Only after hearing Kyung Dae-yong’s words did Park Jin-hyuk finally look relieved.
“That is good to hear. Did Novo accept it willingly?”
One of the conditions Novo had set when agreeing to the acquisition by DS Pharma was the guarantee of autonomy in their development. However, since the acquisition negotiations were not even finished, Park Jin-hyuk had been waiting anxiously to see how Novo would react to him interfering with their new drug development.
“There was some pushback at first. They even talked about calling off the acquisition negotiations, expressing disappointment that we were already trying to break our promise before the contract was even signed. However, once I calmly explained the reasons, they gradually opened their minds and began to listen. Eventually, they even showed signs of agreement.”
It was exactly as Park Jin-hyuk had expected.
If anyone other than Kyung Dae-yong had gone, they certainly wouldn’t have been able to persuade Novo. The best way to break down developers who were full of pride was to use someone they respected, like Kyung Dae-yong. No matter how much they resisted, they would listen at least once for Kyung Dae-yong’s sake, and as long as he had that one opportunity, persuading them wouldn’t be a problem.
“Did they understand it right away?”
“Yes. They understood at once. This is both a disadvantage and an advantage for people who focus mainly on research. If someone points out that they are on the wrong path, they realize it immediately. Because they have spent a long time following the lead of their advisors and seniors, they don’t find it strange to listen to advice from those around them. On the other hand, the disadvantage is that they don’t realize they are walking the wrong path until someone points it out.”
“Still, I’m glad they understood immediately. Were they not disappointed?”
“I know what you are worried about, Executive Director. But do not worry. If anything, you could say their trust in us has grown stronger because of this. They were even grateful that we found something they had missed.”
Park Jin-hyuk brushed away the last of his anxiety at Kyung Dae-yong’s words. He had been worried that they might realize what they were developing was wrong and demand a renegotiation. Because of that, he had thought about telling them only after the negotiations were finalized.
However, Kyung Dae-yong thought differently. He believed that even now, they had to shift the development direction toward the right path so they could enter clinical trials as quickly as possible. Specifically, for a field like diabetes where all of humanity was looking for a cure, the faster they proceeded, the more the FDA would put it on a fast track to speed up the clinical trial process.
Furthermore, Kyung Dae-yong argued that a small deviation now could grow into a massive gap later, potentially causing the researchers to lose their motivation. That was why he had flown out to inform them of the development direction even though the acquisition negotiations were not yet complete.
“Executive Director. I am like this too, but the people at Novo are pure researchers. I haven’t been in the lab for a long time, so I’m a bit different, but back when I was immersed in research, money was never my first priority. What I was researching and progressing on was more important than anything else in my life. The Novo folks are the same. They aren’t the type of people who would ask to renegotiate the acquisition just because they found out a pancreatic cancer treatment is more effective for treating diabetes. Instead, they are moved by the fact that someone caught their mistake, and it makes the relationship even stronger. I believed in that, which is why I told you and flew out there.”
“I’m glad. I suppose people who do research really do think differently from ordinary people.”
“Isn’t that why we live this life?”
Kyung Dae-yong felt a sense of pride, feeling that he had stepped up and accomplished something for the first time in a while. He also felt like he still ‘had it’ because he had found something that even active researchers had missed.
“Good. Then let’s get board approval and wrap up the acquisition immediately.”
“Yes, sir. I have already given the board a heads-up, so there shouldn’t be any issues with the process. I will make sure we can proceed with the acquisition right away.”
Seeing Kyung Dae-yong full of confidence, unlike when they first met, Park Jin-hyuk finally felt at ease. He began to think that he could gradually handle things through Kyung Dae-yong without having to step out to the front lines himself.
Once Kyung Dae-yong left, Park Jin-hyuk enjoyed a rare moment of rest with a calm mind. Until now, he had been moving non-stop, from the acquisition of Novo to using that to pull in Dongjeong Industry. He believed he had now established at least the basic foundation to engage in a proper fight.
‘It would be best if everything just resolved peacefully…’
Because he was preparing for the worst-case scenario, Park Jin-hyuk hoped it wouldn’t actually come to that. While nothing would happen right this moment, keeping his nerves on edge like this to guard against an unknown threat was no easy task.
***
“Seriously. Don’t you know who I am? Why are you stopping me?”
