The door to the president’s office opened, and as Park Jin-hyuk stepped out, Kim Jun-woo quickly fell in beside him.
He carefully checked Park Jin-hyuk’s expression and waited until no one else was around before finally speaking to him.
“Did you have a good talk with the Chairman?”
“There wasn’t much to talk about. I was called in just to let others see me with him.”
“Huh? To let others see you?”
“Yeah. There was no reason for me to be there, and then he even called me to the president’s office at the end. Why do you think that is? He wanted to let others know he’s interested in me.”
Kim Jun-woo looked at Park Jin-hyuk with a face that clearly showed he didn’t understand.
Park Jin-hyuk entered the elevator, leaned his back against the wall, and crossed his arms as he spoke.
“How’s the investigation on my uncles going?”
Kim Jun-woo snapped out of his thoughts at the question and replied.
“Nothing unusual has been found yet.”
“They’ll start moving soon. Especially after today, there’s a high chance they’ll get busy. Don’t let that opportunity slip by.”
“Director, do you think the Chairman knows you’re planning to oust the Vice Chairman?”
“He knows.”
“He does… but will he just stay quiet?”
“To that man, both I and my uncle are no more than a speck of dust.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean by that…?”
“If it doesn’t affect management rights, he’ll turn a blind eye to whatever happens. Don’t you get it? As long as the company runs smoothly, he doesn’t care if his children fight, or if an uncle tries to harm his child. That’s the kind of person Park Jun-man is, as I’ve experienced him.”
Park Jin-hyuk stepped out of the building and looked up at the DS headquarters.
Park Jun-man, who lets things slide even though he knows his own child is being targeted.
At first, Park Jin-hyuk thought Park Jun-man was indifferent because he simply didn’t care for a child he wasn’t fond of.
But over time, after talking with Park Jun-man, he realized that wasn’t the real reason.
To Park Jun-man, Park Jin-hyuk was just another piece on the board.
He turned a blind eye when Oh Seo-young tried to pair up with Park Sang-hyuk to break into the aviation business, and tried to pull Cheongwoo in using Park Jin-hyuk to get his hands on Chemicals.
Even when Park Jin-hyuk used Biologics to deal a blow to Hanseong and affect the deal with Cheongwoo, Park Jun-man abandoned Hanseong to keep the deal he wanted, even though Hanseong was his in-law’s company.
Park Jin-hyuk got into the car and spoke to Kim Jun-woo.
“Have you ever been to a dogfighting ring?”
“A dogfighting ring?”
Kim Jun-woo turned around in his seat, surprised.
Park Jin-hyuk looked out the window as he replied.
“At a dogfighting ring, gamblers bet on dogs and get all worked up watching them fight. Blood flies, the crowd is shouting both inside the cage and out. The dogs might think they’re the main attraction, but really, they’re not. The real stars are the ones making money from the outside.”
“Are you saying the Chairman sees you and the Vice Chairman as dogs in a dogfight?”
“Doesn’t it seem that way? To the Chairman, I, Sang-hyuk, my uncle, and Director Oh are all just dogs in the ring. As long as the money keeps coming in, he doesn’t care if the dogs get torn up or drop dead. He’s like a dog owner who only cares about profit.”
Kim Jun-woo looked at Park Jin-hyuk in silence.
Whether it was true or not, Park Jin-hyuk was saying something bitter about a father from the perspective of his child.
“Do you know what happens after the bloody fight ends and the owner drags the dog out of the ring?”
“No, I don’t.”
“The loser is usually left lying on the ground, barely breathing. The winner comes out, eyes bloodshot, not recognizing owner from foe, and starts looking for the next opponent. Whether it’s a person or an animal, once their eyes go wild, they don’t even realize the fight’s over. So what happens if the owner is in front of them then? In that state, the dog can’t even recognize its master anymore and bares its teeth, ready to attack.”
Kim Jun-woo had never been to a dogfight and couldn’t respond.
Park Jin-hyuk turned his gaze to Kim Jun-woo, who was quietly looking at him from the front seat.
Though he was describing himself as a dog in a dogfight and his father as the owner, Park Jin-hyuk’s face was calm.
