The Unbelievable Speed (3)
Choi Deok-bae clicked his tongue in amazement. "Is that so?"
Deok-bae’s words certainly held water. If one were to discover an entity that could identify harmful substances, the first application that would come to mind would be the classification of poisons. But to extend that thought from poison classification to clinical trials? That was a level of insight not just anyone could possess.
"Isn't it just because of what I have at my disposal?" Yoon-gi replied.
"If I didn't have the money to establish a pharmaceutical company, I wouldn't have even thought about clinical trials. Because there are so many things I can do, the idea of clinical trials just came to me naturally."
Seeing Deok-bae shaking his head, Yoon-gi let out a short laugh before refocusing on the task at hand. 'Let's see, first, Proposal 1...'
There were six proposals submitted today. Since he had instructed YK Pharmaceuticals to synthesize compounds and submit proposals whenever they saw potential, the speed of the first stage was faster than any other pharmaceutical company, regardless of efficiency.
"Hmm, pass."
The moment he thought about applying the synthetic compound to mice, the Vibrator turned a deep, blood-red color and went absolutely haywire. The device’s violent reaction indicated the level of toxicity. In that regard, Proposal 1 was an automatic pass.
"No, why are you trying to become a court lady...?" Yoon-gi imagined Deok-bae dressed in the robes of a palace maid.
"Don't blame me when you're the one who made me imagine it..." Yoon-gi wore a slightly aggrieved expression before turning his gaze back to the second proposal. 'Hmm, this one is a pass, too.'
Though less intense than the first, the Vibrator was still throwing a tantrum for Proposal 2. The third and fourth proposals were the same. Deok-bae, watching from the side, seemed to grow bored and lay down in mid-air, speaking toward Yoon-gi. Ignoring him, Yoon-gi picked up the fifth compound and focused his attention on the white lab mouse.
'Wait?'
Unlike before, the Vibrator showed no reaction. It remained transparent, white, and calm. Even Deok-bae was startled and jumped up from his spot. Having been floating in mid-air, his sudden movement caused him to look toward the ceiling, and as he drifted back down, he blushed slightly in embarrassment. However, Yoon-gi wasn't looking at him.
'Where, where.'
Yoon-gi focused on the first and third compounds again. The Vibrator immediately erupted into a chaotic frenzy. But the moment he focused on the fifth compound, it returned to a state of calm.
'This is it!'
He couldn't be certain, but if his deductions were correct, this compound clearly had the potential to treat AIDS.
"Oh!"
Even the sixth compound showed promise. It turned a very pale red—or rather, a color so faint it was barely red at all—which was enough to confirm that it held some potential. The ghost who would have been used as a food taster in the hands of someone else had become a legendary cheat code.
"You want me to proceed with Proposals 5 and 6?" Lee In-hae asked, and Yoon-gi nodded.
"Yes. Stop all other proposals. Keep the data, but halt the progress."
"May I ask why?"
"It's just a gut feeling." Yoon-gi was half-honest.
"A... gut feeling?" Of course, this answer wasn't enough to convince Lee In-hae.
"Yes."
"But I'll need to explain why the discarded proposals were rejected..."
"Is that a legally mandated rule?"
"Huh? Oh, no, it's not that..."
"Then, there shouldn't be any problem."
"Hmm, still, I think I need to provide a convincing explanation..."
Yoon-gi shook his head. "To begin with, there isn't a single person in the Soviet Union who can give the researchers a convincing explanation regarding the AIDS virus. I wouldn't even guarantee that for the United States."
"Well, that's true." Lee In-hae agreed on that point.
"We don't have the time or manpower to pursue every single proposal anyway. We have to start with the ones that feel right." Yoon-gi’s words weren't entirely persuasive, but they made sense. In the early stages of a business, things were often driven by the manager's intuition. That was why the first-generation chaebol leaders were called 'lucky generals.' Countless people dreamed of becoming first-generation chaebols, but only a few succeeded. Individual ability was certainly important, but without luck, they never could have reached that height. Yoon-gi’s current path was also heavily reliant on luck, so what was the point of arguing?
"That may be, but how do I quell the backlash..."
"Aunt."
"Yes?"
"A president doesn't need to give a convincing explanation to every single member of the organization. The skill a president needs is the ability to make the members listen. If an employee's suggestion is sound, a president implements it, but it must appear as if the president is adopting and executing it, not merely following the employee's lead."
"Ah..."
"So, go there and speak with confidence. Speak as if you know something they don't. The moment you try to explain it to the members, the mystery of the leader crumbles."
"Hmm... I understand." Yoon-gi’s words were a clear truth. But there was one flaw.
"Of course, this method requires that the decision must succeed. But don't worry. I'll take responsibility if any problems arise. You just need to push forward with the implementation. That is why the title of a president with a medical background is important."
