The day of our appointment with Park Jae-seok, Chief Secretary of Daesung Group, finally arrived.
We were invited to a restaurant operated by one of Daesung Group's affiliates.
A massive building with towering glass walls greeted us on the outskirts of Seoul.
Dong-sik stared at the structure in awe.
"Wow… this place is insane."
"Our business is running smoothly now," I said with a smile."Soon enough, we'll be having dinner at places like this every day too, Dong-sik."
"Yeah… that's the dream.Thanks, Si-woo."
"Huh? For what all of a sudden?"
"If you hadn't suggested starting a business back then…And if you hadn't developed something that insane…There's no way I'd even dare to dream about a life like this."
"Well… if you hadn't been there, I wouldn't have even gotten started properly.Thinking about it, this was never something I did alone."
At that moment, Dong-sik looked at me seriously, a meaningful expression on his face.
"Still… I think it's about time we officially choose a representative for our company.And honestly, I think that role should be yours, Si-woo."
"A representative? Out of nowhere?"
"Yeah.The media already treats you as the de facto CEO anyway.We should make it official."
"…But are you really okay with that?We started this as partners."
"Even if we're partners, none of this would exist without the technology you developed.I think this is the right call.And besides—being the CEO isn't all good things, you know."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Dong-sik chuckled.
"Si-woo, money is best earned quietly, before you become famous.If you become Luktic's public face right now, your face will be everywhere.We're already getting interview requests from major broadcasters and national newspapers."
"…So that was your plan all along?"
"I'll live comfortably in the background with a reasonable share.Luktic's face should be yours."
He said it jokingly, but what he was really saying was this—
He had no desire to sit in the executive seat of a company that would soon grow into at least a mid-sized enterprise.
That wasn't an easy thing to give up.
Especially now.
Even with only Luktic Cream, a deliberately weakened cosmetic product,Luktic was guaranteed to become a solid mid-sized company.
And if the original Skin Regeneration Agent were approved as a pharmaceutical and exported worldwide—
The scale of revenue would be beyond calculation.
In a situation like this, it was rare for someone to relinquish power so cleanly.
"All right," Dong-sik said with a grin, gesturing toward the restaurant."Shall we go in, CEO Hyun Si-woo?"
"Thanks, Dong-sik.But don't worry—I'll make sure your shares are more than fair.We started this together."
"Of course.I'll make sure of that myself, so don't worry."
With that, we walked into the Daesung Group–owned restaurant, glowing under layers of reflected light.
As we approached the entrance, several employees in tuxedos rushed forward and opened the doors.
"You must be Mr. Hyun Si-woo and Mr. Kim Dong-sik.Please follow us."
The level of service felt excessive.
Sure, it was a luxury restaurant—but even for a large corporation, this seemed unusual.
Something else was strange too.
Before coming, Dong-sik and I had searched for information about the restaurant online.
There were countless reviews and posts.
It was a famous place in the industry—we'd just never paid attention.
And yet—
Despite it being prime dinner time,there wasn't a single customer in sight.
Not one.
The staff guided us to a secluded room on the top floor.
It felt less like a restaurant and more like a private VIP suite.
A man in his forties, dressed in a suit, was already seated inside.
He stood up politely and greeted us.
"It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Mr. Hyun Si-woo.And you must be Mr. Kim Dong-sik, your partner.I am Park Jae-seok, Chief Secretary of Daesung Group.Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule.Please, have a seat. Since you've made time during such an important period, we've prepared tonight's meal with special care.You must be hungry—let's eat first."
Dong-sik and I sat across from him as directed.
Several waiters entered in perfect synchronization, filling the wide table with dishes.
They were all signature items from the restaurant—each costing hundreds of thousands of won on its own.
Normally served as a course,they were laid out all at once like a royal banquet.
I wanted to taste everything immediately—
But sitting across from Daesung Group's chief secretary, I forced myself to eat with dignity.
Judging by how hard Dong-sik was restraining his dominant hand, he felt the same.
After the banquet-like meal ended and black tea was served,Park Jae-seok finally began the real conversation.
"I'll be direct.Is it true that Luktic's proprietary technology completely cured the burn scars of the celebrity Min Seo-ah?"
"Yes," I replied with a nod."That treatment was performed using technology developed by our company.But before we continue—may I ask why you asked us here today?"
"Yes… that's precisely what I was about to explain."
Park Jae-seok hesitated slightly before continuing.
