Real Man

All eyes were on Yoo-hyun at the meeting.

For most people, this would be a nerve-wracking moment, but for Yoo-hyun, this was his favorite moment.

Yoo-hyun carefully observed Peter Clark’s expression and breathing with a poker face.

Peter Clark clenched his jaw and exhaled roughly.

Just as he was about to say something, Yoo-hyun uttered a surprising statement.

“Let’s expose the environmental issues of shale oil this time.”

“What? Are you telling me to step on our own toes?”

“No. Our toes won’t be stepped on. But everyone else’s toes will be.”

“What do you mean…”

Suddenly, he remembered the presentation that Jeong Da-hye had given earlier.

-Unlike other companies, our partners in EnerTex have paid special attention to environmental issues. Thanks to their perfect post-processing, there is no problem even if they are inspected by the state of Texas.

He had thought that was a meaningless statement, but now it made him realize something.

‘No way.’

He couldn’t close his mouth as he understood everything.

Yoo-hyun smiled confidently at him.

The meeting was over when Peter Clark realized everything.

There was nothing left to decide here.

Yoo-hyun left the decision to them and left the conference room.

Clang.

The door closed, but the three of them remained silent as if they had made a promise.

Yoo-hyun stepped out of the building and took a deep breath.

“Whew!”

He laughed at Willy Thompson’s uncharacteristic nervousness.

“Willy, you were calm when you faced Jack Cruise, why are you like this?”

“Exxon Mobil and EnerTex are different levels. It’s normal to be nervous.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. But Steve, how can you be so calm?”

Willy Thompson would be dumbfounded, but the truth was that Yoo-hyun had also faced Steve Jobs in a negotiation.

He had also convinced Paul Graham without any background.

That’s why he had no reason to be nervous even in front of the CFO of the number one company in America.

Yoo-hyun rather made a light joke.

“I was more nervous next to Ellis.”

“Yoo-hyun, what are you talking about?”

“I’m just telling the truth, what’s wrong with that?”

Yoo-hyun smiled at Jeong Da-hye, who blurted out in Korean.

Then he winked at Willy Thompson, who pretended not to understand.

Willy Thompson caught on and wrapped up the situation with a witty remark.

“Oh, I see. I have to go now. I have a lot of things to sort out by myself.”

“Willy, you said you would sort it out with me after the meeting…”

“Let’s do that. I’ll see you later after I rest.”

He left Jeong Da-hye behind and shook hands with Yoo-hyun.

Squeeze.

He gave him a look of trust and got into the waiting car.

Only Yoo-hyun and Jeong Da-hye were left.

They got into the white limousine with Robert Evan’s guidance.

There was a soft jazz melody playing in the car.

Vroom.

Yoo-hyun, who sat in the back seat, handed Jeong Da-hye a glass of wine that Robert Evan had prepared.

She took it in surprise and widened her eyes.

“What’s with the wine?”

“It’s to relax a bit.”

“I wasn’t nervous.”

She made a pouty face and Yoo-hyun teased her.

“Then why did you rub your chest when you left the conference room?”

“That’s because…”

“Just have a drink. You worked hard for today.”

Yoo-hyun knew.

She had been running towards one goal for two years.

Yoo-hyun wanted to comfort her for all the hardships she had endured.

Did his feelings reach her?

She clinked glasses with him and took a sip of wine.

Soon, a smile appeared on her lips.

“It’s delicious.”

“They say wine tastes better the harder you work.”

“Then you must taste even better?”

“Are you kidding? You’re the only one who can do that?”

“No. I… to be honest, I was very surprised.”

She lowered her head and looked at Yoo-hyun.

His face was reflected in her big eyes.

“Why? Did Peter Clark show a positive reaction?”

“I expected that. You did a great job with the strategy, Mr. Yoo.”

“Then what?”

“Well, I don’t know, you seemed to smile in situations where everyone else would be nervous.”

“Why wouldn’t I smile? Da-hye and Willi prepared so much for me.”

Mr. Yoo shrugged his shoulders, but Ms. Jung’s expression was serious.

“Still. I know it’s not an easy task. You must have been confident.”

“Yes. Of course.”

“I thought so. You looked more certain about this than me, who has been doing this for a long time.”

“That’s because I learned a lot from you, Ms. Jung.”

“No. I learned a lot from you. Mr. Yoo, thank you for inspiring me.”

Ms. Jung lowered her head and expressed her sincerity to Mr. Yoo.

She had a strong pride in her work, and it was rare for her to admit something like this.

Was it because of that?

-I learned a lot from watching you persuade the higher-ups. I also realized my shortcomings. Thank you.

