Building the Bioreactor

I dialed the number listed on the website.

Ring—

The line rang a few times before someone picked up. A deep, gruff male voice answered.

I got straight to the point.

The man's gruff tone brightened instantly.

"Hello. I'd like to place an order for some testing equipment."

His tone grew noticeably friendlier.

"To put it simply, it's a microbial bioreactor. But I think you'll need to look at the blueprints to get a clear idea."

"I'll do that. When would be a good time?"

I set an appointment and wrapped up the call.

"I'll see you then, then."

Click.

I had a good feeling about this.

It felt like things would go smoothly without any major hiccups.

If I can get the test facility built here at a reasonable price, I'm already halfway there.

Just then, I heard the front door opening.

Beep, beep, beep, beep. Chiming. Click.

I walked out to the living room and saw my parents.

"Hyunwoo's home early again? You've been coming home late for a while."

"His exams just ended. That's probably why."

"Oh, is that so? Still, he's a senior now. Shouldn't he keep pushing hard?"

"Oh, please. How long has it been since you told him he didn't even have to study?"

The two of them continued their usual banter about my studies as they walked inside.

"Well, that was... only if he really hated studying."

"He'll figure it out. Look at how hard he studied this time."

"That was just a temporary spurt. Do you really think his grades will go up from just that?"

"It's better than doing nothing. There's bound to be some change, right?"

Since they were on the topic of grades, I chimed in.

"Actually, we got our report cards today."

That seemed to catch them off guard.

"Oh, really?"

"Hmm?"

"What's gotten into you, bringing it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up first?"

"So, how did you do? Did they go up a bit?"

Without saying another word, I handed over the report card.

"Yes. Here."

My parents looked at it, and their eyes went wide.

"3rd in the entire school?!"

"2nd in your class?!"

"Yes."

My father still looked skeptical.

"Is this real? Seriously, you didn't forge this?"

"Oh, please! What kind of nonsense is that? Our Hyunwoo might have been bad at studying, but he's not a bad kid who would lie about his grades!"

"Ahem."

Tsk. They were bickering, but I was the one taking splash damage. I knew my past self hadn't been in the best shape, but to think even my parents thought of me that way.

Even my mother, while seemingly taking my side, had just dropped a hard truth bomb about my lack of academic prowess.

"I told you. I studied, so there was bound to be a change."

"But isn't this a bit too dramatic?"

"His grades went up, so why are you complaining?"

"Well, it's just..."

I cut in before they could drag it out any further.

"It's real, so please stop. If you don't believe me, you can call the school."

"No, no. Why wouldn't we believe you? Your dad was just joking because your grades are so amazing."

"Right. Anyway, because of my grades, I'm getting a scholarship from the school."

"A scholarship?"

"Oh?"

This was completely unexpected.

Their eyes went wide as they looked at each other.

"To think our son would get a scholarship...!"

"Wow, now it finally sinks in. A scholarship?!"

They were overjoyed.

"When do you get it?"

"They said within a week."

"That's soon. How much is it?"

"One million won."

"Wow, one million won is a lot! It's not cash, is it?"

"No, it's not cash. It's coming as a prepaid card. Normally, they just deduct it from tuition, but I made a special request to receive it this way."

My mother looked puzzled.

"Why go through the trouble?"

"I have something I need to spend it on."

"You're not spending it on games, are you?"

"No, not at all."

"Then that's fine. Do as you wish. You earned it, after all."

My mother nodded, but my father chimed in.

"Hmm? What are you going to use it for then? Ahem, not that I'm interrogating you, just curious."

After a brief hesitation, I decided to tell them the truth.

"I'm planning to build a purification system."

"A purification system? What kind?"

"The one at your company, Dad. You said they have to replace it soon."

"Huh?"

My father stared at me, utterly bewildered.

"So, on that note... could you bring home some wastewater from your company, Dad?"

After the midterm results were released, the way the kids at school treated me changed slightly.

It wasn't that I had been bullied or ignored before, but outside of my close circle, most classmates had been distant. Now, even kids I rarely spoke to started greeting me.

"Hey, Hyunwoo!"

"Oh, hey."

"What's up?"

And my actual friends somehow became even closer.

Of course, Jang Junyeob was still spouting nonsense today, as usual.

"This is impossible... This can't be happening..."

"What's impossible?"

"I mean, if Hyunwoo shoots up like this, that makes me the worst student out of the three of us. This is a serious problem."

"He's talking nonsense again."

"Tell me about it."

Then, Junyeob turned to me.

