“We will now connect with our correspondent in Paris, France.”
The news was in full swing on TV.
After going over the major domestic headlines, it was time for updates on the international situation, and this time they were connecting to their correspondent in Paris to report on what was happening in France.
“Yes, this is Paris, France.”
“We’re hearing the so-called ‘Paris Flu’ is spreading rapidly. Could you tell us more?”
“Yes. At the moment, France is struggling with an outbreak of influenza that began at the end of last year. The French Center for Disease Control has identified it as a type A influenza, and it’s spreading so quickly that they’re advising people not to gather in large groups.”
“Flu season happens every year, but this time seems different.”
“Yes, that’s correct. Influenza is common around this time every year. But this year’s strain is much more infectious and deadly compared to previous years. Already, it’s been confirmed that over 400 people have died from the Paris Flu in France alone. The problem is, they failed to contain it in advance, and now there’s no way to stop the spread. The outbreak has gone beyond France and is now spreading throughout Europe.”
“According to reports, the flu has also been found in Eastern Europe and the United States, not just Western Europe. Is there any treatment available?”
Park Jin-hyuk stood in the living room, drinking the juice made by the housekeeper, Mrs. Onsan, as he watched the TV.
He had turned on the TV for a short break before heading to the company for an afternoon meeting, and happened to catch this interesting segment.
Even as he drank the bitter vegetable juice, he couldn’t take his eyes off the screen.
“The only effective treatment so far is Pitaflu, produced by Lohasche Pharmaceuticals. Some say it’s not just a treatment but also helps prevent infection. That’s why demand for Pitaflu in Europe is skyrocketing.”
“It’s said to help with prevention? Then even people who haven’t caught the flu will be looking for it.”
“Yes. In Paris now, it’s become normal to see people lining up for hours in front of pharmacies to get Pitaflu. The French government has even sent officials to Lohasche Pharmaceuticals, hoping for help in securing enough supply, as the situation is dire.”
“That’s truly unfortunate news. At the same time, I hope the flu will stop spreading soon. Please take care of yourself out there, and we’ll connect again later.”
Behind the correspondent, who had taken off his mask for the report, the streets were completely empty.
When the camera did catch people on the street, they were all heavily protected, wearing masks and moving cautiously.
The atmosphere was obviously alarming, even through the screen.
Park Jin-hyuk switched through a few more channels, then headed outside.
The driver and Kim Jun-woo were already waiting by the car in front of the building.
Park Jin-hyuk slipped into the car naturally, and once he was seated in the back, the car started forward at a slow pace.
Kim Jun-woo turned halfway around in the passenger seat to report.
“Lohasche has requested that we increase production as much as possible.”
“Tell Sa Sajang to push the factories to their limit, as much as we can.”
“Understood. They’ve also asked that we prioritize shipments to Europe before supplying Asia.”
“To Europe first? So when are we supposed to release the supply for Asia?”
“They’re suggesting about a month from now.”
“A whole month? Hmm…”
Park Jin-hyuk turned his gaze to the scenery passing by outside.
After thinking for a moment, he gave Kim Jun-woo further instructions.
“Tell Sa Sajang to set aside ten percent of our daily production.”
“Set it aside?”
“Yes. Put aside ten percent every day. By the end of a month, that’ll be quite a stockpile.”
“If Lohasche finds out, they won’t be happy.”
“They can be upset all they want. There’s nothing they can do right now. The contract is clear—Lohasche has no options except us.”
On the day of Park Sang-hyuk’s engagement, right after the ceremony, Park Jin-hyuk had headed straight to the 24th floor of the hotel, where the Lohasche representatives were staying.
All the key people from DS, including Kyung Dae-yong and Sa Jung-man, were already there, waiting for him.
Sven Peterson from Lohasche Korea didn’t even greet Park Jin-hyuk, just shoved the contract at him and pushed for the deal to be signed quickly.
The group wrapped up the contract in the hotel room without issue, then moved to tour the Biologics factory where Pitaflu was being produced.
There, Park Jin-hyuk informed them that both Plant 1 and Plant 2 had shifted all operations to focus on Pitaflu, suspending all other products.
The Lohasche representatives were moved by this, shaking Park Jin-hyuk’s hand and expressing their gratitude over and over.
They were amazed once again by DS’s quick response, starting full-scale production immediately.
Park Jin-hyuk remembered the expressions and attitudes of the Lohasche people that day.
“To hold real power, production capacity is important, but securing our own stock is just as vital. Supplying the product isn’t our only job.”
“Word is already spreading that we hold the license for Asia. Even though we haven’t said anything…”
“I told them.”
“Sorry?”
“I told the Chairman and the Minister of Health and Welfare in person.”
“Then…”
“Yes. If the news spread, it was either from my father or the Minister’s side.”
“Could the Chairman have leaked it?”
“Most likely. He already hinted at it to me.”
Judging by how Park Jun-man relayed messages through Secretary Hwang, it was clear he coveted the cards Park Jin-hyuk held.
‘Why would I let someone else take what’s mine? I can do so much with this.’
In Texas Hold’em, only one community card had been revealed so far.
Park Jin-hyuk was holding an American Airlines (A-A, the strongest hand), not just two face cards—a hand that had nothing to fear.
With a confident smile, Park Jin-hyuk got out of the car at DS Pharmaceuticals.
Though it was the weekend, a few employees were around, probably because of the emergency board meeting.
He nodded at their greetings and headed to the large conference room where the board meeting was underway.
When he entered the room, everyone present stood and greeted him.
“Now that Executive Director Park has arrived, let’s begin today’s board agenda.”
At this point, everyone at DS Pharmaceuticals had naturally accepted that Park Jin-hyuk held authority and competence above that of even the company president.
