Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 86

Thud.

Hyun-sung brushed Kim Il-soo’s hand off his shoulder and said,

“Hey, are you really a bear?”

“This punk…….”

“Think about it. Do you go into someone else’s store and open the door with a key?”

“So, what are you doing right now?”

“Dude, this is my store. My business. Still don’t get it? You bear.”

“This punk is really…….”

Kim Il-soo couldn’t finish his sentence, stopped by Hyun-sung’s next move.

Hyun-sung was already opening the door and entering the store.

“Huh!”

Logically, it doesn’t make any sense. But the problem is that this absurd situation is happening right before his eyes.

Click.

As soon as Hyun-sung entered, he turned on the lights.

Then he headed straight to the kitchen. After removing the old kitchen, the flow to the inner quarters was definitely well-defined. [The layout was well-planned.]

It was a part that he had worried a lot about at first because of the cost. But he decided to be bold for the future, and seeing it with his own eyes, he thought it was a good decision.

Hyun-sung checked the kitchen floor that had been finished today again.

The first thing he paid attention to was the sewage pipes. He had specially asked the plumber to use thick ones from the beginning so that it would be easier later on.

And while he was at it, he also laid the water pipes under the floor. Thanks to that, the kitchen became much cleaner.

“Nice.”

It was when Hyun-sung was nodding and muttering to himself.

“Hey!”

Kim Il-soo approached and called out to Hyun-sung.

When Hyun-sung looked at him, Kim Il-soo continued,

“Is it real?”

“Why, are you amazed?”

“It doesn’t make sense. A high school student having a store? What about school? And what do you know how to do? Does this make sense?”

Kim Il-soo’s words were longer than usual.

That’s how much he couldn’t believe it.

It’s a natural reaction.

Time is the best medicine anyway. No matter how much I talk now, it’s just a waste of breath. In this case, it’s also a way to postpone it for a while.

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

“Il-soo, just wait and see. There are only a few weeks left, so you’ll know when you see it then.”

Shaking his head.

Kim Il-soo was expressing it with his body instead of words.

Hyun-sung continued,

“Let’s go. Grandma must be waiting.”

“Huh? Y-yeah.”

Kim Il-soo still couldn’t come to his senses.

Hyun-sung locked the store door again after coming out, and was about to take a step when.

“Hey……, what’s that?”

Kim Il-soo grabbed Hyun-sung.

When Hyun-sung turned around, Kim Il-soo was looking at the sign.

“Shin Ramyun [a popular brand of instant noodles], you mean?”

“Shin Ramyun? Was there such a ramen?”

“No, not yet.”

“That means…….”

“Yeah, it’s coming out soon. And the commercials will be playing loudly on TV.”

Kim Il-soo, who was looking at Hyun-sung answering, chuckled.

“Hey, Kim Hyun-sung. Are you not feeling well?”

“You punk, you still can’t believe it until the end? Well…….”

Clicking his tongue.

Hyun-sung didn’t want to talk anymore. He was also hungry because of the commotion earlier.

Hyun-sung hurriedly left the alley.

After leaving the alley, Hyun-sung headed to the supermarket.

As he entered the supermarket, Kim Il-soo, who was following behind, asked.

“Why here?”

“It’s Grandma’s birthday, right? I can’t go empty-handed, can I?”

“You’re doing all sorts of things.”

Hyun-sung bought soy milk and Choco Pies [a popular snack cake], paid for them, and left the supermarket.

As he left the supermarket, Kim Il-soo asked again.

“Why Choco Pies?”

“You’ll know when you go. And why are you talking so much today?”

“What did I do?”

“You’re not staying still for a moment. Do you know you’re too different from usual?”

Kim Il-soo shook his head as if he didn’t know.

Then Hyun-sung said again.

“You’ve been strange since you spat out cider earlier.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The way you looked at In-hye wasn’t ordinary. Am I wrong?”

“What? ……Crazy. Stop talking nonsense and come quickly. There’s a bus coming.”

At that time, a local bus was coming towards the two of them.

Kim Il-soo, who got on the bus first, went to the back seat and took a seat by the window. Then he turned his gaze out the window as if trying to avoid Hyun-sung’s gaze.

Looking at Kim Il-soo, Hyun-sung chuckled and sat on the opposite window side.

