Chapter 81: The Future Game Changer
Chapter 81: The Future Game Changer
The Vice Chairman of Isung Group.
A call came from the de facto head of the group.
It was a brief moment, but I had tried to imagine what he might say.
“Is this Mr. Kim Shin?”
“Yes.”
“This is Seon Jae-yong from Isung Group. I apologize for calling you like this out of the blue. I've been watching you a lot on YouTube. I've subscribed, liked, and even turned on notifications.”
“...”
His voice sounded young for his age.
It held more cheerfulness than authority.
Still, I never expected to hear something like that from the vice chairman of Isung Group.
“Thank you. Do you have a YouTube channel, Mr. Vice Chairman?”
“Hahaha. I wish I could, but I'm not as popular as you are, Mr. Kim. Besides, I'm one of those rich guys who gets a lot of flak.”
We started the conversation with some light banter.
Back when I worked at Arcor, I probably would have been so nervous and frozen that I couldn't have spoken properly.
But with more life experience and, most importantly, more money, I could handle it comfortably.
Besides, I wasn't deeply involved with Isung Group in terms of business anyway.
And since we were both busy, we quickly got to the point.
“I'm truly grateful that you entrusted the vaccine production contract to Isung Biologics. For Isung Biologics, it's not just about the profit; we've received a precious gift that will allow us to leap forward several steps.”
“I just made the contract based on various conditions. I believed I could trust you more with the delivery than overseas vaccine manufacturers.”
Isung and DK.
Living in Korea, I hadn't given much thought to either company.
My phone was from Isung, my carrier was DK.
“Still, I should have expressed my gratitude sooner. I'll make sure to thoroughly oversee the vaccine production you've entrusted to us so that no problems arise.”
“Yes, thank you for taking the extra care.”
“If I happen to visit the United States, would it be alright for me to visit your mansion?”
A visit from Chairman Seon Jae-yong.
If a political figure like the governor of California could visit, what would be the problem?
“You're welcome anytime. I'll even treat you to some instant coffee.”
“Hahaha. If you're going to make me instant coffee yourself, I'll have to visit soon.”
* * *
The world wasn't in an uproar over passing the second clinical trial for nothing.
- Paul: It was reported in the news first, but we've just completed the second clinical trial. We'll be moving straight into the third.
- Paul: The COVID vaccine has many volunteers, so the third clinical trial will start with over 50,000 people.
The second trial started with 800 people, but the number of volunteers increased it to 15,000.
With no side effects in a group this size, the safety verification was already more or less complete.
Normally, a vaccine is developed in a lab and then tested on a few dozen people in the first phase.
Vaccine development usually takes a long time because each clinical phase requires securing a budget, collecting data, and going through lengthy verification processes.
The COVID vaccine, however, progressed at an unprecedented speed thanks to money, volunteers, and active government support.
- Kim Shin: Only the third trial left. When we were doing the first, it felt so far away.
- Paul: Yes. But I don't think you need to worry too much. The results from observing the phase one participants for over 60 days are very good.
- Paul: We've gathered solid data from 15,000 people in the second trial without any issues.
- Paul: Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will pass the third clinical trial.
The results of both the first and second trials were good.
A 98% vaccine efficacy rate.
A large number of antibodies were produced in the trial participants.
Although antibodies decrease over time, we could confirm the generation of T-cells, which act as memory cells.
This would allow the immune system to be reactivated if the virus invades in the future.
For those who heard this news, they couldn't possibly resist contacting me immediately.
- Kim Shin: I hope it gets released quickly after the third trial is complete.
- Paul: Biolife's vaccine will be the game changer.
I had made various investments until now and earned enormous profits.
The investment in Biolife, which I thought would either lose money or, at best, break even.
And likewise, the vaccine production contract I'd made two months ago, bracing for a loss.
It was a strange feeling to think that, thanks to these decisions, at least hundreds of thousands of people wouldn't have to die.
* * *
Lee Jong-yeop quietly met with Oh Myeong-woo.
They had grown quite close, living together in the apartment and playing games.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“I need some money to use without Kim Shin knowing.”
“Money?”
“Yes. Since Kim Shin is getting so much media attention.”
Looking back at Kim Shin's life, this was his most troublesome Achilles' heel.
There was a very high chance that reporters would swarm his ex-wife.
“I think we need to solve the problem with his ex-wife, Han Chae-won.”
At those words, Oh Myeong-woo's face turned pale.
“Don't tell me you're going to kill her. Are you going to put her in a drum, pour cement over her, and drop her in the East Sea?”
“Hey, that's a crime.”
“Then?”
“We need to shut her up so she doesn't say anything bad about him.”
He explained how Han Chae-won had spread so many nonsensical and malicious rumors about Kim Shin since their time at Arcor.
Most of the employees hadn't believed her, and the atmosphere within Arcor had been on Kim Shin's side.
Nevertheless, it would be problematic if Han Chae-won started talking to reporters now and it became news.
Han Chae-won had little to lose, whereas Kim Shin had his fame and reputation.
“Hmm. Shin will definitely be at a disadvantage. Even if he denies it and says there's no evidence, in the public's mind, he'll be branded a domestic abuser.”
“Yes. That's why we have to shut her up completely.”
“You're going to buy her off?”
“Han Chae-won is very greedy. But if we try to pay her for her silence, it won't be easy.”
Han Chae-won would try to extort as much money as possible through negotiations.
The fact that she had taken even the villa Kim Shin owned during the divorce had become a well-known story later on.
Lee Jong-yeop didn't want that to happen.
