Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 617

A week later.

Hyun-sung headed to Yoo Young-seok’s side dish shop.

“Hyung-nim [older brother or close male friend], welcome!”

As Hyun-sung opened the shop door and entered, Yoo Young-seok greeted him happily.

“Yeah, is the preparation going well?”

“Yes, the interior guy finished the construction a day earlier than scheduled, so everything is going smoothly.”

“That’s right. Just a week ago, I was worried that we might not meet the deadline, but thankfully, we did.”

“I think so too. I realized once again how important a person’s mindset is, watching that guy this time.”

“I feel the same way. It’s amazing how a person can change like that.”

It was a week ago.

It was when he went to the meat restaurant with Ahn Sang-min. After finishing the meal to some extent, he asked Ahn Sang-min.

Why his mind had suddenly changed.

Ahn Sang-min’s answer was simple. It was that he wanted to join the world where everyone lives together, which Hyun-sung had mentioned, starting now.

At first, he honestly couldn’t believe it. People don’t usually change easily.

But the change he showed was from the very next day.

He arrived at the construction site exactly at 8 a.m. Except for the first day, he had been late by an hour or two every day, but after that, he had never been late.

What’s even more surprising was that he even moved up the construction schedule by a day.

“It’s really amazing. That a person can change like that.”

“Honestly, even I find it ironic. Anyway, what are you going to do now?”

“I’m going to hire people first. I can’t do it alone anyway. Two people are supposed to come in an hour.”

“Two people?”

“Yes, one is a woman in her 40s, and the other is a year younger than me. Both of them have physical disabilities. The woman had polio when she was young, and the other friend lost a leg in a car accident like me.”

From the beginning, Yoo Young-seok had said that if he ran a side dish shop, he would hire people with disabilities similar to his own. The reason was that it was difficult to get a job when you have a disability.

“Yeah, you thought it through. It wouldn’t have been easy for them to get a job.”

“That’s what they said too. They said that if you have a disability, you can’t even get an interview.”

“That’s probably true. Anyway, you’ve done a great thing.”

“It’s nothing…”

Yoo Young-seok scratched his head as if he was embarrassed. Then he immediately continued.

“It’s all thanks to you, hyung-nim. If you weren’t by my side, I wouldn’t be able to stand confidently in front of others like this.”

“Enough with the cheesy talk. Since you’ve already decided, I hope you don’t regret it.”

Just then.

Ding-dong!

Hyun-sung’s phone rang.

“Hello.”

– It’s Kim, the boss.

The person who called was Yoo Seung-il, the owner of the book cafe.

“Yes, sir.”

– Could you possibly come over here now?

“Why? Is something wrong?”

– No, it’s not that. I just have something to say to you, Kim.

“Yes, I understand. I’ll see you within 30 minutes.”

Click.

As Hyun-sung hung up, Yoo Young-seok immediately asked.

“Do you have to go now?”

“I think I have to go. The book cafe owner is looking for me. And since the reason I came here today was to check if the construction was finished, I’ll come again when you open.”

“I was hoping you would…”

Yoo Young-seok stopped in the middle of his sentence. Then Hyun-sung immediately asked.

“What is it? Why did you stop talking?”

“I was hoping you could join me for the interview later.”

“Interview?”

“Yes, didn’t I say that two people were supposed to come a little while ago? Of course, I’ll just hire them if there are no special issues, but just in case, I was hoping you could watch the interview with me.”

“Hmm…”

Hyun-sung seemed to be thinking for a moment and didn’t say anything. It was after some time that he opened his mouth again.

“Young-seok, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Yes? Why? You’re the hyung-nim I respect the most, so why can’t you watch the interview with me?”

“Well, that’s just your opinion, and from the perspective of the person being interviewed, wouldn’t it be a bit absurd?”

“Why?”

“It’s just a side dish shop, and I’m not trying to look down on side dish shops, so don’t misunderstand.”

“Hyung-nim, do you think I’m the kind of person who would misunderstand something like that?”

Yoo Young-seok said with a slight smile. Then Hyun-sung also smiled slightly as if he agreed, and immediately continued.

“Of course not. Anyway, I don’t think it’s a good idea to have two people at the interview. It’s not like it’s a company.”

“Was I being too much?”

“It’s not that you’re being too much, but it might seem a little strange from the perspective of the person being interviewed, so I think it’s enough for you to watch it alone. And I don’t think there will be anyone with big problems anyway.”

“Yes, I understand. I almost made a fuss for no reason.”

“What fuss…”

Hyun-sung lightly tapped Yoo Young-seok’s shoulder. Then he immediately continued.

“Anyway, meet the people you’ll be working with well.”

“Yes, I understand. Then I’ll contact you after the interview.”

“Okay, then let’s talk later.”

Hyun-sung finished speaking and left Yoo Young-seok’s shop.

***

“Sir, what’s going on?”

Hyun-sung, who left Yoo Young-seok’s shop and arrived at the book cafe, asked Yoo Seung-il. Then Yoo Seung-il immediately replied.

“What’s the rush? Here, have a cup of coffee first.”

Yoo Seung-il handed Hyun-sung a cup of coffee. Then Hyun-sung took a sip of coffee and immediately continued.

“I thought you called me on purpose because there was something urgent.”

“What urgent matter would there be? I just called you, Kim, to give you something.”

