Chapter 80: The World Reacts
Chapter 80: The World Reacts
When I invested in crypto and stocks, I relied on my gut.
‘A bubble is a bubble. But people's greed... my colleagues, the human indicators!’
The peak was when the people closest to me, even colleagues who'd never shown an interest in investing, started jumping in.
I exercised patience in a market driven by greed, and not long ago, I used those human indicators in reverse.
I overcame the fear of a bear market and hit the jackpot. But now, things were different.
I was leading the world.
- Biolife Vaccine Passes Phase 2 Clinical Trials
- Vaccine More Effective Than Pfizer, Moderna
- Biolife Vaccine Shows Fewest Side Effects
News articles announced that the vaccine had passed its second phase of clinical trials.
Although Professor Paul had told me beforehand that it would pass barring any unforeseen issues, I hadn't let my guard down.
‘Serious side effects could appear at any time.’
Severe side effects.
What would I do if someone died because of the vaccine?
Time passed as I wrestled with these concerns, but it safely passed the second phase.
And the world reacted.
- Record-Breaking Surge, NYSE Up 3.8%
- Global Markets Rally on Vaccine News, Dow Jones Jumps 1200 Points
- Hopes Rise for Successful Biolife Vaccine Development
- World Markets on a Roller Coaster Ride Thanks to COVID Vaccine
- Stocks Rise on Vaccine News Despite US-China Tensions
News of the COVID vaccine passing its clinical trials boosted major stock markets across Asia, Europe, and the United States.
Phase 1 and 2 trials passed.
It wasn't over; I knew Phase 3 was still ahead.
“Sir. Governor Gavin Newsom is on the line.”
A call from the governor of California.
He spoke with an excited voice.
“Congratulations, Kim Shin. You are a hero who has saved California, and America.”
“Pardon?”
“The COVID vaccine! Only Phase 3 remains, doesn't it? Once the trials are complete and it's officially released, hundreds of thousands of precious lives will be saved in the United States alone.”
“Ah, yes. That's right.”
“I still remember that sweet coffee I had at Earth Resource. I was wondering if I could cancel my schedule for tomorrow and pay you a visit.”
*He's acting all friendly, like we're old pals.*
We hadn't contacted each other since his last visit.
If not for the vaccine, we probably would have remained strangers for life.
Still, graciously accepting this kind of overture was basic etiquette for a man in his thirties.
It was nothing compared to the flattery I'd heaped on doctors.
“I was disappointed that I didn't get to hear the rest of your story about the wine business. It would be an honor to hear it tomorrow.”
“Hahaha. I'll bring a good bottle of wine. My aides and staff will be accompanying me. We'll need to take a commemorative photo, after all.”
Starting with the call from the governor of California, the phone requests didn't stop all day.
From the startups I had invested in in Silicon Valley to people related to my current businesses.
US senators, congressmen, and their aides.
“Sir, I think you really should take this call from the mayor of New York.”
“Yes. Tell him I'll be with him in a moment.”
I was so busy I couldn't even take the New York mayor's call right away.
I had never met these politicians before, so it was awkward, but I still spoke to them cordially.
And the YouTube film crew captured every moment of it.
PD Seong Ho-jin was grinning from ear to ear, as if thinking he'd never get a chance to film such a jackpot scene again.
* * *
- Hong Soo-deok: You said you were leaving the station to pursue a grand dream. You resigned so confidently.
- Hong Soo-deok: Was your goal after that to follow a rich guy around and make YouTube videos?
- Kim Min-sang: Hey, hey. Don't be so harsh. I had high hopes when he resigned too, but a man's gotta eat.
- Hong Soo-deok: Forget it. I have to say what's on my mind. Do you know what the junior staff are saying about you? That you sold your broadcasting skills for money.
- Jang Ki-joong: Everyone, quiet down. You're making Producer Seong uncomfortable.
PD Seong Ho-jin reread the two or three-month-old conversation in the group chat.
Hong Soo-deok was a junior colleague he had known since their high school broadcasting club.