“At that point, the owner beats the dog until it’s on the brink of death. To make sure the dog knows who its master is… Yes. Even if you win, a dog in the dogfighting ring ends up just like the loser.”
“So you mean…”
“Right now, as we fight with my uncle and the Chairman steps back as a bystander, we need to be prepared for the fact that once the fight ends, he’ll be ready to bring out the club in some form or another.”
“Would he really… go that far?”
“Or we just keep fighting, letting the owner know the dogfight isn’t over. Either way, we have to prepare for what comes after this fight.”
Seeing Park Jun-man call him to the monthly executives’ meeting and then summon him to the president’s office for no real reason made Park Jin-hyuk realize he couldn’t let his guard down.
He didn’t want to become a disposable piece, like a Go stone or a dog abandoned after the fight.
Park Jin-hyuk resolved to prepare not just for the current fight, but for what came after.
*****
PitaFlu was selling out as soon as it was produced.
Even after allocating part of DS Pharma’s production lines, supply still couldn’t keep up with demand.
On top of that, as the Paris Flu spread to China, demand skyrocketed.
“Since the Disease Control Center recommended every household keep PitaFlu in reserve, production orders have been pouring in.”
“Hm…”
“I think it’s time to switch the Biologics production lines we allocated to Novo back to PitaFlu.”
“I agree. It’s a waste to assign lines to a product that’s only just starting to have prototypes. We should row while the tide is high and make as much as we can.”
“President, you have to make a decision.”
Kyung Dae-yong listened quietly to the executives’ demands.
As soon as Park Jin-hyuk left for Austria on a business trip, the executives swarmed Kyung Dae-yong, demanding that he reallocate Biologics’ production lines.
They weren’t happy that some lines at Biologics, which had been focused on PitaFlu production, were being left open for Novo’s new drug.
“We can’t give up PitaFlu production just for Novo’s new drug, which might not even work out.”
“Why can’t you make a decision? Is it because of Director Park? No matter how great Director Park is, you’re still the one with the final say at DS Pharma. Are you hesitating because you think he’ll object?”
Kyung Dae-yong remained silent, no matter what they said.
He had been warned about all of this by Park Jin-hyuk, almost as if he’d foreseen it.
[Once I’m gone, people will rush to you demanding that you switch the lines back to PitaFlu production. Don’t waver. Don’t forget how once-successful products collapsed overnight, and how those companies fell too. You need to prepare for what comes next when things are going well.]
Recalling Park Jin-hyuk’s words, Kyung Dae-yong listened to the executives for a long time before finally speaking.
“We’ll proceed as planned.”
“How long are you going to ignore the requests to increase supply?”
“We’ll stick with the current lines. The expansion of our European production facilities will soon be completed, and we’ll be able to increase PitaFlu supply. If we ramp up production now, we risk oversupply.”
“Isn’t that a concern for far down the road?”
“Director Park returns from Austria today. He’ll bring back definite news about Novo’s new drug, so let’s wait until then. Producing Novo’s new drug is our first priority.”
“I heard Director Park is Novo’s largest shareholder. Isn’t he just trying to use our Biologics division to boost Novo?”
Kyung Dae-yong looked calmly at the executive who spoke.
And he recalled what Park Jin-hyuk had told him.
[The one who objects the loudest—remember that person. They’ll be the turncoat. While I’m gone, the traitors will make their move. Let’s use this chance to weed them out.]
‘So it was this person.’
Kyung Dae-yong already had complete faith in Park Jin-hyuk.
He had witnessed Park Jin-hyuk’s abilities and the correctness of his directions up close.
Having seen that, his trust in Park Jin-hyuk was unshakable.
But the executives below him didn’t seem to share his thinking.
Some had been entrenched even before Park Jin-hyuk took control of Pharma, and others had their own agendas.
Park Jin-hyuk had no intention of going along with such people.
So he was preparing to identify and purge those who tried to take advantage of his absence.
“If things keep going like this, DS Pharma will end up just doing Novo’s dirty work.”
“Let’s wait. Director Park returns today, so let’s talk again when he’s back.”
