Chapter 171: Cracks in HWS (2)

I wore a gentle and relaxed expression on the outside, but my gaze swept through the interior of the meeting room.

Several executive-level inspectors had come from the headquarters, yet there was only one person, the General Manager, in the meeting room.

There was no Production Management General Manager or Technical Team Leader.

Even the site supervisor did not show his face.

Because of that, the atmosphere was excessively quiet.

To say that the manager-level personnel could not come because they were busy, the company atmosphere was quiet, unlike other shipyards.

My eyes flashed sharply.

[It is worse than I expected.]

I took a slow sip of coffee and then set the cup down with an indifferent expression.

I was calm enough that no one could even guess what I was thinking.

The fact that the managers did not appear was like proof that the internal organization was already divided, rather than a simple lack of courtesy.

The problem was that the management did not value the headquarters and was wary of or ignoring the Korean technical team line, and on top of that, the General Manager alone was holding the reins of the shipyard operations.

I quietly tapped the table several times with my finger.

My gaze was directed toward the window, but my mind was spinning rapidly.

Choi Seo-jun approached the side where I was sitting and spoke quietly.

“Representative, the atmosphere is somewhat strange.”

I only gave a short nod and did not answer.

Then, I turned my gaze toward the General Manager.

Hamilton was still drinking tea composedly.

“If you wait just a little longer, the people in charge will arrive soon. They could not come out because the site is busy.”

It was a poor excuse.

I said while wearing a smile.

“Is that so? We came here at a very busy time. In that case, instead of staying like this, let the person who is free move.”

In an instant, Hamilton’s eyes widened.

He never expected that I would act this way.

He stood up in a hurry following me and said.

“Representative Lim, wait a moment. They will be here soon.”

I was already moving my steps toward the door.

Even with a relaxed stride and an expression that seemed somewhat joyful.

“Since you say you are busy, we shall move.”

At those words, Hamilton’s expression stiffened.

Choi Seo-jun and Yu Hyeon-seok, who followed behind, exchanged glances.

If one only looked at the outside, I was thought to be gentle and polite, but I actually had a natural talent for making the opponent unable to move.

It was to the extent that it seemed cruel to those watching.

Hamilton tried to take the lead in a hurry, but I moved quickly like a person who already knew the locations of this place perfectly.

“Representative, that place is… please go this way.”

I pointed somewhere with my finger and said.

“It seems they are over there.”

Behind the workshop building, there was a place where employees often rested and smoked like a lounge.

There, two people were standing comfortably and smoking.

One of them was Mark Jennings, the person in charge of HR and organizational management.

The other person was David Lowell, the Production Management General Manager.

The two were talking in voices full of irritation.

“Who else is coming from the headquarters?”

“I don’t know. Did the kids who came from Korea say anything?”

“Well.”

The conversation of the two men, who were grumbling while exhaling cigarette smoke, gradually turned explicit.

“Why is the Korean headquarters interfering in a place like this again?”

David Lowell said while flicking the cigarette in his mouth.

“Strangely, I don’t know why they nitpick so much.

Their way of working is also incredibly old-fashioned.

Whenever they do something, they start with a meeting first, and it really tires me to death.”

Mark Jennings let out a hollow laugh.

“Is that all? Did you see when the technical team kids came down last time?

In just half a day, they flipped the factory upside down saying they were checking it, and even after working overtime all night, they showed up to work on time the next day.

It’s as if they are crazy about wanting to work.

That is why they keep causing us harm!”

“Even if the schedule is tight. Who does work as if their life depends on it.

As if anyone would appreciate it!”

The sound of someone clapping lightly was heard from right behind them.

“Were you here? I thought you could not come out because you said you were busy….”

The person who appeared while clapping was me, Lim Hyunjun.

The expressions of the two men froze at the same time.

It was to the extent that the cigarette smoke seemed to be stopped in mid-air.

My expression while wearing a smile looked gentle, but my gaze was completely different.

Behind me, General Manager Hamilton almost came running and wiped his cold sweat.

“Rep... Representative Lim, this is an employee rest area... I will guide you...”

I raised my hand and quietly stopped him.

With that one gesture, Hamilton’s mouth closed on its own.

He flinched because he instinctively felt that something was wrong.

I said in a soft voice.

“No, General Manager. Since the people in charge are busy, I should come to see them.

Wouldn’t that be the courteous thing to do!”

I continued speaking while slowly moving my gaze toward the two people.

“That is right. Manager Mark Jennings. And Manager David Lowell.”

The two people were only blinking their eyes, unable to even guess what the situation was.

The two people, who were mocking the headquarters while smoking until just now, remained frozen, not even knowing what to do with the cigarettes in their hands.

The cigarette smoke slowly scattered.

Mark Jennings and David Lowell were still stiff while looking at me.

I moved my steps slowly while looking at the two of them.

It was as if my expression was that of meeting by chance.

However, my eyes were not smiling at all.

Choi Seo-jun clicked his tongue while watching me.

I said slowly.

“Thanks to you two, I think I clearly know what thoughts HWS usually has toward the headquarters.”

