Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 566

568

“What did you just say?”

You Seung-il asked Park Sun-woo, the manager, as if he couldn’t believe what he had heard.

Park Sun-woo immediately responded, not wanting to be outdone.

“President, please don’t take it too personally…”

“Hold on a second!”

You Seung-il raised his hand, cutting Park Sun-woo off mid-sentence. Then, he continued,

“So, what Manager Park is saying is that if we don’t get rid of the videos as soon as possible, the price will drop over time, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“So, you’re saying we should hand over the videos as soon as possible?”

“Yes, that’s right. This is all for the President’s benefit.”

You Seung-il smirked, twitching one corner of his mouth as Park Sun-woo finished speaking. Anyone could see that he was sneering.

Park Sun-woo couldn’t possibly miss it.

“That smile just now…”

“Yes, I’m sneering.”

You Seung-il deliberately spoke frankly. After all, he no longer had any faith in the head office.

However, Park Sun-woo, unaware of the situation, looked at You Seung-il with a dumbfounded expression. Then, he immediately continued,

“What did you just say?”

“Why? Has the young man gone deaf?”

“Don’t you think you’re being too harsh?”

“Don’t you think your actions are normal right now, Manager Park?”

“What did I do wrong? I’m just saying that it’s better to close down as soon as possible for the President’s sake.”

Park Sun-woo spoke confidently.

You Seung-il smirked once more, then opened his mouth.

“Did you just say ‘for my sake’?”

“Yes, of course.”

“What’s wrong with you? There’s an old saying that even if your mouth is crooked, you should speak straight [be honest and direct].”

“What does that mean? What did I say wrong…”

“Heh…”

You Seung-il let out a hollow laugh, as if he couldn’t believe it, and then immediately continued,

“Isn’t it for Manager Park’s sake, or rather, since Manager Park is just running errands, strictly speaking, isn’t it for the head office that you’re doing this? Am I wrong?”

“Huh? No, that’s…”

Park Sun-woo was momentarily speechless.

Of course, he had sensed it to some extent from You Seung-il’s assertive attitude, but he never expected him to say it so directly.

It is said that in baseball, the fastball is the most frightening. That’s because it means the pitcher is confident.

You Seung-il was exactly like that.

He wasn’t beating around the bush but directly stating the core issue.

In fact, the reason for hurrying the closure was ostensibly for You Seung-il’s sake, but the real purpose was for the head office.

If they dragged their feet and another used goods dealer took the deal, they would be left empty-handed.

But there was a problem.

They tried their best not to show it, but the other party already knew.

But who was Park Sun-woo?

He had survived in this industry for over 10 years.

This was nothing.

“Ahem.”

Park Sun-woo cleared his throat and immediately continued,

“Alright, I won’t deny it. We have to make a living too.”

Park Sun-woo admitted it frankly. He had learned from experience that it was best to admit it honestly in situations like this.

You Seung-il nodded and opened his mouth.

“As expected, you admit it right away because you have experience, right?”

“There’s no point in lying since you wouldn’t believe me anyway, President.”

“Alright, let’s move past that part. So, what’s the conclusion?”

“The conclusion is simple. We need to clear out the goods as soon as possible. As I mentioned earlier, the longer we wait…”

Park Sun-woo’s words dragged on, but the rest was predictable. As Shin Pro was gone, the closure price would continue to drop.

As his explanation ended, You Seung-il immediately asked,

“What’s next?”

“Huh? What do you mean by ‘next’?”

“I mean, what happens after the closure?”

“That’s up to the President to…”

“Pfft.”

You Seung-il laughed as if he couldn’t believe it. Then, he immediately continued,

“So, in the end, the head office is just taking the good stuff and telling me to take care of the rest? Is that what you’re saying?”

“It’s not exactly like that, but it’s something the head office can’t help either.”

“Sigh…”

You Seung-il let out a long sigh.

Of course, You Seung-il himself knew it well. That the head office couldn’t help it either. But on the other hand, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Whatever the reason, he had no choice but to close down.

But the problem was the lease period. He had initially signed a 3-year contract, so there were more than 2 years left.

The key was the monthly rent. 3 million won per month.

Right now, the monthly rent was a bigger problem than the closure itself.

But the head office hadn’t said anything about that issue so far. That’s what You Seung-il was disappointed about.

The most troublesome thing was the remaining lease period, but they hadn’t mentioned it at all.

If they had asked about it even once, he wouldn’t have felt so disappointed.

You Seung-il opened his mouth again.

“Of course, I know it’s my responsibility. But even so, how can you be so indifferent?”

“That’s…”

“That’s what I’m disappointed about. And all you can say is that the closure estimate will only drop over time… Sigh!”

You Seung-il sighed once more in the middle of his sentence.

Meanwhile, Park Sun-woo, who was watching him, began to feel annoyed. He couldn’t understand how someone who had lived for over 50 years could be so upset about something like that.

But he couldn’t show it, so he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.

Then, You Seung-il opened his mouth again.

“I’m disappointed, but it’s my problem anyway, so let’s leave it at that. So, what’s the final offer?”

“I think I already told you the amount last time…”

A smile spread across You Seung-il’s face. Of course, the meaning of that smile was, once again, ridicule.

He had hoped for something, but he was once again reminded that these guys were not worth dealing with.

“So, in the end, you can only give me 20 million won [approximately $15,000 USD]?”

“That’s the best we can do right now. It’s already been ten days since Shin Pro left.”