They had often clashed over their differing views on producing content.
‘A YouTube producer. I guess that's true, for now.’
The reality at the broadcasting station was that even if you wanted to create a great program, it wasn't easy due to budget and manpower limitations, ratings pressure, and various other restrictions.
In his heart, he cheered on his junior colleagues who were enduring and fighting hard.
‘But my path wasn't the wrong one.’
He had filmed many scenes while following Kim Shin.
Earth Resource and his personal success.
This time, the development of the COVID vaccine was added to the list.
What could he have done if he had stayed at the station?
He'd be launching a new variety show, having daily idea meetings with the writers.
Even if a show created like that managed to get decent ratings, he would have had to battle with the production budget for every single episode.
Running a show all year long, milking it until the cast and crew collapsed from exhaustion and its popularity waned.
After a long time, PD Seong Ho-jin typed a message in the group chat.
- PD Seong Ho-jin: Soo-deok. I'm sure there's meaning in staying at the station and making programs. But the world is changing too fast.
- PD Seong Ho-jin: I'm not just following a rich guy around. I'm filming what people want to see. Moments that might go down in history. Isn't there value in that, too?
- PD Seong Ho-jin: And by the way, do you know what the production budget for my next variety show is?
The variety show production budget set by the station was a little over 200 million won per episode.
Producers at the station were under constant pressure from the reality of their budgets.
It was so difficult that they couldn't produce a program without filling it with product placement.
This was why, even if a format created with a brilliant idea gained some popularity in Asia, it ultimately couldn't expand beyond that.
- PD Seong Ho-jin: I was told to make it with 3 billion won. Not for the whole series. That's the budget per episode.
- PD Seong Ho-jin: With that, I can properly capture the stages and ideas I want to create on screen.
- PD Seong Ho-jin: I can use the best cast and footage to my heart's content.
- PD Seong Ho-jin: Do you think I've sold out? I left to spread my wings and pursue my dream.
- PD Seong Ho-jin: It's true that the reason I haven't started production on the variety show yet is because of YouTube. The videos I film of the CEO are getting over 7 million views per episode.
- PD Seong Ho-jin: They get over 500,000 views in the first hour. The viewers want to see it, so I'm making it.
It was less of a schooling and more of a lecture.
The group chat with 30 producers fell silent.
And then...
- Park Ja-hyung: Producer Seong Ho-jin, how can I get a job at Dream Art Rainbow?
- Han Soo-min: Is there a position for me? The company produces documentaries too, right?
Producers started sending him private messages.
* * *
Team Leader An from Arcor ordered a beer at a pub.
“Ahh... that's refreshing. Everyone, drink up.”
“Yes, Team Leader!”
It was a sales team dinner.
In Korea, the number of new COVID cases had been below 100 since mid-March, and had remained around 10 to 20 per day for nearly three months since mid-April.
While the fear of COVID was still significant, it was now possible for colleagues to have company dinners together.
“This year's incentives, well, they depend on how many ophthalmology clinics we can secure for the second half of the year, when surgeries will be piling up.”
“Yes, sir!”
“I hear the number of patients is gradually increasing, so everyone needs to be thorough with their sales visits to the clinics we haven't been able to visit.”
As Team Leader An spoke to his employees, he thought to himself.
‘I'm getting more and more long-winded.’
His regrets and worries were growing, and they were turning into nagging.
Just as he was feeling regretful about the youth he had dedicated to Arcor.
A news report came on the pub's television.
“Our top story tonight. The vaccine developed by the Korean company Biolife has passed Phase 2 clinical trials in the United States. We now connect to our correspondent, Ahn Soo-mi, in San Francisco.”
“I'm currently in the Palo Alto area of San Francisco. This is where the home of Kim Shin, the owner of Biolife and the man who has actively supported the vaccine's development, is located.”
The news footage showed many American reporters and broadcast vans crowded around the mansion.
“The area is currently in an uproar with reporters covering the story.”
“What is Mr. Kim Shin doing at the moment?”
