Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 9

Step.

As I slowly took a step, my fingertips brushed against the bed. The rough texture registered immediately.

Tap tap.

Tapping the bed frame with my palm, the hardness resonated through my body.

A cushion?

Out of the question. And definitely no mattress.

That’s right.

It was a wooden bed.

My father had made it himself as a middle school entrance gift.

Hyun-sung had desperately wanted a bed like the ones he saw on TV when he was little. Of course, none of his friends had beds back then. He was unusually fixated on having one.

It was before he started middle school. One day, lumber began appearing in the yard, piece by piece.

About two weeks later.

It was a Sunday, and my father brought in a large sheet of plywood from somewhere.

Tuk-tak, tuk-tak.

Hyun-sung finally understood what his father was building.

He was so happy he ran around the yard countless times. He felt like he owned the world.

“Father!”

The word “father” escaped Hyun-sung’s lips without him even realizing it.

You gave me all this…

Why did I always believe I received nothing?

What had Hyun-sung ever done for his father?

Shaking his head.

No matter how hard he tried to think, nothing concrete came to mind.

Pfft.

Hyun-sung let out a weak laugh.

“I’ll do better from now on!”

Hyun-sung muttered, his expression strange.

I understand now.

Regret is useless.

When you have the chance,

When you can act,

You have to do it without hesitation.

Hyun-sung lay down on the bed his father made for him, the first time in ages.

“Um! It’s great after all!”

It was a comfort he hadn’t felt in a long time. It was hard, but strangely, it didn’t feel hard at all. In fact, the texture felt softer than a thick mattress.

Was that why?

Hyun-sung drifted into a deep sleep almost instantly.

***

“What?”

Hyun-sung was disoriented for a moment after opening his eyes. He realized he’d fallen asleep immediately last night, without even noticing.

It felt like he’d had the best night’s sleep in a long time.

Looking in the mirror, he saw he was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday.

The light was still on.

“Ah! I’m home.”

After a moment, he fully regained his senses. Glancing at the clock, he saw it wasn’t even 7:00 AM.

Buzzing.

He heard a noise from outside.

‘At this hour?’

Hyun-sung strained his ears, trying to identify the sound. Then, he heard a man’s loud voice.

– No, what are you planning to do?

– Hyung-nim [term of respect for an older male], I’m sorry. I’ll definitely take care of it by the end of the month.

– I don’t need promises, just stamp this written oath.

Even with just a casual listen, the situation was clear.

Hyun-sung, who had been eavesdropping, suddenly snapped to attention. It was as if reality was warning him, after his brief intoxication with being back, that this was the real situation.

At first, he couldn’t believe his ears.

‘Was it this bad?’

He knew things were difficult, but he hadn’t realized the extent of it.

But strangely, Hyun-sung had no memory of the current situation unfolding outside.

It didn’t take long to understand why.

The reason was simple.

In his previous life, Hyun-sung wasn’t home at this time. He was supposed to be at Gyeongpo Beach in Gangneung with his friend Lee Jung-woo.

In his previous life, despite almost drowning, he had stuck to the travel itinerary and returned home. So, it was only natural that this situation wasn’t in Hyun-sung’s memory.

Wait a minute!

That person outside, the one relentlessly shouting, who is he…

“Ah!”

It’s Park Hee-cheol.

Hyun-sung dredged up Park Hee-cheol’s memory.

He was a loan shark who lived in the upper part of the village. Not a formal lender, but someone who made money off interest from the locals.

Of course, his influence extended beyond this village, reaching every corner of Hongcheon County.

Interest?

It was beyond imagination. He was a piece of human garbage who squeezed the life out of people.

Later, Hyun-sung had learned the full extent of Park Hee-cheol’s ruthless tactics. Compound interest was standard, and if a payment was even a day late, he’d present a “written oath” [a document used to seize assets] and even take away livestock raised at home.

It was clearly illegal, but in that era, the illegality was allowed to flourish.

Because poverty was practically a crime, people couldn’t even dare to resist.

– Hyung-nim, just until the end of this month…

His father’s pleading voice echoed in his ears.

“I’m going crazy.”

Hyun-sung’s face contorted after listening for a while.

I can’t just stand here.

He couldn’t simply run outside like a child, fueled by anger, and try to help his father. That would only make things worse.

I can’t do that.

His father’s pride, at least that’s something a child should protect.

Then…

I have to find it. I have to find a way to make money, no matter what.

For his father, for his family, he had to find a way. If he couldn’t, he’d be doomed to repeat his bleak previous life.

He’s come back over 30 years, there has to be something.

Hyun-sung began to search his memory.

Let’s find it!

No, I have to find it!

There has to be something. Hyun-sung bit his lip and closed his eyes tightly.

How much time had passed?

Flash.

Hyun-sung’s eyes snapped open. The corners of his lips tilted upward.

“Yes! That’s it!”

It was when he was discharged from the military.

He had gone to the mountain with Kim Min-soo, a neighborhood friend, claiming he’d rather chant Buddhist scriptures than hang around.

Kim Min-soo was eight years older than Hyun-sung.

He was a herbalist who had started digging medicinal herbs with his father right after graduating from elementary school.

In that era, such cases were common in rural areas.

That day, Kim Min-soo had declared his intention to venture deep into the mountains. Usually, once he went in, it took at least a week.

