Before dawn, while the darkness of night still lingered,I woke up and—just before heading to work—turned on the quantum computerand accessed the Akashic Records.
[Stage 1 Elixir] (Tier 1)Progress toward next knowledge: [329 / 500]
Progress is accumulated each time a certain quantity of the Stage 1 Elixir is produced.
To meet the delivery volume requested by Daesung Distribution,we had been running the production facilities for Luktic Drink at full capacity day and nightfor nearly a week straight.
The progress bar continued to fill steadily.
I couldn't help but wonder—what kind of knowledge would be unlocked once it reached full completion?
The method to create gold.A cream capable of near-perfect skin regeneration.A miraculous elixir that could cure ordinary ailments the moment it was consumed.
What kind of astonishing technology would appear next?
Filled with anticipation,I left home and headed toward Luktic's production base.
Early that morning, as soon as I arrived at work,Dong-sik rushed over to me in a panic.
"Si-woo! What the hell is going on here…?!"
"Hm…?What's wrong, Dong-sik…?"
I answered in a voice that still hadn't fully shaken off sleep.
"Look at this—hurry…!"
Dong-sik thrust his smartphone in front of my face.
"What is it now?Why are you suddenly showing me Onstagram?Did you find another pretty influencer or something… like Min Seo-ah…?"
Dong-sik flinched, then shook his head vigorously.
"N-No! That's not it!Look closely at the screen!And I don't go looking at women's photos on Onstagram!What do you think of me, anyway?!"
Only then did I notice that his screen showed Onstagram's trending rankings—a list of the most mentioned and hashtagged keywords in real time.
And sitting firmly at #1 was a keyword so unbelievablethat I doubted my own eyes.
[1st – Ruqtic Cream]
"…What is this?Ru… Ruqtic?Is this some new American cream?If it's ranked first, their marketing must be pretty good.We should take notes—"
Dong-sik shook his head again.
"That's… Luktic, Si-woo."
"…What?"
"Not another brand.It's our Luktic.The company we founded."
"…."
I fell silent.
For several seconds, my mind simply refused to process the situation.
Sure, I had expected word of mouth to spread overseas eventually.The product's effectiveness was undeniable.
But to suddenly take #1 on global SNS trends overnight—without any overseas marketing,without even warning signs of international buzz?
Dong-sik tapped the [1st – Ruqtic Cream] tag.
The feed instantly filled with countless posts about Luktic Cream.
Among them were unmistakable photos ofour cream containers and packaging boxes.
The only difference from domestic posts was thatevery caption was written in English or other foreign languages.
I stared at the screen blankly.
After several moments, I finally asked:
"What on earth happened…?"
"I did some quick digging just now," Dong-sik said.
He switched apps to YouTubeand showed me a video.
It was a recording of a livestream—a tall, handsome young man holding Luktic Creamand talking animatedly.
"…What is this?Wait—this guy looks familiar…"
He had the aura of an idol.
Had I seen him on TV before?
"Yes," Dong-sik said."That's Chang-hyun from BPS."
"…BPS?!"
Even someone like me—who'd been buried in hospital visits and job hunting for years—knew that name.
BPS was a boy group that had rewritten the history of K-popwith multiple global mega-hits.
They were especially famous for dominating the U.S. market—the very center of the global music industry—and were widely praised for spreading Korean pop culture worldwide.
"Wait…are you saying this Chang-hyun guy introduced our creamon a livestream watched by fans around the world?"
"Exactly.Do you know how many people watched that livestream last night?"
"How many?"
"17 million."
"…Seventeen hundred?"
"No.Seventeen. Million."
Once again, I went silent—this time for a full ten seconds.
"I knew they were famous…but one member livestreaming to 17 million people?That's insane.That's a third of South Korea's population."
"That's why people talk about the global market.The scale is completely different."
"But why would he suddenly promote our product…?"
"I watched the video.Looks like he actually used the cream and was genuinely impressed.He praised it nonstop."
At that moment, a thought struck me like lightning.
"Wait, Dong-sik.BPS fans are mostly teenage and twenty-something girls, right?"
"Yeah."
"That's the age group most obsessed with beauty and skincare."
"Exactly."
Only then did everything click.
Chang-hyun's livestream had beena pinpoint advertisementaimed directly at the demographic most interested in cosmetics.
Even more than that—it targeted an age group that idolizes their favorite starsand actively imitates their behavior.
It was marketing more powerfulthan an ad campaign worth billions.
Dong-sik excitedly handed me some documents.
"Look at this.Yesterday's orders jumped 30% compared to the day before.And most of the increased orders have the same shipping address."
"…What?A 30% spike is massive.You're saying they're all going to one address—ah!"
I realized immediately.
Forwarding warehouses.
The addresses belonged to Korean logistics hubsused by global shipping-forwarding companies.
In other words—these were direct overseas purchases.
"So most of those orders are from foreigners!"
"Exactly.Since we don't offer international shipping yet,they're using forwarding services."
"…Wow.So we basically entered the global marketwithout even realizing it."
"Told you.The world market operates on a whole different scale."
"And now we've got a bridgehead into it."
"Enough talking."
Dong-sik opened a music app on his phoneand blasted a song.
It was 'Burn It All',one of BPS's hit songs in the U.S.
Explosive beats filled the air.
"Our company anthem is this from now on!"
Given what Chang-hyun had just done for us,I played along.
"Sure, I'm in—wait, maybe not the best song titleto play in a factory or warehouse…Let's pick another one."
"…Ah."
Daesung Group Headquarters
"Chairman, Luktic's new product—Luktic Drink—is scheduled for release in one week.We've received a sample in advance."
Chairman Choi Chang-sik accepted the small glass bottlefrom his chief secretary.
The label bore a refined design,with deep purple and white tones spelling 'Luktic Drink.'
"This uses the same technologythat cured my son, correct?A fatigue recovery drink?"
"Yes, Chairman.CEO Hyun Si-woo personally asked that this be delivered to you.He said it would help you recover from exhaustion."
"I've already seen their technology with my own eyes.There's no reason not to trust it."
Despite his age,Choi Chang-sik insisted on opening the bottle himself.
With a crisp click,the metal cap twisted free.
"Smells good."
He brought the bottle to his lips.
A sweet, nostalgic fragrance—like a long-forgotten childhood memory—filled the air.
He tilted the bottle slowly.
Purple liquid flowed over his dry tongue.
"…This could be sold as a beverage on taste alone."
Before he realized it,the bottle was empty.
His secretary stared in shock.
The chairman had never downed a drink in one go.
"…The taste isn't bad,"Choi Chang-sik said calmly,hiding his amazement.
Then—
His expression changed.
"…What… is this?"
"Chairman?! Are you unwell?!"
"No.It's the opposite."
"…Pardon?"
"My body…the pain is gone.All of it."
At over seventy years old,aches had been a constant companion.
Yet after one bottle,every trace of pain had vanished.
"…What on earth did you create, CEO Hyun Si-woo…?"
He knew instinctively.
The moment Luktic Drink launched,Korea's energy drink market—no, the entire healthcare and OTC market—would be turned upside down.
"I can already hear Shinjeon Pharmaceutical's stock falling."
Chuckling, he added:
"Jae-seok.Did Hyun Si-woo mention anything about early-stage investment?"
"No, sir."
"…As expected.Not an easy young man."
But after experiencing the drink firsthand,his conviction only grew stronger.
Luktic would become a global company.
"Then we'll have to make an offertoo attractive to refuse."
Five days later—
After nights of nonstop work,Luktic Drink officially launched nationwide.