Mark and David’s faces stiffened at the same time.

Even while glancing at each other momentarily, they did not dare to even bring up an excuse.

After catching my breath for a moment, I continued speaking while wearing an even gentler smile.

“I did not know I would get to meet people who speak so honestly in person.”

Those words were not a compliment, but a warning.

“And here I thought you could not come to the meeting room because you were busy.”

I tilted my head slightly and looked straight at the two of them.

“So you were late because you were smoking here and talking behind the headquarters’ back?”

“Wh-who are you?”

David Lowell sweated coldly and hurriedly tried to put out his cigarette, but his hand shook and he dropped it just like that.

Mark Jennings’s lips were bone dry, and he could not even speak.

I laughed brightly as if the two were making a funny joke.

That smile was so bright that, on the contrary, one could feel a cool breeze at the back of their head.

“I am Lim Hyunjun, the representative of HJ Partners. I really enjoyed listening to what you two were saying.”

My words were full of sharp poison.

David got goosebumps on his back.

This time, I tilted my head in the opposite direction and said composedly.

“But you say the Korean technical team are workaholics and old-fashioned?

Hmm, in that case, I must go see for myself how efficiently the two of you here are running the company.”

I turned my body just like that and headed somewhere.

Hamilton was frozen behind me, and his face had turned deathly pale.

His mind was already filled with a single thought.

[I’m in trouble!]

I entered the shipyard boldly.

An awkward air flowed just from my appearance.

When the workshop door opened, the sound of cutting iron and the sound of welding sparks flying mixed together and flowed out through the cold air.

General Manager Robert Hamilton hurriedly blocked the way.

“Rep... Representative Lim, it is dangerous here because construction is currently underway. I will check first and...”

I stopped my steps for a moment and then looked at Hamilton.

“Do not worry, General Manager. Looking at the site is what I like most.

Even things that are not visible when sitting at a desk all become visible once I enter here.”

The moment those words ended, Hamilton unconsciously swallowed and closed his mouth.

He had thought that this visit was a simple inspection.

On top of that, isn’t the representative of HJ Partners, just a young student.

Robert did not know what kind of person I was and had judged me merely by what was visible.

However, it was already too late.

When I stood in front of the first work area, surprisingly, the power of one workbench was turned off.

While the cutting machine that should have been operational was stopped, two employees were leaning against it and chatting.

I approached them and asked.

“Why is it stopped here?”

Only then did the two employees, flustered by my sudden appearance out of nowhere, only open and close their mouths.

Hamilton hurriedly excused.

“Ah, that is. Equipment inspection... It is equipment inspection time.”

I gently shook my head.

“There are no traces of it being used yesterday, so what kind of inspection is it?

And shouldn’t an inspection log be written if the equipment is being inspected?”

I immediately checked the inspection log section next to it and pointed with my finger.

The page was empty.

Hamilton’s face turned white.

Regardless of that, I moved to the next process line.

The process completion checklist that field workers mark on documents was posted on the wall.

I approached it, looked closely, and pointed something out.

“It is the same handwriting every day here.”

Choi Seo-jun also came closer to look and widened his eyes.

Indeed, it was marked with the same handwriting on other days as well.

“Are you saying that one person did the process completion checks all at once?”

Hamilton broke into a cold sweat.

“Th... That is. Since everyone is busy...”

My smile gradually grew colder.

“So it means you only filled out the documents without even checking the site because you were busy.

Am I right?”

Hamilton could not answer.

Furthermore, while I was walking around and checking inside the workshop, it was normal for the foreman to be moving busily everywhere.

However, no one was visible.

Should I say it was excessively lax.

Going a bit further inside, an intense light flashed from one side of the workshop.

I stopped my steps for a moment.

“That side is the hot work area.”

Choi Seo-jun asked.

“Representative, what exactly does hot work mean?”

I explained it easily.

“It refers to work that generates sparks or high heat, such as welding, cutting, and grinding.

Since the risk of accidents is high, a safety officer and a supervisor must be constantly stationed there.”

As soon as those words ended, I fixed my gaze again.

The person who was welding a steel plate while emitting sparks was Jake Peterson.

The main welder of the HWS welding team.

He was a person famous for having skills but a rough personality.

The problem was something else.

Right next to the welding area. That is, the seat of Maria Sanchez, the Safety Compliance Manager, was empty.

Despite being the person in charge of overall safety, she had left the site.

Furthermore, the foreman had also left his post and did not show his face anywhere.

My gaze slowly swept the surroundings.

On the floor, there were unorganized oxygen tanks and acetylene hoses loosely twisted.

Even oil stains that could immediately catch fire if a spark flew remained on the site just as they were.

Hamilton hurriedly said, now even breaking into a cold sweat.

“Ah, we don’t usually do this normally.

Today the process is a bit crowded so...”

I turned my head slightly.

For the first time, a resolute voice rang out from my mouth.

“If the process is crowded, shouldn’t the safety regulations be more thorough!

The site does not lie.

I can fully tell what is wrong with this shipyard in just 10 minutes.”

At that one remark, Hamilton’s lips trembled.