Real Man-Chapter 760

The last one to sign the contract was Gong Hyun-jun.

Unlike the others, Yoo-hyun knew him a bit more deeply.

He was his colleague and friend, and they had shared many drinks together through their alumni meetings.

Yoo-hyun didn’t mind the envy and jealousy that Gong Hyun-jun showed at those times.

He knew that Gong Hyun-jun was not the type to just talk, but to act.

He had whipped himself to excel, and he had stood out among his peers.

But that was it.

He had broken his own wings, when he had hoped to fly higher.

And Yoo-hyun was the reason behind it.

-He always considered you as his rival. He couldn’t stand it when you climbed higher than him, even though he didn’t get the special promotion.

Yoo-hyun was reminded of what Yun Jae-il, his colleague from the general affairs team, had said.

Gong Hyun-jun checked the contract and asked Yoo-hyun.

“Is this really the contract content?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“No. It’s just that the conditions are better than what I knew.”

“That’s because you deserve it.”

“…”

Gong Hyun-jun swallowed his words and stared at the contract.

He seemed to have a lot on his mind in front of his former colleague, now the CEO.

Yoo-hyun approached him more sincerely.

“Hyun-jun, you are a very valuable talent. I hope you will join River.”

“I only wrote a lot of reviews.”

“Those reviews have the sales skills that you learned at Hansung. It’s not for nothing that people buy more after reading your reviews.”

“Still…”

Gong Hyun-jun’s eyes had lost much of the ambition that he had when they worked together at Hansung.

He had suffered a lot while preparing for the patent attorney exam.

Yoo-hyun wanted to make him feel proud of himself.

“Of course, I know that River is much smaller than Hansung. But I will treat you better than them.”

“That’s enough. No, that’s too much.”

“It will be much better than now. I’m sure it will be, if you join me.”

He treated him not as a colleague, but as a partner who would work with him in the future.

Yoo-hyun’s sincerity moved Gong Hyun-jun.

“I understand. I will do my best, even though I’m lacking.”

With Gong Hyun-jun, the contract was smoothly completed.

After that, the four new employees had a minor consultation with Yun Bo-mi.

Working hours, meals, breaks, titles, vacations, and so on.

There were a lot of things to decide together, since they were starting from the bottom.

When Yoo-hyun joined the meeting, they had already settled most of the issues.

Swoosh.

He looked around the employees and asked.

“So, you decided to call each other by name with ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’? And only keep the title of CEO?”

“Yes, sir. They seemed to feel uncomfortable calling each other by nicknames.”

“Really?”

“It’s fine once you get used to it…”

“As I said, I want to work seriously for this company.”

Yun Bo-mi, who was sitting across from him, sounded disappointed.

Won Gi-jun, who was sitting next to her, spoke stiffly.

“Hyun-jun, don’t be so loud.”

“Who’s not serious?”

“Please, continue.”

“…”

Gong Hyun-jun’s expression showed that he had a slight clash with Won Gi-jun.

They both had sharp edges, and they liked to assert their pride.

This kind of conflict could be a stimulus, so he didn’t worry too much.

But Yoo-hyun was concerned about Lee Ji-hyun, who was sitting between them.

She looked scared by the raised voices, and she fiddled with her fingers nervously.

He needed to lighten up the mood for her sake.

He was about to intervene, when Jang Man-bok, who had been sniffing his nose, suddenly asked.

“Sir, is there a red bean rice cake in that box?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“I smelled the savory and sweet aroma of red beans since a while ago. It seems like you have a good taste. And the storage condition is good too.”

Jang Man-bok swallowed his saliva, as if he was hungry.

Yoo-hyun smiled and gestured.

“My mother sent it to me. Let’s eat first.”

“Then I’ll prepare it.”

Jang Man-bok moved quickly, without being asked.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

He brought some plastic plates and laid them on the table, then put the rice cakes on them.

He, being the eldest, took care of his colleagues first, then sat down and took a bite.

His eyes widened.

“Wow, amazing! How can it be so delicious?”

“Is it good?”

“Yes. It’s awesome! I can taste the rich flavor of red beans on my tongue, and every time I chew, I smell the sweetness in my nose. It feels like endorphins are bursting. This is the best ever!”

Jang Man-bok’s vivid expression impressed Yun Bo-mi.

“You have a great way with words. You are the River food expert.”

“Ha ha! I’m flattered that you say that, senior.”

“Call me Bo-mi. We are colleagues, right?”

“Yes, Bo-mi. Ha ha ha!”

Jang Man-bok laughed heartily, and the atmosphere brightened up in an instant.

Did he step in on purpose, because of the young male colleagues’ conflict?

Hmm.

He looked so happy eating, that he probably just liked the rice cake.

He ate the rice cake for a while, then rubbed his full stomach and said.

“But, sir, your mother sent you so many rice cakes, doesn’t that mean you have to share them as opening cakes?”

“Well, it does, but it seems a bit over the top these days.”

“Over the top? Sir, you should at least take care of the companies on the same floor. They have been here longer than us, and they are bigger than us.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Even if you don’t need their help right now, you should be generous when you can, so that it will come back to you later.”

Jang Man-bok had a point, so Yoo-hyun nodded.

“Okay. I’ll tell them later.”

“No, you don’t have to go yourself, sir. I’ll take Hyun-joon with me.”

“Me?”

“You said you worked in sales for a big company. You’re not ashamed of delivering rice cakes, are you?”

