While I was sprawled on the sofa in the warehouse office, taking a short break, I received a phone call.
It was from someone who introduced himself as the Chief Secretary of Daesung Group.
[Is this CEO Hyun Si-woo of Luktic?]
"Yes, this is him. How may I help you?"
[My name is Park Jae-seok, Chief Secretary of Daesung Group.There is an urgent matter I would like to discuss with you.Would you be willing to meet in person?]
Daesung Group.
One of the five largest conglomerates in South Korea.
A place often called the ultimate dream workplace.
Back when I was a job seeker, I'd applied countless times—and failed at the document screening stage every single time.
And now, the chief secretary of that very conglomerate was calling me directly, requesting a meeting.
I felt a strange mix of emotions.
"What is this regarding?"
[I'm fully aware that you must be extremely busy right now, CEO Hyun.I sincerely apologize for taking up your valuable time.However, this is a matter too important to discuss over the phone.Would it be possible for you to spare some time?]
"…To be honest, our workload has increased dramatically recently, so finding time is quite difficult.Is this something that truly requires a face-to-face meeting?"
[Yes. This is a request made personally by our chairman.I sincerely hope you will be able to make time for us.]
The chairman?
Did he mean Chairman Choi of Daesung Group?
The man who always ranked near the top whenever South Korea's richest individuals were listed?
I hesitated for a moment—
Then made my decision.
"When would be convenient?"
[We will adjust to your schedule.Please tell us a time that works for you.If possible, even immediately would be fine.And if that is difficult, we can wait until later.]
Right now, the quantum computer was in the middle of decrypting the manufacturing method for the Stage 1 Elixir—technology that could treat or at least alleviate my father's condition.
No matter how important Daesung Group's request might be, my father came first.
The correct course of action was clear.
"I'm very sorry, but it will be difficult for me to make time right now.If I become available, may I contact you at this number?"
[…Ah. Yes, of course.I will be waiting for your call.Thank you, CEO Hyun.]
"I'll contact you as soon as I can."
The call ended.
…Did I really just half-turn down a meeting requested by the chief secretary of Daesung Group?
A meeting that the chairman himself had personally asked for?
For a brief moment, doubt crept in.
Did I make the right decision?
But the answer didn't change.
My father was my top priority.
I decided to wait for the Akashic Records to finish decrypting the Stage 1 Elixir.
***
Park Jae-seok ended the call.
"…Hoo."
It was a sigh filled with complicated emotions.
To be honest, he was shaken.
When a call came directly from Daesung Group's executive office—especially one accompanied by the explanation that it was requested personally by the chairman—people usually dropped everything and rushed over without hesitation.
That was the norm.
But the young CEO he had just spoken to was different from almost everyone Park Jae-seok had encountered before.
Even chairmen of mid-sized conglomerates—companies large enough to rival major enterprises—would leap at the chance if Chairman Choi's name was involved.
That was the weight of the name Daesung Group.
An order no one dared refuse.
And yet, the young man on the other end of the line hadn't seemed to care at all.
Was it because he was still new to the business world and didn't understand its rules?
Or had his sudden success at such a young age made him arrogant?
Park Jae-seok couldn't tell yet.
What was certain, however, was this—
At the moment, Daesung Group had no leverage to pressure Luktic.
This wasn't a matter of supply chains, contracts, or acquisitions.
It was a plea.
A request to use technology that only Luktic possessedto treat the chairman's youngest son.
And when the chairman had given the order, he had added only one thing:
"Money doesn't matter. Do whatever it takes."
That desperation said everything.
"Since I've started serving the chairman, this is the first time something like this has happened.What a bold young man…Whether that confidence is justified—or reckless—we'll find out soon enough."
With that, Park Jae-seok let out another quiet sigh.
***
"What did you just say…?!"
Dong-sik nearly shouted when I told him about the call from Daesung Group's chief secretary.
I'd known him for nearly twenty years, and I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen him this shocked.
"So yeah… we'll probably have to set a meeting eventually.But honestly, I have no idea why they contacted us.I mean, a company like Daesung Group only has one reason to reach out to us."
"…Yeah.It's probably about Luktic Cream.Daesung Group also has a foot in the cosmetics industry, after all."
Then—
A faint rattling sound echoed nearby.
At first, I wondered if it was an earthquake.
But when I turned toward the sound—
Dong-sik's legs were trembling slightly.
