Real Man

Chapter 40

Park Seung-woo, the deputy, casually asked.

“How about Ilpumsik today? Is it good?”

“Yes. It’s good.”

Yoo-hyun answered cheerfully.

Park Seung-woo quickly grabbed a small plate with two pieces of chicken on it and placed it on his own plate.

Then he asked the cook lady behind the counter with a cautious expression.

“Can I take one more?”

“No, you can’t.”

He was taken aback by her firm answer and had no choice but to turn his head.

The cook lady, who had a blank expression, put two pieces of chicken on a small plate and placed it on the counter.

“Huh?”

At that moment, her eyes widened when she saw Yoo-hyun, who was standing behind him.

He was the employee who greeted her warmly when he was walking with Mi-ok unni a while ago.

He had a memorable face because he smiled brightly unlike the arrogant employees of the big company.

-He helped me when I fell down. If he hadn’t, I would have been in trouble. He’s such a kind person. If you ever see him, take good care of him. Give him some more side dishes or something.

Mi-ok unni, who was her close friend and worked as a cleaner in the same building, said that to her.

She had made up her mind to repay him someday after hearing Mi-ok unni’s words.

And now, she had something to offer to him, who was standing in front of the main menu.

Thud.

She calmly placed another plate of chicken on Yoo-hyun’s plate.

He was too smart not to notice that she deliberately gave him one more.

But he was puzzled because he didn’t know her well.

“…”

Park Seung-woo, who had gone ahead, lost his words when he saw that scene.

The cook lady’s eyes were still fixed on Yoo-hyun.

She even smiled brightly as if she was happy about something.

“What is this?”

He felt like he had been slapped by the cook lady of the rice soup restaurant.

There seemed to be something about him that made the ladies like him.

Whether he liked it or not, Yoo-hyun expressed his gratitude.

“Thank you.”

“Oh, don’t mention it. Enjoy your meal. And thank you.”

“…”

He wanted to ask more, but there were people waiting behind him, so he couldn’t talk for long.

The only thing he was sure of was that the cook lady showed her favor to him.

He didn’t remember anything like this in the past.

He sat down and Park Seung-woo grumbled.

“Isn’t this discrimination? We pay the same money, but some get one and some get two.”

“Do you want it?”

“No, thanks. You’re making me look like a beggar.”

“Take it.”

Yoo-hyun handed him the plate directly.

He seemed to be embarrassed and waved his hand.

“No, no. I said no. I don’t like chicken.”

“…”

As if that was true.

He knew very well that he loved chicken like a religion.

Park Seung-woo sighed and said with a flushed face.

“Let’s eat.”

It was an episode that happened because of a mere side dish in the cafeteria.

Yoo-hyun bit his lower lip and held back his laughter at Park Seung-woo’s mood swings.

He couldn’t stand it when Park Seung-woo delivered the final blow.

“Hey, are you laughing?”

“Pffft.”

“Huh? You’re laughing? If you don’t believe me, you can eat my chicken too.”

“Pahaha.”

Yoo-hyun couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into laughter.

In the cafeteria full of people, in front of his direct boss.

It was a mistake he would never have made in the past.

Did he ever laugh like this before?

No, he had everything: power, fame, money. But he never laughed so freely like this.

Park Seung-woo growled at him.

“Stop it. It’s chicken after work today. Got it?”

“Yes. Haha.”

“Let’s eat.”

He didn’t know why everything was funny to him for no reason.

Yoo-hyun laughed for a while and finally calmed down his emotions.

It was amazing.

He didn’t know he could laugh like this.

He felt like he had become someone else.

Yoo-hyun smiled inwardly once again.

It felt like he had found something he had lost.

After finishing his meal, Yoo-hyun thought of the cook lady at the counter as he went up.

‘What was that?’

She didn’t just give him a favor.

She definitely recognized him.

But he couldn’t remember any direct connection with her.

Yoo-hyun had no idea that it was a butterfly effect that happened by chance when he helped the cleaner lady.

And the butterfly effect didn’t end there.

The cleaner lady greeted him when he came out of the bathroom.

“Oh, you must be on your way back from lunch. You look better.”

“Thank you. Did you have lunch?”

“Of course, I did. Hohoho. Thank you.”

She always thanked him whenever she saw him because he helped her last time.

It was embarrassing to receive greetings for such a trivial thing.

So Yoo-hyun treated her more kindly.

And before he knew it, they became acquaintances who exchanged light greetings.

To the past Yoo-hyun, the cleaner lady was like a ghost.

