Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 53

Kim Ji-yeon stepped outside, leaving the house behind and walking onto the road.

The dark night sky was filled with stars that seemed to spill down from above. Among them, the brightest star caught her eye—the North Star, her favorite.

She had heard that it guided many travelers in the old days, especially in the desert, where the North Star was as reliable as a compass.

It had only been a few days since she started noticing that star again.

It was since she rediscovered the dream she had given up on.

Thanks to her brother.

And today, she learned something new.

She had always thought she was alone.

Since becoming a middle schooler, many thoughts had complicated her mind.

Among them, the most pressing issue was, of course, her high school plans. The school she wanted to attend was Chuncheon Girls’ High School.

However, knowing her family’s difficult financial situation, she couldn’t bring herself to tell her parents that she wanted to go to Chuncheon.

She knew all too well that it would only hurt everyone if she did.

But the real reason she felt hurt was something else.

It was loneliness.

She could deal with poverty, but her parents’ perceived indifference was hard to bear. Sometimes, she even thought about leaving home.

But…….

She realized it only today.

All the time she had spent resenting and struggling alone was due to her own misunderstanding.

She had just assumed they were indifferent.

But that wasn’t it.

Her parents had been preparing for her future for years.

“You idiot~!”

Kim Ji-yeon lightly tapped her head.

She felt pathetic for only resenting them until now, without knowing the truth.

If she had just asked them once, she wouldn’t have felt so hurt. She regretted the time she spent worrying and resenting them alone.

Sigh!

It was a relief, though. She was glad she found out about her parents’ feelings, even now. If she hadn’t, she would have resented them for the rest of her life.

“I’m sorry! Mom, Dad! And thank you!”

Kim Ji-yeon muttered to herself and turned toward home.

At that moment.

Hyeon-seong was looking at the wad of money on his desk.

Counting it, it came to 78,500 won [approximately $65 USD, though the value would have been higher relative to cost of living at the time].

Hyeon-seong himself hadn’t expected this.

‘What is it about children?’

He felt humbled, thinking that they had saved every penny despite their difficult situation.

Whatever the reason, what mattered was that his younger sister, Kim Ji-yeon, had cleared up her misunderstanding. Otherwise, it would have become a lifelong emotional scar, like in his past life.

“That’s a relief.”

Hyeon-seong nodded.

Swoosh.

Hyeon-seong neatly arranged the old bills on the desk and put them in an envelope. Then, he looked at the envelope again.

He had refused several times, but he had no choice but to accept it in the end. He couldn’t refuse his mother’s request to let them act as parents, even in this small way.

Thud.

Hyeon-seong put the envelope in the desk drawer and closed it.

“Alright!”

This is just the beginning.

The opportunity had come, and he had already secured a commercial space.

Initial capital was an issue, but it wasn’t like there was no solution at all. It was a last resort, but he wouldn’t hesitate to use it if he had to.

A loan using collateral.

The collateral was, of course, the land on the mountainside that Park Hee-cheol had transferred the ownership to. It was probably 2,000 pyeong [approximately 1.6 acres], so it would be worth at least 5 million won at market price.

Of course, it would be less at the officially assessed price, but it would still have a collateral value of at least 1 million won.

The reason he returned the document in the first place was simple.

It was because of Park Hee-cheol’s past. It was land he had bought with money earned by any means necessary.

It would be a lie to say he had no desire for it. But he couldn’t betray his conscience.

But now it was different from then.

Park Hee-cheol had changed.

The ruthless man who only knew money was now starting to take care of those around him. The interest, the donations, and even giving rice to needy families.

– People don’t change.

That’s what he believed. But Park Hee-cheol was showing him that it wasn’t true.

That’s why Hyeon-seong decided to accept the land now.

More conscience?

He wasn’t that stupid.

“What do you call someone who can’t eat what they’re given?”

He wasn’t that much of an idiot.

Fish can’t live in refined, first-class water. Or rather, they can live, but they won’t live long.

Everything in moderation!

Clap!

Hyeon-seong lightly clapped his hands and organized his thoughts.

The commercial space issue would proceed like that, and now there was an immediate problem.

Studying.

This was something where his past life experience wouldn’t help. He had to invest all his time in it.

Looking at the clock, it was just past 9 o’clock.

Hyeon-seong turned his head and looked toward the door.

“She’s a bit late…….”

He was waiting for his younger sister, Kim Ji-yeon, who had agreed to tutor him starting today.

He guessed he couldn’t be a true gentleman.

Knock knock.

“Oppa, it’s me.”

The expression on his sister’s face as she came in seemed a bit awkward. It was probably because she had just been crying.

In times like this, it’s okay to pretend not to notice and change the subject.

“Did you see a lot of stars?”

“Stars……?”

“Do you have a favorite constellation?”

Kim Ji-yeon, after pondering for a moment at Hyeon-seong’s unexpected question, chuckled and opened her mouth.

“The North Star.”

“The North Star? Is there a special reason?”

“Yeah, it’s a guide. They say you can find your way by looking at the North Star even in the desert. That’s why I like it. Maybe that’s why I want to be a teacher too. Of course, whether I become one or not depends on me….”

It suddenly occurred to him that there were so many things he didn’t know about his sister.

He didn’t know that she found meaning in the stars in the sky and incorporated it into her dreams.

That’s when it happened.

Kim Ji-yeon took something out of her pocket and handed it to Hyeon-seong.

“Oppa, this.”