Maybe it was his social skills, but Jang Man-bok had an amazing knack for finding the right point to move his opponent.

Kong Hyun-joon, who was fuming, got up right away.

“What are you talking about? Let’s go.”

And so, the two of them went to the 20th floor office to deliver rice cakes.

After Jang Man-bok and Kong Hyun-joon came back from their delivery, Yoo-hyun had a brief Q&A session with them.

No one asked him anything on the first day, but he still answered them as sincerely as possible.

In the midst of that, Jang Man-bok asked a fundamental question.

“Sir, what are we supposed to do now?”

“What do you want to do?”

“Well, I think anyone can post on River, even if they’re not an employee…”

Jang Man-bok hesitated, and Yoo-hyun answered him easily.

“All you have to do is think about how to make River better.”

“Do we have to make a proposal or something?”

“Of course not. There’s no format or anything. Just think for a while. I want to have a free discussion and improve it step by step.”

“Is that really all we have to do?”

“You seem to think it’s easy, but setting the direction is the hardest thing to do.”

Yoo-hyun smiled, and Jang Man-bok looked puzzled.

Won Gi-joon and Kong Hyun-joon didn’t seem to know either, but they didn’t show it because of their pride.

Lee Ji-hyun just didn’t talk much.

Only Yun Bo-mi, who had been working with Yoo-hyun and River for a long time, sparkled her eyes.

While everyone was thinking, Yoo-hyun went up to the rooftop with Kong Hyun-joon.

The rooftop had an outdoor garden where you could enjoy the city view.

Yoo-hyun, who was leaning on the railing and looking down at the Gwanghwamun Square, opened his mouth.

“Hyun-joon, doesn’t this look like the outdoor terrace of Hansung Tower?”

“Yes, sir. It’s similar.”

“We’re working for the same company now, so talk comfortably. It tickles me when you call me sir.”

“…”

“I’m serious. Just talk casually when we’re alone.”

Yoo-hyun said it twice, but Kong Hyun-joon didn’t seem to accept it easily.

He scratched his head as he looked at Yoo-hyun.

“This is awkward.”

“What’s awkward? We’re classmates.”

“That was at Hansung… No, can I really talk casually?”

“Go ahead.”

Kong Hyun-joon sighed and looked at Yoo-hyun.

“Geez… Yoo-hyun.”

“What?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

Yoo-hyun smiled and said, and Kong Hyun-joon asked him bluntly.

“The kids said you quit Hansung because you wanted to rest. Is that true?”

“You got that right.”

Yoo-hyun nodded, and Kong Hyun-joon revealed his curiosity that he had been hiding.

“Then why are you here?”

“What’s wrong with being here?”

“You could have gone to MBA or graduate school at Hansung. You gave up the opportunity to earn money and build your career comfortably, and came here to struggle.”

Do you think the company will do you any favors?

Yoo-hyun chuckled and said.

“You seem to have a misunderstanding, but that’s not comfortable at all.”

“Anyway. It’s a fact that staying at Hansung would have been much better for you. You don’t have to run a small company and be ignored.”

“Ignored?”

Yoo-hyun looked puzzled, and Kong Hyun-joon recalled the situation earlier.

-Oh, I wondered where you were delivering rice cakes from, and it turns out you came from the company that the chairman of Hansung Group personally sent a flower pot to. You must be a great person to be the president of a tiny company. Haha!

He had been clearly ignored by the people from other companies, but he decided not to tell Yoo-hyun, who was his colleague and president.

He didn’t want to make a fuss like Jang Man-bok said.

Kong Hyun-joon changed the subject.

“I just said that because I thought it might be possible.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you won’t be ignored by your salary or benefits.”

“Yeah. You gave me a lot. To be honest, that worries me more.”

“Why are you worried?”

Yoo-hyun asked, and Kong Hyun-joon said honestly.

“You’re giving too much to a company that’s not making much profit yet. Can you handle it?”

“Do you think I’ll borrow money to pay you?”

Kong Hyun-joon’s voice became more serious, as if he thought Yoo-hyun was joking.

“Maybe not right now, but running a company costs a lot of money. I’m saying this from seeing the people around me suffer.”

“I have enough money, so don’t worry.”

“It’s good that you’re confident, but it’s no joke. Especially these Seoul buildings, the rent goes up a lot every time you sign a contract. And…”

As Kong Hyun-joon was ranting, Yoo-hyun’s phone rang.

Beep.

-Mr. Han Yoo-hyun, the contract for the Gwanghwamun building has been completed. I will give you more details when I see you.

It was a message from the agent who handled the building auction.

Yoo-hyun checked the content and gestured.

“Sorry to interrupt. Go on.”

“Anyway, I think you need to be more realistic. It’s not for nothing that other companies squeeze their employees.”

“It would be your loss if I did that, wouldn’t it?”

Yoo-hyun hit the nail on the head, but Kong Hyun-joon still resisted.

“Still, it’s better for the company to survive. I didn’t come here to play, I came here to do something real.”

“Oh, I’m touched.”

“Hey, I’m serious. You need to fix your idealistic side first. For starters…”

Yoo-hyun listened quietly to Kong Hyun-joon, who was running his mouth like it was his own business.

-Yoo-hyun, this guy, he’s hiding his secret to passing the seminar. Hey, do you think it’s good to be the only one who succeeds?

A jealous remark from his classmate briefly crossed Yoo-hyun’s mind and disappeared.

He felt like he would become much closer to him than before.