Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: Pyramid
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Kwon Soo-yeon had been feeling unwell for a few months now. At first, she had no idea why. Her research was in the middle of a major breakthrough, so she'd only popped into the hospital for a quick check at the internal medicine clinic—no fancy scans or anything. Whenever the pain hit, painkillers did the trick.
Then, three months ago, things took a turn. She was in the lab, scarfing down instant ramen for dinner, when a wave of agony nearly floored her.
Only then did she realize how serious it was. She went in for a full checkup, but even then, she knew the symptoms but not the name of the disease.
She figured it was something in one of her organs that could be fixed with surgery. The doctors thought so too, and they even scheduled the operation.
But the disease was too unusual. Even the doctors were scratching their heads.
Kwon Dong-jin, president of Yulmyeong Bio, pulled some strings and asked around. That's when he learned her symptoms matched something called Kaitiger Syndrome—a brand-new rare disease.
Kwon Dong-jin remembered that moment.
'I was relieved to hear the world's top expert on that disease was right here in Korea.'
But after meeting Lee Jeong-ho, he fell into despair. Lee Jeong-ho had run a thorough exam on Kwon Soo-yeon and declared it an inoperable severe case.
That diagnosis came exactly two months ago. Kwon Soo-yeon hadn't smiled once in the time since.
And now, here she was, smiling. It was the first time in two months.
It filled him with affection and heartache. He wanted to see that smile on her face forever.
Kwon Dong-jin clenched his fist.
"The only ones who can save our Soo-yeon are Dr. Lee Jeong-ho and Doctor Noname."
He still had no idea who Doctor Noname was. But he knew why Lee Jeong-ho was keeping him under wraps.
That didn't mean he could give up.
"We have to find Doctor Noname. Convince him to help."
He was ready to do whatever it took, but he couldn't push Lee Jeong-ho too hard either. They needed both men for the surgery, and Lee Jeong-ho was one of them.
"No info at all—it's driving me insane."
His eyes landed on the two people chatting with Kwon Soo-yeon. Na Gang-in and Min Young-hee.
"Who are they? Colleagues from her lab?"
He felt grateful toward the people who'd made his daughter smile.
Kwon Dong-jin racked his brain again for ways to track down Doctor Noname.
"Asking around won't work. No one's operating under a name like that. Guess I'll have to persuade Dr. Lee after all..."
Kwon Soo-yeon spotted Kwon Dong-jin and waved.
He paused his worrying, smiled, and gave a small wave back.
Kwon Soo-yeon turned to Na Gang-in.
"I'm presenting the research I led at today's event. That's why I'm here. Dad's waiting over there, so I should go."
"Yeah, sure. Knock 'em dead. Let's grab a bite sometime."
Na Gang-in wasn't just being polite. He genuinely meant it.
Kwon Soo-yeon figured it was empty talk. Even so, her expression stiffened without her realizing it.
She hadn't had a normal meal in the past three months. Even water had to be sipped in tiny amounts.
She replied awkwardly.
"Uh-huh."
AI Jeon Ji-in spoke up.
- She doesn't seem keen on grabbing a meal with you, Agent.
Na Gang-in caught her lukewarm reaction and held out his smartphone.
"Put your number in."
"Huh? I haven't changed mine."
"Lost my phone two years ago. All my contacts are gone."
"What've you been doing since then?"
"Living without one."
Kwon Soo-yeon's face lit up.
"That's why I couldn't reach you for two years. Got it."
She entered her number, then called it from her own phone to confirm. Na Gang-in's number popped up on her screen.
She double-checked it with her eyes and said,
"Okay, I really have to go now. Dad's waiting."
"Go on."
She waved and headed back to Kwon Dong-jin.
Min Young-hee watched her go, then leaned toward Na Gang-in.
"Master Na, did you just get her number?"
"She gave it to me since I lost mine. We're friends, you know."
"Just friends?"
He had no idea.
Nothing was coming back to him right now anyway.
