All the developers that filled the conference room went out and only An ByungHoon and the PM was left. The PM who was talking with An ByungHoon called someone.
It was director Kim ManHo.
-Don’t tell ByungHoon.
“Yes, director. I understand.”
-Let’s do this well and you have to slowly start working in the main company too.
“Thank you, sir.”
-Yes. Work hard
The PM who ended the call looked at An ByungHo and said resolutely
“Did you hear that? If something happens, then you don’t have anything to do with it.”
“Project manager, but how.”
Unlike An ByungHoon’s frowning face, the PM’s face was composed.
“Then you want to take the blame? Why did you even make something like a back door in the first place?”
“It was inevitable…”
“Then what are you saying you’re going to do, are you saying you’re going to take the blame?”
“Project manager……”
The PM made a stiff face and said with a more solid tone.
“Hey, you’ll be 40 in a while. If you get fired now? Are you going to go to a venture enterprise? Ok, let’s say you go to a venture enterprise because of your good ability. How many venture enterprises in Korea give you a decent salary? Go overseas? Can you even have a conversation in English?”
The PM kept cornering An ByungHoon who was hesitating. An ByungHoon could only just sit there and listen with his head lowered.
“Do as the director says. If the back door gets discovered then we don’t know each other, okay?”
“……”
“Okay or not okay? You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Answer me!”
From the mouth of the polite-looking PM came rough language. The private information leak incident was that serious and if a fault was found then the aftermath was no joke either.
“He’s young anyway so he will have lots of places to go. So you don’t have to worry about him. The director said he will take care of it.”
“……”
“So, if you get found out… You know already, right?”
In the office with just two of them, a secretive talk was happening. The thundercloud that covered KO Telecom was also starting to cover Mirae IT.
Meanwhile the team leader in which No JunWoo was in, team leader Lee DooHee was reporting to the higher-ups. On the nameplate, ‘Senior Managing Director Jeon JaeHong’ was written on it. The man had folded hands with his chin resting on them and he was listening to Lee DooHee’s report.
“You talked with director Kim?”
“Yes. Mirae IT has said that they will share a bit of the burden.”
“Then let’s make it so that Mirae IT and a few outsourcing companies had done them.”
“However Mirae IT wants the contracts in the future to be raised to 5 billion won……”
“For now, say we will.”
“Then I will make a scenario in the direction you said.”
“Reduce the fault on our side as much as possible. Well. you probably know this already.”
“Yes, sir.”
After ending the case there. senior managing director Jeon asked Lee DooHee as if he was curious.
“But what really is the reason? Is it not found yet?”
“The security team said they were currently looking for it but… They said they didn’t find anything yet.”
“We’d have to do some replacement, eh. Okay, you can leave.”
Having finished his report Lee DooHee left the room. Senior managing director Jeon’s room became quiet once more.
The KO Telecom’s security team came again to the office in which YongHo worked. On one hand was the laptop that was confiscated.
“Is this the place where Mirae IT’s employee’s work?”
The PM who was seated in the deepest part of the office stood up and went forward.
“What is the matter?”
The man dressed casually smiled like a good man and said.
“Oh, we’re here to give the confiscated laptops back.”
“Wasn’t there any problem?”
“Yes. There was nothing wrong within the laptop.”
“As expected, right?”
The PM replied to the security guards as if he knew the answer already. Perhaps he was relieved but his dark face brightened a bit.
“But.”
The man continued speaking after he posed himself.
“A file upload program was installed in the commercial server?”
“……”
A few had expressions of being p.r.i.c.kled while others had a totally confused expressions. The PM and An ByungHoon looked like they despaired, perhaps because they knew what would come had come.
“What do you mean……”
The PM tilted his head and asked the man. However the man made a stiff face and said resolutely.
“Someone installed a file upload program onto the commercial server. I think an internal investigation of who did it and what did s/he do it for is needed to be carried out.”
Even until then, YongHo was sitting at the back and quietly listened. A thought that a situation where he needed to step up would occur didn’t even cross his mind.
The important thing was not why a problem like this occurred. A person to take responsibility was needed.
A wrong focus directed the incident in the wrong direction.
The people who barged into the office made a base for themselves within the conference room and made each person come into the room one by one. Before that the PM secretly called YongHo.
“Mr. YongHo.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I really thank you for all the work you’ve done until now.”
“Sorry? What do you mean by that…”
At the PM’s words YongHo was shaking his right leg with a nervous expression. A bad omen was a.s.saulting him.
“This incident, I want you to say that you did it because of your eagerness.”
“……”
“You won’t receive any any demerits. The company will protect you.”
“Project manager.”
“If this goes well your internship changing to permanent… will happen.”
YongHo licked his lips because his lips were dry.
“I heard the majority of the interns will become permanent anyway.”
“…The majority isn’t everyone.”
He didn’t expect in the least that he would meet this type of situation. A shackle known as ‘student loan’ was tying him down in university but now when he was about to step into society, another shackle was trying to tie him down.
“I didn’t do it.”
“We need a person to take responsibility. Wouldn’t it seem good to say an intern did it because of his eagerness?”
“And so I was selected?”
YongHo wanted to ask ‘why me?’ even though there was HyeJin. He swallowed down his words forcefully which was on his throat.
“Mr. YongHo has the ability, so a handicap such as this will be nothing.”
“If I say no?”
YongHo couldn’t accept it. He worked so hard. Manager Yun collapsed due to a heart attack so his work increased but he didn’t complain and did his best.
He was angry at the fact that he solved all those bugs according to the bug window to get treated like this.
“I wasn’t going to say this but… But the story’s over. I told you. The important thing right now is that we need a person to take responsibility.”
It was an incomprehensible adults’ world. He only wanted to earn money for his parents to live happily while having fun in programming. Was it that hard…
To accept it.
Or to not accept it.
If he said he didn’t hesitate then it would be a lie. But he finally decided.
“It wasn’t me who did it.”
“……”
“I will say that.”
“No matter how good an actor is, if there is no director to call him then he would be nameless all his life.”
“If I am that great actor, then… I will look for a director myself. Nowadays, isn’t there something called the internet?”
“……”
The PM gripped his fists while frowning at the fact that the matter didn’t go his way. At those words YongHo said once again.
“I clearly told you. It wasn’t me who did it.”
YongHo on one hand had confidence. He had a plan B that he can work anywhere even if it’s not Mirae IT because he had the bug window. So he could say that with more confidence.