Real Man

Chapter 471:

Yoo-hyun suppressed his laughter and clinked his glass with his father.

Clang.

His father looked completely different from his past self, who was very cold and aloof.

He talked more, and smiled more.

He seemed relaxed, and Yoo-hyun naturally opened up to him.

“I heard that the company is splitting up…”

His father asked, listening attentively.

“Are you worried about changing departments?”

“Yes. But it’s not just changing departments, it’s changing companies. That means I’ll have to work in a different location, and it’ll be harder to see you.”

“Yes. I feel like I won’t be able to help anymore.”

Yoo-hyun knew well that his colleagues could do well without him.

But he still felt worried, and that was the truth.

He was afraid that they might get hurt by the power struggles that were intensifying.

His father gave him a wise answer to his dilemma.

“I don’t know how amazing you are at your company, but you can only grow by standing on your own feet.”

“Like mother?”

“Yes, your mother was a sprout that I didn’t notice. I was the one who didn’t know.”

“Haha. You’re right.”

Yoo-hyun laughed, and his father continued with a gentle smile.

“Trust your colleagues. They’ll probably do much better than you think.”

“Maybe they will.”

Yoo-hyun thought of Jang Joon-sik, who had improved remarkably recently.

The junior who used to be so ignorant had become a cool senior who led other juniors.

His father filled his glass and asked casually.

“What about the new department?”

“I don’t know.”

“Have you not made up your mind yet?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just not a very good place.”

Yoo-hyun made a bitter smile, and his father offered his glass.

“There must be a reason why you still want to go there.”

“I want to confirm something.”

“A person?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

It wasn’t a wrong answer, so Yoo-hyun nodded calmly.

His father gave him some advice, seeing his son who seemed to have a lot on his mind.

“I don’t know the situation well, but make sure you see it with your own eyes. People are never just one-sided.”

“Even if they’re selfish and cold-hearted?”

“Do you think you’ll have anything else to do with them if you reject them? Fighting is not always a good thing.”

“Then what should I do?”

He didn’t ask for an answer.

But his father’s words opened up his mind that was blocked.

“You should know how to embrace them if necessary.”

“They might not change.”

“What are you worried about? Then you can just leave them and meet better people. If it doesn’t work, just kick them out.”

“That’s true.”

His father’s words made Yoo-hyun’s shoulders feel lighter.

That’s right. He just had to go and experience it himself, and kick them out if it didn’t work.

Even if he had to leave the company someday, there wasn’t much that Yoo-hyun would regret.

His father added one more thing to Yoo-hyun, who had gained some insight.

“And going to a place that doesn’t suit you is also a fun experience.”

“Fun?”

“Yeah, fun. When will you ever see such weirdos again? You’d have to pay to meet them outside.”

Suddenly, the faces of the people who had stressed him out for a long time flashed through his mind.

He thought of it as an opportunity to pay them back, and his lips curled up.

“Haha. That sounds really fun. Thank you for the good advice, father.”

“I’m glad it helped you.”

“Why? Did it not help mother?”

“She’ll nag me again when I go home after drinking. She nagged me so much when I had a meeting yesterday. Tsk tsk.”

His father, who had seemed wise just a moment ago, sighed as he thought of his mother.

Yoo-hyun felt anew that everyone had their own troubles in life, as he looked at his father.

He had made up his mind after talking to his father, and now he prepared for the last step.

It wasn’t anything special.

He bonded more with his colleagues, and took the initiative when he could lend a hand.

He also gave his opinions from a broader perspective, not just on work-related matters.

As a result, he was busier than ever, even though it was a relatively quiet time of the year.

It was the same now, as he attended a meeting to decide the direction of the LCD business unit.

He stood on the podium and presented the way forward to the executives.

“The retina premium marketing was successful, but we can’t just rely on LCD. We have to prepare to switch to OLED for the future.”

His last remark stirred up the meeting room.

The executives, who had spent their whole lives on LCD, were not easily convinced by his suggestion to drop the name LCD completely.

Jo Chan-young, the head of mobile sales and marketing, asked coldly.

“Why do we have to suddenly switch to OLED, when we’re ahead of Ilsung OLED? What’s the reason?”

“It’s only a temporary situation. LCD’s technology development has already reached its limit. OLED has much more potential.”

“Then why don’t we just develop OLED panels for digital watches in the channel? There’s no need to kill LCD, which is doing well. We just need to create a new category.”

The executives nodded at Jo Chan-young’s sharp question.

Im Joon-pyo, the vice president who was sitting at the top, did not show his expression and paid attention to Yoo-hyun’s words.

Yoo-hyun, who met his expectations, showed the prepared page on the screen.

“This is the future smartphone market growth rate and OLED usage rate. As you can see…”

It was as flimsy as the prediction of the iPhone 4 sales, but the numbers alone made it seem like OLED was a must.

Yoo-hyun then showed the trends in the TV sector.

“And the LCD panel price for TV will start to drop from the point when China builds its 9th generation factory…”

TV panels were also doomed if they couldn’t narrow the gap with China.

