150. Eight sixty three
It was two years ago.
When I was entering the graduate school for the master’s program in mechanical engineering at Hankuk University, several things happened at the same time.
At that time, Balhae Sports was preparing to go public as a sports goods manufacturer, but a problem occurred due to the Siheung warehouse during the audit process for listing.
It was pointed out that I, who owns the Siheung warehouse, may have a problem in the commercial law if I receive a share in the company.
Since this was a trick the founder of Balhae Sports made a long time ago to make a stake for his second son, it was a natural result that he received an audit notice.
At the same time, as the move-in was confirmed as the Cheongju Industrial Complex of the Balhae Sports Factory, it was no longer necessary for Balhae Sports to have a Siheung warehouse.
It wasn’t just this.
As if waiting for this news… A real estate developer came to me, and he offered me more than double the market price, saying he wanted to buy a warehouse site.
Really, the timing was perfect. It’s like selling warehouse land.
But the land could not be sold.
12 years ago… There are two reasons why I bought the warehouse in Siheung until I gave up the copyright of the CJH algorithm. One was to prevent Youngmi from moving to Gangwon Province, and the other was because of the promise she made with Youngmi in the past.
The promise to live at the foot of Mt. Sorae.
When I heard that it was the land I bought to build a house to live in, a real estate developer asked me if I knew about the joint-stock project.
In simple terms, a joint venture with a holding company is a partnership with a developer.
As the owner of the site, I provide the land, and the developer builds a building on the site to generate profits and share the profits.
This meant that I could build a luxury villa and earn a sale, and at the same time choose one of the built villas to live in.
“Wow-! It’s really nice here.”
I don’t know how many times I’ve said good.
“So good?”
Youngmi nodded her head in response to my question.
“yes! It felt like there was a slight burnout after Doctor Defense, but now I feel like my whole body is being recharged.”
Says it’s charging.
Every time I visited this place in my past life, Youngmi said the same thing.
“Young-mi, come over here for a second.”
I took Yeong-mi’s hand and headed towards the warehouse site, and after passing a low barrier, a warehouse building that was no longer in use was revealed.
“uh? right there right here? A warehouse used by my father’s company.”
I nodded, and Youngmi asked with a curious expression.
“I heard that this warehouse is no longer used by the company, what happened?”
“It’s back in my hands.”
It has already been a year and six months since I gave up my stake in Balhae Sports and got the warehouse site back.
At my words, Youngmi nodded and said.
“I see. So what are you going to do with this warehouse and the land?”
The joint-stock project is progressing more slowly than expected. No, it wasn’t progressing at all until a while ago.
The biggest problem was that there was no builder who could come up with a good contract. In particular, regarding design changes and additional construction, there were many contractors who offered a contract to eat raw, in short, and in the midst of such sluggishness, they were negotiating the details of a contract with a construction company that had recently offered good conditions.
I opened my mouth to Youngmi’s question of what to do with this place.
“Well… . Young-mi, what are we going to do here?”
Youngmi smiled and said.
“He… ! Why did you ask me that?”
I grabbed Yeong-mi’s hand and pulled her away.
So we moved towards the empty lot behind the warehouse, and the moment we passed the corner of the warehouse building… A large pine tree appeared in front of us.
The two huge branches of the pine tree looked as if their arms were outstretched toward the sky.
Youngmi looked at the tree without saying a word for a long time, and opened her mouth with her eyes fixed on the tree.
“Jeong-ho, this tree… Why does it feel so familiar? I think I’ve seen it before… … .”
“Have you never been here with your father before?”
Youngmi shook her head with a frustrated expression.
“no. It’s my first time here today… . Why does it feel so familiar? Hmm… It’s strange.”
“Come here.”
I took Young-mi’s hand and moved under the pine tree.
“Ahhh-! You must be here somewhere… … .”
I curled up and stretched my left hand upwards and started groping tree branches, and Yeong-mi said to me with a curious expression.
“what are you doing?”
Ignoring Youngmi’s question, I moved my left hand back and forth over the branch.
“ah… ! found!”
As I lowered my left hand from the branch, Yeong-mi’s eyes focused on my left fist.
“What did you find?”
I smiled and opened my mouth.
“Young-mi.”
Yeong-mi’s gaze turns to me again.
I slowly spread my left hand, picked up the ring on the palm of my hand, and held it to Yeong-mi.
“Young-mi, let’s get married.”
A half-moon-shaped smile was drawn in Yeong-mi’s eyes looking at me.
Youngmi and I got on the bus going back to Seoul and sat side by side in the back seat.
“Then when will the construction be finished?”
I shrugged my shoulders in response to Youngmi’s question.
“Now that we have confirmed the design drawings, we sign the contract, and sooner or later we will come up with a construction plan.”
Youngmi nodded, and I continued.
“They say that the construction will start within 3-4 months at the latest, and the construction will be finished in 7-8 months after the start… About a year?”
A total of four luxury villas will be built. Originally, five villa buildings were planned, but the fifth building was removed to preserve the view from the mountainside and leave the large pine tree behind the warehouse intact.
Young-mi rested her head on my shoulder, moved her left hand to and fro, looking at the ring on her ring finger.
“Hopefully next year will come.”
I nodded at Yeongmi’s words and said.
“It’s okay to look forward to it. When you wake up in the morning and open the window in the living room, the first tree you proposed to is the first thing you see.”
the next morning.
While the school was preparing for an experiment, I got a call from Youngmi.
Hearing that he was waiting at the coffee shop on the first floor of the machine building, I went down to the lobby one step at a time.
