Real Man

Chapter 89

He knew how much effort he had put into dealing with Hansung for a long time.

“But they are Hansung, after all…”

“Don’t worry. It seems like everything is settled from above. We just have to do what we are told.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Make sure the development team is on the same page. I’ve already told them everything about the final product.”

“Yes…”

Assistan Manager Kwon bowed his head.

It was because of the problem with the navigation system he had planned.

If this continued, there was a high possibility that they would miss the launch date of the car.

Seeing his expression, Assistant Manager Jo Chi-hoon clicked his tongue.

“Ugh, you’re still the same as when you were a newbie. Straighten up your shoulders, man. I told you not to act like a coward.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Never mind. Let’s take this opportunity to catch Hansung.”

“So you’re not going to confirm it today?”

Kwon asked and Jo Chi-hoon smiled slyly.

“Of course, I’m going to send it back. And I’ll add that it’s because of Hansung that we’re delayed.”

“Oh…”

“They have no choice but to follow us. What are they going to do after they’ve already developed it?”

“…”

Let’s see how they handle a day or two of bullying.

Jo Chi-hoon grinned as he stuffed a grain of rice into his mouth.

The underground shopping mall that connected the Geoje Industrial Complex was quite large.

But since each company had its own cafeteria, there was no place to eat separately.

Most of them were old Korean restaurants, and there were only a few fast food joints.

Manager Choi Min-hee apologized with a sorry expression.

“I promised to buy you something delicious today, but I don’t know what to do.”

“Don’t say that. It was very good.”

“Do you want some coffee? You can buy expensive coffee.”

Choi Min-hee’s voice brightened up by one tone at Yoo-hyun’s smile.

Was Choi Min-hee always like this?

He thought she was always cold and stiff, but today she was very different from usual.

Yoo-hyun thought that maybe he didn’t know Choi Min-hee well enough.

Ding.

It was the moment when the two entered the coffee shop.

A thick male voice was heard.

It was Jo Chi-hoon, who was standing in front of the cashier.

“Hey, I’ll buy you coffee.”

“…Is cake okay too?”

Choi Min-hee seemed to be holding back her anger with a sharp reply that didn’t suit him.

“Sure thing.”

“Thank you. Yoo-hyun, you didn’t eat properly, right? Choose whatever you want.”

But it wasn’t.

This was her timid revenge.

Yoo-hyun suppressed his laughter and answered.

“Can I choose two?”

“Sure, sure. It’s okay if Jo buys it. Right?”

“…Well, whatever you want.”

Jo Chi-hoon answered casually, but he couldn’t hide his sour stomach.

He had wrinkles on his forehead.

For a very short moment, Yoo-hyun secretly picked up his phone.

“Seul-gi. I’m here…”

“I know. Just stall and wait.”

He heard Choi Seul-gi’s cool answer.

A moment later, the table was full of drinks and cakes.

Choi Min-hee ate heartily and thanked Jo Chi-hoon who was sitting across from her.

“Mm, this is really good. Thank you.”

“Yes. Please eat a lot.”

“It would be nice if you were this considerate during the meeting too.”

Of course, there was a thorn hidden in her words.

“Yes. It’s nice to see you enjoying it. Please pay more attention to the panel too.”

“Don’t you think we’re paying enough attention for a company like ours?”

“Well, it’s all about the results, right?”

“Aren’t results something we make together?”

“There’s no need to waste time on something that won’t work.”

Jo Chi-hoon also had a stubborn side to him.

The two who seemed to match well in strange parts ate and had a childish psychological battle in front of them.

“That’s not what I mean…”

“No, what I’m saying is…”

There were some parts that seemed to cross the line, but Yoo-hyun didn’t bother to stop them.

It wasn’t work-related anyway, and this kind of pride fight was common enough.

Instead, he drank his coffee and organized his thoughts.

He had roughly confirmed his suspicions.

Hyun-il Motors couldn’t let go of Hansung Electronics easily either.

If they were going to give up, Jo Chi-hoon wouldn’t have pushed them like this.

The problem was one thing.

He had no intention of negotiating at all today.

It was then.

Jo Chi-hoon’s mood was not good.

His breathing was rough as his nose flared, and his face was very flushed.

He looked like he was barely holding his patience.

Seeing him, Choi Min-hee said.

“I’m sorry if that’s not the case.”

“Choi, if you keep saying that, what do you want me to do?”

“I meant it as a way to discuss it together.”

Choi Min-hee tried to keep the line subtly, but Jo Chi-hoon didn’t.

He was ready to get up and make a scene.

You think he wouldn’t?

Yoo-hyun was sure with a high probability after observing many types of people.

It was a loss to clean up after the trouble.

Even if there was a problem, it was better for Yoo-hyun to cover it up than Choi Min-hee in terms of negotiation.

As Jo Chi-hoon was about to explode, Yoo-hyun saw something and got up from his seat.

Screech.

“Choi, I think we’re out of time.”

“Really?”

“No, wait. How can a newbie interrupt the seniors’ conversation?”

Jo Chi-hoon suddenly got up and yelled.

He vented his anger on Yoo-hyun, who had a lower rank than him.

He held back his swear words because it was a coffee shop, but it was obvious that he was angry.

In this case, he had to bow down firmly.

“No, right now…”

Yoo-hyun stopped Choi Min-hee from stepping forward and bowed his head in apology.

“Sir, I’m really sorry.”

