What others saw as a difficult task was, for Park Jin-hyuk, easier than anything else.
Running around until sweat soaked his feet, securing orders to keep the factory machines running—this had been his job for more than ten years.
He still found searching for clients and wandering about far more comfortable than sitting at a desk reviewing documents.
“President Daeyong, I don’t know much about the bio sector, so please find out where we should go to secure orders. Let’s go together. Just because we’re presidents doesn’t mean we can sit back and expect people to hand us orders, right?”
“Yes? Yes, yes. Understood.”
Daeyong Kyung nodded at Park Jin-hyuk’s words.
Park Jin-hyuk offered a satisfied smile, looked around at the executives present, and spoke.
“I look forward to working with all of you. Now that I’m here, I see DS Pharm is in quite a difficult situation. But isn’t it in hardship that hope sprouts? Let’s all stay strong and work hard.”
The executives at the table forced smiles and nodded at Park Jin-hyuk’s words.
And when their eyes met his, they posed as if to show they’d do their best.
With that, Park Jin-hyuk wrapped up the brief introduction and company presentation, then rose from his seat.
As he stood, all the executives got up to see him off as he left.
Anyone could tell that Park Jin-hyuk had been promoted to DS Pharm’s new president.
“Director, why didn’t you bring up the funds?”
Kim Jun-woo, following Park Jin-hyuk out of the meeting room, asked cautiously from behind.
It was because he found it odd that Park Jin-hyuk, who had come here for that very reason, was not making the first move to set things in motion.
“Wasn’t that the perfect time? It was clear in that meeting that the Biologics division is in trouble.”
“What about the funds? Are they all prepared?”
“Yes. They’re ready to be deployed whenever you give the word.”
Park Jin-hyuk spoke as he kept walking.
“There’s just one thing on my mind.”
“Something on your mind?”
“Yes. Now, it’s become something neither useful nor something we can abandon, but it wasn’t always that way, right?”
Park Jin-hyuk stopped and turned to Kim Jun-woo.
Kim Jun-woo had been in the meeting as well, so he’d heard the earlier explanation about Biologics.
As Park Jin-hyuk said, the initial plans for Biologics weren’t like this.
DS Biologics was supposed to be the company’s hidden trump card and its cash cow.
“Is it the ambitious preparation part that bothers you? It’s not something you didn’t know, right?”
“That’s right. I knew. But if everyone knows—me, you, and even that guy—shouldn’t we reconsider how valuable that information really is?”
“Are you thinking of scrapping the plan?”
“No. I think we need to take a little more time to think. It’s only the first day, so let’s take it slow.”
“Director, didn’t the current president say that the faster we move, the more quantity we can get at a lower price?”
“That’s why I asked you to look into collateralizing shares. Even if we end up buying at a slightly higher price, I want to make sure it’s solid before going in. I’ve gone in blind before and lost more times than I can count.”
Park Jin-hyuk recalled his failed investments from his days at Yoo Jeong-gul.
It hadn’t taken even three months for the money he’d put into stocks—because a friend said they were good—to be cut in half, and he’d suffered for days after buying a property someone claimed was a great deal, only to have tenants not paying rent.
He’d worked as a salaried employee for more than a decade, without much of a hobby, and after breaking up with his long-term partner, he hadn’t dated anyone, so he was saving more money than he was spending.
But just when his savings grew, every investment he’d touched ended in failure, and he couldn’t escape living in a rented room.
Yet there was always something he learned.
‘Even if the gains are smaller, checking things out first is what brings more profit in the end.’
He realized he had to confirm anything that gave him the slightest doubt, and after countless trial and error, Park Jin-hyuk finally learned to act on that lesson.
Right now, DS Biologics looked like a delicious prey to Park Jin-hyuk.
But he didn’t think he was the only one who saw it that way.
“We’re already here with our foot in the door, so taking things slow doesn’t matter. As long as we’re headed in the right direction.”
“Yes, then I’ll look into things with President Daeyong…”
“While you’re at it, check how people inside the company view Biologics as well. The inside perspective can be different from the outside.”
With those instructions, Park Jin-hyuk opened his office door and went inside.
