Real Man

Chapter 256:

Chapter 256

Lee Jin-mok, the team leader, asked with a puzzled expression.

“Yoo-hyun, I’m talking about the semi-electronic mockup.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did you tell them in advance?”

“Why?”

Yoo-hyun avoided answering, thinking that he had no reason to do so.

Then Lee Jin-mok scratched his head and said.

“It just seems like everything is ready as we need it.”

“In what way?”

“The multi-touch function, the resolution support, and so on.”

“Are the other companies not doing it?”

Yoo-hyun casually asked and he told him the honest situation.

“Well, there was no company that could do it within the deadline. If it wasn’t for Semi-electronics, we would have been in big trouble.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah, that’s good. Anyway, thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. You did it, sir.”

To be precise, Semi-electronics did a good job.

And there was also a contribution from his friend Kang Jun-ki.

As if he could hear Yoo-hyun’s thoughts, Lee Jin-mok asked bluntly.

“Oh, do you know Kang Jun-ki?”

“Yes. I worked with him on the last mockup. Why?”

“He said he knows you.”

“Did he badmouth me?”

“Hahaha! Badmouth? No way. There’s something else.”

Lee Jin-mok laughed out loud and patted Yoo-hyun’s shoulder as he passed by.

What?

Yoo-hyun was baffled by the situation and decided not to ask.

He could see that he wouldn’t tell him anything if it was nothing important.

Instead, Yoo-hyun picked up his phone.

He pressed the call button and put the phone between his shoulder and cheek as he checked his email.

On the screen, an image of the work sent by Han Jae-hee popped up.

Soon after, his sister’s voice rang through the receiver.

-What’s up? Why are you calling so late?

“I just sent you an email.”

-You sent it a long time ago. It’s almost a day.

It wasn’t even half a day.

Yoo-hyun asked with a dumbfounded feeling.

“Are you drinking in broad daylight?”

-What? You and what else are killing me.

“What does that mean? You’re killing me?”

-Whatever, how’s the image?

Yoo-hyun chuckled and Han Jae-hee cut him off sharply.

She was always firm on unnecessary things.

Yoo-hyun took a small revenge with a sarcastic remark.

“It’s not bad for a test version.”

-What? This is not a test version, you know?

“The icons are too blurry.”

-That can’t be. I downloaded all the iPhone images and changed them.

He was joking, but Yoo-hyun didn’t make up something that wasn’t true.

And Yoo-hyun knew why his sister made such a mistake.

“The resolution of this panel is four times higher than the previous iPhone.”

-That’s not noticeable on the phone. That’s the full resolution of my monitor.

He said it playfully, but it was a mishap caused by not experiencing the ultra-high-resolution panel.

The work talk ended and they naturally moved on to small talk.

Maybe because it was a long time since they talked, Han Jae-hee was a bit talkative.

Among them, the story of her ex-husband caught Yoo-hyun’s attention.

-As for Yang…

“Really?”

-Yeah. He was really crazy.

Yang Woo-chan was arrested for doing a lot of scumbag things besides filming hidden cameras.

He also got caught for forging his academic credentials and got expelled from school.

It was a very desirable outcome.

Yoo-hyun smiled with satisfaction when his sister suddenly brought up their mother.

-But brother, mom seems to be in a bad mood.

“Why? She sounded fine to me.”

-No, I went home last time and…

Han Jae-hee told him a long story about what she saw when she went home.

There was something strange in the content and Yoo-hyun asked.

“What’s wrong with baking bread?”

-Mom bakes bread when she’s in a bad mood.

“Really?”

-Yeah. Don’t you know that?

“…”

Yoo-hyun had no idea that his mother had such a side to her.

He couldn’t recall any situation where his mother got angry.

Yoo-hyun was silent for a moment and his sister clicked her tongue.

-Brother, you should have a drink with mom too. Don’t just drink with dad.

“I guess so.”

-Tsk tsk. I’m really teaching you, brother.

Han Jae-hee was right.

He had talked to his mother a lot, but he never had an honest time with her.

But it was annoying to hear her say that, so Yoo-hyun snapped back at her.

“You just like drinking anyway.”

-Nyah. Byeong!

Then Han Jae-hee hung up the phone like a drug addict.

She had done everything she could.

He was speechless for a moment, but Yoo-hyun soon called his mother.

As always, his mother’s cheerful voice came through.

-Yoo-hyun, what’s up at this hour?

“I just wanted to hear your voice, mom.”

-Hohoho! Good job.

She didn’t sound like she was in a bad mood by her voice alone.

Yoo-hyun asked with a hint of doubt.

“Mom, what happened to the store expansion?”

-Huh? Why?

“Just curious. I said I would help you with the contract.”

-Oh, I decided not to do that. The conditions were not good.

“I see.”

-Yeah. It’s better not to have a headache, right?

His mother said it casually.

But Yoo-hyun couldn’t take her words at face value.

He knew how much his mother had been looking forward to it.

Yoo-hyun checked the calendar on his desk and said.

“Mom, I’m going home this weekend.”

-Why? Your dad won’t be here this weekend.

“I know, he’s going on a business trip.”

-Then it’s better to come when your dad is here.

“You’ll be lonely by yourself, mom.”

His mother rebutted his gentle words out of nowhere.

