The black Genesis carrying us sped through the dark night.
Park Jae-seok, the chief secretary, drove in silence, hands steady on the wheel.Chairman Choi Chang-sik was just as quiet.
Dong-sik and I sat in the passenger and back seats respectively, both of us swallowed by an overwhelming tension.
We were riding in the same car as Chairman Choi Chang-sik, the head of one of South Korea's most powerful chaebol groups.
And he was sitting right next to me.
I couldn't even bring myself to turn my head.
An immense pressure—an almost tangible aura—radiated from him.
For dozens of minutes, the silence stretched on, thick enough to suffocate.
Then the car finally began to slow.
We had arrived at Chairman Choi's residence.
Usually, chaebol chairmen lived in areas like Seongbuk-dong, Samseong-dong, or Pyeongchang-dong.But Chairman Choi was different.
He owned an enormous estate built in a quiet suburban area on the outskirts of Seoul.
A massive main building with dozens of rooms—a design reminiscent of the mansions of wealthy elites in Europe or the United States.
Surrounding it were vast gardens spanning thousands of pyeong, and even a small forest.
A type of residence rarely seen in South Korea.
Come to think of it, I'd seen it once on a morning lifestyle program.
They'd said Chairman Choi had a deep interest in architecture and landscaping.After inheriting the company, he'd modeled his home after Western castles and grand estates, rebuilding the family residence from scratch.
The black Genesis stopped in front of a central fountain.
Several men in black suits emerged from the main building and opened our doors.
Then, suddenly, Chairman Choi asked me:
"So—what do you think, now that you've seen it in person? My residence."
Caught off guard, I answered carefully.
"Uh… it's grand. And beautiful."
"Is that so. Hah."
His voice softened unexpectedly.
"If you truly cure my son…I could give you this house as well, should you wish it."
Even at a glance, the estate was worth well over 100 billion won.
Whether he meant it or not, the fact that he would even say something like that—
It was clear how deeply he cherished his youngest son.
"But," he continued, his tone dropping,"if your words turn out to be empty promises, you'd best be prepared."
For an instant, a chilling killing intent brushed against my skin.
But there was nothing to worry about.
The Stage 1 Elixir and the Skin Regeneration Agent would show effects far beyond any medical technology humanity had ever developed.
What I'd said about curing his youngest son wasn't an empty bluff.
"Where is Eun-seok?" the chairman asked a staff member.
"The young master is in his room, sir."
"…He shouldn't be asleep at this hour."
"Yes, sir. He's awake.The last time I checked, he was reading."
"I see."
Chairman Choi turned to Dong-sik and me.
"No need for long explanations.Let's go see him immediately."
With a gesture, he led the way toward the main building.Park Jae-seok and several suited staff followed.
Dong-sik and I trailed behind—
And I couldn't help noticing something.
Dong-sik's legs—and his entire body—were trembling slightly.
The situation had clearly terrified him.
Maybe I should have told him about the Stage 1 Elixir as soon as I decrypted it.
A wave of guilt washed over me.
We entered the main hall through the massive front doors.
The central lobby was covered in luxurious carpeting.
Several men in black suits and women in maid uniforms, already lined up, bowed deeply to Chairman Choi.
"Chairman, welcome back. You must be exhausted."
"Yes. You've all worked hard."
Watching him ascend the lavish staircase—
He truly lived like a noble from early modern Europe.
The residence and interior were even more extravagant than those of other chaebol families of similar standing.
A butler.Maids.A private estate of this scale.
If my business continued to grow and I earned real wealth someday…
I wanted to live like this too.
And let my father—fully cured and healthy—enjoy such comfort as well.
We followed Chairman Choi up to the third floor.
At the end of a long corridor lined with more than ten doors, he stopped.
A suited staff member was about to speak, but the chairman raised a hand to stop him.
He knocked and spoke himself.
"Eun-seok. Are you inside?"
A brief silence followed.
"Yes, Father. What is it?"
A clear, strong voice.
It didn't sound like the voice of someone who had been sick for years.
"…Is Eun-hyuk with you as well?"
"Yes, Father.I was spending some time talking with Eun-seok."
A faint smile appeared on Chairman Choi's lips.
"I see. May I come in?"
"Of course."
The chairman turned the doorknob.
Creeeak—
The door opened.
The room was spacious, wallpapered in an elegant, classical style.
Both walls were filled with towering bookshelves, stacked like sheer cliffs of knowledge.
A soft white light illuminated the ceiling.
At the deepest part of the room stood a bed.
Someone lay there.
