Real Man

A snicker escaped from Yoo-hyun’s mouth.

“I don’t know if I should be indebted to this guy.”

He hated it at first, but not anymore.

Rather, he felt like he gained a friend in the group strategy room.

Swish.

Yoo-hyun turned his head and looked at Hansung Tower through the rear window.

It was his last time in the group strategy room, but he was satisfied with being able to reaffirm his important values.

However, there was one thing he regretted.

As Yoo-hyun was thinking about that part, a black car entered the building entrance.

The moment he saw Chairman Shin Hyun-ho getting out of the car, Yoo-hyun lifted the corners of his mouth.

‘I’ll see you soon, but it’ll be a little late.’

And by then, the balance of the game would have tilted.

Vroom.

Yoo-hyun imagined the big war that was about to happen, and kept his eyes on the building that was getting farther away.

Meanwhile, in the office of the head of the HR strategy TF, there was a conversation about Yoo-hyun.

Sitting in the seat of honor, Director Lee Jun-il asked his right-hand man, Deputy Director Wi Suhyuk.

“Seeing how much you care for him, you seem to like him a lot.”

“That’s right. He was a likable guy.”

“I looked over his records again, and he’s quite capable.”

Deputy Director Wi Suhyuk obediently agreed, and Director Lee Jun-il suddenly asked.

“But Deputy Director Wi, if you were him, would you go to President Lim Jun-pyo, or Vice President Shin Kyung-wook?”

“Well, I think he came to the group strategy room because he didn’t want to go to Vice President Shin Kyung-wook.”

“He said that the display would be caught up by China. That was his exact reason.”

“Is that a problem?”

“It’s too perfect, don’t you think? It’s like he knows all the answers I expect.”

At Director Lee Jun-il’s meaningful words, Deputy Director Wi Suhyuk’s eyes narrowed.

“Should we send some people to Yeouido?”

“There’s no need for that in this busy time. Just make sure to take care of the innovation strategy room.”

Deputy Director Wi Suhyuk, who understood Director Lee Jun-il’s intention right away, nodded his head.

“Yes. I’ll try to get more information from that side.”

“That’s good. I hope it was a false alarm.”

Director Lee Jun-il smiled faintly as he thought of Yoo-hyun.

It was a very serious expression, unlike when he was with Yoo-hyun.

It took less than 40 minutes to get from Hansung Tower to Yeouido Center.

Yoo-hyun got off the bus and looked up at the Yeouido Center building.

The gray building, 35 stories high and surrounded by lush greenery, used to be the center of Hansung Group.

But the situation changed when Hansung Tower was built in Gangnam.

As the center of Hansung Group moved to Hansung Tower, only the non-mainstream subsidiaries remained in Yeouido Center.

This is where Yoo-hyun’s former colleagues from Hansung Display worked.

‘I wonder how they’re doing.’

Yoo-hyun was walking and thinking about the people he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Beep.

His new cell phone rang and Vice President Shin Kyung-wook’s name popped up.

He didn’t usually call during work hours, so Yoo-hyun answered with a curious mind.

“Yes, Vice President. What’s the matter?”

-What’s the matter? I heard you got a long vacation, that’s why.

“Did my personnel record already go through?”

-I just checked it. I was going to make you rest by force anyway, but it worked out well.

“Is that really why you called?”

-Of course. If I don’t say anything, you’ll just keep running forward without looking back.

He wouldn’t have had to come out in the first place if that was his intention.

“Of course not. Where are you calling from?”

Yoo-hyun pointed out the part that bothered him.

-I’m calling from a place where there’s no one, so don’t worry. It’s obviously not my office.

“Yes. Please be careful.”

-Of course. It’s a disgrace to hide it while knowing that I’m being watched.

He had roughly figured out the identity of the spy in the innovation strategy room.

But if he tried to get rid of him hastily, he might alert the enemy, so he pretended not to know.

