Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 684

A week later.

Hyunsung was doing his morning exercise and was just passing by the video store.

“Huh?”

Hyunsung tilted his head. The reason was that the light was on in the office on the second floor of the video store.

Hyunsung used to live there until recently, but now that he has combined households with his wife, Yoon Jisoo, it is being used as an office for commercial redevelopment.

Hyunsung checked his watch.

It was 5:30 AM.

The light being on at this hour meant someone was there.

He could tell who it was without having to check. It was Lee Sanghyuk, who had kidnapped Yoon Sujeong a while ago, but Hyunsung, knowing his situation, hired him as an office worker.

“At this hour?”

Of course, the office is open 24 hours.

There’s no problem since he was allowed to use it as much as he needed from the beginning.

However, what Hyunsung found strange was the time.

It was too early.

After hesitating for a moment, Hyunsung moved his steps to the second-floor office.

Squeak.

Hyunsung quietly opened the office door.

He tried to be as careful as possible not to make any noise, but it was impossible to open the door without making any sound at all.

“Oh? Boss?”

Lee Sanghyuk was startled by the sound of the door opening and jumped up from his seat.

Hyunsung asked out of curiosity.

“Hey, what are you doing here at this hour?”

“Well, that’s…”

For some reason, Lee Sanghyuk couldn’t continue his sentence properly.

This was a place where he could use it anytime without any problems. As mentioned earlier, this place was a space that was allowed to him anytime from the beginning.

However, the fact that he couldn’t speak properly meant that something had happened to him.

Hyunsung asked again.

“What’s wrong?”

“Due to backflow…”

“Backflow?”

Hyunsung tilted his head at the word ‘backflow’. Backflow would mean that water is flowing backward.

Water flowing backward?

In Hyunsung’s mind, the early morning shower flashed by.

It was quite a bit of rain for a May spring rain.

‘If so…’

After thinking for a moment, Hyunsung asked immediately.

“Is it the basement of the house you live in?”

Hyunsung immediately realized that backflow due to rain was only possible when there was a room in the basement.

As expected.

“Yes, it’s a semi-basement.”

“Did the rain that fell early this morning cause the backflow?”

“Yes, that’s right. When it rains a lot, the sewer backs up… But it will be fine by the afternoon.”

Lee Sanghyuk was surprisingly calm. The fact that he was calm meant that this wasn’t the first time.

Hyunsung asked again.

“Since when has it been like this?”

“Since last year.”

“What? Since last year?”

Hyunsung’s voice grew louder without him realizing it.

Was this even logical? It’s not like it’s been a month or two, but there’s been a problem since a year ago, and it hasn’t been resolved yet.

“Does the landlord know too?”

“Yes, my grandmother told them last year.”

“And?”

“…”

Lee Sanghyuk didn’t say anything. He could fully understand what that meant without having to check again.

In the end, it meant that he had told them, but the landlord hadn’t made any repairs.

He wanted to ask more about the reason, but Hyunsung held back and asked another question.

“So, what were you doing here right now?”

“Studying…”

“Studying? Can you study in this situation?”

Hyunsung couldn’t understand the situation. If the sewer had backed up, the house would be a mess. But in that situation, he’s studying?

Hyunsung shook his head from side to side.

“… The only way for me to get out of that place is to study and pass the civil service exam as soon as possible…”

After hesitating for a moment, words that Hyunsung couldn’t have imagined came out of his mouth.

He had chosen studying as the only way to escape that place.

Even though it was a civil service exam that he had just started. Even if it’s fast, it will take at least 5 years. That’s only possible when the results are good.

That meant that he had no room to think of other escape routes.

Hyunsung bit his lower lip.

He didn’t know that he was in such a terrible condition.

Hyunsung couldn’t stay like this.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes? Where to?”

“To meet the landlord. I need to hear what those people have to say, what excuse they have for not repairing the house even though they were told a year ago!”

There was a lot of strength in Hyunsung’s voice. That meant that he was very angry at the current situation.

The life of the basement is drainage. If there is no drainage, you can’t live in the basement. But the fact that it has been neglected for more than a year made Hyunsung angry.

“Um… Boss.”

Lee Sanghyuk carefully called Hyunsung. Then he immediately continued.

“I’m sorry, but I just…”

“Just? Just what?”

“I just want to live. If not there, there’s no place to live…”

Lee Sanghyuk stopped talking and lowered his head. As if he had committed some kind of sin.

Hyunsung, who was looking at him, closed his eyes. Because he didn’t want to see him like that.

His reality was that he had to endure everything himself, even though it wasn’t his fault at all.

His reality was that he couldn’t leave that place even if the sewer backed up.

“…”

Hyunsung had nothing to say.

He knew very well that if he urged him further, he would not be helping him, but rather making him more miserable.

Hyunsung had no choice but to turn his steps.

Hyunsung, who was walking quietly to the entrance, stopped for a moment and thought again.

‘What is the best thing for him in this situation?’

After thinking for a moment, Hyunsung called him again.

“Sanghyuk.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“Come out. Let’s go home together.”

“Yes? That’s…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to the landlord. I’m just trying to check how bad it is.”

He thought that checking was the priority.

Then he was going to find the best solution.

Lee Sanghyuk, who seemed to be hesitating for a moment, walked towards Hyunsung as if he had made up his mind.

