Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 651

“Huh? Hyun-sung?”

Yun Ji-soo was momentarily dumbfounded. She had naturally assumed it was her mother. That’s why she had been talking like that, but the person on the phone was Hyun-sung, not her mother.

Hyun-sung’s voice was heard again.

-What is all this I’m hearing?

“Oh, that’s….”

-Why is there talk of a blind date all of a sudden?

“I don’t know either. My mom suddenly called and….”

-Um… I’m coming over right now, so wait a moment.

“Yes? Right now? Hello….”

Yun Ji-soo tried to say something more, but it was no use. The call had already ended.

Meanwhile, Hyun-sung, who hung up the phone, was utterly bewildered.

What on earth was going on? It was like chasing after a chicken you’d already missed [a Korean idiom for something that’s already gone or a lost cause].

Suddenly, a blind date? It didn’t make any sense. It was his wife, of all people.

But a blind date? This was absolutely impossible.

“Let’s talk in person.”

Hyun-sung jumped up from his seat, left the video store, and headed to Yun Ji-soo’s house.

A short while later.

Hyun-sung arrived in front of Yun Ji-soo’s villa and rushed up to the third floor. That’s how desperate he felt.

Clunk!

Before he could even ring the doorbell, the front door opened. She seemed to have been waiting for Hyun-sung’s call.

As soon as Yun Ji-soo saw Hyun-sung’s face, she called his name in a small voice.

“Hyun-sung….”

Whack!

Instead of answering, Hyun-sung stepped into the entrance and roughly pulled Yun Ji-soo into his arms.

After a moment.

Yun Ji-soo’s voice continued.

“Hyun-sung, I was also taken aback when I received the call a little while ago. That’s why I hung up right away….”

“I know, let’s just stay like this for a moment.”

Hyun-sung interrupted Yun Ji-soo and hugged her even tighter. Yun Ji-soo also stopped talking and hugged Hyun-sung with both arms.

A moment later.

Hyun-sung spoke.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know either. My mom suddenly called and said a blind date offer came in….”

“Is this the first time?”

“Yes, it was the first time. So, I hung up in the middle of the call because it was ridiculous.”

“So, your mother called and unilaterally talked about a blind date?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

Yun Ji-soo nodded and answered in a loud voice. Hyun-sung immediately took her hand and continued.

“Then it’s okay.”

“Is that why you rushed over here right away?”

“This is nothing. Honestly, I feel like going down to Gangneung [a city in South Korea] right now to greet your mother, but I’m holding back because of you, Ji-soo.”

“Because of me?”

“Yes, because I can’t take someone who was discharged from the hospital today all the way to Gangneung. But I can’t just call your mother without any manners. So, I was thinking.”

Hyun-sung took a breath and continued.

“Let’s go down to Gangneung together next month. By then, your body will have recovered to some extent.”

“Next month?”

“Yes, I want to formally greet your mother. What do you think, Ji-soo?”

Yun Ji-soo was simply amazed.

From Hyun-sung’s perspective, he must have been taken aback by the sudden talk of a blind date. No wonder he came running over right after the phone call.

But what was surprising was his consideration.

Most people would have said, ‘Let’s go down to Gangneung right now.’ But he didn’t. The reason was that it would be difficult to travel a long distance after surgery. Even in that situation, he thought of the other person’s well-being first, rather than his own desires.

Yun Ji-soo looked at Hyun-sung and slowly nodded.

“Yes, I understand.”

“You definitely gave your permission, Ji-soo.”

“I said I understand. But can I ask you one thing?”

“Yes, anything.”

Hyun-sung nodded and looked at Yun Ji-soo. Yun Ji-soo hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth.

“Are you really okay with it?”

“Yes? With what?”

“I’m seven years older than you, Hyun-sung. My sixtieth birthday will be seven years earlier than yours, and I’ll have a lot more wrinkles than you as I get older. And….”

Yun Ji-soo couldn’t say any more. Before she knew it, his lips were blocking her own.

A moment later.

Yun Ji-soo moved away from Hyun-sung and spoke again.

“Hyun-sung, I was really surprised today.”

