He thought he had a lot of experience, but he had never been so shocked before.
But he couldn’t dismiss it as nonsense.
The young employee in front of him looked very serious.
As if he could see through his inner thoughts, Yoo-hyun strongly advised him.
“Sir, if you approach this with a half-hearted attitude, you won’t be able to improve anything. You need to be ruthless.”
“I’ll help you. If you take my words to heart, I’ll do whatever I can to help you succeed.”
Shin Kyung Wook, the executive director, closed his mouth for a moment after emptying his glass.
For an instant, his eyes flashed with many worries.
Shin Kyung Wook raised his head and looked at Yoo-hyun, who didn’t avoid his gaze.
“What do you want from doing this? Money?”
It was a question that pierced through Yoo-hyun’s identity.
What did he want to gain from doing this?
Money was definitely not it.
He wanted to change, and he wanted to be different.
But he couldn’t say that here and now.
“Let’s talk about that when you come to Korea, sir.”
As Shin Kyung Wook grabbed his empty glass, Yoo-hyun poured him more liquor.
His hand holding the glass was trembling.
The silence continued for a while.
Shin Kyung Wook drank the liquor as if he was possessed.
Yoo-hyun silently filled his glass.
The music, the chatter from the nearby tables filled the gap between the two.
After a while, he opened his mouth that had been tightly closed.
“Yoo-hyun, you’re special. More than anyone I’ve ever met.”
“But I feel like you’re living too tightly. Like you have an obsession.”
It was true that he had squeezed himself with the obsession to change.
As soon as Yoo-hyun admitted it, Shin Kyung Wook smiled faintly and continued.
“Can I give you some advice as a senior who’s a bit older?”
“I understand what you’re thinking, but don’t be too attached to it. Sometimes you have to let things flow as they are.”
-Don’t be too attached. Sometimes it’s something that can be solved by letting time pass.
The advice he had given in the past flashed through his mind.
It was a different situation, a different encounter, but his words still had depth.
Yoo-hyun nodded sincerely.
“I hope you’re faithful to reality. To your precious colleagues, family, and personal life.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“And then, when you have the opportunity, do your best.”
It was a golden advice for Yoo-hyun, who might have been impatient for a moment.
He always taught Yoo-hyun the wisdom of life in this way.
He had run ahead without accepting it, because of Yoo-hyun’s greed.
How frustrated he must have been watching from the side.
Now he wanted to follow his words sincerely.
“I’ll definitely do that.”
At Yoo-hyun’s answer, Shin Kyung Wook smiled and said.
“And your advice is…”
“Don’t forget it. But understand that it’s not easy.”
Yoo-hyun knew that Shin Kyung Wook would make the right decision.
Whatever decision he made, Yoo-hyun’s task was clear.
He had to change things one by one, being faithful to reality, as he advised.
And when he came back.
He just had to help him with all his might.
The glasses collided.
At the same time, the two smiled at each other.
They also had a look of understanding each other.
Then Shin Kyung Wook asked him a question.
“I’m suspicious of your age.”
“You’ll understand if you switch positions.”
He didn’t say anything else after that.
Of course, Yoo-hyun never answered.
Shin Kyung Wook drank until dawn and left.
The San Francisco schedule was long, but the important thing was over.
Yoo-hyun, who had found some peace of mind, spent time with Senior Jang Hye Min and Deputy Kim Young Gil, touring the exhibition hall.
In the process, Deputy Kim Young Gil grew a lot.
He had a design sense for someone who only looked at hardware.
He often voiced his opinions in front of Senior Jang Hye Min.
“I think it would be nice to add this aspect to this part.”
“Really? Then how about doing it …”
“Deputy Kim, you have a good design sense.”
Senior Jang Hye Min’s appropriate compliment made him more passionate.
Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia were still renting out their house.
Yoo-hyun saw them from a distance.
They had a comment that Yoo-hyun made on their picket.
The people’s reactions looked pretty good.
He didn’t want to meet them and talk about money again, so Yoo-hyun wrote a memo.
I’m rooting for Airbnb’s great success. Your friend Steve.
He left a note on the flower bed next to the bench where they often sat.
It didn’t matter if the note didn’t reach them.
He just wanted to end it .
That’s how his San Francisco trip, full of memories, ended.
On the day of departure, San Francisco airport.
Deputy Kim Young Gil clenched his fist as he checked his ticket at the gate.
“Wow. Awesome. I even got upgraded on the plane.”
“It’ll be more comfortable.”
Yoo-hyun smiled and entered the plane.
The place he was guided to was not an economy seat, but a business seat.
Sometimes they would upgrade you if there were seats left, and this time they were lucky enough to both use the business seats.
Deputy Kim Young Gil leaned back in his chair and said.
“This business trip was really lucky. The hotel was a suite, we got to eat expensive food every day, and we even got to ride the business seat.”
“Are you that happy?”
“Of course. Weren’t the other team members a drag?”
