Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 731

Hyun-sung turned his head toward the window.

There, Yoon Seung-hyun and Kim Woo-shik were sitting face to face at a round table, grilling gopchang [Korean-style grilled small intestines] and chatting happily.

A smile spread across Hyun-sung’s face as he watched them.

They were none other than Director Yoon Seung-hyun and his driver, Kim Woo-shik.

A moment ago, Chairman Shin Min-ki had gone outside, brought them in, and arranged a seat for them.

“Are you satisfied now?”

Chairman Shin Min-ki glanced at the window and asked Hyun-sung. Hyun-sung nodded, a smile on his face.

“Yes, I am satisfied. Now I can eat gopchang in peace. Isn’t this what they call human consideration?”

Hyun-sung’s face was full of satisfaction as he answered.

In fact, he had been quite upset a little while ago.

He was annoyed that when it came to food, some people could eat while others had to wait outside.

Fortunately, Chairman Shin Min-ki immediately understood Hyun-sung’s concern and went outside to bring them in, setting up a separate table for them.

If that hadn’t happened, his meeting with Chairman Shin Min-ki would have been a waste of time without any meaningful conversation.

He wouldn’t have wanted to talk to someone who lacked such basic consideration.

Chairman Shin Min-ki smiled slightly and asked,

“Did you just mention consideration?”

“Yes, that’s what I think. I believe that everyone should be treated equally, at least when it comes to food. As I said before, no one is just a mouth to feed. Besides, who are those two people?”

Hyun-sung turned his gaze to Yoon Seung-hyun and Kim Woo-shik before continuing.

“Aren’t those two the closest people to you, Chairman? How could you eat gopchang while they waited outside? If that had happened, I would have been very disappointed in you today. And of course, this meeting would have been very uncomfortable.”

“I almost made a big mistake in front of CEO Kim today. But I want you to know one thing: it’s not because I lack consideration.”

Chairman Shin Min-ki took a sip of water, looking slightly embarrassed, and then continued.

“I didn’t realize it. I just thought it was normal for them to always act that way. No one has ever pointed out what you just said, CEO Kim.”

‘What the heck?’

Hyun-sung was dumbfounded as he listened.

He was over fifty years old.

And he didn’t even know such a basic thing?

How could that be possible?

But what was even more absurd was that the reason he didn’t know was that no one had ever told him it was wrong.

Was he really saying that now?

Hyun-sung flipped the gopchang and glanced at Shin Min-ki.

His eyes looked genuinely confused.

They weren’t the eyes of someone who was lying.

‘Maybe…?’

Hyun-sung suddenly had a different thought.

If what he said was true, then the situation was different.

If he genuinely didn’t know, then there was no point in getting angry.

He also mentioned that today was his first time eating gopchang.

‘Well, if that’s the case…’

After thinking for a moment, Hyun-sung glanced at the soju [Korean distilled rice liquor] bottle in front of him and asked Shin Min-ki.

“Have you ever had this soju before?”

“Ah, is this soju?”

Was he saying that this was his first time having soju too?

First time with gopchang, first time with soju.

Was it really that extreme?

“Haha…”

Hyun-sung suddenly started laughing loudly.

A moment ago, he had said that he didn’t know. That they had always acted that way, and no one around him had ever said anything, so he didn’t even know that the behavior was wrong.

The moment he heard that, he thought it was ridiculous. But as he listened, he began to think that it might be true.

That was why Hyun-sung suddenly laughed so loudly.

His misunderstanding of him had been resolved.

He might know about managing a company, but he was unfamiliar with Korean social customs to the point where he didn’t know about gopchang or soju.

Come to think of it, he had heard from Chairman Shin Chun-oh before that he had lived mainly in foreign countries like the United States and Japan since he was young.

In the end, he made the mistake of having Director Yoon Seung-hyun and Kim Woo-shik wait in the car because he was unaware of the social implications.

There was a clear difference between not doing something because you knew it was wrong and not doing something because you didn’t know.

At first, he wondered what kind of person he was, but now he realized that it was a situation that could very well happen.

Hyun-sung picked up the soju bottle and said,

“Chairman, I almost misunderstood you.”

“Misunderstood?”

