Chapter 176: Cracks in HWS (7)

Choi Sang-gyu’s gaze rested on me again.

I was still standing at the center of everyone’s attention.

I, who had been spitting out words in a resolute voice until just a moment ago, looked different now.

On the outside, I was unshaken.

A straight posture and a calm expression.

However, in Choi Sang-gyu’s eyes watching from nearby, an invisible tension was felt.

I looked like a person who had placed a heavy burden on my shoulders.

‘This… is what a real manager is.’

Choi Sang-gyu realized it for the first time.

It was fundamentally different from the sense of catharsis given by the appearance of simply declaring ‘You’re fired!’.

If it were a drama, it would be a scene that would receive applause, but in reality, this moment was not light at all.

In a word, it was a decision that changed the fate of the organization.

It was a choice that affected people’s lives.

And I seemed to be someone who knew the weight of that responsibility more accurately than anyone else.

How could I do such a thing at the age of nineteen?

It was to the point where such a question arose.

***

My gaze quietly swept through the warehouse.

The tension was the same as before.

Looking at the eyes mixed with anxiety and expectation, I repeated to myself as if making a promise.

‘It starts for real from now.’

Firing was the beginning, not the end.

Exercising authority was easy in a way.

However, taking responsibility for what followed was a completely different matter.

I clenched my fists and then slowly released them.

This decision was made to rebuild the collapsed site.

And the weight of that work poured over my shoulders.

I straightened my back even more as my shoulders became heavy.

There was neither hesitation nor regret for me.

As much as I thought about and executed the plan to change this place, I merely strengthened my resolve in my heart once more to take responsibility until the end.

My gaze was slowly withdrawn.

There was not much time.

“Let us move to the conference room.”

At those words, we moved to the HWS conference room.

Inside the conference room, Maria Sanchez, Chief Engineer Kim Do-yun of the technical team, and Park Ki-hyun, the general manager of dock structure repair engineering, brought laptops and tablets.

Linda Foster, the head of finance and contracts, was sitting with a calm expression.

Besides them, Director Choi Sang-gyu, Director Choi Seo-jun, Cho Hana, and President Yu Hyeon-seok joined the meeting.

The air inside the conference room was quiet yet heavy.

As a big event had just occurred, tension flowed.

I spoke first.

“HWS is currently not at a level for simple internal maintenance. It will have to be operated under an emergency system for at least a month.”

My gaze naturally turned toward Choi Sang-gyu.

“Taeseong Heavy Industries must increase the scale of personnel dispatch. In particular, I would like you to prioritize deploying personnel for safety management and process management.”

Choi Sang-gyu had no reason to hesitate now.

“We will supplement personnel in addition to the existing dispatched personnel. We will mainly compose them of site manager-level staff.”

I nodded and immediately continued speaking.

“Our HJ Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering will also send a technical team. For the time being, we will move with our best efforts for the normalization of this place.”

Kim Do-yun raised his head.

“Representative, what is most urgent technically is the reinforcement of the dock structure and the reorganization of the welding line. Work is dangerous with the current method.”

Park Ki-hyun also assisted immediately.

“We must re-examine the durability of the dock lower part first. There are quite a few traces of enduring with temporary repairs. At the earliest, we must start structural reinforcement work within a week.”

I nodded.

“Good. Please have Chief Kim and General Manager Park jointly draft a plan. Please calculate the necessary equipment, period, and personnel and report it within today.”

The two answered vigorously.

“Understood.”

This time, Linda Foster spoke cautiously.

“If additional personnel and even structural repair work are included, operating costs will increase significantly in a short period. A restructuring of the financial structure is necessary.”

I said calmly.

“I will tolerate short-term costs. Instead, we must create a structure that will not suffer losses in the long run. I will directly review the parts related to contracts. Regarding costs, I will have HJ Finance handle the financing.”

At those words, President Yu Hyeon-seok nodded and opened his mouth.

“As the Representative is stepping forward, HWS should go toward fundamental improvement rather than short-term normalization. Now is the only chance.”

Cho Hana quickly organized the notes.

“I will organize and share the relevant schedule.”

The meeting gradually flowed into specifics.

Personnel arrangement, process adjustment, and reconfiguration of the safety system.

Everyone began to clearly recognize their respective roles.

Watching that, I quietly let out a breath in my mind.

Having come this far, there was no choice but to take responsibility until the end.

I muttered as if repeating it to myself in my heart.

‘Okay. Now only the task of showing results remains.’

As the meeting ended, people stood up from their seats one by one.

The tension that had filled the conference room began to dissipate little by little.

Toward Maria, who was trying to go outside, I said.

“Interim General Manager Maria Sanchez. Please stay for a moment.”

In an instant, the gazes of the people remaining in the conference room all focused on her.

Eyes full of curiosity were seen.

Maria looked somewhat flustered, but she sat back down.

Only the two of us remained in the large space.

A short silence flowed, but Maria straightened her back and looked at me.

She was nervous about what I would say, but she was a little comforted by my calm expression.

“You worked hard today.”

