Real Man

Chapter 390:

Yoo-hyun was walking with various thoughts in his mind.

He stopped in front of the log cabin.

Without turning around, Lee Young-nam opened his mouth.

I talked to the Mokpo factory manager this morning.

There was a hint of disappointment behind his stiff voice.

Yoo-hyun realized why he had called him out.

It was late, but he had to say it now.

Manager Lee, thank you for everything.

Why didnt you tell me?

Im not leaving forever. Ill come to visit sometimes. I didnt want to make it seem like the end.

He was being honest.

He had already had enough parties, and he didnt want to make a fuss again since he got along well with them.

Lee Young-nam nodded and muttered as if he understood Yoo-hyuns feelings.

Right. Youre right.

Of course.

Lee Young-nam stepped on the wooden stairs and climbed up to the log cabin.

He stopped Yoo-hyun from following him.

Just stay there for a moment.

What are you doing?

Come on, just wait.

He picked up a wooden board on the floor and stepped on the edge of the log cabin.

He stretched out his hand and hung the board on the entrance.

The hastily written words on the board hung loosely on the entrance.

Yoo-hyun snorted in disbelief.

What is this?

What do you mean? I told you Id give you a building at the fishing spot. Ah, I wanted to show you the finished one.

So he was more upset.

Yoo-hyun made a regretful expression and teased him.

What? I thought you were going to give me a big building.

What? You seemed to like the flat so much, so I built you a log cabin. And do you know what kind of wood went into this

Lee Young-nam, who came down from the log cabin, rambled as if he was flustered.

His words were full of his affection for Yoo-hyun.

Yoo-hyun took a step closer to him and bowed his head.

Thank you, Manager Lee.

Huh?

Im really glad I came to Yeontae-ri.

He smiled brightly.

Soon after, a large van parked at the fishing spot parking lot.

The villagers who got off brought food to the log cabin.

Thanks to them, the flat on top of the log cabin was full of food.

The villagers came up one by one where only Yoo-hyun and Lee Young-nam had been.

Among them was Nam Hee-woong, who brought food on his motorcycle.

He sat down and started eating gopchang stew, as if he had given up on work.

Yoo-hyun asked him as he handed him a glass.

Brother, isnt your Chinese restaurant busy right now?

My brother is going, so what does work matter now? Sit down and have a drink.

Nam Hee-woong waved his hand and poured Yoo-hyun a drink.

Chiroro.

Yoo-hyun emptied his glass and looked around.

The faces of the villagers who occupied the seats were full of sadness.

They all seemed to want to say something, but they couldnt because they felt sorry for him.

So Yoo-hyun spoke first.

Youre not giving me this big feast because you dont want to see me again, right?

Of course not. How could we?

The restaurant owner shook her head at Yoo-hyuns question.

Yoo-hyun smiled and poured her a drink.

Her delicious food and warm smile would stay in his memory for a long time.

He raised his glass with that feeling in mind.

Then lets have a good drink. Thank you always, auntie.

Are you feeling okay?

Of course. How can I not be happy when Im with such good people?

The restaurant owner raised her voice along with her glass after seeing Yoo-hyuns bright face.

Thats right. Then lets drink. Come on, what are you doing? We have to congratulate our junior manager for going to a good place.

She had been the one who led the mood at every recent party.

Thanks to her, the villagers were lively.

Mrs. Kim said it well. Lets have a drink and enjoy ourselves.

Yeah. When will we have another chance like this?

Oh my. Its going to be busy to eat all this. Lets eat and drink quickly.

The chatter grew louder.

As the alcohol and food went in, the mood brightened up in no time.

Brother. What on earth is going on here?

The mood was broken by Jeon Il-ho, who appeared late with a plate of pork belly.

Oh dear. I thought you went upstairs.

The mood was calmed down by the wife of Choi Jeong-bok, who came out with a pot of braised ribs.

Of course, it wasnt a big deal.

Rather, the mood was refreshed and became more cheerful.

Laughter bloomed everywhere.

Moon Jeong-gu, who was drinking alone next to Yoo-hyun, suddenly bowed his head.

His face was flushed and his eyes were unfocused. He looked completely drunk.

Brother, what am I supposed to do if you get so drunk?

What do you mean, what? Just keep making and selling golf clubs. You have to work hard when the water comes in.

Yoo-hyun gave him a realistic advice with a tipsy feeling.

The park golf clubs that Moon Jeong-gu made were quite popular.

After people in the village tried them for free, word of mouth spread and now there were people who came to the village to buy them.

Thanks to that, the hardware store that sold park golf clubs out of nowhere was bustling.

Im already working hard to make Hyun-ji happy.

Oh, Hyun-ji said she would sell them online too, right?

Yes. She said she would sell them herself. She praised me for just making the clubs diligently. This is all thanks to you, brother.

I see.

Did they split the profits half and half?

He felt like he was being used by Shim Hyun-ji, but Yoo-hyun didnt say anything.

Sometimes its happier not to know the truth.

Shim Hyun-ji, who had no idea of Yoo-hyuns inner thoughts, suddenly raised her camera.

Wow. The composition is amazing. Everyone, smile brightly.

The villagers automatically posed in front of Shim Hyun-jis camera.

This time, Moon Jeong-gu came to the front.

He looked much brighter than before.

Yoo-hyun put his arm around his shoulder and posed.

