019. Yoon Sea-ah: Why Did the Pressure Skyrocket?
Korea University Mechanical Engineering Library.
I tore at my hair, spreading out Earth's thermodynamics data alongside the pre-explosion readings I'd witnessed in Peluah's workshop.
That horrific rupture I'd seen in Peluah. The boiler should have gradually built pressure according to calculations, but it had surged past limits in mere minutes and gone critical.
"Coal calorific value? Water vaporization rate? No, Earth's physics alone can't explain this insane explosive force."
After pulling all-nighters crunching engineering math for days, I finally reached one conclusion.
"...Mana."
The fantasy world's uniqueness. Tiny mana particles permeating the atmosphere had soaked into Rene River water and northern mountain coal.
When they combusted in the furnace, triggering chemical reactions, the thermal expansion coefficient ballooned at least three to five times beyond Earth's water—or maybe more.
'No, possibly even higher?'
I couldn't pin an exact value yet, making precise calculations tough right now.
"Damn it. No wonder even Peluah's top artisans hammering iron couldn't make it hold. The pressure far exceeded my estimates."
Now that I knew the cause, the fix was clear.
"Standard low-carbon pressure vessel steel plates won't cut it. I need extreme superalloy tech—like for nuclear reactors, deep-sea submersibles, or spaceships. Nickel, chromium, molybdenum ratios tuned to decimal points for perfect steel to withstand mana steam pressure."
A flawless new alloy formula and graphite gasket design were already mapped in my head.
But here came the most practical, bone-deep snag.
"What's theory without production? I need to fabricate and test material properties here before heading back to Peluah!"
Alloy steel required more than a fire to melt iron—ultra-high-temp vacuum furnaces for impurity control, electron microscopes, tensile/compression testers. Billions-of-won cutting-edge gear.
I hit the department homepage and applied to borrow the New Materials Engineering Research Center's equipment.
The result was brutal.
Application Rejected: This equipment is available only to graduate students and approved national research projects. Undergraduate personal research rentals not permitted.
"Ha! You've got to be kidding."
Undergrad status limits.
Payback for kicking Professor Park Tae-jun's lab slave offer to the curb.
"Rent private lab gear with cash?"
Clutching at straws, I opened Kang Woojin's smartphone banking app.
"..."
In Peluah, gold multiplied just by breathing. Here on Earth, I was a pathetic college kid trembling at convenience store lunch prices.
'Beg family?'
I scoured Kang Woojin's memories.
But I soon gave a bitter smile and quit. His parents ran a small chicken joint in the provinces—honest, modest folk their whole lives. Telling them, "I need billions for spaceship-grade special alloy research," would land me in psych ward, not mechanical engineering.
"Shit, knowledge but no factory."
Frustrated, I grabbed a barley tea from the vending machine and slumped on a department lounge bench.
Jittering my leg, merchant brain churning ways to snag capital and gear—
"Hey, Woojin. What's the top student sighing about?"
Sang-hoon, same-major buddy, strolled up sipping canned coffee. Boldest guy approaching me post-180-turnaround.
"Oh, Sang-hoon. Hit a wall."
"You? Quiz ace solo? What's up?"
I sipped barley tea, probing lightly.
"Know anywhere with private access to ultra-high-temp vacuum furnaces or special steel tensile testers? Got an alloy mix to test personally. School labs cut undergrads."
Sang-hoon snorted in disbelief.
"Dude, crazy. Superhero Iron Man now? Undergrads don't forge special alloys privately. That's megacorp labs or national institutes—no rentals for pocket change."
"Yeah, figures."
I shrugged, resigning. Bow to Park prof, fake project for sneaky gear use?
Sang-hoon glanced around, sidled close, voice low.
"But Woojin, if you really need special steel gear or materials bad... there's a backdoor. Not a place—a person."
"What? Somewhere?"
"Person."
He nodded toward a quiet girl in the lounge corner, buried in assignments, earbuds in.
Always deep-capped, face fuzzy—low-presence classmate.
"Yoon Sea-ah? Our dept loner."
"Yoon Sea-ah? Oh, back-row girl. Why her?"
Sang-hoon bugged eyes, mouthing.
"Dude, no rumors? Hides in corners, but word is she's mega-rich."
"Rich how?"
"Heard of Taesan Special Steel?"
Kang Woojin's engineering knowledge flashed.
Korea's top heavy industry conglomerate, Taesan Group. Core sub for premium special alloys in pressure vessels, high-heat boilers, sub hulls—Taesan Special Steel.
"Rumor: President's daughter hiding in our mech eng dept. Yoon Sea-ah. Festival time, black Maybach at front gate for her—witnesses galore."
"...!"
My heart pounded wild.
Taesan Special Steel! Their labs overflowed with precision metallurgy gear, rare metals. Perfect testbed for mana-steam-proof alloys!
"Just rumor, sure... but for real special steel work, better schmooze chaebol heir than sell soul to prof, right? Haha!"
His joke gleamed like a lifeline in my dark well.
"Sang-hoon."
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. Lunch on me. Ten times!"
I dunked the barley tea can and bolted up.
Undergrad limits? Broke dirtbag woes? Irrelevant.
Continent's top tycoon Elpanso Carnoble's blood boiled hot again.
Yoon Sea-ah wasn't just a classmate anymore.
Like convincing Aila to devour Peluah markets, she shone as my perfect "new investor" and "partner" for miracle two.
"Let's see how to unlock a chaebol lady's heart."
*
I strode over, sorting negotiation cards mentally.
True merchants prep irresistible offers.
Target: Suspected Taesan Special Steel prez daughter.
No begging gear as "friends"—amateur hour.
I built Plans A, B, C on give-and-take.
Plan A: Guarantee her A+ majors. Top-student honor: solo her group projects all semester, past exam banks, 1-on-1 thermo tutoring.
Plan B: Cash promise. Broke now, but post-success "business" profits—contracted share.
Plan C: Indefinite labor contract. On-call strapping adult male grunt. Rarely tapped, but free beefy porter through school.
"Whew."
Department lounge corner. Yoon Sea-ah, black cap low, noise-cancelling earbuds, eyes locked on thick textbook.
Deep breath, polite-yet-confident smile equipped, I sat at her table.
"Hey, Yoon Sea-ah."
No twitch. Earbuds? Waved hand—she finally looked up, staring cold and blank.
Cap brim framed icy, indifferent eyes.
She popped one earbud, voice flat.
"Who."
"Me? Classmate Kang Woojin. Front row last semester mech dynamics..."
"Oh, top student. What."
Straight shooter. Better.
I fired up my pitch.
"Got a huge 'proposal' for you. Rumor says you got hooks in special alloy research gear/infra. Need ultra-high-strength alloy material tests ASAP, personal."
Gauged her eyes, continued.
"Not freeloading, promise. Unlock gear access for me, and I'll ace your semester GPA. Group projects, reports, exam prep—all me..."
"Yeah. Okay."
"...Huh?"
Plan A barely launched.
Sea-ah nodded calmly, face stone.
"Sure. Do it. You need gear, right."
My whirring calculator jammed.
Flustered, I pointed her, me, her.