"Yep."
A text from police agent Park Soon-gi popped up on Min Young-hee's phone.
"Soon-gi's calling. I'm heading out first."
Min Young-hee walked toward the event hall.
Na Gang-in stared in the direction Kwon Soo-yeon had gone.
"Wonder what her name is."
- Once we're back at base, I'll search university alumni records online and find out who she is.
"This isn't about the Na Gang-in on paper. The real deal existed here—and not just existed, but interacted with her a bunch, right?"
- Registering her as a key informant.
"Next time we meet, I'll casually ask about myself. Over a meal, chatting about everyday stuff. Throw in some drinks?"
- Her health is poor. Alcohol might be off-limits.
"Fine, coffee then."
Kwon Dong-jin asked Kwon Soo-yeon,
"Where'd you go?"
"Just reminiscing, so I checked out that old alley."
As they walked toward the event hall, Kwon Dong-jin asked casually,
"Who were you talking to just now?"
"An old school friend."
"From your lab?"
She shook her head slightly.
"Nope."
Kwon Soo-yeon thought back to the old days. A smile crept onto her face unbidden.
"I was late for class once and ran into him in that alley. And boom—there he was again today. After two whole years. Weird, huh?"
"Same major? Club?"
"Nah, nothing like that."
Kwon Dong-jin tilted his head.
'Then how do they know each other?'
He was curious but didn't press. It had been ages since he'd seen his daughter smile. For now, that was enough.
He hadn't gotten a good look at Na Gang-in's face. The sun had already set, and it was dark around there.
Kwon Dong-jin said,
"Kinda curious what the guy looks like."
The event at Korea University kicked off.
A brief welcome speech came first, then the first presenter took the stage.
The auditorium stage doubled as a performance area, so it was pretty spacious. A massive screen for projections hung at the back.
The first presenter explained their research results.
Easy-to-follow charts appeared on the screen—no complex equations in sight. The presentation was short enough not to bore anyone.
Kwon Soo-yeon was third up. She stood to prepare in advance.
Thanks to double-dosing on painkillers, she wasn't hurting much right now.
Kwon Dong-jin asked,
"Not bringing your laptop?"
"All the files for today's talk are already loaded onto the event laptop."
Kwon Soo-yeon stepped up as the third presenter.
Three months without proper meals had left her gaunt. Her clothes hid it well enough— to others, she just looked slim.
Her pale complexion passed for porcelain skin under makeup and the lights.
Kwon Soo-yeon stood at the presentation table. The event laptop there was the same model as hers, but this one had cute stickers on the lid.
'Put there by a staffer?'
The moderator had already set it up. She took a deep breath and tapped the keyboard.
A photo appeared on the giant screen behind her—a snapshot of a ballpoint sketch on notebook paper placed on a desk.
"The pyramid. One of ancient humanity's wonders."
The paper showed a pyramid sketched in pen. But not a stone one—this was made of connected pipes.
Kwon Soo-yeon pointed at the screen.
"A friend of mine once built one like this to harness solar energy. He even tested it on an empty lot at our school."
The audience chuckled.
"Hahaha."
Min Young-hee, sitting next to Na Gang-in and watching the presentation, caught on to who "that friend" was.
She hadn't forgotten getting pummeled in yesterday's sword training until dust flew. Grinning, she said,
"Whoa, Master Na. I thought Korea U was just for brainiacs, but looks like crazies sneak in too."
"Uh..."
Kwon Soo-yeon had mentioned the pyramid story outside the venue earlier.
Na Gang-in muttered under his breath.
"That pyramid on the paper... did I draw it? And do the experiment?"
- It sounds like something you would do, Agent.
"You teasing me too, calling me crazy?"
- Misunderstanding.
Min Young-hee kept poking.
"No way you drew that, right, Master Na?"
No memory.
Kwon Soo-yeon continued.
"But when the structure was big enough for a person to fit inside, it did nothing. Shrink it way down, though, and things change."
