Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 535

537

The next day.

“What, even Kia is going down…”

Mun Hui-yeol muttered to himself. It was the last thing Hyun-sung had said before they parted ways in the early morning.

No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t make sense.

For Kia Group, ranked 4th in the business world, to go bankrupt? It was simply unbelievable.

Mun Hui-yeol shook his head, indicating his disbelief.

Just then.

Ding-dong…….

The grandfather clock on the wall chimed, signaling noon.

Click.

Mun Hui-yeol turned on the TV with the remote.

The 12 o’clock news began immediately. But the news anchor’s voice was unusual.

-Breaking news! We have just received news that Jinro Soju [a popular Korean distilled beverage] has gone bankrupt. We go live to our reporter in front of Jinro headquarters to find out what’s happening…

“……?”

Mun Hui-yeol couldn’t believe his ears. Of course, Hyun-sung had mentioned that Jinro would go bankrupt today while pouring the last drink at the pork backbone stew restaurant, but he hadn’t believed it.

But now, the TV was clearly broadcasting the news of Jinro’s bankruptcy as its lead story.

“How could this happen…”

Something he thought was impossible had actually happened. That meant everything Hyun-sung had said in the early morning might actually come true.

Kia, and even Daewoo Group two years later…

‘Hmm….’

Mun Hui-yeol paused for a moment, then immediately started making a phone call. Of course, the recipient was obvious. He needed to confirm what was happening right now.

Beep, beep.

The phone rang twice before the other person answered.

-Hello.

“Hyun-sung, it’s me!”

The person Mun Hui-yeol called was Hyun-sung. Even though he had heard that Jinro would go bankrupt in the early morning, he needed to confirm the current situation.

Perhaps because he was so anxious,

Mun Hui-yeol asked before Hyun-sung could even ask why he was calling.

“Jinro, what happened?”

-What about Jinro?

“It’s on the news right now, saying they went bankrupt. What happened?”

-I clearly told you this morning. I said they would go bankrupt today. I clearly said that what I’m saying isn’t a prediction, but something that will actually happen, didn’t I? Predictions can be wrong, but what I’m saying isn’t like that, it’s real.

“Does that make sense?”

-It makes sense, doesn’t it? The proof is Jinro’s bankruptcy today. Isn’t that right?

“Uh? Uh…”

Mun Hui-yeol was speechless. No matter what anyone said, Hyun-sung’s words were true.

Just then, he heard Hyun-sung calling him from the other end of the line.

-Hui-yeol hyung [older brother or close male friend].

“Yeah, okay.”

-Of course, I know it’s hard for you to believe right now, but you still need to trust me and prepare. If you don’t, something really big will happen.

“Something big? Are you talking about the factory bankruptcy?”

-The factory, and it doesn’t end there.

“It doesn’t end there? What does that mean? If the factory goes bankrupt, what else is there?”

-If the factory isn’t the end, what do you think will happen next?

“Uh? That’s…”

Mun Hui-yeol thought for a moment, but he couldn’t figure out what Hyun-sung was talking about. He had no choice but to ask again.

“What’s next?”

-You really don’t know?

“Right now, all I can think about is the factory. Of course, there are the employees too… Wait a minute!”

Mun Hui-yeol suddenly had something pop into his head. It was the face of someone, someone very precious.

Mun Hui-yeol asked cautiously.

“Could it be my father…?”

-…….

“Is that right?”

-… Yes.

“…….”

Mun Hui-yeol couldn’t say anything. How could any son say anything when it was about his only father being in danger?

Just then, he heard Hyun-sung’s voice again from the other end of the line.

-Hyung, it’s not too late yet. If you prepare now, you can avoid the worst. This isn’t the time to be like this. First of all…

Hyun-sung kept talking, but Mun Hui-yeol only had one thought in his head.

It was his father.

His mother had passed away early in his childhood, and he had lived alone with his father ever since. His father had even given up remarriage for fear that his son would be mistreated by a stepmother, and had lived his whole life for his only son. How could he hear anything else when his father might be in danger?

“This isn’t the time to be like this!”

Hun Hui-yeol hung up the phone and jumped up from his seat.

Until just a moment ago, he hadn’t really believed what Hyun-sung had said in the early morning. But after hearing the news of Jinro’s bankruptcy on TV, his thoughts began to change little by little.

