Real Man - Chapter 444:

Yoo-hyun chuckled as he thought of Jo Hee-deok after hanging up the phone.

“It’s the first time I’m glad he’s a bad guy.”

He quickly shook off his thoughts of Jo Hee-deok and checked on Jeong Da-hye’s situation.

He was able to hear it easily through Shin Kwang-se, the manager.

-I’m so busy with work that I have to go to the office with a band-aid on my face, while you’re resting comfortably in the hospital…

“I understand. Team Leader Jeong is doing well.”

Of course, he ignored the nonsense and only confirmed the necessary news about Jeong Da-hye.

She was preparing the materials to announce when the G20 bid was successful.

That was enough to reassure him, but Yoo-hyun didn’t let his guard down until the end.

That was why he stayed in the hospital room for a while.

He got a clear grasp of the company’s situation through Jang Jun-sik, who contacted him every day.

-Following Japan’s Sony, China’s Skyworks also raised their flags for the Retina Premium marketing. The IT and mobile sectors are progressing smoothly.

“Good. You’re working hard.”

-No, sir. You’re working harder. Should I come and help you?

“Don’t ever come. Never.”

Did Jang Jun-sik know that Yoo-hyun was in the hospital?

Yoo-hyun grimaced at the scenario he didn’t even want to imagine and hung up the phone.

A few more days passed, and the planned schedule came close.

In the meantime, Jo Hee-deok was arrested and investigated for various crimes.

Thanks to that, Yoo-hyun had the freedom to choose.

He told Kim Young-gil, the manager who was going on a business trip with him, his decision.

“Manager, as I told you before, I’ll go ahead.”

-Are you sure you’ll be okay by yourself?

Yoo-hyun shrugged at Kim Young-gil’s concern.

“Yes. This is something I have to do alone.”

-I’ll be there right after the exhibition preparation. You’re really working hard.

“You said you stayed up all night preparing the materials to hand over to the press at Apple’s announcement. You’re working harder, Manager.”

-That’s my job, what can I say.

Kim Young-gil’s dedication to his work was unchanged even after he became a part leader.

Yoo-hyun smiled and asked him one more thing.

“Okay. And don’t be swayed by any bad news, no matter what.”

-I got it. I’ll assume that Steve Jobs will definitely make the announcement.

“That’s good enough. See you in the US then.”

-Okay. Take care.

They didn’t need a long conversation as they had built a deep trust through working together.

Yoo-hyun hung up the phone and looked at the calendar on the wall of the hospital room.

The G20 bid results didn’t come out today, so it was likely that they would come out tomorrow, the last scheduled day.

It meant that he had to leave without seeing Jeong Da-hye’s smile.

“But it turned out the way you wanted, right?”

Yoo-hyun comforted his regretful feelings with a single word he spat out.

Then he closed his eyes and imagined the events that would unfold.

It was time for the Group Strategy Office and Han Kyung-hoe to come forward in the situation.

It meant that the real fight had begun.

From Shin Kyung-wook’s executive position, he had to make some results somehow.

If he couldn’t?

In the worst case scenario, he could be pushed out with Shin Myung-ho, the vice chairman.

The decisive point was this Apple announcement.

Squeeze.

Yoo-hyun clenched his fist and gathered his will.

At that moment, in the Han Sung Tower 18th floor home appliance business director’s office.

Shin Cheon-sik, the vice president, sitting in the seat of honor, asked Yoon Ju-tak, the executive director.

“Did you block all the stock purchases by Shin Kyung-wook?”

“Yes. I cleaned it up neatly. So now I’m going to make a move.”

“Make a move?”

“I’m going to replace the president of Han Sung Electronics.”

At Yoon Ju-tak’s decision, Woo Chang-beom, the executive director of the management support division, sparkled his eyes.

“That’s a good idea. It’s a good time for various reasons, since the quarterly sales of the mobile phone division are the worst.”

“I’ve already notified the presidents of each subsidiary. If you make up your mind, I’ll start right away.”

As Yoon Ju-tak conveyed his will, Shin Cheon-sik’s mouth curled up.

“What about LCD?”

“As I told you, I’ve worked on the Japanese and Chinese companies. The TV sector, which has a lot of sales, will be hit hard.”

Shin Cheon-sik nodded his head and pointed out one more problem he anticipated.

“What about Apple? If they push it, the situation might change, you know.”

“Don’t worry. Steve Jobs won’t make the announcement.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Even if he does, there’s a problem with the Apple Phone 4 right now.”

Woo Chang-beom, who was listening, clicked his tongue.

“Huh. It must be a double whammy for Apple.”

“Yes. This Apple announcement with no steam will be the beginning of the downfall of Vice Chairman Shin Myung-ho and Executive Director Shin Kyung-wook.”

Yoon Ju-tak smiled viciously, and Shin Cheon-sik nodded his head in satisfaction.

The next morning.

The news that Yoo-hyun had been waiting for, and the news that Jeong Da-hye’s wish was in, was announced to the world.

Yoo-hyun, who was sitting in the business class seat of the flight to San Francisco, looked at the front page of the two newspapers alternately on the tray.

Both newspapers ran the articles on the front page as if they were competing.

That’s how great the news was, and Jeong Da-hye was at the center of it.

She had reached the end of her hard work for more than half a year through this achievement.

Breaking the prejudice of being young and female was a bonus.

Thanks to that, her wings were attached to her steps.

How far could she fly?

Yoo-hyun smiled fondly as he thought of her heading to the peak.

He was absorbed in his thoughts for a long time and turned the newspaper over again.

