Real Man

Thud, thud.

Yoo-hyun got off the bus and walked, recalling the old memories he had with Nadoha.

Nadoha was always different.

He was not conventional, he was free-spirited.

From Yoo-hyun’s perspective as a team leader, this genius who was out of his control was a headache.

It was the same for Park Young-hoon now.

-Are all geniuses like that? I can’t manage Nadoha at all. I don’t know where he’ll go or what he’ll do.

Nadoha, who had thorns all over his body, did not trust people and drew a line in his relationships.

He had a prickly personality and was self-willed, which made it hard for the managers.

Park Young-hoon wanted to stick out his tongue, but it was inevitable.

‘What does personality matter? I just need to support what Nadoha can do well.’

It was hard at first, but Park Young-hoon would have to admit it once he saw the results.

Yoo-hyun nodded his head and walked lightly toward the three-story building in the distance.

He had a chocolate cake in his hand to give to Nadoha.

Lulu.

He hummed a tune, thinking of the happy reunion, when a strange object caught his eye.

What is that?

On the sidewalk leading to the three-story building, there was a torn T-shirt lying around.

There were also buttons, pieces of cloth, and broken sticks here and there.

He felt curious for a moment, but then he heard a sharp sound.

“Hey! Don’t stand there!”

At the same time, a burly man popped out of the narrow alley.

He looked like a rhinoceros, running with his clothes torn.

Yoo-hyun tilted his head, wondering what was going on, when he heard another voice.

“Yoo-hyun! Catch that guy!”

As soon as he recognized Kang Dong-shik’s voice, Yoo-hyun instinctively stretched out his foot.

Thump.

The man fell to the ground with just a slight touch of his ankle.

Crash!

“Ugh!”

Kang Dong-shik ran like lightning and grabbed the man’s neck.

He was sweating profusely, as if he had worked hard.

“Where do you think you’re running off to?”

Yoo-hyun looked inside the alley and blinked his eyes.

It was not because of the people who were kneeling and holding their hands up.

It was not because he was watching them so they couldn’t run away.

It was not because of Park Young-hoon either.

He saw Nadoha standing in front of him, scared to death, and walked quickly toward him.

“What the hell happened here?”

Kang Dong-shik answered himself, after making the last man kneel and raise his hands.

“I was just teaching these insolent bastards a lesson.”

“They suddenly barged into the office.”

Park Young-hoon added an explanation, and the man at the end, who was holding his hands up, cried out.

“We didn’t barge in, we had something to talk to Nadoha about. Nadoha, say something.”

“That’s…”

Nadoha was hesitating, scared, when it happened.

Smack.

Kang Dong-shik hit the man’s head and glared at him.

“How dare you bring a weapon and threaten our youngest?”

“Yo, youngest…”

“If you had touched our youngest’s face even with your fingertip, you would be dead by now. You know that, right?”

“Eek!”

Kang Dong-shik’s voice was fierce enough to make the mustached man swallow his fear.

He was not the leader of the underworld for nothing.

Yoo-hyun secretly admired him and held Nadoha’s hand.

Squeeze.

He felt the trembling clearly through his fingertips.

‘You must have had a hard time.’

Nadoha looked at Yoo-hyun and sobbed.

“I’m, I’m sorry. It’s all because of me…”

“Don’t worry. We’re family, right?”

“…”

Youngest, and family.

These were the words that Nadoha, who had been abandoned as a child and grew up in his grandmother’s hands, longed for.

And the next words made Nadoha’s heart swell.

“Nadoha, from now on, no one can touch you. You can trust your brothers.”

“…”

Yoo-hyun looked at Nadoha and conveyed his feelings.

At that moment, Kang Dong-shik, who had a fierce face, finished his work.

Thud.

The mustached man, who had his forehead on the ground, swore.

“I’m, I’m sorry! I’ll never come near here again!”

The other burly men also bowed their heads.

Tap, tap.

Kang Dong-shik tapped the mustached man’s back of the head and whispered in a soft voice.

“That’s right. Otherwise, you’ll never see the sun again. You got that?”

“…”

“Do you want to test if I’m serious or not? Come and find Kang Dong-shik. I’ll take you on anytime. Got it?”

“No, no, sir.”

“Who do you think you are calling me sir?”

Smack.

“Ow!”

He hit the back of his head hard and clapped his hands.

“Okay, I’ll give you five seconds to get out of here. Five, four, three…”

Whoosh!

There was no need to count any more.

The men who were kneeling ran away like lightning.

Clap, clap.

Kang Dong-shik clapped his hands and approached Nadoha.

“Hey, youngest, are you okay?”

“I’m, I’m fine. Thank you so much.”

“Thank you for what? We don’t say that among family.”

“…”

Kang Dong-shik patted his shoulder and then it happened.

“Sob, sob, sob…”

Nadoha trembled all over.

Park Young-hoon, who came next to him, scolded Kang Dong-shik.

“Brother, why are you making him cry?”

“Hey, I didn’t. Hey, youngest, tell me. Did I do it?”

“Wahhh!”

Nadoha cried out loud and Yoo-hyun hugged him.

“It’s okay. It’s okay.”

He didn’t know exactly how he felt.

But he knew that this was the time to let out the resentment that had accumulated inside.

Kang Dong-shik, who was very serious behind him, waved his hand in confusion.