Hyun-sung volunteered to go with him because he had nothing else to do at the time.

It was the seventh day.

Kim Min-soo finally found it. No, strictly speaking, Hyun-sung found it first. Until then, Hyun-sung didn’t know exactly what wild ginseng looked like.

Of course, he had seen it on TV.

While searching, Hyun-sung found something that looked similar. After calling Kim Min-soo over to check, they confirmed it was wild ginseng.

It wasn’t just one or two roots, but as many as eight. They had discovered a wild ginseng habitat, a rare find.

“That’s right, that’s it!”

Hyun-sung, lost in his memory, jumped up from his seat. Of course, it will happen a few years later, but wild ginseng is not alive and moving.

Anyway, wild ginseng will definitely be there.

Clench!

Hyun-sung clenched his fist tightly.

“It’s done!”

Hyun-sung’s eyes shone brighter than ever.

At that time, Kim Min-soo had treated Hyun-sung to a huge pork belly meal, telling him to eat as much as he wanted. He really ate a lot, to the point of getting a stomach ache.

Two days later, Kim Min-soo went to Seoul to sell the wild ginseng.

Hyun-sung couldn’t help but be excited.

Since he had found the wild ginseng first, he naturally assumed he was entitled to at least 50% of the profits. In Hyun-sung’s mind, that was only fair.

But that was just Hyun-sung’s assumption.

There was something Hyun-sung didn’t know.

Common sense doesn’t apply when money is involved.

After Kim Min-soo left for Seoul, there was no news for several days.

At first, he refused to believe anything was wrong.

Something must have happened.

He’ll be back tomorrow.

He waited, thinking that day after day.

One month passed.

Kim Min-soo still hadn’t returned.

He went to his house, but was told that Kim Min-soo couldn’t be reached.

Another month passed… and then a year.

Kim Min-soo never came back.

He returned three years later.

To put it bluntly, he came back as a beggar.

The relationship between Hyun-sung and Kim Min-soo ended there.

Grin!

A smile bloomed on Hyun-sung’s lips.

Even though life is a cycle, who would have thought the situation would change so drastically by going back in time.

“Hyung [term of respect for an older male] Min-soo, it’s my turn this time.”

One corner of Hyun-sung’s mouth twisted upward.

Tak!

Hyun-sung slammed the door open with all his might. Because it was a sliding door, the sound was incredibly loud. He fully expected to draw attention.

It was an expression of confidence.

And of anger at Park Hee-cheol.

Perhaps it was a roar directed at the world.

‘What?’

No one was interested in Hyun-sung. The situation was that serious.

‘This isn’t it…

Suppressing his frustration, Hyun-sung quietly approached his father as if nothing had happened.

His father was still bowing his head to the loan shark, Park Hee-cheol.

“No, even so, this is…

“If you don’t like it, pay it back. If you pay it back, this paper is just trash, right?”

“But…

“I’m busy, so if you’ve read it, hurry up and stamp it here.”

His father was holding the paper Park Hee-cheol had given him, unable to decide what to do. Hyun-sung could guess what it was: a written oath.

It might not seem like much, but his father had no way of knowing that.

His father’s hand, holding the written oath, trembled slightly. Seeing that, Hyun-sung wanted to slap Park Hee-cheol’s face.

He felt his blood rushing backwards.

Knowing what kind of person this was from his previous life, he didn’t want to treat him with any respect, even if he was an adult.

Hyun-sung glanced at the paper his father was holding. As expected, it said ‘Written Oath’ at the top.

He could roughly guess the contents without even reading it.

Swipe.

Hyun-sung snatched the written oath from his father’s hand.

“Father, just a moment.”

“Huh?”

His father was startled by Hyun-sung’s sudden action. He was already worried about waking him up.

He never wanted to show this side of himself.

What kind of father would want his child to see him like this?

So, he had pretended not to notice Hyun-sung coming out of the room.

Poverty is a sin. I didn’t want to show it…

His father’s expression darkened rapidly.

On the other hand, Hyun-sung carefully read the written oath from beginning to end.

As expected.

“Huh!”

A short exclamation escaped Hyun-sung’s lips, as if he was dumbfounded.

Swipe.

Hyun-sung glared at Park Hee-cheol.

Etiquette?

Give it to the dogs.

This was someone who had abandoned his humanity in Hyun-sung’s previous life. There was no reason to show him any respect.

I’ll criticize him.

He had to criticize him mercilessly, leaving no room for retaliation.

But there were many ways to criticize someone, depending on the opponent.

He had to find Park Hee-cheol’s weakest point, a place where he couldn’t even make a sound…

‘Where is it?’

Hyun-sung nodded slightly after a moment of thought.

‘That’s it!’

A bitter smile appeared on Hyun-sung’s lips.

But Park Hee-cheol, who feared nothing, was still arrogant.

He wasn’t going to be lenient just because Hyun-sung was young.

Park Hee-cheol glared at Hyun-sung, his eyes wide.

“What are you doing?”

“What about you, mister?”

“Huh, what?”

Park Hee-cheol’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He couldn’t believe what was happening.

As always, he had expected to simply get the stamp and leave. Then, after a month, he would come back and take the calf, as agreed in the written oath.

It was a flawless method. It had always worked so far.