Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 694

The two of them left the hospital and got into the car.

Hyun-sung reached out and took his wife, Yoon Ji-soo’s hand.

“Ji-soo, thank you. How could this happen…”

“I know, right? I’m still so thrilled because it was so unexpected.”

Yoon Ji-soo pressed her chest with one hand.

Her heart was still beating fast.

The moment she heard the doctor say ‘twins’ a little while ago, she thought her heart would explode.

To be honest, even at the beginning of this year, she was skeptical about the idea of getting pregnant.

The skepticism that came from the number 38 as a woman’s age was inevitable.

Then she got pregnant, and she thought that in itself was a blessing from God.

But today, another miracle happened.

Yoon Ji-soo looked at Hyun-sung.

“Hyun-sung, this isn’t a dream, is it?”

“Of course not. It’s definitely not a dream. Look, it hurts, right?”

Hyun-sung pinched his thigh hard while smiling.

“I can’t believe it. To be honest, I’m so grateful just to be pregnant, but today another miracle…”

Yoon Ji-soo trailed off and wiped her eyes with her hand. Hyun-sung, watching her, couldn’t help but feel his eyes getting hot.

After a moment.

Hyun-sung took out his cell phone. Then Yoon Ji-soo immediately asked.

“Who are you calling?”

“My mother-in-law.”

“My mom?”

“Yes, I think your mother would be the happiest to hear this.”

In his past life, his mother-in-law had the hardest time. Every time she saw Hyun-sung, she always looked apologetic, as if she had committed some sin.

Each time, he couldn’t say anything and just felt sorry for her.

“Well, my mom would be very happy. Call her quickly.”

“Okay, I will.”

Hyun-sung dialed the phone number and immediately pressed the call button.

The phone rang twice before the other person answered.

-Hello.

“Mother, it’s me.”

-Oh! Son-in-law Kim. What’s going on at this hour? Is there something wrong?

The time is 11 o’clock. This is the busiest time to prepare for the lunch rush. So, I usually avoid calling at this time.

But today, knowing that she’s busy, I called, so from her perspective, she’s asking if something is wrong.

“Yes, Mother. But it’s news that you’ll be most happy to hear, so I called even though I know you’re busy.”

-Oh, really? What is it?

“It’s twins.”

-Twins? What does that mean? Wait! Could those twins be our Ji-soo…”

“Yes, Mother. That’s right. The baby in Ji-soo’s belly is twins.”

Hyun-sung spoke before his mother-in-law, Ahn Young-soon, could finish her sentence. That’s how excited Hyun-sung was right now.

How could he not be?

He’s having two children at once, something that never happened in his previous life.

-Is that really true? Our Ji-soo is having twins?

“Yes, that’s right. We just had the examination at the hospital and are on our way out. Just a moment, Mother, I’ll put Ji-soo on.”

Hyun-sung quickly handed the phone to Yoon Ji-soo.

“Mom! It’s me. Yes, a little while ago, the doctor said…”

Yoon Ji-soo started talking in a loud voice. Hyun-sung watched her from the side with a happy smile.

After about a minute, she finally burst into tears. Judging from her voice, her mother on the other end of the phone seemed to be crying too.

The two of them talked for a long time.

Click.

Yoon Ji-soo was still sobbing even after hanging up the phone.

“Your mother is happy, right?”

“Yes, she’s very happy. That’s what children are… she’s crying so much. Oh! I need to call my mother and father too. Call them quickly. No, I’ll call them.”

Yoon Ji-soo started making calls herself.

After a while.

The faces of the two people, who had taken turns talking to their parents, still hadn’t calmed down from the excitement.

Right then.

“Ji-soo, let’s go to the sea.”

Hyun-sung didn’t want to go home like this. He wanted to maintain this feeling a little longer. So, he chose the sea.

Both of them liked the sea, so Hyun-sung thought that there was no better place to extend this feeling.

“Huh? The sea?”

“Yes, I’m too sad to go home like this.”

“Hmm…”

Yoon Ji-soo thought for a moment and then immediately said.

“Hyun-sung, let’s go to Daebudo [a small island near Incheon, South Korea] and eat Kalguksu [Korean noodle dish]. That place we went to last time. It’s perfect for seeing the sea and having lunch.”

“Okay, great. Let’s go right now.”

The Jeep with the two people in it left St. Mary’s Hospital and started heading towards Daebudo.

***

A few days later, Sunday.