The meeting with DS Pharm’s affiliate company presidents wasn’t much different from the earlier executive gathering.
Some people were eager to catch Park Jin-hyuk’s eye, while others worried what might happen if they drew his attention the wrong way.
But Park Jin-hyuk was interested only in the numbers floating above their heads.
“Strange. Strange.”
On the way back from meeting with the presidents, Park Jin-hyuk muttered to himself.
Kim Jun-woo, sitting in the passenger seat up front, turned to look at Park Jin-hyuk in the back seat.
“What’s strange?”
“Biologics’ president. Sajeongman? What kind of name… Anyway, what kind of person is he?”
“His reputation in the company is quite good. He joined DS Pharm as a new hire and climbed the ranks to become the president of Biologics. Having spent his entire career at DS Pharm, he’s known for his loyalty.”
“How’s his ability?”
“He’s generally rated as competent, too. That’s why, when they needed a new president for Biologics, they picked an insider rather than bringing in someone from outside. But after moving to Biologics, he hasn’t produced any remarkable results, which is hurting his past reputation.”
“I see. That’s how it is.”
Park Jin-hyuk nodded, gazing out the window.
Then he murmured softly.
“Why is Biologics in such a state?”
“Excuse me?”
Rather than just talking to himself, Park Jin-hyuk decided to voice his doubts to Kim Jun-woo.
“It’s odd. Both President Kyung and President Sa seem competent. Actually, I’d say they’re more than competent. Yet Biologics is stuck. Why is that?”
“A company doesn’t always succeed just because the president is capable, right?”
“No, a president’s ability accounts for half the battle. To be blunt, there’s no well-running company with an incompetent president. And President Kyung came to DS Pharm to push into biosimilars and CMO. They even built a factory and made bold investments… So how is it there are no results? I don’t get it.”
The 30 billion floating above Sajeongman’s head stuck in Park Jin-hyuk’s mind.
It didn’t compare to Hyun Yi-soo or Daeyong Kyung, but given his value, that number didn’t suggest incompetence.
“Let’s take a closer look, just in case we’re missing something. Something’s strange.”
“Yes, understood.”
After stepping directly into DS Pharm and looking at Biologics, the suspicions only grew.
It was clear that the billions invested in Biologics wasn’t just a reckless gamble, and those in charge weren’t incompetent.
If things still weren’t running properly, the problem must lie elsewhere.
If they rushed in half-heartedly to grab a bite, they might end up bitten instead.
Not long after Park Jin-hyuk returned to the office, Hyun Yi-soo came to see him.
“Oh my, what brings such a busy man here?”
“The Director took care of everything, so is there anything left for me to do? All I have to do is sign the documents in your place.”
“Haha. Even though I’ve moved up, you’re still calling me Director? Please, have a seat.”
Park Jin-hyuk gestured for Hyun Yi-soo to sit, then fetched a document from his desk.
He handed it over.
“What’s this?”
Hyun Yi-soo accepted the document and looked at Park Jin-hyuk.
“I just organized a few things to help you with your work, President Hyun.”
Hyun Yi-soo opened the envelope and checked the contents.
Inside were estimates of land prices around Seoul.
He skimmed through the documents, then looked up at Park Jin-hyuk.
Park Jin-hyuk smiled at him and said,
“I compiled these while scouting new town sites last time. These are the locations I thought would be good to buy or develop—take a look, and if you think they’re viable, try proceeding through DS Construction.”
“This is…”
Hyun Yi-soo almost asked where this information came from but shut his mouth.
Last time with the new town, he hadn’t answered even when asked, and since he was telling him to check the feasibility, he was clearly leaving the decision to Hyun Yi-soo.
In the end, Hyun Yi-soo quietly put the documents away.
Having seen Park Jin-hyuk’s abilities at DS Construction up close, he trusted anything Park Jin-hyuk had compiled.
“Thank you. It’ll be a big help.”
“Don’t mention it. If DS Construction does well, it’s good for me too. It’s nothing, really.”
Park Jin-hyuk waved off Hyun Yi-soo’s bow with a casual gesture, as if it was nothing.
