Real Man

Chapter 27:

Chapter 27

He was lost in deep thoughts when someone approached him from the side.

“What are you doing?”

It was Jeong Da-bin’s face.

“Ah, nothing.”

“Everyone is waiting for you, oppa.”

“Waiting for what? We finished the evening assignment well.”

“Hey, we don’t have much time left. It’s nice to see your face more. But it feels empty without the pillar of our team.”

“Who is the pillar of our team?”

When Yoo-hyun asked with a baffled expression, Jeong Da-bin answered without blinking.

“You, oppa.”

“Why me? We have a team leader.”

“It’s you that everyone relies on.”

“…”

She fired a barrage of words at Yoo-hyun, who fell silent.

“You are the one who sets the big direction, and the one who helps people from behind without trying to stand out.”

“Geez.”

“Honestly, everyone must think that you are the real team leader in their minds, right?”

“…Well, thanks for saying that.”

“I’m not just saying it. It’s true.”

She looked serious, which made him feel a bit uncomfortable. But it wasn’t entirely flattery.

It was a grateful thing.

It meant that his inner change had reached his teammates positively.

He had never had anyone who thought warmly of him from behind.

He was always a sharp and scary presence to his colleagues and subordinates.

But now they depended on him.

They called him the pillar of the team even when he was just standing still.

Yoo-hyun’s lips curled up slightly.

She didn’t miss that small change.

“Oppa.”

“What?”

When Yoo-hyun turned his head, he saw her staring at him intently.

Her face was slightly flushed and her eyes sparkled.

There was a lingering tension in her gaze.

He felt something ticklish in the air and stepped back a bit. But she moved in quickly.

“I used to like ambitious men. That was my ideal type.”

“That’s nice.”

“But I changed after seeing you. I realized that a man who wants to be with me is more attractive.”

“…”

-My ideal type is an ambitious man. In that regard, you are the best man, sir.

Suddenly, he remembered the bold confession of Jeong Da-hye, his former colleague who worked with him 10 years ago.

It crossed with Jeong Da-bin’s words.

Her urban and intellectual face overlapped with Jeong Da-bin’s round face that had just graduated from college.

They had some similarities in their features, but their vibes and tones were completely different.

The only things they had in common were their gender and age.

It felt weird.

Yoo-hyun blinked his eyes and asked.

“Do you have any female relatives your age?”

“Why are you asking that now? You are so clueless as a man.”

He felt like he knew the answer without hearing it.

‘You are clueless because you care…’

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Yoo-hyun waved his hand and said.

“No, I’ll go first.”

“Hey, why is that?”

“Just because.”

“Oppa, let’s go together.”

Jeong Da-bin chased after Yoo-hyun, who walked down the hallway with quick steps.

The training for new employees at Hansung was really tough.

There was a lot to learn and a lot to do.

There was no time to rest, whether it was night or weekend.

Four hours of sleep per day was average.

Of course, Team 6, where Yoo-hyun belonged, was a bit different from other teams.

The team atmosphere had revived after several successes.

Now they tried to finish the team assignments as quickly as possible by pooling their strength.

They didn’t hesitate to challenge themselves and sought quick solutions by brainstorming together.

The individual assignments were also the same.

They secured more time relatively and it was much easier.

“Let’s finish today’s evening assignment too!”

Even Choi Seul-gi, who was usually quiet except for dancing, was fired up by their enthusiasm.

“Yeah. I’ll buy ramen tonight. Yoo-hyun, you have to come too. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

It was a lively atmosphere.

They were on their way back to the classroom after having dinner with their teammates and doing their assignments.

Yoo-hyun saw Kwon Se-jung on the side of the road at the bottom of the hill.

He was politely greeting someone, and when he looked closely, it was Chief Choi Kang-won.

What was going on?

He didn’t look unhappy as he watched Chief Choi Kang-won walk away, so it didn’t seem like a bad thing.

Yoo-hyun asked his teammates for permission.

“Go ahead. I have someone to see for a moment.”

As he said that, Yoo-hyun went down the hill.

He had become quite close to Kwon Se-jung and asked him casually.

“Are you okay?”

“What? Oh, Chief Choi? I just ran into him. He asked about you too.”

Yoo-hyun walked naturally and Kwon Se-jung followed him.

“Really? Nothing special? Today is his last day, right?”

“Yeah. He’s going back now. He said he’ll see me at the company. But he looked like he knew something. Do you think the department announcement is out?”

“Probably.”

“Aren’t you nervous?”

The department announcement must have been decided already.

It was supposed to be announced after the group training at the company training.

Yoo-hyun chuckled and asked.

“Why? Are you afraid of going to TV marketing? Aren’t you scared of Chief Choi?”

“He seemed like a nice person. He smiled a lot.”

You rascal.

Did you forget how you got scolded on the first day?

He hadn’t spent much time with Chief Choi Kang-won, but he was definitely not an easy-going style.

He showed the characteristics of a person who had a clear territory.

He also pushed away anyone who tried to invade his territory.

He took good care of those who worked well under him. 

But if they made a slight mistake, they were likely to be kicked out.

In short, he was a person who had a clear line.

He didn’t know how much Kwon Se-jung had changed, but this was different.

The Kwon Se-jung that Yoo-hyun remembered did not get along with this kind of boss at all.

He felt a bit worried.

There was still some time left for dinner break, so Yoo-hyun walked with Kwon Se-jung.