“You cannot enter. You must make an appointment first.”
“Do these guys know who I am to be blocking me? You brat, do you want to die?”
“Even so, you cannot. You can only meet him if an appointment has been made.”
“Do I look like the type of person who makes an appointment to see someone? These people are out of their minds. Hey, push them aside.”
A loud commotion broke out from outside. Unfamiliar voices trying to get in clashed with the voices of Kim Jun-woo and the other secretaries trying to stop them. A short while later, the sounds of the security detail who had been standing by for Park Jin-hyuk rushing in to quell the disturbance could be heard. After a moment, the noise died down, and Kim Jun-woo entered to explain the background of the incident.
“I apologize, Executive Director. A man claiming to be your friend showed up with his own bodyguards and caused a scene, demanding to see you.”
“A person who knows me came all the way here and caused a scene?”
“Yes.”
“The security guards at the entrance wouldn’t have let him through, so seeing as he made it this far, he must have forced his way in.”
“I am sorry.”
“In my case, I have people escorting me who could stop them, but if it had been President Kyung or other executives, it wouldn’t be strange for something serious to have happened. I should probably pay more attention to this.”
“Yes. I will take measures immediately.”
It was as Park Jin-hyuk said; if it had been anyone else, something terrible might have happened. Kim Jun-woo thought to himself that a major overhaul was necessary as he informed Park Jin-hyuk who the person causing the commotion was.
“Executive Director. He says he is your friend… It is Mr. Choi Chul-han, the eldest son of Jinhan Group. What should we do?”
Kim Jun-woo had never seen anyone who could be called a friend while assisting Park Jin-hyuk. He had never even heard of him going to meet a friend personally. The only people Park Jin-hyuk met were Kim Jun-woo himself, Hyun Yi-soo, and the team leaders from his time at the Restructuring Headquarters. That was why he had blocked the man claiming to be a friend.
Of course, once every few months, someone would contact the secretary’s office claiming to be a friend. But every time, Park Jin-hyuk had refused to take the calls, saying he didn’t know them, leading Kim Jun-woo to conclude that Park Jin-hyuk had no friends.
However, he couldn’t decide how to handle someone who showed up at the company in person like this. Moreover, the person was a scion of the Jinhan Group and was one of those who had been calling.
Park Jin-hyuk tilted his head and asked.
“Choi Chul-han. Choi Chul-han. Where have I heard that name before?”
“He contacted us two months ago as well, and I asked you about it then.”
“Ah. That friend who occasionally calls claiming to be a friend?”
“Yes. What should I do?”
“Since he came all the way here, I should probably see his face. Let him in. Let’s find out why he’s here.”
There was no reason not to meet him, since he had not only kept calling but had even come to the company. Until now, he had intentionally avoided those who contacted him claiming to be friends. He was afraid he might show a weakness if he met them. But now, he thought it didn’t matter whether he showed a weakness or not. The position he had climbed to wasn’t so fragile that it would crumble over something like that.
After Kim Jun-woo left, a neatly dressed man opened the door and entered a moment later.
“Why are you so hard to meet?”
As soon as he entered, he spoke informally without an invitation and walked over to the sofa, sitting down without hesitation. It truly felt as if he were the friend he claimed to be.
Park Jin-hyuk silently looked Choi Chul-han up and down. Then, his value appeared. Setting aside the clothes he was wearing, he was a man whose value was less than the price of the shoes on his feet. If friends were just people to laugh and have fun with like in school days, he might be worth associating with, but at an age where even friendships involved entangled interests, he showed a value that made Park Jin-hyuk not want him as a friend.
“You’ve been doing well lately.”
He sat with his legs crossed, dusting off his suit pants as he looked around the office with a swaggering attitude. Jinhan Group was a top twenty group and possessed power that could not be ignored. Park Jin-hyuk felt a sense of disappointment that the eldest son of such a place was acting like this, even if he was in front of a friend.
“It seems so.”
Feeling that he had called him in for nothing, Park Jin-hyuk gave a short reply. Choi Chul-han didn’t seem to care as he stopped looking around and turned his gaze toward Park Jin-hyuk.
“Why haven’t you been coming out lately?”
“What are you talking about?”
When Park Jin-hyuk acted like he didn’t understand, Choi Chul-han leaned his head back and looked at Park Jin-hyuk with narrowed eyes. Then he laughed and waved his hand.