He didn’t care whether she cleaned the bathroom, changed the water in the water purifier, or vacuumed the office.

He didn’t even remember her face even though they had been in the same space for years.

But now it was different.

She was so friendly that she even spoke to him affectionately.

“Have a good day.”

“Thank you.”

They looked at each other warmly and said goodbye.

He felt like he had been hit on the head.

He didn’t know yet, but he felt like he had gained something.

It wasn’t his intention, but it was one of the things that had changed from the past.

Someone was watching him.

It was Lee Ae-rin, the secretary of Jo Chan-young, the director.

Lee Ae-rin saw the new employee in front of her at the rest area on the 10th floor a while ago.

When the cleaner lady fell down, Lee Ae-rin was so shocked that her heart sank.

It would have been a disaster if no one had caught her.

But he saved her.

He didn’t hesitate even though he might have been hurt himself.

And he even showed a gentle smile.

She was impressed by him.

And now, she saw someone else in the bright face of the cleaner lady.

She remembered the face of her nanny who had taken care of her like a mother when she was young.

Feeling emotional, Lee Ae-rin couldn’t just let him pass by.

She wanted to say something to him.

“Mr. Han Yoo-hyun.”

Yoo-hyun turned his head at the voice calling him.

A woman with long hair that reached her waist, a pale face and long eyes was smiling at him.

“Who are you?”

He pretended not to know, but Yoo-hyun knew exactly who she was.

Lee Ae-rin, an employee.

She was the one who got the most advanced information first because she often dealt with Jo Chan-young, the director, and other executives.

In other words, she was the information hub of the mobile sales marketing department.

She was also someone Yoo-hyun had tried hard to befriend in the past to get information from the executives.

But she was so prickly and rigid that it was hard to get close to her.

Even the team leaders treated Lee Ae-rin with difficulty.

That’s how it was.

But something unexpected happened.

She smiled and treated him well.

She seemed to like him and wanted to help him, but he wasn’t convinced why she was so different from the past.

What had changed?

His mouth moved involuntarily despite his thoughts.

“Thank you for your concern.”

“And you know…”

Lee Ae-rin’s kindness continued.

Regardless of his doubts, Yoo-hyun politely agreed with her words.

She was someone who could definitely help his company life.

He didn’t want to use her, but he wanted to be closer to her than in the past.

Lee Ae-rin became more interested in Yoo-hyun as they talked.

His posture was straight and his voice was soft but powerful. His eye contact was also neat.

He exuded a natural confidence that didn’t look like a new employee at all.

She had a sense of people because she had dealt with many people.

If he had to compare Yoo-hyun with someone else?

He was similar to Yang Se-ho, the CEO.

He was a young CEO who pioneered the social commerce market in Korea, and he was one of the most impressive people she had ever seen.

It didn’t make sense to compare a new employee with him, but Yoo-hyun had an aura that he felt from people who had their own positions.

And his white skin, attractive eye smile, and long fingers kept catching her eye.

‘Oh my, what am I thinking!’

She snapped out of it and racked her brain for what to say next.

She wanted to talk more and help him somehow.

“The meeting room schedule for this month is out. Do you know?”

“No.”

“It comes out once a month and it’s better to write it down quickly. Doesn’t your product planning team have regular meetings?”

“Yes. The biweekly report is on…”

“The second and fourth Thursday. I’ll just write it down for you.”

Lee Ae-rin ended up taking care of the meeting room that he had every week by herself.

She never did that for anyone else, even if the team leader of another team came personally.

But this time it was different.

Yoo-hyun was really grateful for that.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s nothing.”

As he listened to Lee Ae-rin’s answer, Yoo-hyun recalled a vague memory.

The meeting room was still reserved by hand.

He felt again that the system was not yet established.

…

That day after work, Yoo-hyun went to the gym as usual.

He liked the rough breathing, the sweat smell, and the tension that squeezed his heart.

He felt familiar with all of that now.

Bang!

“Stop. That’s it!”

At the master’s words, Yoo-hyun lowered his fist that he had stretched out.

He felt a tingling sensation in his fingertips that felt good.

‘I got it.’

He felt more agile as he started to use his feet properly.

He could feel himself improving little by little.

He became more interested as his skills improved.

On the other hand, Park Young-hoon, who had been busy blocking Yoo-hyun’s punches, stuck out his tongue.

“Huff huff, I’m dying. Han Yu-hyun, why are you so tough?”

“It’s thanks to you, hyung.”

“You brat.”

He shook his head and bumped his fist against Yoo-hyun’s fist that he held out.