The Presentation at 9 PM
Knock knock— Someone rapped on the door.
“...Yes,” Cha Jiyun said.
“It’s time for you to head out now.”
“...Understood.”
Cha Jiyun drew a deep breath in the banquet hall waiting room. She had been certain she wouldn’t feel nervous, yet the anxiety was far worse than she had imagined. The entire future of Samhwa Bio rested on this presentation. The weight of it pressed down on her more heavily than she had expected. She thought the pressure wouldn’t affect her, but the moment the time arrived, it felt crushing.
Through the waiting room window, Cha Jiyun gazed at the crowd gathered outside. There were so many people. Could she truly deliver a successful presentation in front of all of them? She had to succeed. Only then could Samhwa Bio survive. She had to do it perfectly, no matter what.
Creak— Just then, someone opened the door to her waiting room and stepped inside. Cha Jiyun turned her gaze toward the entrance.
“...What brings you here?”
The person who had entered was completely unexpected. It was Nam Doyun.
“Ah. You must be incredibly nervous right now,” Nam Doyun said with a smile.
Cha Jiyun simply stared at him in silence.
“....”
“It’s nothing special. When I get nervous, I always use self-suggestion.”
“...Self-suggestion?”
“Yes. When every eye in the room suddenly locks onto you, the tension spikes, right? In those moments, this is what I do.”
“...”
“Letting go of the burden that you must succeed is surprisingly important.”
“...What do you mean by that?”
“If you keep thinking you have to do well, the pressure only gets worse. So I constantly tell myself to focus only on the process.”
“...Focus on the process.”
“Exactly. Set aside any thoughts about success or failure for a moment and simply give your all to the task at hand.”
“...”
“Besides, you prepared incredibly hard for this presentation, didn’t you? It will definitely go well.”
“....”
Cha Jiyun continued to watch Nam Doyun without a word. Then, before she could stop herself, a small laugh slipped out.
“Why… are you laughing? Was I being too nosy?” Nam Doyun asked.
“...No. It actually sounds like a very good method. I was so obsessed with the need to succeed that I could barely speak.”
“Ah…”
“...Thank you.”
Cha Jiyun gave a small, polite bow.
Knock knock— Once again, someone rapped on the waiting room door.
“Director. There really isn’t any time left.”
“...Yes. I’m coming out now.”
Cha Jiyun opened the door and stepped outside. Instantly, the eyes of every person seated at the banquet hall tables turned toward her in unison. She barely managed to steady her trembling heart, then lifted the microphone.
“...Hello. I am Cha Jiyun, president of Samhwa Bio.”
She bowed toward the audience.
Clap— Clap— Clap—
A wave of applause rose to greet her.
Cha Jiyun scanned the faces seated before her. Could she truly deliver a flawless presentation in front of so many people? She shook her head slightly. Don’t think about giving a perfect presentation. Just deliver what I’ve prepared. Focus only on the process of presenting. The results will come on their own.
Little by little, the tension began to melt from her expression.
“I will now begin the presentation.”
Cha Jiyun brought up the first slide. It displayed a brief overview of Samhwa Bio—number of employees, founding date, and performance record to date. Murmurs rippled through the audience as they studied the screen.
The whispers reached Cha Jiyun’s ears, but she paid them no attention and continued.
“As you can see, Samhwa Bio has only been in existence for four months.”
“...”
“And in that time, we have yet to produce any notable results.”
The entire audience nodded in agreement.
“But the complete lack of achievements during those four months? That doesn’t matter in the slightest.”
Cha Jiyun clicked the remote. The slide advanced. The next page displayed detailed information about the new drug.
“We devoted every single one of those four months exclusively to developing this new drug. And we have succeeded.”
The audience erupted into a buzz of conversation.
Everyone stared at the data in open admiration.
One man in the audience raised his hand.
“May I ask a question?”
Cha Jiyun looked toward him.
“Yes. Please go ahead. Could someone hand a microphone to that gentleman?”
“Thank you. I’ll only ask one thing.”
He smiled slyly. He was a man sent by the president of Hain Bio.
“I understand the reason this drug could be developed is that the half-life was extended from two minutes to three hours.”
“...Yes. And?”
“There’s a rumor that the person who discovered the substance responsible for increasing that half-life was not a researcher from Samhwa Bio?”
As he spoke, his smile widened.
Cha Jiyun was only seventeen. Standing before this many people with the fate of her company on the line was likely her first time. The pressure had to be enormous. The psychological strain would be crushing. There was no way a seventeen-year-old could overcome it.
All I need to do is rattle her a little.
She was calm now because she was following her prepared script, but an unexpected disruption would turn her mind completely blank. Once panic set in, she would ruin the presentation herself.
He spoke with open mockery.
