Chapter 40
“Take care, everybody.”
As soon as Park Youngsu left the office, his team mbers 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 ca 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 ?”
Hyunwoo instinctively sensed that Yonggu had sothing to talk to him, which might be sothing he felt uncomfortable about talking to other mbers.
“Sure, you are going to treat , 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 ?”
“I think you should help .”
“What is it?”
“The president called in and asked 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 bla you or any other team mber. Let promise that as the president. Just ignore Park’s ntion 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 reassurance to Hyunwoo. Only then was Hyunwoo reassured.
“So, have you thought of an idea?”
“The first thing is to make the team manager trust . Only when he feels like I’m his strong ally can I take care of things easily. At the decisive mont, 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 balls, 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 mbers 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 ta 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 beca slow because it got infected with so strange spyware. The only thing the manager did on his desk was visit so strange websites and check out so strange pictures.
“Hey, did you say you knew how to fix a computer? Can you co over and fix it?”
“Yes, sir. As soon as I’m done with this, let fix it.”
At that mont, Yonggu stood up abruptly and shouted loudly,
“Assistant 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 mbers 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 imdiately.”
Overwheld by Yonggu’s unusual behavior, Hyunwoo sprang to his feet and went to the manager’s desk at once.
“Sorry, let fix it now.”
Park was satisfied at that, thinking to himself, Hummmmm.. Uncle called in Yonggu and told him sothing, I believe. Though he ntioned he would fire , 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 . Once I have him by the balls, let 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 sothing 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 sothing 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.
Nobody moved, though, because the construction manager hadn’t arrived at the site yet.
Those from the general affairs team began to complain.
“Damn 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 mbers stole a glance at both of them because they knew it was Hyunwoo who had proposed the idea.
However, they didn’t badmouth him openly. Though he got hired only four months ago, he was an assistant manager. On the other hand, they were just rank and file employees.
Lee Gangho also felt bad because of the hot weather.
However, Hyunwoo thought nothing of it because he was accustod to the hot weather thanks to his mountain climbing whenever he had free ti.
“Aren’t you feeling hot?” asked Lee.
“I can stand it,” said Hyunwoo casually.
At that mont, they saw a couple of n approaching. One of them was an old man who looked like an expert on yellow clayed earth houses, but the other man walking next to him was soone they had never expected to see. He was none other than the “crazy dog.”
“Oh My God!”
“Why is the crazy dog the construction supervisor?”
While they were complaining about him, Park Youngsu and the old man arrived at the construction site.
“Sir, let’s start now. Finish it quickly and take a break, shall we?”
“Why are you in a hurry? This kind of work should be done after they have so makgoli, traditional Korean alcohol, first. Hey, guys, co over here and drink so makgoli.”
The old man called them as if he was ignoring Park’s instruction. When they were trying to read Park’s face, he scolded them with a raised voice,
“Do you feel guilty about drinking one cup of makgoli? Don’t care at all about Park. Co here now.”
However, Park felt like he had egg on his face because the old man’s remarks suggested that they would have to follow his instructions.
“I don’t feel like drinking it.”
Park turned his back. It was not the kind of atmosphere where the dispatched employees would chat over maggoli. They just stood up as soon as they tasted the maggoli.
“Damn it. The atmosphere here makes feel I’m skating on thin ice. Okay, both of you guys, bring so earth from over there and tread on the yellow clay dough. Take breaks whenever you need to and work hard.”
They began to work according to the old man’s instruction, but the old man didn’t like how slow they were.
“Hey guys, why are you so slow? Do you think you can finish this today?”
However, he fixed his eyes on one man, Hyunwoo, who stood out because of his fast movents.
When they made so yellow clay dough, the old man called Hyunwoo,
“Hey, dude, co over here with so yellow clay dough.”
While moving the clay dough, Hyunwoo put so in a basket and ca to the old man.
“You lay bricks here. Put plenty of clay dough and apply it firmly. Can you do it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
Hyunwoo laid the bricks as instructed by the old man. He put in the proper amount of clay dough, creating a brick and then fixing it firmly by tapping it with a hamr.
Nodding his head, the old man asked, “Have you ever done this kind of work before?”
Actually, Hyunwoo had a lot of experience. As soon as he graduated from high school, he found a job at a factory specializing in flooring rooms with flat stones. He worked there for as many as two years. Though he worked for only two years, Hyunwoo had already beco a skilled worker thanks to his dexterity and sharp eyes for learning things.
“Yes, sir. When I was young, I helped floor rooms with flat stones several tis.”
“Oh, I see. How long did you do it?”
Aroused by Hyunwoo’s reply, the old man got him to talk. Hyunwoo conversed with the old man while laying bricks, which ca into Park’s eyes.
Because Park didn’t like the old man’s attitude, he beca all the more annoyed when he saw Hyunwoo happily chatting with the old man.
“Hey, Mr. Jang, did you co here to play? Just do your work right!”
Then, the old man took Hyunwoo’s side, replying,
“Why are you trying to find fault with this man? He’s working so well. And are you here to play? If you don’t have anything to do, just go over there and make so clay dough.”
Park was just dumbfounded at that. However, he could not quarrel with the bad-tempered old man.
“What are you doing? Just go over there and help them.”
The old man pressed on again.
“Do you think I’m free?” Park retorted sharply before leaving the site.
One hour later.
“You just keep laying bricks here. This is the most important part of the work. You know that, right?”
“Sure. Just rely on .”
“Let go to a nearby supermarket.”
“Can I go instead?”
“No, let go. Hey, guys, are you still taking a break? Bring those flat stones to .”
Only then did those taking a break under a tree clean the dirt off their buttocks and stand up.
They carried the flat stones from the truck.
“Oh, this is very heavy.”
“Don’t hurry. Be careful not to get injured.”
Having said that, the old man walked to the supermarket slowly, folding his hands behind his back.
A little while later, Park Youngsu appeared again at the work site.
They were carrying heavy flat stones while Hyunwoo alone was laying bricks comfortably.
Park felt bitter about that.
“Hey, Hyunwoo. What are you doing there?”
“I’m laying bricks”
“What? Laying bricks? While others are carrying the heavy flat stones, you are just staying here alone laying bricks?”
“Well, the old man assigned to do this”
“Are you now talking back to ?”
Hyunwoo scratched his head at that. Though it looked easy to lay bricks, it was really a difficult job indeed. When the bricks were laid by soone with no dexterity and expertise in the field, they might need to tear down the existing bricks and redo it when sothing went wrong.
Hyunwoo was forced to carry flat stones, and a young guy took his place.
The young guy began to lay bricks casually, thinking that simply laying one brick after another was all he needed to do.
Looking at him, Park raised his lips and said to himself,
How dare Hyunwoo try to play a stupid trick on with such simple work?
A little later, the old man ca back to the site slowly and noticed a strange young man, not Hyunwoo, laying bricks.
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