“No, maybe it’s because it was just the two of us?”
Deputy Kim Young Gil clapped and laughed.
He was different from his stiff past.
Yoo-hyun saw that Deputy Kim Young Gil had definitely changed.
He became more relaxed in his actions and softer in his thoughts.
The more he grew, the more he would help Yoo-hyun change the future he wanted.
The things he had to drag along were not easy.
The plane that carried Yoo-hyun soared into the sky.
The view of San Francisco gradually faded away from the small window.
When he returned to Korea after finishing his San Francisco schedule, it was early morning.
Yoo-hyun had a simple meal with Deputy Kim Young Gil and said goodbye.
“Deputy, you worked hard.”
“So did you. Thanks to you, I had a good time.”
“It was nice to be with you.”
“Anyway, take care. I’m going.”
What he said to Deputy Kim Young Gil was not just empty words.
He had shared many memories with him during this business trip.
He also saw him grow and was sure he had made the right choice.
Now he only had to make the future with him.
Yoo-hyun contacted his mother and sent a message to his acquaintances that he had arrived safely.
The actions that used to be awkward were now quite natural.
He was used to taking the bus back without the pickup car that was always there.
It was the same for dragging two carriers by himself.
When he got home, the phone rang at the right time.
It was Jung Da Bin’s call.
He had an appointment with her, so Yoo-hyun answered the phone right away.
-Oppa, did you arrive well?
“I just got here a little while ago.”
-Are you okay in the afternoon?
Yoo-hyun answered without much thought at Jung Da Bin’s words.
“I have to go if I promised. I’m fine.”
-Hoho. Yes. See you soon. You’ll be surprised.
He wasn’t very curious about Jung Da Bin, who made a fuss during the new employee training.
Still, Yoo-hyun took it moderately.
-You don’t sound curious.
-Liar. Anyway, be ready to be surprised.
“Okay. See you later.”
The appointment with Jung Da Bin was this afternoon.
He was going to go home tomorrow, so he had some time.
Yoo-hyun got up after a short nap, dressed neatly, and went out.
He arrived at Myeongdong by subway.
Maybe it was because of the end of the year, but the streets still had the remnants of Christmas.
Was it because of that?
The memories came back vividly around this time.
He had done a lot with Jung Da Hye here.
He could glimpse the memories with her at the restaurant, coffee shop, general store, and street vendors.
They were memories that he had forgotten because he thought they were too obvious.
He realized how precious those moments were.
What if he met Jung Da Hye now?
She wasn’t supposed to come to Korea yet, but he suddenly thought that.
Yoo-hyun chuckled and walked.
Meanwhile, Jung Da Bin was sitting at the window on the second floor of the coffee shop.
“How did that happen…”
Her cousin, Jung Da Hye, who was sitting across from her, snapped at Jung Da Bin’s story.
“Hey, you don’t mean to make me meet someone named Han Yoo-hyun, do you?”
“I’m busy. I barely made time to come today.”
“I know, you’re busy. But you made time anyway.”
Jung Da Hye sighed at Jung Da Bin’s words.
“I don’t even know who that person is.”
“Just look at his face. You’ll definitely remember him.”
Jung Da Hye shook her head, but Jung Da Bin was sure.
If Yoo-hyun was looking for him, the two must have a bond.
They just didn’t know each other.
That was why Jung Da Bin decided to be the mediator of this fateful encounter.
Her cousin, who didn’t know her profound intentions, said something that scratched her insides.
“Why do I have to look at his face?”
“Just. Do it for me. Please?”
Jung Da Hye sighed as if she gave up.
“Hey, I really don’t have time, so you know that.”
“I know. Let’s just have a cup of tea. He should be here by now…”
Jung Da Bin stretched out her words and looked out the window.
Yoo-hyun showed up just then.
Jung Da Bin quickly pointed to the man outside the window with her index finger.
“There he is. The guy in the khaki coat. Don’t you remember?”
“Really? You don’t know? Why?”
“How would I know if I’ve never seen him. And he’s not my style.”
“Hey, do you know how cool that guy is…”
Jung Da Bin was about to get angry when she saw Jung Da Hye spit out words indifferently.
Jung Da Hye, who was looking at Jung Da Bin quietly, reluctantly said.
“It’s only 30 minutes. I’m doing this for your sake.”
“Okay. You’re my pretty cousin. Thank you.”
Jung Da Bin sweated and tried to smile.
The coffee shop that Yoo-hyun entered was two stories high.
The counter was on the first floor, and the seats were on the second floor.
The atmosphere was not bad.
The dark wood atmosphere, the faint coffee aroma, and the jazz music that came in suited Yoo-hyun’s taste.
Yoo-hyun climbed up the narrow stairs.
There were cool paintings on the wall.
They felt like genuine, not imitations.
It seemed that the owner of the coffee shop was interested in art.
-I used to like drawing when I was young. Well, I forgot later.
He remembered what Jung Da Hye had said in the past.