You Seung-il became increasingly angry as he listened.

Hyeonseong had told him a while ago that he could get at least 35 to 40 million won [approximately $26,000 – $30,000 USD]. And if he was lucky enough to deal directly with a founder, he could even get 50 to 60 million won [approximately $37,000 – $45,000 USD].

But the head office was stubbornly sticking to 20 million won.

At that moment, You Seung-il’s eyes sparkled.

Since it had come to this, he wanted to play a trick on the head office.

“That’s strange.”

“Huh? What is?”

“The other dealers I know don’t say that.”

“Huh? Other dealers?”

Park Sun-woo’s voice suddenly grew louder. That’s because things would change if other dealers got involved.

That’s why he couldn’t help but ask immediately.

“Who are the other dealers?”

“I can’t tell you that. I’m not an idiot. Don’t you think so?”

“Ah, is that how it is? Haha…”

Park Sun-woo forced a smile as if nothing was wrong. But his true feelings were the opposite.

Why wouldn’t they be?

The amount they could make from this deal was basically around 80 million won [approximately $60,000 USD]. If they were lucky, it could be over 100 million won [approximately $75,000 USD]. But if things went wrong, that amount could disappear.

So, the important thing was the estimate.

He needed to know how much the other used goods dealer had offered.

Park Sun-woo immediately asked,

“How much did that dealer offer?”

“Well, I don’t know if I should say it myself…”

You Seung-il deliberately hesitated. After all, Park Sun-woo would be the one who was desperate from now on.

As expected, Park Sun-woo’s eyes changed.

“Don’t do that, just tell me how much that dealer offered…”

“The difference is too big.”

“Huh? How much is it?”

Park Sun-woo couldn’t help but feel nervous. In fact, You Seung-il’s goods were the best in terms of assortment. Nevertheless, he had offered 20 million won because he thought there would be no other competitors.

But a problem had arisen.

Not only had another used goods dealer appeared, but he had also received an estimate. And that estimate was higher than what he had offered.

“Um… they offered a base of 50 million won [approximately $37,000 USD].”

After a moment of consideration, You Seung-il offered 10 million won more than what Hyeonseong had offered. Since he was going to mess with them anyway, he wanted to do it properly. He had suffered enough.

“Did you just say 50 million won?”

“Yes, why would I lie?”

“…”

Park Sun-woo couldn’t say anything. He had offered 20 million won. But someone, he didn’t know who, had offered 50 million won.

If it was a difference of 1 or 2 million won, he could give more and it wouldn’t be a big problem.

But in this case, the difference was too big to make sense.

What could he say in this situation?

You Seung-il continued,

“Who’s lying? It seems to me that one of you is definitely lying. How can there be a difference of 30 million won [approximately $22,000 USD] for the same goods?”

“Well, I don’t understand either.”

Park Sun-woo tilted his head.

Of course, it was true that You Seung-il’s goods were good. But that didn’t mean a regular used goods dealer would offer 50 million won. Of course, there was a possibility. That was when the goods were immediately put up for open sale.

But who on earth had offered 50 million won?

‘Could it be?’

One person flashed through Park Sun-woo’s mind. It was the person he had mentioned after he had visited on the first day, Hyeonseong.

Hyeonseong had Choi Yun-soo, the best in the business, behind him.

He could offer up to 50 million won.

After thinking for a moment, Park Sun-woo cautiously asked,

“Could it be… that kid?”

“I can’t say. But the important thing is that’s not the issue right now. What I’m curious about is why there’s such a big difference.”

“Well…”

Park Sun-woo couldn’t say anything else. If he said the wrong thing here, You Seung-il’s goods might really be gone.

It seemed best to take a step back for now.

“Alright, I understand. I’ll think about it some more…”

Park Sun-woo had no choice but to give a rough greeting and leave the hospital room. He felt that if he stayed there any longer, things would get even more complicated.

Outside, Park Sun-woo immediately called Chairman Min Hong-sik at the head office.

-Hello.

“Chairman, it’s me.”

-Yes, what happened?

“There’s a problem. That is…”

Park Sun-woo began to explain what had happened so far.

A short while later.

As Park Sun-woo’s explanation ended, Chairman Min Hong-sik immediately asked,

-Who is that dealer?

“He won’t say.”

-What kind of guy dares to sprinkle red pepper powder [cause trouble] on our Movie Heart’s goods?

“That’s what I’m saying. Usually, most dealers would avoid us on their own.”

The reason he had offered a low estimate was because he thought there would be no other competitors. Dealers who were well-known in the industry wouldn’t touch Movie Heart’s goods even if they were closing down. In a way, it was a sign of respect. That’s because they couldn’t ignore the power of having chain stores nationwide.

-Can you find out who it is?

“Yes, it will take a few days, but I should be able to find out. There’s someone I suspect.”

-Who?

“That kid. I don’t think there’s anyone else who would dare to stand up to us.”

-Hmm…

Chairman Min Hong-sik seemed to be thinking for a moment, then immediately continued,

-What happens if it’s really that kid?

“That’s a bit ambiguous. We can deal with anyone else, but as the Chairman knows, that kid has so much money that we can’t handle him…”

-That’s a headache.

“Yes, it is. If we get involved with him, our entire Movie Heart could be in danger. If he sets his mind to it, there’s nothing he can’t do.”

The most frightening thing is money. This time, it’s just Bupyeong branch, but if he decides to fight, there’s no way we can win.

-So, what are you going to do?