“Are you here quickly? I was preparing for an experiment, so I thought it would take some time.”
I said, pointing to Youngmi’s left hand.
“The person who has the absolute ring is calling, and you have to run.”
At my words, Youngmi smiled and pulled out a large book from her bag, and carefully held the paper between the books as if it were a treasure.
“Remember this?”
It was a picture.
It was a large picture of a pine tree, and my initials were written in the lower right corner of the picture along with the date.
＜1997. 12. 10. by CJH>
This is a picture of a pine tree that I drew for Youngmi when she was a freshman in high school. I said with a slight smile.
“Did you come all the way here in the morning to show me this?”
The College of Science building and the Machinery Building are located quite far from each other.
Youngmi nodded at my question, took out a pen from her bag and held it to me.
“Why a pen?”
“Draw it here.”
“What?”
“The way I was proposed yesterday.”
I almost smiled, but seeing Youngmi’s serious expression, I fixed my expression and opened the cap of the pen and said:
“ruler! then… Would you like to show off your art skills after a long time?”
After a while, when I finished the painting, Yeongmi said ＜1997. 12. 10 by CJH>, he said, pointing to the place where it was written.
“Write down yesterday’s date next to here.”
I nodded and wrote the date down.
＜2009. 5. 19>
Youngmi checked the picture with a bright smile and carefully put it back between the books.
With the book in her bag, Youngmi got up and said.
“Sorry for interrupting the experiment! Then I will go. Go upstairs and do the experiment.”
“You can do it slowly. I will drive you to the Faculty of Science building.”
So I was walking to the College of Science building.
Yeongmi moved her lips as if to say something, and finally opened her mouth.
“ah… ! right! How was the last time you had Rouge surgery?”
It refers to the operation of sutured suture of an abdominal cut in Rouge.
Yeonji seemed to have come to Korea with the intention of really dying.
It is said that before coming to Korea, he donated all his fortune to an organization that supports the adjustment of mentally ill patients to society. So, let alone the cost of surgery, he said he had no money to pay for emergency room treatment and one day’s hospitalization.
At that time, I was going to pay for Yeonji’s surgery, but before making the decision, I explained the situation to Youngmi and got permission.
Since then, Yeong-mi has never talked about Yeonji, so I thought she forgot… Still, he seems to be a little concerned.
“You said you were discharged last week, so the operation went well, right? maybe… ?”
“I’m glad. So what happened to that reporter?”
I opened my mouth with a bitter expression.
“Looking at the fact that you are still writing articles these days, you seem to be doing well.”
On that day, as he entered the house of a reporter of the century, the troops that Lee Hee-rak requested for assistance were not the police but employees of the National Intelligence Service.
After Yeonji was taken to the ambulance, Manager Lee Hee-rak said that the NIS would take care of the rest… In the end, it was covered with nothing.
Yeah, maybe that’s why I cover it up like this… It may be a good decision for Yeonji.
* * *
the same afternoon.
Gangnam ＜Data Field> president’s office.
President Jung Myung-soo opened his mouth.
“How was your first day today?”
“It was good. Everyone was friendly and it was ok.”
“Looking at how you are working today, it seems that you have roughly grasped the task, right?”
President Jung spoke with a happy expression on his face.
“This is a secretary by nature, but soon I will be managing all of the company’s business. Of course, there will be a lot to learn.”
“all right.”
“The average age of our employees is 35. That’s why everyone’s like brothers and sisters, so it’s okay not to talk too harshly.”
“Yes, I will try.”
“But what about the wounds?”
At President Jung’s question, the woman’s lips with red lipstick thinned slightly, but she soon corrected her expression and opened her mouth.
“It’s all good now.”
“I know that cuts from a knife are easy to heal. Take care of yourself.”
“yes… .”
“Mr. Yeonji, then, just leave work today.”
“Isn’t your boss at work?”
“I have some work to finish.”
“Then I will stay and continue to figure out my work.”
“I don’t have to do that… .”
At President Jung’s words, Roeji slightly rolled up her red lipstick-painted lips and said.
“I want to get overtime pay. I have to work diligently to pay off the debt to the person who helped me with the surgery and even saved my life.”
President Jung nodded and said.
“Then do it.”
* * *
1 year later.
October 2010.
Five of our members reunited at Gangnam Station ＜Garlic Bulgogi> after a year.
“What was life like as an American correspondent?”
At Eunseong’s question, Suyeol hyung smiled and said.
“Well, it’s nothing. To be honest, it was a little boring.”
“but… Since you went to the US, there haven’t been many big things. right?”
“right. Except for the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh last year and the Obama Nobel Peace Prize, it was really quiet.”
“I think it must have been very noisy because of the Obama care… is not it?”
Su-yeol hyung nodded his head in response to my question.
“right. It was very noisy in America. In fact, it’s still noisy. However, I had to write an article with it and send it to the Korean head office, but after cutting it all out and posting it as a three-line short article, I only lost my motivation. under-!”
Suyeol hyung gave a bitter expression with a brief sigh, and Eunseong opened his mouth.
“The life of a Washington correspondent for the Hapdong Ilbo, isn’t this too generous?”
“right. If it was too much, I personally prepared a plan and interview.”
“Five… ! Correspondent Ha Su-yeol’s Washington plan coverage! What is that?”
At Eun-seong’s question, Su-yeol smirked and opened his mouth, looking at Eun-seong and In-cheol, then Jin-goo and me in turn.
“You guys, do you know the Dong-A Ilbo misinformation incident in 1945?”