Real Man

Yoo-hyun smiled as he hit the nail on the head of Kim Ho-gul’s thoughts.

“You’re thinking that I’m talking like a president, right?”

“Yeah. I don’t understand why you want that. That’s something only a company president would think about.”

“You said that a lot has changed thanks to me. You also said that there would be no you today if it wasn’t for me.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“It was a very rewarding thing to hear. I couldn’t ask for anything better. Isn’t that enough?”

“Huh, really…”

Yoo-hyun spoke honestly to Kim Ho-gul, who clicked his tongue.

“You don’t need to think of it as strange. I just want to live well with my good colleagues.”

“Am I too drunk to understand?”

“That could be the case. And I have something to say to you in that regard.”

“What is it now?”

Kim Ho-gul’s curious expression felt very lively.

It was similar to how he used to be surprised when they first met.

Yoo-hyun looked at that familiar face and expressed his sincerity.

“I hope you live well too, sir.”

“I’m already fine. I’ve gained a lot, and I’m enjoying a lot.”

“Not that. I want to get along with you like before. The staff in charge would want that too.”

“That’s not easy. That’s…”

“I know you have a lot of burden on your shoulders, sir. I know what you’re worried about.”

Kim Ho-gul chose to isolate himself to protect his employees.

He wore a mask and kept his distance.

Yoo-hyun also thought that he had to do that as a leader, but now he changed his mind.

-I’ll make them move from below even if they don’t move from above. Thank you for teaching me that, who only blamed the higher-ups and the environment.

Yoo-hyun recalled what Cha Mi-kyung said and continued.

“But I know someone who said that. He said he would make it happen from below even if it didn’t happen from above. I think the OLED mobile product staff would feel the same way.”

“…”

“Sir, you can share your burden now. It would be better if we live well together.”

Yoo-hyun smiled as he looked at Kim Ho-gul, who was lost in thought.

Yoo-hyun parted with Kim Ho-gul and sat on a bench for a while.

He felt refreshed as he felt the evening breeze under the yellow street lights.

It wasn’t just because the wind was cool.

It was more because he had a conviction in his heart that he could change things.

Whooong.

Along with the blowing wind, he seemed to hear a word from Jeong Da-hye.

-I’m going to try to change it. Like you, Hyun, I want to live in harmony with others. Of course, I also have the ambition to be recognized.

Wouldn’t he be able to show her confidently when she came to Korea?

At least he would have changed for the better than he was now.

Just as he thought of that, his phone rang surprisingly.

Ring. Ring.

What was more surprising was the name that appeared on the phone screen.

Yoo-hyun was surprised and answered the phone right away.

“Da-hye, how did you know I was thinking of you and called me?”

-You’re doing it again.

“No, really. This time it’s true.”

-It sounds like you’re saying it wasn’t true last time.

When Jeong Da-hye pressed him, Yoo-hyun waved his hand.

It was better to say no than to hesitate when it was ambiguous.

“Of course not. It’s always sincere.”

-I’ll believe you. I just called to see how you’re doing. I heard today was your last day in Ulsan.

“That’s perfect timing.”

It was a phone call that came at a time when he had a lot on his mind.

He was a bit tipsy, and he heard the voice he wanted to hear, so he couldn’t feel any better.

Yoo-hyun told her everything he had seen and felt.

How long did he talk?

With the positive response from Jeong Da-hye, Yoo-hyun said what he really wanted to say to her.

“I’m going to make this company a place that you won’t regret when you come back. It’s a bit grandiose, right?”

-No. You can do it, Hyun. As always.

It was the moment he heard her answer.

Yoo-hyun’s lips curled up.

“I guess I wanted to hear that. Thank you, Da-hye.”

It was a word that gave him a lot of strength.

Clack.

Yoo-hyun clenched his fist and got up from his seat.

It was time to change things for real.

Yoo-hyun, who rested on the weekend, returned to the Yeouido office.

He had been on a long business trip, but he sat at his desk and started making a report.

It was not the technical content he used to make.

The screen was filled with content that expressed the desire for change.

Tap tap tap.

Based on the data he received from his colleagues in the management support department, he added what he experienced at the Ulsan site.

It also included the evidence data collected by his colleagues in the future technology TF.

Maybe that was why?

The thoughts that had been vague before were now clearly transferred to text.

Even to Yoo-hyun’s eyes, the change was noticeable.

Swoosh.

Kwon Se-jung, who was watching from behind, asked.

“Is this the first time I see you working so hard?”

“What are you talking about? If someone hears you, they’ll think I’m playing around all day.”

“Well… No. It’s just, I’m used to seeing you do what you’re told, not what you want.”

“I have to know well for myself.”

It was an honest answer.

If you act without knowing properly, problems are bound to arise.

And those problems are directly related to the lives of the employees.

He had seen clearly what kind of damage it caused, and he couldn’t repeat that.

Kwon Se-jung, who knew Yoo-hyun’s attitude well, nodded his head.

“That’s a very desirable attitude. So? Are you going to the innovation strategy office with this?”

“Of course not. This is just a summary. I need to specify it.”

“Who’s going to do that?”