Maybe Hyun-sung was right.

And after ending the phone call with him, that belief only grew stronger.

It was all because of his father.

This was a must.

This wasn’t something to doubt with a hopeful heart. Even if there was only a slight chance that something like that could happen, it would be too late to regret it.

Mun Hui-yeol went outside and headed to his father’s house, which was 10 minutes away.

He had been living separately from his father for two years. That was when he turned thirty.

The reason was simple.

A woman wouldn’t come if there was a widowed father. In other words, his father had taken drastic measures because he couldn’t get married even at the age of thirty.

The result of that prescription was moving out.

Arriving at his father’s house, Mun Hui-yeol paused for a moment to look at the nameplate next to the gate.

His father’s name was written there.

Mun Sang-gi.

And next to it was another name.

Mun Hui-yeol.

That’s right, it was his name. His father had deliberately added his name to the nameplate. It was a kind of inheritance.

That’s how special his father’s feelings for him were.

Mun Hui-yeol immediately went into the house.

“Huh? What brings you here at this hour?”

Mun Sang-gi, his father, who was eating lunch at the table, greeted him happily as Mun Hui-yeol opened the front door and entered. Then he immediately got up and approached the rice cooker, continuing to speak.

“You haven’t had lunch yet, have you? Sit over here.”

Mun Hui-yeol noticed that his father’s white hair seemed whiter today.

He hadn’t realized it. Come to think of it, it had been two years since his father had turned sixty. He had been working with him all the time, so he had forgotten his father’s age.

Mun Sang-gi looked at Mun Hui-yeol, who was just standing there blankly, and said.

“What are you doing? Why don’t you sit down?”

“Ah, yes.”

Mun Hui-yeol immediately sat down at the table. There was already a bowl of rice filled to the brim on the table.

First, he called out to his father in a hurry.

“Dad, um… Ah, never mind, let’s eat first. Eat a lot.”

Mun Hui-yeol was about to say something, but decided to eat first. He could talk about it after eating.

Just then, Mun Sang-gi pushed a side dish bowl towards Mun Hui-yeol and said.

“Eat this first. It’s your favorite potato stir-fry.”

“Oh? It is.”

Only after hearing his father’s words did he notice the side dishes on the table. He must have been thinking about other things, so he hadn’t noticed the side dishes.

“Did you make this yourself, Father?”

“Yes, I strangely wanted to make it today. And you happened to come. Go ahead and eat it.”

“Ah, yes.”

Chew, chew.

Mun Hui-yeol began to eat the potato stir-fry. It was the same taste he had been eating since he was a child.

Just then, Mun Hui-yeol’s gaze fell on his father’s rice bowl.

“Oh? Father, why are you eating rice in water…?”

His father wasn’t just eating rice, but eating it soaked in water. His father had always preferred firm rice to mushy rice. So he usually didn’t eat soup and mainly ate plain rice.

“My teeth have been a little… lately.”

“Why? Are you sick somewhere?”

“I’m getting old, so it’s a little… No, I’m fine, so just eat.”

Mun Sang-gi started eating the rice soaked in water again as if nothing was wrong. Come to think of it, there was no kimchi on the table. His father used to not be able to eat a meal without kimchi.

The reason was obvious without having to ask.

Mun Hui-yeol bit his lower lip as he looked at his father.

He hadn’t realized it.

He had always thought that his father would always be a strong person by his side, as he had always been. But before he knew it, it had become difficult for him to even chew kimchi.

“Father! The potatoes are really delicious!”

Mun Hui-yeol tried to act as if nothing was wrong and took a large spoonful of potato stir-fry and began to eat.

30 minutes later.

After finishing the meal, Mun Hui-yeol made a cup of instant coffee, which his father liked, and went to the living room.

“Father, let’s talk.”

“Talk? About what?”

“Did you watch the 12 o’clock news?”

“Yes, I saw it before eating. Jinro went bankrupt. I’m really worried about what’s going to happen to the world. If things continue like this, it seems like…”

Mun Sang-gi’s expression suddenly darkened.

Perhaps it was natural. Although the scale wasn’t large, he was a person who had devoted his life to running a factory. He would be more sensitive to economic trends than anyone else.

