Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 80

“So, you still don’t trust me?”

Hyun-sung said, looking at Shin Myung-soon, Lee Jung-woo’s mother.

Shin Myung-soon nodded.

Seeing this, Hyun-sung asked again.

“You watched the news on Sunday, right?”

“Well… that’s….”

Shin Myung-soon’s voice lacked the strength it had before.

That was because what she had half-expected had actually happened. When Hyun-sung said Kim Tae-chon would be arrested on Sunday, she thought it was absurd.

She thought Hyun-sung was just joking to comfort her in her depression.

But it really happened. So, from Shin Myung-soon’s point of view, she couldn’t strongly deny what Hyun-sung was saying now.

Hyun-sung asked again.

“Alright, Mother.”

“……?”

“If that’s the case, then don’t believe me. I won’t force you to believe me any further. Instead, please help me.”

“What? You’re asking me to help you?”

“Yes, Mother!”

Hyun-sung changed his mind.

No matter how he thought about it, he realized it wouldn’t be easy to persuade Shin Myung-soon in this way. It’s easy to say, but who would believe in precognitive dreams?

Perhaps the direction of persuasion was wrong from the start.

Hyun-sung looked at Shin Myung-soon and said again.

“Just help me for three months.”

“Three months?”

“Yes, as you can see, I signed the lease for the store today, and we’ll start the interior construction the day after tomorrow. And the sign will be up right away.”

“Huh….”

Shin Myung-soon stared at Hyun-sung.

Of course, she was surprised when she saw the contract with her own eyes a little while ago.

She had half-expected it.

Half in doubt.

Literally, neither here nor there.

But now, interior construction and even a sign….

Even seeing it with her own eyes and hearing it with her own ears, she couldn’t believe it.

No, how could a student who should be studying do this?

She couldn’t understand it at all, but the important thing was that all of this was happening right before her eyes.

And now he’s asking for help.

Shin Myung-soon fell into deep thought.

She couldn’t do business here anymore anyway. But she couldn’t even think about closing down and doing something else right now.

She thought about going out to Hongcheon and doing business, but that wouldn’t work because of Jung-woo’s school. He’s been working hard lately, even exercising, so she couldn’t move schools.

The conclusion was that she had to endure here somehow, whether she lived or died. Honestly, in some ways, she might even be grateful to Hyun-sung.

He wasn’t asking for investment, just asking to borrow her idle hands.

If she quit the store, there was nothing she could do right away. The reality was that she would have to find a job somewhere just to make a living.

A job in the countryside?

She knew better than anyone that it was impossible.

And even if she did something else, she would need some time to prepare.

Then….

Further *gomin* [Korean: 고민, meaning ‘worry’ or ‘deliberation’] is a luxury.

She felt sorry for Hyun-sung, but she had to make a living, even for her own child.

Shin Myung-soon looked at Hyun-sung.

“Three months, you said?”

“Yes, after that, you can do whatever you want, Mother. You can quit or continue.”

“That means you’re confident.”

“Rather than confident, it’s the minimum amount of time I need.”

That was true.

No matter how successful this place was in her past life, she wasn’t going to just rely on that and run the business.

And the timing was different from her past life. In her past life, it would happen six months later.

In other words, there could be variables.

No, the variable had already occurred.

The appearance of the previous owner, Min Doo-shik.

Of course, it ended as a lighthearted incident today, but no one knew what would happen in the future.

The three months Hyun-sung was talking about.

That wasn’t confidence, but Hyun-sung’s determination. It meant he would get it on track within three months.

Shin Myung-soon looked at Hyun-sung and asked again.

“What do you mean by the minimum amount of time?”

“I mean I’ll raise it to the sales I’m aiming for within that period.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s….”

Shin Myung-soon stopped in the middle of her sentence.

She couldn’t bring herself to discourage Hyun-sung, who was like a son to her, when he was saying such things.

If business were only about willpower, who couldn’t do it?

She had been in business for over ten years, but she had survived until now with the mindset that it was fortunate if she could barely make enough to cover her labor costs, rather than making money.

Sigh!

Shin Myung-soon expressed her feelings with a short sigh.

Hyun-sung couldn’t possibly not know that feeling.

Hyun-sung looked at Shin Myung-soon and said.

“Mother, don’t worry too much. You just need to *열심히 끊여내면 라면* [Korean: yeolsimhi kkeuneonaemyeon ramyeon, meaning ‘diligently boil the ramen’].”

“You rascal… Oh, now that you mention it, what about the menu?”

“Ramen.”

“And?”

“I’m only going to sell ramen.”

“Wh-what?”

Shin Myung-soon was so dumbfounded that she was speechless.

Swish.

Shin Myung-soon quietly got up from her seat.

This wasn’t right.

She had been doing business in this spot for over ten years.

Menu?

Ramen and *kimbap* [Korean dish made from cooked rice and other ingredients that are rolled in dried seaweed and served in bite-sized slices] were basic, and there were a total of 12 items. In addition, two more were added in the middle of summer: cold noodles and bean soup.

Still, customers would come and ask for other things.

But only ramen….

She even felt pathetic for having had expectations.

Shin Myung-soon looked at Hyun-sung and said.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Go home.”

Shin Myung-soon left her seat and headed to the kitchen.

Thump.

