Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 98

98

“What is this now?”

Oh Sang-cheol, eager to unleash his pent-up anger, practically beamed at Hyun-sung’s sudden appearance.

He felt a twinge of guilt toward Shin Myung-soon, which kept him somewhat restrained, but he had no such reservations with Hyun-sung. Consequently, Oh Sang-cheol’s voice boomed even louder.

Hyun-sung, however, felt a surge of empathy.

In his past life, he had been similarly swindled by a heartless landlord, just like Shin Myung-soon was experiencing now.

– CONTRACT RENEWAL DENIED!

He’d overheard a few days prior that the landlord’s family intended to open their own snack shop in the very same location. Shin Myung-soon had poured her heart and soul into building her business there for a decade.

Yet, she was now being evicted without a single penny of compensation.

It was a classic case of a landlord abusing their power.

With only a slight difference in timing, it mirrored Hyun-sung’s own past ordeal with chilling accuracy.

That’s precisely why Hyun-sung couldn’t simply stand by and watch it unfold as someone else’s problem.

Hyun-sung responded to Oh Sang-cheol’s question with a steely gaze.

“Me? I’m that crazy bastard you were just talking about.”

“What are you babbling about?”

“I’m the guy you just so eloquently referred to as a ‘crazy bastard.'”

“What? So, you’re the ramen shop owner from across the street…?”

Oh Sang-cheol’s voice trailed off, disbelief etched across his face. It simply didn’t compute. He was just a high school student. What kind of business could a student possibly run?

Of course, when he’d first heard the rumors, he’d been told the person was young. But he’d assumed they’d be at least in their mid-20s.

Seeing Hyun-sung, still a student, rendered him speechless with surprise.

Hyun-sung pressed on, his voice firm.

“Whether my business succeeds or fails is something you’ll witness firsthand. Just remember this: if you make others cry, you’ll eventually shed tears of blood yourself.”

“What’s this young punk doing, acting like he knows everything about the world?”

“Um… could I ask you something?”

“What is it now?” Oh Sang-cheol snapped, his patience wearing thin.

Hyun-sung’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Place your hand on your heart and tell me honestly, do you truly have nothing weighing on your conscience?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“How can you so callously seize a store that someone has painstakingly built up over ten years without feeling even a shred of guilt?”

“You’re still wet behind the ears, aren’t you? Where did you pick up such naive sentiments?”

Hyun-sung nodded slowly at Oh Sang-cheol’s words, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “I see. So, living in this world for a long time just makes you shameless and thick-skinned, huh?”

“You little brat, are you deliberately trying to provoke me?”

“Do you think I’m some kind of joke just because I’m young and running a business? Fine, suit yourself. Go ahead and open your shop there. I’ll bleed you dry. I’ll make you regret the day you ever crossed paths with me.”

Hyun-sung shook his head, a mixture of disappointment and disgust washing over him.

He couldn’t tell if it was the passage of time or the accumulation of wealth that had warped him this way, but Oh Sang-cheol seemed utterly devoid of conscience.

He decided that further conversation with such a person would be a complete waste of time.

Hyun-sung fixed Oh Sang-cheol with a cold stare and said, “Let’s just stop this charade. It was my mistake to expect any decency from you. We’ll see who ends up withering away in the end.”

“What? ‘We’ll see’?”

“I have nothing more to say to you, so get out of here.”

“You must be sorely mistaken. This is *my* store now.”

Oh Sang-cheol’s voice rose in volume, laced with arrogance.

Hyun-sung retorted, his voice calm but firm. “I don’t know who’s mistaken here. But don’t forget that, legally, the right to operate in this location belongs to Jung-woo’s mother until the end of next month. Or are you unaware that the right of use takes precedence over ownership?”

“So what if it does?”

“So, be quiet and get out of here. Do you even realize that what you’re doing right now constitutes interference with business operations?”

There was nothing more to be gained from this exchange. Shin Myung-soon seemed to have steeled her resolve, so Hyun-sung decided to go all in.

Oh Sang-cheol’s face contorted into a mask of pure rage.

“You little bastard, just you wait and see. Go ahead and open your shop. I’m going to…”

“Okay, anytime. But you should leave this place today.”

As Hyun-sung finished speaking, Shin Myung-soon fixed Oh Sang-cheol with a piercing gaze.

She was about to say something when…

Oh Sang-cheol shot a venomous glare at Hyun-sung and stormed out of the store.

“You, you little punk…”

After leaving the store, Oh Sang-cheol marched directly toward the location where Hyun-sung was planning to open his ramen shop.

There was something he needed to verify.

He found a contractor named Yoo Min-cheol, busy installing electrical wiring on the ceiling.

Oh Sang-cheol approached Yoo Min-cheol and asked, “Hey, Min-cheol, are you busy?”

“Oh? What brings you here, boss?”

“I just need to check on something.”

“Sure, what is it?”

Oh Sang-cheol hesitated for a moment, then leaned in and said to Yoo Min-cheol, “Do you happen to know who the owner of this place is?”

“I don’t know him very well, since I was brought in through a referral. All I know is that he’s a high school student.”

“Wait a minute! Did you say ‘referral’? Who referred you?”

“Chairman Park did…”

“Who? Are you talking about Park Hee-cheol?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Oh Sang-cheol was visibly shaken.

He knew Park Hee-cheol extremely well. They had been friends since childhood, attending the same elementary, middle, and high schools.

Their relationship had been amicable until middle school.

The trouble began in their second year of high school.

The catalyst was a female student named Yoo Young-sook, who was in her first year of high school. Coincidentally, both of them fell head over heels for Yoo Young-sook at the same time.

Naturally, their friendship deteriorated rapidly from that point onward.