"Dong-sik, why are your legs shaking all of a sudden?Is it lack of sleep?If you're cramping, I can take over supervision. You should rest a bit longer."
He flinched.
"N-No, that's not it. I'm fine.It's just… I can't help wondering what they want from us.Good or bad.Si-woo, you know this too—once you step into the business world,a conglomerate like Daesung Group is… absolute power."
He wasn't wrong.
I knew that better than anyone.
The factory that had destroyed my father's health—
The one that exposed him to toxic chemicals—
Was also a subsidiary of a top-ranked conglomerate.
I had felt firsthand how much power and money those companies held,and how thoroughly they could bend the justice system to their will.
Looking back, refusing that meeting so casually might have been reckless.
At the time, my head had been filled with nothing but my father and the Stage 1 Elixir.
"Dong-sik, they said to contact them when it's convenient for us.For now, let's finish today's work.After we rest tomorrow, we'll sit down and talk about this properly."
"…Yeah.Dragging things out might be risky, but you're right.In our current state—sleep-deprived and overwhelmed—we wouldn't reach any good conclusions anyway."
Dong-sik looked utterly exhausted.
So I switched roles with him earlier than planned and sent him back to the office sofa to rest.
Inside the warehouse, work continued in perfect rhythm.
The sharp rip of thick packing tape tearing.The soft thud of cardboard boxes being folded and sealed.The crisp click of plastic tape cutters slicing cleanly through tape.
Countless sounds overlapped, filling the forty-pyeong warehouse.
…This space was clearly too small.
Even if it were used only for packaging and shipping, it would be cramped.
But right now, we were also running production equipment for Luktic Cream in the same space.
It was no surprise efficiency was suffering.
Once the payments from Naver Smart Store were fully settled and converted into cash,we would need to purchase a larger warehouse—or an actual factory.
And demand for Luktic Cream was still skyrocketing.
As more customers received their orders, reviews poured in.
Influencer videos.User testimonials.Before-and-after photos.
Even those who had initially dismissed it as viral marketing or noisewere now forced to admit the product's overwhelming quality.
On secondhand marketplaces,Luktic Cream—officially priced at 10,000 won—was being resold for hundreds of thousands of won.
In other words—
There were people willing to pay that much just to get their hands on it.
Considering that Luktic Cream—created using knowledge from the Akashic Records—outperformed even the most expensive luxury creams on the market,it was only natural.
At this point, we would soon need to discuss raising the official price.
Exploiting supply shortages for excessive profit wasn't ideal—
But 10,000 won was clearly far too low for the product's quality and performance.
That price had been set back when Luktic was an unknown startup.
Now, after Min Seo-ah's return and nationwide recognition,a price increase would be difficult to call unreasonable.
About seven hours passed as I supervised the operation.
The door between the office and the warehouse creaked open,and Dong-sik appeared, hesitating.
"…Si-woo, I'm really sorry.You must've been exhausted too, and I just dumped everything on you…"
Honestly, he really was a decent guy.
That sense of responsibility was exactly why I'd chosen him as my partner in the first place.
I grinned.
"You feeling better now?Man, you used to work out every day back in middle and high school.What happened—why'd you get so weak?"
"…Ugh. I'm pushing thirty.My body's not what it was in my teens anymore.Back then, I could pull all-nighters without breaking a sweat.Meanwhile, you spent years job-hunting, but your stamina's insane."
"I still took care of myself.Physical conditioning is the most important thing when you're preparing for anything."
I didn't mention the manual labor and overnight loading jobs I'd done during job hunting.
They'd been hell at the time—but maybe they'd helped me in the end.
"Anyway, you good to work now?"
"Yeah.I'll take over until morning.You go rest properly."
"Call me if it gets tough."
"Tch.You're underestimating the physical prowess of Kim Dong-sik.I used to compete as a school representative in track events, you know."
"Yeah, yeah.You literally just said your body isn't what it used to be.I'm heading home for a bit—got something important to check.Call me if you need anything."
"…Ugh."
I left him grumbling behind and headed home.
Back home, I stood in front of the quantum computer.
By now, the Stage 1 Elixir decryption should've been complete.
And sure enough—
A notification was displayed on the Akashic Records interface.
[Knowledge decryption complete!][Would you like to view it now?]▶ Yes No
At last—
The technology that could treat or alleviate my father's illness was in my hands.
With my heart pounding, I opened the newly decrypted knowledge.