Real Man

Enertex did not listen to Jeong Da-hye’s advice and pushed ahead with the project recklessly.

In the process, the cooperating companies wavered and the profitability worsened.

Eventually, some of the companies rebelled, and Enertex pressured them with money and crushed them.

The vicious cycle repeated, but Jeong Da-hye still believed in Enertex’s sincerity.

“I thought that Enertex would lead the cooperating companies that they had gathered over the years and produce results. There were so many good companies.”

“But they didn’t, did they?”

“No, they didn’t. They drove the struggling companies to the brink of bankruptcy. You know why, right?”

“Yes. To get compensation from Sprintcom, right?”

Jeong Da-hye nodded and said in an excited tone.

“That’s right. I was really speechless. The fact that the profitability calculation method written in the secret contract included the situation of the cooperating companies was not leaked to the outside.”

“It must have been done by an insider.”

“As you can guess, I was stabbed in the back. All the arrows flew at me. The company even blamed me for everything.”

Jeong Da-hye knew that the compensation amount was over 10 million dollars (12 billion won).

Considering the resources invested and the incentives not received, the amount was much higher.

It was a matter that could not be complained to anyone because of the secret contract.

He could guess how much hardship she had endured.

He looked at her with a pitying expression and Jeong Da-hye asked him.

“But do you know what really made me angry?”

“What was it?”

“It was Enertex’s attitude of abandoning the cooperating companies for such a reason. Because of them, my two years became a time of working for a company that only looked at money.”

He sympathized with her, but this was a bit different from his opinion.

He asked her what he had guessed.

“But wasn’t it a bigger blow that the career you had built up with difficulty collapsed?”

“No. If it was just that problem, I would have quit the company. Or I would have found out who cornered me and settled it.”

“Was there another problem?”

Did Jeong Da-hye have another pressure?

Considering the behavior of Enertex or Sprintcom, there was enough room for that.

She revealed her inner thoughts to him, who narrowed his eyes.

It was completely different from what he had expected.

“I did a lot of things that were too much for the goal. I pushed away the civic groups that opposed the environmental pollution problem, and I somehow got the mineral rights from the people who owned the land. And…”

She confronted the civic groups for the success of the project, and met the local people.

It was also her part to meet the presidents of the cooperating companies and persuade them.

She promised that everyone would benefit if shale oil succeeded.

That’s why she couldn’t give up.

The moment she quit, everything she promised would go up in smoke.

Jeong Da-hye appealed to him with sincere eyes.

“If I stop here, the efforts of the people who sacrificed for me will be wasted. How can I give up first?”

“…”

He was speechless for a moment.

-I respect Ellis very much, but on the other hand, I think she is too foolish. No matter how important success in the company is, you have to be able to let go of it at times like this.

Contrary to Paul Graham’s guess, she didn’t endure it for personal success.

She tried to fix it until the end for the sake of keeping the promise to many people, and for the success of shale oil.

This was something he didn’t know at all.

‘Amazing.’

Yoo-hyun was impressed by her.

Jeong Da-hye was much stronger than he knew.

That’s why he felt more sorry for her when she showed her vulnerable side.

How hard and lonely it must have been for her to handle it alone?

She received his affectionate gaze and asked him abruptly.

“Yoo-hyun, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“You know all this, but are you still going to invest?”

The answer to this was already decided.

He would invest, but not in Enertex.

He had no reason to pour money into a rotten company, even if it wasn’t for Jeong Da-hye.

In the process, he also intended to help her revenge.

The leaders of Enertex who had thrown away her two years of effort like a disposable, and the insider who stabbed her in the back were the targets.

It was not yet time to say this, so he dodged the question for now.

“Da-hye, you want me to invest, right?”

“Yes. I do. Shale oil will be really successful. I’m sure it will be a great help to you.”

“I know.”

“You do. Paul Graham is not someone who would intervene for nothing.”

The investment decision was made by Yoo-hyun, but that was not important.

He nodded and tried to guess her intention.

“Yes. But why do you ask?”

“I don’t know what you think, but it’s not a good idea to just put money into a company like Enertex.”

“Really?”

“I can’t tell you the way. I might be biased. I just want you to know more about this field and invest properly.”

Jeong Da-hye never mentioned her personal grudge.

She could have, and she had every right to, but she only thought of his position.

He asked her to confirm.

“Is that what you want, Da-hye?”

“Not only me, but for the future of shale oil. And you are at the center of it. I will help you sincerely so that you can be.”

She answered and sparkled her eyes.

He chuckled at her typical appearance.

“I’m very picky, you know. Are you sure you can handle it?”

“Don’t complain that it’s hard to follow me or you.”

“I don’t know what confidence you have, but I’m looking forward to it. Let’s see how you do it. I’ll judge after that.”

