Real Man

He wasn’t feeling bad.

His eyes were like those of a lion that had prey in front of him.

“So, everyone in Hansung is incompetent and has to work overtime?”

“Ah, no, that’s not it…”

“Then, are you saying that you came to the company on purpose to work overtime?”

“Ah, no, I’m not. I mean, of course I would work overtime if necessary…”

“Mr. Bang Seong-hak, you seem to change your words very easily.”

“…”

He said that while drawing a line on the paper in front of him with a clear sign of displeasure.

The warm atmosphere in an instant turned upside down and a cold air began to circulate in the interview room.

The interviewers started to put pressure on the applicants.

Of course, they didn’t do it because they hated the applicants.

It was to see their quick wit in a moment of crisis.

After the sharp questions eliminated the applicants one by one, they finally reached Yoo-hyun.

“Mr. Han Yu-hyun, I’ll continue with the previous question. If your boss asks you to exercise with him on the weekend, what would you do?”

It was a question that had no right answer.

If he said yes without hesitation, he would be seen as a person without his own opinion. If he expressed his opposition, he would be seen as a person who stubbornly clings to his own position.

The best thing to do here was to turn the tables and show him a card that he would be tempted by.

And it had to be a card that would make him want to talk to him right away.

Yoo-hyun glanced at the interviewer who asked the question.

His skin was tanned even before summer came, which showed that he was doing a lot of outdoor activities for a company employee.

He had been touching his right elbow with his left hand since he came in, which indicated that he had some pain there.

With this simple information, he could clearly tell what the interviewer’s problem was.

Golfer’s elbow.

He liked golf enough to go outside often, but he injured himself due to an improper posture.

It was a disease that anyone who played golf would experience at least once.

Of course, it was also a disease that caused stress because it didn’t heal well.

Yoo-hyun slowly opened his mouth.

“It depends on what kind of exercise it is. If it’s golf, I would definitely go.”

“Oh. Golf? Do you like it? Have you played it before?”

“Yes, I enjoy it with my father. I also learned some self-treatment methods for golfer’s elbow because I suffered a lot from it.”

“Oh… I see.”

Yoo-hyun didn’t miss the expression of the interviewer who sighed and then regained his breath.

He had a look in his eyes that he wanted to talk about golfer’s elbow right away.

But maybe because of his dignity, he quickly changed the subject and said politely.

“Mr. Han Yu-hyun, you seem to have a lot of experience.”

There was no sarcasm in his voice.

It was a question that he tossed for Yoo-hyun’s sake.

It didn’t matter what kind of experience he had here.

The important thing was that he gave the answer that the company wanted with his quick thinking.

It would be a sign that he was well prepared for the interview as an applicant named Han Yu-hyun.

Yoo-hyun’s intention seemed to work well with the atmosphere of the interview room.

He could tell by looking at the eyes of the interviewers.

The eyebrows that fluttered quickly were a perfect sign of liking for Yoo-hyun.

The deep questions continued and Yoo-hyun was given the last question.

“What do you want to achieve when you join the company?”

Yoo-hyun looked at Park Doo-sik, the section chief who asked the question.

He remembered that he had asked him a similar question when he reached out his hand to work with him.

The answer Yoo-hyun gave at that time was no different from his mindset as a new employee.

-I want to become a CEO and make Hansung Electronics a world-renowned company.

But now it was different.

He knew better than anyone else that all he would be left with was emptiness if he reached there alone.

Yoo-hyun took a breath and spoke in a clear voice.

“I dream of everyone’s success rather than my own. I want to help those who have skills but are not recognized, or those who are diligent and work harder than anyone else but don’t get a chance to shine. My goal is to make everyone around me shine.”

No one would hate a person who said that he preferred to do well together rather than doing well by himself.

In a way, he was closer to the ideal candidate that the company wanted.

He didn’t say his goal to please them.

But the faces of the interviewers had already changed.

“Wow.”

They exclaimed and nodded their heads.

The interview was over.

As he greeted them and turned to leave, Yoo-hyun felt their eyes on him and gave a nod to Park Doo-sik, the section chief.

He would see him again someday.

No, he wanted to work with him again someday.

He would work in a completely different way then.

“I wonder if he would acknowledge me.”

He muttered a question that he still didn’t know the answer to and smiled as he walked out.

Buzzing.

As he took the elevator down to the first floor, he saw people filling up the lobby.

12:00

The large digital clock on the wall indicated lunchtime.

He felt like a real office worker as he passed through the crowd of people.

Oh, right. 

He was a president until recently.

He wondered if his old memories had disappeared because he had an interview. 

He felt amused by how quickly he adapted to reality.

He smiled and walked out of the main gate.

“Hyung!”

Jung Hyun-woo waved his hand and smiled.

He seemed to have finished his interview quickly… Did he wait for him?

“What are you doing? Why didn’t you go?”

“Hehe, I just wanted to go with you, hyung.”

“Where are you going?”

“Home. Ah… We might have different directions.”

What? He waited for an hour without knowing that?

Yoo-hyun looked at Jung Hyun-woo with a dumbfounded expression.

But the guy stuck to him as if it didn’t matter.

He had barely greeted him this morning, but now he had changed his attitude so quickly that it was hard to believe.

“How about lunch? I’ll buy it for you. I’m really grateful to you today.”

“Did you do well on the interview?”

“Yes. Thanks to you, hyung, I said everything I wanted to say. Thank you so much.”