“The experts.”

Yoo-hyun answered lightly and smiled.

Yoo-hyun took the report he had organized and went down to the 10th floor.

The staff departments were gathered here, and there were the experts that Yoo-hyun mentioned.

One of them was his colleague from the personnel team, Seo Chang-woo.

-But you know how good I am at personnel. Just tell me. I’ll tell you everything from A to Z of personnel evaluation.

Shuffle shuffle.

Yoo-hyun walked, recalling what he had said loudly at the colleague meeting a while ago.

As he approached the personnel team, he saw Seo Chang-woo standing.

He was glad for a moment.

But then he heard a loud voice pouring out at him.

“Seo! There are complaints that the personnel evaluation criteria are vague! Why can’t you pay attention to this one thing?”

“I, as the team leader said last time…”

“What did I say? I said to come up with a clear and specific plan. Is this it? Is this it?”

“No, sir.”

Seo Chang-woo bowed his head, and the personnel team leader pounded his chest.

“Ah, I’m so angry! You better be prepared for your evaluation score.”

“…”

“You can’t do anything right. Tsk tsk.”

The personnel team leader stabbed Seo Chang-woo’s chest and left gracefully.

Seo Chang-woo raised his head and sighed deeply.

“Sigh.”

Then he made eye contact with Yoo-hyun, and his sigh got louder.

A moment later, Seo Chang-woo, who was sitting in the 10th floor lounge, shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s no big deal. Everyone’s like that.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. There’s a rule that evaluators shouldn’t bring up promotion issues or talk about personnel evaluations in advance to the evaluatees, but, well, the team leader is human too.”

“…”

Was he okay?

Was he not okay?

His words had substance, but his tone was very calm.

The words that followed were the same.

“Abstract work instructions or unfounded criticism are not allowed by the personnel team guide, but people can do that. Yeah, they can do that. I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

When Yoo-hyun tilted his head, Seo Chang-woo spoke casually.

“I’m showing you an effective way to deal with the irrationality of the boss.”

“Oh…”

“This too shall pass. It’s easier to think that way. You have to sacrifice yourself to survive.”

“That’s not something a personnel team member should say.”

Seo Chang-woo smiled bitterly at Yoo-hyun’s words.

He looked like he was immune or resigned.

“You saw it. The personnel team leader is like that, how can you expect the other team leaders to follow the guide.”

“There’s a leader evaluation system.”

“Only novice team leaders are scared of that, it doesn’t work on the experienced ones. There are many loopholes to escape.”

The system was that the leaders who had low evaluation scores from the employees would be re-examined for their qualifications.

It actually happened, but there were hardly any cases where they lost their team leader positions.

Also, team leaders who had more than 5 years of experience were excluded from the review.

This meant that there was no real harm done to them.

This was something that Seo Chang-woo had already told him before.

Yoo-hyun showed his colleague Seo Chang-woo the document he had prepared. It contained his proposal for personnel innovation.

“Is this what you meant by personnel innovation, hyung?”

“It’s a lot to consider. I only made a rough outline, but…”

“Then please take a look at this.”

Yoo-hyun handed him the part about personnel from the document he had prepared.

Thump.

Seo Chang-woo’s eyes widened as he took it.

“What is this, why are there so many items for personnel innovation?”

“I reorganized it based on the data you gave me, hyung.”

“Wait. This…”

Seo Chang-woo muttered and quickly scanned the content.

It included improvement plans for talent development, compensation, evaluation, and personnel management.

It was impressive that he considered the basic personnel work guidelines and labor laws.

Although it did not include specific plans, the examples were clear and the logic was sound, so it was easy to see what direction to take.

In a word, it was a very well-made report.

“You did this?”

Seo Chang-woo was surprised and asked Yoo-hyun, who explained his intention.

“I thought I had to set up a framework, so it would be easier for you to step up, hyung.”

“Step up?”

“You promised me before, hyung. You said you would join me in changing the company if there were no constraints.”

Yoo-hyun’s words reminded Seo Chang-woo of the colleague meeting they had before.

He had said that, but it was conditional.

“What? I was drunk then… No. Yeah, that’s right, but there are constraints. We can’t just do this in our company. It’s a problem that’s connected to the group.”

“We’re not going to do it. The innovation strategy office will do it.”

“Even so, the risk is considerable… What? The innovation strategy office?”

Seo Chang-woo, who was answering, was startled and asked again.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“The one where Park Doo Sik is?”

“Yes. Why?”

Yoo-hyun asked him why, and Seo Chang-woo gave a sarcastic laugh.

“The person who dumped the personnel innovation plan on me and left was my mentor.”

“Oh, he changed in the middle?”

Yoo-hyun recalled his rookie days, and Seo Chang-woo gave him a meaningful answer.

“Yeah. That’s good. I was waiting for this anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

Squeak.

Seo Chang-woo, who had lifted one corner of his mouth, gathered his will.

“I’ll do the specification. Let’s see how well you can change things.”

“…”

He was talking about Park Doo Sik, who had gone to a position where he could change things.

Seo Chang-woo decided to help Yoo-hyun for a somewhat absurd reason.