Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 63

“Do you even want to go?”

“Who knows? Maybe if they install a cable car later, I might go then.”

“What, a cable car?”

Hyun-sung chuckled at Lee Jung-woo’s words.

In the future, there would be several attempts, but no installation. Strong opposition from civic groups and local residents would lead to the idea being scrapped.

Of course, that was before Hyun-sung’s regression.

Who knows how it will turn out later.

Hyun-sung spoke again.

“So, you do have the desire.”

“Honestly, climbing Daecheongbong [the highest peak in Seoraksan National Park] is like a dream. Right now, I’d be happy just to be able to climb Apsan [a smaller mountain in their local area] in front of my house.”

“Daecheongbong, huh… I’m getting this urge to challenge it.”

“Hey, hey, reality is harsh. Don’t get your hopes up for nothing.”

Indeed, Daecheongbong is the highest peak in Seoraksan Mountain.

It’s not an easy place at all.

It’s a difficult climb even for ordinary people.

Come to think of it, he had only climbed it once in his past life. It was probably the day after the midterm exams in his freshman year of college.

And he suffered from leg pain for several days afterward.

Hyun-sung lightly nudged Lee Jung-woo’s shoulder and said,

“Okay, let’s set Apsan as our goal for Mokpo and work hard.”

“Okay, let’s do that.”

Lee Jung-woo said with a smile.

Ding-dong.

The bell rang, signaling the start of the first period.

Kim Il-soo’s seat remained empty.

At that moment.

One person was diligently digging up potatoes in a potato field, sweating profusely—Kim Il-soo, who should have been at school.

He stretched his back and yawned.

Then, he looked around the potato field.

“Ha….”

A hollow laugh escaped Kim Il-soo’s lips involuntarily.

The thought alone made him dizzy. He had planned to sell the potato field after digging up all these potatoes, all because he was deceived by the con artist Choi Min-young.

He felt pathetic for even being excited about it.

The more he thought about it, the more he gritted his teeth.

No matter how cold the world is, how could Choi Min-young, who grew up in the same neighborhood, try to deceive him?

Hoo….

Kim Il-soo picked up his water bottle.

Gulp, gulp.

The water seemed to clear his mind a little.

“But that bastard….”

There was something he couldn’t understand no matter how much he thought about it.

It was Kim Hyun-sung’s actions.

How on earth did he know that Choi Min-young was a con artist?

He himself hadn’t believed Hyun-sung at first. But he couldn’t just sit and be taken advantage of, so he went up to Seoul to check.

To be honest, he had his doubts even while going to Seoul.

He even found it hard to admit that he was a con artist even after confirming it.

But….

That guy knew he was a con artist from the start.

Kim Il-soo’s head shook from side to side involuntarily.

No matter how much he thought and pondered, there was no answer to this question. If he ever got the chance later, the only way was to confirm it directly with the person involved.

“And one more thing.”

The words he had said before leaving the other day kept swirling in his head.

– There’s still plenty of time. Success or failure is in your own hands.

The homeroom teacher said something similar yesterday.

– Find your dream again. You’re only a sophomore. There’s plenty of time.

Time, dream, success, failure….

It kept spinning around in his head.

And Hyun-sung had said something else.

Until today.

It’s about the school issue.

Of course, he wouldn’t get expelled, but things could get complicated.

School….

If he goes, there’s the family matter, and if he doesn’t, that doesn’t seem right either.

What should he do…?

Okay!

“Let’s start with what’s urgent….”

Kim Il-soo started digging potatoes again.

For Kim Il-soo, the priority was potatoes, not school.

Soon after.

“Il-soo.”

He turned his head at the sound of someone calling him and saw his grandmother waving her hand from the edge of the field.

Looking at his watch, it was just past 10:30.

Kim Il-soo left his spot and ran to the edge of the field where his grandmother was standing.

“Grandma, is your back okay now?”

“It seems much better after resting for a few days.”

“You still have to be careful. But what’s this?”

“I brought you some noodles to eat. I thought you’d be hungry since you came out early.”

At the word “noodles,” Kim Il-soo’s expression changed.

His grandmother’s bibim guksu [spicy mixed noodles] always tasted the best.

“Grandma, here.”

Kim Il-soo scooped some noodles and took care of his grandmother first.

The grandmother, who received the noodles, looked at Kim Il-soo and said,

“Il-soo, can Grandma ask you for a favor?”

“……?”

Kim Il-soo stopped eating his noodles and stared at his grandmother.

Then he immediately asked.

“Grandma, did you just say ‘favor’?”

It was the first time.

His grandmother had never said such a thing to him before. So it was natural for Kim Il-soo to be surprised.

The grandmother nodded slightly and continued,

“Go to school today….”

The grandmother stopped in the middle of her sentence.

Then Kim Il-soo asked back.

“School?”

