CH 39

-The first week of the New Year. It is expected that the strongest cold wave of this winter will prevail. As the first cold wave warning has been issued in Seoul, the temperature is expected to drop to -14 degrees Celsius tomorrow morning…

Jeong-woo was sitting at the kitchen table, stirring soup with a spoon when he turned his head to the sound of the TV.

“Mom, will our water pipes freeze again?”

Hong Ji-suk, who was sitting in the living room, changing channels with the remote control, replied, “Don’t turn off the tap at night. If it breaks down, you and Chan can go to the public bathhouse. I’ll let Mrs. Jeong know.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“What’s there to think about?”

“These days, my eldest son’s mind is working really well. He might be able to invent this and that. Even something like a heater. Hmph.”

Normally, even if he said something, his mother’s expression remained unchanged. However, a faint smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.

Jeong-woo threw a meaningful look as he put the last bit of rice into his mouth.

“If I can make it through this cold wave without incident, leave out the neighborhood event at the banquet.”

“You don’t have anything to do on the weekend anyway.”

“Why do you think I have nothing to do?”

Jeong-woo got up, with an expression that seemed to say that his mother didn’t even know. He had to go to the clinic on Saturday for a four-hour treatment, and Sunday was busy with Dr. Cheon’s paper review.

He immediately went to the bathroom to take a shower, and when he came downstairs in his clothes on the second floor, Chan was coming out of his room, scratching his head.

“Are you leaving for work already?”

“I have to, even though it’s winter break. It’s 7:30, it’s not early, it’s the usual time.”

Jeong-woo put on his recently purchased leather gloves and tightly wrapped his scarf around his neck. Watching him, Chan said, “Brother, you seem to have changed a bit since you started working at that company.”

“Do I look cooler?”

“Yeah, you look like the head of the household.”

“You little brat.”

He had become much more cooperative since their recent date assistance.

“Can you reduce the frequency of cleaning the house to every four months? I even refunded you for the movie tickets.”

“Not possible.”

“Ugh.”

Jeong-woo, who was wearing shoes, shook hands.

“I’m leaving. Mom, I’ll be back!”

As soon as he came out, a wind that felt like his ears would fall off blew. Shivering, Jeong-woo went down the hill towards the subway station.

Jeong-woo entered the lobby of KG Chemicals headquarters and finally relaxed his body after being greeted by warmth.

He pulled out his employee ID and held it up to the entrance familiarly, and the security guard nodded to him.

It was his fourth week of going to the company.

Although the excitement of his first day at work had become vague, his confidence as a professional had grown accordingly.

‘Today’s my first day in a new department, right?’

Jeong-woo opened the door to the research room 1 energetically and said, “Good morning.”

“Oh, Jeong-woo. Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year to you too, senior.”

As he greeted the senior colleagues who were already there, Jeong-woo hesitated as he tried to take a seat.

Someone had flipped a blanket and was lying down on the seat next to him. It was probably Song Boyeong, and he was curious as to why she was already sleeping when he had arrived early to work as well.

‘Wait, wasn’t yesterday January 1st?’

It was not just a holiday, and yet we have to work overtime since New Year’s. I was curious about what kind of work it could be, but thinking that there was no need to wake up from sleep, Jeong-woo silently sat in his seat.

He turned on his laptop and looked through the research plans he had worked on for the past two weeks.

He had compiled and set up over 20 research items during that time. He probably wouldn’t be able to do all of this work alone, but he thought he could consider it when the time came.

‘I want to do it all, but I’ll worry about it when the time comes.’

When he opened his work email, he saw that the material he had requested from the patent analysis team had arrived.

[Hello, this is Manager Kim Da-hee. I’m curious about your request for statistics. Could you tell me what the purpose of the research is?]

After seeing the additional comments, Jeong-woo added an outline of the research plan he was working on and sent a response.

[It is a study related to the production technology of carbon nanotubes.]

After receiving the data from Manager Kim, Jeong-woo began to add details to the relevant research plan.

