Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 702

Hyun-sung arrived home.

Before opening the front door, he adjusted his hat.

At the hospital, he intentionally hadn’t worn a hat because of Lee Soo-hyuk, but after leaving the hospital, he had no choice but to wear it.

Click!

As he opened the front door and entered, his wife, Yoon Ji-soo, who was in the living room, jumped up to greet him.

“You’re home earlier than I thought. Oh? But what’s with the hat?”

Yoon Ji-soo noticed the hat, which she had never seen before. It wasn’t there when he left the house three days ago. Come to think of it, his hair looked different from when he left.

Yoon Ji-soo asked immediately.

“Did you get a haircut?”

“Yes, I did.”

“But why are you wearing a hat? You don’t usually like wearing hats, do you?”

That was true. Hyun-sung didn’t usually like wearing hats. So, when he suddenly appeared wearing one, Yoon Ji-soo couldn’t help but ask.

Hyun-sung had no choice but to take off his hat.

At that moment.

“…….”

Yoon Ji-soo, seeing Hyun-sung’s appearance, didn’t say anything but just stared at him.

After a moment.

“What happened?”

“How is it? Doesn’t it look refreshing for the summer?”

Instead of answering, Yoon Ji-soo shook her head from side to side. What woman in the world would be happy to see her husband suddenly shave his head?

“What happened?”

Yoon Ji-soo didn’t think Hyun-sung would shave his head for no reason.

“Well, actually…….”

Hyun-sung chuckled and explained why he shaved his head.

After his explanation, Yoon Ji-soo smiled lightly and said,

“So, you wanted to share your feelings with Soo-hyuk?”

“Yes, that’s right. Of course, it doesn’t really help Soo-hyuk, but I wanted to be with him in this way.”

Yoon Ji-soo looked at Hyun-sung silently for a moment, then suddenly moved and walked towards him. Then, she started stroking his head.

She opened her mouth.

“You did well. You did so well.”

“Huh?”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but be surprised.

Of course, considering her personality, he expected that she wouldn’t get angry about this, but he didn’t expect her to praise him so openly.

“Ji-soo, are you serious?”

“Of course, it’s for someone who is sick. Soo-hyuk must have been comforted a lot.”

“You always understand my feelings.”

Hyun-sung put the pig’s trotters he was holding on the floor and quickly hugged her.

It’s not that he had no worries at all. The reason was the wedding in two months.

His hair wouldn’t return to its original state even after two months.

But his desire to comfort his friend’s heart was greater, so he made that decision.

Fortunately, Yoon Ji-soo understood his feelings and even praised him, so Hyun-sung was grateful for her understanding.

“Did you think I would get angry?”

Yoon Ji-soo asked as she stepped out of his arms.

“Not angry, but I thought you might say something. After all, the wedding is only two months away.”

“But you knew that when you did it, didn’t you?”

“Of course.”

That was obvious. The first thing that came to his mind before shaving his head was the wedding date.

“See? You already knew everything. Honestly, what does it matter if your hair is a little short at the wedding? It’s more important to comfort your friend’s pain, isn’t it?”

Hyun-sung had nothing more to say. What Yoon Ji-soo said was exactly what he had been thinking.

Hyun-sung was so grateful to her.

If they had different opinions, they could have frowned at each other over this issue. But fortunately, that didn’t happen with her.

Hyun-sung smiled at Yoon Ji-soo and said,

“Ji-soo, thank you.”

“For what?”

“For thinking the same way as me. If you didn’t, we might have fought over the hair and frowned at each other, but that didn’t happen.”

“I trust you. It’s the same in the future. Whatever you do, do what you think is right without worrying about me. I will trust whatever decision you make.”

She was the same in her past life.

Instead of finding fault with everything, she tried to understand and respect him.

That’s why he had to be more careful in everything. He didn’t want to disappoint her.

Hyun-sung smiled and said,

“Yes, thank you. I will. And I’ll take this opportunity to make a promise. I will never do anything that will disappoint you. Of course, I will think a lot and make decisions on my own. And if there’s anything that’s still difficult to decide, I’ll be sure to discuss it with you in advance.”

