Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 675

678

Hurriedly!

Lee Se-i was the first to react to Hyun-sung’s voice calling Yoon Su-jeong. Instinctively, she rushed towards Yoon Su-jeong, who was about ten meters away.

“Su-jeong!”

Lee Se-i embraced her daughter, Yoon Su-jeong, calling her name out loud.

Yoon Su-jeong, however, was simply embarrassed by Lee Se-i’s overreaction.

It was just a visit to an acquaintance’s house, but Lee Se-i’s response seemed incredibly dramatic.

“Su-jeong, are you okay?”

“Huh? Yes, I’m fine. But what’s wrong, Mom?”

“Really okay? Nothing happened?”

Even though Yoon Su-jeong insisted she was fine, Lee Se-i continued to examine her closely.

“Su-jeong, are you okay?”

This time, Hyun-sung approached and asked. Yoon Su-jeong immediately turned to him.

“Huh? Uncle. Why is everyone asking if I’m okay? What’s going on?”

“Really, nothing happened?”

“Ugh, why are you doing this too, Uncle?”

Yoon Su-jeong tilted her head, looking at them both as if they were acting strangely. Then, Hyun-sung spoke to Lee Se-i.

“Se-i, fortunately, it seems nothing happened. Shall we go inside now?”

“Yes, let’s do that. Okay.”

Lee Se-i agreed, but she started examining Yoon Su-jeong again. Yoon Su-jeong then held out the bag she was carrying, as if showing it off.

“Mom, this.”

“Huh? What is this?”

“Sang-hyuk Uncle bought me banana milk. That uncle also bought me pizza.”

Lee Se-i’s expression changed instantly, and she began to lightly smack Yoon Su-jeong’s bottom with her palm.

Slap, slap…

“Hey, you little rascal, who told you to follow someone without telling your mom? Huh? Are you out of your mind? Do you know how worried Mom was all this time…?”

Lee Se-i, hitting Yoon Su-jeong without thinking, couldn’t control her emotions and burst into tears. She eventually sat down on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Seeing this, Yoon Su-jeong also started crying, not understanding why.

Hyun-sung could only watch the two of them. He was simply grateful that Yoon Su-jeong had returned safely.

After a long period of crying, Lee Se-i finally calmed down. It was understandable how much she had worried as a mother.

***

Lee Sang-hyuk, who had taken Yoon Su-jeong near the bakery, turned around and headed straight to the hospital.

As he walked, he repeatedly hit his head with his fist.

It was an act of self-reproach for what he had done.

He truly didn’t want to do it.

But he felt he had no other choice.

Otherwise, there was no way to pay for his grandmother’s hospital bills.

“Su-jeong, I’m sorry. And Mr. President, I’m really sorry.”

Lee Sang-hyuk muttered, quickening his pace.

Soon after, arriving at the hospital, Lee Sang-hyuk rushed to the accounting department, paid the overdue hospital bills, and headed to his grandmother’s room.

“Huh? Grandma?”

Lee Sang-hyuk was surprised to find his grandmother’s bed empty. She should have been resting there.

Just then, the woman in the next bed spoke hurriedly.

“Young man, where have you been?”

“I had something to take care of, so I went out for a bit… But where did my grandmother go?”

“They took her to the intensive care unit [ICU] about thirty minutes ago.”

“Yes? The intensive care unit?”

Lee Sang-hyuk’s mind went blank.

The doctor had warned him that morning that her condition was worsening and that immediate treatment was crucial. That’s why he had desperately resorted to desperate measures to pay the hospital bills.

“Grandma! No!”

Lee Sang-hyuk rushed out of the room and headed towards the intensive care unit.

But Lee Sang-hyuk was not allowed to see his grandmother.

“You can’t visit now. You’ll have to wait until visiting hours tomorrow.”

“Just for a moment…”

“No. Visiting is only permitted during visiting hours.”

Lee Sang-hyuk had no choice but to wait outside the intensive care unit.

The next day, when visiting hours arrived, people began to gather in the waiting room. Lee Sang-hyuk stood at the very front, eager to see his grandmother as soon as possible.

“Okay, visiting hours are starting now. Please listen to these precautions before entering…”

After listening to the instructions, Lee Sang-hyuk was the first to enter the intensive care unit.

As he walked through the ward, he spotted the name ‘Ahn Soon-rye’.

“Grandma!”

“…”

Lee Sang-hyuk called out with all his heart, but she didn’t respond.

She was surrounded by unfamiliar medical equipment. He could only see a large oxygen tank.

The doctor had informed him that morning that she was suffering from septic shock with hypotension [dangerously low blood pressure].

The cause was attributed to her lung disease, and she had been placed on a respirator. They were monitoring her condition closely, but her prognosis was uncertain.

“Grandma, it’s me. Open your eyes.”

“…”

“We were supposed to start treatment again today, but what are you doing here? We were going to get treatment and go home. Huh? Grandma!”

Just then, the finger she was holding twitched slightly.

Lee Sang-hyuk immediately continued.

“Grandma, it’s me. Your puppy, Sang-hyuk. Are you conscious?”

Instead of answering, she squeezed Lee Sang-hyuk’s hand with what little strength she had. Lee Sang-hyuk’s voice grew louder.

“Oh, yes, Grandma. It’s me. Are you feeling better now?”

Lee Sang-hyuk looked into her eyes, but she couldn’t open them. All she could do was squeeze his hand.

Holding her hand with both of his, Lee Sang-hyuk knew it was the only way to communicate with her now.

He continued to talk to her, holding her hand, but her reaction remained the same.

In the end, he couldn’t share a single word with her.

Then, he heard the voice of the person in charge.

