The End of Obesity
The End of Obesity
"A university?"
"Yes, Jaeseong-nim."
I pondered after hearing Soyeon's words. There was nothing to nitpick about building a new university. However, when I thought about my goal, it seemed like a rational plan.
The university I was aiming for was Korea University. It was a prestigious university that anyone in South Korea could proudly name if asked to pick the #1 school. Honestly, wouldn't the top scorer on the CSATs go to the Korea University College of Medicine?
Although I was boosting my grades like a storm with the medical ship's functions and private tutoring, it was questionable whether I could actually get into Korea University. It was a place that even the brightest kids couldn't easily enter.
However, after hearing the entirety of Soyeon's words, there was no reason to be obsessed with Korea University. The university I built just needed to become #1 here in Korea.
And listening to Soyeon, having a university of my own didn't seem like a bad choice either.
Just thinking about it made me feel good. A university of my own, named after me!
On top of that, I thought of a theme park I could build to my own tastes.
Listening to Soyeon, she said it wouldn't be difficult for Jaeseong Bio to own a university.
I stamped my approval on Soyeon's plan with a kwang-kwang.
She said the university could be completed by the time I needed to submit my college application.
Attending the pre-med department at Jaeseong University seemed like a prime example of a sound decision. It wasn't for the purpose of becoming a doctor. I just wanted the flashy business card of being a medical student.
Soyeon smiled at my words, too. When Soyeon smiled, the world seemed to brighten as if it were smiling along.
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Jaeseong Bio achieved the rank of the #1 bio company in Korea within just one year.
It was an achievement accomplished solely with Neurogen, the dementia treatment. Soyeon was called here and there to receive medals and awards.
They had created a dementia treatment that the whole world had been pouring tens of trillions into researching, and they had done it so simply. However, the aftermath was enormous.
Dementia, which had proudly held the #1 spot as the disease people dreaded most, disappeared. Now, dementia was just like a cold that could be easily cured with medicine. People no longer feared dementia.
Many changes also occurred in Korea's medical and welfare sectors. There was no longer a need to pour tax money into nursing dementia patients. People could take Neurogen, the dementia treatment, cheaply by using health insurance.
Occasionally, there were people who couldn't afford it, such as basic livelihood security recipients or those with absolutely no money. The government created a special bill for such people. They launched a project to support Neurogen for basic livelihood recipients or the impoverished.
Perhaps that was why dementia patients had practically vanished from South Korea. The world envied Korea. A company had emerged that could cure dementia, which was as vicious and devil-sent as it was.
And foreigners, seeing this state of Korea, continued to protest. It was a protest demanding the approval of Neurogen in their own countries. After all, they couldn't talk about insurance or anything else without introducing Neurogen.
However, due to the Neurogen side-effect smear incident that happened previously, it was predicted that it would still take more time.
Although the Middle East had already entered the approval process and was importing it.
As much as sales increased, Jaeseong Bio began hiring new and experienced employees like crazy.
One year after the company was founded, the number of permanent employees at Jaeseong Bio alone exceeded 200,000. Even with sales nearing 100 trillion won and high operating profits, it was a staggering number of employees.
That was about the number of group employees at the most successful company in South Korea right now.
Such a number of personnel in a single company did not exist in South Korea.
The reason was simple. Because Jaeseong, the owner of Jaeseong Bio, wanted it. Being affiliated with Jaeseong Bio was synonymous with saying that there were many hostages whose leashes were being held.
Do you know the term "too big to fail"?
If one large corporation went bankrupt, it didn't end there. The subcontractors, which were partner companies related to the large corporation, would also go bankrupt. Then, like a domino effect, companies would collapse one after another.
Perhaps that was why, if a large corporation looked like it was going to go bankrupt, the government would panic and provide emergency financial support. Because if one large corporation went under, the social impact was too great.
That was what Jaeseong Bio was aiming for. By hiring many workers at Jaeseong Bio, they were bulking up.
So that the government would find it difficult to easily touch Jaeseong Bio.
And Jaeseong Bio had a different corporate style compared to other large corporations. It wasn't exactly heaven for workers, but it was at a level comparable to it.
Basically, the mindset for managing workers was different. Should I say it resembled Japan a little?