[…… The patent for thousands of strategic products related to nano-carbon has shown a steady increase in applications until four years ago, and has shown a slight decrease since then……]

As he focused on his work, he thought of an element that looked like a charcoal stick with the symbol [C] on his laptop.

Carbon.

Depending on its state of bonding, it could become graphite or even a diamond. Like a framework that is created before building a house, it was an element suitable for designing something at a molecular level.

The elements that Jeong-woo was seeing in front of him gradually changed into the appropriate form for the research he was working on.

The smallest connection pathway on Earth, the carbon nanotube.

Countless complex materials that are possible with this can become incredibly valuable depending on the production technology.

High-speed transistors, high-performance batteries, flexible touchscreens…

‘Wait and see. I’ll make them all someday.’

Jeong-woo reached out to stroke the nanotubes for a moment. Although it was an empty gesture, the dust particles seemed to dance under his hand as if waiting for him.

‘These things go crazy when it gets colder. Huh?’

Thud.

The door opened and the responsible researcher, Oh Seung-joo, walked in and sat in the director’s seat, causing most of the researchers to stop their work and turn their gaze towards him.

Jeong-woo shook Song Boyeong’s shoulder as she was still lying down.

“Senior, you need to get up.”

“Uh…”

Her head suddenly popped up from under the blanket, looking confused and disoriented, so Jeong-woo added briefly,

“It’s been 10 minutes since work started. Senior Seung-joo is here. The morning meeting will start soon.”

“What?!”

The researchers’ attention was drawn to Song Boyeong’s scream. Oh Seung-joo walked towards the center of Research Room 1 holding an A4 sheet of paper and made eye contact with her.

“Don’t speak informally.”

“Sorry, I’m sorry.”

Song Boyeong’s uncomfortable posture made her already swollen eyes and eyelids even more prominent.

As if feeling sorry for her, Senior Cha Jeong-hee looked at Song Boyeong.

“Wake up, Boyeong. Get up.”

“I’m…already up.”

As she mumbled these words in a groggy voice, the seniors burst out laughing. Song Boyeong sat back down and covered her head with both hands, feeling embarrassed.

“I set the alarm, why is this happening? I’m going crazy. Where did it run off to?”

Jeong-woo picked up the broken desk clock lying on the floor and handed it over to her.

“It seems like it was chased out instead of running away. I think the landlord complained about the noise.”

Song Boyeong, who only had a disheveled head, was surprised as she looked at the broken clock.

She covered her face, especially her eyes, with both hands and turned her head when Jeong-woo spoke to her.

Peeking through the gap between her hands, Song Boyeong asked, “When did you come?”

“I came on time for work.”

At the obvious answer, Song Boyeong gnawed on her incisors. She seemed to acknowledge that no matter what she said, she wouldn’t be able to come out on top here.

“I haven’t seen you in a long time, and as a senior, I showed you such a bad appearance. Smile, yeah?”

“It feels familiar. And it’s not so gruesome that it makes me laugh.”

“Oh really? When seniors smile like that, it usually means bad news. Why is that? Did you starve yourself last night and get a bit thinner?”

As Song Boyeong spread her arms, her real eyes, which looked like she was sleeping, were revealed. Jeong-woo chuckled, then immediately apologized, saying, “Oops, I didn’t expect that. I’m sorry.”

While she was stunned, Oh Seung-joo opened his mouth, holding a work schedule in his hand.

“The metal center project has been confirmed. Anyone interested in 3D printing material technology should apply right away.”

As the schedule discussion continued, Song Boyeong put away the blanket in the drawer while glancing at Jeong-woo.

“Boyeong and I are going on a business trip this afternoon. It’s in Cheonan.”

“Again?”

“There’s a big competition bidding going on, so we’re going to visit. Our project materials are also included. We need to get a feel for the atmosphere ahead of time. Oh, and when it’s afternoon, you’ll wake up, right? A lot of high-ranking people will be there.”

“Senior!”

As always, she was teased, and as always, Song Boyeong blushed with a puffy cheek and anger.

Seung-joo looked at Jeong-woo.

