Real Man

Chapter 203:

“Why do you think so?”

-Maybe they don’t fit the domestic environment? They look the same as before. There’s nothing different.

“I see…”

Oh Eun-bi was a journalist who specialized in IT.

Even she didn’t know the value of the iPhone.

It was only natural that the general public didn’t know either.

Was it because of the lingering tone in Yoo-hyun’s words?

Oh Eun-bi activated her unique intuition.

-Wait, did you just say that casually, or is there something in the iPhone?

“Maybe. You should take a closer look.”

-Wow, okay. I’ll definitely check it out.

Soon, a huge wave of smartphones would sweep over the entire IT industry.

The giant company Hansung Electronics was no exception.

The problem was the innocent employees.

They had to bear the consequences of the wrong choices made by some leaders.

Yoo-hyun couldn’t avoid the responsibility either.

It was something he wanted to fix.

He needed someone who was awake around him.

With that in mind, he spoke to Oh Eun-bi.

“Yes. And you should also pay attention to Google.”

-Why them? Oh, they’re doing mobile OS business, right? Android or something?

Oh Eun-bi hesitated, and Yoo-hyun answered firmly.

“That’s right. They’re promising too.”

-Apple vs Google? That sounds impressive just by the name.

“It’ll be more impressive than you think.”

-Okay. And…

Yoo-hyun moved while listening to Oh Eun-bi.

He brought up the main point when he came out to the hallway.

“Miss reporter, you’re planning to go to Ulsan to write an article, right?”

-Huh. How did you know that?

“I saw that your newspaper was writing a series of articles on IT manufacturing. So I thought the next city would be Ulsan.”

-Wow. You’re better than our editor-in-chief. But why?

Yoo-hyun chuckled and replied.

“Just. I thought I might escort you next time.”

-Wow. Really? Why? Is it because of the help last time?

“Yes. I can’t live with debts.”

-That’s great. But Yoo-hyun, do you have any reason to go to Ulsan? I haven’t decided on the schedule yet.

Yoo-hyun uttered a meaningful word to Oh Eun-bi, who asked in surprise.

“Yes. I think I might have to stay there for a while.”

-Cool. Sounds good. I might as well write a proper article.

He heard the determined voice of Oh Eun-bi over the phone.

At the same time, Yoo-hyun’s lips curled up.

A few days later, Yoo-hyun met his colleagues outside for lunch.

He hadn’t seen Min Jeonghyuk and Kwon Se-jung often lately because they were busy.

Min Jeonghyuk’s expression was brighter than before when he entered the restaurant.

After ordering food, Yoo-hyun asked.

“Hyung, do you have any good news?”

“Just. I feel like I’m doing some real work now.”

“Why?”

“Well…”

Min Jeonghyuk explained the situation in the sales team.

A lot had changed since Oh Jae-hwan became the team leader.

And that change was very positive for him.

“The biggest thing is that the factions are gone.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. The previous team leader was stingy and took care of his line. He gave only chores to those who were out of favor.”

“Mr. Oh doesn’t do that, does he?”

“Right. He’s totally fair, isn’t he?”

Yoo-hyun smiled inwardly.

Oh Jae-hwan wasn’t such a fair person.

But he was absolutely better than Lee Kyung-hoon.

Min Jeonghyuk was in a good mood.

He didn’t stop talking even while eating.

He had a lot to say since he hadn’t seen them for a long time.

Min Jeonghyuk kept talking about the important project he was in charge of.

“What I’m working on this time is…”

Kwon Se-jung told a long story about the recent friction with Seong Woongjin, the deputy head.

“What did Seong Woongjin say?”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

Yoo-hyun listened to him politely.

Kwon Se-jung stopped talking and suddenly asked Yoo-hyun.

“Hey, Yoo-hyun, did you call Jin Ho hyung?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, he said you seemed to be checking on the Ulsan factory’s alumni.”

“Yeah. I have something to ask them for the project.”

As Yoo-hyun answered, Min Jeonghyuk interjected.

“How are they? Is the factory killing them?”

“The atmosphere at the Ulsan factory is a bit stiff, isn’t it?”

“Stiff? I almost died when I went down there for a while.”

Min Jeonghyuk stuck out his tongue, and Kwon Se-jung added.

“Me too. They scolded me for chasing clouds.”

“What happened?”

Kwon Se-jung frowned as if he was wronged.

“Yeah. What happened was…”

“Me too…”

Min Jeonghyuk also didn’t give up and brought up his complaints.

The two of them vented their resentment as if they were competing.

It was understandable, because they mostly dealt with at least managers or higher.

They had to make unpleasant calls and emails for the project.

The development team couldn’t say nice things.

It was when the food was all gone.

Min Jeonghyuk, who had been talking non-stop, suddenly asked Kwon Se-jung.

“Se-jung, is the development team’s dispatch returning this time?”

“Yes. One senior is coming. Why?”

“No. I’m just worried. Since your team did it, our team is more likely to go this year.”

Min Jeonghyuk had a keen eye for the situation around him.

This could be his strength, but it could also be his weakness, as he tended to worry unnecessarily.

Yoo-hyun tried to ease his worries and said.

“That won’t happen.”

“Why? Yoo-hyun, do you know something?”

“No. It’s not that, but there’s no one in the sales team, right?”