-I’m more comfortable and happy without your dad.

“Are you kidding me?”

-No. I don’t have to cook or watch him drink. How nice is that?

It sounded like there was some truth in her words, so Yoo-hyun laughed out loud.

They exchanged a few more words and Yoo-hyun said goodbye.

“Yes, mother. I’ll see you soon.”

-Okay. Take care of yourself.

Click.

It was a pleasant conversation, but why did it feel so heavy in his chest?

Yoo-hyun felt like he still didn’t know his mother well.

That weekend, he took a bus to his home.

His mother, who had been waiting for him after work, greeted him warmly.

“You must be tired from the long trip.”

“It’s not far. It’s quick.”

“Oh, what did you buy this time?”

Yoo-hyun smiled and handed over the paper bag he was holding.

His mother waved her hand.

But her other hand had already grabbed the paper bag.

There was a full smile on her lips.

Looking at his mother, Yoo-hyun said.

“Open it.”

“What? Alcohol?”

His mother’s expression darkened at once, as if it was not what she expected.

Regardless, Yoo-hyun explained.

“It’s sweet wine. Jae Hee said you like it.”

“He always says nonsense.”

“But it has some benefits too.”

“Like what?”

At his mother’s question, Yoo-hyun opened the box and took out a bottle of wine and answered.

“Thanks to him, I can have a drink with you.”

“Hey, what’s with the alcohol.”

“You have a day off tomorrow.”

He looked at his mother, who shook her head.

He had prepared well for this, so his mother seemed to have no good excuse.

“Well, that’s true…”

“Then let’s have a drink. I’ve been looking forward to it.”

Yoo-hyun hooked his arm around his mother’s and spoke friendly.

In the end, his mother gave up and chuckled.

“My son has grown up.”

“I’ve been grown up for a long time.”

“I know. Just wait a bit.”

His mother went into the kitchen and prepared some snacks.

She was so excited that she lifted her shoulders.

He laughed as he watched her back. She looked like his younger sister.

Soon, a table was set on the floor, and on it were splendid snacks.

This was not something that could be passed over lightly.

He realized anew that his mother ran a side dish shop.

Yoo-hyun poured wine into his mother’s glass.

“Mother, here you go.”

Glug glug glug.

“My son also filled his glass. How nice.”

“Me too.”

“Cheers.”

Clang.

The two smiled and clinked their glasses.

One glass, two glasses, they drank lightly.

A warm evening breeze blew in.

The sound of frogs croaking added to the mood.

They didn’t realize it when they drank, but wine made them drunk quickly.

His mother’s face turned red and Yoo-hyun asked her.

“Mother, don’t you want to move to another house?”

“Why the house?”

“Just curious. You used to live in a bigger and nicer house.”

He had wanted to ask her for a long time.

He still remembered the dismal expression on his mother’s face when there was a red sticker on the house.

He thought it would be a scar in his mother’s heart.

But his mother gave an unexpected answer.

“I like it here. It’s free and comfortable.”

“Really?”

“Don’t I look like it?”

“No. You do look like it.”

“Yeah. It’s different from then.”

His mother emptied her glass of wine with a smile on her face.

Now there was no trace of the quiet and calm lady he used to see in his mother.

Instead, she became lively and bright.

She had confidence in every move she made.

The achievement she made by herself freed her.

He found that very positive.

“You look happy.”

“Then I’m glad.”

His mother said casually.

Yoo-hyun, who was looking for an opportunity, changed the subject and subtly probed his mother’s mind.

“Mother, do you have any worries?”

“Jae Hee’s studies?”

“Haha. Why? He’s doing well.”

“Just. I feel worried about him somehow.”

“What about me? You never told me to study.”

Yoo-hyun shrugged and asked innocently.

His mother never touched him since he was young.

It was the part that his sister envied and was jealous of the most.

But his mother gave an unexpected answer.

“I shouldn’t have done that to you.”

“Why?”

“…Well. It’s in the past now.”

His mother chuckled and muttered to herself as she emptied another glass.

The alcohol that was quite full disappeared at once.

At the same time, his mother revealed what she had been hiding.

“Do you want to hear it?”

“Yes. I want to hear it.”

“Actually…”

When Yoo-hyun was young, his mother was very pushy about studying.

It was the result of being swept away by the early education craze.

His mother brought up something that Yoo-hyun had no memory of.

“You worked very hard. You never complained. That made me more greedy.”

“Really?”

“So once I tried to see how far you could go and gave you a lot of homework on purpose.”

Yoo-hyun just listened to his mother’s story without saying a word.

He saw sadness on his mother’s face.

“It must have been about two weeks, maybe. There was a lot of it. Even an adult would feel it was too much.”

“Did I do all of it?”

His mother’s eyes flashed with regret at Yoo-hyun’s question.

“I only found out in the morning. That little thing… He must have been scared of me.”

“…”

“He stayed up all night and did it all. He even had a nosebleed.”

“I see.”

Yoo-hyun nodded with a complicated expression as he looked at his mother who spoke with a bitter smile.

He felt like he could sense his mother’s feelings just by listening.

Then his mother took Yoo-hyun’s hand.

“I swore then. I should never do this to him.”

And she lifted her head and met Yoo-hyun’s eyes.

Her eyes were moist, perhaps because of the old memory that came to her mind.

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