Real Man

Chapter 376:

Chapter 376

Lee Young-nam walked past with quick steps.

“Brother, why are you hiding?”

“Director Lee keeps telling me to appear on TV.”

Haenam-gun was not just providing material support.

He wanted to promote him properly and hired a local broadcasting company.

The filming was scheduled for this afternoon.

Choi Jeong-bok chuckled and urged him when he heard Yoo-hyun’s answer.

“Ha ha. I’m going too. Let’s go together.”

“No, thanks.”

“Why not? You’re popular enough to be on TV.”

“I don’t think so, and I don’t want to sell myself. I prefer to stay quiet.”

Yoo-hyun expressed his refusal with a firm expression.

Choi Jeong-bok poked his side.

He seemed to want to join him no matter what.

“Hey, if you do an interview with me, I’ll get you a round at Haenam CC.”

“Director Lee said he would build a building named after me at the fishing spot.”

Yoo-hyun answered seriously, and Choi Jeong-bok burst into laughter.

“What? Hahaha. Huh.”

That’s when Yoo-hyun covered his mouth.

If he hadn’t, Lee Young-nam would have noticed him from afar.

Choi Jeong-bok wiped his eyes with his sleeve and said.

“Do you think Director Lee will really do that?”

“That’s why I’m hiding.”

“Hahaha.”

Choi Jeong-bok laughed while covering his mouth.

Yoo-hyun was the only one with a serious expression.

There were some inconveniences as more people came to the village.

He had to make a reservation for the park golf course, which he used to go anytime, and follow the set course time.

The fishing spot, which used to be quiet, was noisy with people.

The people who used to hang out together were busy with their work, so he could only see them occasionally.

Yoo-hyun, who worked at the factory, was the most idle.

Of course, Jo Gi-jeong and Kang Jong-ho were the same, but they didn’t get along with people, so they didn’t play golf or fish together.

That didn’t mean Yoo-hyun was less satisfied.

He had more fun in his own way.

Yoo-hyun sat in a corner of the fishing spot with a hat pulled down and shared his thoughts.

“Do you know how it feels to have a secret hideout that no one knows? It’s great.”josei

Then he heard Kim Hyun-soo’s laughter through his earphones.

-Hey. The hammock you set up last time was discovered by the kids in the neighborhood.

“Of course I changed the location. This time it’s a place that even the villagers don’t know.”

-Isn’t it cold in winter?

“It’s cold. But the weather is nice here. And I set up a tent and brought a heater, so it’s enough.”

Kim Hyun-soo asked incredulously at Yoo-hyun’s answer.

-What are you doing there?

“Huh? Wait a minute. I just caught a fish.”

Yoo-hyun lifted his fishing rod and skillfully released the fish.

Splash.

The water was so deep that he caught quite a few fish even in winter.

-Haha. Why do you make me want to go there? Come over when the maintenance is done.

“I can’t say I didn’t catch it when I did. Didn’t I catch this one without bait?”

-You’re amazing. You’ll be on TV as a fishing king soon.

“Then I’ll be on TV as a fishing king soon…”

It was when Yoo-hyun was talking cheekily to Kim Hyun-soo, whom he hadn’t talked to in a long time.

Swoosh.

As he lifted his head, he realized the reality in front of him and lost his words for a moment.

-Hyun-soo, what? I can’t hear you.

Yoo-hyun swallowed his saliva and answered.

“Hyun-soo, I’ll hang up. It seems like I’m screwed.”

-Huh? What is it?

Click.

As Yoo-hyun pressed the button, a message saying call ended appeared on the phone screen on his lap.

At the same time, he heard a high-pitched voice from the front.

“Brother. I brought the TV people myself so I wouldn’t bother you. I did well, right?”

“…”

How did she know he was here?

Yoo-hyun looked around, speechless.

Sim Hyun-ji smiled brightly.

Lee Young-nam wore a contented smile.

Moon Jung-gu brought his golf club all the way to the fishing spot.

And the golf trio, including Choi Jong-gu.

Bae Yong-seok, the manager of the fishing spot.

And the other villagers surrounded Han Yoo-hyun.

And a huge camera was stuck close to Han Yoo-hyun’s face.

A reporter who had briefly appeared on TV as a gagman long ago pointed at Han Yoo-hyun and shouted.

“Is this the amazing Han Yoo-hyun who saved this village?”

“Yes.”

The people who crowded in all shouted in unison.

The outsiders who were at the fishing spot also craned their necks to see what was going on.

Han Yoo-hyun swallowed hard.

Enjoy this moment.

He felt like he couldn’t keep the words engraved in his heart right now.

“Han Yoo-hyun, how did you save the village?”

“…”

The reporter’s microphone was pushed in front of Han Yoo-hyun.

Winter had deepened, and snow had fallen even in Haenam, the southernmost village.

If it had been like before, a little snow would have blocked the road to the two mountain villages of Yeontae-ri and Yeonseung-ri, but not anymore.

Although it was not completed yet, a big road was opened, so cars could easily move around.

The restaurant owner who sat on the vacant lot in front of the factory said with saliva flying, how amazing it was.

“Really, when it snowed before, the road froze and we were isolated for a month. Then the sewer pipe burst and we had to poop in the woods. If you dig up the woods now, maybe…”

“Auntie, please don’t talk about poop while we’re eating.”

Han Yoo-hyun grimaced with a playful expression, and the restaurant owner covered her mouth and laughed.

“Ho ho. Was that too much?”

