Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 585

“I had a dream.”

Hyun-sung had no choice but to use the excuse of a dream. He couldn’t possibly reveal that he had already experienced all of this in his past life.

However, from Lee Se-yi’s perspective, who had no way of knowing the truth, it was a bewildering statement.

“Did you just say a dream?”

“Yes, a dream.”

“You mean, in your dream, our Su-jeong was crying and leaving this neighborhood?”

“Yes, that’s right. I dreamt that she didn’t want to close down the bakery in six months and was crying in my arms.”
“No, what kind of dream is that……”

Lee Se-yi was utterly dumbfounded.

No matter how vivid a dream might be, how could someone have such a specific premonition? And what’s even stranger is that a dream is just a dream, after all. To have that dream and then mention it in real life… does that even make sense?

Especially someone else’s dream.

Lee Se-yi asked again.

“Do you usually dream a lot?”

“I tend to.”

“Isn’t a dream just a dream?”

“That’s right.”

“So?”

*That’s right. A dream is just a dream.* But Hyun-sung is bringing it up in reality, so Lee Se-yi is pointing out that it doesn’t make sense.

Hyun-sung knows that too.

But even knowing that, he has no choice but to continue this charade.

Hyun-sung had no choice but to tell another lie.

“I’m a bit… special.”

“Special? Does that mean your dreams come true? I’ve seen people like that on TV sometimes, dreams becoming reality……”

“Yes, that’s right. I have that tendency. That’s why I had to say such harsh things earlier. I didn’t want to see Su-jeong leaving in tears because this store closed down. And……”

“Wait a minute!”

Lee Se-yi suddenly cut Hyun-sung off. Then, she was silent for a moment, as if deep in thought.

After a while, Lee Se-yi tilted her head and spoke again.

“Didn’t you say six months earlier?”

“Yes, that’s right. Paris Baguette opened and we closed down six months later… in my dream.”

*That’s true. It definitely closed down six months later in his past life.*

“This is really strange.”

“What is?”

“Actually, there are only six months left on my contract. It’s really amazing how you got the date exactly right.”

“Ah, is that so……”

Hyun-sung hadn’t known that detail. Then, the reason for deciding to close down in his past life was that the contract period was over, and they didn’t renew it. The reason for *that* would have been that they didn’t think they could compete, so they naturally didn’t renew the contract.

Lee Se-yi’s expression turned slightly dark, as if she was uneasy. She continued to speak.

“Are your dreams really accurate?”

“I tend to be. I said that a little while ago, didn’t I?”

“Then what should I do?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said your dreams are accurate, right? Does that mean I *will* close down in six months? Isn’t that right?”

“Uh? That’s……”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but be momentarily flustered. Now that he heard it from her perspective, he realized that Lee Se-yi would naturally think that way.

But Hyun-sung, knowing that it was all based on his past life, was able to answer confidently.

“That will never happen!”

“You said your dreams are accurate?”

“That’s if you don’t do anything and just run the store as it is. But it’s different now. We’re increasing the variety of bread, the taste is different from before, and we’ve redone the sign and window tinting, and we’re going to have events in the future. So, you won’t close down like in my dream.”

“Ah! So it works like that?”

Lee Se-yi’s eyes sparkled. It was a completely different expression from when she was worried a moment ago.

Hyun-sung smiled as he confirmed her expression and continued to speak.

“That’s the power of my dreams.”

“Power?”

“Yes, I dream in advance and prevent that situation from happening. Like with you, the owner, this time.”

It is said that interpretation is more important than the dream itself. [This is a Korean proverb.]

It means to think about trivial or unpleasant things and interpret them in a positive way. It is a metaphorical way of saying that how you interpret something is more important than the actual facts.

Hyun-sung’s situation was like that now.

Although it was something that actually happened in his past life, he talked about it as a dream and said that the goal was to prevent that situation from happening.

Perhaps it was because it was effective.

Lee Se-yi’s expression definitely changed.

“Oh! Now that I think about it, it seems like that?”

