Real Man

Translation: MarcTempest

Chapter 88

Assistant Manager Jo Chi-hoon pointed at the navigation screen and said abruptly.

“Manager Choi, I know you are working hard to prepare. But look at that. The screen is not working properly. How can we trust and confirm it?”

There was a black band at the bottom of the screen that Jo Chi-hoon gestured to.

It looked like the bottom 20% of the screen was cut off.

Why did he show me that all of a sudden?

And that too from the sales team, not the development team.

She tried to figure out his intention while paying attention to him. Manager Choi Min-heeanswered first.

“Assistant manager, that’s because we gave you a sample product with a different resolution as a quick response to the changed resolution. That’s why it’s like that.”

“So? Then you should have given us a sample that matches it. Will you take responsibility if there is a problem with the development?”

It was something that had been announced in advance.

Rather, they gave them something they didn’t have to give out of consideration for Hyunil Automobile.

Yet Jo Chi-hoon was picking on it for an obvious reason.

He wanted to tame the company.

In other words, he was trying to bully them.

It was an obvious intention, but Choi Min-hee had a responsibility to finish this matter well.

She had to put the company’s interests before her pride as an employee.

She knew that better than anyone else. 

She suppressed her anger and calmly said.

“I also want to give you a sample product that meets the specifications, but I can’t give you a product that hasn’t been developed yet. I believe you know that well enough, Assistant Manager Jo.”

“I’m not asking for a developed product. I’m saying that if you agreed to provide a product that we can test in advance, you should have provided a proper one.”

“There is no product with the same specifications as the resolution is not standard. And that matter has already been discussed. In fact, it’s a special case to provide samples like this.”

“Oh, so you’re doing us a favor?”

Jo Chi-hoon said sarcastically, and Choi Min-hee countered firmly.

“That’s right. Didn’t our development staff come on business trips for several weeks and respond? It wasn’t easy to adjust the existing ones to fit the changed specifications.”

“That’s what Hansung thinks.”

“No. I heard from the head of the embedded product development team that he was grateful. Isn’t that right?”

“I know they supported us well.”

When Choi Min-hee asked the embedded product development team member, he nodded his head.

But Jo Chi-hoon didn’t back down as if he had made up his mind.

“That’s not the issue. It’s slow. How do you explain that?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Take a look.”

He smirked and nodded his head toward Kwon Seung-beom, the assistant manager.

Kwon Seung-beom nodded as if he understood and pressed the mock-up button.

Then they saw the screen change with a gap at the top and bottom.

It was so slow that it was easy to see with human eyes.

Choi Min-hee frowned at the unheard-of defect.

If there was really a problem, they should have called the development team from the customer side.

And it would have been common sense to postpone the confirmation schedule until after checking the problem.

The intention was obvious, but Choi Min-hee couldn’t back down.

“It’s probably a problem caused by lowering the panel frequency to temporarily respond to the changed format. Of course, there won’t be such a problem in the sample that will be developed soon.”

“When it’s developed? What if it’s developed wrong? What do we do then? Do we wash our hands then?”

“That’s why we included a revision schedule in case of any problems as much as possible.”

“What if that doesn’t work? There are so many problems like this. How can we trust you? What if our schedule collapses because of this?”

Choi Min-hee was frustrated.

She felt like her throat was burning.

The direction of the meeting was moving too differently from what she expected.

It looked like he was determined to overturn the deal.

Where did it go wrong?

“We’ll definitely fix the panel problem. If there was a problem, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Ha, really. That’s not what I’m saying.”

Jo Chi-hoon shook his head repeatedly.

While they were arguing, Yoo-hyun moved his seat and touched the mock-up.

The screen changed slowly every time he pressed the button.

It wasn’t just a problem caused by lowering the frequency.

He didn’t miss the screen shaking up and down when the screen changed.

It was a phenomenon that usually occurred when there was a problem with the video input to the panel.

The gap was because of that.

He understood why the development team member looked embarrassed when they talked about the navigation schedule.

Yoo-hyun asked the Hyunil Automobile employees for the first time.

“Is this mock-up made with the chip that will go into this product?”

“Yes. It’s a new chip that we developed.”

“I see.”

He nodded at the answer of the navigation development team.

It meant that they made the video output chip that connects to the input of the LCD panel themselves.

The navigation software is also uploaded to that chip.

It was the core component that runs the navigation.

Yoo-hyun called Manager Choi Min-heewho was in a lull.

“Manager, look at this.”

“What is it?”

When Choi Min-hee came over, the others also leaned their heads forward and looked at the mock-up that Yoo-hyun was holding.

Yoo-hyun pretended not to know and tilted his head.

“Doesn’t the screen shake up and down when it changes?”

“Where? Let me see.”

“Look closely. Assistant Manager Park said that this kind of defect usually occurs when there is a problem with the video input.”

“Wait a minute…”

Choi Min-hee adjusted her glasses and focused.

She looked ambiguous, as if she hadn’t found it yet.

It would be dangerous to say something rashly and get burned.

But she was smart enough.

She turned her head to where Yoo-hyun gestured and looked at Jo Chi-hoon, who was scratching his neck.

He said nonchalantly.

“It’s not even a proper product. What’s the point of testing it with another LCD panel?”