So, of course, the current situation would feel serious to him, as if it were his own problem.

Looking at him, Mun Hui-yeol opened his mouth.

“Father, listen carefully to what I’m about to say. In the future, our country…”

Mun Hui-yeol began to explain everything he had heard from Hyun-sung in the early morning, without missing a single detail. As his explanation continued for a long time, Mun Sang-gi didn’t say anything and just nodded occasionally.

How much time had passed?

When Mun Hui-yeol mentioned Kia and Daewoo’s bankruptcy, Mun Sang-gi’s expression changed to one of disbelief, unlike anything he had shown so far.

And finally, when Mun Hui-yeol’s explanation ended, Mun Sang-gi immediately opened his mouth.

“Kia will collapse in July and Daewoo will collapse in two years?”

“Yes, the whole of Korea will be turned upside down. Kia will go bankrupt in July, leaving behind 10 trillion won in debt. The aftermath will directly affect the banking sector.”

“So, in the end, a few banks will also go under?”

“That’s right, and it doesn’t end there. A domino effect will occur throughout the entire Korean corporate world.”

“And that will eventually exceed 3,000?”

Mun Hui-yeol nodded instead of answering. Then Mun Sang-gi opened his mouth again.

“How old is he?”

“Huh? Who?”

“That video company president friend of yours?”

“He’s twenty-nine this year. He’s three years younger than me. But why are you suddenly asking about his age?”

“I was just curious. But…”

Mun Sang-gi stopped talking as if he was thinking about something, leaving a lingering feeling, and remained silent.

It was only after a few minutes that he spoke again. That meant that Mun Sang-gi couldn’t ignore what Hyun-sung had said either.

If he had thought it was nonsense, he wouldn’t have taken it so seriously.

“How on earth did that friend know?”

“I’m also curious about that.”

“At first, I was just going to ignore it, but it’s too specific. And he even knows the exact dates of bankruptcy.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Seriously…”

Mun Sang-gi was silent again as if he was thinking.

But this time, it didn’t take long before he continued to speak.

“The conclusion is that Korea will enter the IMF [International Monetary Fund] system in December, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. The application will be made on November 21st, to be exact.”

“This is just…”

Mun Sang-gi was just frustrated. If everything that his friend Hyun-sung said was true, then there was no answer.

Chain bankruptcy.

This wasn’t something that could be solved by doing well alone. After all, if one place couldn’t cover its bills, bankruptcies would inevitably occur in a chain reaction.

Mun Sang-gi, who was deep in thought, opened his mouth again.

“What about you?”

“Huh? About what?”

“Do you believe what that friend said?”

“To be honest, I didn’t believe it until an hour ago. Because it’s something I can’t handle. But after seeing Jinro go bankrupt on the 12 o’clock news, I couldn’t help but believe it.”

“So you’re going to believe it?”

“Because it’s been proven to be true. And decisively…”

Mun Hui-yeol couldn’t bring himself to directly say that his father would be in danger as a result of the factory’s bankruptcy.

Then Mun Sang-gi immediately asked.

“What is it? Is there something else?”

“It’s a little…”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“I’ll tell you later. Anyway, the important thing is that we still have a chance. If we prepare in advance from now on…”

“Wait a minute!”

Mun Sang-gi interrupted Mun Hui-yeol. Then he immediately continued to speak.

“In the end, you’re saying you’re going to believe what that friend said, right?”

“Given the situation…”

“Well, the way the country’s economy is going is certainly unusual, but I don’t know if it will really go that far… What should we do?”

Mun Sang-gi couldn’t make a decision easily.

Mun Hui-yeol, who was watching him, also had complicated feelings. It was too scary to believe, and it was also scary not to believe.

Just then, Mun Sang-gi opened his mouth again.

“Let’s think about it a little more. I also have something I’ve been thinking about.”

“Yes? Ah, yes…”

Mun Hui-yeol had no choice but to agree. Right now, he didn’t have the confidence to choose one side, so he couldn’t speak strongly.

But there was something he didn’t know. Even at this moment, the Korean economy was continuing to decline.

The longer the decision time was delayed, the greater the financial damage would be.

Perhaps that was the lacking aspect of us humans.