Chapter 173: Cracks in HWS (4)

It was just one word, but it was enough to echo throughout the warehouse.

“I am Lim Hyunjun, the representative of HJ Partners.”

A small gasp flowed from among the employees.

I received all those gazes head-on and continued speaking.

“The reason I gathered you all here today is one.”

My voice was low yet firm, and there was not a hint of wavering.

“Today, I confirmed for myself what kind of place this shipyard you work at is, and what is happening here right now.”

The air in the warehouse sank even more heavily.

Murmuring continued while they glanced at each other.

At that time, I raised my voice even more.

“Now, I shall begin the story we need to discuss.”

The end of my words echoed as it cut through the air.

After a moment of silence, I continued speaking with a firm look in my eyes.

“First, I will tell you. HWS will become an important outpost in the US market together with HJ Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering from now on.”

The expressions of the employees wavered bit by bit.

I continued the explanation.

“The US Navy project, entry into the LNG and offshore markets, etc. This shipyard will take on the core role in all plans. Every task you do will soon become the credibility of the company and the business of the nation.”

The sound of the employees' breathing filled the warehouse.

Amidst the coexistence of tension, confusion, and anticipation, I stepped forward one step while holding the microphone.

My gaze was that of a true manager who led the company he had built himself and thrown down a gauntlet to the huge market called the United States.

My voice echoed in the warehouse.

It was a calm yet powerful voice.

“This shipyard where you work is not simply a place that makes ships.”

I stopped speaking for a moment and scanned the faces of the employees one by one.

Some avoided my eyes, but some rather looked straight at me.

“Every single ship that leaves here is directly linked to the survival of the US Navy. If the part you weld here, a single pipe you connect, or a single design sheet you review goes wrong, that damage leads to the lives of the soldiers defending the United States.”

The murmuring sound subsided.

Several employees even straightened their backs unconsciously.

I did not miss that subtle change.

I nodded slowly and said.

“The work you do is not a simple job. It is about creating safety. It is a task of completing responsibility. And it is a task of building national trust. You are doing work that is far more important than you think yourselves.”

The air changed.

The atmosphere that was full of dissatisfaction and doubt at first was now starting to gain weight bit by bit.

“I hope you never forget this fact.”

My voice grew a bit lower, but it became even firmer instead.

“Have pride. Right now, this place is the starting point of all the futures that HJ Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, Taeseong Heavy Industries, and HWS will create in the United States. The people standing at the center of that are none other than you.”

The expressions of the employees changed.

Someone nodded their head.

Someone took a deep breath as if swallowing a complex state of mind.

“But if I had not seen the site myself today, I would not have even come this far to say these words.”

That one remark made the inside of the warehouse freeze.

My expression sank coldly, my gaze became as sharp as a blade, and my voice fell coldly.

“Ignoring safety regulations. Absence of hot work management. A foreman leaving his post without permission. Even the safety manager had neglected the site.”

I narrowed my eyes and slowly looked around at the employees.

“If it continues like this, you will not just lose your jobs.”

Everyone was silent.

“Someday, you will lose your lives.”

Suppressed sighs leaked out from here and there.

“Do you hope to gain the trust of the US Navy in such an environment? Will you continue the contract with the US government?”

I shook my head resolutely.

“In the current state, I can state clearly that it is impossible.”

I spoke as if declaring in a voice full of conviction.

“I shall carry out a structural reorganization. There are no exceptions. No one can escape.”

The murmuring grew louder in an instant.

Voices of dissatisfaction erupted from here and there.

Several people even shook their heads as if it were absurd.

Several people could not hide their anger.

However, I did not waver.

I received all those gazes head-on while standing firmly on both feet.

My voice dominated the entire warehouse once again.

“But I tell you clearly. If you change from today, you can make this shipyard the greatest place in the United States.”

I caught my breath for a moment and met the eyes of the employees one by one.

“It might look disorderly now, but we can create a bigger future together.”

My eyes flashed.

“What is it that you truly want?”

My question filled the inside of the warehouse.

“Is it an unstable present? Or is it a future that can be defended!”

Silence hung in the air.

The atmosphere in the warehouse had changed.

Someone still harbored dissatisfaction, but some were sensing that something would change.

And at the center of the change stood that young manager.

The silence that was weighing down the inside of the warehouse began to shake slowly.

The first one to make a sound was a man with a rough voice.

“That’s ridiculous nonsense!”

Everyone’s gaze shifted to one place.

David Lowell, the Production Management General Manager, walked forward and shouted.

His face was full of anger.

He raised his voice toward me.

“Do you know how many years I have worked here? Someone with no site experience mentions structural reorganization in a single day? Is that a proper judgment!”

