Hyun-sung smiled as he looked at Yoo Young-seok.

Then, Yoo Young-seok continued,

“Actually, I hardly slept last night.”

“Didn’t sleep? Why?”

“Because I was so happy. Didn’t you tell me to dream yesterday?”

“I did.”

“So, I didn’t sleep and dreamed all night.”

“The conclusion?”

“First of all, after I get discharged, I’m going to open a side dish shop like you said and make a lot of money. Of course, that doesn’t mean that money is the purpose of life. My purpose is…”

Yoo Young-seok hesitated for a moment before speaking, then opened his mouth again.

“To create a happy family.”

“…”

“To be a good father, a good husband…”

“Is that the purpose of life? Is that it?”

Yoo Young-seok nodded shyly.

Then, Hyun-sung’s words continued again.

“Okay, then that’s it. The side dish shop will start in a week. I’ll prepare the side dish refrigerator, so you prepare the side dish ingredients with this money from tomorrow.”

Hyun-sung took out a million-won check [approximately $800 USD] from his wallet and handed it to Yoo Young-seok.

Then, Yoo Young-seok, who hesitated for a moment, took the money and immediately opened his mouth.

“I’ll pay this money back as soon as I get paid…”

“It’s okay, it’s for the hangover soup this morning. And always keep this in mind: the world is yours to shape. Just like you made hangover soup this morning.”

“…”

“Now, let’s go downstairs and open the video store.”

“…”

Yoo Young-seok closed his mouth tightly as if he was determined and lowered his head.