“He is reported to have just finished a meeting with the governor of California. They had dinner together outdoors and...”
The once-boisterous pub fell silent as everyone watched the television.
It was a surge of national pride, you could say.
He had deliberately looked up Kim Shin's videos on YouTube and felt a certain satisfaction.
Watching the news on TV, Team Leader An felt a similar sense of pleasure and envy.
The development of a COVID vaccine.
While it was Dr. Lee Ho-yeon and his team who created it, the industry consensus was that it would have been impossible without Kim Shin's proactive investment.
“He is having dinner with the governor of California? Our former senior is really on another level.”
“That's the difference in class.”
“Kim Shin goes without saying, but Assistant Manager Lee has been over there for a while now, too.”
“I heard he's his secretary. His salary is probably around a million.”
“A million?”
“In dollars.”
“Ah...!”
The Arcor employees couldn't hide their envy.
Team Leader An was no different.
‘He could've taken me, too. If he's willing to use Kim Sang-gi, surely I'm useful enough. Is it because I'm too old and it'd be awkward?’
He was racking his brain, trying to remember if he had ever done anything to wrong Kim Shin or Lee Jong-yeop.
*Ping!*
As soon as the message arrived, he quickly checked it.
He had turned off notifications for most people's messages.
If a notification came through, it had to be from Kim Shin, Lee Jong-yeop, or one of the few other people whose messages he needed to see immediately.
- Park Seong-hyun: Good evening, Team Leader An.
A pharmaceutical company.
And it was from a manager at Isung Biologics, a company with little direct connection to Arcor.
He was a manager at a major conglomerate, from a division that held immense power in the pharmaceutical industry.
- Park Seong-hyun: I have something urgent to discuss with you.
- An Myeong-guk: Hello. What is it?
- Park Seong-hyun: Our group's Vice Chairman would like to get in contact with CEO Kim Shin.
- Park Seong-hyun: President Choi Sang-rip doesn't have CEO Kim's personal phone number, so I contacted you thinking you might have it.
The Vice Chairman of Isung Group.
He was the vice chairman in name, but in reality, he was the head of the entire group.
It wasn't long ago that people commonly referred to South Korea as the 'Republic of Isung.'
The phrase wasn't used as much anymore, but Isung Group's stature in the Korean economy had only grown larger.
- An Myeong-guk: Yes, I have his number. Let me just confirm something, and I'll get back to you.
His heart pounded at the mention of the Isung Group's Vice Chairman.
For an ordinary team leader at a small-to-medium-sized enterprise, this was a person so far removed that even connecting with them through an intermediary was a distant dream.
‘Calm down. Act normal.’
Team Leader An decided he first needed to send a message to Kim Shin and ask if it was okay to share his number.
If the man himself was too busy, he'd have to check with Lee Jong-yeop.
- An Myeong-guk: Shin. A manager from Isung Biologics just contacted me. The Vice Chairman of Isung Group wants to get in touch with you. Is it okay if I give him your number?
He reread the message several times, checking for anything that might sound awkward, before sending it.
He didn't expect a reply and was planning to wait about ten minutes before messaging Lee Jong-yeop.
But the read receipt appeared almost instantly.
- Kim Shin: Yep!
- Kim Shin: You don't have to go out of your way to check with me for things like that. Sorry to have troubled you.
- An Myeong-guk: No, no. For something like this, it's no trouble at all.
- An Myeong-guk: Congratulations on passing the Phase 2 trials. I hope Phase 3 goes well too ^^
- Kim Shin: Thank you, Team Leader.
What was this feeling?
He was so grateful that Kim Shin had replied instantly that he felt his eyes start to well up.
“Team Leader, what are you doing?”
“Hm?”
His subordinate asked, seeing him staring at his phone.
“I was just talking to Shin.”
“Shin?”
An Myeong-guk straightened his back and lifted his chin.
On the television, one report after another about Kim Shin and Biolife was being broadcast.
“Kim Shin. Your senior. The man on the television right there.”