“Go to the Basic Materials Center Director’s office at 10 o’clock. The director ordered it.”

“I understand.”

“I guess we’ll be rotating training for two weeks from there. Just go there and do well, and when you’re free, come here and rest.”

It seemed like the policy had been firmly established.

“Anyway, have a good day today.”

Seung-joo sat back down in his seat.

Next to him, Song Boyeong turned her gaze to Jeong-woo with a towel on her face, ready to wash.

“You stayed up all night preparing for the project.”

“I know. I slept deeply earlier, so I didn’t wake you up.”

“During Christmas, yesterday, even on holidays, I returned everything to make time to talk this Sunday… “

Song Boyeong stopped and her expression changed to one that said, “That’s not what I wanted to say.”

“Anyway, let’s discuss the paper this weekend. If we don’t have time, you’ll have to work overtime like me.”

“It’s a very convincing demand, but if we don’t have time this week, we can do it next week. We don’t need to overdo it, do we? We’re not going to quit tomorrow.”

“Plus meat.”

Seeing that she wanted to talk about it as soon as possible, it seemed like she was reading a complicated paper. The way a thirsty person digs a well. Jeong-woo’s eyes lit up.

“Should we eat beef or pork?”

“Uh.”

After staring at Jeong-woo for a moment, Song Boyeong spoke up as if negotiating quietly.

“…Pork?”

“Hm.”

“No, beef!”

“Hmm.”

“Charcoal grill or hot plate?”

“Hot plate?”

When Jeong-woo turned his gaze to the laptop without saying anything, Song Boyeong’s eyes lit up.

“No, no!”

“I was going to suggest we each pay for our own meat, but you don’t want to do that.”

“I do, I do!”

In a hurried response, Song Boyeong looked at Jeong-woo with a look that said she would take revenge.

However, most of his pupils were hidden behind swollen eyelids, making his exhaustion feel cute rather than concerning.

“Ugh, I didn’t prepare for this kind of talk.”

Song Boyeong reluctantly handed him a neatly folded white cloth.

“What’s this?”

“A gown. It’s a commemorative gift for becoming an official researcher.”

Jeong-woo accepted the gown and opened it up.

“Isn’t this just a basic one that’s distributed for free?”

“Tsk, just a basic one? You have to pay with your employee card at the convenience store inside the building. And when you enter the lab, it’s customary to wear it. You should wear it before going to the Basic Materials Center.”

“Thank you. I’ll wear it well. As expected of a senior…”

When he received it for free, Jeong-woo thought it was polite to be thankful, but then he saw that his name, “Han Jeong-woo,” was sewn onto the gown.

“Huh?”

Passing by other senior researchers who were wearing name tags, he noticed that the gown was embroidered with his name.

“It’s unique, isn’t it? Hehe!”

“Did the senior researcher do the embroidery himself?”

“Well… I do embroidery a little.”

“But if you and I wear this, isn’t it like a couple’s gown?”

Song Boyeong was startled by this comment.

“Oh, no, don’t get the wrong idea!”

“I’m not.”

Jeong-woo attached his employee ID card to the pocket on his chest and said, “It’s not visible anyway.”

“That’s right! I do the same thing. You’re misunderstanding. Geez.”

Feeling like she was being attacked again, Song Boyeong nervously fiddled with her alarm clock, which had already stopped working.

As he watched a furious Song Boyeong, Jeong-woo asked, “Do you always get swollen like this when you don’t sleep well, Senior Boyoung?”

“It’s in my DNA. I take after my mother. And besides, it’s because of the bright lighting here. If you adjust the lighting and look to the side, it’s a very attractive appearance, you know?”

“Yeah, it looks really good.”

“Really?”

With slightly narrowed eyes and a round face like a cute puppy, Song Boyeong looked at Jeong-woo with a lot of expectation.

“I’m the kind of person who thinks that even animals with bulging eyes like frogs have their own charm….”

After letting out a chuckle, Song Boyeong stood up and disappeared outside the research room. Jeong-woo looked at the back of his same-aged colleague, feeling like he was teasing him like Chan. He laughed again.