He didn’t do anything special for him.

It was just some common advice that anyone could find on the internet.

He did give him some more direct tips.

But it was thanks to Jung Hyun-woo’s earnest attitude that he accepted them in such a short time.

“Thank you. But it feels good. Let me buy it for you as a celebration.”

“No, no. I’ll…”

“Buy me something more expensive next time. Let’s go. I know a good place.”

“Yes? Okay. Haha. Let’s go then.”

He was such a cheerful guy.

Yoo-hyun felt like he had seen a new side of Jung Hyun-woo.

He thought it would be nice to have a friendly junior like him.

He didn’t know if he would pass, but he felt good that he was grateful.

That’s when it happened.

Someone called Yoo-hyun from the busy restaurant street.

“Is that Yoo-hyun? Hey, Han Yu-hyun.”

“…”

He must be someone he knew since he called his name.

He couldn’t ask who he was here.

Yoo-hyun pretended not to find him and looked around for his face.

He was a tall man with a decent build.

He looked about his age, and judging by his well-fitted suit, he seemed to be an office worker nearby.

“Hey, it’s me, hyun. Don’t you remember? 6th Division.”

The man called him again and when they faced each other, Yoo-hyun remembered his military days.

The memories of the army last forever, and the moments he spent with the man in front of him flashed by like a zoetrope.

The platoon leader who was always confident and cheerful.

The hyung and friend who was joking but kinder than anyone else inside.

Especially when Yoo-hyun was having a hard time with his family matters, he was the senior who helped him more than anyone else in his life.

“…Sergeant Park Young-hoon.”

“Don’t call me sergeant. Call me hyung, why did you change your phone number? I was worried about you, jerk.”

“…”

Did he change his phone number?

Listening to him, it seemed like he changed his number after he left the army.

Maybe he did it to get rid of his painful past memories, or maybe he did it because it was cheaper to get a new phone number.

Anyway, the important thing was that Yoo-hyun also felt happy to see him.

“I’m really glad to see you.”

“Me too.”

Park Young-hoon smiled and grabbed Yoo-hyun’s hand when another man called him from ahead.

“Young-hoon.”

“Yes, sir. Just a moment. Hyun, give me your phone.”

“Here.”

“Kid, don’t be so stiff. This is society, man.”

The cheerful personality that he remembered vaguely was still there.

As he handed over his phone, Park Young-hoon muttered while typing his number.

“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t bring my business card. There. I’ll contact you later.”

“Ah… okay.”

He then waved his hand and turned around.

Yoo Hyun stared blankly at his disappearing figure for a while.

He was amazed by the mysteriousness of human relationships.

A connection that had been long forgotten in his memory was being reconnected.

‘Is it because I met Jung Hyun-woo?’

He had no recollection of meeting Park Young-hoon separately, so he wondered if that was the reason.

He thought that small actions were gradually changing his future.

At the same time, he felt uneasy.

He looked back at the tall Hansung Tower and murmured.

“I hope they don’t assign me to a different department.”

He suddenly wondered if he had tried too hard to pass the interview.

The interviewers might have wanted to keep him at any cost.

‘But it doesn’t matter anyway.’

Even if he started differently, he could start with a different mindset.

He could also help from afar if needed.

“What? What did you say?”

“Nothing. Nothing. Let’s go. Let’s eat.”

Yoo Hyun reached out to put his hand on Jung Hyun-woo’s shoulder, but hesitated and patted it instead.

He was still not used to this kind of physical contact.

He had dinner with Jung Hyun-woo, and since they had some time, they also had a cup of coffee.

“I…”

“So?”

“Back then…”

The more he talked, the more he realized that he was a talkative person.

But he didn’t just talk about himself all the time, he also knew how to listen.

And he knew how to create a good atmosphere as well, so the conversation was interesting.

Especially, he didn’t seem to be pretentious in his actions, which he liked.

The most impressive thing he said was his ambition that he recited during the interview.

He said he wanted to be a helpful person.

It was similar to Yoo Hyun’s new goal.

He felt a pang in his chest.

There were people who thought like this from the beginning.

To Yoo Hyun, who was trying to change himself every day by setting his mind, Jung Hyun-woo looked amazing.

He suddenly hoped that he would really pass the exam at Hansung.

As they talked, he found out that Jung Hyun-woo lived in an apartment near his studio apartment.

Thanks to that, they continued their conversation on their way home.

“Hyung…”

“Really?”

It seemed like it was the first time he had been alone with a man for so long.

As they walked along the street in the early evening when the sun was setting, Jung Hyun-woo asked him.

“Hyung, are you sure we can work out together in the morning?”

“If you can wake up.”

“Hey, I have to do it if you do it. Of course. Well, I’ll go then.”

“I’ll watch you.”

He didn’t know why it was obvious that he had to do it, but Jung Hyun-woo’s eyes were full of determination.

“Hyung, thank you so much.”

“Go on.”

He walked backwards and bowed again.

He didn’t know how many times he had thanked him for such a small favor.

But he didn’t mind having a friendly junior who approached him warmly.

Rather, he felt good that he had a close junior who could contact him in the future.

To be honest, he felt like he had learned how to treat others regardless of age.

“I hope it goes well.”

Yoo Hyun muttered to himself as he watched Jung Hyun-woo go away.

-Are you home? Is your phone working?

When he got home and checked his phone, there was a text message waiting for him.

It was from Park Young-hoon, whom he had parted with in the afternoon.