“Since the substance that extends the half-life wasn’t discovered by a Samhwa Bio researcher, doesn’t that mean Samhwa Bio is still quite inadequate?”
“....”
“If your technical capabilities were truly superior, your own researchers should have developed it. Don’t you agree?”
Even in the face of such sarcasm, Cha Jiyun’s composure never wavered.
“...What exactly is the problem with that?”
She countered his question instead.
“Pardon?”
“...I see it differently. Securing a highly competent external advisor is itself a demonstration of ability. Or is Hain Bio perhaps upset because you lack the connections to do the same?”
“Th-that’s—”
“Ah. It seems the president of Hain Bio doesn’t have such a network. What an unfortunate oversight.”
Cha Jiyun delivered the elegant rebuttal with perfect poise.
“.....”
The man was rendered speechless. This was not the reaction he had anticipated. He had been certain she would crumble.
“.Ah. It seems I said something unnecessary. My apologies. I will continue the presentation. This new drug dramatically increases the half-life. As a result, the chronic issue of weight gain associated with existing diabetes medications is eliminated, and insulin secretion function is improved. Furthermore…”
She continued the presentation with polished expertise.
The audience responded with renewed admiration.
Those voices reached Cha Jiyun’s ears as well. She barely suppressed the smile threatening to break across her face and continued the presentation.
“I have a question!”
“Yes. Please go ahead.”
“In this new drug, is the incretin hormone being stimulated and released?”
“Yes, that is correct. Any other questions?”
“Yes. I have one as well.”
Cha Jiyun answered the steady stream of questions with calm proficiency.
As the presentation drew safely toward its conclusion, an urgent voice suddenly came through the earpiece Cha Jiyun wore.
President. We have a serious situation.
An attack is underway from outside, targeting the hotel banquet hall.
“...What is happening?” Cha Jiyun asked in a low voice.
“I don’t know the exact source, but the assault is coming from outside the hotel and is aimed directly at the banquet hall.”
Cha Jiyun quickly used the remote to start a video. It was a documentary of Samhwa Bio’s research process. All eyes in the audience shifted to the screen.
Leaving the video running, she hurried out of the banquet hall and into the hotel lobby. The Oriental Guild Master, Lee Ki-min, was waiting.
“President! You’re here.”
“...Yes. What is going on?”
“As you can see, the magic barrier surrounding the banquet hall is being continuously destroyed.”
Cha Jiyun looked in that direction. Sure enough, faint cracks were spreading across the barrier.
“Can you not determine the source of the attack at all?”
“No. We know it’s coming from outside the hotel, but we cannot locate the exact point of origin. It will likely take about five minutes to identify it.”
“...Is this the work of those two people you mentioned earlier?”
“Yes. I am certain of it. This is definitely their doing.”
“...How long can the barrier hold?”
“At most, four minutes from now.”
“...In that case.”
“Yes. The only option is to evacuate everyone inside the banquet hall.”
“...”
Cha Jiyun clenched her teeth. Of all days, why did an attack have to occur on a day this important? Today’s presentation was critical to her. It was a presentation upon which the fate of Samhwa Bio rested. If it failed here, the position of next chairman would inevitably go to her older brother.
I worked so hard for this.
She had even cut back on sleep to prepare. She had barely managed to calm her nerves. If she could just successfully finish the remaining twenty minutes, the new drug announcement would conclude perfectly.
Why now, of all times?
“President, we must stop the presentation immediately and evacuate the people inside.”
“....”
Cha Jiyun ground her teeth. There’s no other choice. Canceling the event and evacuating the guests appeared to be the only viable option. Continuing would mean both the failure of the presentation and massive casualties. That would be far worse.
The Oriental Guild, which she led, was responsible for security. Their reputation would be destroyed. She would lose everything.
“...Understood. Begin the evacuation at once.”
At Cha Jiyun’s order, Lee Ki-min turned and sprinted toward the banquet hall.
At that moment, someone grabbed his arm. His steps halted.
“...What is this?” he demanded, face twisting into a deep frown.
In such an urgent situation, who would dare block his path?
“...Doyun?” Cha Jiyun said.
The one who had stopped Lee Ki-min was Nam Doyun.
“I will handle it. Please continue the presentation as planned,” Nam Doyun said.
“What? Have you lost your mind?”
Lee Ki-min, who normally spoke with the utmost politeness, was so stunned that informal speech slipped out.
“You’re saying an academy student is going to solve a problem our entire guild couldn’t handle even if we all attacked together?”
Lee Ki-min’s face contorted with rage.
“Move. Unless you want to die right here.”
His chilling voice echoed.
“...Can you truly resolve this?” Cha Jiyun asked.
“Yes. So please proceed with the presentation without worry.”
“...”
Cha Jiyun stared at Nam Doyun in silence.