“Hey!”

Hyun-sung called Kim Il-soo in a low voice.

Then Kim Il-soo turned his head. Looking at that figure, Hyun-sung couldn’t help but cover his mouth.

The moment he saw Kim Il-soo’s flushed face, laughter burst out.

Kim Il-soo frowned at Hyun-sung, but the more he did, the more Hyun-sung had no choice but to cover his mouth even more tightly.

On the other hand, Kim Il-soo rubbed his face with both hands.

He knew that Hyun-sung was teasing him, but he couldn’t help it. He tried not to show it, but his face was burning and he couldn’t hide it.

Hyun-sung’s words are true.

When he thinks of Seo In-hye, his face keeps getting hot.

This is the first time he’s felt this way in his life.

It feels like his insides are tickling, and scratching doesn’t help. Rather, that strange feeling seems to hide deeper inside his heart.

But what’s strange is that he doesn’t dislike that feeling.

‘Is this that…….’

After a while.

When Kim Il-soo arrived home, he entered the yard and called out to his grandmother, Shin Yu-bok, in a loud voice.

“Grandma!”

Bang.

As soon as Kim Il-soo’s voice was heard, the door opened and Shin Yu-bok greeted Kim Il-soo.

“Oh, my baby!”

“Grandma, I brought Hyun-sung. You know, the kid you call Soy Milk Student every day.”

“Ah, that Soy Milk Student.”

Hyun-sung smiled and bowed to Shin Yu-bok.

“Grandma, have you been well?”

“Welcome, Soy Milk Student. It’s nice to see you again like this.”

“Me too, Grandma. And I heard it’s your birthday today? Happy birthday, Grandma!”

Hyun-sung handed the box of soy milk to Shin Yu-bok.

Then Shin Yu-bok smiled shyly as if she was embarrassed and continued.

“You didn’t have to bring something like this……, thank you every time.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll buy meat next time I come. Then let’s have a meat party here in the yard, Grandma.”

“Don’t do that. What money does a student have.”

At that time, Kim Il-soo, who was listening from the side, intervened and continued.

“Grandma, this punk says he’s going to run a restaurant, what do you think?”

“What is he going to do?”

“He says he’s going to open a ramen restaurant. Does that make sense? Doesn’t it, Grandma?”

“Hoho, that sounds fun. Students like ramen, so if there are a lot of students, that would be good…….”

At Shin Yu-bok’s answer, Hyun-sung and Kim Il-soo looked at each other.

Kim Il-soo’s expression was distorted, and Hyun-sung smiled and took Shin Yu-bok’s words.

“Right? Grandma. It seems like it would be okay, right?”

“Of course! Who says students can only study? Besides, it’s not a regular restaurant, it’s just going to be cooking ramen, so it seems like it’s worth trying…….”

Kim Il-soo, who had nothing to say to Shin Yu-bok’s answer, made a sulky expression and headed to the kitchen.

Looking at Kim Il-soo’s back, Hyun-sung smiled.

It was then.

Suddenly.

Kim Il-soo’s grandmother, Shin Yu-bok, grabbed Hyun-sung’s hand and dragged him into the room.

Hyun-sung, who didn’t know what was going on, hurriedly asked Shin Yu-bok as soon as he sat down.

“Grandma, why?”

“Because I’m so grateful.”

It was a hard to understand even if you thought about it simply. It didn’t seem like she was saying that just because he came to visit again today.

“I don’t really know what you’re talking about.”

“Why, the day the student first came, that day the student…….”

Shin Yu-bok began to explain the reason.

It was a while ago.

So, it was when Hyun-sung first came to Kim Il-soo’s house. After finishing talking with Kim Il-soo in the potato field, it was before he went back home.

Hyun-sung didn’t go back right away, but went to see Kim Il-soo’s grandmother, Shin Yu-bok, one more time.

At that time, he asked her to step in if Kim Il-soo didn’t go to school.

Hyun-sung judged that he would listen to his grandmother, Shin Yu-bok, more than anyone else.

And that method worked for Kim Il-soo.

When Shin Yu-bok’s explanation was over, Hyun-sung asked.

“Did you even show tears?”

“I didn’t shed them on purpose, they just came out without me knowing while I was talking…….”

Hyun-sung nodded.