At that time, he felt a slight pride from her gratitude.

He didn’t show it, but he also smiled with pleasure.

It was very unusual for him, who had been insensitive.

He thought it started from then.

Everything about her annoyed him, and he wanted to impress her more.

That’s how Ms. Jung entered his heart deeply.

Snicker.

The old feelings that came to his mind sent him back to the past.

Mr. Yoo said the words he couldn’t say back then.

“Ms. Jung, you’re really beautiful.”

“What, all of a sudden?”

“I just thought of it. I’m trying not to hold back what I think now.”

When he revealed his true feelings, Ms. Jung blushed.

“Mr. Yoo, you should always think of that, not just suddenly.”

“What?”

“Just kidding, kidding.”

She winked at him, who blinked his eyes.

She smiled with a much brighter and lighter expression than before.

Meanwhile, Peter Clark moved as Mr. Yoo expected.

He finished reporting to the top and sent Exxon Mobil’s investigation team to the Permian Basin.

They thoroughly checked the shale oil drilling situation of the existing EnerTex partners, such as Heinley Resources.

They were all experts.

Even if the process was different from the traditional oil drilling method, they could tell if there was a problem or not in an instant.

They also quickly summarized the development trends of the competitors in the same region.

They confirmed that Mr. Yoo was right.

Peter Clark boldly stepped forward.

He didn’t want to miss the opportunity in front of him.

That was his style.

He conveyed Exxon Mobil’s will through the media.

There was never a time when the giant oil companies discussed environmental issues.

Even if many environmental groups protested, they remained silent.

Nevertheless, the government and local governments could not intervene.

Because the oil companies were responsible for a lot of employment and tax revenue.

But the situation changed dramatically when Exxon Mobil, the world’s number one company, stepped up.

Texas, the origin of shale oil development, seemed to be waiting for it and followed suit.

It wasn’t just empty words.

Texas joined hands with local environmental groups and conducted an investigation.

The residents gave great support to the governor’s quick and firm response.

The public opinion was boiling enough to affect the upcoming election.

But the oil companies that hadn’t prepared for it were furious.

Among them, Chevron, which competed with Exxon Mobil for the ranking, was in trouble.

Inside the Chevron headquarters in California.

The vice president was incredulous after receiving the report from the senior manager.

“They actually did an environmental investigation? Is that how they spend our money?”

“Yes. They even dug up the land we developed a few years ago.”

“What was the result?”

“Several problematic factors were found.”

The vice president’s eyes flashed at the senior manager’s words.

He, who had decided to invest in shale oil, suppressed his anger and calmly assessed the situation.

“We chose the most efficient way to meet the profitability. Not only our partners, but other places should be in the same situation, right?”

“Yes. Most of them were pointed out for the same thing.”

“Then why is it a problem? Unless Texas goes crazy, they won’t turn their backs on the entire oil industry, will they?”

There was one wrong thing in his logical argument.

The senior manager pointed out that part with a cautious expression.

“It’s not the whole industry.”

“Not the whole industry? What do you mean by that?”

“That is… Exxon Mobil was deemed to be problem-free.”

“Don’t tell me, Exxon Mobil started this fire on purpose?”

“Yes. That’s highly likely.”

It would be easier to deal with if it was an accident.

They could show their strength by uniting and stop anyone who opposed them.

That’s how much the oil industry accounted for the US economy.

But what if the industry leader stabbed them in the back?

“Damn. This is a headache.”

The vice president frowned at the unpleasant situation.

After the investigation in Texas, a storm hit them.

The oil companies that violated the environmental regulations were fined a huge amount of money, and an extreme measure of suspending development for a certain period was taken.

Chevron anticipated this, but there was no way to avoid it.

Still, they were relatively less shocked.

The companies that were hit unaware were first shocked by the damage, and then shocked again by the news that only Exxon Mobil was spared.

They all knew very well that Exxon Mobil had left its subsidiary EnerTex alone, so the shock was even greater.

The insiders quickly figured out the situation.

Exxon Mobil orchestrated this whole thing!

But they couldn’t do anything about it.

The environmental assessment was done publicly, and it was a clear fact that the EnerTex partners passed.

The management was so solid that they couldn’t tackle it.

It was a big deal in the media.

The daily newspaper published in Texas also reported this.

It devoted two pages of the newspaper to the article with a large photo.

-Heinley Resources, affiliated with Exxon Mobil, received a near-perfect score in the environmental pollution investigation conducted by Texas. This is the result of inheriting Exxon Mobil’s philosophy of valuing the environment…

Snicker.

Mr. Yoo smiled as he read the next chapter.

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