Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 540

Returning as a Building Owner

“Alright, everyone, gather around here.”

Hyun-sung turned off the computer and addressed the employees in the store.

As if they had been waiting for this moment, the five employees hurried to the counter, their eyes shining brighter than usual.

The reason was simple: today marked one month since the store’s opening, which meant it was payday.

“Boss, everyone’s here!” Yu Young-seok, the youngest, exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement. Hyun-sung nodded, understanding his eagerness, and smiled.

“Okay, Young-seok, you don’t have to stare at me so intensely like a kindergartener. It makes me feel awkward, you know?”

“Ah, did I do that? I didn’t realize… Hehe.” Yu Young-seok scratched his head, looking embarrassed. Hyun-sung chuckled, finding his enthusiasm endearing.

“Alright, everyone knows what day it is. Without further ado, I’ll hand out the paychecks. If anyone has any questions about their pay, please check and let me know immediately! Got it?”

“Yes!” the five employees responded in unison, their eagerness palpable. They were especially impatient because they didn’t know how much their salary would be. From the beginning, Hyun-sung had stated that their pay would be proportional to sales.

“Okay, first, Myeong-hoon, come and get yours.”

Hyun-sung began distributing the envelopes, starting with Lee Myeong-hoon, the oldest, followed by Park Cheol-ho, and so on, in order of age. Finally, he handed the last envelope to Yu Young-seok.

“I won’t say much. I just want to thank you all for your hard work this past month and for following my lead diligently. Now, check your paychecks and let me know if you have any questions or concerns!”

As soon as Hyun-sung finished speaking, the five employees scattered around the store, each finding a private spot to examine their paychecks.

“Hoo!” Lee Myeong-hoon took a deep breath before opening his envelope, his nervousness evident. He had been excited since morning, not just because it was payday, but because he was eager to see how much he had earned.

The uncertainty surrounding his salary was the main reason for his anticipation. Hyun-sung’s condition from the start was that pay would be tied to performance, so he had to wait and see.

*Thud.*

Lee Myeong-hoon carefully turned the envelope upside down, letting the contents slide into his palm.

‘Huh?’

He was immediately surprised. He had expected to see blue 10,000 won bills [approximately $7.50 USD], but the color that caught his eye was white.

‘A check?’

Instead of bills, the envelope contained 100,000 won checks [approximately $75 USD]. What was even more surprising was the sheer number of checks – at least 50 or 60.

Even 50 checks would amount to 5 million won [approximately $3,750 USD]. But it seemed like there were even more than that.

*Flutter!*

The thought of exceeding 50 checks made his hand tremble slightly. He had hoped for up to 5 million won, a figure he wouldn’t have dared to expect elsewhere. However, Hyun-sung had always emphasized, “I don’t eat alone,” implying that the employees would share in the store’s success.

The checks he held far exceeded his expectations.

*Flip!*

With a trembling heart, Lee Myeong-hoon began to count the checks one by one.

But a problem arose: counting checks was more difficult than counting cash, especially since these were crisp, new checks straight from the bank.

But what did that matter? Each one was worth a whopping 100,000 won.

Lee Myeong-hoon began to count them with a happy heart.

About 10 minutes passed.

Lee Myeong-hoon was still counting, holding his breath.

‘How much is this?’

After counting ‘one hundred,’ he tilted his head, puzzled. It didn’t make sense. If each check was worth 100,000 won, 100 checks would equal 10 million won [approximately $7,500 USD].

‘Ten million won?’

Could that be right? A monthly salary of 10 million won…

Lee Myeong-hoon started counting again from the beginning, just to be sure.

Ten minutes later.

“…….”

Lee Myeong-hoon was speechless. He couldn’t believe it, but no matter how many times he counted, there were definitely 100 checks, meaning the envelope contained 10 million won.

Just then…

*Swish.*

Park Cheol-ho approached, his eyes wide with disbelief. He looked at Lee Myeong-hoon and whispered, “Hyung [older brother/male friend], what’s going on?”

“You too, 100 checks?”

“Yes, does this make sense?”

“Of course, it doesn’t make sense. The boss said he’d give us a salary proportional to sales, but how can he give an employee 10 million won a month…”

Before Lee Myeong-hoon could finish, three more employees approached, their eyes wide like startled rabbits, indicating their disbelief.

Yu Young-seok, the youngest, looked at Lee Myeong-hoon and asked cautiously, “Myeong-hoon hyung, what’s going on?”

“To be honest, I can’t believe it either. How can something like this happen? No matter how I think about it…”

Lee Myeong-hoon stopped and turned toward the counter. The other employees followed suit.

“Boss!” Lee Myeong-hoon called out to Hyun-sung, who immediately responded, “Why? Is there a problem?”

“What’s going on?”

“What?”

“I’m talking about the salary. I think there’s some kind of mistake…”

“A mistake? What kind of mistake?” Hyun-sung asked, feigning surprise.

Lee Myeong-hoon hesitated, his mind racing. Park Cheol-ho stepped forward.

“Boss, there’s too much money. Did you accidentally put it in wrong?”

“Too much?”

“Yes, no matter how many times I count, there are definitely 100 checks, meaning there’s 10 million won in this envelope. Doesn’t that seem off?” Park Cheol-ho shook his envelope. Another employee nodded in agreement.