“Yes? Why?”

“Seeing your actions. Of course, I knew you were thoughtful, but today I reaffirmed that fact.”

“What did I do?”

Hyun-sung looked at Yun Ji-soo as if he didn’t know what she was talking about. Yun Ji-soo continued.

“Consideration.”

“Consideration?”

“Yes, today you showed me what consideration is. Even though you came running over after the phone call, you thought about my position first, not yours. Usually, most people would have said, ‘Let’s go to Gangneung right away.’ But you thought about my body and said we should go in a month.”

“Isn’t that obvious? If I asked someone who was discharged from the hospital today to go that far, would that be human?”

Pfft.

Yun Ji-soo smiled as she looked at Hyun-sung. Then she opened her arms and said.

“Hyun-sung, come here. I’ll hug you today. This is because I’m really grateful….”

Yun Ji-soo couldn’t finish her sentence. Hyun-sung had already hugged her tightly.

Hyun-sung held Yun Ji-soo in his arms and said.

“Ji-soo, I love you.”

“……Me too.”

Yun Ji-soo hesitated for a moment, then said in a small voice.

***

A week later.

Hyun-sung was waiting for someone in front of a three-story building overlooking the town.

About five minutes passed.

A one-ton truck approached and stopped in front of the building where Hyun-sung was standing. Then a man got out of the car.

Hyun-sung approached and greeted him warmly.

“Welcome, 형님(hyung-nim) [older brother/male friend]!”

The person Hyun-sung greeted was none other than the installer, Kim Dong-ho.

“Have you been doing well?”

“Yes, 형님(hyung-nim), have you been doing well too?”

“Yeah, I’m always the same. By the way, you said you have some construction to do?”

“Yes, 형님(hyung-nim). It’s right here.”

Hyun-sung took Kim Dong-ho up to the second floor of the building. Then he began to explain why he had called him here today.

A short while later.

After Hyun-sung’s explanation, Kim Dong-ho immediately asked.

“So, you’re going to open a cafe here?”

“Yes, this is the highest place in this neighborhood. What do you think of this place as a cafe, 형님(hyung-nim)?”

“Hmm….”

Kim Dong-ho was silent for a moment, looking out the window, then spoke.

“I have to acknowledge Kim’s insight. If you drink coffee sitting here, the coffee will taste fantastic.”

“The sunset is really amazing here in the evening.”

“Is it just the sunset? I can see the whole town at a glance sitting here. It’s really perfect as a cafe. But I don’t think Kim is going to run it. Whose store is it?”

“My wife will run it.”

The word ‘wife’ came out of Hyun-sung’s mouth naturally. It seemed to come out naturally because it was a word he used habitually in his past life.

But that was only from Hyun-sung’s perspective, and it was unfamiliar to Kim Dong-ho.

“Wife? What? Did you have a wedding without me knowing?”

“Would I ever do that without telling 형님(hyung-nim)? She’s just someone I’m dating right now.”

“That’s more like it. I thought you had a secret wedding without me knowing.”

“형님(hyung-nim)…… By the way, how long will the construction take if we hurry as much as possible?”

“Let’s see….”

Kim Dong-ho looked around the store and approached Hyun-sung.

“Twenty days.”

“Twenty days? It doesn’t take that long?”

“I’m speeding it up especially for Kim. This kind of construction usually takes a month.”

“Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”

“I have to repay Kim’s kindness at times like this.”

“형님(hyung-nim)…… what kindness are you talking about?”

Hyun-sung waved his arms and said as if it was nothing. But Kim Dong-ho’s expression was quite serious, unlike Hyun-sung.

“No, I still feel dizzy when I think about that time. If my brother hadn’t told me to sell my stock back then, I would have already been ruined by the IMF crisis [International Monetary Fund crisis, a financial crisis in the late 1990s].”

“Do you still invest in stocks these days?”

“No, I quit after that.”

“You did well. I think the money you earn by sweating is the best.”

“That’s what I’m saying….”

Kim Dong-ho nodded and answered, then continued.

“When are you going to feed me noodles?”

“I’m thinking of around the fall. I’m going to propose formally after the construction here is finished.”