“It’s not just that it seems like that, it *is*. As you can see from the owner’s actions now, hasn’t a lot of change happened because I said that? Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right! To be honest, if you hadn’t been so harsh that day, I would have just run the store the same way as before. If that had happened, I would have decided to close down in six months, just like in your dream. Now that I think about it, your dreams are not ordinary dreams?”

All roads lead to Rome. [Another way of saying there are many ways to achieve the same goal.]

It was the moment when Hyun-sung’s purpose was achieved. After all, the initial goal was for Lee Se-yi to withstand the franchise Paris Baguette, and the ultimate goal was to prevent his daughter, Yoon Su-jeong, from leaving this neighborhood in tears.

Lee Se-yi continued to speak.

“Then from now on, I can just run the store as it is?”

“Of course not. But there’s one more condition left.”

“Condition? What is it?”

“Change.”

“Change?”

“Yes, you must have felt it while visiting famous bakeries in the Incheon area this time. That bread is also trendy. Like that, you must always strive to change. That’s how you can survive.”

“You’re absolutely right. Actually, I realized how lazy I’ve been while visiting bakeries this time. I wasn’t originally like this……”

Lee Se-yi’s words grew longer. That meant she herself felt a lot. After talking for a while, Lee Se-yi stopped talking, looked at Hyun-sung for a moment, and then continued to speak.

“So I decided.”

“What……?”

“From now on, I’ll visit famous bakeries at least once a month. Then I’ll know which breads are popular these days. Of course, I’ll try to make that bread the same, no, even more delicious.”

Snap!

As soon as Lee Se-yi finished speaking, Hyun-sung snapped his thumb and middle finger to make a sound, and then immediately continued to speak.

“That’s exactly it. That was my last condition.”

“You’re saying to constantly strive?”

“Yes, that’s right. Otherwise, you can’t survive in the competition.”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll go back to my original intentions and work hard from now on. If I want to do it until Su-jeong graduates from college, I have no choice but to work harder.”

“Um…… until Su-jeong graduates from college? If you say that, I think I need to revise my plan.”

A strange smile began to spread on Hyun-sung’s lips after he finished speaking. Lee Se-yi, who saw that, immediately asked.

“Revise the plan?”

“Yes, at first I only thought about enduring against Baribaguette [A shortened, colloquial form of Paris Baguette] and continuing to run the store, but now I think it might be possible to change that plan.”

“Perhaps that change is……”

Lee Se-yi’s eyes widened as if she had some idea. Then Hyun-sung nodded and immediately continued to speak.

“Maybe what you’re thinking is right. I think we might be able to beat Paris Baguette in the competition.”

“You mean I can beat the franchise Baribaguette in the competition?”

“There’s no reason why we can’t. Just because it’s a franchise doesn’t mean it can’t close down. After all, business is about closing down if you lose in the competition. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s true, but still, that’s a bit……”

Lee Se-yi tilted her head. Even at first glance, she couldn’t understand how an individual could win against a franchise in the competition.

However, Hyun-sung knew how Paris Baguette’s business methods had developed in his past life, so he could be confident.

“We can definitely win.”

“Is that really possible?”

“Yes, of course. To do that, you must first obtain a barista license within the next year.”

“Why suddenly a barista license?”

It was a part that Lee Se-yi couldn’t easily understand. A barista is an expert who selects good beans and uses coffee machines to make the coffee that customers want. But why would a bakery suddenly need such a barista license?

“The world is changing.”

“The world is changing? How?”

“In a few years, coffee will become the trend.”

“Coffee?”

“Yes, that’s right. So, coffee will be almost essential in bakeries in the future. Of course, stores that can’t keep up with that change will inevitably fall behind.”

*That’s true. At some point, coffee will become almost essential in all bakeries.*

Among them, Paris Baguette will lead the way.

It’s not yet, but in a few years, all Paris Baguettes will change in that way.

And they will gradually grow larger. They will also have to have coffee shops.

It will change to a structure that operates one more cafe inside the bakery, a so-called shop-in-shop concept.

Hyun-sung is saying that he will prepare for that now.