He planned to use this to his advantage and strike back, but it wasn’t easy to watch out for others.

Yoo-hyun, who knew this best, expressed his sincerity.

“It doesn’t seem like someone else’s business.”

-If you had stayed there, you would have been more careful than me, so I guess it’s understandable.

“I feel like I dumped it on you.”

-Don’t say that. I’ll take care of it myself, so you just rest. Everyone is working hard here, so don’t worry about this place.

What are you so worried about?

Yoo-hyun chuckled and hit the nail on the head.

“Didn’t I tell you? My well-being is more important than anything else. It’s a free vacation, so I won’t miss it.”

-That’s right. That’s good enough. Just report to President Lim today and go home early. I’ve already told him everything.

“I can do it myself.”

-Of course I have to do it for you. And the personnel part you requested will be sorted out soon, so don’t worry about it.

Vice President Shin Kyung-wook supported Yoo-hyun as much as he could to make him comfortable.

It was a bit too realistic, so he felt embarrassed.

“I don’t know what to do with this.”

-I asked you to come out, so I have to take responsibility.

“I think you misunderstood, but I’m happy. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

-I welcome you back.

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

Yoo-hyun replied with a bright smile.

Shiiing.

The lobby scene unfolded in front of Yoo-hyun, who entered through the revolving door.

The building color was relatively dull, and the interior lighting was darker than Hansung Tower.

Maybe because there were so many subsidiaries, the left side was all customer reception rooms, which was impressive.

This was the same as his past memory, but there was something different.

Yoo-hyun looked at the long video wall installed on the ceiling, and the 100-inch TV next to the reception desk, and then turned his eyes to the side.

The wall was decorated with 40-inch TVs like digital frames, creating a nice ornament.

All of this was a change that came with Hansung Display.

“They put a lot of effort into it.”

Yoo-hyun walked with his eyes on the various displays that decorated the lobby like an exhibition hall.

Beep.

He was on leave, but he had no problem passing through the gate.

He pressed the elevator button and looked at the floor information attached to the side.

Mobile Business Division on the 7th floor. IT Business Division on the 8th floor. TV Business Division on the 9th floor…

Hansung Display occupied the most floors in this building, from the 7th to the 14th.

This alone showed how influential Hansung Display was among its affiliates.

Yoo-hyun had an appointment with the president of that company today.

Of course, he was not going to see him right away.

Yoo-hyun had more important people to meet.

He got on the elevator and pressed a different floor number instead of the 14th floor where the president’s office was.

He got off on the 12th floor and opened the translucent sliding door with his ID card.

He saw rows of desks and partitions that separated them under the bright lights.

The structure was similar to the other offices in Hansung Tower, but it felt definitely narrower.

It gave the impression of being cramped and crowded.

Shuffle, shuffle.

Yoo-hyun walked along the partitions, checking the team nameplates.

He saw the names of the organizations that belonged to the Strategy Group, which was directly under the president.

Among them, there was a team that caught Yoo-hyun’s attention.

-Mobile Strategy Product Planning Team.

Was it because they combined sales, marketing, and product planning?

They used the term product planning separately, but the name sounded rather dull.

Yoo-hyun chuckled and looked up, seeing familiar faces one by one.

He also saw the face of the former leader of the Innovation Product TF and the current head of the Strategy Product Planning.

Yoo-hyun spotted Kim Hyun-min, the executive director who was leaning back and strolling around.

He poked Choi Min-hee, the team leader who was walking out of the hallway.

“Team Leader Choi, you must be very busy, huh? I can tell by the fact that you’re still preparing your report.”

“I still have time left for the presentation.”

“Is it a problem to report to me? It’s the group leader’s report tomorrow, group leader.”

“Ah, come on. I’ll make it on time, so don’t bother me while you’re wandering around.”

“Me? No. I’m just passing by.”

Kim Hyun-min, the executive director, waved his hand as if to excuse himself.

He was still light-hearted and friendly even after becoming an executive.