“Yes, I thought you were deliberately ignoring people. But now I know that’s not the case. Here, have a drink.”

Hyun-sung poured soju into Shin Min-ki’s glass. Then, he handed the soju bottle directly to Shin Min-ki.

After all, it would be his first time pouring soju as well. So, he wanted to teach him how to pour soju, even though it wasn’t a big deal.

“Chairman, pour me a drink too.”

“Yes? Ah, yes. Is this how you do it?”

Shin Min-ki awkwardly held the soju bottle with both hands and started pouring.

Hyun-sung smiled as he watched him.

Ignorance is not a sin.

That was the conclusion Hyun-sung had come to.

His actions today were ultimately a mistake because he didn’t know; that was Hyun-sung’s conclusion.

Hyun-sung held out his glass.

“Chairman, let’s make a toast.”

“Yes, let’s do that. I’m good at that ‘cheers’ thing.”

Shin Min-ki held out his soju glass.

Clink!

The two of them clinked glasses and emptied their glasses in one go, as if they had made a promise.

Hyun-sung picked up a piece of gopchang and placed it in front of Shin Min-ki, saying,

“Here, try this. Gopchang is most delicious when it’s cooked to a golden brown like this. And it tastes even better when you dip it in this bean powder.”

After saying that, Hyun-sung dipped the gopchang in bean powder and brought it to his mouth as if to show off. Shin Min-ki hesitated for a moment, then dipped the gopchang in bean powder and brought it to his mouth, just like Hyun-sung.

Shin Min-ki carefully and slowly began to chew the gopchang.

While eating the gopchang, Shin Min-ki suddenly looked at Hyun-sung.

The eyes of the two met.

Hyun-sung immediately asked,

“How is it? Do you like it?”

“Hehe…”

Shin Min-ki only laughed instead of answering. Then, at some point, he reached out and grabbed Hyun-sung’s hand.

“CEO Kim, thank you.”

Holding his hand, Shin Min-ki immediately opened his mouth again.

“How can it taste like this?”

“Do you like the taste?”

“Honestly, the visuals were a bit strange at first, but the taste is beyond imagination. I’ve traveled around foreign countries since I was young and eaten all sorts of food, but this is a taste I’ve never experienced before. What should I say? The texture is great, and above all, the savory taste is so good. Especially the combination with this bean powder… Hehe, it’s absolutely amazing!”

Shin Min-ki looked at the bean powder plate and laughed as if he was amazed.

Then, he immediately picked up another piece of gopchang, dipped it in bean powder as before, and brought it to his mouth again, chewing it right away, unlike the first time.

Pfft.

Hyun-sung smiled as he watched him.

At first, he was worried because it was his first time. But seeing him eat so deliciously made him smile.

After that, Shin Min-ki ate gopchang with soju like crazy.

How much time had passed?

Shin Min-ki, who was eating gopchang, put down his chopsticks and said,

“I had a good experience meeting CEO Kim today. I’ve been suffering from a lack of appetite lately, but it seems like I’ve regained my appetite.”

“That’s a relief. I was secretly worried because you said it was your first time eating gopchang.”

“I felt the same way. Anyway, thank you for giving me the opportunity to eat such delicious food.”

“No, I want to thank you for enjoying it so much.”

The two of them continued to talk about gopchang for a long time.

Then, at some point, Hyun-sung cautiously asked first.

“By the way, may I ask why you came to see me today?”

“Ah, that. I came because there were a few things I wanted to confirm.”

“Confirm?”

Hyun-sung tilted his head slightly at the word “confirm.”

‘What does he want to confirm?’

He had no contact with Chairman Shin Min-ki until now. To confirm something, there must be some questions about the other person beforehand.

To have questions, you must first have some connection with the other person.

‘There was no connection, but he wants to confirm…’

Hyun-sung tilted his head once again and looked at Shin Min-ki. Shin Min-ki immediately said with an apologetic expression.

“Before I confirm anything with CEO Kim, there’s something I need to ask for your understanding.”

“Understanding?”

“Yes, that’s right. The thing is, I’ve looked into CEO Kim a bit.”

“Looked into me?”