“Well, at least this steamed bun is delicious.”

“I can do anything for the factory.”

“As expected, auntie.”

The steamed bun was so delicious that Han Yoo-hyun gave her a thumbs up.

Jo Ki-jeong and Kang Jong-ho ate two or three steamed buns each in front of the restaurant owner who was clearly there.

The iced rice punch was also delicious.

The three remaining Yeontae factory workers ate the food that the restaurant owner brought with gusto.

The restaurant owner who looked at them with a pleased smile suddenly brought up work.

“But these days, the factory seems quiet. Is everything okay?”

Then Jo Ki-jeong coughed and Kang Jong-ho twitched his butt.

“Hmm, hmm.”

“We ate well. We have to go to work now.”

Knowing that they would only get pressured if they stayed longer, the two quietly left their seats.

Han Yoo-hyun reassured the restaurant owner who reached out to say one more thing.

“Don’t worry. It’s going well.”

“But why isn’t the foreman coming? I’m afraid they’ll close the factory again.”

“There’s no problem with the foreman being gone. They said they’ll send someone new soon.”

The Mokpo branch said they would add one more foreman-level staff, but they kept stalling.

And they still distributed the same amount of work.

Han Yoo-hyun didn’t bother to tackle them, even though it seemed like they were trying to make them suffer on purpose.

After all, they had to send them anyway, and it was more comfortable to live quietly like this.

The restaurant owner nodded quickly and then suddenly came in with a hook.

“By the way, Han supervisor, do you have a girlfriend?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Well, your face was on TV. Your girlfriend is doing so well. Aren’t you curious?”

“Oh, come on. It’s just a local broadcast.”

“You’re just regretting it. If you bring her here, I’ll clean up your room for you. Oh, you’ll share a room, right?”

At the unexpected question of the restaurant owner, Han Yoo-hyun spat out the rice punch he was drinking.

“Pfft. What are you talking about?”

“Ho ho. Han supervisor, are you shy? Just bring her here. I’ll take good care of her.”

The restaurant owner laughed and laughed as if she was very happy.

Han Yoo-hyun shook his head with a snicker.

By the way, when will she come?

It was time to go down to the lower provinces by now, but he hadn’t heard from Jeong Da-hye yet.

She must be busy, so maybe it’s natural that she can’t come here.

He would see her again soon in Seoul, but he felt a little sorry.

“She would like it here.”

Han Yoo-hyun muttered to himself as he looked eastward.

At that moment, in the lounge on the first floor of Yeosu City Hall.

A man from the Yeosu Expo preparation team asked the woman sitting across from him.

“Team Leader Jung, do you think this meeting helped us attract the G20?”

“It was very helpful. Thank you for your hard work.”

“No, not at all. I’m glad to help. You came all this way, why don’t you join me for dinner? I know a great place around here. Hahaha.”

As the man laughed and spoke, Jung Da-hye’s eyes were fixed on the TV screen in the lounge.

There was a very familiar man on TV.

The familiar man, Yoo-hyun, answered the reporter’s question.

-Me, saving the village? That’s absurd. It’s all thanks to the villagers here, including the village head.

Then the villagers cheered and lifted Yoo-hyun up.

Then they suddenly tossed him in the air.

Yoo-hyun, who looked flustered in mid-air, finally smiled brightly.

He looked very happy.

The man who was watching TV with her pretended to know.

“Oh, that’s Yeontae-ri in Haenam. It’s a hot spot in this area these days.”

“Is that so?”

Jung Da-hye nodded and got up from her seat with her handbag.

“Oh, Manager, I’m sorry but I have a prior engagement for dinner. See you next time.”

“Huh? Oh, okay. Call me anytime.”

Jung Da-hye smiled faintly and turned around.

Vroom.

A mid-sized sedan ran up the hill with a reservoir in its view.

The road was not fully paved yet, but it was a straight line that led to the fairly high village in no time.

Jung Da-hye parked at the end of the road on top of a hill and got out of the car to look around.

There were two villages with different vibes on each side, and there was a faint trace of snow on the trail that connected them.

Jung Da-hye followed the sign and went down to Yeontae-ri.

She muttered to herself as she held her phone.

“I didn’t come here because I’m curious about how he lives. I just came here because I’m curious about this village.”

She rationalized to herself as she walked along the edge of the village trail.

The scenery in the forest was very neat and beautiful.

Meanwhile, Yoo-hyun, who had finished his work, was walking along the Yeontae-ri trail.

His destination was always the golf practice range behind the Chinese restaurant, but today he was not alone.

A neighborhood kid, Jung Min-soo, rolled a soccer ball behind him.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

When Yoo-hyun caught the ball, Jung Min-soo ran up to him and waved his hand.

“Hyung, pass it to me.”

Yoo-hyun kicked the ball with moderate force.

Flick.

Then the ball flew sideways.

“Geez. Hyung, why do you always kick it sideways?”

“Min-soo, you have to run around more when you play by yourself.”

Yoo-hyun said as he walked with his hands behind his back.

Jung Min-soo ran up again and caught the ball.

“Hyung. I’ll kick it again.”

Then he kicked it hard towards Yoo-hyun who was walking ahead.

Bang.

There was a loud noise, but it was just a ball kicked by a kid.

Yoo-hyun turned his body and caught the ball rolling from behind.

But by chance, the ball grazed his inner foot and slipped between his legs.

“Hyung.”

“What are you yelling for? It happens sometimes.”

Yoo-hyun raised his hand slightly and turned his body.