Real Man

This time, Jung Hyun-woo filled Yoo-hyun’s glass.

“Se-jung hyung is right. It can’t be helped.”

“It can’t be helped?”

“Yes. These things happen all the time in the development department. It’s natural that the performance varies depending on the given task. We worked hard to seize that opportunity.”

“…”

Jung Hyun-woo had been overlooked for promotion just because he belonged to the support team.

But now, he had made it to the company magazine, and received a lot of bonus money.

Not only that, he had become a competent talent who was recognized by other team leaders and group leaders.

Was it possible to achieve that with just effort?

Yoo-hyun knew it wasn’t, but he didn’t say it out loud.

He just quietly drank his liquor.

Instead of Yoo-hyun, Jang Jun-sik spoke up.

“It’s thanks to the director that we did well. He set the right direction for us. If another organization had done the same thing, they would never have made it this far.”

“I know, the direction was right. But still…”

As Yoo-hyun hesitated, Jang Jun-sik raised his voice.

“Didn’t we make a huge profit thanks to the semiconductor display? The company will grow more, and the benefits will go back to the employees.”

Was that really the case?

Did the current outcome change the future of Jang Jun-sik, who had struggled under the former deputy director Seong Woong-jin?

Yoo-hyun thought he had made a great decision for everyone, but the benefits didn’t reach the bottom.

Rather, there were people who were compared and ignored.

Like Kim Ho-seong, the assistant manager.

Was it right for the minority to be sacrificed for the majority?

Yoo-hyun was silent for a while, as his thoughts boiled up.

The next day, Yoo-hyun arrived at the company and checked the mobile business division’s plan first.

To be precise, he checked the performance data of the mobile business division’s sales marketing team, which was the origin of Yoo-hyun.

It was only an overview that was uploaded to the system, but there was no problem in understanding the flow.

After looking over the general content, Yoo-hyun received the details from Choi Min-hee, the team leader.

“Hmm…”

The more he checked the content, the more bitter he felt in his mouth.

Kwon Se-jung, the assistant manager, came up to Yoo-hyun with a casual look and handed him a coffee.

“Are you still looking at that?”

“Thank you. I feel a bit sorry the more I look at it.”

“Why?”

“Just. I feel like I can see the history.”

Yoo-hyun pointed to the monitor, where the plans made by Kim Ho-seong, the assistant manager, were displayed by year.

Kwon Se-jung, who quickly scanned them with his eyes, gave a bitter smile.

“He was pushed back even during the retina premium era.”

“Yeah. He planned a high-resolution panel, but then the innovative product TF came out.”

“It would have been nice if he had gone with them.”

“It was a different part, so it wouldn’t have been easy to move. It would have been hard to raise his hand willingly.”

The innovative product TF was created by Kim Hyun-min, the team leader at the time, but the people who joined him were all from the 3rd part.

There was no reason to help the organization that had fallen behind in terms of responsibility.

How could Kim Ho-seong, the assistant manager, who was from a different part, raise his hand in such a situation?

The biggest problem was the barrier between the organizations.

Of course, there was also a product barrier.

He came up with the idea of making a curved panel with LCD, but it was overshadowed by flexible OLED.

The ultra-small ultra-high-resolution panel was blocked by the semiconductor display before it even started.

All the plans that Kim Ho-seong, the assistant manager, had worked hard to make were all bubbles.

He did his best in the given conditions, but the situation didn’t support him.

Kwon Se-jung pointed out that part.

“He’s very meticulous. He researched the prices for each case. Even down to the parts.”

“The evidence is also solid. It’s a plan that would have been highly praised if he had the chance.”

“Right. It doesn’t seem like something to be underestimated because of timing or jealousy. I should reflect on myself a bit.”

Yoo-hyun was surprised by Kwon Se-jung’s sudden repentance mode.

“Why are you like that? You didn’t know either.”

“Still. I feel sorry for him. To be honest, when I was in the marketing team, I was a bit jealous too.”

“You got promoted fast.”

“That was because Seong deputy director left and I got lucky.”

Kwon Se-jung, who waved his hand, suddenly asked.

“By the way, Yoo-hyun, what are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“You seem to care about this, so I thought you were going to take some action. Han Yoo-hyun is that kind of guy.”

“Do you know me better than myself?”

“Of course. I’ve seen you for a long time.”

Kwon Se-jung had watched Yoo-hyun’s actions since he joined the company.

Others might find it hard to believe, but Yoo-hyun, who was a new employee, almost saved the 3rd part.

Kim Hyun-min, the executive director, had a reason to cherish Yoo-hyun.

The workers at the Ulsan factory also felt the same.

Whenever he went on a business trip, he could feel how grateful they were to Yoo-hyun.

Of course, the one who felt that the most was Kwon Se-jung himself.

Yoo-hyun waved his hand at Kwon Se-jung, who was looking at him with a sticky gaze.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“You saw it, right? I was looking at Hyun-woo behind you.”

As Kwon Se-jung pointed his chin, Jung Hyun-woo reacted quickly.

“Me?”

“No, nothing. Just work.”

Kwon Se-jung turned his head with embarrassment.

Yoo-hyun, who chuckled, said a word to his colleague.

“I’m going to meet him once.”

“That’s a good idea. If you have a drink with him, you’ll get an answer.”

“I was thinking of doing that. But it’s not working out.”

“Why?”

“He keeps avoiding contact.”