“Never mind. Anyway, this look is unexpected. You always said you didn’t want to do stuff like this, but you’re the first one of us to settle into a position. You could have taken it slow; why were you in such a rush?”
“I don’t have the luxury of time.”
“I don’t have much luxury either. My father is causing such a fuss, and I have to keep my younger siblings in check… But people like us aren’t supposed to run after leisure. We’re supposed to make leisure come to us.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
To Park Jin-hyuk’s ears, it sounded like nothing more than the words of someone who spent his days playing, trying to hypnotize himself. Regardless of what Park Jin-hyuk thought, Choi Chul-han looked around again and spoke.
“Dong-ho said he’s throwing a party in a few days. You should come; it’s been a while.”
“Dong-ho?”
“Yeah. The son of the director of Seongun Hospital.”
Park Jin-hyuk narrowed his eyes and looked at him. Unknown names kept popping up, and he wanted to know if this man truly had a friendship with the Park Jin-hyuk of the past or if he was approaching him by inflating a shallow relationship.
“Don’t you remember? He’s the guy we used to hang out with when we were in the States. He’s throwing a party for the first time in a while and calling everyone, so you come too. People say they want to see you. Show that handsome face of yours.”
“Who else is coming?”
“Who else? The usual crowd. Though, since you haven’t been out lately, I guess you wouldn’t know the new people. You don’t know the kids from Donggun Construction or KH Electronics, do you?”
Park Jin-hyuk silently shook his head. Choi Chul-han nodded as if he had expected that.
“You probably won’t know the ones who haven’t been back in Korea for long. I think they went to study in the UK or somewhere. We only know the US East Coast side; we don’t really know the kids who went to the West Coast. When we were in the States, the country was so big that we had to pick a date well in advance just to meet up once, but now that we’re in Korea, we can meet whenever we want, and I like that. Don’t you?”
Park Jin-hyuk just listened to Choi Chul-han’s words without speaking. It seemed Choi Chul-han was bringing up stories from before he had entered this body. Since the story of the past Park Jin-hyuk, which he had been curious about but couldn’t discover, was coming out through someone else’s mouth, Park Jin-hyuk couldn’t say anything. He felt that if he spoke carelessly, he might show a gap.
“Anyway, it seems like he’s thinking of expanding the scale of the gathering this time. I agreed that we need to grow our group of peers, which is why I’m personally going around like this. You agree with me, right?”
Listening to Choi Chul-han, Park Jin-hyuk realized that the second- or third-generation scions of chaebol families were trying to form a social circle before they fully entered their respective companies. Park Jin-hyuk didn’t have a negative view of such gatherings either. In fact, having felt through his past social life that networking was more important than anything else when it came to work, he agreed with Choi Chul-han’s words. However, agreeing internally and expressing it externally were two different matters.
Park Jin-hyuk still showed no reaction to Choi Chul-han’s words.
“Come this time. You’ll need our help, whether you realize it or not, if you want to work in the future. It’s not good to keep distancing yourself from us just because you got a head start.”
“True. That part did sway me a little.”
“Then I’ll count on you being there. Check out how much our group has grown during the time you were absent. Your jaw will probably drop.”
Choi Chul-han left Park Jin-hyuk’s office after mentioning that the location and time would be sent to his secretary. When Kim Jun-woo entered the office after Choi Chul-han left, Park Jin-hyuk, who hadn’t moved from the spot where he had spoken with Choi Chul-han, looked at Kim Jun-woo and asked.
“I knew that guy who just left had been contacting me frequently… Besides him, were there others who contacted me saying they were my friends?”
Park Jin-hyuk had previously instructed him to block all calls from people claiming to know him. Now, he was asking about the contacts he had received. Kim Jun-woo looked back at the door Choi Chul-han had exited for a moment before answering.
“There were a few.”
“What kind of people were they usually?”
“Most were children of business owners you would recognize.”
“Were they from influential places?”
“In their own sectors, most were places that had operated their businesses for a long time.”
“Like the guy who just left?”
“Yes.”
Park Jin-hyuk nodded at Kim Jun-woo’s words. He had finally finished the acquisition of Novo and had some time to breathe. He realized it was now time to investigate what kind of person the past Park Jin-hyuk had been.