Real Man

Chapter 5

Yoo-hyun didn’t have an outstanding academic background nor did he have any personal connections. But he was still able to become the CEO of Hansung Electronics mostly because of his wits.

Even if one could distinguish between what he said and what he actually did, he still contributed almost half of the company’s success.

It was because once he figured out what his boss wanted, he would start working on that, even though his boss didn’t know what he wanted yet.

It was natural for Yoo-hyun to figure it out, but not at all for other people.

He discovered this skill when he entered the company and faced countless types of people.

Thanks to that, Yoo-hyun was able to stand out.

He didn’t know how he got that skill, but he knew it now.

Not long after, students started piling into the library on the third floor.

Only a few students were there to borrow books.

Most of the students were only there because they couldn’t find a seat for studying in the reading room on the first floor.

All the tables were now full of students and he felt like he really went back in time.

‘Please come back again.’

Yoo-hyun got up from his seat, took the books returned by the students, and moved to a bookcase on one wall.

As that was happening, he saw a female student sitting with her head turned to one side.

Her fingernails that were resting on the table seemed to be broken.

He surmised that it hadn’t been long since she got her nails done, but based on the nails, it didn’t look like a normal biting habit.

Her tightly closed lips were rolled inward and could not be seen. Also, both of her ankles were wrapped on the legs of the chair.

She was also blinking more times than a normal person.

All of those were signs of nervousness.

However, Yoo-hyun didn’t think it was because she was studying for a test.

That’s because it’s been a while since she came, but she didn’t even touch the book yet.

Instead, she held her cell phone tightly in her hand.

‘It must be a guy problem.’

The curls of her shoulder-length hair were obviously done.

But then she didn’t get a perm.

Then that means she got this done by stopping at a hair salon in the morning to get it blow-dried and curled.

She was also wearing an impressive purple dress.

Then, as soon as Yoo-hyun saw the ring sitting on her ring finger that she had constantly been touching for a while, it was easy to guess.

It was clear that she had a problem with the man she was dating.

All of these details seemed to be the result of intense scrutiny by a stalker, but Yoo-hyun only needed one glance.

Hmm.

Yoo-hyun was a little surprised.

Was it because of his younger body?

Certainly, his eyesight was better than before.

Then added with all his experience, he could obtain the necessary information instantaneously.

Perhaps if other people were watching Yoo-hyun, they wouldn’t have noticed that he was observing the female student.

He felt like he just received an unexpected gift.

Then it was time for Yoo-hyun to glance that way again.

The hand that held tightly held the cell phone moved and a new message could be seen.

<I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise today. I thought about it, but I think it’s time for us to break up.>

Oh, my.

He didn’t intend to see it…

He felt like he peeked into someone else’s private life.

It was at times like this that he disliked having good eyesight.

No, he didn’t really care, but he just read it automatically.

It’s because the habit of observing people has become a normal task for his body.

So after organizing the book, Yoo-hyun glanced at another person as he passed the table and moved to his seat.

A crease formed on the male student’s forehead and he started puffing out his cheeks.

The student seemed to still have tests to study for, but he kept shaking his legs and tapping his finger on the desk.

If that’s the case then he should read more.

But then he’s definitely going to go smoke a cigarette.

Skrrr.

Eventually, the boy couldn’t even turn a single page, got up, and then took out a cigarette from his pocket.

‘I knew it.’

It went exactly as he thought it would.

This part was mainly due to experience gained at the company.

After all, whether young or old, people’s behavior patterns were similar.

“But the way things are going now, I can’t even take care of anyone.”

Yoo-hyun was smiling because of his correct prediction, but then he paused and let out a sigh.

One thing he did amazingly well was to take care of the performance of the company, but he wasn’t able to take care of the people around him at all.

It was just bittersweet.

After that, Yoo-hyun looked more closely at the people who passed by.

Then he realized one thing.

“My headache is gone.”

He used to get a headache when he processed that much information all at once, but now he doesn’t feel any pain.

He thought it might have been due to his age, or maybe because he was less stressed now.

What is certain though, is that the more intensely he paid attention to his surroundings, the more susceptible he was to emotions and the pain.

Yoo-hyun repeated to himself that he should take it easy and live more leisurely in his changed life.

According to the library’s work schedule, today was Yoo-hyun’s last working day.

Yoo-hyun didn’t feel it much right now, but if it were 20 years ago, he would’ve definitely felt both upset and relieved.

It was because he would need to say goodbye to the seat that he held onto for a year and a half.

But then again, maybe he was busy preparing for the job?

It was possible because he didn’t remember feeling that way.

As he was thinking about this and that, someone called him.

“Sunbae-nim, I’m here.”

(T/N: She’s addressing him very formally.)

Straight-cut bangs and a round face.

Then there were impressive dimples that appeared upon smiling.

Seeing that she headed straight for the seat of the librarian, she must be Cho Eun-ah, who worked with him as a part-timer in the library.

His memory was a little blurry, but based on the text messages they exchanged, she was a junior in the same department.

What he was certain of, though, is that they were not very close.

Yoo-hyun naturally raised his hand and moved his eyebrows as a greeting.