Hearing her words didn’t change what he had prepared.

Rather, he could get some help from her.

He imagined the future situation and she told him her sincerity.

“Thank you for listening to me.”

“Don’t mention it.”

He shrugged his shoulders and she smiled with her eyes.

Her face was more lively than ever.

After that, he spent a few more days with Jeong Da-hye at ease.

He rested on weekends and wandered around to eat delicious food on weekdays.

Jeong Da-hye, who had been running alone without a break, seemed very awkward with the sudden routine.

But time gradually changed her.

She had hesitated at first, but at some point, she started to take the lead over Yoo-hyun.

It was the same now, as she showed him around the Permian Basin.

She sparkled her eyes as she explained various things.

“Yoo-hyun, let’s go to Midland for lunch and have some burgers.”

“What?”

“There’s a place that was closed for a while because of the expansion work, but they opened today. It’s really delicious here.”

“I thought you said we had a tight schedule.”

“It’s okay. I can teach you the theory while we eat.”

Jeong Da-hye smiled with her eyes as she said those words in a good-natured tone.

Yoo-hyun laughed and replied.

She looked so relaxed now, unlike the first time when he felt only her urgency.

Thanks to that, his mood also lightened up.

This was it.

But Jeong Da-hye was not completely letting go.

She had a clear goal, and she tried to do her job more firmly.

Getting a tour cart from EnerTex was also part of that.

She used the available resources around her to accommodate Yoo-hyun.

Vroom.

The tour cart that they were riding crossed the Permian Basin.

A large banner was hanging on the side of the road.

Thud.

Suddenly, the tour cart bounced up as it hit a rock under the wasteland.

But Jeong Da-hye didn’t show any sign of surprise and continued her explanation to Yoo-hyun.

Her clear voice pierced through the road noise and reached his ears.

“As you can see, shale oil development can cause tremendous environmental pollution. If you don’t finish properly after drilling for oil, the surrounding ecosystem will die.”

“We have to be careful then.”

“But it costs a lot of money. EnerTex tried to save money by pressuring their subcontractors. This might save money in the short term, but it’s like cutting off their own flesh in the long term. And…”

As Jeong Da-hye said, shale oil drilling was not just about sticking a pipe into the ground and pumping out oil.

It was essential to make efforts to preserve the soil in the long term.

There were many companies that didn’t do that, and the Permian Basin was polluted because of them.

This way, the development could not be sustained.

Everyone was keeping quiet for now, but her conclusion was that this issue would become a big problem someday.

Screech.

Jeong Da-hye got off the cart and approached the environmental management issue from an economic perspective.

“Yoo-hyun, you have to consider these environmental factors when you choose where to invest.”

“Hmm.”

“That way, you can secure a stable production volume in the long term, and you can also have a reason to persuade the local residents.”

Yoo-hyun smiled faintly at Jeong Da-hye’s explanation.

“You’re amazing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just, you explain things so well.”

Yoo-hyun smiled warmly, and Jeong Da-hye blushed as she crossed her arms.

“Yoo-hyun, I’m serious right now.”

“Me too. I’m really impressed. I also remembered when you gave a presentation before.”

“When? When did I give a presentation in front of you?”

How could she not remember the presentation?

It was not just a presentation, but a clash with Yoo-hyun over the content.

-Mr. Yoo, I think I’m right. If you only focus on the immediate profit, you might suffer more losses in the long term.

Looking back, she was always upright when they worked together.

She tried to look further ahead even in situations where she could be greedy.

Maybe he was drawn to her because she was different from him.

He didn’t hate her even when she voiced her opposition.

Thump thump.

The past feelings that had fluttered for a moment came back to life little by little.

Jeong Da-hye was like a sweet rain to Yoo-hyun, who had dried up emotions.

Since he had no proper way to express his feelings, he changed the subject.

“Da-hye, I just got a message from Willy.”

“From Willy Thompson?”

“Yes. EnerTex decided to support their subcontractors financially.”

Yoo-hyun showed her the message on his phone.

But Jeong Da-hye was not very impressed.

“I see.”

“Huh? I thought you’d be happy.”

“I am. But this is a one-time thing. What matters more is what happens from now on.”

“Well, at least you can finish your project for now.”

“As I said, it’s not up to them to decide whether my project ends or not. It’s important whether I can produce satisfactory results.”

Her words revealed her determination and values.

She might have a naive side, but this was her true self.

Yoo-hyun chuckled.

“That’s so like you.”

“Stop saying that and let’s go. The company we’re going to visit is not an easy one.”

Jeong Da-hye turned her body and pointed to the factory site in the distance.

-Henry Resources.

The old signboard in front of it caught Yoo-hyun’s eye.

Boom. Boom.

The ground shook and a loud noise was heard.

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