Real Man

Kim Hyun-soo chuckled at the old memories that suddenly came to his mind.

“You haven’t changed at all, have you?”

“I’ve changed a lot.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s something like that. Anyway, I won’t change anymore and I’ll do better, so please take care of me, my friend.”

Yoo-hyun spread his arms, and Kim Hyun-soo shrank back as if disgusted.

“That’s enough. Do that to Jun-seok when you go to Ulsan.”

“He’s too sentimental for that. He might cry.”

“Right. He must be depressed after breaking up with his girlfriend. Be nice to him.”

Kim Hyun-soo shrugged his shoulders as he saw Yoo-hyun sigh.

“Haha. You have a lot of people to see in Ulsan, don’t you?”

“Yeah. There are some people I want to meet.”

“It’s been a long time since you went there, so take good care of them. Buy them some small gifts or something.”

“Of course. I owe them a lot, so I have to.”

Yoo-hyun nodded and Kim Hyun-soo held out his fist.

“I’ll help you with anything you say. Do well.”

“Okay. Take care, my friend.”

Thump.

Yoo-hyun responded to the fist bump that he hadn’t done in a long time.

Their feelings for each other were conveyed over their fists.

Yoo-hyun, who had settled his affairs in his hometown, moved to his next destination, Ulsan.

As much as he was meeting people who would help him with his future work, he prepared small gifts as Kim Hyun-soo had said.

Yoo-hyun was driving while thinking of the familiar faces he was looking forward to seeing, when a phone call came in.

Ding-dong-ding-dong.

As he pressed the call button, the voice of Maeng Gi-yong, the head of the mobile business division, echoed through the car speaker.

-Are you on your way, Han?

“Yes, I’m on my way, but I’ll stop by somewhere else and get there on time.”

-Okay, I got it. I booked a conference room, so call me again when you get there.

“A conference room?”

-Yeah. The manager asked me to. All the staff members will be there.

He said he was preparing a welcome party, but did he even book a conference room?

He had something to ask Kim Ho-geol, the executive director, anyway.

It would be perfect if he could get a definite answer in front of everyone.

Yoo-hyun replied happily, imagining a positive situation.

“Really? That’s great. I wanted to see you all anyway.”

-Yeah. Just come.

“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”

Yoo-hyun answered coolly and hung up the phone.

Most of them were people he hadn’t seen for more than two years.

He was very fond of them, so he wanted to see them as soon as possible.

“I hope they like the gifts.”

Yoo-hyun lifted the corners of his mouth as he looked at the bag on the back seat through the rearview mirror.

Vroom.

Yoo-hyun’s car, filled with anticipation, sped away.

Yoo-hyun arrived a little early at the Ulsan factory and met his junior, Jeong Hyun-woo, whom he had a soft spot for.

He looked much healthier than before, maybe because he had been running regularly.

He smiled brightly and greeted Yoo-hyun.

“Hyung, it’s been a long time.”

“Why don’t you ever think of leaving Ulsan?”

“I need some time to spare for that.”

“Kid. Let’s talk over lunch first.”

Yoo-hyun had lunch at a rice soup restaurant in front of the company and listened to Jeong Hyun-woo’s story.

He knew the situation well, as he had talked to him several times and checked it himself.

“What I’m doing right now is…”

He belonged to the development planning team of the mobile business division.

He was in charge of various schedules and events within the division, as well as handling minor personnel issues of the staff below him.

He also took care of panel yield management and work reservation, which was too much work for him.

Thanks to that, he gained a lot of experience and improved his skills in a short time, but the problem was the team leader who came from the development team.

“He doesn’t appreciate us no matter how hard we try. He says we’re just supporters.”

“Does that make sense? How can the development team run without you guys?”

“We’re not professional, that’s true. It’s not like the company can’t run without us.”

It wasn’t a wrong statement if he looked at it coldly, but Yoo-hyun thought differently.

There had to be someone who played the role of lubricant in the middle and controlled the overall schedule, so that the development process could proceed properly.

Such a person was also essential for Yoo-hyun, who was forming a new organization.

“So you’re thinking of quitting?”

“I’m considering it. I looked into moving to another department, but the team leader won’t let me go.”

Yoo-hyun recalled the words that Jeong Hyun-woo had said after the interview was over.

-I don’t want to just do well by myself when I join the company, I want to be someone who can help.

That was in line with Yoo-hyun’s values, who had lived again.

Yoo-hyun handed him the chocolate he had brought for him.

“Here, take this first.”

“What is this?”

“It’s a gift, of course. But if you take this, you have to work with me.”

“With you, hyung?”

“It’s a bit long to explain right now, but I’ll contact you soon.”

He didn’t have a concrete plan yet.

Still, Jeong Hyun-woo replied with sparkling eyes.

“Really? I’ve always wanted to work with you, hyung.”

“What do you think I’m doing?”

“Anything.”

“It might be harder than here, you know?”

Yoo-hyun tried to smoke him out, but Jeong Hyun-woo didn’t budge.

“Then I can quit.”

“What? You’ve become wise, huh?”

“I’ve eaten a lot of bitter rice, too.”

He was not only wise, but also knew how to talk back.

Yoo-hyun laughed and gestured.

“Let’s eat rice soup instead of bitter rice.”

“Yes, hyung.”

Jeong Hyun-woo’s face brightened up.

The next place Yoo-hyun headed to was the vehicle management office next to the Ulsan 4th factory.

There, he met Ok Jong-ho, the driver who had helped him in the past.

He came out of the car maintenance room and greeted Yoo-hyun warmly.

“Wow, who do we have here? Is it Han Yoo-hyun, the soon-to-be head of the department?”