As the location of the Basic Materials Center was right across from the researchers’ offices, Jeong-woo easily found the center director’s office and knocked on the door.

“Excuse me.”

A man who looked like a secretary opened the inner door and spoke.

“Han Jeong-woo, the researcher, is here.”

“Jeong-woo? Let him come in.”

As Jeong-woo entered the center director’s office, he saw a man in his early fifties with glasses on.

Jeong-woo remembered the information he had heard from his senior before.

Dr. Jang Tae-sun.

He had led the POSCO research team, successfully developed materials that boosted sales to over 10 billion won, and started his own business with ten employees. He later merged with KG Chemicals and became a member of the company. He loved aggressive and high-risk research, and his reputation within the research institute was somewhat extreme, either good or bad.

“Welcome.”

Jang Tae-sun, who was sitting comfortably on the sofa, greeted Jeong-woo with a smile on his face.

“Starting today, the director instructed me to gain experience in the Basic Materials Center.”

“I see. I heard about that too. Please take a seat for a moment.”

As Jeong-woo sat down, Jang Tae-sun asked him outright.

“I heard that you are a disciple of Dr. Cheon.”

“Ah… yes, that’s correct.”

Jeong-woo was momentarily flustered, recalling the embarrassing question from Song Boyeong.

“I knew it as soon as I heard it. It must be fate.”

“Fate?”

Jang Tae-sun grabbed Jeong-woo’s hand.

“If I had to name the three most respected seniors in the research institute, it would be Director Son, Dr. Shin Yun-seok, and Dr. Cheon Seung-guk.”

Although it seemed like he was just listing the three most powerful people, Jeong-woo nodded his head as if he was about to die.

“As soon as I heard that you were his disciple, I thought of something to entrust to you. Wait a moment.”

Jang Tae-sun walked over to his desk and pressed a button on the phone.

“Yoon, can you call in Director Lee Jeong-cheol from TS&D?”

-Yes, sir.

‘TS&D?’

As Jeong-woo tried to recall what this department did, Jang Tae-sun’s gaze rested on a document he had brought from his desk.

[Evaluation and bidding notice for equipment and drug-related items – Fire Industry Technology Institute]

“Do you know anything about the fire department’s chemistry? Well, the basic structure is the same, so you can’t not know.”

Jang Tae-sun handed over the document.

“Normally, we collect all the companies in the same category and proceed with bidding, but we lost to Yujin Chemicals last time. A large-scale contract of three years went down the drain.”

Jeong-woo’s gaze lingered on the performance tests and bidding order for more than 30 chemical drugs.

There are hundreds of fire extinguishing agents available, including powders, liquids, and solids. There were also many different types of compounds that could simply be dissolved in water and used.

“Currently, Namyoung Industries is in the lead in terms of equipment, and Yujin Chemicals is in the lead in terms of extinguishing agents. We only participated in a few equipment categories and boldly went all in on winning the contract for extinguishing agents. If we succeed, we’ll supply them to fire departments nationwide. The amount is enormous.”

“Why am I…?”

Jang Tae-sun looked at Jeong-woo with a look that said, “If you came here, you should show your ability.”

“We need to improvise with individual evaluations during the bidding process. Back then, we were deceived by Yoon Jaegil’s tactics. We didn’t know how to adjust the mobile research center for the environment on site. That’s why this time, we gathered the ace researchers from the research center and the brainpower from headquarters as much as possible.”

“Excuse me, Director. But isn’t this date today?”

Knock knock.

“This is Director Lee Jeong-cheol.”

Jang Tae-sun smiled at the sound of his secretary’s voice.

“So, it worked out well. Since this manager from headquarters is overseeing it, go with him to take notes and come back.”

“Go where? To where in Cheonan?”

“The central fire academy, I think.”

Jeong-woo was momentarily speechless at Jang Tae-sun’s order to go on a business trip as soon as he arrived.

“You don’t need to feel pressured. I believe that you were born to be a chemist for our basic materials.”

‘…I feel completely pressured.’

Jeong-woo couldn’t bring himself to say those words.