Real Man

Fueled by alcohol, he shed his introverted label and spoke his mind with a fast voice.

“It’s true. I know my personality. That’s why I couldn’t be proactive like Deputy Park Seung-woo, no, he’s a manager now. Yeah, Manager Park Seung-woo. I was just whining and complaining.”

“Manager Park?”

“Yeah. Do you remember HPDA3? It was a PDA panel.”

“Of course. Manager Park was in charge of it.”

Yoo-hyun said and Kim Ho-sung showed a bitter smile.

“Yeah. He threw it away without hesitation. I wanted to say I wouldn’t do it either. I hated doing it.”

“Ah…”

Yoo-hyun had a feeling what he was talking about.

“But I’m the successor of Manager Shin Chan-yong. What can I do? I have to do it.”

“I see.”

“Yeah. I think it went wrong since then. Hey, what can I do? It’s not my fault.”

Kim Ho-sung blamed himself, but the root cause was Yoo-hyun.

The bomb he passed to Shin Chan-yong was transferred to the innocent Kim Ho-sung.

It was like killing a frog with a stone he threw to correct his past mistake.

He didn’t think about it.

Or did he really not know?

He had a sudden thought that he knew but ignored it.

Yoo-hyun didn’t argue but bowed his head.

“I was short-sighted.”

“I saw your proposal. I was very impressed by your meticulous summary.”

“Huh. The one I worked hard and threw away?”

“It was too good to throw away. I wanted to save it somehow…”

Yoo-hyun was sincere, but Kim Ho-sung sneered.

“Enough. I don’t feel anything when I hear that from you, even if others don’t know. Doesn’t it sound like pity?”

“It’s not like that.”

Yoo-hyun said hastily, but Kim Ho-sung didn’t stop talking.

“Ask our team members. They all think the same, right? They couldn’t even ask you anything, even if they were curious. Why? Because it hurts their pride.”

“…”

Come to think of it, he never heard from anyone except the 3rd part.

He thought they were just not close, but was it too hard to contact him?

Kim Ho-sung laughed as he saw Yoo-hyun thinking.

“You’re a junior, but you have a higher rank and position. What can they say to you? A director, who can call you like that? Look at me. I don’t even know what to say.”

“I thought rank was just a formality.”

“Maybe for you. But I can’t go to the alumni meeting because I’m behind. It’s embarrassing. I’m the only deputy. Oh, you can’t go either.”

“Why?”

When Yoo-hyun asked, Kim Ho-sung vented his anger.

“Do they invite you? They can’t, right? Right?”

“That’s true… I think they did.”

The alumni meeting that used to be active was also quiet these days.

Yoo-hyun was thinking and answering, and Kim Ho-sung’s glass was empty again.

He received a drink from Yoo-hyun and revealed his true feelings.

“Anyway, I felt a lot of inferiority to you, my junior. But the gap was too big, so do you know how I feel?”

“I don’t know.”

“I wanted to catch up with you. I envied and hated you, and now I have this thought. Isn’t it funny?”

“It can’t be.”

Yoo-hyun reached out his hand, but Kim Ho-sung shook his head.

“No. It’s funny. I know it. How should I say it… I was jealous of your subordinates.”

“…”

He might have exaggerated his feelings because of the alcohol.

There were many empty bottles, and Kim Ho-sung’s tongue was twisted.

But there was a human being named Han Yoo-hyun, seen from the outside.

“Thanks to you, who cleared the opposition of the upper people with the semiconductor display, your employees could work comfortably.”

“I didn’t do it alone, we worked hard together.”

“Anyway. While we were doing the opposition for the sake of opposition, you guys did what you wanted to do. That’s the truth.”

“That’s…”

“Right. You guys were rewarding and recognized. There’s nothing better than that.”

The semiconductor display was an item that Yoo-hyun put out for the company, and to stop Director Lee Joon-il.

He whipped hard to quell the opposition of the CTO, the mobile business unit, and others who he defined as vested interests.

He thought that speeding up was for everyone’s sake.

He only tried to use the people who opposed him in the process, but he didn’t think about what their position would be.

No, did he really not know?

He had a sudden thought that he knew but ignored it.

Yoo-hyun didn’t argue but bowed his head.

“I was short-sighted.”

“Your thinking was short. Of course, you only looked ahead and ran to achieve your goal. And you got amazing results, so the company thinks you did very well. It’s just that our situation is a bit shitty.”

“…”

When Yoo-hyun was silent, Kim Ho-sung raised his voice.

“Let’s take back the shitty part. I think I’ll regret it a lot tomorrow.”

“No, thank you for your good words.”

“You’re the first person to compliment me when I’m drunk. How about a drink to celebrate?”

“Yes, sure.”

Kim Ho-sung, who had a clear smile on his face, looked empty.

Yoo-hyun had a feeling why he drank so much.

It was quite late when he parted with Kim Ho-sung.

Maybe it was because he drank a lot, but he felt dizzy.

Yoo-hyun, who was sitting alone on the bench, quietly recalled the conversation with Kim Ho-sung.

In his harsh words, there was a clear picture of Han Yoo-hyun, seen from outside the fence.

