Unbelievable Speed (1)
"Why are you so surprised?" Lee In-hae’s voice was sharp, though her expression remained calm. Dressed in the white lab coat worn by doctors and researchers, her words seemed to carry a chilling, frost-like aura.
"No... why on earth am I being fired? I’ve worked so hard until now!" There was no lie in Kim Mu-jin’s words. After all, it was true that he had worked diligently since coming to the Soviet Union.
"Do you really not know?"
"Yes, I truly don't know. Isn't this an unfair dismissal? You made me quit my job, and then you bring me all the way to the Soviet Union only to fire me? Do you want me to die?"
Lee In-hae couldn't help but let out a dry laugh at Kim Mu-jin, who didn't reflect on his own faults for even a second.
"Ha! You’re certainly confident. Fine, I’ll tell you why you’re being fired."
Lee In-hae pulled a cassette tape from her pocket. As she pressed the play button, Kim Mu-jin’s own voice began to echo through the room.
"Yes, it seems YK hasn't decided which drug to develop yet. They are still in the stage of building the organizational structure."
"They are currently deciding on the drug to develop at the top level. However, I’m hearing that the Soviet government is asking them to delay that decision for a while."
"..."
At the sound of his own words, Kim Mu-jin had no choice but to fall into silence.
"Do you understand now? Our YK Pharmaceuticals doesn't need industrial spies like you. So, I’d like you to get lost."
If it were the old Lee In-hae, she wouldn't have been able to say such stinging words so easily. However, having managed YK Pharmaceuticals for the past few months, she had quickly learned what it meant to be a 'leader,' and because of that, she didn't yield an inch of momentum to Kim Mu-jin.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you packing your bags? You have been forcibly evicted from your accommodation, and you are no longer an employee of our company. If you don't pack your things and leave within an hour, I will call security and have you forcibly removed."
As Lee In-hae continued her verbal measures, Kim Mu-jin began to stammer.
"...Tra...p..."
"What was that?"
"...It's... a... trap..."
"Speak up. Are you trying to mumble because you're in a disadvantageous situation?"
Finally, Kim Mu-jin’s head, which had been bowed low, snapped up.
"It’s a trap! You set a trap!"
"A trap?"
Kim Mu-jin shrieked. "Yes! A trap! You sent that man, Jung Jae-woon, didn't you? You were testing me, weren't you? Huh? There’s no other explanation!"
Lee In-hae scoffed. "Ha! I wondered what you were thinking, but is that pathetic delusion all you could come up with?"
Lee In-hae handed Kim Mu-jin the documents she had prepared in advance. "Read this."
Kim Mu-jin snatched the documents roughly and began to read. They were National Tax Service records detailing exactly where Jung Jae-woon was affiliated and where he was receiving his salary. Because Jung Jae-woon’s original affiliation treated him as an employee in a different position, they had been processing taxes on the salary they paid him. It was, quite literally, irrefutable evidence.
"Ughhhhhhh..."
Faced with a reality he didn't want to believe, Kim Mu-jin felt like he wanted to escape into the far reaches of his own consciousness.
"If you had at least refused the offer to be an industrial spy, we wouldn't have had a reason to fire you. But you accepted money and engaged in industrial espionage."
Lee In-hae’s words didn't end there.
"And let’s concede for a hundredth of a second that we sent Jung Jae-woon. Even then, it doesn't change the fact that you did something trashy. Do you know what it is?"
"Ugh..."
"If you get an offer to be an industrial spy, you should think about reporting it to your superiors immediately. Instead, you accept it and then doubt your superiors? I’m curious about what’s going on inside your head. I’m even ashamed that I thought you were excellent until now."
With that, Lee In-hae snatched the documents back from Kim Mu-jin’s hands.
"Now... get lost! I don't even want to talk to you anymore!"
At a nod from Lee In-hae, the bear-like Soviet security guards grabbed Kim Mu-jin by both arms and began dragging him toward the dormitory. All his belongings had already been thrown into the hallway. Kim Mu-jin could only look on in despair at his scattered luggage.
"You have 48 minutes left. If you don't want to freeze to death in the Soviet winter, pack your bags quickly."
The Korean spoken by the Soviet guard, who was clearly of Slavic descent. Surprisingly, the guard was speaking fluent Korean to urge Kim Mu-jin on. This guard was someone who had transferred to YK Pharmaceuticals after failing the physical requirements for the PMC. It was proof that high-intensity Korean language training was spreading throughout the Soviet industries operated by Yoon-gi.
"Sob... sob..."
Kim Mu-jin had no choice but to pack his bags while crying.
"If you keep dawdling, the Soviet Politburo will consider you not an industrial spy against YK, but an industrial spy against the Soviet Union. If you don't want to go to the Gulag, hurry up."
Kim Mu-jin was suddenly terrified. 'A, a Soviet industrial spy?!'
This was no joke. In fact, sending Kim Mu-jin to the Gulag as a spy was entirely possible for Yoon-gi. However, he had done it this way because there was a clear possibility that the U.S. side would have room to interfere with the Soviet Union. Of course, the moment Kim Mu-jin returned to Korea, he would receive a lawsuit stuck in his mailbox. Yoon-gi wasn't the type to let an industrial spy live comfortably in Korea. He had simply chosen a good place to dump the trash.