The decisive moment came a few days before the winter vacation. Yoo Young-sook chose Park Hee-cheol, and the two former friends became bitter enemies.

Oh Sang-cheol had always harbored a deep-seated complex about Park Hee-cheol. It all boiled down to his appearance. Both of them came from wealthy families, so money wasn’t an issue.

They were equally matched when it came to academics as well. But Oh Sang-cheol simply couldn’t compete with Park Hee-cheol’s good looks.

In the end, on the day Yoo Young-sook chose Park Hee-cheol, Oh Sang-cheol was so devastated that he lost his appetite for days.

That marked the beginning of their animosity.

Even after decades, the emotional scar from that time continued to fuel their mutual dislike to this day.

Haa!

Oh Sang-cheol’s mouth twisted into a strange grimace.

‘What is this…’ His mind raced.

Oh Sang-cheol turned back to Yoo Min-cheol and asked again, his voice tight with suppressed anger. “Do you know what kind of relationship the two of them have?”

“I’m not sure, but it was pretty obvious that they were very close.”

“A special relationship…”

Smirk.

A peculiar smile crept across Oh Sang-cheol’s face at that moment.

‘Park Hee-cheol, I won’t let you get away with this this time.’

Oh Sang-cheol turned and left, leaving the three men behind.

Hyun-sung turned to Shin Myung-soon and asked, “Do you feel any better now?”

“How can I even begin to describe the injustice I felt? But after giving that man a piece of my mind, I do feel a little relieved.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Anyway, the only way to truly get revenge on someone like that is to succeed. We have to save your store and make him eat his words.”

“Yes, they say if you’re wronged, you should rise in the world. Let’s work hard and prove him wrong.”

Even as Shin Myung-soon spoke those words, one thought lingered in her mind. It was Oh Sang-cheol’s final, chilling expression.

His last look, which seemed to promise that he wouldn’t let this go, sent shivers down her spine.

Oh Sang-cheol hadn’t even blinked an eye when he took over a shopping district that she had poured her heart and soul into for ten years. So, there was no telling what he might be capable of in the future.

Shin Myung-soon remained deeply uneasy.

Then Lee Jung-woo, who had been silently observing from the side, spoke up, his voice laced with concern. “Mom… are you okay?”

Lee Jung-woo’s voice was trembling slightly.

“Huh? Of course, I’m okay. Our Jung-woo must have been very surprised, right?”

“I’m okay, but Mom is…”

He felt a pang of guilt and sorrow for her.

He knew she must have been deeply upset, even though she hadn’t said a word. It hadn’t been long since he’d found out that his mother was worried about the store’s future.

To have reached this point, his mother must have been suffering in silence for at least a few months. He had been acting like a child, using his poor health as an excuse to avoid facing the problem.

But today, seeing Hyun-sung stand up for his mother, he had a sudden realization.

He was grateful that Hyun-sung was protecting his mother more than he, her own son, was. But on the other hand, he resented his own weakness and inaction.

He wanted to say something, to express his gratitude and support, but he couldn’t muster the courage.

He was scared and afraid of failing.

What he ultimately decided was that he couldn’t continue down this path. He couldn’t just hide behind his mother’s skirts like a child forever.

Lee Jung-woo turned to Hyun-sung, who was standing next to him, and said, “Hyun-sung, thank you.”

“You’re saying all sorts of things today. Let’s eat some ramen.”

“It’s so bloated, how can you even think about eating it?”

Lee Jung-woo’s words were true. The soup in the ramen bowl had been completely absorbed, leaving only the swollen noodles. Shin Myung-soon offered to cook it again, but Hyun-sung simply started eating the bloated ramen as if nothing was wrong.

Slurp.

“It’s okay, it feels like I’m eating *kalguksu* [Korean knife-cut noodle soup]…”

“What? *Kalguksu*? Anyway, it’s like a ghost who couldn’t speak in his past life is attached to you. Okay! Let’s eat, whether it’s ramen or *kalguksu*.”

The two began to devour the bloated ramen with gusto.

Slurp, slurp.

As Lee Jung-woo ate with surprising enthusiasm, Hyun-sung asked, “How is it?”

“It’s actually more delicious than I thought. It feels like I’m eating udon [thick wheat flour noodle] .”

“Right? It’s surprisingly good. Should we add this to the menu as a special item?”

“You crazy bastard!”

Giggle.

The two looked at each other for a moment and then burst out laughing.

In fact, there was something else he wanted to discuss with Lee Jung-woo today.

When they were almost finished eating the ramen, Hyun-sung looked at Lee Jung-woo and said, “If you’re done eating, let’s go somewhere.”

“Where are we going?”

“Let’s start upper body workouts from today. And there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Lee Jung-woo looked at Hyun-sung, a flicker of determination in his eyes. He had been thinking that he couldn’t continue living like this. He thought this was a good opportunity.

“Okay, let’s go. I have a lot on my mind today. You have to listen to everything I have to say.”

Hyun-sung was taken aback by Lee Jung-woo’s serious demeanor.

It was the first time he had ever seen him like this.

“Lee Jung-woo, what happened to you today?”

“Something did happen.”

“When did it happen?”

Lee Jung-woo glanced at Hyun-sung and continued, his cheeks flushing slightly. “Let’s talk about it outside first. It’s a little embarrassing to talk about it here.”

Shin Myung-soon, who had been watching the scene unfold, smiled warmly.

“Our Jung-woo is finally becoming an adult.”

“Yes, Mother! From now on, I’m going to try my best to be a real human being. I’ll take care of our mother from now on.”

“Hoho, did you hear that, Hyun-sung? Our Jung-woo is calling me ‘Mother’ now.”

Hyun-sung, who was watching the heartwarming scene, couldn’t help but smile.

“He’s cute, isn’t he?”

“Hoho, yes…”