As expected, what moved Kim Il-soo’s heart was his grandmother, Shin Yu-bok’s tears. Strictly speaking, it was Shin Yu-bok’s love for her grandson.

Creak.

At that time, the door opened and Kim Il-soo came into the room with a dining table.

Three people sitting around the dining table.

“Wait a minute…….”

Hyun-sung piled Choco Pies on the dining table in layers. Then he stuck two matchsticks on the top Choco Pie.

Kim Il-soo, who was staring at the scene, asked.

“Is that why you bought Choco Pies?”

“It’s better than nothing, since there’s no cake, I have to replace it with this.”

It was a rural area, so there was no bakery, so there was no choice. So what he came up with was a Choco Pie cake.

“You punk, how did you think of this? Anyway, thank you. But why are there two matchsticks?”

Hyun-sung chuckled at Kim Il-soo’s question.

To be honest, he was worried about how many to stick. But he couldn’t stick the matchsticks according to his actual age. If he did, it would be almost an explosion.

So after thinking for a while, he came up with two.

Hyun-sung looked at Shin Yu-bok and said.

“Grandma, you’re still in your 20s in your heart, right? Right, Grandma?”

At Hyun-sung’s words, Shin Yu-bok smiled and said.

“Hoho, how did you know? They say the heart doesn’t age, it seems like it’s true. Even though the wrinkles are so deep, my heart is still the same as when I met our Il-soo’s great-grandfather.”

Shin Yu-bok lowered her head slightly as if she was a little embarrassed.

Then Kim Il-soo shook his head at Hyun-sung and opened his mouth.

“Anyway…….”

Hyun-sung looked at Kim Il-soo and pointed to the Choco Pie with his chin instead of words.

It meant to proceed on his own next.

Then Kim Il-soo seemed to have noticed and looked at his grandmother, Shin Yu-bok, and said.

“Grandma, light the fire here, quickly make a wish and put out the fire. Matchsticks go out quickly, so don’t make a wish for too long. Got it?”

It was Kim Il-soo’s meticulousness that he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Then his grandmother, Shin Yu-bok, nodded, saying she understood.

“Okay, I only have one wish, so it’ll be over soon.”

At the same time as she finished speaking, Grandma Shin Yu-bok put her hands together neatly. The sight was like looking at a praying girl statue that she had seen in a photo sometime.

Even though it was matchsticks on top of Choco Pie, he thought that the earnestness of praying would not be lacking compared to anyone.

It was a slightly awkward atmosphere, but Hyun-sung and Kim Il-soo even sang a congratulatory song and celebrated Grandma Shin Yu-bok’s birthday.

A grandmother in her seventies and her grandson, an 18-year-old boy.

In a way, it may seem childish like children’s play. But watching the two people enjoying themselves, Hyun-sung also had a more enjoyable time than ever.

It’s not that he didn’t hesitate while buying Choco Pies at the supermarket. He wondered if he was doing something useless.

But that was Hyun-sung’s unnecessary worry.

After a while.

Kim Il-soo looked at his grandmother, Shin Yu-bok, and said.

“Grandma, now eat dinner quickly.”

“Okay, thank you. My baby. And Soy Milk Student, thank you so much too.”

Shin Yu-bok looked at Hyun-sung once more and didn’t forget to smile.

Then Kim Il-soo looked at Hyun-sung and continued.

“Try this seaweed soup. I tried to boil it in my own way, but I don’t know how it will taste.”

“What? You boiled it?”

Hyun-sung was just dumbfounded.

Of course, he thought Grandma Shin Yu-bok had boiled it. He just thought he had simply warmed it up and brought it in, but it wasn’t, he had boiled it himself, it was a word that was hard to believe even while listening to it directly.

Hyun-sung looked at Kim Il-soo’s hands.

Thinking that he had cooked with those clumsy hands like a bear, he could only laugh in vain.

Hyun-sung asked again.

“Then maybe these side dishes here…….”

Kim Il-soo smiled and nodded.

“Huh!”

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but laugh in vain.

This guy is a bear. A bear that is very good at performing tricks.

Seaweed soup is one thing, but so are rolled omelets, stir-fried potatoes, and braised tofu.

In some ways, they are ordinary side dishes, but thinking that Kim Il-soo made them all, it was like looking at a special dish.