Yoo-hyun shook his head as he held his phone.

That afternoon, Kim Ho-seong, the assistant manager, was in the customer service room on the first floor.

After finishing the meeting, his phone flashed as he was packing his stuff.

-Senior, this is Han Yoo-hyun. Let’s have a drink today. I know a really good place.

Kim Ho-seong, who saw the message on the screen, felt a chill.

He suddenly remembered yesterday.

“I must be crazy. Who did I grab by the collar?”

The other person was his junior, but he was the leader of a successful organization.

There was a rumor that he had the backing of the president and the crown prince.

More than that, there was a scene that made Kim Ho-seong shiver.

It was the sight of Yoo-hyun beating up the thugs.

At a previous dinner, Kim Ho-seong had witnessed the scene firsthand.

The notorious Go Jae-yoon, the deputy director, had not been able to look Yoo-hyun in the eye ever since.

He thought it was a coincidence, but he was sure when he saw him hit the champion’s back.

He’s a really scary guy!

What if Yoo-hyun tries to get revenge?

Shudder.

Kim Ho-seong, who shook off the worst-case scenario, left the customer service room.

As he walked briskly, a man appeared in front of him.

Kim Ho-seong staggered as he was startled.

“Whoa!”

“Are you okay?”

He closed his eyes as a fist flew at him.

He was so surprised that he didn’t even notice that he had dropped his laptop.

Yoo-hyun quickly caught the falling laptop and supported Kim Ho-seong, who was swaying.

Kim Ho-seong, who realized the situation belatedly, bowed his head.

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? Why?”

“I was not paying attention…”

“You can speak comfortably.”

Yoo-hyun spoke softly, but Kim Ho-seong didn’t.

He still remembered grabbing his collar vividly, and his voice was low.

Of course, he followed Yoo-hyun’s words.

“I was really sorry about yesterday.”

“Why?”

“Well, that collar…”

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

Yoo-hyun shrugged his shoulders and held his laptop under his arm.

As he took a step forward, Kim Ho-seong followed him.

“So you’re just letting it go?”

“Let’s have a drink today. I have a good place in mind.”

It was a good offer, but Kim Ho-seong still felt uneasy.

He gave an awkward laugh and pointed his hand toward the exit.

“Drink? Haha! I have to go to an English academy after work today.”

“I know it’s your day off at the English academy.”

“Huh? Well, it’s an academy, but I have some work left to do.”

“Manager Park said he would take care of it for you. He’s not here, right?”

Yoo-hyun blocked him, and Kim Ho-seong blinked his eyes and rubbed his stomach.

“Huh? Well… I have a bad stomach, so I shouldn’t drink more.”

“I knew you would say that, so I bought a hangover remedy. It’ll make you feel better.”

Swoosh.

Kim Ho-seong took the hangover remedy that Yoo-hyun handed him and blinked his eyes.

Seeing him like this, he didn’t seem to want to get revenge by drinking.

That made him more confused.

“Do you really want to drink with me?”

“Yes. You like tripe, right? Let’s just have one bottle of low-alcohol liquor.”

“Why? What do you gain from drinking with me?”

“I’m not going because I have something to gain. I just like tripe too. I can’t find anyone who has the same taste around me.”

“…”

Kim Ho-seong lost his words at Yoo-hyun’s casual words.

Yoo-hyun pulled his arm.

“Let’s go. Okay?”

“Huh? Uh…”

Kim Ho-seong nodded his head reluctantly.

After work, Yoo-hyun took a seat at a tripe restaurant in Yeouido.

He filled Kim Ho-seong’s glass, who was sitting across from him.

“I never thought this day would come.”

“Why?”

“Well, what do you want to hear from me?”

“Just. I want to hear how you’re doing. I’m curious about the old team too.”

Yoo-hyun didn’t have a specific purpose.

He had already checked Kim Ho-seong’s effort and skill through the plan.

Yoo-hyun wanted to know more than that, he wanted to know the person Kim Ho-seong.

He wanted to face the real image of a colleague who was not always close, but a step away.

Kim Ho-seong, who had no idea of Yoo-hyun’s intentions, still looked puzzled.

“Why me? You can ask someone else.”

“I’m not that well-connected, you know.”

“Why not? You know all the successful people. Your reputation is great in our development team.”

“That’s different. When I try to contact the team, there’s no one to contact.”

Squeak.

As Yoo-hyun grilled the tripe, Kim Ho-seong rolled his eyes.

He recalled the faces of the people and nodded his head.

“Well, the female employees you were close with moved to other departments, so there’s no one left.”

“Right? Why do you think that is?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you were too biased…”

Kim Ho-seong, who was about to say something, hesitated, and Yoo-hyun gestured.

“Please say it. It’s okay.”

“No, nothing.”

“Then have a drink.”

Yoo-hyun smiled gently and handed him a glass.

Kim Ho-seong, who had a reluctant expression, clinked glasses with him.

Did he lie about having a bad stomach?

Or was the hangover remedy really effective?

Kim Ho-seong, who had been drinking slowly, started to drink very fast at some point.

Yoo-hyun, who had decided to match him, had a hard time keeping up.

“You can really drink a lot.”

“You’ve never drunk with me before.”

“Just, you had that image.”

“You mean quiet and introverted, right?”

“Not exactly.”

Kim Ho-seong waved his hand as if Yoo-hyun’s words were cliché.