Yoo-hyun knew that this was not enough to persuade them.

The decisive blow was, of course, Apple.

“The most important thing is whether we can continue to satisfy Apple’s needs with LCD. Eventually, Apple will choose OLED. What will happen to LCD then?”

“…”

The moment Apple chose OLED, all the premium standards would change. Anyone who witnessed the change that retina premium brought could not deny that.

Everyone remained silent, when a voice came through the speaker of the video camera.

It was Go Joon-ho, the head of product development 4, who had worked with Yoo-hyun at the Ulsan factory.

-Deputy Han has a point. But we’re already busy enough with the LCD supply. Even if your data is correct, the factory utilization rate will be over 100 percent for several years.

“I know. That’s why I think this is the time to make a bold investment.”

-Investment?

“We have to build an additional factory with our own strength, without Apple’s help. If you look at this data…”

Yoo-hyun mentioned an investment plan that people had not thought of.

They were already building a 10th generation factory to secure the LCD supply, but Yoo-hyun’s investment was focused entirely on OLED.

“Hmm.”

Vice President Im Joon-pyo raised his eyebrows at the huge investment.

The people who were watching him stepped back for a moment.

Then he opened his mouth.

“It’s obvious that we have to invest for the future, for the sake of the company’s path ahead, right?”

Vice President Im Joon-pyo had lived his life to preserve his position.

The fact that he mentioned the future meant that he was thinking of becoming independent.

Yoo-hyun pierced his mind with a word.

“Yes. I think that’s the first virtue of a company leader.”

“I see.”

He smiled and looked around.

“Let’s have each department urgently review the direction we discussed today. Don’t worry about the risk. I’ll take responsibility for it.”

“Yes. We understand.”

The executives who were sitting down bowed at the same time.

Vice President Im Joon-pyo looked like he was already the president of the new company, with a serious expression.

After the meeting, Yeo Tae-sik, the head of the mobile group, came up to Yoo-hyun, who had come out to the hallway.

He smiled at Yoo-hyun, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time.

“That was a good presentation. It must have stimulated the executives.”

“I just mentioned the facts that everyone knows.”

“But they were words that no one could easily say. If they made a wrong decision on such a big direction, they would all lose their heads.”

“It wouldn’t be easy. But I thought Vice President Im would accept it.”

Yeo Tae-sik sensed his intention from Yoo-hyun’s words.

“Of course, it’s not because of Vice President Im’s personality. Did you hear the news about the split?”

“Yes. I heard. They said it was confirmed internally.”

“Yeah. I heard it from Mr. Shin yesterday. Judging by the meeting atmosphere, it seems like only Vice President Im and us two know about it.”

His words had just ended.

Yoo-hyun smirked as he saw the people’s murmurs in the distance.

“It seems like we’re the majority now?”

“What do you mean… Oh.”

He turned his head in confusion and was shocked.

It was because of Kim Hyun-min, the manager who was rushing through the crowd.

He came up to them like a bull and asked Yeo Tae-sik, panting.

“Mr. Yeo, did you hear about the split?”

“Where did you hear it?”

“The CEO’s email just went around. Yoo-hyun, did you know too?”

“Yes. You just told me.”

Kim Hyun-min stared at Yoo-hyun, who answered casually.

Then he asked Yeo Tae-sik for permission.

“Mr. Yeo, can I borrow him for a moment?”

“Sure. He worked hard for the presentation, so take care of him.”

“Then I’ll use your card chance once. He eats a lot.”

“Haha. Go ahead.”

Kim Hyun-min made sure to take what he could, even in the midst of this.

He took Yoo-hyun to the outdoor terrace on the 20th floor.

Yoo-hyun leaned on the railing and held a vending machine coffee in his hand.

Kim Hyun-min, who stood next to him in the same posture, lowered his voice.

“Yoo-hyun, you’ll be the official TF when we split, right?”

“I’m already bigger than most of the TFs.”

“Yeah. You might even become the strongest TF.”

Why are you putting so much weight on it?

It was obvious what he wanted, but Yoo-hyun pretended not to know and opened his mouth.

“That’s good news. But why are you asking me that?”

“Yoo-hyun, you know how much I value you, right?”

“Well, I don’t know. It’s not something you say while buying me a 200 won coffee.”

“Hey, I don’t have time, that’s why. I’ll treat you. Where do you want to eat?”

“What are you going to do with me?”

“Damn it, you’re going to the Innovation Strategy Office, aren’t you? I know everything about you and them.”

It was a well-known fact that Yoo-hyun had worked with the Innovation Strategy Office for a month during the gap period.

Especially Kim Hyun-min, who had grilled Park Doo-sik, the deputy manager, to find out more.

Of course, he didn’t get a clear answer, but it wasn’t hard to guess the deep relationship between Yoo-hyun and the Innovation Strategy Office.

He was surprised by Yoo-hyun’s reversal.

“I’m not going.”

“Huh. Really? Really?”

“Yes. I’m not going to the Innovation Strategy Office, even if we split.”

Yoo-hyun said it as if he had made up his mind.

It was then.