“You’re here?”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

From the formal greeting of a senior to the surprised face for the short answer, it was obvious that Yoo-hyun didn’t treat her so kindly in the past.

What did he look like in the eyes of others?

He suddenly wondered about this.

“Would you like a drink if you have time?”

“Huh?” Cho Eun-ah’s eyes widened.

She looked like she just heard something unbelievable.

“Today is my last day.”

“Oh…Yes.”

When Yoo-hyun moved his chin, Cho Eun-ah hurriedly put down her bag and followed Yoo-hyun.

The two stood in front of a vending machine in the hallway of the library.

“Lemonade?”

“What? How did you know?”

‘Cause you’re staring at the lemonade.’

Yoo-hyun picked up a drink from the vending machine and sat down on the bench next to it.

“Thank you for the drink.”

“Hmm, okay.”

In this relaxed atmosphere, Cho Eun-ah smiled and opened her mouth, “It might be hard to see you in the future. But can I call you oppa?”

Yoo-hyun was flustered for a moment.

‘What’s up with her logic?’

He was startled by the sudden change in the atmosphere, but it didn’t matter to him what his title was.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Yes. Hehe. I thought there was something wrong with you because you only studied without talking.”

“What’s the problem with that?”

When Yoo-hyun asked seriously, Cho Eun-ah had a slightly awkward smile.

“How can there be? It’s just hard to get along with people. That’s why it’s hard for me to talk first.”

“Is that so?”

“Actually, I get very frustrated with that. If I don’t talk, I’ll start to get dizzy.”

After listening to her, it seems he figured out why he kept his distance in the past.

He felt she was quite talkative.

Did he say something wrong?

Yoo-hyun was seriously thinking about it.

Cho Eun-ah excitedly continued talking and didn’t see Yoo-hyun shaking his head, “Did you know you’re a mysterious person in your department?”

“Why?”

“A person whose name people didn’t know suddenly changed majors and landed on top of the classes.”

“…”

“But no one knows who you are. The unidentified person, Han Yoo-hyun. We also joked that it’s just a ghost. Hahaha”

She smiled as if she couldn’t believe it even if she was saying it.

It’s a ghost.

It might have looked like that.

Even when Yoo-hyun looked back on his memories, he always saw himself all alone.

The reason seems clear.

This is because when one is alone, they don’t have to worry about another person, and in turn it allows them to use their time efficiently.

While thinking, Cho Eun-ah’s words came to his ears, “Oppa is kind to everyone, but in fact, people are very conscious of you.”

“Why?”

“Look over there. Hyun-woo is very conscious of you so he’s deliberately studying in the library on the 3rd floor to observe you.”

“Hmm.”

He saw a man seated at a table through the glass door.

When he glanced that way earlier, he saw him studying so hard.

The student looked so desperate that it reminded him of Yoo-hyun’s past self.

“Anyway, oppa is a very difficult person. Sometimes a bit cranky.”

“It’s not because I don’t like talking. I was just too busy,” Yoo-hyun said lightly, but Cho Eun-ah didn’t fall for it so easily.

“I know. It’s a relationship where we just pass by each other, but still… it’s a little sad to think that we won’t see each other again and we didn’t even talk properly.”

“That’s true.”

“You should drink together and talk more about your life. Who knows? Maybe it will all help later on.”

“…”

If it were Yoo-hyun in the past, he would shake his head.

In the past, he didn’t believe that he had to form any relationship with people or have a social life.

He thought that having those relationships would only hinder him.

The same was true of Yoo-hyun when he entered the company.

Others didn’t care and only looked good to their bosses or seniors who were directly helping them.

He felt that in a productive place, they didn’t have time to put in any emotional effort.

But now it was different.

With a confused mind, his mouth never uttered a word.

Cho Eun-ah kept talking non-stop but slowly lowered her voice and opened her mouth while observing the atmosphere, “…Oppa, what are you doing after today?”

He looked at her and noticed she swallowed dry saliva and her eyelids were trembling.

Both of her hands were tightly holding the ends of her skirt.

She had a very tense look that didn’t match her lively personality.

Somehow, he knew what the following words would be.

Therefore Yoo-hyun needed to stop her words for now.

“I have an appointment with my parents.”

“Tomorrow? The exams are over, would you like to see a movie?” She pretended to be okay and asked in a higher tone of voice.

However, her thumb and trembling legs that touched the tip of her index finger couldn’t hide her nervousness.

“Well, I don’t really like movies.”

“Then, what do you like?”

“Nothing…”

Cho Eun-ah took a deep breath after that frustrating answer and pressed Yoo-hyun with a look, “You’re so tactless. If a woman said this, you should understand already.”

“…”

Yoo-hyun would rather be silent.

‘I noticed it, so I’m avoiding it this way.’

It was impossible to give an answer.

He just asked for a drink.

How can he even get out of this situation?

Fortunately, a savior appeared when Yoo-hyun was thinking.

“I think someone wants to borrow a book, right?”

“Oh, wait a minute.”

When Yoo-hyun pointed his finger at the librarian’s table which was visible through the glass door, Cho Eun-ah jumped up.

This is the right time.

“Then, I’ll get going.”