In reality, pharmaceutical companies recruited people with specialist or higher qualifications for director positions. They were essentially hiring people for 'practical management,' and these individuals reviewed the proposals coming from below to select the plausible ones. If Yoon-gi, who was at the top, couldn't understand the proposals coming from below, how could other managers? If Yoon-gi didn't have the Vibrator, Lee In-hae would have had to review every single proposal. Or rather, Yoon-gi wouldn't have even thought of starting a pharmaceutical company in the first place. The industry was high-risk, high-return, and the reality was that most people criticized pharmaceutical companies while ignoring research costs and focusing only on production costs of a few cents. Because it was the perfect industry to ruin one's image, YK Pharmaceuticals wouldn't have existed without the Vibrator.
"Hmm, I see. I'll handle it well."
"Thank you."
"It's nothing. That's why I'm getting such a high salary."
It was a much better treatment than when she was a doctor. In fact, Lee In-hae was receiving significantly more respect from those around her than when she was an OB/GYN. Until recently, the woman with the highest status in the Samwoo Group was Choi Yoon-ja, Jo Cheong-woo's wife. Although her position was threatened when Choi Jung-ah married Jung Woo-ho, she had managed to hold onto the top spot—until Lee In-hae surpassed her.
Because even Choi Cheol-jae’s stock was rising thanks to this, Lee In-hae had been walking with her head held high lately.
"I'll say it again, I take full responsibility. So, Aunt, please proceed with confidence."
"I will!" Lee In-hae’s voice was filled with strength. Because Yoon-gi was truly a manager who took responsibility for his actions.
"Huh, wow. This is amazing."
At Gregory’s words, Lyudmila, who was eating Slavs-men, turned her gaze toward him with a noodle still hanging from her mouth.
"No, I mean the research. When the President first told us to proceed with Proposals 5 and 6, the teams for Proposals 1 through 4 were complaining, right?"
Slurp-!
"They were." Lyudmila lifted the Slavs-men container and downed the remaining broth.
"...How many of those do you eat a day?"
"Mind your own business." Gregory grimaced slightly, shook his head a few times, and returned to the original topic.
"Well, whatever. Anyway, honestly, I was complaining too. But looking at how things are going now, the President’s insight is truly incredible."
"That’s the talk going around these days."
As Lyudmila said, the researchers at YK Pharmaceuticals were saying that Lee In-hae’s insight was remarkable. Although the actual decision was made by Yoon-gi, he had disguised it as Lee In-hae’s choice to increase the persuasiveness of selecting Proposals 5 and 6 to the researchers. If Yoon-gi had said he chose them, the initial backlash would have been significant. But Lee In-hae was a manager who had come from being a specialist in Korea. Thanks to that, even though the researchers felt dissatisfied, they carried out the research faithfully. The results were excellent. It wasn't a large-scale animal clinical trial for official government approval, but it was already showing significant results in the relatively large-scale animal clinical trials being conducted within the lab. This was largely due to the roles of Yoon-gi and the Vibrator; Lee In-hae had instructed that even the most trivial suggestions from researchers be reported to her. Therefore, whenever researchers thought there might be even a slight improvement, they reported it to Lee In-hae, and when she brought it to Yoon-gi, he checked it with the Vibrator. It was a speed hundreds, no, thousands of times faster than other pharmaceutical companies. Thanks to that, unbelievable positive results were possible.
"Seok-chan, in your opinion, when do you think the human clinical trials will begin?"
At Gregory’s question, Han Seok-chan thought with a serious expression before answering.
"Well... wouldn't it start in at least two years? These new drugs usually take a long time to develop."
Lyudmila, who was listening, tilted her head.
"I don't think so."
"Huh?" As Han Seok-chan looked puzzled, Lyudmila chuckled and explained the reality.
"Even the US launched a new drug in less than a year, and this is the Soviet Union. Just wait a little, news will probably come soon."
Sure enough. Upon hearing the news that the animal clinical trials seemed effective, someone visited Gorbachev.
It is not easy to prevent information from leaking. If it were possible to block all information, dictators around the world wouldn't have anything to worry about. Since the military also classified the importance of information by level, the Soviet Union was no different.
"General Secretary, I heard that the AIDS treatment being developed by YK Pharmaceuticals has succeeded in animal clinical trials."
"...Where did you hear that?" Gorbachev, who was working, looked at his aide, Slava, with a puzzled expression.
"I apologize. I am in a very urgent situation, so I managed to find out the information somehow. I will gladly accept the punishment for this later."
Gorbachev sighed at the sight of Slava bowing his head.
"Hoo... well, it’s not exactly classified information. But why are you interested in that information?"
Gorbachev looked puzzled. At that, Slava let out a low sigh and confessed the truth.
"One of my relatives is an AIDS patient..."