The appearance of being fierce to the thugs just a while ago was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, why are you like that? I didn’t do it.”

“Really, I’m going to tell the boss everything.”

Park Young-hoon teased him maliciously, and Kang Dong-shik became more flustered.

“I didn’t do it. Right, youngest? Right? Please say something.”

“Wahhh!”

Nadoha’s crying continued for a long time.

The misunderstanding that Kang Dong-shik received was cleared only after Nadoha stopped crying.

He heard the words of apology several times and felt so embarrassed that he went up to the gym.

In the second floor office, Park Young-hoon had already laid out the board.

“Come on, let’s have a drink on a day like this.”

He handed him a bottle of soju and Yoo-hyun asked him with a dumbfounded expression.

“What’s with the grill?”

“It’s my office dream. I installed a powerful exhaust fan for this reason.”

“I thought you said it was for the guests who smoke.”

“That’s secondary. Nadoha, sit down.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

Nadoha sat down with his knees together.

He was completely different from the way he spoke bluntly during the interview.

Shiver.

Park Young-hoon, who poured him a drink after Yoo-hyun, said.

“It’s a coincidence that we’re having our first company dinner.”

“The timing is perfect. Oh, I also bought a cake.”

“I’ll, I’ll open it.”

Yoo-hyun and Park Young-hoon chuckled as they saw Nadoha move before they even said anything.

There is always a reason for change.

Nadoha, who had burst into tears at the word family, moistened his eyes again in front of the soju.

Before he knew it, his address changed from boss, director to brother.

“Brother, I’m sorry. Sob, sob.”

“Ha! You. What are you sorry for?”

Park Young-hoon hit his chest in frustration, and Yoo-hyun handed him a handkerchief.

“Go ahead, cry.”

“Sob, sob.”

Yoo-hyun’s consideration made him cry again.

“Nadoha was a crybaby.”

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

Nadoha apologized again, and Park Young-hoon opened his heart and stepped forward.

“What kind of unfair things have you been through? Tell me. I’ll listen to everything.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Yoo-hyun added a word, and Nadoha lifted his head as if he had made up his mind.

“No. I have something I really want to tell you.”

There was no trace of the sharp expression on his face, which had been spitting out thorny words.

He opened his mouth with a much softer face.

He revealed the secret that he had kept hidden in his hard shell, which he had never told anyone.

“When I was young…”

From his childhood when he was abandoned by his parents, to the time when he had to make money somehow.

The story of the young genius who had no choice but to lose his way continued.

Park Young-hoon snorted.

Bang!

“Ow, the smoke is spicy.”

The grill fire had been out for a long time, but he was making a lame excuse.

Park Young-hoon, who had reddened his eyes, looked far away.

Yoo-hyun felt the same way.

‘So that’s why his heart melted at the word family.’

Squeeze.

Yoo-hyun, who held Nadoha’s hand, said.

“Nadoha, we’ll always be by your side from now on.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m more grateful. For being with me like this.”

The big reason why Yoo-hyun wanted to be with Nadoha was that he wanted to give him wings.

But now his thoughts had changed a bit.

Whatever choice Nadoha made, Yoo-hyun wanted to be his reliable protector by his side.

He wanted to be a fence for him like a real brother.

Park Young-hoon must have felt the same way, as he spread his arms and hugged Nadoha.

“Come on, we’re aiming for a company that’s like a family, right? Nadoha, welcome to the family.”

“…”

Nadoha flinched and Yoo-hyun joked.

“You’re not trying to exploit him as much as you can, are you?”

“Of course not. I’ll fully support Nadoha’s opinion from now on. Nadoha, you can do anything you want. Do you want to use the office too?”

“Nadoha, say yes. You don’t get this opportunity often.”

Yoo-hyun urged him and Nadoha hesitated.

“No, no. How dare I.”

“Why not? Nadoha, I’ll make a room for you too. If you need anything else, just say it.”

Park Young-hoon was so drunk that he said generously.

Then Nadoha cautiously opened his mouth.

“Then, can I buy more computers? I want to add some with higher CPU specifications…”

“Buy as many as you want. Do whatever you want.”

“Thank you! Thank you!”

Nadoha was so happy that he barely held back his smile and thanked him.

Park Young-hoon, who smiled satisfactorily, raised his glass like a boss.

“Come on, let’s make sure we only have happy things at Double Y.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Nadoha also raised his glass with a bright expression.

Yoo-hyun also smiled and reached out his glass.

Clang.

The sound of the glasses clinking together signaled a new start for Double Y.

That day, Yoo-hyun didn’t just hear about Nadoha’s hidden past.

Nadoha, who had untied the knot, honestly revealed his own flaws that he had hidden.

It also included the reason why he didn’t talk much with Park Young-hoon recently.

Yoo-hyun, who returned home, recalled the confession that Nadoha had made with his head bowed as if he were a sinner.

-In fact, I tried to find out how to do the things I suggested, but it was not easy. It will take quite some time to build it properly. I’m sorry to disappoint you.

He still couldn’t believe it, even thinking about it.

“How can you do something that would take half a year in one night?”

It wasn’t even that Nadoha couldn’t do it.

He had already drawn a rough sketch and made a mobile app.

He was just struggling with the last 10 percent of the details.

It was absurd to begin with that he could do 90 percent of it.