The Weight of Trust
Kim Haein glared at Nam Doyun. "Don't you know this area is off-limits to outsiders?"
Her face flushed with anger as she shouted, "Where are the guards? Get over here right now!"
"Ah, I didn't mean to eavesdrop or anything. I just happened to be passing by, haha—" Nam Doyun said with an awkward laugh.
"...Mister Doyun. You shouldn't enter this place without permission," Cha Jiyun said.
"I'm sorry." Nam Doyun bowed his head deeply.
"...Under normal circumstances, I would have to report this immediately. But since it's you, Mister Doyun, I won't." Cha Jiyun's voice remained cool and composed.
"President! What are you saying? This guy just admitted he overheard our conversation. We should call the police right now."
"...Haein."
"Y-yes." Kim Haein stammered without realizing it. This was the first time she'd seen Cha Jiyun look so coldly detached.
"...Just do as I say."
"...Understood." Kim Haein tilted her head in confusion. She'd never seen her boss react like this before.
She glanced at Nam Doyun. It seemed this man held quite a significant place in Cha Jiyun's world.
"...Mister Doyun, aren't you leaving?"
But Nam Doyun remained standing firmly in place.
"Haha. Well, since I ended up overhearing anyway... it sounds like there's a problem with the development of that new drug, Atein."
"...Yes, that's correct. But why are you asking about it?"
"Kid, if you've heard that much, we really should report you to the police. President, call them right now."
"...Please be quiet." Cha Jiyun's voice was icy.
"Ah. Actually, I have a pretty good idea what's wrong with that drug."
"...Is that true?" Cha Jiyun narrowed her eyes.
"Yes."
Cha Jiyun stared at him for a long moment. There wasn't the slightest flicker of uncertainty in his gaze.
"...Then could you explain it to us?"
"President, what on earth are you talking about?"
"...."
"A mere seventeen-year-old claims to know the cause of Atein when even our top researchers couldn't figure it out? What kind of nonsense is that?"
"...I understand how you must be feeling right now."
"If you really understood, you wouldn't be doing this. How could a seventeen-year-old kid know something our expert researchers couldn't? This is ridiculous."
"....."
"Fine. Since we're at this point anyway, I'll just say it all. This company's finished anyway. President, I really wish you'd come to your senses. You're actually going to listen to the opinion of a seventeen-year-old academy student?"
"..."
"It's honestly unbelievable. Go ask any of the other researchers around here. They'll all look at you like you've lost your mind."
"..."
"Don't you realize that your attitude of listening seriously to some academy kid—especially a seventeen-year-old—is only breeding distrust among the employees?"
"..."
"President, I really don't think this is right. What will the staff think when they hear about this situation?"
"...Are you finished?"
"What? How exactly did you interpret what I just said?"
"...This person would never speak empty words." Cha Jiyun pointed at Nam Doyun.
"...No matter what you say, my mind won't change." Cha Jiyun's tone was resolute.
Kim Haein stared at her boss in a daze. She'd never seen Cha Jiyun place this much trust in anyone. Just what was the relationship between these two?
"Sigh— Fine, I understand. I'll listen, even if it's probably just nonsense."
Cha Jiyun looked at Nam Doyun. To say she completely believed him would be a lie. She knew he was exceptional, but that was limited to combat. Research and battle were completely different fields. Whether he could actually contribute here was uncertain.
But I've never seen him make empty claims.
Everything Nam Doyun had ever confidently declared had come true without exception. His information about that undisclosed dungeon, his victory in the sword duel against Radeon—every single one.
And above all, I have no other choice but to trust him.
Right now, Cha Jiyun was running Samhwa Bio entirely with her personal funds. That money had been carefully saved since childhood through running errands for her father. She'd poured every won into Samhwa Bio.
But even that personal fortune was beginning to run dry. To her, this was no different from staking her entire life on Samhwa Bio. If she failed here, the damage would be catastrophic.
And that man definitely won't stay quiet.
The man she'd fought with at that Cheongdam-dong bar. He was currently the president of Hein Bio, the top company in the bio industry. If the new drug development ended in failure, he wouldn't let it slide. He'd probably contact every media outlet he was connected to and flood them with articles.