“Yes, this grandma thinks that it’s not right to be absent for so long. What if you can’t even go to school because of it?”

“It’s okay, Grandma. I’ll go after I dig up all these potatoes.”

The grandmother shook her head and said again.

“No, that’s not it.”

“Grandma, what’s wrong with you today? Is something the matter?”

“It’s not that something’s the matter, but even if this grandma is uneducated, I know what’s a priority. What’s most important for a student? Going to school, isn’t it?”

“It’s not that I’m not going….”

Kim Il-soo couldn’t say any more.

It was because of his grandmother.

Tears were already welling up in her eyes.

“Grandma, what’s wrong?”

“I’m worried. I’m afraid something will happen to my only child.”

“Grandma, are you worried about me now?”

The grandmother nodded her head vigorously.

Looking at her, Kim Il-soo felt something welling up in his chest without him realizing it.

He didn’t know.

He really didn’t know that his grandmother was so anxious and worried about him.

In fact, he thought she was happy because she hadn’t said anything. They were eating together all day and digging potatoes together.

But judging from his grandmother’s expression now, it meant that it was completely different from what he had thought.

Was it a misunderstanding?

Kim Il-soo looked at his grandmother and asked.

“Grandma, have you been worried all this time?”

At Kim Il-soo’s question, his grandmother nodded again.

As expected!

It was his misunderstanding.

Why did he think that way?

He just assumed that because she didn’t say anything, but it was all his own delusion.

Kim Il-soo looked at his grandmother in silence for a moment.

He had lived with his grandmother since he was very young and had always thought that he would live for her. His grandmother was more important than school, and he tried to do what she liked most.

It was the same this time.

He was going to be last in his studies anyway.

So he thought digging potatoes was a priority. He thought it was better for his grandmother too. Because if he didn’t dig them, his grandmother would have to do it.

But….

That was just his delusion.

Kim Il-soo looked at his grandmother and asked.

“Grandma, do you want me to go to school?”

“Of course, everything has its time. If you miss that time, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Don’t you want to see your child graduate from high school?”

“Graduate?”

The grandmother nodded her head vigorously once again. Then she wiped away the tears that had flowed down with the back of her hand.

He thought he was an adult.

He thought he was all grown up.

He thought he knew everything about his grandmother more than anyone else.

But all of that was a delusion.

He was just a child.

Like a fool, he didn’t even know what his only grandmother was thinking.

Not only that?

He even made his grandmother, who he had thought he would do everything for, shed tears. It was the first time he had seen his grandmother cry in his life.

Hoo….

A sigh escaped Kim Il-soo’s lips involuntarily.

After a while.

Kim Il-soo put down the bowl of noodles he was eating and stood up from his seat.

“Grandma, I’m going to school now.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I think I’ve been thinking wrong all along. I think I was having a delusion. I know it now, so I’m going to school now.”

“Thank you, my puppy [term of endearment].”

The grandmother wiped the tears flowing with both hands.

Kim Il-soo looked at his watch.

‘Is it possible?’

There was less than 10 minutes left before the bus passed by the main road. Even if he ran to the main road as fast as he could, it was almost impossible to arrive within 10 minutes.

So the conclusion was that he couldn’t take the bus.

‘What should I do?’

There was only one way without hesitation.

The bicycle!

The distance to school was a little less than 10km. If he did well, he could arrive before the end of the third period.

This wasn’t the time to be doing this.

“Grandma, I’ll go to school.”

With those words, Kim Il-soo started running towards his house.

The grandmother just watched Kim Il-soo without saying anything. As soon as Kim Il-soo crossed the stream, a smile began to spread across the grandmother’s face.

Then she muttered to herself.

“That student was right….”

Huff, huff!

Kim Il-soo pedaled with all his might.

He didn’t know his stamina was so terrible. He realized today that his big body was just a useless mass of blubber.

Anyway, Kim Il-soo was gaining enlightenment in many ways today.

It was already past 12 o’clock.

That meant the third period was already over.

Now there was only H.R. [Homeroom] time left. It was called a discussion, but it wouldn’t take more than 30 minutes anyway. After that, it was immediately the end-of-day meeting. It would be too late then.

He had to arrive at the classroom before the homeroom teacher came in for the end-of-day meeting.

Kim Il-soo started pedaling hard again.

At that moment.

Class president Lee Young-min was presiding over H.R.

It was something he did every week, but he couldn’t not do it, and it was a chore to do it. The reason was obvious. There was that much lack of response.

Lee Young-min knocked on the podium and said,

“Okay, be quiet and raise your hand if you have any suggestions.”

“…….”

As expected, no one raised their hand.

Then Lee Young-min said again,

“Aren’t you going home? Please tell me three things quickly.”

At that time, Lee Jung-woo, who was sitting in the front, raised his hand slightly.

Then Lee Young-min said in a welcoming voice.