The screen updated.
This time, it was a computer graphic: countless tiny pyramids covering a surface, sunlight beaming down on them.
"Not exactly the same as the one I showed earlier, but zoom in, and the structure's pretty similar."
Kwon Soo-yeon hit the keyboard. The notebook sketch and the CG image overlaid on one screen.
"Even the height and angles match."
The images faded, replaced by a cascade of graphs.
"We confirmed that solar cells built this way are way more efficient than existing products."
A massive graph compared current commercial solar cells to this new method's energy efficiency. The difference was revolutionary.
The crowd gasped in admiration.
"Whoa."
"Is that for real?"
Na Gang-in grinned and bragged to Min Young-hee.
"She took my random doodle and turned it into something amazing."
Min Young-hee tried to tease him back but came up empty.
"Wow... how did that sketch lead to... You win."
From the podium, Kwon Soo-yeon added a caveat.
"Of course, we're only seeing these efficiencies in lab conditions so far. The successful prototype cells are tiny. Mass production? Tons of hurdles. Right now, we're researching materials that could solve scaling and boost efficiency even more."
She'd been feeling good since earlier. Good enough for light jokes.
"Can't spill what those materials are here, though. Saving it for my PhD thesis."
The audience laughed.
This wasn't a formal paper presentation. It was Korea U showing off recent achievements to brag and maybe score funding.
The attendees murmured.
"That's huge, right?"
"Only if it scales. Plenty of lab successes flop at mass production."
"True. Miracle cancer cures or batteries ten times bigger get announced all the time. Never see 'em on shelves."
"Expecting PhD-level work to outdo corporate labs is overkill. This is impressive enough."
Most thought along those lines.
Suddenly, holographic data scrolled in front of Na Gang-in's eyes.
AI Jeon Ji-in reported.
- Iramid is the core structure of every solar cell used in 2082. Performance improved steadily, mass production tech evolved in all sorts of ways, but the base design never strayed from the prototype.
Na Gang-in was impressed.
"Damn, she's onto something huge. When does it go into production?"
- 2052.
Na Gang-in blinked.
"Wait, 30 years from now? She has to research it that long? Rough road ahead."
- Iramid solar cell development stalled long-term due to the death of the lead researcher.
"Huh? Hold up—you said production in 30 years?"
- Another researcher found the abandoned work, built on it, and achieved mass production with 2050s tech.
"Oh... so mass production needs that era's tech?"
- If the lead researcher had lived, those 30 years could've been slashed dramatically.
Na Gang-in's face hardened.
"Wait. Who's the lead researcher?"
- Kwon Soo-yeon.
Na Gang-in checked the presenter's name. Kwon Soo-yeon.
If AI Jeon Ji-in was right, Kwon Soo-yeon dies.
- Cause of death?
- No personal details in records. Just the name.
"Date of death?"
- This year.
"Exact date?"
- No record.
"That's a problem. Traffic accident or something?"
He pondered what might kill her soon, then a question hit him.
"Ji-in, why's this in your initial data? You don't have history like scientific timelines."
- Iramid solar cells are central to 2082 energy tech. This is basic common knowledge.
"You have common knowledge too, huh? Thought you were all common sense-free."
- You're not so different, Agent.
"Any other Iramid common knowledge?"
- Plenty at the basic level.
Na Gang-in looked back at the screen Kwon Soo-yeon was presenting.
"If this research finishes before 2052—say, within a few years from now—would it positively impact humanity's future?"
- Absolutely. Advanced solar tech cuts fine dust emissions, among other benefits.
"Nice. Hope she pulls it off."
AI Jeon Ji-in predicted the lead researcher Kwon Soo-yeon's death. If it happened, the project would be buried for 30 years.
Na Gang-in glanced at the podium. Kwon Soo-yeon wrapped up. The crowd laughed and applauded.
"Gotta meet her tomorrow or something. Got her number now, so easy."