“Didn’t you say earlier that the development schedule could be delayed because of the panel problem we gave you as a sample?”

“I did.”

“It looks like it could be because of the new chip developed by Hyunil, don’t you think?”

“…”

The navigation development team member looked embarrassed at Choi Min-hee’s counterattack.

But Jo Chi-hoon just shrugged his shoulders.

And he used his position as a buyer to change the subject.

“Look, Manager Choi. We are. And now the point is whether we can confirm it or not when the product hasn’t even come out yet.”

“We can’t decide on the quantity if we don’t negotiate with the sales team.”

“That’s why the sales team should have come. It’s frustrating.”

He even openly mocked them.

Choi Min-hee, who had been patient, narrowed her eyes at his rude behavior.

Would she explode here?

If she did, Yoo-hyun would have stepped in, but seeing her clenched fist open again, she didn’t seem to have that intention.

She made a good decision.

There was nothing to gain from fighting.

What Manager Choi Min-heehad to do was a good finish.

She could vent her emotions on Assistant Manager Jo Chi-hoon later.

The meeting that couldn’t be concluded was postponed until after lunch.

Choi Min-hee, who came out of the conference room, had a complicated expression on her face as she left the front door.

She seemed to want to get some fresh air.

She didn’t go straight to the restaurant in the basement, but went outside. What else could be the reason?

Yoo-hyun suggested quickly.

“The wind is cool and nice. Do you want to sit for a while?”

“…”

Choi Min-hee looked at Yoo-hyun with a strange look and sat down.

Then she stared at a distant place for a long time as if she was lost in thought.

Why did it get so twisted?

What does he want?

Her head was complicated.

She felt like she could find a solution if she knew the reason, but she didn’t know it and felt frustrated.

How long had it been?

Choi Min-hee asked Yoo-hyun after thinking hard.

“Yoo-hyun, what about Assistan Manager Jo Chi-hoon of Hyunil Automobile?”

“The one with a big face?”

Yoo-hyun asked back and Choi Min-hee chuckled.

“Yeah. But why is he… Why is he doing that?”

“Maybe he’s trying to tame us?”

“Yeah. Let’s say he is. What does he get from doing that to us?”

“Which part do you mean?”

“I mean, he’s just an employee of the company. It doesn’t seem like he’ll get any performance from doing that.”

It was unexpected.

The Choi Min-hee that Yoo-hyun remembered was not the type to expose her weak side.

Yet she was saying that she didn’t know to a junior employee, and a new one at that.

That meant how frustrated she was.

Yoo-hyun carefully guessed.

“Maybe the navigation development schedule is delayed.”

“How can it be? The car release schedule has already been confirmed.”

“It’s just a thought. It doesn’t have to have navigation when the car comes out. They can also make models without it.”

Choi Min-hee nodded her head.

“Even so, they can’t do that to us when we’ve already signed a contract.”

“That’s right.”

“Right? Right? We’re not some hole-in-the-wall shop. Do you think they’ve already talked to the top?”

“…”

“Oh, the sales team! No wonder…”

Choi Min-hee clapped her hands, narrowed her eyes, sighed, and shook her head.

She was playing drums and gongs by herself and Yoo-hyun couldn’t intervene.

Yoo-hyun moved away from Choi Min-hee for a moment and picked up his phone.

Jo Chi-hoon was suspicious anyway.

He was worried that he had no prior information because he had no connections there.

He contacted Choi Seul-ki with the hope of grabbing a straw, hoping that his fellow employee who was in the field would know something.

“Oh, Yoo-hyun oppa.”

“How are you?”

“Of course. I’m…”

He finished the usual greetings and got to the point.

“Do you know Assistan Manager Jo Chi-hoon of Hyunil Automobile?”

“Oh my, how do you know Assistant Manager Jo?”

Jackpot.

He only needed basic information, but he caught a big fish.

Yoo-hyun opened his mouth with excitement for once.

“Well…”

He honestly told her everything.

Then Choi Seul-ki responded immediately.

“Assistant Manager Jo…”

“Yeah? Can you help me out a little?”

“What is it?”

“That’s…”

Choi Seul-ki answered without much hesitation.

“Don’t worry and contact me. I had something I was curious about anyway.”

“That’s good. I’ll contact you if anything happens.”

“I’ll wait.”

Yoo-hyun smiled after finishing the call.

He hoped so, but the result was good.

He had one insurance now.

At that time.

There were people having lunch in the underground shopping mall in front of Hyunil Automobile building.

Kwon Seung-beom, the assistant manager, and Assistant Manager Jo Chi-hoon were also there.

“Assistant Manager Jo, are you sure this is okay?”

“What? Oh, Hansung? What can a parts supplier do?”

When Kwon Seung-beom asked with a worried expression, Jo Chi-hoon sitting across from him laughed and answered.

“But it’s almost over. What if something goes wrong?”

“Don’t worry. There’s no way it will go wrong. We’ve come this far, do you think Hansung will drop out?”

“I guess not.”

“Of course. It’s not for nothing that our team leader told us to negotiate with Hansung.”

“Wow! You’re not really trying to drop them, are you?”

“Of course not. Just give them some pressure.”

Jo Chi-hoon stirred the stew with a spoon and smiled happily.

On the other hand, Kwon Seung-beom still looked worried.