But Hyun Yi-soo’s gratitude didn’t end with a simple bow.
Because Park Jin-hyuk had just offered a clear new direction and guaranteed path to success after DS Construction’s restructuring, Hyun Yi-soo thanked him sincerely.
Park Jin-hyuk then asked if there were any issues at DS Construction, and the two chatted for a while about what had happened since Park Jin-hyuk left.
After some time, as Park Jin-hyuk sipped his tea, he spoke to Hyun Yi-soo in a subtle tone.
“By any chance, was there anything strange going on at the time Biologics was established?”
“Something strange?”
“It’s just a hunch. I’m talking about the work we’re trying to do.”
Hyun Yi-soo’s previously smiling face turned serious as he looked at Park Jin-hyuk.
He’d been meaning to ask Park Jin-hyuk about the plans they’d approved together, but now that Park Jin-hyuk said he felt uneasy, he wondered if there really was a problem.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Not exactly. But the way Biologics turned out feels off. Secretary Kim is gathering information about Biologics, but since he hasn’t been with the company long, he doesn’t know about the past. So I wanted to ask about how things were when Biologics was founded. Was there anything unusual?”
Hyun Yi-soo searched his memory in silence.
“There wasn’t anything particularly unusual at the time. DS Pharm just said they wanted to shift their business direction, and I approved it, so Biologics was founded. We bought land, built a factory, and secured production contracts for Biologics. Of course, it wasn’t smooth sailing at first, since the CMO business was new to Korea, but thankfully…”
Hyun Yi-soo paused to think, then looked up at Park Jin-hyuk as if recalling something.
“That’s right. The first products Biologics made were drugs for clinical trials. They belonged to Hanseong Pharmaceutical.”
“Hanseong Pharmaceutical? As in… the Hanseong Group?”
“Yes. Hanseong Group. That’s Director Oh’s family company.”
Ranked around 15th in the business world, Hanseong Group specialized in the bio sector.
They’d developed the most new drugs in Korea and often won national awards for creating substitutes for countless foreign medicines.
Recently, with the rise of stem cell and healthcare industries, the group had been growing even faster.
They were late in forming a conglomerate, but thanks to the current trend, they’d quickly risen into the top 15.
“At the time, I just thought Hanseong Group, as the chairman’s wife’s family, was helping DS Pharm out of a tough spot. But considering what Director Oh is trying to do now, it doesn’t seem so innocent anymore.”
“So that’s what happened. Thank you. I’ll ask Secretary Kim to look into it in detail.”
Hyun Yi-soo spoke, worry written on his face.
“I’m sorry. I should have looked into it more closely. I’m worried you might have disposed of assets too quickly after listening to me.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like the assets disappeared—they just moved from one pocket to another. And while real estate is stable, now isn’t the time for that kind of conservative investment. To invest aggressively, I need to be able to convert assets to cash at any time. No need to worry.”
Park Jin-hyuk reassured Hyun Yi-soo.
At this point, rapidly liquidating assets wasn’t the problem.
First, he needed to find out whether there was a trap waiting where he planned to invest.
After their conversation, as Hyun Yi-soo promised to meet again and left the office, Park Jin-hyuk called in Kim Jun-woo.
“Check out the connections between Hanseong Group and DS Pharm, and Hanseong Pharmaceutical and DS Biologics.”
“Hanseong Group… Director Oh…”
“That’s right. Go to Construction and there’s Uncle Number Three; come to DS Pharm and there’s Director Oh. Well, I chose this, but really, how does this keep happening?”
Park Jin-hyuk chuckled as he looked at Kim Jun-woo.
Most people wouldn’t be laughing in this situation, but Kim Jun-woo widened his eyes at the sight of Park Jin-hyuk smiling.
“If you look and there’s no connection, that’s fine. But based on how things have gone so far, there’s no way there isn’t. Maybe this is why Biologics was bothering me.”
Park Jin-hyuk kept muttering, as if talking to himself.
“I’ll know later whether it’s my bad luck or theirs. But I think it’s all worked out. If I have to smash it anyway, it’s better to go in and smash it first. Good. This is good.”
Park Jin-hyuk stroked his chin and laughed.