Real Man

In the event room E on the second floor of the annex, there were only a small round table and two sofas.

The spacious and antique space was made for the conversation of only two people.

‘He must be coming for sure.’

Yoo-hyun thought as he saw the interior that reflected Shin Kyungsoo’s taste.

Manager Lee Jun-il, who was sitting on one of the sofas, asked.

“Is your neck okay?”

“Yes. It’s fine.”

“You were quite cheeky.”

“…”

Yoo-hyun lost his words for a moment at the remark that came in sharply.

Seeing Yoo-hyun like that, Manager Lee Jun-il smiled broadly.

“Haha! Don’t be surprised. I was complimenting your response.”

“I don’t think it was a commendable action.”

“Why? Because of Shin Kyungjun?”

“I wonder if I made a needless fuss.”

“Fuss? What fuss? Don’t you think I’ll take care of it?”

Manager Lee Jun-il had taken Shin Kyungjun with him into the building after the commotion ended.

Judging by the fact that Shin Kyungjun had hidden his face since then, it seemed certain that he had taken some measures.

How did he deal with that bastard?

Yoo-hyun pretended not to know instead of being curious and stepped back.

“I didn’t think that far.”

“Well. Anyway, you don’t have to worry about it. He won’t bother you.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“Rather, I’m curious why you provoked Shin Kyungjun.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why did someone as smart as you create a situation where you could be grabbed by the collar?”

Yoo-hyun gave an objective answer to Manager Lee Jun-il’s question that seemed to test him.

It was the same reason as the HR staff who triggered the red alert.

“I thought he would make a mistake. He was a bit drunk.”

“Was it an improvisation that wasn’t in the manual?”

“I thought it was better to let him vent his anger on me than to have a conflict with the executives.”

“Not bad. If you had done something wrong, it could have gotten worse.”

“I’ll be careful from now on.”

Manager Lee Jun-il raised his lips at Yoo-hyun’s curt answer.

It seemed that he had cleared some of his doubts.

If he had more data, would he have been able to solve the problem so easily?

Yoo-hyun felt relieved at the thought that it wasn’t.

It was then.

Manager Lee Jun-il got up from his seat.

“Let’s end our pleasant conversation here.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Oh, you stay seated.”

“Yes?”

Yoo-hyun asked in a puzzled tone, and Manager Lee Jun-il winked at him.

“Take this opportunity well.”

“Opportunity?”

“You’ll find out when you meet him soon.”

“Who is he?”

Was it because Yoo-hyun pretended not to know until the end?

Manager Lee Jun-il left a mysterious remark and went outside.

“Oh, don’t mind him being a bit cranky. Just relax. Don’t be nervous.”

“…”

As soon as the door closed, the smile disappeared from Yoo-hyun’s face.

Yoo-hyun looked at the empty seat in front of the familiar scenery.

Shin Kyungsoo’s face was superimposed over the rising smoke.

-You’re very annoying. I don’t like any of them.

Shin Kyungsoo was a very picky person.

He hated seeing things that were not organized, and he disliked leaving traces of others.

He was sensitive to noise, and he didn’t listen to music much.

Especially, he had a keen sense of smell and he didn’t go to places that were not verified.

That was why he didn’t attend the banquet early.

Yoo-hyun was recalling his memories with Shin Kyungsoo.

The door opened, and Shin Kyungsoo from his memory appeared in front of Yoo-hyun.

His long eyes without double eyelids behind the silver glasses were the same as when he first reached out his hand to him.

Yoo-hyun straightened his posture and lowered his gaze by 15 degrees.

Shuffle.

When he came close enough to take five steps, Yoo-hyun bowed silently.

He shouldn’t bow too much, but he shouldn’t straighten his back until he sat down.

The manual that was ingrained in his instinct moved Yoo-hyun.

Thud.

Shin Kyungsoo, who sat down, drank his tea without a word.

His cold eyes slowly scanned Yoo-hyun, who met his gaze.

He thought he was used to it, but he wasn’t.

He was younger than when he was the chairman, but his sharpness was still there.

Clack.

He put down his teacup and asked Yoo-hyun.

“Did you hear anything about me from this manager?”

“I didn’t.”

“Really? That’s surprising. You don’t annoy me as much as I thought.”

“Thank you.”

At Yoo-hyun’s short answer, Shin Kyungsoo raised one corner of his mouth in satisfaction.

Was it because he was cold-blooded that he showed his emotions like this at the first meeting?

This was a very unusual thing.

Yoo-hyun, who had passed the first gate, took the opportunity to drink his tea while Shin Kyungsoo was drinking his.

It was the only short time he could drink tea.

The faint earthy smell of pu-erh tea rose to his nose, and he felt a sticky viscosity in his mouth.

Yoo-hyun felt the sweet aftertaste and put down his teacup at the same time as Shin Kyungsoo.

Did he like Yoo-hyun’s response like that? Shin Kyungsoo went straight to the conclusion.

“You’re better than I thought.”

“That’s too much praise.”

“Praise? So I want to check something with you.”

‘It’s finally here.’

The document review and personality evaluation were over.

Only the final pressure interview was left, so Yoo-hyun answered with a firm expression.

“Please tell me.”

