Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 85

“Ugh!”

With a grotesque sound, Han Myung-soo clutched his knee and collapsed to the ground.

It was then.

“Aaaaaah!”

A piercing scream suddenly echoed through the vacant lot.

Whoosh!

At the same moment, a bear-like figure lunged, and someone fell to the ground.

Swoosh.

Hyun-sung turned around.

Kim Tae-jin, who had been standing with a wooden stick, was lying on the ground with his eyes rolled back.

Seo In-hye screamed, and Kim Il-soo leaped forward simultaneously; Kim Tae-jin fell in a matter of a second or two.

A moment earlier.

Han Myung-soo had briefly raised his left hand just before launching the knee kick. No one thought there was any significance to it.

Except for one person.

The moment Han Myung-soo raised his left hand, Kim Tae-jin moved behind Hyun-sung. Then, he gripped the wooden stick tightly with both hands.

His intention was to finish the job if Han Myung-soo’s attack failed.

It was the method Han Myung-soo chose, always pursuing practical gains over reputation.

A fallback plan.

But Kim Tae-jin couldn’t succeed.

The moment he tried to swing the wooden stick, Kim Il-soo’s fist landed on Kim Tae-jin’s jaw first.

“You lowlife thugs!”

Kim Il-soo shouted, looking at Han Myung-soo and Kim Tae-jin, who were rolling on the ground.

Hyun-sung simply stared at Kim Il-soo.

If Kim Il-soo had been even a little late, it would have been Hyun-sung himself rolling on the ground instead of Kim Tae-jin.

He hadn’t expected anyone to attack from behind.

“Are you okay?”

When Hyun-sung asked, Kim Il-soo nodded in response.

Then, he pointed with his chin to the other side.

When Hyun-sung turned his head, he saw Seo In-hye standing blankly, crying.

She seemed very shocked.

Thud.

As Hyun-sung approached, Seo In-hye barely opened her mouth.

“Oppa…”

“You were surprised, weren’t you?”

“…”

Seo In-hye answered with tears instead of words.

She wasn’t the bold 16-year-old Seo In-hye who had given him the rolled omelet during the day and said she would drop the honorifics from today. Her trembling shoulders told him exactly how she felt.

Tap, tap.

Hyun-sung lightly patted Seo In-hye’s shoulder, offering words of comfort.

A short while later.

The three of them sat down under a parasol in front of the supermarket.

“Drink this.”

Hyun-sung handed Seo In-hye a cider bottle with a straw in it.

“Hehe, thanks, Oppa!”

Seo In-hye had already regained her smile.

Hyun-sung then handed a cider to Kim Il-soo.

“Drink.”

“Okay!”

“But how did you know?”

Hyun-sung was asking how Kim Il-soo knew that Kim Tae-jin would attack him from behind.

Kim Il-soo replied briefly.

“It’s a habit.”

“Habit?”

“Yeah, when fighting multiple guys, the one behind you is scarier than the one in front.”

Hyun-sung nodded.

Now that he heard it, Kim Il-soo’s words made perfect sense. You can deal with the guys you can see in some way, but if you can’t, it can be really fatal.

It was his mistake.

He had trusted Han Myung-soo. He thought that things would naturally unfold that way with a 1:1 setup. But Han Myung-soo had already prepared a fallback plan.

Reputation, honor?

Yeah, that’s only in movies. Reality wasn’t a movie.

He was newly impressed with Kim Il-soo for not missing that.

Hyun-sung looked at Kim Il-soo and said.

“Thanks. I owe you one today. You can tell that someone who’s been in fights is different.”

“Don’t mention it…”

“No, I’m really grateful. So, if there’s anything I can help you with, tell me anytime. I have to repay the favor, right?”

“…”

Kim Il-soo smiled briefly after a moment of silence.

It was a rare sight.

Kim Il-soo’s face had lost its smile since he fought Hyun-sung. The fact that he was smiling meant that he had regained his peace of mind.

Looking at Kim Il-soo, Hyun-sung asked again.