“Our twins, are you doing well with Mom today? Dad is going to help with the move today.”

Hyun-sung said, stroking Yoon Ji-soo’s belly. Then his wife, Yoon Ji-soo, imitated the voice of a child and said.

“Yes, Dad~ Have a good day today~.”

Yoon Ji-soo’s expression was bright. Maybe it was just his imagination, but her expression seemed brighter since she found out about the twins a few days ago.

“I’ll be back. If you want anything to eat, call me anytime.”

“Yes, I understand. Have a good day. Oh, is there anything I can help with? It’s still a move, after all.”

“No, it’s okay. There’s not much luggage anyway, so it’ll be over soon. I’ll finish it quickly and come back.”

Today is Lee Sang-hyuk’s moving day. It’s just a move in name only, and since there’s not much to move, they decided not to call a moving company and just have Lee Sang-hyuk and Hyun-sung move it themselves.

Hyun-sung left the house and headed to Lee Sang-hyuk’s house.

At that time.

Lee Sang-hyuk was packing his belongings alone.

“Huh? What is this?”

A white envelope came into his sight as he was organizing the drawers.

Inside the envelope were two 10,000 won bills [approximately $8 USD] and a letter.

In the letter, his grandmother had written, pressing each letter carefully.

Lee Sang-hyuk began to read the letter.

-My baby, Sang-hyuk, look here.

No matter how I think about it, this grandma doesn’t think she’ll be in this world around this time next year, so I’m leaving my greetings in advance.

Even if Grandma is gone, our Sang-hyuk must always be strong and live bravely.

And let me ask you just one thing.

This grandma is not capable enough, so I had no choice but to live here for a long time, but if this grandma dies, I want you to get out of here as soon as possible.

Even if it means going to a rooftop room, I hope you get out of this place where the sewage overflows as soon as possible.

It’s hard to climb because my legs are uncomfortable, but still, a rooftop room would be better than this smelly place.

And this money is for you to buy something delicious for your girlfriend later. I want to give you more, but this is all the money I have right now.

This grandma was happy to have our Sang-hyuk.

I wasn’t jealous of anyone in this world as much as when I saw our Sang-hyuk.

Please eat well, don’t get sick, and be happy even if this grandma is gone.

Our Sang-hyuk, I love you.

Please be happy.

Hiccup.

Lee Sang-hyuk, who had finished reading the letter, finally shed tears.

“Grandma!”

Lee Sang-hyuk looked up at the picture of his grandmother hanging on the wall.

It was then.

“What are you doing?”

The voice of the president, Hyun-sung, was heard.

“Oh? President. When did you get here?”

“I came a little while ago, but I was waiting for a while because you were looking at something so intently. But what is that?”

Hyun-sung asked, looking at the letter Lee Sang-hyuk was holding.

“It’s a letter from my grandmother.”

“A letter from your grandmother?”

“Yes, it seems like my grandmother wrote it last year before she was last hospitalized. This money was also inside.”

Lee Sang-hyuk shook two 10,000 won bills. Then he handed Hyun-sung the letter from his grandmother that he was holding.

Hyun-sung received the letter that Lee Sang-hyuk handed him and read it right away.

After a while.

Hyun-sung, who had finished reading the letter, said calmly.

“Your grandmother already knew that she was going to leave.”

“Yes, I think so.”

Lee Sang-hyuk nodded.

He remembered when he was hospitalized a year ago.

He couldn’t give up on his grandmother. So, he decided to be hospitalized. But the strange thing was that his grandmother stubbornly refused to be hospitalized.

But in the end, he persuaded her to be hospitalized.

Now that I think about it, I think I know why my grandmother refused to be hospitalized so much at that time.

My grandmother already knew her fate.

Hyun-sung’s words continued.

“Still, it’s a good thing that your grandmother wanted you to move out of here as soon as possible.”

“That’s what I’m saying. I didn’t even know that…”

He had been worried until the end.

Whether it was right to leave this place where he lived with his grandmother.

Lee Sang-hyuk continued.

“I’m so glad. To be honest, I hesitated a lot until the end. I was wondering if it was right to move out of this place where I have so many memories with my grandmother. But after reading this letter today and knowing my grandmother’s heart, I feel at ease.”

Hyun-sung was also relieved. The reason was that even though Lee Sang-hyuk had decided to move, he seemed to be regretting it somehow.

But since that won’t happen after this time, Hyun-sung’s heart has also lightened.