A little later.

Hyunsung and Lee Sanghyuk arrived at a low-lying area about 20 minutes away from Bupyeong Station.

In his previous life, this place was one of the troublesome places.

The problem was redevelopment.

They only talked about redevelopment every day, but the redevelopment didn’t start until 2014, 15 years from now.

As a result, both the landlords and tenants suffered so much that they were exhausted.

“It’s here.”

Lee Sanghyuk went down to the basement of a three-story building first.

Hyunsung, who was following him down the stairs, couldn’t help but frown. It was because of the stench of the sewer coming up from the bottom of the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs, there was still water that hadn’t drained enough to reach his ankles.

Thump!

When he opened the door and went inside, there was a small kitchen right away.

“Ugh!”

Hyunsung immediately covered his mouth. The disgusting smell that vibrated was different from the smell that came from the stairs when he first came in.

The traces of the backflow from the sink drain remained intact in the kitchen.

Sliding!

This time, he opened the door.

Hyunsung closed his eyes for a moment.

The scene that appeared in front of him was much more serious than Hyunsung had expected. The room was still flooded with black water that had backed up.

“Hey, come out!”

Hyunsung immediately grabbed Lee Sanghyuk’s hand and tried to leave the kitchen. But even in this situation, Lee Sanghyuk was trying to clean up somehow.

Hyunsung shouted at him.

“Hey, Lee Sanghyuk! This is not it!”

“Boss, even if I’m alone…”

“This is not it! You son of a b*tch!”

Hyunsung shouted without realizing it.

At the sight of him struggling somehow even in this situation, he suddenly became angry.

No, maybe he was angry at his unfortunate reality that he had no choice but to do so.

Hyunsung, who came up to the ground, thought.

This is not just a matter of cleaning.

He thought that finding the cause of the lack of drainage was the top priority.

While thinking, Hyunsung hurriedly started making a phone call somewhere.

The signal rang about three times, and the other person answered the phone.

-Hello.

“Hyung [older brother/friend], it’s me.”

The person Hyunsung called was Kim Dongho, a plumbing contractor.

-What’s wrong, President Kim, at this hour?

“Were you sleeping?”

-No, it’s okay. I was just about to get up anyway. By the way, what’s going on at this hour?

“Something happened. It’s a basement here, and the water hasn’t drained due to the rain last night…”

Hyunsung quickly explained the current situation. It was because he knew that this was not a problem that could be solved unless it was an expert.

When Hyunsung’s explanation was over, Kim Dongho said immediately.

-The drainage pump must have gone out.

“Drainage pump?”

-Oh, yeah. Originally, a drainage pump is installed in the basement. That’s how the drainage works.

“Then, can we just replace that pump?”

-That’s right. Originally, that pump breaks down often. It seems like it’s used a lot. So, you usually have to replace it about once every 4 or 5 years.”

Hyunsung finally breathed a sigh of relief. Now that he knew the method, he knew that he could put it into action.

“Hyung, do you have a drainage pump right now?”

-I think there are a few in the warehouse.

“Is there a difference in capacity too?”

-Of course. The bigger, the better. And if possible, the one with the name Shinil is the best. Of course, the price is a bit expensive. But if you replace it once, you can use it for 10 years without any problems.”

“Is it possible to work on it right now?”

-If President Kim wants, I can do it anytime.

“Then come here right now with the biggest capacity. Of course, with Shinil.”

-Okay, I got it. It’s not far from home anyway, so I’ll be able to arrive within 30 minutes. See you later.

Hyunsung hung up the phone and said to Lee Sanghyuk, who was looking at him with worried eyes on the stairs leading to the basement.

“Just wait a moment. It will be resolved soon.”

“Right now?”

“Yeah, you idiot. If you fix it this time, it will be fine for the next 10 years, so you won’t have to worry no matter how much it rains in the future.”

It was right then.

Thump!

The first floor door opened and someone came out. At first glance, it was a man who looked to be in his 50s.

Lee Sanghyuk said in a whisper.

“It’s the landlord!”

As soon as Hyunsung heard the word ‘landlord’, his eyes narrowed.

He was angry that he had neglected to replace one pump for more than a year.

“What’s going on?”

The landlord started walking towards the two.

The closer he got, the narrower Hyunsung’s brow became.

And finally, the moment he confirmed his face, a bitter smile spread across Hyunsung’s lips.

‘Kang Mansoo, it was you?’

Hyunsung already knew the landlord’s face.

Of course, he got to know him in his previous life.

When you run a video store, there are sometimes petty thieves. Of course, what they’re after is videotapes.

But surprisingly, there are quite a few of those petty thieves.

One of them, he was Kang Mansoo, who is now in front of him.

In particular, he remembers him because his crime was bolder than other petty thieves.

Usually, they steal one or two in their clothes. But he was different from other petty thieves.

He boldly stole videotapes in a carrier, commonly known as a travel bag, not just one or two, but 30 at a time.

It was something that no one in their right mind could do.

In the end, he was caught on the spot.

He was going to report it to the police, but he knelt down and begged, so he just let it go.

That was Children’s Day, May 5th.

Today is May 3rd, so it will happen in two days.

‘We’ll see.’

This time, Hyunsung had no intention of just letting it go.