"Sob... sob..."
Kim Mu-jin, who had finished packing while crying, had to take an expensive taxi to the airport. It was a long distance, but it was the only way to get to the airport quickly.
'When I get back, I have to find Manager Jung Jae-woon immediately. That’s the only way I can survive.'
He hadn't been allowed to hear the conversation with Jung Jae-woon. Therefore, Kim Mu-jin didn't even dream that Jung Jae-woon had been recruited by YK. Even if he returned to Korea, there would be no way to contact Jung Jae-woon. If by any chance Kim Mu-jin were to learn the truth, what kind of expression would he make? But Kim Mu-jin wasn't the only one experiencing this situation.
"Uh...?"
As soon as he arrived at the airport, he saw familiar faces. Those faces weren't just one or two; there were more than he had thought.
"Mr. Mu-jin...? You too...?"
No more words were needed. The bewildered face of a woman in her late 30s. Although the era of the military regime had passed, YK was by no means an easy company to deal with. The people here were paying the price for underestimating YK’s potential.
"Thank you so much for coming."
"Whenever the General Secretary calls, I must always consider it the top priority. Rather, I feel reassured because you visit me often, which makes me think I’m doing well."
It was a truly harmonious atmosphere. Since Yoon-gi and Gorbachev had effectively become partners in state affairs, Gorbachev always treated Yoon-gi as a colleague in the Politburo, or even more.
"Actually, I requested this visit because I have a favor to ask regarding the pharmaceutical company Chairman Choi established."
"I had actually received word to delay the goal-setting for the pharmaceutical company for a while, so I was waiting. Is there perhaps a project the Soviet government is thinking of?"
He would decide after hearing the story, but if Gorbachev’s request helped generate profit, there was no reason to refuse.
"Hmm... that is the case. However, it’s a part where I really doubt if it’s possible..."
"What is it about? It’s not difficult to hear you out, so please speak."
At Yoon-gi’s urging, Gorbachev nodded and sighed.
"Phew... it’s because of AIDS."
"Ah..."
Yoon-gi understood Gorbachev’s distress immediately. AIDS. By the 2010s, drugs had improved enough that it was classified as a 'chronic disease,' but in the 80s, the fear of AIDS was spreading rapidly.
'Come to think of it, the first domestic AIDS patient died recently.'
Yoon-gi recalled an article he had skimmed while reading the newspaper to grasp domestic trends.
"Currently, the Soviet Union is also having a hard time because of AIDS. When we were controlling information for the people, it was possible to prevent the spread of fear, but that’s not the case now."
"That is certainly true. How are AIDS patients being managed currently?"
"That... it’s not easy. If it’s revealed that someone is an AIDS patient, they don't know what might happen to them from those around them, so they are hiding it tightly."
"In the end, the general medical centers are going to take the hit."
"That’s right. AIDS patients need to be isolated and accommodated, but even if we do, there’s no proper cure... I don't know if there’s even a justification for isolation, but it’s not an easy task at this point."
Yoon-gi grasped Gorbachev’s intention.
"So, you want YK to develop an AIDS treatment?"
"Th... that is correct. It is a truly shameless request, but..."
Gorbachev’s face turned bright red. He knew it was an excessive request even by his own standards. While 'AIDS treatment' was a common phrase in the 2010s, in the early 80s, the situation was such that they couldn't even properly analyze the AIDS virus. Even as of '87, the U.S. was using 'Azidothymidine,' known as 'AZT,' as a treatment, but it wouldn't be long before the AIDS virus developed resistance to AZT. Of course, at this point, not only Gorbachev but even the U.S. government didn't know that this future was coming.
"To do it out of simple loyalty, frankly speaking, it’s not an easy request."
At Yoon-gi’s words, Gorbachev sighed and nodded as if he had expected as much. Of course, there was no hostile reaction. Gorbachev also knew that this request was that absurd. However, Yoon-gi’s words weren't finished.
"If YK Pharmaceuticals is to develop an AIDS treatment, the active support of the Soviet government is necessary. What kind of support can you provide, General Secretary?"
Gorbachev’s face brightened instantly.
"Are you going to proceed with the project?"
Yoon-gi nodded.
"A significant number of the personnel working at YK Pharmaceuticals are doctors and chemists who worked for the Soviet government. In such a situation, I cannot completely refuse the General Secretary’s request. However, it is also true that additional support is needed. AIDS is a virus that makes the whole world tremble with fear."
Gorbachev nodded repeatedly and quickly replied.
"That is correct. That is correct. That is why Chairman Choi’s cooperation is needed."
Currently, the Soviet Union had no money to invest in AIDS virus research. Therefore, Yoon-gi’s help was truly desperate.
"Yes. So, if I cooperate, what kind of support is possible?"
"On the condition that it is necessary for the treatment of the AIDS virus, we will open our Soviet government’s relevant scientific data."