“What? Kim Il-soo, what’s the meaning of that smile?”

“I’m just laughing because it’s funny that we’re sitting here side by side having this conversation.”

“That’s not wrong either.”

In fact, Hyun-sung hadn’t expected it either.

He thought they were enemies, and he wanted to return the pain he had received in his past life. But when he actually went to his house, he saw Kim Il-soo’s grandmother, and as he learned more about the other person, that feeling gradually faded.

And after experiencing what happened today, it seemed that even the bad feelings he had for Kim Il-soo had completely disappeared.

The fact that he didn’t feel uncomfortable or dislike being with him proved it.

Looking at Kim Il-soo, Hyun-sung suddenly thought of something and asked.

“Oh, right! How’s your grandmother’s back?”

“It’s okay again these days. She sometimes has trouble when she overdoes it.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Hey…”

Kim Il-soo stopped, about to say something.

Then Hyun-sung immediately asked.

“What is it? Why are you stopping in the middle of your sentence?”

“Well… do you want to come to my house today?”

Kim Il-soo continued with difficulty.

It was unexpected.

He never thought that such words would come out of Kim Il-soo’s mouth.

Hyun-sung asked.

“Your house? Why? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, but today is my grandmother’s birthday.”

“Your grandmother’s birthday?”

Kim Il-soo nodded.

Hyun-sung had a question.

Of course, it’s not difficult to go to his grandmother’s birthday. What he didn’t understand was that Kim Il-soo was saying it himself.

It’s not common to invite a friend to your grandmother’s birthday.

As if reading Hyun-sung’s mind, Kim Il-soo spoke first.

“My grandmother was talking about you.”

“Your grandmother?”

“Yeah. Every time she drinks soy milk, she tells me to bring that student home sometime. She wants to feed you a meal.”

“A meal…”

Hyun-sung couldn’t say anything else at the word ‘meal.’

Because he knew that the grandmother’s heart was contained in that one word.

Hyun-sung nodded and said.

“Let’s go. Let’s go eat with your grandmother. And wish her a happy birthday.”

“My grandmother will be happy.”

A faint smile spread across Kim Il-soo’s face.

It was then.

“Oppa!”

Seo In-hye, who was drinking cider next to him, flared up.

“What? Do you want another bottle of cider?”

“Do you think I’m some kind of cider ghost? Seriously, you’re too much, aren’t you?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Is it okay to leave me here with a bottle of cider in my mouth and not say a word to me, and now you’re going home to eat?”

Hyun-sung smiled at Seo In-hye.

Because her muttering with her small mouth was kind of cute.

Then Seo In-hye wouldn’t stay still.

“Don’t laugh. It makes me feel bad. If you keep doing this, I might just unleash my kids.”

“Kids?”

“Yeah, how do you think I knew you went to the vacant lot? Don’t underestimate my information network.”

Come to think of it, that’s what he was curious about.

He was wondering how Seo In-hye knew and ran to the vacant lot.

But now Seo In-hye was talking about an information network. That meant it wasn’t just one or two people, which didn’t make sense even if he thought about it.

Besides, she even used the phrase ‘my kids’ a little while ago.

That means…

“In-hye, do you happen to have an organization too?”

It was Hyun-sung’s share to be embarrassed even after speaking. He thought it was childish even when he thought about what he was thinking.

Then Seo In-hye opened her mouth again.

“That’s a secret. Anyway, you should pay more attention from now on. Okay? Oppa.”

“…”

She tells him to pay more attention.

Hyun-sung had nothing to say.

He didn’t think it was something to do at his age to ask more there.

And one more person.

Hyun-sung looked at Kim Il-soo this time.

When it came to curiosity, Kim Il-soo was one step ahead. Kim Il-soo didn’t even run. Didn’t he appear at the exact timing as if he was watching and coming on time?

Hyun-sung looked at Kim Il-soo and asked.

“What about you?”

When Hyun-sung asked, Kim Il-soo just smiled instead of answering.

It was lunchtime today.

Someone said that someone was looking for him, so when he went out, it was a junior who especially followed him from the Jan-di Faction [a local gang or group of students].