With Kyung Dae-yong, who officially held the president’s title, actively supporting him, the board members were all keenly aware of Park Jin-hyuk’s influence.
“The emergency board meeting has been called regarding the expansion of the DS Biologics plant. Currently, the plant is running at 99% capacity. There’s no sign of slowing down, and Lohasche is asking for even more supply.”
“But aren’t we in charge of Asia? If we haven’t even started selling in Asia yet, why do they want more supply?”
“They’re struggling to cover Europe and North America. With not just treatment but prevention now confirmed, demand for Pitaflu has exploded.”
Park Jin-hyuk quietly watched the board replay what he’d seen in the news that morning.
Everyone agreed on the need to expand the plant.
But it was clear that the board was taken aback by the sudden surge in demand.
“Even with the expansion, it won’t solve the fundamental problem. We need to approve the construction of Plant 3 and begin planning for Plant 4.”
Sa Jung-man, who had come to explain the Biologics situation, spoke confidently in front of the board.
The directors, in contrast, were stunned.
Just a month ago, the plant had been operating at less than half-capacity, posting astronomical losses year after year. Now they were talking about building Plants 3 and 4.
“I heard supply is running short, but… won’t this all be over soon? Once the weather warms up, the flu will die down, right?”
“It hasn’t hit Korea hard yet, but Lohasche tells us France is about to declare a national emergency.”
“A national emergency?”
“Deaths in France alone have surpassed a thousand. Germany and the UK are seeing similar numbers. In the US, they’ve lost control—there are so many deaths, they can’t even keep track. Pitaflu is so relied upon now that people openly say it’s the only thing they trust.”
“What do you mean? The news I saw before coming here reported only about 200 deaths.”
“I saw 300 reported.”
“I heard 400.”
The board members called out various numbers they’d seen, all different.
It seemed that either the situation was difficult to assess, or information was being tightly controlled.
Park Jin-hyuk raised his hand to silence the room.
“How many people are infected isn’t what matters to us. What matters is how much Pitaflu we can produce.”
Sa Jung-man answered immediately, without hesitation.
“With all available resources at Plants 1 and 2, we plan to supply 40,000 liters per month. That’s more than Lohasche is demanding. DS Biologics will become the world’s largest producer of Pitaflu.”
As the company started running smoothly, Sa Jung-man’s confidence grew too.
Park Jin-hyuk nodded at him and addressed the rest.
“I want everyone at DS Pharmaceuticals and our affiliates to pool their efforts and support DS Biologics. Now is the time to bring all our strength together. And it doesn’t end with Pitaflu. Novo’s new drug is waiting for production, and as soon as the results come in for Truxima, we need to push forward with developing a Truxima biosimilar. We must also develop our own new drugs. Understood? There’s a mountain of work ahead. No one should cause internal discord at a time like this.”
He looked around at the board members after he finished speaking.
A few directors lowered their heads as if they’d done something wrong.
‘Did they think I wouldn’t notice?’
If word was going around about selling off Biologics, it meant some people inside were in favor of it.
Right now, Biologics was moving so fast that dissent hadn’t had a chance to surface yet, but it was certain that they would seize any opportunity to shake things up and push for a sale.
Park Jin-hyuk wanted to shut them down before they could open their mouths.
“I know there are strange rumors going around about Biologics. But they’re all just rumors. And I guarantee you that’s all they are. If anyone claims to have heard something after this meeting, I’ll consider that person to be spreading those rumors themselves.”
No one dared speak up under Park Jin-hyuk’s cold glare.
They knew what happened to those who defied him, and how he’d risen to his current position.
With just a few words, Park Jin-hyuk wrapped up the meeting and got to his feet.
That was the end of the emergency meeting called on a weekend.
Park Jin-hyuk returned to his office, leaned his head back against his chair, and closed his eyes.
“Executive Director, the Disease Control Center just called.”
“Just take the call, but don’t give them any answers.”
Park Jin-hyuk didn’t even ask what they wanted. He already knew they were calling about Pitaflu production.
Kim Jun-woo cautiously tried again.
“Japan and China’s disease control centers are also inquiring about sales in Asia.”
“Let them wait. Now is not the time.”
“When do you plan to start, then?”
“When? When every morning and evening, every news broadcast and every portal headline is about the Paris Flu. Don’t answer until then.”
“But wouldn’t that mean the situation is getting really serious?”
Still leaning back, Park Jin-hyuk opened his eyes and looked at Kim Jun-woo.
“Didn’t you say that every dose produced at Biologics is getting shipped out immediately? Biologics was supposed to be a supply base for the Asian market, but we can’t even release supply in Asia. Just keeping up with Europe and North America is overwhelming. What does that tell you? The situation is already more serious than we know.”
Park Jin-hyuk smiled at Kim Jun-woo.
“So we just have to wait for things to ripen a bit more.”
It didn’t take long for news outlets to put the Paris Flu front and center.
After the first domestic case was reported, the number of confirmed cases in China quickly climbed to hundreds, and even Japan, with its strict quarantine system, reported cases.
-After the first case yesterday, there have already been twenty more confirmed today. The rate of transmission makes you wonder if quarantine measures even mean anything.
-It’s no surprise. This is another kind of flu—a mutated cold virus. You know how fast and easy it is to catch a cold.
-Does that mean we can just brush off the Paris Flu like a common cold?
-It doesn’t look that way. Reports say there have already been around 2,000 deaths in Europe from the Paris Flu alone. It’s the same in North America. In the US, there are so many deaths that it’s hard to keep track.
-If thousands have died in Europe, what will happen here? Even in our country, which we thought was safe, confirmed cases keep increasing and panic is spreading rapidly.
TV stations were running specials on the Paris Flu, bringing in experts to discuss the outbreak as the number of confirmed cases climbed.