“Cheol-ho hyung is right. Maybe the boss made a mistake and…”

“No!” Hyun-sung interrupted, chuckling. “It’s not a mistake. It’s your rightful share. So don’t overthink it and just take it.”

“Is that really true? Is this really our monthly salary?”

“Yes, Myeong-hoon. I promised you from the beginning that I wouldn’t eat alone. So…”

Before Hyun-sung could finish, something unexpected happened. Yu Young-seok, the youngest, bowed deeply.

Then, the other employees followed suit, prostrating themselves on the floor. Finally, even Lee Myeong-hoon joined them.

“Hey, what are you guys doing?” Hyun-sung was dumbfounded. He never expected them to prostrate themselves on the bare floor.

Lee Myeong-hoon, getting up, said, “Boss, thank you. There are many things I want to say, but I’ll just say thank you. Thank you so much.” He bowed again, followed by the other employees.

“Hey, if you do this… Well, thank you everyone. I’ll say it again, thank you for your hard work this past month. I look forward to your continued support next month.” Hyun-sung, at a loss for words, simply expressed his gratitude.

Yu Young-seok carefully asked, “Um… Boss, can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, anything you want.”

“I’m just curious… How much were the total monthly sales?” Yu Young-seok’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. The other employees shared his eagerness.

*Smirk.*

Hyun-sung smiled, grateful for their sense of ownership, even after just one month. He looked at Lee Myeong-hoon and asked, “Myeong-hoon, what was the monthly sales target I set at the beginning?”

“200 million [approximately $150,000 USD]. That’s what you said.” Lee Myeong-hoon replied, though he had his doubts. The business was doing well, but he couldn’t imagine a video store generating that much revenue in a month.

Hyun-sung nodded. “We did it!”

“Yes? Does that mean…?”

“Yes, we achieved that difficult goal. We exceeded it by 50 million [approximately $37,500 USD].”

“Yes? Is that really true?” Lee Myeong-hoon couldn’t believe his ears. He had dismissed Hyun-sung’s initial target as wishful thinking.

Yu Young-seok asked again, “Boss, is it really over 200 million?”

“That’s right. Excluding the odd change in units of 10,000 won, it exceeded 250 million [approximately $187,500 USD]. We all did it.”

“Wow!” Yu Young-seok shouted, raising his hands in the air. The other employees, still in disbelief, celebrated with hugs and cheers.

Hyun-sung watched them, his lips curved in a wide smile.

A while later.

“Okay, pay attention here!” Hyun-sung held five more envelopes.

Lee Myeong-hoon asked, “What’s that again?”

“This is also your share.”

“Yes? What else is there?”

“This is thanks to our youngest, Young-seok.”

All eyes turned to Yu Young-seok, who blushed slightly. Hyun-sung continued, “Young-seok’s earnings from making and selling side dishes. I discussed it with him a few days ago, and Young-seok’s idea was…”

Hyun-sung explained that Yu Young-seok wanted to divide the side dish sales revenue equally among all employees, including Hyun-sung, because everyone had contributed to the store’s success while he was making the dishes.

When Hyun-sung finished, Lee Myeong-hoon said, “Young-seok, I don’t think this is right.”

“Yes? Why?”

“Of course, I understand your intention, but we know how hard you’ve been working since early in the morning. How can we divide the revenue equally? It doesn’t seem fair.”

“Hyung, that’s not it. The reason I started selling side dishes in the first place was…” Yu Young-seok explained that he hadn’t started selling side dishes for the money, but to gain experience, which Hyun-sung had facilitated. More importantly, he enjoyed making the dishes and was grateful for the support of his colleagues. He wanted to share the revenue, even though it wasn’t much.

When Yu Young-seok finished, Lee Myeong-hoon insisted, “Still, this is not right.”

“No, hyung. I like this. It’s nothing special, but I’m happy that I make the side dishes I like and that it makes money. That’s enough for me. And the boss told me something too.”

“Yes? The boss?” Lee Myeong-hoon glanced at Hyun-sung and asked Yu Young-seok, “What did the boss say?”

“He said that money is not everything in life.”

“Yes? Money is not everything? Then what…?”

“It’s people.”

“People?” Lee Myeong-hoon tilted his head, confused.

Yu Young-seok continued, “Yes, people who can share their hearts. So I want to share this revenue equally with all of us, even though it’s not much.”

“That means…?”

“Yes, that’s right. I want to share my heart with the boss and all the hyungs here. So can’t you just accept my heart?”

“…….”

Lee Myeong-hoon was speechless.

Hyun-sung smiled and said, “Okay, Lee Myeong-hoon, take this.” He began handing out the envelopes again.

A while later.

Lee Myeong-hoon, after receiving his envelope, said to Hyun-sung, “Boss, I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor? What is it?”

“Please let me pay for the company dinner tonight.”

“Is that a favor?”

“Yes, I think I need to share my heart a little bit.”

*Smirk.* A smile spread across Hyun-sung’s face.

Just then…

“I’ll pay for the second round today…” This time, it was Park Cheol-ho.

Hyun-sung burst out laughing. “Haha, hahahaha…”