Real Man

Chapter 185:

Chapter 185

Kim Young-gil, who had taken a sip of his coffee, brought up the main topic again.

“Thank you. I mean, women. Women. You’re young, you can meet a lot of women.”

“No, I don’t. I don’t have any intention of doing that.”

“Really? You look like you’re worried about something. I thought you had a problem with women like Park.”

“Hey, no way.”

“Pffft. Yeah. Your situation is different from Park’s.”

Yoo-hyun chuckled and remembered Jeong Da-hye, whom he had momentarily forgotten.

Jeong Da-hye moved to Hansung Group about eight years from now.

But before that, she had a reason to come to Korea.

At that point in the past, which he had just passed by, Yoo-hyun wanted to see her again.

Since there wasn’t much time left until then, he was rather looking forward to it.

Kim Young-gil still looked doubtful and asked.

“Then what’s bothering you?”

“Nothing.”

“Something you can’t tell me?”

“No, it’s not that. I was just thinking about what I should do in the future.”

Yoo-hyun’s concern was Shin Kyung-wook, the senior manager.

The current Shin Kyung-wook was very different from what he had expected.

He looked free and happy.

Was it right to burden him again?

Or would it be better to just leave him alone?

These thoughts made Yoo-hyun’s head complicated.

Kim Young-gil shrugged his shoulders and handed him a cup of coffee.

“It happens to everyone. It’s a good place to think. The view is nice too.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“It would be even better if we could have a drink tomorrow instead of the Apple presentation.”

“We have plenty of time.”

Clang.

The coffee cups clinked instead of alcohol.

The coffee tasted heavenly as they drank it in the luxurious suite room, looking at the night view of San Francisco.

They chatted for a while.

Kim Young-gil suddenly seemed to remember something and asked.

“By the way, who was the person you had lunch with earlier? Jang Hye-min seemed to know him too.”

“Didn’t Jang tell you?”

“Uh. He didn’t say anything first, so I didn’t ask.”

“I see.”

Yoo-hyun nodded and Kim Young-gil leaned forward and whispered.

“But he looks like a Hansung person to me. And someone who’s pretty high up.”

“Really?”

“It’s good that you became friends by chance, but you should be careful. You don’t want to get on his bad side and mess things up.”

“Why?”

Kim Young-gil thought Yoo-hyun was really clueless and pulled his chair closer.

Then he said with a serious expression.

“If you get marked by someone high up, they might contact your company. It happens sometimes.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

He didn’t seem like a bad person.

What would Kim Young-gil’s face look like if he found out who he was?

He was going to keep quiet, but he thought he might make a mistake, so he gave him a hint.

“Actually, sir…”

“What?”

Kim Young-gil’s eyes widened like lanterns.

The next day.

Shin Kyung-wook, whom he met at the exhibition hall, was the same as yesterday.

He still looked free and had a kind smile on his face.

On the other hand, Kim Young-gil’s expression was grim.

He walked up to him quickly and greeted him formally.

“Hello. I’m Kim Young-gil, the deputy of the LCD division of Hansung Electronics.”

“Hello. I’m Yoo-hyun Han, an employee of the LCD division of Hansung Electronics.”

Yoo-hyun also followed his senior’s lead and greeted him.

Shin Kyung-wook, who was still hiding his identity, looked awkwardly at Jang Hye-min.

“You knew all along, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t tell them.”

“I know.”

Shin Kyung-wook looked regretful and looked at Yoo-hyun.

Yoo-hyun also wanted to be friends with Shin Kyung-wook, but he had something to do today.

He needed to clear the traffic.

Shin Kyung-wook seemed to understand Yoo-hyun’s intention and introduced himself properly.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Shin Kyung-wook from the US branch of Hansung Electronics.”

“Th, thank you.”

Then he reached out his hand and asked for a handshake.

Yoo-hyun shook hands with him after Kim Young-gil and asked first.

“What’s your plan for today?”

“What do you think?”

“I’m thinking of going to section B for the presentation.”

“Me too. That’s where the Apple presentation is.”

As Shin Kyung-wook said, there was an Apple presentation in section B.

Yoo-hyun wanted to know what Shin Kyung-wook was thinking and asked him more.

“Then when will we see your friends, sir?”

“Friends?”

“You said you wanted to see them together yesterday.”

“Haha. I did. Well, when would be good?”

Shin Kyung-wook asked with a curious look, as if it was an unexpected question.

He only said he had friends, but he didn’t say who they were.

But Yoo-hyun in front of him seemed to know something.

Yoo-hyun surprised him again with another unexpected remark.

“Sir, can Kim also join us? Kim is in charge of the Apple LCD panel.”

“Please.”

Kim Young-gil asked sincerely, as if he had been waiting for it.

He must have known that the meeting with ‘friends’ was a private meeting with Apple.

Jang Hye-min asked Shin Kyung-wook, who was silent for a moment.

“Sir, what are you talking about?”

“No, nothing.”

“That’s strange.”

Jang Hye-min tilted his head, but Shin Kyung-wook cut off his interest and looked only at Yoo-hyun.

“What an interesting friend.”

It was just one sentence, but Yoo-hyun felt a chill down his spine for the first time in a long time.

He had a reason to pretend to know him first.

First of all, he didn’t have much time.

Shin Kyung-wook’s schedule was only until today.

He couldn’t miss the core of the matter while getting to know each other.

There was something he wanted to confirm with Shin Kyung-wook today.