“Hey! Kim Ji-yeon!”

Hyeon-seong exclaimed at Kim Ji-yeon.

Kim Ji-yeon didn’t even flinch and continued.

“But there’s a condition. Make a lot of money. I’m going to get all the interest.”

What Kim Ji-yeon handed over was the bankbook that Hyeon-seong had given her a few days ago.

Hyeon-seong blankly stared at the bankbook in his hand. It was the same bankbook he had first given to his father. His father had left half of the amount in the bankbook and returned it to Hyeon-seong.

And Hyeon-seong had given that bankbook to his younger sister, Kim Ji-yeon. But now that bankbook had returned to his hand.

Going around and around, it had finally returned to Hyeon-seong’s hand.

Hmm…!

He felt a strange sensation.

He never seemed to get used to this, even as he got older.

It was money for the future he had dreamed of so much, no less. His sister had been so happy when she first received it, as if she had gained the whole world.

It was just a moment, but he still couldn’t forget that image.

But now she was bringing it back.

That’s when Kim Ji-yeon continued.

“Oppa, I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

Hyeon-seong wondered what she was talking about.

Sorry?

Even at a glance, it wasn’t the right thing to say in this situation.

Hyeon-seong looked at his younger sister, Kim Ji-yeon.

Then, Kim Ji-yeon, who had been moving her lips slightly, opened her mouth again.

“I couldn’t help but worry. I shouldn’t have.”

“Ji-yeon…….”

At first, he didn’t know what she was talking about.

But now he felt like he knew what she meant.

As Hyeon-seong was about to say something, Kim Ji-yeon spoke first.

“Oppa, I’m being too selfish, right?”

“What are you talking about?”

“No, who gave me that money? Why am I worrying about it in this situation? When I see myself like this, I’m such a bad person!”

Whack!

Hyeon-seong’s head turned momentarily.

He couldn’t imagine such words coming from his younger sister, Kim Ji-yeon.

“Bad what?”

“It’s true. I started thinking about myself first even in that situation. What if Oppa asks for this money back? I had those thoughts. I was surprised at myself.”

“Me? That money…?”

“Yeah.”

Hyeon-seong had nothing to say to Kim Ji-yeon’s words.

Perhaps it was a natural human instinct.

Moreover, she was only in the third grade of middle school. Sixteen years old. Wasn’t it natural at that age…….

Wait a minute!

But now Kim Ji-yeon was talking about her complex psychology at that moment. That meant she had already overcome the process of that conflict.

That’s why she brought this bankbook now.

No wonder she was late.

Kim Ji-yeon had been worrying alone for the time she was late. And in the end, she had made up her mind.

Hyeon-seong suddenly became curious.

“What moved our Ji-yeon’s heart?”

“It was simple.”

“…Hmm?”

It was an unexpected answer.

Hyeon-seong tilted his head.

Then, Kim Ji-yeon opened her mouth again.

“At first, I thought about this and that in a complicated way, but as time passed, I came to one conclusion.”

“One?”

“Yeah, family. I thought about why Oppa handed me the bankbook without any conditions, and what was in Mom and Dad’s hearts that allowed them to save every penny even in those difficult circumstances.”

“And the conclusion is…….”

“That’s right. If it were someone else, they wouldn’t have been able to do that, right?”

That was right.

Like his sister said, someone else wouldn’t have acted like that without conditions. It was an action possible because they were family.

Hyeon-seong smiled at Kim Ji-yeon.

“Then now, Oppa can use this money, right?”

“Of course. We’re family, heehee….”

She must have thought it was a bit cheesy even for herself.

Kim Ji-yeon’s face was slightly flushed.

“Okay, I got it. Instead, this Oppa has to hit it big and send our Ji-yeon to high school and take responsibility for her even through college, right?”

“Huh? The interest is too high?”

“Originally, people you know are scarier. Should I try some loan shark interest? Haha…….”

Hyeon-seong laughed loudly, as if he was in a good mood.

Then, a smile began to spread across his younger sister, Kim Ji-yeon’s face.

Hyeon-seong pushed the bankbook deep into the desk drawer.

He said that, but he wouldn’t use this money. He wouldn’t touch this. It was the hope to realize his only sister’s dream.

As an older brother, he couldn’t put a straw in his sister’s hope. For any reason.

Even though it was a spot that had been a hit in his past life, he couldn’t guarantee it 100%.

That’s why he couldn’t touch this money even more.

That’s when it happened.

Grumble.

“Hehe, sorry Oppa. I couldn’t help it…….”

“There’s no need to be sorry, did you not have dinner?”

“I feel like I’m gaining weight these days.”

Hyeon-seong chuckled at Kim Ji-yeon. Then, he casually got up from his seat.

Then, Kim Ji-yeon asked.

“You have to study, where are you going?”

“I had a light dinner, so I don’t think I can do it. I was thinking of making some ramen.”

“What? Oppa, please, not that…, please save me. Huh?”

Grab.

Kim Ji-yeon grabbed Hyeon-seong’s leg and clung to it.

Shaking her head.

As Hyeon-seong looked down, Kim Ji-yeon was pleading with intense eyes.

“Oppa, please don’t go.”

“Do you know that?”

“What?”

“That you always start your diet tomorrow!”

Hyeon-seong disappeared into the kitchen after saying that.

Kim Ji-yeon was left alone in the room.

It was the moment when Kim Ji-yeon’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the ceiling.

“You bad jerk!”