Hyun-sung grabbed Shin Myung-soon’s wrist as she turned around.

“Mother, please listen to me.”

“I said it’s okay.”

“Of course, you might think it’s absurd from your point of view. But I think differently. Your *상권* [Korean: sanggwon, meaning ‘commercial district’ or ‘catchment area’] and….”

Hyun-sung began to explain to Shin Myung-soon what he was thinking.

First, he explained the difference in *상권*.

Shin Myung-soon’s *상권* was near the terminal, so she had no choice but to cater to adults rather than students, so she might need a variety of menu items.

But Hyun-sung’s case was different.

His main customer base was students.

He emphasized that they were bound to be sensitive to trends. He also explained that a spicy flavor craze would soon hit the food scene.

So, he said he had decided on the menu as ‘Spicy Shin Ramen Level 1, 2, 3.’

Of course, it wasn’t easy to get Shin Myung-soon to understand this part. But he strongly explained that spicy flavors would be at the center of the changes in Korean food in the future, so he moved on.

Next, he explained why the menu should be a single item.

That was because the table turnover rate was directly related to sales. This was something Shin Myung-soon easily agreed with.

She said that she had already experienced countless times the difference between ordering one menu item and ordering several menu items at one table.

Then, he explained everything he had been thinking about, including the opening event he was planning and the future operating methods.

“…….”

Shin Myung-soon was silent for a moment after Hyun-sung’s explanation.

After a while.

“Wait a minute, let me get a glass of water….”

Shin Myung-soon headed to the kitchen.

Shortly after.

Shin Myung-soon, who had returned to her seat, looked at Hyun-sung.

Whew!

Shin Myung-soon, who had taken a deep breath, said to Hyun-sung.

“Exactly three months.”

“Yes!”

Hyun-sung slowly nodded.

It was a seriousness that was not light to anyone who saw it.

Then Shin Myung-soon continued.

“If, I mean….”

Shin Myung-soon couldn’t easily continue speaking and looked at Hyun-sung.

Seeing Shin Myung-soon like that, Hyun-sung said.

“It’s okay. Please speak.”

“This is just a hypothetical, but… if a month passes and it really doesn’t seem to be working out, I’m sorry, but….”

Shin Myung-soon couldn’t finish her sentence. She couldn’t bring herself to say that she would quit.

Then Hyun-sung took Shin Myung-soon’s words.

“I understand, Mother. I know what you mean, so do that.”

“I’m sorry. I hate myself for having no choice but to do this, but I have no choice because of our Jung-woo.”

Shin Myung-soon was still *불안한* [Korean: buranhan, meaning ‘anxious’ or ‘uneasy’].

Well, it would be abnormal if she wasn’t *불안한*.

Hyun-sung gently grabbed Shin Myung-soon’s hand.

Shin Myung-soon’s hand was trembling slightly.

That meant she was *불안하고 절박하다* [Korean: buranhago jeolbakada, meaning ‘anxious and desperate’] as much as that.

It was the moment when one more reason why Hyun-sung had to succeed was added.

***

A few days later.

Fortunately, Lee Soo-hyuk’s surgery went well, and he was said to be discharged on Friday before the end of this week.

Only his homeroom teacher, Shin Min-ho, and Hyun-sung visited him in the hospital.

Just in case, he had told his classmates, but not a single friend came out to the terminal on time.

Of course, Hyun-sung was the same in his past life.

When you think about it, all of this was Lee Soo-hyuk’s own problem. No, to be more precise, it was because of the actions of Lee Soo-hyuk’s mother, Yoo Soo-min.

Commonly referred to as *과잉보호* [Korean: gwagingboho, meaning ‘overprotection’].

As a result, from one day on, even his friends began to hesitate to talk to Lee Soo-hyuk.

That was the same for Lee Soo-hyuk himself.

He had put himself under the protection of his mother.

After that, Lee Soo-hyuk naturally became an outsider.

But this time, while visiting him, he saw a new side of Lee Soo-hyuk.

It was when he went to visit a few days ago.

It was between the time when homeroom teacher Shin Min-ho and Lee Soo-hyuk’s mother, Yoo Soo-min, had briefly left.

“Hyun-sung!”

Lee Soo-hyuk called Hyun-sung *친근하게* [Korean: chingunhage, meaning ‘familiarly’].

“Huh?”

Hyun-sung looked at Lee Soo-hyuk with surprised eyes without realizing it.

That was because it was the first time in a long time that he had seen this side of Lee Soo-hyuk. Until he was in the second year of middle school, Lee Soo-hyuk’s actions were no different from those of other friends.

But he started to change when he became a third-year middle school student.

Suddenly, he became less talkative and didn’t hang out with his friends.

He thought that was the case.

He thought that time was passing like that, but one day he saw that there were no friends next to him. But what was even stranger was that he didn’t care at all about it to the point where he was insensitive to it.

Lee Soo-hyuk, who called Hyun-sung, said again.

“Do you remember the last thing you said to me before the ambulance arrived that day?”

“The last thing I… Well, what did I say?”

He remembered trying to prevent himself from losing consciousness at all costs. But he honestly didn’t remember what he said at that moment.

“You said to me.”

“What?”

“What’s the thing you want to do the most?”

“Did I say that? I was just trying to….”