Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 695

698

“Boss, is jajangmyeon okay for lunch?”

Lee Sang-hyuk, who had finished organizing the move, asked Hyun-sung. Hyun-sung nodded, his face lighting up.

“Sounds good. Jajangmyeon [Korean-Chinese noodle dish with black bean sauce] is the best on moving day. I’m already starving from all the work. Call them now.”

“Yes, sir!” Lee Sang-hyuk replied with enthusiasm and immediately made the call.

A moment later, after placing the order, Lee Sang-hyuk cautiously broached a subject with Hyun-sung.

“Um… Boss.”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Do you happen to know Korean history well?”

“Huh? Korean history? Why Korean history all of a sudden?”

Hyun-sung looked at him, puzzled. Lee Sang-hyuk scratched his head and explained, “Korean history is on the civil service exam, but for some reason, I find it harder than the other subjects.”

“Hmm, really?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head slightly. Korean history was generally considered one of the easier subjects. Lee Sang-hyuk’s difficulty was surprising.

“How was it when you were in school?”

“Honestly, I wasn’t as interested in it as I was in other subjects. Everyone else said it was easy, but I strangely struggled with it.”

“What about your scores?”

“The scores weren’t bad during midterms and finals, but they always dropped on practice exams.”

Hyun-sung stroked his chin.

Good scores on focused exams, but not on broader practice exams?

Midterms and finals covered a specific range, while practice exams tested a wider scope.

*So, Lee Sang-hyuk is fine with exams that have a limited scope, but struggles when the scope widens.*

After a moment of thought, Hyun-sung asked, “Do you happen to study Korean history mainly through memorization?”

“Yes, that’s my approach. I’m confident in my memorization skills, if nothing else.”

Hyun-sung nodded. “That explains why you did well on midterms and finals, but your practice exam scores were low.”

“Is there a reason for that?”

“Well, I’m no expert, but I don’t think Korean history is simply a subject to be memorized.”

“What? Isn’t Korean history *supposed* to be memorized?”

“That’s what many think. Of course, memorization is important, but if you don’t understand the big picture, it doesn’t matter how much you memorize, right? History is all connected. What’s the point of memorizing only certain parts?”

Hyun-sung paused. “Your own experience proves it. You said you got good scores on midterms and finals, but not on practice exams, right?”

“Yes, I’ve almost never scored over 60 out of 100 on practice exams.”

“See? That’s why you shouldn’t just memorize Korean history. You need to understand the overall flow.”

“The overall flow?”

“Yes, first you need to grasp the flow of each era, and then study the details. It’s like drawing a big tree trunk and then drawing small branches. That’s how you should approach history.”

“Hmm…”

Lee Sang-hyuk nodded, lost in thought.

Knock knock.

The front door opened, and a delivery person came in with a metal briefcase. [Typical delivery method for Jajangmyeon]

Lee Sang-hyuk paid and immediately placed the jajangmyeon on the table.

“Boss, eat first. We can talk about Korean history later…”

“Okay, let’s eat first.”

The two began to eat, both hungry and focused on their jajangmyeon.

A few minutes later, they finished, wiped their mouths, and resumed their earlier conversation.

“So, what you’re saying, Boss, is to draw a big tree first?”

“Yeah, that’s right. That’s how I used to study. Especially with Korean history or world history, it’s tough if you don’t know the overall flow. So, from now on, don’t focus on memorization. Think of drawing a big tree first and then adding the small branches in detail. That’s how you should study.”

“Hmm, after listening to you, Boss, I think I’m starting to get it. No wonder, no matter how much I memorize, I don’t know which era the story belongs to when I take the exam.”

Lee Sang-hyuk’s expression had changed.

Hyun-sung continued, seeing his improved understanding, “And here’s a tip: start by solving past exam questions first. There should be a collection of past exams in the book I bought you last time. That’s a good method. Know where the exam questions come from first. Studying will be easier if you do that.”

“Ah, there was such a method. So, if you solve past exam questions in advance and know where and how the exam questions come out, you’ll have a knack for studying.”

“Yes, it will be easier that way.”

Hyun-sung looked at his watch. “I have to go to the construction site, so I’ll leave now. Take a rest. You must be tired from moving.”

“I didn’t do anything. You’re the one who worked hard, Boss. I’ll say it again, thank you for helping me live in such a good place. I will study hard and repay this kindness.”

“Repay? Forget it, just work hard. Life is only once. It’s no use regretting it later, so work hard while you can. Then I’ll go.”

“Yes, I understand. Boss!”

Lee Sang-hyuk bowed deeply as Hyun-sung left. He went into the room and stood in front of the picture of his grandmother hanging on the wall.

“Grandma, I’m done moving. The house is nice, right?”

Lee Sang-hyuk looked around the room. “Grandma, now that we’ve moved to a good place, you don’t have to worry even if it rains a lot. So, Grandma, don’t worry about me anymore and rest in peace. Okay?”

Lee Sang-hyuk stared at the picture for a long time before moving to his desk and sitting down.

He used to study at the dining table. Now, he could sit at a large desk and study in a proper chair.