Yoon Ji-soo nodded with a smile instead of answering. Then Hyun-sung continued,

“Now, let’s eat the pig’s trotters.”

“Oh, right, the pig’s trotters. I forgot about it for a moment because of your hair.”

“Today, there’s also pig skin, which you like. Let’s go to the kitchen.”

The two headed to the kitchen side by side.

***

A few days later.

Hyun-sung headed to the construction site.

Excavation work was in full swing at seven locations simultaneously. As a result, the entire neighborhood was in chaos, like a battlefield.

However, despite this, there were no complaints from any of the residents. This was because they had informed the residents of the construction schedule in advance and asked for their understanding.

“The boss is here?”

The builder, Yoon Tae-ho, ran up and greeted Hyun-sung. Hyun-sung handed him a Bacchus drink [a popular Korean energy drink] and said,

“Drink this and keep going.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way, the speed is really fast.”

It had only been five days since the excavation work started. But the work was progressing incredibly fast.

“I selected only the best teams. They’re worth the money.”

Just as Yoon Tae-ho finished speaking, a worker was passing by the two of them.

Yoon Tae-ho urgently called him.

“Hey! Kim Bo-sun!”

“Yes, foreman.”

“What are you holding in your hand?”

He was holding a safety helmet in his hand.

“Oh? I just went to the bathroom for a moment…… I’m sorry. I’ll put it on right away.”

Kim Bo-sun quickly put on his safety helmet. Then Yoon Tae-ho continued,

“What did I say during the morning briefing?”

“To wear a safety helmet at all times except when eating in the cafeteria…….”

“And?”

“I was in a hurry to go to the bathroom…….”

“Didn’t you say you were coming back from the bathroom?”

“Well, that’s…….”

Kim Bo-sun couldn’t speak properly and didn’t know what to do. Then Yoon Tae-ho said immediately,

“Kim Bo-sun, 20,000 won will be deducted from today’s wages. Any objections?”

“…… No.”

Kim Bo-sun said with his head bowed.

His daily wage was 50,000 won. Deducting 20,000 won from that was a significant amount.

But he couldn’t argue and left Yoon Tae-ho’s side and headed to the work site.

Seeing this, Hyun-sung asked,

“Is that the rule?”

“Yes, it is. Otherwise, it can’t be controlled. No matter how much you nag with words, it’s only for the moment. So, I had no choice but to apply it from the beginning. I received a written oath from the beginning that if they didn’t like it, they would leave the site if they didn’t agree.”

“Still, 20,000 won is a considerable amount. Are the workers unhappy?”

“Why wouldn’t they be? Some of them complain. They say it’s only a one-time mistake, but there are no exceptions. If you give in every time, it becomes a mess. I started strict from the beginning, and now no one resists.”

Hyun-sung could see his determination in Yoon Tae-ho’s eyes.

Hyun-sung nodded.

No one likes to say unpleasant things. But if he didn’t do that, there would be safety accidents, so he had no choice.

“Anyway, thank you for your hard work.”

“Well, I’m used to it now. But why the hair……?”

Yoon Tae-ho glanced at Hyun-sung’s head and asked.

“Something happened.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes. Nothing happened.”

“I was just asking in case. I’m glad if nothing happened. I know you’re getting married in two months, but you suddenly shaved your head.”

Yoon Tae-ho glanced at Hyun-sung’s head once more. He seemed concerned.

But there was no need to bring up Lee Soo-hyuk’s story and explain it, so Hyun-sung just stayed silent.

“Well, please continue your hard work.”

“Yes, I understand. Oh, and the pre-sale will start in two weeks.”

“Already?”

“Yes, the model house construction will start next week, so we’ll start the pre-sale as soon as the construction is finished.”

Hyun-sung nodded and asked immediately,

“How do you think the pre-sale will go?”

“In this area, you don’t have to worry. Bupyeong Station is close and the commercial district is good. And above all, the pre-sale price is relatively lower than other places compared to the cost, so the pre-sale will be done quickly even if you don’t advertise.”