“Why did you leave the corruption case at the Wonju factory alone?”

Yoo-hyun’s eyes wavered for a moment at the unexpected question.

He quickly hid his expression and tried to figure out the intention behind it.

“Who are you talking about?”

“You’re not asking because you don’t know, are you?”

“If it’s the person I’m guessing, I didn’t just let it go.”

He wanted to buy some more time, but Shin Kyung-soo didn’t give him a chance.

He immediately pointed out the core of the matter.

“Are you trying to say that you wanted to make him suspicious and break him down?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You have a naive side. There was a much easier way, why did you go through such a hard way for just that?”

“I thought it could have a bad outcome if I stirred up trouble.”

It was a perfectly reasonable answer, but it was far from what Shin Kyung-soo wanted to hear.

He lifted one corner of his mouth and uttered a harsh word.

“A bad outcome, huh? Then why didn’t you publicly execute him?”

“What do you mean?”

“Expose his crime in front of everyone. It would be better if you made his charge something like 20 billion won embezzlement.”

“Director Chu didn’t embezzle 20 billion won.”

“I don’t care. If it was a 20 billion won loss, the employees would have accepted a 1.8 percent raise instead of 3.8 percent.”

“…”

If he had given him some money under the table, maybe Director Chu would have covered up his crime.

What if the employees found out that the company had no money because of one criminal?

The loyal employees might have sacrificed themselves for the company.

“It was an opportunity to easily spin the big wheel by sacrificing one rotten cog. Hansung Precision could have bought another wheel with the money they secured. Am I wrong?”

Shin Kyung-soo’s added words made Yoo-hyun’s mind snap.

To him, the employees were not people, but parts.

-People can change. Kyung-soo might make the choice you want.

This time, the vice president was wrong.

Yoo-hyun muttered in his mind and looked at Shin Kyung-soo.

He still had a sharp look on his face.

He had to bow his head here, but he didn’t intend to do that anymore.

Yoo-hyun spat out his changed decision to him.

“You’re not wrong, sir. But I thought there was another way.”

“Another way?”

“Hansung Precision’s morale has risen because of this incident. The work environment has also improved a lot.”

“It was a well-running company even without doing that.”

Shin Kyung-soo spat out a cold word, but Yoo-hyun didn’t back down.

Rather, he calmly expressed his opinion.

“The employees will work together and do better in the future. It might be less profitable than your way in the short term, but I think it will definitely bring more benefits in the long term.”

“Do you trust people?”

“Yes. I trust Hansung Precision’s performance so far.”

“You have a strange belief.”

“I hope you consider my way too.”

If he accepted it?

Just like the vice president said, Yoo-hyun could also change his mind.

But Shin Kyung-soo was still Shin Kyung-soo.

He cut off any decision that was different from his values.

“I’m not free enough to listen to worthless words.”

“Did I think wrong?”

“No, you thought wrong.”

Shin Kyung-soo answered firmly and adjusted his glasses.

His hand went up to his face, which meant that he was not in a good mood.

Yoo-hyun, who had achieved his own goal, cautiously retreated.

“Then I’ll try to fix it.”

“That’s right. That would be better for you.”

“Thank you for giving me a chance. I’ll do my best.”

Yoo-hyun bowed his head and Shin Kyung-soo lifted one corner of his mouth.

Hee.

He silently scanned Yoo-hyun and quietly got up.

In the end, he didn’t say anything about working together, nor did he reach out his hand.

He didn’t seem to think it was worth talking to him.

He left without looking back.

This was it.

‘Adieu.’

Yoo-hyun smiled coldly to himself.

He walked along the edge of the garden as he left the annex.

The LED lights installed everywhere were already twinkling, even though it wasn’t dark yet.

At the table where the garden party was held, they drank wine and chatted with each other.

Shin Kyung-soo was at the center of it.

He said something and everyone laughed loudly.

“Hahaha!”

Hong Jin Hee, who seemed to be having a good time, hooked her arm around Shin Kyung-soo’s and introduced him to the royals.

He couldn’t hear her voice, but it was obvious what she was saying.

Wasn’t she busy bragging about her amazing son?

He had a better resume than any other domestic company’s children.

He was recognized in Wall Street, so his skills were unquestionable.

‘His personality is the problem.’

Some might think it was a trivial issue.

But Yoo-hyun knew better than anyone how much harm a capable leader could do to society if he used his power wrongly.

Shin Kyung-soo bribed the political circles to destroy his competitors, which was just one example.

He also cooked the books to raise capital, and sold people and technology to overseas companies when needed.

That money went straight into the pockets of the Royal Family.

Rather than investing in the future, he pursued a policy of squeezing dry towels, and the responsibility was shifted to the employees.

But to Shin Kyung-soo, the employees were nothing but parts.

He cut them off before they could stand up, and if they resisted, he sold the company or closed the factory.

Mass layoffs, indiscriminate wage cuts, etc.

Things that shook the foundation of society were carried out by his personal value judgment, not by the company’s situation.

Yet the media outlets that danced in his palm praised him as a ‘god of business’.

Efficient?

He was an M&A expert who used all kinds of unreasonable methods to increase the size of the company, but the inside was rotting away.

It was not the right image of a company.