"Grr… what's with all these excavators and dump trucks suddenly roaming around this quiet mountain village?"
"Oh, sir.It seems some young folks from the neighboring village started a business, and it's doing quite well.They're expanding their company buildings, so there's construction going on."
"What? Running a business out here in the mountains?"
"Well… you may have seen it on TV yourself, sir.They're the same people who healed the actress Min Seo-ah's skin and treated Chairman Choi Chang-sik's youngest son from Daesung Group."
"What?I've heard of that, sure—but that company was in the village next to ours…?!"
"Yes, sir.I only found out today myself."
"Hmph…"
Na Jeong-cheol, the most powerful local magnate in Yangseo County, listened to the faint sounds of construction drifting in from afar, a strange feeling settling in his chest.
The village where Hyun Si-woo and Kim Dong-sik had lived their entire lives lay beyond a low mountain ridge from Na Jeong-cheol's estate.
Unlike Si-woo and Dong-sik's village—home to ordinary working-class families—Na Jeong-cheol's village was a wealthy enclave of spacious, luxurious country homes.
Among them, Na Jeong-cheol stood unrivaled.
For generations, his family had been the richest in Yangseo County.They had been a family of ten-thousand-seok landowners during the Joseon era,and their fortune never waned through the Japanese occupation, liberation, or the years of military dictatorship.
Rather than declining, their wealth had only grown.At this point, even the county governor tread carefully around him.
Elsewhere might be different—but in Yangseo County,this was effectively his kingdom.
The internet slang that mockingly refers to rural power brokers as "○○ daimyo"fit Na Jeong-cheol perfectly.
And yet—
The sudden appearance of a nationally renowned startup inside his "territory"left a faint but undeniable irritation in his heart.
"…Well, newly rich upstarts are all the same.Success like that never lasts."
Muttering this to himself, Na Jeong-cheol turned back through his gate and returned home.
Sejong City — Once Again
I found myself once more inside a conference room at the Government Complex in Sejong.
The same three officials from last time were waiting for me.
The Vice Minister of Health and Welfare.The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.And the Industrial Science and SME Policy Director from the Prime Minister's Office.
I was tense again.
Had they accepted my conditions?
Or would they press me, asking why I was so adamant about hiding the manufacturing process and ingredients—even suspecting that I was using something illegal to make the drugs?
But my worries proved unfounded.
The Vice Minister of Health and Welfare spoke to me with noticeably greater courtesy than before.
"CEO Hyun Si-woo, the government has decided to accept all of your requests.The details will be explained by the MFDS Vice Minister here."
The MFDS Vice Minister, likewise far more polite than before, continued.
"For the drug used to treat Min Seo-ahand the drug administered to Chairman Choi Chang-sik's youngest son,you will not be required to submit ingredients, raw materials, or manufacturing processes during the review.This was a direct directive from the President, so you do not need to worry about policy changes later."
The President's directive…?
Had this really gone all the way up to him?
"Additionally," the MFDS Vice Minister went on,"the President instructed us to apply special exceptions even to clinical trials,which typically take the longest time during new-drug approval.Our review process will also be conducted in a streamlined and expedited manner.Compared to standard approval timelines, this will be significantly shorter."
Ordinarily, new-drug approval—including clinical trials—takes roughly ten years.
That was why I had planned from the start to sell diluted versions of the skin regeneration agentand the Stage 1 Elixir as consumer products first.
How far would they really shorten it?
"Thank you sincerely for the government's consideration," I said."If the procedures are simplified, how long do you estimate approval will take?"
"Well… given the President's full backing,we believe we can cut the timeline by nearly half."
Half.
Five years?
Still long—but far better than ten.
"And regarding the drug used to treat Chairman Choi's youngest son,"the MFDS Vice Minister added,"we're also considering an aggressive fast-track designation.According to the materials we received via Daesung Group, it was provisionally labeled an 'Elixir.'It appears to be an extraordinary new drug, and the President himself showed great interest.You may expect a much faster process for the Elixir."
Good.
Please—make it as fast as possible.
After all, it was a panacea left behind by a civilization whose science dwarfed humanity's.
Given everything the Akashic Records had shown so far,the likelihood of side effects was practically zero.
For now, my primary objective—avoiding disclosure of ingredients and processes—had been achieved.But going forward, I'd need to continue pressing the government to shorten timelines even further.
After the MFDS Vice Minister finished,the policy director from the Prime Minister's Office spoke.
"The President has instructed all relevant ministries and local governmentsto provide full support for Luktic's business.We've been informed that you're currently constructing new facilities—we've already ensured that all permits and approvals are handled as quickly as possible."
Ah.
So that was why.
The reason factory permits that normally took a year in the metropolitan areahad been processed in just one to two weeks.
It seemed the President had taken a strong personal interest in Luktic's technology.
