Chapter 40: Chapter 40 (1/2)
”Take care, everybody.”
As soon as Park Youngsu left the office, his team members began to leave one by one as well.
Only new hires like Hyunwoo, Oh Sangho, and Min Suji were left alone with lots of files piled up on their desks.
Yonggu came next to Hyuwoo and said, ”Do you still have a lot of work to do?”
”Oh, I have to finish this by this weekend.”
”Can I help you?”
Hyunwoo looked at him. Though Hyunwoo didn't like Yonggu at all, he was now a stronger ally than anybody else.
”No thanks. I just wanted to finish it up because I don't like leaving my work unfinished like this.”
Yonggu nodded his head as if he understood.
”By the way, did you learn to golf a lot?”
”I learned as far as the seven iron full swing.”
”Really? Do you want to have dinner with alcohol with me?”
Hyunwoo instinctively sensed that Yonggu had something to talk to him, which might be something he felt uncomfortable about talking to other members.
”Sure, you are going to treat me, right?”
”Of course.”
Cleaning the desk, Hyunwoo went out of the office. As there might be employees of Aurum at a nearby restaurant, they headed to a restaurant near Hyunwoo's house.
They ordered soju with hot pork rib broth.
Though both of them didn't get drunk easily, they didn't drink that much. One bottle of soju was enough for them.
Filling Yonggu's cup with soju, Hyunwoo asked,
”So, do you have anything to confide to me?”
”I think you should help me.”
”What is it?”
”The president called me in and asked me a favor, which was help the team manager break a bad habit. How can I do this alone?”
Hyunwoo opened his eyes a bit wider. Though he had expected Yonggu to ask him a favor, he had never thought that it would be about the team manager. What was more surprising to him was that the president had made that request to Yonggu.
”I'm afraid you're going to get hurt by getting involved in it.”
Yonggu chuckled at Hyunwoo's concern and recalled the president's promise:
”Whatever happens, I will not blame you or any other team member. Let me promise that as the president. Just ignore Park's mention of the Umsung factory. That won't happen on my watch. So, no matter what he says, don't get discouraged and keep up the work!”
Yonggu revealed the president's rea.s.surance to Hyunwoo. Only then was Hyunwoo rea.s.sured.
”So, have you thought of an idea?”
”The first thing is to make the team manager trust me. Only when he feels like I'm his strong ally can I take care of things easily. At the decisive moment, however, I'll trample on him strongly enough so that he won't be able to respond.”
”In other words, you're going to have him by the b.a.l.l.s, right?”
”You bet. After that, I'm going to appease him before changing him into a good person. For now, I have no other idea than that. I'm going to call in our team members one by one with my idea.”
It was too vague an idea in Hyunwoo's mind. It is not easy to change a child's character, much less an adult like Park.
However, the president promised to promote Yonggu to section chief on the condition that he succeeded in making the team manager a tame person. He could not give up on this.
”How should I help you then?” asked Hyunwoo.
The following afternoon.
Team manager Park got irritated and tapped on his computer.
”Oh, what's the matter with this computer?”
It was certain that the speed of the computer became slow because it got infected with some strange spyware. The only thing the manager did on his desk was visit some strange websites and check out some strange pictures.
”Hey, did you say you knew how to fix a computer? Can you come over and fix it?”
”Yes, sir. As soon as I'm done with this, let me fix it.”
At that moment, Yonggu stood up abruptly and shouted loudly,
”a.s.sistant manager Hyunwoo! What're you doing now? Did you say 'wait a minute' when the team manager asked for your help? How dare you said that as his subordinate?”
With a surprised look, Hyunwoo and the other team members looked at Yonggu, for Yonggu's voice was loud enough to resonate through the whole office.
”Didn't you hear the manager's directions? Just go and fix the computer immediately.”
Overwhelmed by Yonggu's unusual behavior, Hyunwoo sprang to his feet and went to the manager's desk at once.
”Sorry, let me fix it now.”
Park was satisfied at that, thinking to himself, Hummmmm.. Uncle called in Yonggu and told him something, I believe. Though he mentioned he would fire me, we're related by blood anyway. At least, Yonggu is on my side for certain. I feel very secure.
”Good job. You didn't feel bad about my instructions, right” asked Yonggu with a smile.
”Not at all. Why should I feel bad?” responded Hyunwoo, smiling back.
”Thanks to that, I feel like the manager seems to think better of me. Once I have him by the b.a.l.l.s, let me stomp his life out.”
Hyunwoo nodded his head. In his heart, however, he felt nervous. He wondered if such a tactic would make Park change his behavior at all. He was worried that the bad blood between them would run deeper.
Also, the problem with N&C also troubled his mind.
Though Hyunwoo was physically in Korea, he was focused on N&C. He just refrained from calling Mr. Na because he didn't want to put pressure on him. He was just waiting for the news that he had developed a new product. Also, he heard something good whenever he called Mr. Na.
'We're almost done. We can only improve the last remaining defect.'
Na said that he would get a new product sample soon.
Even though he and Aurum signed a draft contract, there was a possibility that they would have to revise it by then. Hyunwoo felt that if his relation with the manager soured, it would make unnecessary trouble. I wish I could have the manager on my side before we get the new product sample from Na. Is there something I can do?
Several days later.
Several people gathered at a small deserted area of the company, where they were supposed to build an earth house with yellow clay. It would be floored with flat stones and a furnace.
The groundwork was already done by the heavy vehicles, but the work of flooring it with flat stones was to be done manually by the people dispatched by Aurum.
n.o.body moved, though, because the construction manager hadn't arrived at the site yet.
Those from the general affairs team began to complain.
”d.a.m.n it. It's hot even in the morning”
”You bet. What the heck are we doing here in this sultry weather?”
Among them were Lee Gangho and Hyunwoo of the purchasing team.
Complaining like that, the general affairs team members stole a glance at both of them because they knew it was Hyunwoo who had proposed the idea.