“President, who’s really the boss here, you or Director Park? Is there no such thing as rank at DS Pharma?”
As Kyung Dae-yong continued to disagree with them, one executive couldn’t stand it anymore and loudly rebuked him.
But Kyung Dae-yong didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow.
“We stick to our plan. The matter has already been reported to the Chairman at the executives’ meeting. We can’t change course now.”
“Tch.”
When Kyung Dae-yong invoked the word “Chairman,” the executives who’d been grumbling fell silent.
“And… seeing how you can yell at me like this, it seems it’s you all, not Director Park, who believe there’s no hierarchy here. I have things to attend to, so I’ll excuse myself first.”
Kyung Dae-yong delivered his final, forceful remark and got up. The executives could do nothing but watch his back as he left.
Knowing that if he stayed in his office the executives would keep pestering him, Kyung Dae-yong headed to the Biologics plant under the pretense of an inspection.
He was just trying to get away for a bit, but when he arrived, he found Park Jin-hyuk was already there, talking with Sa Jung-man, the president of Biologics.
“What brings you here?”
“I could ask you the same thing, Director. Weren’t you scheduled to return on tonight’s flight?”
“I moved up my schedule. Good timing. Please, have a seat.”
Seeing how Park Jin-hyuk was everywhere at once, Kyung Dae-yong couldn’t help but be amazed.
Three days ago, Park Jin-hyuk had gone to Austria to attend Novo’s board meeting.
He had attended the meeting as DS’s representative, the largest shareholder and the holder of production and sales rights.
Once Kyung Dae-yong sat down, Park Jin-hyuk began explaining Novo’s plans to Sa Jung-man and Kyung Dae-yong.
“Production of Novo’s new drug, Datulamide, will begin next month.”
“That soon?”
“I told you it would move quickly. That’s why I said to keep the line open. The FDA inspectors were satisfied and approved production faster than expected. I’ve also heard that EU approval will come quickly, probably because it’s an oral medication, not an injectable.”
“When I reviewed it, it looked like a new treatment alternative for non-metastatic prostate cancer patients, which didn’t exist before, so I thought it had a good chance. I suppose that influenced the review.”
“That’s right. It fills an unmet medical need, so the market response should be strong. Already, several groups have approached Novo wanting to invest.”
Park Jin-hyuk smiled with satisfaction.
Even during his brief stay in Austria, he’d been approached by several parties eager to buy his shares in Novo.
Some offered three, five, even ten times his investment, trying to persuade him to sell.
Given his initial investment of 50 billion won, he could have turned that into 500 billion won in one shot.
But Park Jin-hyuk refused all the offers and got on the plane back to Korea.
He was aiming for far more than just 500 billion.
“How is the plant expansion progressing?”
“We’re in the final stages. We should be able to start test production soon.”
“Good. Looks like the expansion is ahead of schedule.”
“Yes, since the plant was designed with future expansion in mind, there weren’t any major difficulties. Plus, as soon as the decision to expand was made, DS Construction moved quickly, so we could shorten the timeline.”
“Everything is going smoothly. Let’s proceed with the plan.”
“Director, if I may…”
Kyung Dae-yong told Park Jin-hyuk about what had happened before he arrived at Biologics.
He explained which executives were dissatisfied with Park Jin-hyuk’s plan.
While Kyung Dae-yong was worried, Park Jin-hyuk smiled instead.
“I was worried they wouldn’t make a move, but now that the board is set, they’re practically tap-dancing for us. Perfect. Demote everyone who came to see you today.”
“Demote them? Isn’t it odd to do that outside the usual personnel season?”
“That’s the point. If it were up to me, I’d fire them all, but since just voicing complaints isn’t enough reason, we’ll end it with demotions.”
“Shouldn’t we stagger it, rather than do it all at once?”
Kyung Dae-yong looked worried about dealing with all the executives at once.
But Park Jin-hyuk made a chopping gesture across his neck and replied.
“There’s no reason to keep people around who don’t agree with me. And I want everyone else to see it, too. Let’s cut them all at once.”
Sa Jung-man watched the rumored “personnel purge” play out right beside him and instinctively rubbed his neck, feeling as if his own head might roll.