“What is it?”

“Drink your coffee first, and we’ll talk about it later.”

With those words, Yoo Seung-il began to drink his coffee. Then Hyun-sung nodded as if he understood and began to drink his coffee.

The two began to talk about various things while drinking coffee.

After a while.

Yoo Seung-il put down his coffee cup and took out an envelope, handing it to Hyun-sung.

“Take this.”

“Huh? What’s this envelope?”

“It’s not much, but please accept it as my sincerity.”

“What is this money? Why are you giving me this money? You’re not giving me pocket money.”

“It’s a donation.”

“Yes?”

Hyun-sung looked at Yoo Seung-il directly at the word donation. Then he immediately asked again.

“Did you just say donation?”

“Yes, I’ve been hesitating for a week, but I finally made a decision today. It’s not much, but use it to help run the free sharing shop.”

Hyun-sung roughly checked the inside of the envelope. At first glance, it seemed to be about 200,000 won [Korean currency, approximately $150-200 USD depending on the exchange rate at the time].

200,000 won, at that time, 200,000 won was definitely not a small amount.

“Isn’t this too much?”

“Actually, I was worried about how much to give. The conclusion was that I had to give that much. If you think about it, I can do business like this all thanks to you, Kim.”

Yoo Seung-il’s words continued.

“And I’m doing so well these days that I can donate that much, so don’t worry and accept it.”

Even a sense of ease could be felt in Yoo Seung-il’s expression as he spoke.

Hyun-sung glanced around the shop. He could immediately see that Yoo Seung-il’s words were true. At first glance, about 15 people were reading books in the hall.

Yoo Seung-il’s words continued again.

“I’m glad I changed it to a cafe as you said, Kim. It’s a bit much to say this, but these days, there are definitely more people during the day because of the IMF crisis [International Monetary Fund crisis, a significant economic downturn in South Korea in the late 1990s]. Sometimes there are not enough seats, so people just leave.”

“I guess it’s because they can’t go to work. But as I said before, you should never raise the prices.”

“Don’t worry about that. As I said last time, that will never happen.”

“Yes, then I will use this money well for those in need.”

Yoo Seung-il in his past life only knew himself. But this time, he donated 200,000 won. It was a huge change.

“I will donate every month from now on.”

“Yes? Every month?”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but be surprised. As a result, his voice grew louder without him realizing it. Then Yoo Seung-il smiled and immediately asked.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“I thought it was a lot of money even for once, but you said you’re going to donate every month, so of course…”

“I learned all this from watching you, Kim. Didn’t you say something to me when you helped me?”

“Me?”

“Yes, have you already forgotten? You clearly told me that you dream of a world where we live together.”

Of course, he remembers.

In fact, in his past life, he was too busy living alone, so he couldn’t live like that. For that reason, what he thought about while returning was the people around him. If he was going to live anyway, he thought he should live together with those around him.

Smirk.

Hyun-sung smiled as he looked at Yoo Seung-il. Then Yoo Seung-il, who saw that, immediately opened his mouth.

“Thank you for changing me, who only knew myself.”

“No, rather, I want to thank you. It’s not as easy as you think, but thank you for participating like this.”

“Honestly, I didn’t know I would change like this. Heh…”

Yoo Seung-il laughed out loud and made a satisfied expression. Then Hyun-sung also smiled and nodded. The two looked at each other and shared a laugh for a while.

It was a completely different 모습 [moseup, Korean for ‘appearance’ or ‘image’] compared to his past life.

After a while.

It was about 5 minutes after Hyun-sung left Yoo Seung-il’s bookstore.

“Oh my! President!”

Lee Se-i, who was outside the bakery, greeted Hyun-sung happily.

“It looks like you’re coming back from somewhere?”

“Yes, I’m coming from the bookstore. By the way, how are you doing these days?”

“Hehe, good.”

“I can tell you’re doing well by the way you’re smiling?”

“Yesterday, we exceeded 350.”

“Is that a record?”

“Yes, we set a new record. If we continue like this, the day we hit 500, which you predicted, will come.”

From Lee Se-i’s expression, you could tell how satisfied she was.

It was definitely a different 모습 from his past life. In his past life, she would have been on the verge of ruin by now, crushed by Paris Baguette [a popular bakery chain, implying strong competition].

“Anyway, congratulations, and I hope you continue to be successful.”

“Thank you, you know it’s all thanks to you, right?”

“That’s not true. President…”

“President!”

Before Hyun-sung could finish speaking, Lee Se-i called out to Hyun-sung. Then she immediately continued.

“Don’t say that. No matter what anyone says, your contribution is the greatest. I just did what you told me to do.”

“That’s not true…”

“That’s right. Oh, wait a minute.”

With those words, Lee Se-i went inside the bakery.

After a while.

Lee Se-i, who came out of the bakery, handed Hyun-sung a small bag.

“Take this with you.”

“What is this?”

“It’s a new bread that came out today. I was going to bring it to you on my way home from work, but it’s good that I met you like this. Taste it and give me your review tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, I will. Then I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

After saying goodbye, Hyun-sung headed to the video store. His steps were lighter than ever. That’s because the bookstore was now completely established, and the bakery was also established to the point of recording the highest sales.

It was a completely 180-degree different 모습 from his past life.