Okay, Ill take it. One, two, three.

Click. Click.

The camera captured the harmonious faces of the villagers and Yoo-hyuns smiling face among them.

The weather got darker and a bonfire rose in front of the hut.

On both sides of it, there were stand-type grills with meat on them again.

The savory smell of oil and the dim light created a cozy atmosphere as glasses clinked.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

The number of empty bottles of makgeolli in the corner was hard to count.

They drank a lot and the villagers were happily drunk.

Thats when the party mood reached its peak.

A man suddenly appeared.

The man in neat hiking clothes had a fishing rod bag on his shoulder and looked around under the hut.

He seemed to be looking for someone.

He couldnt imagine that his target was having a party on top of the hut.

Yoo-hyun raised his hand as soon as he saw him.

Richard. Here, here.

Huh?

Shin Gyeong-wook blinked his eyes at the sudden English name.

Yoo-hyun quickly went down and pulled his arm.

Come on, you have to start the special course right away.

What is this?

Shin Gyeong-wook had no time to be bewildered.

He was greeted by the villagers right away.

Sit down, sit down. If youre Hans guest, youre our guest too.

Gosh, what a handsome man.

Do you work in America? That must be hard.

Is your last name Lee? Anyway, take a glass first. Come on. Hurry up.

Shin Gyeong-wook sat down and took a drink without knowing what was going on.

As soon as he drank a glass of unfamiliar makgeolli, a piece of pancake popped into his mouth.

Here, this is amazing for a snack.

It was an atmosphere that Shin Kyung-wook, an executive who had lived in the US for quite a long time, was never used to.

Seeing Yoo Hyun smiling brightly across from him, he just accepted the food and ate it.

Gulp gulp.

The alcohol was smoother than he expected, and the food was more delicious than he thought.

Its delicious. Thank you.

Wow. You speak Korean well.

The restaurant owner clapped her hands and liked it.

Shin Kyung-wook blinked his eyes as Yoo Hyun poured him a drink.

This is your first time in this kind of atmosphere, right?

There was no way that a direct descendant of the Hansung Group chairman had ever mingled with unfamiliar villagers in a shanty that was hard to find on the map.

Thats true.

It will be an unforgettable evening.

Yoo Hyun gave Shin Kyung-wook a meaningful smile as he nodded his head.

Clang.

Shin Kyung-wook clinked his glass and chuckled.

He couldnt help but think that this situation was absurd.

Yoo Hyuns guest was very special in Yeontae-ri.

Thanks to that, Shin Kyung-wook received a special treatment.

Starting from Lee Young-nam, the villagers kept pouring him drinks.

Have a drink. You said youre a senior manager, so I wanted to pour you one.

Yes. Thank you.

He should have stopped at the right time, but Shin Kyung-wook kept drinking without realizing it.

It was the first time someone had fed him so much alcohol.

As a result, his always neat face turned red, and his posture became sloppy.

Im saying this because youre my senior, but do you know how amazing Yoo Hyun did in this village?

Hahaha. Yes, yes. Thats right.

Shin Kyung-wook shook his shoulders and clapped along with the villagers chatter.

He even slurred his words.

He had never seen himself so relaxed before, and Yoo Hyun was happy to see that.

His feeling was expressed in another drink.

Come on, you look like youre having a good time. Have another drink.

Yeah. Lets do it. Hahaha.

Shin Kyung-wook drank the most alcohol in his life that day.

And for the first time in his life, he blacked out.

The next morning, early dawn.

Creak.

Shin Kyung-wook came out of the bathroom door and put his hand on his throbbing forehead.

Ugh.

He still had a hangover and his mind was blank.

But why was the room so bright?

He realized that the light was on only after a while, and then he heard Yoo Hyuns voice.

Are you feeling better?

Huh. A little. Did you wake up early because of me?

No. It was just the right time for me to get up. Come and eat.

Yoo Hyun led Shin Kyung-wook to a round table on the floor.

There were two bowls of seolleongtang and some side dishes on it.

It was seolleongtang that he got from Jeon Il-ho and put in the fridge, and side dishes that the restaurant owner gave him.

Shin Kyung-wook sat down with a bewildered expression.

When did you prepare this?

You said you wanted to have seolleongtang in the morning.

Did I?

Yes. Dont you remember singing pop songs in front of the villagers?

Shin Kyung-wooks eyes widened at Yoo Hyuns playful question.

He couldnt remember anything as if there was an eraser in his head.

What? Me?

Haha. It was fun thanks to you.

No way.

Shin Kyung-wook frowned for a moment and recalled yesterdays memory.

Then, the broken scenes flashed by quickly.

A scene where a spoon is stuck in an empty makgeolli bottle.

A scene where he has a tissue on his head.

A scene where people clap at him.

And then,

Wow. Did I sing jazz there?

Yoo Hyun smiled and made a V with his finger.

You did two songs. With a very happy expression.

Oh no.

Dont worry about it. Just eat something. It will make you feel better.

Im too embarrassed to lift my face.

Shin Kyung-wook made a face as if he had lost the world, and Yoo Hyun said casually.

I danced after that, so what.

Dance?

Yes. The rhythm was a bit off, but it was okay.

Hahaha. Yeah, yeah. Thats right.

Shin Kyung-wook rolled his eyes at Yoo Hyuns words and burst into laughter two beats late.

His sincere laughter was very human.