Beside it, on a chair, sat a well-built young man.
There was no need for introductions.
The one lying on the bed was the youngest son, Choi Eun-seok.The man on the chair was the eldest son, Choi Eun-hyuk.
For sons of a man in his seventies, they looked remarkably young.
It was immediately obvious—they were late-born children.
Chairman Choi addressed them.
"I apologize for coming in so suddenly.But this is an urgent matter.I've brought two guests with me today."
Eun-hyuk spoke with visible concern.
"Father… you know Eun-seok has a hard time meeting strangers…"
Chairman Choi looked momentarily troubled.
"Ah—Eun-seok, I'm sorry.But this is important.These are the people who may be able to treat you."
"…Treat Eun-seok?" Eun-hyuk repeated."These people?"
His gaze swept over Dong-sik and me.
There was unmistakable hostility in his eyes.
"Yes," the chairman replied calmly."They come from a company with exceptional technology."
Eun-hyuk let out a deep sigh and stared at us.
"Father… I understand how badly you want Eun-seok cured. I do.But this is impossible with modern medicine.The leading professors in the U.S. confirmed that countless times."
"…"
"Do you know how many frauds and pseudo-scientists have tried to deceive us so far?Father… are these people just more of the same?"
He strode toward us, glaring back and forth between Dong-sik and me.
"I don't know what you want from our family,but you should stop here."
With that, he stormed out of the room.
It seemed many con artists had approached them in the past, claiming they could cure Eun-seok.
Chairman Choi remained silent for a moment.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Please… take a look.See my youngest son's condition for yourselves."
The sudden shift in atmosphere caught me off guard, but I nodded.
"Yes. Of course."
I walked toward the bed with Chairman Choi.
Beneath the thick blanket lay a young man, painfully thin.
Only his face and part of his upper body were visible—
But that was more than enough.
Red rashes spread across his skin.White scales flaked off.Dark crimson blotches dotted his body.
And beneath it all, a frame so thin it looked like there was nothing left but bone.
Anyone could tell—
He was gravely ill.
Eun-seok avoided looking directly at us, his gaze angled away, filled with anxiety.
"…So. Can you treat him?" Chairman Choi asked.
"May I ask a few questions first?"
"Ask whatever you need.If it helps cure my son, I'll answer as best I can."
"I need to know how severe the damage is.To be blunt—does it threaten his life, or not?"
"…Originally, it should have.But thanks to medication prescribed by a renowned American professor,his life is no longer in immediate danger."
"A cocktail therapy?"
"Yes. Immunosuppressants and various drugs combined.They keep him alive—but only just."
"So the symptoms are being suppressed, not treated."
"Exactly.His skin issues remain unresolved.He also suffers from chronic internal inflammation.Even mildly seasoned food makes him vomit.He has diarrhea every day, no matter how careful he is.He's lived like this since childhood."
Chairman Choi's voice trembled slightly at the end.
His expression had lost all the authority it carried earlier.
A father, not a chairman.
Then Eun-seok finally spoke, his voice thin and fragile.
"You're scammers too, aren't you?"
"Eun-seok!" the chairman exclaimed."That's no way to speak. These people came to help you."
"…There have been so many like you.All of them lied.And nothing ever got better."
The despair beneath his words was unmistakable.
I thought quietly.
My father's illness—one that modern medicine couldn't even prevent from progressing toward death—had been significantly alleviated by the Stage 1 Elixir.
He was now out of immediate danger.
Then for a condition like Eun-seok's—one that modern medicine could at least keep from becoming fatal—
The elixir's effect would be even stronger.
Even if it didn't completely cure him,he could escape a life of constant drug injections, starvation, and pain.
Dong-sik stared at me, filled with doubt and fear.
Si-woo… what are you thinking?Do you even realize how big this has gotten?
I looked at Eun-seok and spoke calmly.
"I'll treat your illness.Even if it can't be fully cured, it will be far better than it is now."
His expression didn't change.
"That's what everyone said."
"This time will be different."
I met his eyes with absolute certainty.
For a brief moment, his pupils wavered—then he quickly looked away again.
Chairman Choi asked quietly,
"Is that truly so?Can you take responsibility for those words?"
"Yes, Chairman."
"…When can treatment begin?"
"In two days at the earliest.We'll adjust to your son's schedule."
"If treatment is possible, time is no issue."
Eun-seok still stared at the floor, unconvinced.
But in two days—
That expression would change completely.
Because the Choi family—one of the most powerful chaebol families in South Korea—
Was about to owe me a debt they could never repay.