Kim Yeon-guk, a reporter, used his reporter’s intuition to dig deeper into the story.
His eloquent words eventually made Kim Hyun-soo confess everything.
“Yes, yes. There were four friends and three thugs. Many people fixed the flat tire. And then?”
“Mr. Reporter, why are you writing this down?”
Kim Hyun-soo asked incredulously as he saw Kim Yeon-guk taking notes on his notebook.
Kim Yeon-guk gave a sly smile.
“I just have a feeling about this.”
“This is not a news story…”
Kim Hyun-soo scratched his head and Yoo-hyun cut him off.
“Enough. Do you think the reporter is digging a hole to do business? He writes when he has a good material.”
“Exactly. Yoo-hyun, you are very clear.”
Kim Yeon-guk nodded and added more specific advice to Yoo-hyun.
“If you go to the police station, you can find out the exact situation. I’ll tell you the exact time and location.”
There was nothing to be thankful for.
The one who got the help was Yoo-hyun.
This would also help Kim Hyun-soo when the article was published.
Yoo-hyun said sincerely.
“I hope this was helpful in some way.”
“Of course it was. The friendship between friends is heartwarming, and the way you taught the thugs a lesson is satisfying. This is what makes a fresh news story.”
Yoo-hyun smiled and Kim Yeon-guk also showed a friendly smile.
On the other hand, Kim Hyun-soo felt embarrassed to death.
“Ha! It’s still not right…”
“Hyun-soo, don’t be like that. Your face hasn’t been published yet.”
“That’s right. I felt it last time when I interviewed you, but you seem to care too much about what others think.”
Kim Yeon-guk said and Yoo-hyun asked seriously.
“Do you have star syndrome or something?”
“You could say that.”
Yoo-hyun saw Kim Hyun-soo getting angry and handed him a glass.
“Hahaha! Come on, let’s smile and have a good time. We met good people here. I’ll pay for this.”
“Fine… I’ll pay for the second round.”
Kim Hyun-soo gave up and said, and Kim Yeon-guk raised his glass.
“Good. I feel rewarded as a reporter.”
The three of them laughed happily as they clinked their glasses.
It was a comfortable drinking party, as if they were old friends.
A few days later, a news article appeared on the ranking section of an internet portal site.
It was not about the corruption of a chaebol family, nor about the drug scandal of a celebrity.
Yet, this news caused a huge reaction for a reason.
It contained photos and videos of the bullying scene.
People criticized the merchant president and the building owner as if they had been victimized themselves.
It was not only on the internet.
The U-ri Daily newspaper also had a big news on its social page.
Thanks to that, all the market merchants saw the news.
Of course, Yoo-hyun’s mother was among them.
That day at lunchtime.
Yoo-hyun, who was sitting in his office and checking the article, received a phone call from his mother.
After exchanging simple greetings, his mother rambled on about the article.
-So that merchant president bastard…
-Yeah. A son of a bitch. Oh! Ahem. Anyway, he’s a bad guy. And the building owner is worse.
“I’m glad they were caught by the police.”
-Yeah. You don’t know how angry they are.
His mother’s voice was full of energy.
She was as happy as when she heard Yoo-hyun’s employment news.
Yoo-hyun tried to hold back his laughter and asked.
“Mother, did you think about what I told you?”
-The shelf height thing, I think it’s a good idea. It will make the display look more spacious and…
“Not that, the diet products.”
-Ah, I thought about that too because it seems like young people are looking for it…
His mother spouted out her ideas non-stop.
She had definitely thought about it more than once.
She even had opinions on some details that Yoo-hyun had not thought of.
Of course, there were many shortcomings too, but he thought she could fill them up gradually with this passion.
Yoo-hyun listened to her and replied positively.
“It sounds good to me.”
-Really? I’ll have to think about it more.
“Yes. It’s really good, so have some confidence and try it.”
-Hoho! Okay. Thank you. But I don’t understand what you mean by internet something.
“I’ll help you with online sales.”
-Doesn’t that cost a lot of money?
His mother asked worriedly as Yoo-hyun offered his help.
He already had a plan in mind, so he presented his alternative.
“No, it doesn’t. You just need to contract with a delivery company, and the most important thing is to make a promotional image. You can ask Jae-hee to do that.”
-Jae-hee, he said he’s busy with your work.
“It’s okay. He almost finished it and now he has some free time.”
-Jae-hee is completely under your control. Hoho.
His mother laughed as Yoo-hyun spoke decisively.
He wanted to see this smile forever.
Yoo-hyun smiled and said.
“Mother, I’ll help you a lot from now on.”
-You’ve already done more than enough. Don’t worry about me and do your work.
“Yes, mother. See you next time.”
Yoo-hyun hung up the phone with a light heart.
Mang Ki-yong, his senior, came up to him and asked.
“What are you so happy about?”
“Good. I like that attitude. I hope you smile even after the game today.”
Yoo-hyun was about to answer his senior’s meaningful words when…
Before he knew it, Lee Jin-mok, the team leader, joined in.
“We can’t win by just smiling. Let’s go for the victory since we’re here.”
Yoo-hyun asked and Lee Jin-mok answered confidently.
“Of course. We won two games, and we only need to win two more, right?”