“That’s true. Then what’s going to happen?”

“We’ll see when we get there. There’s no point in worrying now.”

“I guess…”

As Yoo-hyun answered, he chuckled and got up from his seat.

The target was already decided, given the current situation.

The reason was different from the past, but the target was the same.

Soon, the dispatch issue that Min Jeonghyuk was worried about surfaced.

Of course, most people were still unaware of it.

But there was someone who was very interested in it.

It was Lee Ae-rin.

She messaged Joo Yoonha, the secretary of the Ulsan factory’s fourth division, on the messenger.

-Yoonha, is the dispatch decided?

-No, not yet. But I heard our division head talking to the team leader.

-Which team?

-The Preceding Product Team. I think we’ll go there if they come.

-Really? Okay. Let me know if you find out more.

-Yes, sister. Have a nice day.

Lee Ae-rin quickly sorted out the situation.

As expected, she had to go to the fourth division for the dispatch.

It was obvious who would go.

The sales team was impossible, so it was the product planning team.

And the target was likely to be Yoo-hyun.

Lee Ae-rin immediately picked up her phone.

At that moment.

Yoo-hyun was checking the Ulsan development team members on the internal internet network.

He looked not only at their names, but also at the posts they left on the bulletin board and the traces they left on the internal community.

He was preparing in advance for the trip.

Ring.

Then, a message from Lee Ae-rin came in on his phone.

It was a rather long message, containing information about the fourth division and the Preceding Product Team.

To summarize, the content of her concern was this.

-Yoo-hyun, you have to say no if they request a dispatch to your division.

Lee Ae-rin had a good sense.

He was grateful for her care and sent a reply right away.

-Thank you for your concern.

He could tell that things were already moving behind the scenes, as she narrowed down the scope to the Preceding Product Team.

It was clear that Go Jun-ho, the executive director, had moved as well.

Seeing the situation clearly, Yoo-hyun’s lips rose involuntarily.

Then, Park Seung-woo, the assistant manager next to him, asked.

“What are you so happy about?”

“It’s just nice to be next to you, sir.”

“Kid. You sure know how to talk.”

Park Seung-woo chuckled and pointed to Yoo-hyun’s monitor.

“Hey, why do you always check the profiles of the development team people?”

“I go on business trips often, so I have to remember their faces.”

As Yoo-hyun dodged, Park Seung-woo gave him a suspicious look.

“Do you maybe…”

“What?”

“Never mind. Sigh…”

Could the clueless Park Seung-woo have noticed the hint of the dispatch?

He shook his head with a sigh, as if he thought it was possible.

Then, Park Seung-woo looked at Yoo-hyun.

He bit his lower lip tightly, and his worried heart showed on his face.

What should he say first?

As Yoo-hyun pondered for a moment, Park Seung-woo opened his mouth.

“Actually…”

“Yes? The Innovation Planning Contest?”

Yoo-hyun let out a sigh of relief at Park Seung-woo’s unexpected words.

Park Seung-woo, who didn’t know the situation, continued.

“Yes. Don’t tell anyone yet. The IT Product Planning Team contacted me directly.”

“Okay, I got it. But what is that?”

“What it is…”

Yoo-hyun nodded as he listened to Park Seung-woo’s words.

It was something he already knew.

The Innovation Planning Contest was a competition where the planning departments within the LCD business group gathered.

They had to select one product and make a plan, and this time it was a monitor.

“They didn’t usually let our business group join. But this year they said let’s do it together.”

“That’s good news.”

As Park Seung-woo said, it was something that didn’t happen in the past.

The mobile group had lower performance and weaker product planning skills than the other groups.

It was a contest in name, but it was a family affair for the TV and IT product planning teams.

The mobile group joined because of the color phone.

That was why Park Seung-woo was contacted directly.

But Park Seung-woo still looked worried.

“Is it really good?”

“Why? Do you think it’s not?”

“I’m afraid they’re making more work for us when we don’t have enough people.”

“But there’s something to gain, right?”

At Yoo-hyun’s words, Park Seung-woo’s face brightened up.

“Right. Okay. I’ll have to talk to them.”

“Okay. Good luck.”

Yoo-hyun casually encouraged him.

He seemed to have gained strength from his words, as Park Seung-woo confidently got up and walked toward Choi Min-hee, the deputy head.

“I hope it goes well…”

He muttered as he watched his back.

At the same time, a hint of regret flashed in Yoo-hyun’s eyes.

It was because he couldn’t do it with him.

Time passed, and the dispatch issue started to circulate within the sales marketing division.

The clueless Park Seung-woo also heard about it later.

“Yoo-hyun, do you know? The development side requested a dispatch to our division.”

“Really?”

“Oh, you don’t know. The dispatch is for a year, because…”

Park Seung-woo did his duty as a mentor kindly.

Yoo-hyun listened as always.

His words suddenly stopped.

He gestured to Yoo-hyun urgently and bowed his head.

Then he spoke in a low voice as if nothing had happened.

“So…”

Yoo-hyun chuckled and said to Park Seung-woo.

“The division head passed by.”

“Really? Hm. I’m not scared and avoiding him.”

“Yes. Of course I know.”

Park Seung-woo raised his head like a meerkat and glanced around.

Jo Chan-young, the executive director, had already entered the team leader’s seat.