They walked out of the building and saw a well-landscaped pond.

The sound of waterwheels spinning was soothing.

Kwon Se-jung uttered a faint sigh of admiration.

“I didn’t know there was such a place.”

“What? You haven’t been here?”

“I didn’t have time to wander around because of the assignments. I had no leisure.”

“Take it easy. When are you going to come back here?”

Yoo-hyun responded nonchalantly.

Exactly four years later.

Unless he was selected for a special course by the company, he would only come to the Innovation Center for the deputy promotion course.

But Kwon Se-jung didn’t seem to have the same leisure as Yoo-hyun now.

Not only Kwon Se-jung, but most of the new employees felt the same way.

As expected, Kwon Se-jung’s words were predictable.

“I wish I could have some leisure like you, but it’s not easy. To be honest, I have a lot of ambition to do better.”

“You’re doing well.”

“Not just me. You know that our team praises you a lot, right?”

“What?”

Yoo-hyun turned his head at the sudden words.

Then he saw Kwon Se-jung smiling at the pond.

He didn’t see the gloomy look he had seen at his previous company.

He didn’t see the weight he had carried on his shoulders either.

He felt a light and bright vibe that he hadn’t noticed before.

“You’re kind to other teams, you don’t act arrogant, and you have a sense of humor.”

“…”

Kwon Se-jung continued to speak as Yoo-hyun remained silent.

“Anyway, your good reputation has spread because our team bragged so much about you. I’m jealous.”

“What are you talking about? You’re making me blush.”

“That’s just what I’m saying. Well, it’s true anyway. Especially since I got the most help from you.”

“That’s nothing…”

Yoo-hyun tried to brush it off casually, but Kwon Se-jung shook his head.

“No, really, thank you. You said it was nothing, but it wasn’t for me.”

“…”

“If it weren’t for you, my company life would have been messed up from the start.”

“It could have been resolved later.”

Yoo-hyun tried to change the subject and threw a stone into the pond.

The ripples slowed down and grew bigger.

It seemed to symbolize something.

He imagined Kwon Se-jung’s life being suppressed by his mistake on the first day.

Many things seemed trivial in hindsight. 

But he realized anew that those trivialities could have a fatal impact on someone’s life.

As he thought, he heard Kwon Se-jung’s voice again.

“Thank you.”

‘You don’t have to thank me.’

“Really, thank you.”

“Let’s get up.”

Yoo-hyun got up awkwardly.

He felt more uncomfortable because it was the same thing he had heard from someone who died because of him.

But Kwon Se-jung’s expression was more sincere than anyone else’s.

“Yoo-hyun.”

“Let’s go. Don’t you have to rest after finishing quickly?”

Yoo-hyun hurried his steps.

Kwon Se-jung got up and muttered as he watched his back.

“He’s really a grateful guy.”

“Stop it already.”

Yoo-hyun rubbed his goosebumps-covered arm, wondering if he heard that voice.

Kwon Se Jung followed him from behind with a snicker.

“Can’t I even talk to myself? Let’s go together.”

…

Time flew by like an arrow.

The only major events left were the final presentation of the innovative product proposal and the innovation march.

The current score of Team 6 was second place. 

But their momentum was like the first place.

The team members encouraged each other and strengthened their will.

“Let’s do this!”

“Fighting.”

No matter how good the atmosphere of Team 6 was, they were still just new employees.

The tension rose as they faced the final presentation, which had high stakes and was filmed.

Yoo-hyun knew their efforts well and stepped back a bit.

His feelings came out in words.

“Let’s think the other way around.”

“How?”

“If you were in the position of receiving the report, which presentation would you give more points to?”

“…….”

It was a simple statement.

It was also a common advice that anyone could give.

But the simplest advice often hits the heart.

The team members who were sitting in a circle fell silent in thought.

After a moment of silence, Yoo-hyun turned his gaze to Oh Min Jae, who looked the most nervous.

He was a person who had a proactive personality and possessed general knowledge.

He proposed an all-in-one computer.

It definitely had potential.

It was worth trying.

He needed to move with more confidence for this presentation to go well.

Of course, Yoo-hyun encouraged him.

“Your idea is good. You can be confident.”

“But……”

He couldn’t help but feel inadequate as time passed.

It’s natural to see other people’s rice cakes bigger than yours.

Oh Min Jae’s confidence dropped as well. 

It was inevitable.

But in Yoo-hyun’s eyes, they were all just mediocre ideas.

The evaluators didn’t expect anything great.

They just evaluated the process of coming up with an idea and writing a business plan.

The most important thing here was how much they could catch people’s attention in the final presentation.

The score was determined by time.

Yoo-hyun threw a light joke.

“There’s no team here that has a blockbuster idea. If they did, they would have started a venture by now. Right?”

“That’s true. It’s a decent idea. It lacks some impact, but it’s worth trying.”

This time, Choi Seul Ki stepped up.

She definitely had a good vision.

She suggested changing the cover of the all-in-one computer and making it an indoor interior product instead of an external one.

Her traces were everywhere in the idea, even though she didn’t show it.

Yoo-hyun accurately grasped her strength.

“You want to make a prototype, don’t you?”

“I do, but… we don’t have a computer.”

“That doesn’t matter. A monitor is enough.”

“I guess so.”

“Let’s do it.”

If they had kept their thoughts to themselves, they might not have found a solution.

But as soon as they opened their mouths, someone reached out to help them.