The murmuring grew louder.

David raised his voice even more with the reaction of the employees behind him.

“Someone who doesn’t know what kind of environment we have worked in comes and says he’ll overturn the entire system in a single day? This is ridiculous….”

Before his words even ended, another voice erupted from the back.

“This is an insult!”

It was Tim Logan, the foreman.

His neck was flushed red as he shouted while gasping for breath.

“My work team is working to the bone for 10 hours a day! Safety management issues? It’s because manpower is insufficient, not because we are lazy!”

At those words, some welders nodded their heads in agreement.

At that time, Jake Peterson, the main welder, let out a sneer while crossing his arms.

He shrugged his shoulders mockingly and said.

“Structural reorganization? In the end, it’s just a trick to shift the responsibility onto us. If it’s not that, why do a show like this?”

Voices grew louder and dissatisfaction erupted from all directions.

“Yeah! Aren’t you just talking about responsibility with words!”

In the meantime, Maria Sanchez, the Safety Compliance Manager, stepped forward while gasping for breath from the back.

Her face was distorted with embarrassment and tension.

“My leaving the post today is not a violation of regulations. I was late because I was writing documents to report to headquarters.”

“That’s right.”

Tim Logan helped her.

“A safety manager cannot always be at the site.”

Then, General Manager Robert Hamilton, who had only been listening quietly, stepped forward.

“Representative, I have been operating this shipyard for over ten years. It’s not that I don’t know the problems here... but changes must be made slowly and step-by-step. This way of pushing the employees is not good to see.”

The air in the warehouse heated up.

Some employees nodded, and some watched me with bated breath.

Someone was angry, and someone else was afraid.

And in the midst of all that commotion, there was one person who did not waver.

My gaze became even firmer.

As I slowly took a step forward, the confused sounds began to subside again.

My gaze was fixed accurately toward David Lowell.

“Manager David, did you say you worked for ten years?”

I had only called his name once, but David’s shoulders shook minutely.

“But then why was I able to see all the problems of this shipyard in just a single day today?”

David’s lips trembled slightly.

“That is...”

“Why have you not seen the problems I found for ten years? Or did you see them but pretend not to know?”

David lost his words.

I pushed him resolutely.

“Experience is not built with time. It is built with responsibility.”

This time, my gaze turned slowly toward Tim Logan.

“Foreman Tim, you said manpower is insufficient, right?”

Tim Logan nodded confidently and replied.

“That is why the problems occurred. Not because we are lazy!”

“In that case, why has a report requesting additional manpower never been submitted even once?”

Tim Logan’s face stiffened.

“That is... because there was no time for that...”

“Because there was no time... what absurd words.”

My voice grew lower.

“It is okay to leave the site and ignore safety regulations, but there was no time to report?”

“......”

“You also left your post as a foreman today. Do you know what the result of that is?”

I pointed toward the warehouse ceiling with my finger.

“If even a small spark had flown, someone who was in this spot would have died.”

Tim Logan could not make any response to those words.

His gaze fell to the floor.

I slowly approached Jake, who was standing arrogantly with his arms crossed.

“You called the words I say a show, right?”

Jake did not stop his mocking.

“Isn’t it? A guy who is the representative in name only...”

I cut him off.

“Then I ask. Who performed the heat distortion test for Frame No. 12, which you welded yesterday?”

Jake’s eyes shook greatly.

“Th-that is...”

“Of course, there would be none. Because the inspection records are missing entirely!”

Murmuring erupted as if exploding.

The color drained from Jake’s face.

My voice became as cold as ice.

“This is not a show. A mistake like this is an act that can bury hundreds of US Navy soldiers in the sea.”

I turned my head toward Maria.

“Maria, you said the reason you were not at the site today was because of a report, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I was away because I was organizing safety inspection materials.”

“About that report.”

As I reached out my hand, Secretary Cho Hana quickly handed me the tablet.

I said while looking at the tablet screen.

“The safety inspection report you last submitted to the headquarters was three months ago.”

I gave the tablet I was holding to Maria.

Her hand shook, and she almost dropped the tablet I handed over.

“Th-that cannot be. I, every week...”

“Records do not lie.”

My words were as sharp as a dagger.

“You did not manage the safety of this shipyard; you merely pretended to be safe.”

Maria covered her face with both hands.

She said in a trembling voice, as if she felt it was unfair.

“It’s not that I really didn’t work. The reason the reports were delayed is not because I didn't fulfill my responsibility.”

Her gaze turned toward General Manager Hamilton.

“During the past few months, there have been problems with the technical staff dispatched from Korea.”

A small murmur arose among the employees.

I asked as if I had been waiting.

“What kind of problems were they?”