At the same time, he had to take care of Kim Young-gil.

This Apple meeting would be an important bridge for the Apple business that Yoo-hyun had in mind.

If his guess was right, that is.

A little later.

Yoo-hyun entered the presentation hall and looked for Shin Kyung-wook.

Shin Kyung-wook had casually greeted three friends, all of whom were from Apple.

John Norman, Russell Johnson, David Crew.

Their names and faces were familiar.

They were not now, but they would play pivotal roles at Apple later.

They were the rising stars of Apple, so to speak.

How did Shin Kyung-wook know them?

He put his curiosity aside and listened to the presentation.

“Today…”

The presentation atmosphere was very modest for Apple.

It couldn’t be helped, because John Norman was a designer who had just joined Apple.

He was not well known to the people here, except for the Apple logo.

But Shin Kyung-wook thought differently.

Shin Kyung-wook whispered as he listened to the presentation.

“Pay attention to John Norman. I’ve been watching him for a few years, and he has an extraordinary sense.”

“Yes. The presentation content is also very interesting.”

“That’s right. The iPhone 2 will develop its UX like that. And the app store concept is also good, as I said earlier.”

Shin Kyung-wook definitely had insight.

Yoo-hyun, who was listening quietly, asked him what he was curious about.

“Why are you so interested in Apple, sir?”

“Because they will change the world.”

“You can do it at Hansung, too.”

“To be honest, Hansung doesn’t have the power to lead the trend by itself.”

Yoo-hyun had to admit some of Shin Kyung-wook’s words.

“Is that so?”

“I realized it too late. I didn’t know the market was moving. Then what’s the next card?”

Yoo-hyun naturally recalled what Shin Kyung-wook had said in the past.

He had learned a lot from Shin Kyung-wook.

“Ride the tide.”

“That’s right. Apple will grow fast, and the related market will also grow. We might lose to them in phones for now, but Hansung has parts.”

“You mean LCD, camera, chip, battery?”

Shin Kyung-wook smiled at Yoo-hyun’s question.

“Yes. We have to make them use our stuff. And the display is very important among them.”

“Then why don’t you come to the LCD division, sir?”

“Hehe. Everyone has their own job. I’m fine with supporting from afar.”

Shin Kyung-wook laughed and shook his head.

Seeing that, Yoo-hyun thought to himself.

‘He must have made connections beforehand.’

Yoo-hyun now knew for sure what he didn’t know before.

And he was certain.

Hansung needed Shin Kyung-wook right now.

Not for the company, but for the future of the employees.

He was absolutely necessary.

Yoo-hyun’s thought was reinforced after the presentation.

He saw how well Shin Kyung-wook got along with the Apple staff.

They didn’t know what kind of person Shin Kyung-wook was at the company.

Shin Kyung-wook didn’t bother to show it either, and just acted like a friend.

It didn’t feel like a meeting between companies at all.

The friendly atmosphere continued at the meeting place.

The Apple trio, who had already taken their seats in the empty conference room on the third floor, called Shin Kyung-wook.

Among them, John Norman raised his hand and greeted him.

“Richard, come on in.”

“Did you bring your friends?”

When Russell Johnson asked, Shin Kyung-wook introduced the people who came with him.

“Yeah. Let me introduce them for a moment. This is…”

Following the introduction, Yoo-hyun, Kim Young-gil, and Jang Hye-min greeted them in turn.

They welcomed them very warmly.

“Hello. Nice to meet you.”

“We’re happy to see you. Come on in.”

It was an amazing experience.

Was it easy to get close to the Apple workers without their ranks?

Of course not.

It was obvious that Shin Kyung-wook had made a lot of efforts behind the scenes.

Thanks to that, he built a different relationship than just exchanging business cards.

This strong relationship would be a great boost for the Apple business in the future.

The meeting went smoothly.

It was more like a simple tea time than a meeting between companies.

But the level of conversation was not like that.

John Norman, the designer, added more explanations after the presentation.

“The part we focused on in this design is…”

“If you touch this, the reaction is like this, but rather than that…”

As Shin Kyung-wook added to what he heard, Russell Johnson, the software manager, immediately answered.

“That part can be updated with software…”

“Hardware also has that part…”

David Crew, the hardware manager, joined in.

They talked freely, but each word had a point.

Then, John Norman said with a renewed appetite.

“The panel resolution is the problem.”

“That part is…”

It was the moment when Shin Kyung-wook was about to wink at Yoo-hyun.

As if he had read his mind, Yoo-hyun, who was sitting next to him, whispered.

“Kim Young-gil will be helpful. Leave it to him.”

“…”

Shin Kyung-wook, who hid his surprise, pointed to Kim Young-gil and said.

“This guy will solve your problem. He’s in charge of Apple LCD panels.”

“Really? Can you increase the panel resolution by two or three times?”

Kim Young-gil calmly asked back to John Norman’s question, as he had prepared in advance.

“Can the Apple chip handle it?”

John Norman looked at David Crew and answered.

“He would know that part.”

“Well, if the design says so, the hardware has to do it.”

After hearing David Crew’s answer, John Norman immediately threw a curious look at Kim Young-gil.

“Is that possible? I heard the panel is not easy. Does it really work?”

“There are several ways. We also have some things that we are reviewing internally.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It is technically possible. There are some constraints, but we have to adjust them.”

“What matters is that it works. Wow, when can I see it?”

The questions came in fast, but Kim Young-gil answered them skillfully.