"Hey, hey. How did your grades shoot up so fast? Tell me your secret!"

"You want to know?"

"Of course!"

I asked, flashing a teasing smirk.

But he didn't care about the smirk and nodded eagerly.

Even Oh Yunsung quietly perked up his ears.

"..."

Looking at the two of them, I lowered my voice and spoke with absolute gravity.

"To be honest, I've been hiding my true power all this time. I could have gotten these grades whenever I wanted, but I chose not to. Now that it's time to go to college, I simply decided to reveal my true strength."

It was, of course, a joke.

Hearing this, Oh Yunsung relaxed and let out a hollow laugh.

But Jang Junyeob, seemingly taking me completely seriously, reacted with utter disbelief.

"Liar! No way! So you've been pretending to be an idiot for all three years of high school?!"

"I wasn't an idiot. My grades just weren't great."

Despite my correction, he just kept rambling on.

"No, that's absolutely impossible! I've been stuck to you for three years! Every time I played games, you played them with me! When I slept in class, you slept too!"

"Yeah, but I was always better at the games."

"Why are you bringing that up now?"

"It's the same logic."

"What?"

Seeing this idiot continue to take it seriously, I finally told him the truth.

"Alright, let's stop. I was just joking."

"Huh? A joke?"

"Yeah. Honestly, raising your grades is easy once you know the tricks."

Once again, Oh Yunsung perked up his ears.

"Do you want to learn?"

"Yes!"

"Yeah."

The two answered almost in unison.

They stared at me with eyes full of anticipation.

Well, the more the merrier.

Ever since my grades were announced yesterday.

My Karma had been steadily trickling in.

When I greeted the kids in the morning.

When I was chatting with these guys about grades.

And even when I was just sitting quietly.

Thanks to this, I had thought of a way to farm even more Karma.

For that, the more participants, the better.

"Alright. If you want it that badly, I'll teach you."

"Oh!"

"What is it?"

After school.

I headed to the factory I had promised to visit.

The sign came into view right ahead.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Located quite far from the city center, the workshop wasn't particularly large.

But it wasn't tiny, either.

Step, step.

Stepping through the half-open door, I saw four men working inside.

The largest of them, a burly, hairy man, noticed my entrance and walked over.

"A student? What brings you here?"

He asked, eyeing my school uniform.

Judging by his voice, he was the man I had spoken to on the phone yesterday.

He must be the owner.

I greeted him and stated my business.

"Hello. I'm Ji Hyunwoo. We spoke on the phone yesterday."

"Ah, the one who wanted to build a bioreactor or something."

"Yes, that's right."

"But... well... you're a student."

Disappointment was written all over the owner's face.

To him, a student wasn't a serious client.

I can understand his reaction.

The simple prototype I was ordering wouldn't bring in much profit for a workshop like this. Normally, manufacturers accepted prototype orders in anticipation of larger production runs down the line.

But with a high school student, it was bound to end at the prototype stage.

Under normal circumstances, that would be true.

Since the owner had no way ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of knowing my circumstances, he was highly likely to turn me down.

I had come prepared for that possibility.

But I have to persuade him first.

There were plenty of other workshops I could go to. However, my research online had shown that this place was the best fit in terms of both location and technical capability. It was much better to get it made here if possible.

Besides, the owner didn't seem like a bad guy, even if the enthusiasm he'd shown on the phone had vanished the moment he saw my uniform.

"Well... since you're already here, come on in. I'll get you some tea."

He led me into a small office.

As I sat on the sofa, the owner returned with a cup of tea.

"Here, drink up."

"Thank you."

It was a refreshing, cold tea, perfect for the weather.

As I sipped it, the owner stood nearby, scratching the back of his neck.

"Look... I appreciate you coming all this way, but I'm sorry to say we probably can't take your order. We have our own circumstances."

Just as I expected.

"Yes. I figured you might say that."

"Oh... did I make it that obvious? I'm sorry. We have to make a living, too."

"No, it's fine. It's only natural. You assume my prototype won't lead to commercial production."

"Huh? Ah... well, that is part of it..."

He looked embarrassed, clearly caught off guard by my bluntness. Technically, since he had invited me over, it was only right to take the job if I paid a fair price. Unless there was an issue with the pricing, rejecting me outright was just an excuse.

But I can't just walk away empty-handed.

Not after coming all this way.

"Even so, I really want to work with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you."

"Huh? Look, I told you, we can't."

Of course he would say that. But...

"Once you see the blueprints, you'll change your mind."