“Do you remember what I said at the beginning?”

“Of course. So, for the first month, we won’t accept pre-sale applications from people living in other areas. Once the pre-sale is over for people with ties to this neighborhood, we will then accept applications from people in other areas.”

This was what Hyun-sung had promised the residents from the beginning. He said that he would give priority to the residents for the pre-sale.

The moment they receive the pre-sale, they will generate a basic profit of about 300 million won [approximately $250,000 USD, a significant sum in South Korea]. He was going to share that profit with the residents.

Yoon Tae-ho said again,

“And as you said, franchise stores will be excluded from the commercial building pre-sale.”

“Yes, be sure to do that.”

“Well, but…….”

Yoon Tae-ho asked cautiously again,

“Did you have any issues with franchise stores? Why are you discriminating against franchise stores to this extent…….”

“Why? Does it seem like that?”

“Yes, I didn’t think you would do this unless there was a reason.”

“Well, that’s…….”

Hyun-sung was hesitant to say it right away.

In fact, the problem with the franchise stores was in his past life.

The Movie Heart and Paris Baguette [a popular bakery franchise].

Not only Hyun-sung himself, but also Lee Se-yi, who ran the bakery, had no choice but to leave this neighborhood. And that’s why the young Choi Soo-jung left this neighborhood crying.

That memory still remained in his head.

But the problem was that he couldn’t talk about it now.

After thinking for a moment, Hyun-sung opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.

“They’re outrageous.”

“Outrageous?”

Yoon Tae-ho looked at Hyun-sung as if he didn’t understand.

“Yes, they have no business ethics. Aren’t they the ones who come in even if there’s a store next door?”

“That’s true. After all, they believe in the headquarters and push in with capital.”

“That’s why I don’t like them. That headquarters’ sales policy. Of course, they won’t even blink an eye if I do this alone, but at least in my neighborhood, I don’t want to see them. And they don’t help the commercial district. They’re the ones who kill the commercial district. If they don’t come in, the same industry will survive.”

“Well, that could be true. Yes, I understand. Anyway, I’ll exclude them from the pre-sale.”

Yoon Tae-ho nodded as if he finally understood Hyun-sung’s intentions.

After parting with him, Hyun-sung looked around the construction site a few more times and headed to the office.

He was almost at the office.

Beep!

His cell phone rang.

Hyun-sung answered the phone immediately.

“Hello.”

-Hyun-sung, it’s me.

The person who called was Lee Soo-hyuk, who was in the hospital.

“Oh, Soo-hyuk. How’s your body?”

-Good.

“Good?”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but tilt his head at the word “good.”

Just a few days ago, when he came down from the hospital, he said that his head hurt sometimes. And the doctor said it was serious.

“Are you really okay?”

-Yeah, my head doesn’t hurt today, and I feel like I’m going to live. Actually, I started new drug treatment this morning.”

“New drug?”

-Yeah, that’s right. A new drug arrived from the United States. The doctor said it’s better to start treatment as soon as possible, so I started treatment right away today.

Hyun-sung could feel strength in Lee Soo-hyuk’s voice over the phone. It seemed to be the mental effect of the new drug.

Lee Soo-hyuk’s voice was heard again.

-I have a good feeling. At this rate, I think I’ll get better soon.

“That’s a relief.”

-They said they’ll know after checking in a week.

“Really?”

-Yeah, if the tumor size shrinks even a little, then there’s hope. But the problem is…….”

Lee Soo-hyuk couldn’t continue his words in the middle.

“But what’s the problem?”

-The doctor said I need to have at least five new drug treatments…….”

“But?”

-It costs 200 million won per new drug treatment [approximately $166,000 USD]…….”

Hyun-sung finally understood why Lee Soo-hyuk stopped talking in the middle.

“Hey, Lee Soo-hyuk!”

-Yeah, that’s right.

“What did I say? I said I only have money.”

-…….

“Don’t think about anything else, you…….”

-Hyun-sung!

Lee Soo-hyuk interrupted Hyun-sung’s words in the middle. Then he continued immediately.

-Thank you!

With those words, he was silent for a long time.