The youngest manager, the youngest director.

People judged Yoo-hyun by his titles, regardless of the process.

The visible results made the distance between him and his colleagues wider.

“What’s the big deal…”

Yoo-hyun smirked and looked at the Hansung Yeouido Center across the street.

He saw the faint light coming out of the 12th floor and remembered someone.

It was Lee Chan Ho, his senior.

How did he feel about his junior who surpassed him?

He must have resented him, but Lee Chan Ho didn’t show it.

He was rather more cheerful.

How could he do that?

Yoo-hyun picked up his phone with a sudden thought.

Ring ring ring.

After the call was connected, he heard a firm and deep voice.

-Hey, Yoo-hyun, what’s up at this hour?

“I miss you, deputy.”

Lee Chan Ho heard Yoo-hyun’s slurred voice and asked right away.

-Kid, you’re drunk. Where are you?

“I’m at the bus stop in front of the company. Just…”

-That’s good. Stay there. I’ll be right there.

Lee Chan Ho hung up the phone before Yoo-hyun could answer.

Yoo-hyun looked at the screen that ended the call and blinked.

Lee Chan Ho arrived five minutes later.

It was a tight time to catch the elevator and come down, but he had a bottle of drink in his hand.

He handed Yoo-hyun the bottle and sat down next to him with a sigh.

“Good thing nothing happened.”

“Did you worry about me?”

“Not really. Here, drink this.”

“Huh? It’s honey tea.”

He explained as he handed him the bottle.

“Yeah. It’s the same thing you used to buy for Manager Park. I didn’t know what you liked, so I bought this.”

“…”

“The wind is nice and cool.”

He pretended to be casual, but there was sweat on Lee Chan Ho’s forehead.

Yoo-hyun thanked him.

“Honey tea… I’ll drink it well. Thank you.”

“What are you talking about? Why is your voice so hoarse?”

“Just. I’m touched.”

“You’re touched by everything. But why did you look for me? Do you have something to tell me?”

“Can’t I look for you?”

“Well, it’s not that, but it’s a bit surprising.”

It was surprising because they rarely spent time together.

Yoo-hyun always had Manager Park Seung-woo or Manager Kim Young-gil by his side.

It wasn’t because he hated him, but it just happened.

Whoo.

Yoo-hyun blurted out his purpose as the wind blew.

“Are you not uncomfortable with me, deputy?”

“Uncomfortable? What are you talking about?”

“Just. I’m your junior. I got promoted before you, and I became a director.”

When Yoo-hyun explained, Lee Chan Ho shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh, that? Anyone can see that you earned it because you did well. I saw the whole process, so how can you say that?”

“That’s different.”

“Well, to be honest, I was a bit upset when we got promoted to deputy together, but when you became a manager, I had nothing to say.”

“But why didn’t you show it?”

“Just, there was a reason for that.”

Yoo-hyun moved closer to Lee Chan Ho, who looked awkward.

He wanted to hear his answer, maybe because of the alcohol.

“I’m curious.”

“Ha! Kid. What are you curious about? I owe you a lot. I’m grateful to you. Is that enough?”

“What did I do for you?”

Yoo-hyun didn’t do much for him.

When he helped Manager Park Seung-woo or Manager Kim Young-gil, or Team Leader Choi Min-hee, he didn’t pay much attention to him.

He didn’t have to, because Lee Chan Ho did his job well.

Lee Chan Ho brought up a very trivial memory that Yoo-hyun had forgotten.

“You didn’t get selected as the person in charge for the European exhibition thanks to you. So I could handle the color phone mockup.”

“You were good at mockups anyway. You would have done it even if it wasn’t for me.”

“No. It was because of you that I got the opportunity. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have had a chance.”

“Why do you think that?”

“No matter how hard you work, there are many people who can’t get a chance. That’s how the company is.”

As he heard Lee Chan Ho’s words, a phrase from Hansung Group’s management philosophy flashed through Yoo-hyun’s mind.

-Hansung provides fair opportunities and fair treatment to all employees.

It was a phrase that Yoo-hyun shouted with his hand on his chest when he received executive training.

Yoo-hyun smirked and said.

“That means the company is not doing its job.”

“Hey, the company is not a charity, it doesn’t care about each individual. That’s how the system is. What can you do? You have to try to catch the opportunity somehow in that system.”

“Is that really the case?”

“Why are you making such a serious face? I’m fine. At least I have something to submit for the contest.”

“What contest?”

“Oh, just. I’ve been trying every year like Manager Park.”

“So that’s why you worked late.”

“The deadline is coming soon. But now that OLED products are out, I might have a chance. Even if I don’t, I’ll try until the end.”

Lee Chan Ho seemed to be trying to create his own opportunity.

His will was good, but would it work?

Manager Park Seung-woo’s color phone was successful because of the timing.

Now, no matter how good Lee Chan Ho was, the contest winners were monopolized by the upper departments of Hansung Electronics.

It meant that he couldn’t reach them no matter how hard he tried.

“You’re amazing.”

Instead of telling the truth, Yoo-hyun praised his senior who was trying to improve.

He really looked amazing right now.