At the unexpected words, Maria’s eyes grew wide.

Having expected words of reprimand or warning, she was momentarily speechless at my words.

With an awkward smile, the corners of her mouth even trembled.

She composed herself and spoke cautiously.

“I haven’t even done anything yet.”

There was self-reproach in her voice.

In today’s meeting, all she had done was accept my decision and add a few words.

I shook my head and spoke.

“No. It is because you took courage today that an opportunity for this company to change was created.”

I looked at Maria and continued slowly.

“That you did not run away and are standing in this spot. You have done a lot with just that.”

Maria chewed on those words.

The words about not running away kept lingering in her head.

In fact, she felt comforted just by the fact that someone recognized how difficult that was in such a situation.

“It will be even harder from now on.”

I continued.

“Among the people who followed Hamilton, there will surely be those who spread words behind your back. There will be opposition to every policy you put forward, and someone will blatantly try to test you.”

Maria’s expression darkened.

She was probably at a loss thinking about the things to come.

I crossed my arms and asked her.

“Can you still do it?”

There was no such thing as comfort in those words.

It was merely a question confirming her resolve to see if she could take responsibility.

Maria took a deep breath.

While the air that had seeped deep into her lungs was slowly escaping, she could feel her pounding heart stabilizing little by little.

Even though she knew she had to answer, opening her mouth was not as easy as she thought.

“To tell you the truth, I am afraid.”

As she spat out that one sentence, her mind seemed to become a little lighter instead.

Maria continued slowly as if confessing.

“While working under General Manager Hamilton, there were more than one or two times when I felt something was wrong.”

Her gaze was toward me, but in her eyes, scenes of past days were passing by.

“Safety issues are one thing, but there are also many problems with process operation. Although I tried to say something several times but could not.”

A bitter smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.

“Because the one who would end up being fired for stepping forward for no reason would be me. General Manager Hamilton was that kind of person. He did not tolerate anyone who talked back to him, even if it was the right thing to say.”

Maria let out a long sigh for a moment.

A bitter taste rose from somewhere in her throat.

“As I swallowed it again and again… from a certain moment, I became a person who just pretended not to see. Pretending not to see even after seeing, pretending not to know even while knowing. I lived like that.”

She bowed her head.

The hands she held together trembled slightly, but she struggled to suppress that trembling and raised her head again.

The hesitation in her eyes disappeared.

“However, watching what the Representative did today, I thought. If I avoid it now, I will continue to be that kind of person in the future. I would avoid and compromise, and in the end, nothing would change.”

Unlike at first, she straightened her back and looked firmer than anyone else.

“I am afraid. And I am scared. I also know it will be hard and that I will be the person who receives the most curses first. People might even call me a traitor. Even so, I want to see this company change properly at least once.”

She caught her breath and then spoke clearly.

“I want to make it a place where people can work like human beings, not a company that runs haphazardly. So, if I must stand in this position, I will stand.”

When she spat out the last sentence, her voice trembled slightly, but the determination contained within it was clearer than anyone else’s.

I did not answer and looked at her for a moment.

Then, slowly, my eyes formed an arc and revealed a bright smile.

“Good. I will remember what you just said.”

I leaned my body slightly against the back of the chair and continued.

“And even later, if a moment truly hard to endure comes, try to recall the words you spoke today first. That will provide you with the strength to hold on.”

Maria nodded.

She felt her heart becoming hot.

“From now on, no matter what anyone says, you are the general manager of this company.”

My voice took on even more weight.

“As far as safety and process operation are concerned, I will respect the judgment made on-site as the top priority. From now on, do not care what Hamilton’s remnants mutter behind your back. The judgment of the person in charge on-site is the company’s policy.”

I paused for a moment.

“Instead, you must take responsibility for the results of the judgment.”

Maria answered without hesitation.

“Yes. I will handle it.”

I said in a gentle voice.

“I will not leave you to endure alone. Taeseong Heavy Industries will send manager-level personnel, but our HJ Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering will also send a technical team. You will also continue to have meetings with me regularly.”

I lightly tapped the desk with my finger.

“The burden will be great, but I will support you well from behind, so do not think you are alone and try your best.”

The moment she heard those words, Maria’s eyes turned slightly red.

She hurried to lower her head.

It felt as if tears were about to come out.

No, maybe they had already come out.

However, she did not want to show such an appearance.

She did not want to show a weak appearance at this moment.

“Since the Representative said that, I really want to work hard. I will never collapse.”

I nodded and spoke as if organizing things for the last time.

“Good. Let us stop here for today.”

I rose from my seat and added.

“From now on, look at people’s faces often. Walk around the site, eat with the team leaders, and hang out with the foremen often. Show them who truly wants to protect this company. Then your sincerity will get through.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Maria rose from her seat.

Unlike before, her appearance as she walked toward the conference room door felt confident.

Maria, who was about to open the door and leave, stopped for a moment and then said while looking at me.

“You said I am the interim general manager… but I will show my ability so that a day comes when it is not interim. For sure.”

My eyes shone.

“I will look forward to it, General Manager Maria.”