He said that there would be a major event in the vacant lot after class today. Of course, the target was Hyun-sung.

When he asked why, he said it was because of a female student named Seo In-hye.

To be honest, there was no conflict at first. Going there meant that he was breaking the unwritten rules of the Jan-di Faction.

He hesitated for a long time, but the reason he chose to go was because Hyun-sung had changed his life.

First of all, he was able to protect the potato field. If Hyun-sung hadn’t told him about Choi Min-young at that time, the potato field would have already been gone.

Was that all?

His grandmother was the only blood relative he had, and if something had gone wrong, he didn’t know how she would have been shocked.

And one more thing.

He had started thinking about a dream he had a long time ago again these days.

It was Hyun-sung who had made a change in him, who thought there was no more hope.

That was why Hyun-sung was more important than the unwritten rules of the Jan-di Faction.

Kim Il-soo looked at Hyun-sung and opened his mouth.

“I’m also a secret.”

“Damn it…”

Hyun-sung barely held back the curse.

Kikik.

Seo In-hye, who was watching the scene, finally burst into laughter. Then Kim Il-soo also looked at Hyun-sung and laughed as if teasing him.

Hyun-sung was dumbfounded, but he couldn’t help but laugh with them.

He didn’t know how they knew and ran to the vacant lot at that time, but the important thing was that he could laugh and talk like this in this place because of these two people.

It was then that Seo In-hye jumped up from her seat.

“Oppa, I’m going now.”

“Oh? Okay. Be careful going and…”

“Be careful going?”

“Yeah. Why?”

Hyun-sung looked at Seo In-hye.

Then suddenly Seo In-hye’s eyes began to narrow.

“Aren’t you going to walk me to the terminal?”

“Me?”

“Then should I ask Bear Oppa here?”

“Who…?”

Hyun-sung looked at Kim Il-soo, whom Seo In-hye was pointing at. Then Kim Il-soo’s eyes seemed to change strangely, and his mouth began to swell.

Whoosh.

It was when Hyun-sung was about to turn around after seeing the scene.

Ptoo!

Kim Il-soo’s mouth opened first.

Since there was a lot that went in, there was bound to be a lot that came out.

The two people suddenly became victims of cider fragments.

Seo In-hye wouldn’t stay still.

“Bear Oppa, eat cider little by little with a straw from now on. Got it?”

“Okay!”

Kim Il-soo didn’t forget to answer even while scratching his head. But what was strange was his gaze towards Seo In-hye.

It is said that the heart also stays where the gaze stays.

Pfft.

Hyun-sung smiled as he watched the scene.

Then he called Kim Il-soo.

“Hey!”

“Oh… why?”

“Try to show off your talent diligently.”

“Crazy…, what nonsense are you talking about?”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but laugh as he watched Kim Il-soo, who was trying to avoid his gaze.

Who knows?

If a bear shows off its talent, maybe a fox will fall for it too.

***

After dropping Seo In-hye off at the terminal, Hyun-sung headed to the store.

Of course, with Kim Il-soo.

When he arrived in front of the store, the door was closed.

When he looked at the clock, it was already an hour past the time he had promised with the equipment repairman, Yoo Min-cheol.

Fortunately, the front of the store was quite bright, unlike before.

It was because of the sign.

Swoosh.

Hyun-sung raised his head and looked at the front sign.

– Shin Ramyun That Makes a Man Cry

The sign that Hyun-sung chose was a direct translation of the advertising slogan that Nongshim [a Korean food company] would be advertising extensively in the future.

Most people’s reactions were similar.

“Shin Ramyun? What kind of ramen is that?”

Every time, Hyun-sung smiled and answered, ‘It’s coming out soon.’

It wasn’t far off.

They would start advertising extensively on TV in a few weeks. He just had to wait a little longer.

Hyun-sung began to open the locked padlock with the key.

Then Kim Il-soo, who was behind him, grabbed Hyun-sung’s shoulder.

“Hey! What are you doing at someone else’s store?”