"Chairman Choi Chang-sik of Daesung Group has two sons.The eldest, Choi Eun-hyuk, is the designated successor of the group.The younger son's name is Choi Eun-seok.What I'm about to tell you concerns the younger son."
"Are you saying you need our skin regeneration technology?"
"…In a way."
Park Jae-seok spoke carefully.
"The younger young master contracted a rare illness of unknown origin during childhood.His body has grown increasingly weak,and his skin constantly breaks out in white rashes and dark red blotches."
"If it's a rare disease, wouldn't it be better treated by specialists?"
"We've tried countless times.Every conclusion was the same—incurable by modern medicine.The best doctors can do is suppress symptoms enough to avoid a life-threatening situation.Even then, the rashes and blotches cannot be cured.As a result… the young master fears being seen by others.The chairman is deeply distressed by this."
Sincere concern filled Park Jae-seok's eyes.
"So even if a complete cure is impossible—if the skin symptoms alone could be improved…We beg you to help.After witnessing Min Seo-ah's complete recovery, we thought that if anyone could do it, it would be Luktic."
"I see…"
At that moment, a deep, heavy voice came from outside the door.
"Park. You're rambling too much."
The door opened, and an elderly man stepped inside.
Park Jae-seok immediately stood up straight and clasped his hands respectfully.
"C-Chairman. My apologies."
Dong-sik and I turned at the same time.
Standing there was a man we had only ever seen on the news and in newspapers.
But the presence he exuded was nothing like Min Seo-ah's.
When Chairman Choi Chang-sik appeared,the very air in the room seemed to grow heavier.
Impossible.
The chairman of one of South Korea's top chaebol groupshad come here in person?
His aged but piercing eyes swept over us.
"It seems my secretary has explained the situation well enough.So I'll be blunt.Can you treat my son, Eun-seok?"
"I don't expect a complete cure.Even renowned American professors said it was impossible.If you can only improve the rashes and blotches covering his skin—that will be enough."
Dong-sik and I were frozen.
The pressure radiating from the man who ruled the Korean business world was overwhelming.
"You're the first people who have made me wait this long since I became chairman,"Choi Chang-sik continued."I wanted to see for myself whether you truly had the ability to justify such confidence."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
I glanced at Dong-sik.
He looks angry, doesn't he?
Dong-sik replied with an equally tense look.
Yeah… maybe we should've called back sooner…
Then the chairman spoke again.
"I'll promise you one thing.If you treat my son—I will give you anything you want,short of Daesung Group's management rights.I swear this on the name Choi Chang-sik."
I recived the information Park Jae-seok had given us.
A rare disease of unknown cause.A weakening body.Skin rashes and blotches.Modern medicine can prevent death—but not cure it.
The chairman pressed again.
"So?With your technology, can you treat my son's illness?I repeat—full recovery is not required.Fix his skin, and my promise stands."
I thought carefully.
The Skin Regeneration Agent alone might not be enough.
The skin symptoms were a result of an internal disease.
But—
The Stage 1 Elixir.
My father's condition—previously headed inevitably toward death—had been stabilized immediately after injection.
If the younger son's illness was one that modern medicine could keep from becoming fatal—
Then the Stage 1 Elixir might be enough.
Very possibly enough.
I looked the chairman in the eye and answered.
"It may be possible."
His brow twitched slightly.
"…May be possible?"
"Yes.It's possible that we could treat not just his skin,but the illness itself."
The skepticism in his eyes wavered.
"…What did you just say?"
"I would like to examine your son's condition in person.Would it be possible to meet him?"
The chairman fell silent.
Then, in a trembling voice, he spoke.
"…Do you have time this evening?"
"Yes.We cleared our evening schedule for today."
Hearing that, the chairman turned to his secretary.
"Park.We're going home—together with them.Now."
"Chairman, tonight you have a scheduled briefing with the North American branch—"
"Postpone it."
"…Y-Yes, sir."
As Park Jae-seok hurried to make arrangements,the chairman turned back to me.
"I've never canceled company business on the same day before.If this turns out to be nonsense,you will pay the price for interfering with my duties."
Dong-sik looked at me, pale, silently screaming with his eyes.
Si-woo…! Do you know who that man is?!That's Choi Chang-sik of Daesung Group!If this is a bluff and you get caught, we're dead!
Of course.
Dong-sik didn't know about the elixir yet.
I would explain later.
But right now—
This was an opportunity granted by fate.
To make one of the most powerful men in the country owe me a debt.
I met the chairman's gaze without flinching and answered calmly.
"Of course, Chairman."