She succeeded in running a guild through sheer luck, but that luck doesn't extend to the bio industry.
Even the Samhwa Group ultimately couldn't compete with Hein Bio and has withdrawn from the business. Just how far can the Samhwa Group truly grow?
He wouldn't miss this opportunity. If that happened, Cha Jiyun would be left penniless while bearing the title of "The Hand of Minus." Her dream of becoming chairman of the Samhwa Group would slip away forever.
Cha Jiyun clenched her teeth hard enough to grind them.
Nam Doyun looked at her. Her hair was a tangled mess and dark circles hung heavily beneath her eyes. It looked like she hadn't slept properly for days.
Well, that makes sense.
From her perspective, everything was riding on Samhwa Bio right now.
Kim Haein watched Cha Jiyun. She clearly had no intention of changing her mind.
"No choice then."
The trust Cha Jiyun was showing this kid named Nam Doyun—she had no choice but to shatter it.
"Hey kid, want to take a look at this? It's the blueprint for the new drug."
Kim Haein showed Nam Doyun the drug's design schematics.
"I'll explain it just once, so listen carefully. The core of this new drug's design is..."
She continued explaining the new drug in detail.
"So? After all that, you at least understand what this new drug is about, right?" Kim Haein said with a smirk.
"President, let's hear what this student has to say." Kim Haein looked at Cha Jiyun.
That trust of hers will be shattered soon.
What Kim Haein had just explained was far beyond what a seventeen-year-old student could comprehend. Even a top university undergraduate would need several full days to fully understand it.
She wanted to show Cha Jiyun that the Nam Doyun she trusted so much was actually nothing special.
Actually, it's not really the kid's fault.
The one at fault was Cha Jiyun for placing expectations on a mere seventeen-year-old. She had no right to sit in the president's chair at Samhwa Bio.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Kim Haein smirked at Nam Doyun.
"See, President? What did I tell you? There's absolutely no need to listen to some seventeen-year-old kid's—"
"Hmm... I was just organizing my thoughts, so it took a moment. I'll explain now."
"Sure, go ahead and try." Kim Haein smirked again.
He's got some pride, at least.
Kim Haein's eyes fixed on Nam Doyun's mouth.
I wonder what ridiculous nonsense will come out of that mouth.
Everything he said about the new drug from now on would clearly be nonsense. She would pick apart every single point without missing a thing.
If she humiliated him like that, Cha Jiyun would probably make quite the sour face. She was looking forward to seeing it.
"Hmm... The core is using incretin for diabetes patients, right?"
"Yeah. That's correct." That was just repeating the first sentence she'd said.
"There are two mechanisms by which incretin reduces body weight. First, it slows the rate at which food is digested in the stomach, creating a feeling of fullness and satiety."
"...."
Anyone could say that much.
"Second, it directly—not indirectly—stimulates the appetite center to suppress hunger. Because of these mechanisms, incretin is mainly used for obese patients."
"...."
But what came after wasn't something just anyone could say.
"And this is a diabetes medication that even uses a DPP-4 inhibitor. In that case, you'd need to simultaneously use thiazolidinedione-class drugs for insulin resistance along with GLP-1 to enhance insulin function."
Kim Haein let out a mental sigh. He knew it perfectly.
She had deliberately twisted some parts of her explanation to make them harder to understand. But he had grasped even those sections flawlessly.
"However, there's a problem."
"Yes?"
"DPP-4 has the critical limitation of being unable to increase GLP-1 concentrations."
"..."
A hint of interest finally appeared in Kim Haein's eyes. That was something she hadn't even explained. Yet the man sitting before her knew it.
How did he know that? That was content you'd only learn after graduating undergrad and entering graduate school.
"Is this enough proof?"
"...Yes." Kim Haein now wore a completely serious expression, completely different from before. Even her speech had switched to formal honorifics.
Cha Jiyun shrugged her shoulders slightly.
"Then may I begin the serious discussion now?" Nam Doyun asked.
"Yes. With this level of knowledge, it seems appropriate to hear your opinion."
"..."
"I apologize for my rudeness earlier." Kim Haein bowed her head.
"Then shall we get into the real discussion?"