“How did you know that?”

“How did I know? I drive the executives’ cars every day, so I already have a grasp of that kind of information.”

“You are really fast.”

Thanks to his quick information in the past, Yoo-hyun was able to track down and ruin the vice president Lee Tae-ryong.

Yoo-hyun recalled the past memory and Ok Jong-ho asked him earnestly.

He said the words that Yoo-hyun wanted to hear.

“Some people are not happy that you are in charge of the TF because you have the president’s backing.”

“I know that.”

“Of course you do. You are the only person who got a personal ride from the president since you were an employee.”

“You were the driver who drove me then. You also helped me when I moved to Seoul.”

Ok Jong-ho shrugged his shoulders at Yoo-hyun’s words.

“Hmm, did I catch a good line?”

“Not a good line, but a chocolate. Please share this with your colleagues.”

When Yoo-hyun handed him a paper bag full of chocolates, Ok Jong-ho shrugged his shoulders again.

“Thanks to you, I can finally show off. Just let me know if you need anything. I will be there for you with both arms.”

“I appreciate it just by hearing that.”

“You have to pay back what you got.”

Ok Jong-ho, who traveled between Ulsan and Gimpo factories, knew everything about the behind-the-scenes of Hansung Display.

Yoo-hyun needed his help to deal with the many obstacles that would come his way.

“Yes, I will definitely ask for your help.”

Yoo-hyun smiled brightly in front of the unexpected connection he met at the company.

After a pleasant meeting with Ok Jong-ho, Yoo-hyun moved to the OLED 2 factory.

The new factory looked neat, and its size was about twice as big as before.

Yoo-hyun looked up at the factory and entered the office building following the sign.

Beep.

As he passed through the gate, he saw Maeng Ki Yong, who was waiting for him.

He had a pale face and a smiley eyes as usual. He approached Yoo-hyun and shook his hand.

“How long has it been?”

“It’s been a little over two years, right? Here, a gift for you.”

“Oh? Chocolate. This reminds me of the old days. You used to give these out when you came back from vacation.”

“I can’t come empty-handed, right? How is your wedding preparation going?”

Maeng Ki Yong frowned at Yoo-hyun’s question.

“Wedding preparation? Don’t even mention it.”

“Why?”

“I was preparing for the dowry the other day… No, this is not the time to talk about that.”

“What is it?”

Maeng Ki Yong, who was about to complain about his marriage, shook his head.

Then he pointed to the building with a somewhat stiff expression.

“Let’s talk while we go.”

“Sure.”

Yoo-hyun was curious, but he followed him.

The office was on the second floor as before, but the scale was different.

It felt more spacious and open.

Yoo-hyun checked the organizational nameplate on the right.

-OLED Mobile Product Division.

He was assigned to this division after the Pre-Product Team and the Ultra-High Resolution TF. Most of the people he had a connection with were in this division.

Thud, thud.

“Why did our manager gather us here…?” Yoo-hyun asked as he walked, listening to Maeng Gi-yong’s words.

“Isn’t it because of Kim Hyun-min’s request? Kim Ho Geol moved because of him, right?”

“That’s right. The additional data, did you get it from Jun Shik’s team? He was the one who did the exhibition for us before.”

“Yes. That was what I instructed.”

“I see. I heard that. But we have a lot of work in our department, and it’s getting difficult.”

“That’s understandable.”

To apply semiconductor wafers to displays, they needed a circuit design that matched them.

Depending on the application, they also needed OLED deposition, and a lot of consideration for the yield.

They had to create a completely new display from scratch.

It was not easy to review that process.

Maeng Gi-yong, who nodded at Yoo-hyun, asked him in front of the conference room.

“Even if you hear some negative comments, I hope you don’t take it too hard.”

“Of course. I should be grateful that they are looking into it.”

Yoo-hyun answered like that and glanced at the conference room through the translucent sheet.

Even though it was earlier than the promised time, the inside was already full of people.

Just by looking at their faces, it was not a welcoming atmosphere.

Not at all.

It was so serious that they didn’t even have time to pass around chocolates.

It was an unexpected situation, but it was also a mountain they had to cross.

They absolutely needed their help for the future.

“Shall we go in?”

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

Yoo-hyun answered firmly and entered the conference room.

Creak.

As soon as the door opened, the eyes of the people inside turned to Yoo-hyun.

Jung In Wook, the team leader who often contacted him, greeted him first with his eyes.

Following him, Min Su-jin, who was promoted this time, and Lee Jin-mok, the senior, raised their eyebrows and showed their delight.

Among them, a man with a chubby face and horn-rimmed glasses raised his hand.

It was Kim Seon-dong, the senior who had a special affection for Yoo-hyun.

“Mr. Han.”

The joy was short-lived, Kim Ho Geol, who was sitting in the upper seat, had a stiff expression.

“Kim, what are you doing in the middle of a meeting?”

“I’m sorry.”

The atmosphere froze with a single word.

He had charisma that he could never find in the past Kim Ho Geol, who was awkward.

Was he really Kim Ho Geol?

For a moment, Yoo-hyun remembered what Kim Hyun-min had said.

-He’s grown a lot in politics. He’s not the person you knew before.

When Yoo-hyun first came to Ulsan, he was nothing but a chick team leader who was pushed around by other team leaders.

He had excellent technical skills, but his organizational management was full of holes.

He had changed a lot.

He suppressed the people with his sharp eyes, and he didn’t give Yoo-hyun a grateful look anymore.

He just looked at him coldly.

Nod.

Yoo-hyun bowed his head to him and greeted him, then sat down in an empty seat and looked around.