Crackle.

When he reached the IT page, there was a common news on both newspapers as if they had made a promise.

It was unusual for Steve Jobs not to show up at the preparation site for the announcement.

One newspaper mentioned health problems as the reason, and the other newspaper brought up the Apple Phone 4 issue.

Both were rumors, but they made it to the top of the domestic IT news by riding on foreign media.

This was a glimpse of Steve Jobs’ influence.

“What a remarkable person.”

Yoo-hyun snickered as he recalled the moment he faced Steve Jobs at the evaluation meeting.

He could feel the pressure of that time just by that.

And he was going to face him again this time.

Of course, the difficulty was twice as high.

Could he do well?

Thump thump.

He was more excited than afraid.

A flight attendant came up to him and asked.

“Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“Yes. That would be nice.”

Yoo-hyun smiled brightly.

The Apple news that broke out as a flash made the company turn upside down.

Especially, Lim Jun-pyo, the vice president who had staked his neck on the Apple announcement, was furious.

Squeak.

He opened the door of the LCD business director’s office and shouted at Kim Hyun-min, the manager who came in.

“Manager Kim, what the hell is going on? This is a complete disaster story.”

“No, sir.”

“What? Do you have an alternative?”

As Lim Jun-pyo glared at him with fiery eyes, Kim Hyun-min hesitated for a moment.

He remembered what he had talked to Yoo-hyun on the phone a while ago.

-Manager, have I ever told you to close your eyes and trust me once?

-Why? Are you trying to do something weird? What is it?

-Please trust me this one time. The Apple announcement will be a success.

He was always like this, whether he believed it or not.

He felt guilty, but he trusted him more.

Kim Hyun-min took a breath and looked straight at Lim Jun-pyo.

“We sent a vanguard to prepare for the problem.”

“What are they going to do? Negotiate with Steve Jobs?”

Lim Jun-pyo scoffed, but Kim Hyun-min didn’t avoid his gaze.

“Yes. We will make it a success, no matter what.”

“Or else?”

“I will take responsibility. Please trust me once.”

Kim Hyun-min bowed his head with determination.

“Sigh. You better keep your word.”

Lim Jun-pyo sighed.

The news that the G20 was successfully hosted in Korea made the Foreign Ministry building buzz.

There were cheers everywhere, but Jeong Da-hye had no time to be happy.

She was busy moving around all day, distributing press materials and announcing internal plans.

The continuous work ended around sunset.

When everyone went to toast, Jeong Da-hye ran to the hospital.

The hospital where Yoo-hyun was staying.

“Huff, huff.”

She caught her breath as she entered the hospital.

She had a banana cheesecake that Yoo-hyun liked in her hand.

It was also her favorite cake.

What should she say first?

She pushed back her curiosity and excitement and opened the door to the hospital room.

There was a name tag on the entrance, but there was no one in the room.

“…”

Shuffle.

On the neatly arranged bed, there was an envelope.

-Dear Alice.

Jeong Da-hye opened the envelope with her English name on it as if she was bewitched.

-Da-hye, congratulations. I sincerely support you as you fly higher and higher towards your goal.

ps. Don’t eat the cake by yourself, and keep it in the freezer.

I’ll eat it when I come back from the San Francisco trip.

From. Steve.

She laughed at the short words.

“You never change, do you?”

He was as selfish as ever.

But Jeong Da-hye wasn’t annoyed.

Rather, her lips curled up.

“You’re not supposed to freeze the cake, Steve.”

On a happy day, Yoo-hyun wasn’t there, but he left a letter and a cake.

Her footsteps looked much lighter than before as she turned around.

In the early morning of San Francisco time, Yoo-hyun was in the Airbnb office.

He sat on the sofa in the meeting room and checked the message from Jeong Da-hye that had just arrived.

-I’m going to visit you tomorrow, when are you free?

He had already heard from the nurse that she had come and gone, but he pretended not to know.

It was four hours after she had left.

She waited until midnight on purpose, considering the time difference.

She was very Jeong Da-hye-like in many ways.

Yoo-hyun smiled.

Thud.

Brian Chesky brought a fancy breakfast to the table.

“Did you get some good news?”

“Yeah. It’s good news.”

“Better than seeing my bacon cheese omelet?”

Brian Chesky pointed to the plate and raised his eyebrows.

He had a unique cheerful expression.

Yoo-hyun smiled.

“Respect my personal taste. I’ll eat well anyway.”

“Go ahead and eat. I’ll make you some coffee.”

Brian Chesky moved before Yoo-hyun could answer.

He walked briskly, looking unusually bright.

It was understandable, since the Airbnb business was sailing smoothly.

The cumulative number of reservations exceeded one million, and the sales grew by 200% compared to the last quarter.

The number of hosts also increased rapidly, so that there was an Airbnb anywhere you clicked on the map in San Francisco.

Even around Steve Jobs’ house, there was an Airbnb host.

Brian Chesky came back with coffee and said to Yoo-hyun, who was eating.

“Steve Jobs went to work today. I heard it directly from Kevin, who lives across the block.”

“He didn’t look good in the pictures?”

“Ignore the pictures taken by the paparazzi. He even goes for walks healthily.”

“Thanks. You made me more confident.”

In the past, Steve Jobs had successfully announced the Apple Phone 4 despite his illness.

Yoo-hyun didn’t know the details of the situation at the time, but he guessed it would be the same this time.

Of course, he didn’t rule out the possibility that there might be some changes.

He checked Steve Jobs’ status one more time through Brian Chesky.