Hyun-sung couldn’t understand what Shin Min-ki was saying for a moment. So he immediately asked again.

“What do you mean by that? Looked into me.”

“Um… I did a little background check on you out of curiosity.”

Shin Min-ki hesitated for a moment and spoke honestly. He thought that if he spoke vaguely, the other person might feel bad.

“Did you just say background check?”

Hyun-sung was dumbfounded. Why would the chairman of Nongshim, of all people, investigate him?

He had nothing to do with him until now.

But for what reason?

Fortunately, he was telling him the truth himself.

That meant he had no malicious intent.

Shin Min-ki’s answer followed.

“Yes, that’s right. But I want to say that it wasn’t out of any malice or other purpose, but solely out of curiosity about you. So I hope you don’t have any other misunderstandings.”

Shin Min-ki spoke honestly.

While receiving reports about Lee Soo-hyuk from Director Yoon Seung-hyun, he heard that Hyun-sung was covering all the treatment and hospital expenses for the new drug.

The amount was a whopping 2 billion won [approximately $1.5 million USD].

He couldn’t quite understand why he would bear that amount just because he was a friend. So he became curious about him and ordered a background check on him for that reason.

“This is the truth without any lies. So if you feel offended, I ask for your understanding.”

“Um…”

No one would feel good about someone doing a background check on them. But in a situation where he was telling him in advance like this, he couldn’t show any unpleasant feelings.

Hyun-sung thought for a moment and said.

“Yes, okay. I don’t feel offended since you told me in advance like this, Chairman. But what curiosity led you to do a background check on me?”

“First of all, I want to thank you for understanding. Actually, I’ve known about CEO Kim since the former chairman’s time, but at that time, it wasn’t something that concerned me, so I just passed it by. But recently, while receiving a report about your friend, Lee Soo-hyuk, from Director Yoon…”

Shin Min-ki’s explanation followed.

After his explanation, Hyun-sung nodded as if he understood.

“So, in the end, that 2 billion won fueled your curiosity.”

“Yes, that’s right. To be honest, even if you have a lot of money, it wouldn’t be easy to make such a decision, but you made that decision. So I became curious and told Director Yoon to find out more. But…”

Shin Min-ki took a sip of water, as if his throat was dry, and then continued.

“The more I read the report, the more curious I became. There are some parts that I just can’t understand. That’s why I asked to see you so urgently.”

Only then did Hyun-sung understand why Chairman Shin Min-ki had asked to see him.

Hyun-sung, nodding, picked up the soju bottle.

“Would you like another drink?”

“Yes, I would. This soju seems to suit me quite well. I wonder why I didn’t know about such good alcohol until now.”

As soon as Hyun-sung poured the alcohol, Shin Min-ki immediately took the soju bottle and poured alcohol into Hyun-sung’s glass, saying.

“I found a fun I didn’t know until now by meeting CEO Kim today. This gopchang and this soju, too.”

“That’s a relief. I’m glad you like it so much.”

Hyun-sung turned his head and looked at the menu. Then he immediately continued.

“Have you ever had pork rinds?”

“Pork rinds? Do people eat that too?”

“Haha…”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but laugh.

“Excuse me, sir!”

Hyun-sung called the store owner and ordered pork rinds. Of course, also for Yoon Seung-hyun and Kim Woo-shik’s table by the window.

Hyun-sung looked at Shin Min-ki again and asked.

“So, what do you want to confirm with me?”

“The first thing I want to confirm is the summer vacation when you were a sophomore in high school.”

“Summer vacation?”

“Yes, that’s right. According to the report, you completely changed based on that summer vacation. What on earth happened during that summer vacation?”

A person can’t suddenly change overnight. But Hyun-sung’s before and after that summer vacation were so drastically different.

From Shin Min-ki’s point of view, it was a part that he couldn’t understand at all.

Smirk.

Hyun-sung smiled.

Perhaps it was a natural question for him. Hyun-sung’s life completely changed based on his sophomore summer vacation.

‘What to do?’

Hyun-sung couldn’t answer right away either.

There was only one reason he had changed.

Regression!

The problem was that he couldn’t tell that to Shin Min-ki.

“…”

It was a moment when Hyun-sung’s worries deepened.