“Your sister-in-law is lucky. Meeting such a capable person.”

“형님(hyung-nim)…… Shall we go down now?”

“Okay, I’ll start construction early tomorrow morning, so keep that in mind.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The two men came down from the building, exchanged a few more words, and then parted ways.

It was then.

Ding-dong!

His cell phone rang.

“Hello.”

-Hyun-sung, it’s me.

The person who called was his wife, Yun Ji-soo. It was the moment Hyun-sung’s voice changed.

“Oh~ honey~~!”

“There you go again….”

“Hehe, what can I do? By the way, where are you now?”

“I just came out of the department store.”

“Did you finish well?”

In fact, she had gone to the department store today to finalize the resignation process.

“There’s nothing to finish. I just have to take out a few things. I’m a contract worker anyway, so there’s no severance pay.”

“Good job.”

“It’s bitter, but I feel good because I think I’m going to run toward my dream from now on. Of course, it’s all thanks to Hyun-sung.”

“I just met the installer a little while ago and decided to start construction tomorrow. The construction period is only 20 days, so I think we can open before the middle of next month.”

Hyun-sung continued.

“So, I was thinking, we can go down to Gangneung next month before the cafe opens.”

“My mom will be very surprised.”

“I’m also very excited. Oh, I can’t be doing this. Wait a moment. I’ll go to the department store right away.”

“You can just take a taxi….”

“No, I can’t do that. Wait a moment. I’m leaving right now. It’ll probably take about 20 minutes.”

“Hello….”

Yun Ji-soo stopped talking. She knew the signal was already cut off.

“What a personality….”

A smile began to spread on her lips.

It was then.

Someone ran out of the department store and called Yun Ji-soo.

“언니(Unnie) [older sister/female friend]!”

Yun Ji-soo immediately turned around. A smile spread across her face.

“Oh, Ji-min!”

It was Han Ji-min, a younger sister who especially followed her.

“언니(Unnie), are you leaving now?”

“Yeah, I have to go.”

“Then what are you going to do now?”

“Actually, I didn’t tell you, but I’m going to open a cafe in the middle of next month.”

“Cafe?”

At the word ‘cafe,’ Han Ji-min looked at Yun Ji-soo with surprised eyes. Then she asked again.

“Is that real?”

“Yeah, that’s what happened. I didn’t tell the other kids. So, you’re the only one who knows.”

“언니(Unnie) fulfilled her wish. She always said that running a cafe was her wish. But doesn’t that cost a lot of money?”

“Someone helped me.”

“You said you were dating… that person?”

Yun Ji-soo nodded slightly. Then Han Ji-min opened her mouth.

“Wow! My 언니(Unnie) is capable. I knew women had to be pretty.”

“You’re saying all sorts of things. By the way, how long are you going to work here?”

“Honestly, I want to quit right now. When I think about what that human did to me today….”

Han Ji-min stopped talking and her expression changed drastically. It was a completely different look from before.

“Is it because of Manager Jang?”

“That’s right, I’m going crazy because of how much that human flirts with me. And there’s another company dinner today, and my head hurts just thinking about it.”

“Hmm….”

Yun Ji-soo was silent for a moment, wondering what she was thinking. It was a while later that she opened her mouth.

“Ji-min.”

“Yes, 언니(Unnie).”

“Would you like to work with me?”

“Cafe?”

“Yeah, I needed someone anyway. The store is a bit too big to run alone.”

The size she initially wanted was about 20 평(pyeong) [a Korean unit of area, approximately 3.3 square meters]. But Hyun-sung’s idea was different. If you’re going to do it anyway, you should do it properly with about 40 평(pyeong).

“Is that real?”

“Yeah, so think about it.”

“What is there to think about? I’ll follow 언니(Unnie).”

“Are you sure?”

“It’s not like I don’t know 언니(Unnie). When is the cafe opening?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I’m only going to do it until the end of this month.”

It was then.

A Jeep approached the two of them and stopped. Then the passenger window went down and Hyun-sung’s voice was heard.

“Ji-soo, get in.”

At that moment, there was someone whose eyes sparkled.