“So what's the plan?”
“I'm planning to set up a publishing company in the U.S. and then approach her.”
“On the condition that you'll publish her book?”
“We'll give her a reasonable advance and have her write the book. We'll tell her she can't give any interviews to the media until the book is finished.”
In the United States, even criminals wrote books and made a lot of money.
As long as they were reasonably famous, they could write a book playing on public curiosity and earn millions of dollars.
“That would keep her quiet.”
“After she signs the contract, we'll find issues with the book's content and refuse to publish it.”
“So you're just giving her the advance?”
“Yes. For now, I think this is the best option.”
* * *
The next three days were hectic.
The New York Stock Exchange soared for consecutive days, and reports about Biolife were coming out on CNN and Fox News.
They were saying the vaccine would be a game changer.
“Sir, an interview...”
“We're getting press inquiries about Earth Resource.”
“There's a request for you to appear on a talk show.”
The sight of news vans lined up in front of my house became familiar.
In the morning, on my way to work, I would even exchange light greetings with various reporters.
“Kim Shin!”
“Pamela. What are you doing here?”
“I'm here for an interview.”
I even ran into a reporter from Forbes standing in front of my house.
“May I ask you a few questions?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
I explained about the investment in Biolife and what I did for the vaccine's development.
Every time I met with reporters, I repeated similar things.
‘The news vans I used to see in American movies are now a reality for me.’
I heard the media competition surrounding Biolife in Korea was also immense.
They said there were far more foreign reporters than Korean ones.
- Kim Shin: Dr. Lee Ho-yeon. Is there anything you need?
- Lee Ho-yeon: I am more than satisfied with the generous support.
Biolife had yet to turn a profit.
Right now, they were focusing on improving the AI and even researching a therapeutic for COVID.
I had also paid for the vaccine production costs out of my own pocket.
Once the vaccine passed the clinical trials and was officially released, Biolife would make an enormous amount of money, but...
- Kim Shin: If you need anything, just let me know.
- Lee Ho-yeon: Thank you.
When Biolife started making money, I planned to give the researchers generous stock options and incentives.
And...
- Kim Shin: Do you have a moment?
- Jin Yoo-kyung: Wow! You must be so busy! I've been watching the news. Thanks for calling me when you're this busy. I'm 200% touched!
Managing Director Jin Yoo-kyung of Mirae Group.
I had contacted her for a reason.
- Kim Shin: Don't worry about the budget. Please furnish the Biolife employee dormitories with high-end items, like beds and televisions.
- Jin Yoo-kyung: High-end?
- Kim Shin: I saw a Korean-made bed that cost 20 million won. Maybe not that extravagant, but still.
I had been surprised while looking around a department store.
A large king-size bed from a domestic brand cost 22 million won. The price was so high I wondered if people actually bought such things.
Still, it was an era where a decent bed cost over 5 million won.
- Kim Shin: I'm also going to provide each employee with a car.
- Jin Yoo-kyung: What kind of car?
- Kim Shin: High-end models from Mirae Motors. It would be even better if the employees could choose for themselves. If they have families, I'll give one to their spouse and parents as well.
- Jin Yoo-kyung: Wow. That would be over 1,000 cars. Really?
- Kim Shin: Yes. But there's an employee discount, right?
- Jin Yoo-kyung: ???
- Jin Yoo-kyung: The richest man in South Korea wants a discount on cars?
- Kim Shin: Ah. So you don't like men who use discount cards?
- Jin Yoo-kyung: ????
I relieved some stress by joking around with Jin Yoo-kyung.
* * *
A few vaccine companies were already openly declaring their plans.
“We expect to supply the United States first, as they invested the most money in vaccine development.”
It might have been lip service from companies that received government funding, but the production and distribution of the vaccine were undoubtedly another set of problems.
That's why purchase requests started coming in as the third clinical trial began.
France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, came to my mansion in person.
“I heard there is a vaccine being produced under contract with a Korean company. France would like to purchase 70 million doses.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs.
To think I would be meeting and talking in person with someone I'd only ever seen in international news articles.
“But the third clinical trial isn't over yet.”
“We expect it to be successful. And we need the vaccine as soon as possible. Do you know what the situation is like in Paris right now?”
“I saw it on the news.”
The scenes of Paris, a world-famous tourist destination, completely empty of people.
“Kim Shin, what will be the selling price of the vaccine?”
“I haven't decided yet.”
Honestly, it had only been a few days since I became confident it would pass the trials. I hadn't even had a chance to consider making a profit.
“Pfizer is apparently planning to set their vaccine supply price at around 21 dollars.”
“Is that so?”
“France wishes to purchase 70 million doses under the same price conditions as Pfizer.”
A sum of 1.4 billion dollars.
I could recover all the money I had invested in vaccine production.
“I will consider it favorably for now.”
The next visitor was a government official from Israel.
Israel was actively locking down public facilities, including airports and ports, as COVID spread on a large scale.
“We wish to purchase 20 million doses at a price of 30 dollars per dose.”
“30 dollars?”
“Yes. We are aware of the internationally forming vaccine prices, but Israel does not consider the cost when it comes to protecting the lives of its people.”
“Ah. I see.”
“If you can expedite the supply, Israel will not forget this favor.”
Several countries were already moving quickly to secure the vaccine.
That's why I was more concerned about Korea, but then Lee Jong-yeop showed me an article.
- Minister of Health and Welfare Shin Won-tae: "The COVID situation in Korea is stable. We will not rush to introduce a dangerous vaccine."