“Hmm. No, it’s not that…”

Jo Chi-hoon couldn’t go any further because he felt the eyes of the people in the coffee shop.

He felt like he was the only bad guy because of Yoo-hyun’s apology.

As Jo Chi-hoon fixed his sleeve and tried to say something, a high-pitched voice rang out from the side.

“Oppa! You’re Yoo-hyun oppa, right?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to the side because of the loud noise.

There was a young woman standing there.

Her long hair had been cut short, but Yoo-hyun couldn’t miss her.

It was Choi Seul-gi, who had been on the same team as him during the new employee training.

“Seul-gi.”

“Oppa, what’s going on here?”

“I’m meeting with some clients.”

“Hmm…”

Choi Seul-gi crossed her arms and turned her head sharply.

Jo Chi-hoon flinched for a moment.

“Haha, Seul-gi. Long time no see.”

“Sir, are you causing trouble to the people from the company in the cafe, by any chance?”

“No, of course not.”

“…”

Yoo-hyun blinked his eyes as he listened to their conversation.

They obviously knew each other.

But their relationship seemed to be wrong somehow.

Rather, it was the young Choi Seul-gi who was pushing Jo Chi-hoon around.

“I’m disappointed to see you like this. And I’m sure Yu would be very disappointed too.”

“You must have misunderstood something. Isn’t that right, Yoo-hyun?”

She was a woman who had already heard the explanation from him.

Yoo-hyun smiled slightly at that moment.

He quickly organized his thoughts and gave Choi Seul-gi a hint.

Then he immersed himself in the act.

“Yes, of course. Seul-gi, Sir Jo gave us the contract confirmation today during the negotiation. Don’t be rude.”

“Oh? Really? Is that true, sir?”

“…Haha, yes, yes.”

Choi Seul-gi responded very naturally to Yoo-hyun’s sudden change.

She had a knack for cornering Jo Chi-hoon softly.

“Then I’m sorry. I’ll say something nice to Yu as an apology.”

“Really?”

“Of course. But only if you’re not lying, sir.”

“…”

Her skill of pushing and pulling with an apology and a condition was beyond excellent, it was art.

“You wouldn’t lie about something like this, right? You’re a man with pride, aren’t you? Right?”

“Yes. Of course.”

She even touched his pride and got a definite answer from him.

He had seen her teach dance during the new employee training and knew she had some sense, but this was more than that.

It was as if she had been looking at the whole situation from the beginning and acting accordingly.

Yoo-hyun gave her a thumbs up from an angle that only she could see.

Choi Seul-gi smiled brightly and wrapped up the situation.

“Okay, sir. I’ll trust you then. Let’s have a meal together sometime.”

“Sure. I’ll set a date.”

“Yes. Oh, Yoo-hyun oppa. Call me when you’re done. Let me know the result of the meeting.”

“Got it. Thanks.”

After Choi Seul-gi left, an awkward silence enveloped the four people.

“…”

Yoo-hyun spoke politely to Jo Chi-hoon.

“Shall we go to the meeting then?”

“…Yes, let’s do that.”

Jo Chi-hoon’s expression looked complicated.

Yoo-hyun thought that Choi Seul-gi’s words had worked to some extent.

He could tell by Jo Chi-hoon’s change of expression.

He didn’t believe that the meeting result would change dramatically though.

It was enough to see a slight crack in his armor.

But what do you know?

The reaction of Jo Chi-hoon throughout the afternoon meeting was unexpected.

He had completely changed as a person.

“I hope you understand that we are being careful because of this.”

“Of course. I understand.”

“This is our first navigation system. We have to start well. Start well. Hahaha.”

“Thank you. Can I ask you to check the specs then?”

“Yes. We’ve checked the development specs and it seems like this is it. We’ve met all the requirements too.”

He suddenly became gentle and his attitude towards the meeting was also serious.

“What? Do you mean…”

“I think we can do this much.”

“Can you send me a confirmation email?”

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

He gave an immediate answer to Choi Min-hee’s direct question.

There was no trace of his attitude that seemed like he would never agree.

He even winked at Yoo-hyun.

“…”

Yoo-hyun lost his words as Kwon Seung-beom, the other assistant manager, whispered to Jo Chi-hoon.

“Sir, are you okay? You were…”

“Hey, I’m fine, man. The team leader just told me to tame them, not to cut them off.”

“So you’re really doing it?”

“Yeah. This is enough, right? Let’s go nicely. Nicely.”

“Oh, okay.”

It was a conversation that Yoo-hyun couldn’t hear.

But he could read the situation from their expressions.

Kwon Seung-beom also didn’t expect Jo Chi-hoon’s sudden change of attitude.

This was entirely Jo Chi-hoon’s unilateral decision.

Finally, Jo Chi-hoon concluded the meeting with a completely different tone from before.

“Choi, I’ll end this meeting here. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes. Thank you…”

Choi Min-hee was stunned by Jo Chi-hoon’s confirmation.

She glanced at Yoo-hyun.

She had asked him to go on a business trip with her, just in case, but she didn’t really think he would be of much help.

No matter how talented he was, there was a limit to what he could do as a newbie.

But this happened!

Who would have thought that a newbie’s connection would move a troublesome Hyun-il Motors assistant?

An unbelievable thing was happening in front of her eyes.

The meeting ended and they said goodbye as a courtesy.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”

The people from the navigation development team also apologized politely.

Although there were some difficulties in the middle, the end was professional.