“Only one minute left. Please wrap up your visit…”

Lee Sang-hyuk kissed his grandmother’s hand and continued.

“Grandma, I’ll come back again this evening. You have to hold on until then. I’m not going far, I’ll be right outside…”

Lee Sang-hyuk couldn’t say any more. He felt the strength leaving her hand.

Lee Sang-hyuk called out urgently.

“Grandma! Grandma!”

Her fingers no longer moved.

Lee Sang-hyuk turned his head to call for a nurse.

Right at that moment!

Suddenly, a long ‘beep’ sounded from the machine at the head of the bed. Nurses rushed towards them.

That was the end.

The nurses used a defibrillator [a device that delivers an electric shock to the heart] several times, but she showed no further response.

“Grandma…!”

Thick tears streamed down Lee Sang-hyuk’s face.

***

Three days later, Lee Sang-hyuk returned home after finishing the funeral. He carried a picture of his grandmother.

He entered the house, went into the main room, and hung the picture on the wall.

The grandmother in the picture was smiling.

Lee Sang-hyuk stared at the picture for a long time, then slowly spoke.

“Grandma, you’re not sick anymore, are you? Yes, you won’t be sick. You’ve worked so hard all this time. Now go to a good place and rest comfortably. Don’t worry about me either.”

After a moment of silence, Lee Sang-hyuk spoke again.

“Grandma, I have somewhere to go for a while. It might take a long time. I did something I shouldn’t have done. Now I’m going to pay for that sin. So, even if I’m a little late, don’t wait too long.”

With those words, Lee Sang-hyuk left the main room and entered his own. He took out an object wrapped in newspaper from the drawer.

It was the money left over after paying the overdue hospital bills.

Lee Sang-hyuk left the house and headed to the bakery run by Lee Se-i.

His steps faltered. His legs were already weak, and the fatigue from barely sleeping for three days was overwhelming.

Thirty minutes later, Lee Sang-hyuk arrived at the bakery. He hesitated for a moment, then opened the door and entered.

“Welcome…”

Lee Se-i, who was greeting him, stopped mid-sentence. The moment she saw his face, she couldn’t continue.

Thump!

Lee Sang-hyuk knelt in front of Lee Se-i.

“Mr. President, I have committed a sin worthy of death.”

“…”

“I don’t expect forgiveness. I will definitely pay for my sins.”

Lee Se-i was speechless.

It had been four years since she first met Lee Sang-hyuk. He had come in response to a job advertisement for an employee.

At first, she had hesitated because of his physical limitations.

He had offered to work for a month without pay, asking her to make a decision after that.

So she did.

After a month, he became a full-time employee. His physical condition, which she had worried about, didn’t hinder his work at all.

Her worries had been based on prejudice and concern. In fact, he worked harder than anyone else.

He worked there for three years before quitting a year ago to take care of his grandmother.

And now, he was the one who had kidnapped her daughter a few days ago.

She had finally confirmed through her daughter that he was the culprit.

The sense of betrayal was indescribable.

And now, he was appearing before her like this.

After a moment of thought, Lee Se-i began to make a phone call.

Soon after, Hyun-sung rushed into the bakery, having received Lee Se-i’s call.

Hyun-sung looked at Lee Sang-hyuk, who was kneeling.

Black suit, black tie, unshaven beard. He understood the situation without needing an explanation.

Hyun-sung called his name.

“Lee Sang-hyuk!”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“First, get up. Get up and tell the president here what happened and why you committed such a thing, without leaving anything out.”

“Please receive this first.”

Lee Sang-hyuk handed a black bag to Lee Se-i.

Lee Se-i immediately checked the contents. Inside was the money she had wrapped in newspaper and put in the locker.

“This is…?”

“It’s what’s left over from using it for my grandmother’s hospital bills. I can’t use that money anymore. My grandmother, three days ago…”

Lee Sang-hyuk stopped, unable to bring himself to say ‘passed away’.

He opened his mouth again.

“I was able to finish my grandmother’s funeral safely because the president didn’t report it.”

Lee Sang-hyuk had been uneasy when he took Yoon Su-jeong, knowing that his actions would be revealed as soon as Yoon Su-jeong returned home.

If she had reported it immediately, he would have been arrested for child abduction.

But she hadn’t. Thanks to that, he had been able to hold his grandmother’s funeral.

“Get up first.”

“Yes?”

“Get up and talk. Your legs are uncomfortable, hurry up!”

Lee Sang-hyuk got up.

“Sit over here.”

Lee Sang-hyuk sat on the chair that Lee Se-i offered. He immediately bowed his head.

“To treat a guy like me like this…”

“What happened? Tell me everything, without hiding anything, like the president here said.”

“… Um, actually…”

Lee Sang-hyuk hesitated for a moment, then began to explain in detail what had happened.

When he finished, Lee Se-i, who had closed her eyes in thought, slowly opened them.

“Why did you do that? Of course, I understand the situation, but no matter what, you shouldn’t have done that to our Su-jeong, right? Su-jeong was so fond of you.”

“I have committed a sin worthy of death.”

“There are things that people can do and things that they shouldn’t do, right? How could you stab me in the back? How did I treat you?”

“…”

Lee Sang-hyuk quietly knelt again, tears flowing from his eyes.

Lee Se-i, who was looking at him, also began to cry.

How much time had passed?

Lee Se-i wiped away her tears and reached out to Lee Sang-hyuk, who was kneeling.

“Lee Sang-hyuk, take my hand and get up.”

“Mr. President!”

Lee Sang-hyuk looked at Lee Se-i. Even though she could never forgive him, she was reaching out to him.

But then, even more unbelievable words came out of her mouth.