Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: THE SAGE
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A storm of hope and doubt, despair and greed churned across President Choi Shin-soo's face.
He fiddled with his empty paper cup, his features aged a full decade as he sank into deep contemplation.
I leaned back on the sofa opposite him, savoring the sight and waiting confidently for his answer.
Of course, I knew exactly why he was agonizing.
'Royalty of 80%.' In a typical new drug license-out deal, royalties rarely exceed 10%.
That 80% figure was so absurd that anyone in the industry would be justified in calling it a scam on the spot.
But that was only for 'typical' deals.
When ordinary biotech ventures negotiate royalties with Big Pharma, they already hold proven 'assets'—drugs that have cleared Phase 2 and 3 trials, worth tens of billions.
They leverage those sure bets for the upper hand.
But Silla Biotech? All they had was a 'dead project' they'd written off as hopeless themselves.
Market value: zero. Hell, factoring in the sunk costs, it was negative—a pile of trash.
I'd offered to breathe new life into that trash heap, turning it into a diamond with the secret of 'alchemy,' and cover every expense needed for the transmutation.
I'd shoulder all the risk, giving them a shot at reviving their failed research.
And they were haggling over just 80% equity?
Handing them 20% was practically charity.
I cheered inwardly, awaiting his final decision.
After a long silence, President Choi finally lifted his head.
He glanced at his sister-in-law, Team Leader Kim Seul-gi, seated beside him.
Her eyes were bloodshot with hope—the dream of resurrecting her shattered ambitions.
She gave her brother-in-law a small, resolute nod.
President Choi, looking like a man who'd cast everything aside, was about to speak in a heavy, calm voice.
"...Alright. We'll accept your proposal, CEO..."
"Hold on, brother-in-law!!"
Before he could finish, Team Leader Kim grabbed his arm in desperation.
Her face was filled not with hope now, but a new kind of urgency.
"Huh? What's wrong, sister-in-law..."
"No, it's just..."
She glanced warily at me, then leaned in to whisper urgently into President Choi's ear.
Her expression was frantic; his face ballooned with hope, then deflated into despair like a punctured balloon.
I couldn't hear it, but the gist was obvious.
President Choi was blinded by the 3 billion won to save the company right now, but from Team Leader Kim's perspective—the one actually running the research—it was a different story.
1 billion a month? After salaries, rent, and clearing out the 'Calorie-Cut Diet Jelly' inventory, there wouldn't be enough left to buy a single beaker, let alone fund clinical trials.
After listening to her whispers for a while, President Choi turned to me with an almost tearful face.
"CEO... I'm truly sorry, but Team Leader Kim says... the amount you've proposed makes restarting the Alzheimer's project realistically impossible. Just the raw materials for the trials alone..."
'Damn, this isn't working?'
Myths thrive on 'efficiency.'
'The genius investor who maximizes returns with minimal cost.' That was the first story arc I wanted, and it was getting tripped up right out of the gate.
I wiped away my kindly smile from moments ago and donned the mask of a shrewd businessman.
Then I looked Team Leader Kim straight in the eye and clapped once—clap.
"Hahaha! As expected of you, Team Leader. I misjudged you. To be frank... that last proposal was just a test of your 'resolve.'"
"...Resolve?"
"Yes. I wanted to see if you two truly had the will to revive this dead project, or if you were only after short-term operating funds. Team Leader Kim Seul-gi, you're the real deal—a true researcher. You pass."
Amazed at my own brazen lie, I laid out the real offer.
"Alright then. Let's revise the terms. Initial investment up to 5 billion won, and for monthly operating costs... Team Leader, you draw up a realistic budget for what this project needs to succeed and report it to me directly."
I stood and declared to them both.
"I'll review it and fund it in full."
Their jaws dropped in unison. The aspiring con artist who'd been lowballing them had instantly transformed into an omnipotent savior solving everything.
Now their eyes held only absolute trust and awe—no doubt or wariness left.
Admiring my own 'mercy,' I decided to wrap up this long meeting.
"So, we'll formalize the contract once Team Leader Kim brings the budget proposal."
I addressed Team Leader Kim, not President Choi.
Intentionally making it clear she was now the real lead on this project.
"Send the budget to my email by next Monday. I'll review and get back to you right away."