“Remember the last words your grandmother said.”

“You mean to be happy?”

“Yes, that’s your share from now on. And remember this one thing. Happiness is not just obtained, but it depends on what you do.”

“So, in the end, happiness depends on me?”

Lee Sang-hyuk said, putting the letter back in the envelope. Then Hyun-sung nodded and immediately continued.

“That’s right. If I don’t change, the world will never change. Of course, happiness will also move away from me.”

“I think that’s definitely what the president said is right. Actually, I’m very happy these days preparing for the civil service exam. Of course, it’s all thanks to the president’s help.”

Lee Sang-hyuk looked at Hyun-sung and smiled slightly.

“I don’t just help you. You show your will, so that’s why I have that feeling.”

That’s true. When he first recommended the civil service exam to him, if he had said he didn’t like it, it would have ended there.

“Anyway, I’m living a new life thanks to meeting the president. This grace…”

“Stop! That’s enough!”

Hyun-sung interrupted him in the middle. Then he immediately continued.

“So, is all the moving done now?”

“Yes, I’ve packed everything. I’m going to throw away everything except my clothes and books, so it’s not much.”

“Then is that all?”

Five cardboard boxes were piled up on one side of the room.

“Yes, that’s right. And this one.”

Lee Sang-hyuk pointed to a small chest of drawers. It looked quite old at first glance.

“Is that your grandmother’s?”

“Yes, it’s my grandmother’s only remaining possession.”

At the word ‘possession’, Hyun-sung looked at the chest of drawers once again. Perhaps this chest of drawers is not just a simple piece of furniture to him, but a precious object containing past memories with his grandmother.

Hyun-sung nodded and said.

“Okay, then let’s move it now. I’ll move the boxes, so you just take that chest of drawers and the picture of your grandmother hanging on the wall.”

With those words, Hyun-sung began to move the boxes.

As Hyun-sung carried the boxes out, Lee Sang-hyuk took down the picture of his grandmother hanging on the wall and said.

“Grandma, we’re finally escaping from the basement. Isn’t that great, Grandma?”

-Yes, it’s so good. From now on, only good things will happen.

It was as if he could hear his grandmother’s voice in his ear.

Lee Sang-hyuk was about to leave the room with the chest of drawers and the picture of his grandmother, but he looked back one more time. It was as if the past 10 years were passing by like a panorama.

One hour later.

The two people, who had moved the farm and other documents to be thrown away outside, were taking a break.

It was then.

Thump!

The front door on the first floor opened and a person came out. Hyun-sung could immediately tell who he was. He was the landlord and Kang Man-soo, who was caught by the police for stealing the video last time.

“Take this.”

Kang Man-soo handed an envelope to Hyun-sung as soon as he approached.

“What is this?”

“It’s the pump fee. And thank you for last time.”

After hesitating for a moment, Hyun-sung received the envelope he handed him. Then Kang Man-soo looked at Lee Sang-hyuk and said.

“I’m sorry for everything. Live well in the future. And buy some toilet paper with this.”

Kang Man-soo handed an envelope to Lee Sang-hyuk. Then Lee Sang-hyuk seemed to hesitate for a moment, but he received the envelope.

“Thank you.”

After a while.

Hyun-sung and Lee Sang-hyuk got into the car after saying goodbye to Kang Man-soo.

Hyun-sung handed the envelope he had received from Kang Man-soo to Lee Sang-hyuk.

“Buy what you need.”

“Huh? Isn’t this the money for the drainage pump we exchanged last time? Why are you giving this to me…”

“I already gave it to you at that time anyway. So, this money is yours. You’ll probably need something after you move. Use it to help.”

Lee Sang-hyuk hesitated for a moment, then received the envelope Hyun-sung handed him with both hands. And he immediately asked.

“But what happened? What was that about thanking me for last time, and how can a person change like that?”

“That’s because…”

Hyun-sung briefly explained what had happened last time. After Hyun-sung’s explanation, Lee Sang-hyuk chuckled and said.

“So that’s what happened. I knew it…”

Hyun-sung chuckled, looking at Kang Man-soo’s figure getting farther away in the side mirror.

Kang Man-soo was taken away by the police, and the next day his wife came to visit. She said that if he didn’t agree to a settlement, his crime would be aggravated.

He had made up his mind to refuse. But his wife didn’t give up there and came to visit for three consecutive days.

He had no choice but to agree to a settlement.