Our relationship with the government was unfolding smoothly.
Then the Vice Minister of Health and Welfare asked cautiously,
"Um… CEO Hyun… may I ask—are these measures satisfactory to you…?"
"Yes," I replied with a sincere smile."I was genuinely moved by how much attention the government has given us today.As someone born and raised in South Korea, I do possess a sense of patriotism.If the government continues to support Luktic,I, too, will do my utmost to develop technology for the nationand lead its successful commercialization."
All three officials visibly relaxed.
"Thank you very much, CEO Hyun.If you encounter any difficulties in the future, please contact us at any time.The government will support you and Luktic to the fullest extent possible."
They handed me their business cards one by one.
After Hyun Si-woo Left
The three men exhaled deeply.
"Phew… thank goodness."
"Seriously… what a relief."
"Yes… truly."
After the report had reached the President,he reportedly showed immense interest in Luktic's technology.
A world-class innovation developed by ordinary young entrepreneurs.
If the government fully supported it and it achieved global success,it would become a major political achievement for the current administration.
But if the government failed to meet Luktic's demands and the company moved overseas?
Luktic would turn into a double-edged sword—one that could inflict severe political damage.
Losing a breakthrough technology to a foreign country was bad enough—but worse still was the public backlash the President would face.
At a time when science and technology were becoming central political issues,allowing such talent to slip away would be unforgivable.
A sharp double-edged sword must, of course,be angled in a direction that benefits oneself.
"From now on, we must stay extremely vigilant," the Vice Minister of Health and Welfare said."CEO Hyun has agreed to remain in Korea, so the immediate crisis is over.But now that the President is personally invested in Luktic,if anything goes wrong in the future…"
"…We'd all be taking off our suits," the MFDS Vice Minister muttered.
"For the country—and for ourselves—we must treat CEO Hyun and Luktic with special care.The Minister will now receive regular briefings on Luktic-related matters."
"The same goes for the MFDS," the Vice Minister added."The Commissioner has been thinking about nothing else lately."
"And the Prime Minister has ordered regular reports as well,"the policy director said.
"This is getting bigger and bigger," someone murmured.
"Yes—but crises can also become opportunities," the Vice Minister replied."Isn't this exactly such a moment?"
"…You're right."
"If Luktic achieves global success in the future,that achievement will reflect on us as well.Let's all do our best."
"Agreed."
"Let's do our best."
Back at Luktic
After returning, I began preparations for clinical trials and approval procedurestogether with the staff dispatched by Daesung Group.
The pharmaceutical products would bethe original solutions of the skin regeneration agentand the Stage 1 Elixir.
The Daesung Group specialist handled every detail with such carethat I almost felt guilty watching him work.
About one month passed.
The new factory and warehouse were nearly complete.
Factory area: ~150 pyeong
Warehouse area: ~400 pyeong
Only now did it truly feel like a manufacturing company.
In the distance, heavy trucks lined up and entered the site.
They were transport vehicles from the production equipment manufacturerthat Dong-sik had contracted in advance.
As I watched the vastly expanded facilities,Dong-sik approached me.
"Now that we've nearly cleared the backlog of orders,once the factory starts operating,we can reopen online orders immediately."
"Good.Both the Luktic Cream line and the diluted Elixir line will be installed soon, right?"
"Yeah.Neither setup is particularly complicated—installation should be done quickly."
That made sense.
From a manufacturing standpoint,it wasn't much different from making ordinary cream or beverages—aside from adding the Luktic Basic Catalyst Stone at the final stage.
"Then we should prepare for full-scale sales," I said."As promised, we'll hire Min Seo-ah as our advertising model…and we should also start commercializing the health drink made from the diluted Stage 1 Elixir."
"Oh—finally Min Seo-ah—ah, ahem.Anyway, everything should be ready in a few days.Once mass production starts at that scale, money will really start pouring in."
"Yeah.This is the future we dreamed of when we started this business."
Inside the factory, technicians were installing production equipment one by one.
Soon, those machines would mass-produce enormous quantities of Luktic Cream.
And inside the massive 400-pyeong warehouse next door,large-scale packaging and shipping operations would begin.
Watching it all, my heart began to race.
"Once production lines are fully set,we'll reopen the order button we had blocked."
"I heard Luktic Cream is selling for tens of times its price on the secondary market.The moment official sales resume, orders will explode."
"Probably.Even with increased capacity,we'll have to prepare to run the factory around the clock again."
A few days later, installation finished,and mass production of Luktic Cream began.
We also expanded our temporary workforce for production, packaging, and shipping.
Dong-sik and I reactivated the purchase button on the online marketplaceafter months of suspension.
The news spread instantly across media outlets.
A massive wave of response surged nationwide—and soon, signs appeared that it would spread beyond Korea, overseas.