If there was a task that required 2 people, in Japan, they would hire 3... no, they would even hire 4 just in case they needed a spare. However, it was different in Korea.
If there was a task that required 2 people, they wouldn't hire 2 or 3, but rather hire 1 person and whip them to get it done. Reserve personnel for potential work failures? Such things didn't exist.
It was partly because labor costs in Korea were high, but above all, the most important thing was that companies were desperate to cut labor costs. Perhaps that was why Korea's corporate culture was the wilderness itself. Not only could you not take annual leave as you pleased, but there was also no one to perform your duties during your leave period.
If you came back after a good rest, you could say that the work had piled up just as much. Even civil servants, who should be the most advanced in terms of labor, were like that, so there was no need to even look at other private companies.
Maternity leave? That was something you couldn't even dream of unless you were a civil servant or in a public enterprise. Most of the time, when you returned, your desk would be gone, or you would be reassigned to some remote area. Objectively speaking, human rights for workers in Korea were at the level of an underdeveloped country.
Since Jaeseong, the head of Jaeseong Bio, didn't want that, the recruitment of manpower at Jaeseong Bio was relatively relaxed.
However, as a reaction to that, the salary was lower than other large corporations. An entry-level salary of around 40 million won.
Other large corporations had starting salaries exceeding 60 or 70 million won, and in severe cases, some even received 100 million won as a starting salary.
Of course, this salary at Jaeseong Bio was for high school or junior college graduates.
Personnel at the master's or doctoral level received salaries that were lower than other large corporations but still appropriate.
And in South Korea, finding a job was like a rough and high mountain. Even if it was a small or medium-sized enterprise, if it was an office job, the competition rate could go up to 200 to 1. That was South Korea.
There was no one who would turn down a permanent position with the "Jaeseong Bio" label attached to it. Even if the salary was low, it couldn't be compared to small or medium-sized enterprises. Plus, the salary increase as years of service accumulated was a bonus.
Perhaps that was why, even though they hired 200,000 people, the competition was still fierce. It was to the point where any job seeker in South Korea would submit an application.
And Jaeseong Bio intended to hire more people. Because the goal was to be the #1 company in South Korea, as Jaeseong wanted. Jaeseong had said that he wanted to employ the entire nation at Jaeseong Bio.
However, there was no reason for Jaeseong Bio to live as a one-trick pony with only dementia medicine forever. Jaeseong Bio was steadily preparing the next drug.
Furthermore, here on Earth, the conditions for patents when releasing new drugs were different. One could say they were loose. In fact, in Korea, the law had changed because of Neurogen.
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Soyeon entered the laboratory where the Cultured Humans worked. Unauthorized personnel were prohibited from entering in the first place.
Inside, the Cultured Humans were busily moving around and working. Soyeon walked step by step and examined the next drug.
The medical technology of the year 9999 was so advanced that a downgrade was necessary.
If they just brought in the drug without any measures, it would cause a tremendous reaction. The media would rave about it being a drug with god-like effects, and the public would be agitated.
Anyway, she examined the drug that had been diligently downgraded. Naturally, there were no side effects. If anything, it was good for the body.
The secretary following Soyeon said. It was a Cultured Human. It was impossible for Soyeon to do all the work alone. Because Soyeon only had one body.
However, with the help of a hundred Cultured Humans, she could run the company sufficiently.
Even if the company size became 10 times larger than it was now, she would be able to run the company without any trouble. Because 101 Cultured Humans, including Soyeon, were working diligently. And they were still hiring people now.
"Is this the drug we're launching this time?"
"Yes, Soyeon-nim. We created it by downgrading the obesity treatment."
The obesity treatment of the future made you lose weight rapidly the moment you took it, without any side effects. Even for people who were overweight, this drug would bring them to a normal weight within a week.
What was even more surprising was that there was no loss of appetite or nausea while taking the drug.
It wouldn't have been wrong to call it a god-given obesity treatment.
Although this obesity treatment was in a downgraded state, so it would take a bit more time to lose weight.
And the cost of making it was more expensive than the cost of selling the drug, so it didn't matter if they copied it. The ones making it would lose money anyway.
Of course, Jaeseong Bio could supply the materials very cheaply using the Genesis Ship.