“So, you’re saying that bakeries will have to handle coffee in the future?”

“Yes, that’s right. It will start in Seoul in just two or three years. Of course, the leader will be Paris Baguette.”

“So you’re saying we should prepare in advance from now on?”

“Yes, of course. In the future, bakeries will also operate cafes inside the bakery with a shop-in-shop concept.”

“Shop-in-shop concept?”

Lee Se-yi tilted her head. It seemed like it was because it was still an unfamiliar term.

“Yes, that’s right. In the end, it’s operating two stores in one space. So, the stores will gradually get bigger.”

“Oh? Then what should we do? As you can see, the space is small?”

It’s probably a natural concern. The bakery that Lee Se-yi runs now is just over 10 *pyeong* [approximately 33 square meters or 355 square feet].

“We have to expand in the future.”

“What? What do you mean? Expanding the store means taking over the store next door, but as you know, the store next door is a hair salon, so how are you going to do that?”

“Next August.”

“Next August? Does that mean the hair salon is going to leave next August?”

*That’s true. In his past life, the hair salon also moved to another location three months after Lee Se-yi closed down.*

“Yes, that’s what will happen.”

“Oh? Now that I think about it, that sister seems to have said that her contract period is until next August. But how did you know that?”

“You may not believe it, but in my dream……”

Hyun-sung had no choice but to make the excuse of a dream again. Then, this time, Lee Se-yi just laughed as if she was dumbfounded.

“Aren’t you being too much? What kind of dream…… haha.”

“I know, right? But strangely, I saw the hair salon moving to another location in my dream.”

“Your dreams are really……”

This time, Lee Se-yi shook her head severely from side to side. It seemed like she couldn’t believe it. Then Hyun-sung immediately continued to speak.

“Are you close to the hair salon owner?”

“Of course. I follow her like my own sister because she’s right next door.”

“Then check it out right now. She probably already has a plan by now.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I can be sure. She definitely moved in next August.”

“Can I really check? I’m not going to be a silly person, am I?”

“That won’t happen. My dream has never been wrong.”

“Haha, then I’ll really go.”

Lee Se-yi said that and left the bakery, tilting her head.

After a while, Lee Se-yi’s face was full of surprise as she entered the bakery again.

“You were right. She said she was going to tell the landlord in a few months that she was leaving in August. But how did this really happen? To be honest, I didn’t believe you even while asking my sister. How can this happen?”

“I know, right? That’s why I’m sometimes surprised. But this doesn’t happen often, I only have such dreams very rarely.”

“That’s really amazing. By the way, does that mean I can take over the store next door and run a cafe next August?”

“That’s exactly it. That’s why I’m telling you to get a barista license in advance. That way, you’ll be converting your business earlier than Paris Baguette, so you’ll be much more advantageous.”

“Hmm……”

Lee Se-yi pondered for a moment, then nodded as if she had made a decision and continued to speak.

“Yes, I understand. I’ll start studying for a barista license from next month. Then I’ll be able to get it by June next year at the latest. But how much will it cost to open a store and decorate it as a cafe?”

“You can expect about 70 million won [approximately $53,000 USD].”

“Um, 70 million…… Yes, okay. I think I can prepare that much.”

“Then that’s it. If you prepare this much, you won’t have to worry about Su-jeong graduating from college, no, even your retirement life.”

“Haha, retirement life? When you say that, it sounds like I’m very old? Did you know that you and I are only 5 years apart?”

Lee Se-yi looked at Hyun-sung and smiled slightly. Then Hyun-sung also smiled and immediately continued to speak.

“Ah, is that so? Now that I think about it, was retirement life a bit too much? Anyway, this will prevent Su-jeong from leaving this neighborhood in tears.”

What was most heartbreaking in his past life was that he couldn’t do anything even though young Yoon Su-jeong was crying because she didn’t want to leave. But this time, that will definitely not happen. He has prepared this much.

But there was something Hyun-sung didn’t know: that the opponent is not an individual but a large chain. That means their business power is also strong.

That Hyun-sung will also have a hard time responding to that.