I placed another 18k gold-plated business card on the table.
"Well then, shall we head out, Secretary Choi?"
"Yes, President."
Choi Yang had seamlessly slipped back into perfect secretary mode, standing ready behind me.
President Choi and Team Leader Kim shot up from their seats in sync, following me out and bowing 90 degrees.
"Take care, President!"
"Safe travels!"
It was hard to believe this was the same attitude from just an hour ago, when they'd treated me like a peddler.
With a satisfied smile, I basked in their near-worshipful send-off as I left the office.
Passing through the empty hallway to the elevator, Choi Yang—standing beside me—asked in disbelief.
"President. Were you really planning to settle for just 1 billion a month earlier?"
"Of course. No loss if it fell through."
I answered shamelessly.
"But that team leader's got more business sense than I expected, so we pivoted to Plan B."
"...You're insane."
Choi Yang muttered like she genuinely couldn't comprehend me, then hit me with a practical question.
"But what if that team leader asks for 10 billion a month in research funds? We don't have that kind of money, do we?"
"Eh, money's something you make."
I brushed it off lightly and changed the subject.
"More importantly, Choi Yang."
"Yes?"
"That Kim Seul-gi earlier. Objectively speaking, she's pretty hot, right?"
"Eh? Just your average girl, isn't she?"
Her cheeky response was equal parts ridiculous and cute, so I smacked her ass with my palm—smack!.
"Ow! You trying to get sued for sexual harassment?"
"Quit messing around and search for a motel nearby."
"Motel? I'll look for a hotel instead."
"This girl, already plotting to blow the company card?"
At my jab, she pouted for a second, then asked as if realizing something.
"But, President... about that Kim Seul-gi team leader."
"Yeah?"
"...You planning to fuck her?"
"Yep. That super-intellectual vibe is sexy as hell."
I grinned. Choi Yang made a face like she'd bitten into a bug.
"Ew, pervert... But didn't you go to a top university too, Vice President?"
"Hey, hey, comparing a dropout like you to a PhD? The word 'intellectual' would be seriously offended."
She had no comeback to that.
She just let out a deep sigh of profound resignation at her boss's perverted tastes.
Ding.
The elevator announced our arrival at the first floor as the doors slid open.
My words left Choi Yang speechless.
She just let out a deep sigh of profound resignation at her boss's perverted tastes as we crossed the dingy lobby of the rundown building and stepped outside.
I followed behind her, mulling over the words I'd just said.
'PhD.'
The term lingered in my mind, and saliva pooled unbidden in my mouth.
Walking through the empty parking lot, I slipped into my private fantasy.
A quiet night in Silla Biotech's lab. Team Leader Kim Seul-gi, impeccably dressed in her white lab coat, pointing at a complex molecular structure as she gives me a private lecture.
Behind her intellectual glasses, her eyes shine with earnest focus.
"...For this NTA-7 antibody's variable region to bind precisely to the amyloid plaque's specific epitope..."
As she fluently rattles off technical jargon, I command lazily.
"On your knees."
Without pausing her explanation or hesitating a beat, she drops to her knees before my shoes.
And still, her mouth flows seamlessly with details on acetylcholine's chemical structure.
The most intellectual brain paired with the most lascivious body.
That perfect dissonance.
Hiss...
I licked my dry lips without thinking.
Choi Yang, walking beside me, caught my expression and gave me a disgusted look.
"...What perverted crap are you thinking now?"
I answered her question with nothing but a satisfied smile.
New drug development—and the PhD as a delightful byproduct. This investment was shaping up to be way more fun than expected.
"Hey, Choi Yang."
"...What now."
"Wanna do some role-play tonight?"
As we walked through the empty lot, her steps faltered briefly.
She furrowed her brow, fully grasping it.
"...You want me to play Kim Seul-gi Team Leader?"
"Yep!!"
I beamed like a kid. Her eyes shot back a glare of utter contempt, ice-cold.
I ignored the familiar look, unlocked the car, and said.
"Tonight at the hotel, you're Dr. Kim Seul-gi. I'll call you 'Doctor,' so use formal speech with me and pretend to know your stuff. Got it?"
Instead of answering, she sighed deeply and long, climbing into the passenger seat.
She could only resign herself once more to her boss's perverted tastes.