Of course, it was all thanks to Hyun-sung.

“Okay, then, shall we study a bit to commemorate the move?”

Lee Sang-hyuk took out a collection of past exam questions from the bookshelf, his eyes full of motivation.

***

Chairman Shin Chun-oh, taking a break after lunch, looked at the calendar.

“Hmm, time flies…”

It felt like just yesterday that July started, but there was only one day left.

Time seemed to be passing by much faster these days.

It had already been four years since he came here. It felt like he had just arrived.

“What are you doing?”

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young opened the door and asked, seeing Chairman Shin Chun-oh staring at the calendar.

“Oh, just looking.”

“What were you thinking about that you didn’t even notice me coming in?”

“I was looking at the calendar. Time is passing so quickly. Look, tomorrow is already August.”

“That’s right. Time seems to be flying by. There are only about two and a half months left until President Kim’s wedding.”

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young sat down. Chairman Shin Chun-oh nodded. “I know… When President Kim first mentioned the wedding date, I wondered when that time would come, but it’s almost here.”

“The old saying is true: time passes faster as you get older.”

Beep beep.

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young’s phone rang.

“Hello.”

A moment later, Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young shook his head. Chairman Shin Chun-oh asked, “What kind of call makes you make that face?”

“It’s a call from the construction site in Bupyeong.”

“Bupyeong?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s expression changed drastically. The word ‘Bupyeong’ always excited him, because that’s where Hyun-sung was.

“If it’s Bupyeong, is it about President Kim?”

“Yes, that’s right. Do you have to change your expression so much?”

“What am I doing? Anyway, what’s the news? Is it bad news?”

A look of concern appeared on Chairman Shin Chun-oh’s face.

“No, it’s not bad news, so you don’t have to worry. It’s about the progress of the construction.”

“What about the construction?”

“They say the demolition work will be finished today.”

“What?”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh was surprised. It had only been three weeks since the demolition work started.

The initial estimate was one month.

That was already absurd, since it would normally take at least three months.

But Choi Jin-young said the construction would be finished *today*.

That meant they finished in three weeks what would normally take three months.

“Is that possible?”

“Yes, it’s true. They’re finishing the demolition work today and starting the excavation work tomorrow.”

“Hehe, this is really something.”

Chairman Shin Chun-oh could only laugh.

He had heard from Yoon Tae-ho, the builder, that all the construction would be done on a contract basis. But he didn’t expect it to be this fast.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh shook his head.

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young nodded. “Contract construction is really something. They’re finishing construction that others take three months to complete in just three weeks.”

“I know, right. This is all because of the incentives that President Kim offered. Anyway, President Kim is really something.”

“That’s right. Honestly, who would think of that? One billion won a day [~760,000 USD], I can’t wrap my head around it.”

At the time of the initial contract, Hyun-sung promised Yoon Tae-ho an incentive of one billion won per day for shortening the construction period.

Not 100 million won, but one billion won.

So, what choice did Yoon Tae-ho have?

He had to do it.

The result was what they were seeing today.

Of course, the final result was unknown, but the first phase was a success.

“Are you talking about it again?”

“Yes? What are you talking about?”

“I told you last time not to try to understand President Kim, just memorize it…”

“Ah, yes…”

Chief Secretary Choi Jin-young nodded, then tilted his head again.

Chairman Shin Chun-oh smiled.

***

A backhoe was diligently loading demolished debris onto a 15-ton dump truck.

Hyun-sung, watching with a satisfied expression, said to Yoon Tae-ho, “Is that the last truck?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s the last truck. Once that truck loads the debris and leaves, the demolition work is over. Haa…”

Yoon Tae-ho sighed in relief, thinking that the first phase was finally over.

He had some expectations from the beginning.

But there was a variable: safety.

No matter how much you shorten the schedule, a safety accident would make everything meaningless.

When he signed the contract with Hyun-sung, he agreed that even one safety accident would negate all incentives.

But fortunately, there had been no safety accidents.

That was why Yoon Tae-ho was sighing in relief.

Hyun-sung said, “You finally did it! Thank you for your hard work!”

Hyun-sung’s voice was sincere.

He had some expectations, but he didn’t know they would finish so perfectly, even in three weeks.

He thought a month was fast, but they finished it in three weeks, without a single safety accident.

“I’ve been in this industry for 30 years, but this is the first time I’ve worked so hard on a project. Of course, it’s because of my greed.”

Yoon Tae-ho admitted it was his greed.

Shortening the construction period meant a whopping one billion won, not 100 or 200 million. That’s ten billion won in ten days. How could he not be nervous?

“Was that really the *only* reason?”

“Yes? What do you mean…”

“I’m asking if the incentives were the *only* reason you rushed the construction.”

Hyun-sung’s eyes deepened, suggesting he saw another reason.

“…”

Yoon Tae-ho couldn’t answer right away. Hyun-sung’s gaze was too serious.

The biggest reason was the incentives.

But that wasn’t the *only* reason.

It’s hard to say exactly in terms of percentage, but there was definitely another reason.

That was…