He was the most worried and nervous one in every game.
It was funny to see him so self-assured before facing the strongest contender.
Yoo-hyun chuckled and reminded him of his past.
“I remember your face in the first game.”
“Hey, that was then, and this is now.”
“Let’s see you create a miracle.”
Yoo-hyun said coolly and the two of them laughed.
There was no shadow of defeat on their faces.
It was a remarkable change compared to before.
The people of the Advanced Product Team made a circle by putting their arms on each other’s shoulders.
Mang Ki-yong, the captain, said.
“Our opponent is Panel 1 Team, the most powerful contender. They must think we will lose for sure.”
Lee Jin-mok shouted and Mang Ki-yong raised his voice as well.
“Good! Let’s use this energy… Yoo-hyun, say something.”
He suddenly passed the baton to Yoo-hyun.
Yoo-hyun spat out a sigh and looked around.
All 10 people who faced each other had no word of giving up on their faces.
He saw the improved Advanced Product Team and said briefly.
At times , unity was more important than long words.
“Let’s play without regrets. Advance!”
Yoo-hyun shouted and the people cheered as if they had been waiting for it.
“Advance! Advance! Fighting!”
Along with their loud voices, cheers came from the stands as well.
Regardless of the outcome, their concentration and enthusiasm for the game were unmatched.
It was very hot as summer approached.
It was still bright outside, so the heat felt even more intense.
Despite that, the Advanced Product Team ran hard.
But the opponent was not easy either.
Panel 1 Team had thoroughly analyzed the Advanced Product Team and prepared for it.
They used precise long passes to disrupt the left and right sides of the Advanced Product Team.
Then they trapped them with a flawless defense.
It was not a neighborhood soccer level at all.
Their well-organized teamwork was different from the previous teams.
The members of the Advanced Product Team did their best beyond their limits.
They worked so hard that they felt out of breath.
But they couldn’t overcome the wall of Panel 1 Team in the end.
The referee’s whistle sounded and the game was decided with a final score of 2 to 0.
Yoo-hyun sprayed water on his face and shook his head.
The team members were all lying on the ground as if they were exhausted.
Yoo-hyun also lay down with them.
“Good job, everyone.”
As soon as Yoo-hyun said that, the people who were lying down and breathing heavily said one word each.
“You did well, Yoo-hyun.”
“That was really fun.”
“You all worked hard.”
“Should we get uniforms too?”
They all sounded happy even though they lost.
Mang Ki-yong, who was lying next to him, smiled too.
In the noisy atmosphere, Yoo-hyun and Mang Ki-yong’s eyes met.
Mang Ki-yong asked quietly.
“Yoo-hyun, are you disappointed?”
Mang Ki-yong’s laughter felt sincere.
He never thought he could feel good even after losing, but he did.
He knew it was possible because they were all together.
He used that feeling as a stepping stone and got up quickly.
Then he shouted loudly.
“Come on, get up and let’s go eat jajangmyeon.”
Yoo-hyun shook his head at Lee Jin-mok’s question and said.
“Of course, the team leaders should pay.”
Then Jung In-wook, the manager, stuck out his tongue.
“That bastard, I knew he would do that.”
“And among them, the senior team leader pays.”
Yoo-hyun pointed at him without backing down.
Jung In-wook sighed resignedly and gestured with his hand.
That’s when a savior appeared.
Kim Ho-geol, the chief engineer, grabbed Jung In-wook’s hand and lifted him up as he said,
“You should use your boss at times .”
“Oh my god, what an honor.”
Jung In-wook joked with a relaxed tone and Kim Ho-geol said to the team members.
“Come on, let’s have fun today without going back to the office.”
Everyone’s face was full of smiles.
Yoo-hyun also smiled brightly.
The soccer result was irrelevant to the work progress.
The panel design, which was a joint project with the Future Product Research Institute, was completed before he knew it.
They also did thorough and faithful simulation and verification.
Thanks to that, Go Jun-ho, the executive director, stamped his approval with a satisfied expression and the mask order for panel production was placed.
The mask for panel production was a mold for making boards, and the basic price was tens of millions of won per piece.
It was already expensive, but it was more expensive and more in number because it was for OLED boards.
The risk of failure was considerable.
Go Seong-cheol, the senior engineer who led the design, prayed every day as he came to work.
He had a lot of shadows on his face.
Yoo-hyun said to him,
“Mr. Go, it will be fine.”
“What if something goes wrong? It’s billions of won flying away.”
“Do you think you’ll get fired?”
He looked incredulous and Yoo-hyun smiled.
“Don’t be too nervous.”
“If this doesn’t work, the schedule will be ruined.”
“There will be another way.”
Yoo-hyun said easily and Go Seong-cheol shook his head as if he was annoyed.
“Ha! You are really…”
“Have some confidence.”
Yoo-hyun looked around as he encouraged him.
Go Seong-cheol was not the only one with a dark expression.
Mang Ki-yong, who placed the IC order, Lee Jin-mok, who made the FPCB, Min Su-jin, who made a new video board, and Kim Seon-dong, who designed the code, were all the same.
There were so many things to worry about because they targeted the final prototype product this time.
It was different from the sloppy demo last time.