Choi Min-hee, the team leader, snapped at him.

“Don’t ask me about work then. When you do this, you’re worse than the previous head.”

“What are you talking about? Where can you find a more democratic head than me? Right?”

Kim Hyun-min, the executive director, raised his voice and looked around at the team members, but there was no answer.

They all seemed used to it and just ignored him with their heads down.

“Anyway, it’s because the team leader is like this…”

Kim Hyun-min, the executive director, turned his head and was speechless.

He met Yoo-hyun’s eyes and looked as if he had seen a ghost.

“Huh? Huh?”

Choi Min-hee, the team leader, who turned her head in the same direction, was surprised and exclaimed.

“Where did you…? Huh? Han Section Chief.”

“Nice to see you again, team leader.”

Yoo-hyun smiled and greeted her, and Kim Hyun-min, the executive director, was incredulous.

“Why did you greet her first instead of me…”

Choi Min-hee, the team leader, blocked him and ran over to Yoo-hyun.

Her eyes were full of joy.

“How long has it been? It feels like more than half a year.”

“Has it been that long?”

“More than that. Anyway, I’m so glad you came. I was… Oh, wait a minute.”

Choi Min-hee, the team leader, asked for a moment and stepped back because of a phone call.

Soon after, Yang Yunsu ran over and bowed.

“Section Chief, how have you been?”

“Yunsu, you’ve been well, right?”

Yoo-hyun asked him, and Jeong Saetbyeol, who was next to him, pouted and answered.

“No. We’ve been miserable. You ignored us.”

“No, I believed that Section Chief had a special reason.”

Yoo-hyun smiled at Yang Yunsu’s unique flattery and Jeong Saetbyeol’s poking his side.

“I owe you two for the last exhibition. I’ll buy you dinner next time.”

“Yay.”

Yang Yunsu and Jeong Saetbyeol cheered as if they had made a promise.

Kim Hyun-min, the executive director, who had lost his timing several times, tried to open his mouth again.

“Han Section Chief, wait…”

But that was buried right away.

It was because of the loud voice of Kim Young-gil, the section chief, who appeared from the opposite hallway.

“Huh? Han Section Chief.”

Was he too happy?

He, who was usually stingy with his reactions, ran over to Yoo-hyun and hugged him.

“It’s been too long.”

“Yes, section chief. Nice to see you.”

Yoo-hyun patted his back.

He felt the warmth of a dear acquaintance in his arms.

After Kim Young-gil, the section chief, the team members flocked to him.

Yu Hye-mi, the section chief, Jo Mi-ran, the deputy, Hwang Dongshik, the deputy, Lee Chanho, the deputy, and so on.

They were all people who had a close relationship with Yoo-hyun.

They surrounded Yoo-hyun and welcomed him with warm greetings.

“Hahaha.”

“Hohoho.”

Kim Hyun-min, the executive director, pushed his way into the scene where laughter bloomed.

He looked annoyed, maybe because he had been interrupted several times.

“Why are you laughing so much at a traitor?”

He spat out with a grim face, and Yu Hye-mi, the section chief, corrected him.

“Traitor? Do you know how much Section Chief Han contributed to our team?”

“Section Chief Yu, let it go. He’s just saying that because he likes him.”

Choi Min-hee, the team leader, poked Yu Hye-mi, the section chief’s side, and Kim Hyun-min, the executive director, grumbled at Yoo-hyun.

“I like him? What do I like about him? Why do I have to…”

He looked annoyed on the outside, but his eyes were full of joy.

Yoo-hyun felt the same way and grabbed his hand.

“I’m so happy. Executive Director, I missed you.”

“Why are you so gross?”

He pulled his hand away and Kim Hyun-min, the executive director, frowned.

“Do you really not want to see me?”

“Of course… Hey, why did you come here anyway? What are you trying to steal?”

Kim Hyun-min, the executive director, blurted out with his mouth and was interrupted.