An emergency executive meeting of Shinjeon Group, attended by Chairman Ji Heon-cheol,was underway in an atmosphere thick with tension.
"As the Strategy Planning Office reported previously," one executive began,"Luktic has finally crossed a line.The newly released Luktic Drink possesses outstanding therapeutic and symptom-suppressing effectsfor a wide range of mild illnesses.Its efficacy surpasses that of most over-the-counter medicines currently on the market."
Chairman Ji Heon-cheol frowned deeply.
"In other words," he said coldly,"this means it could deal a fatal blow to the sales of OTC drugs sold by Shinjeon Pharmaceutical."
"Yes.We've already detected a decline in retail sales.According to data collected through our internal sales network,most of our major products have seen a drop of over 7% compared to last week."
Ji Heon-cheol's eyes widened in shock.
"What?It's only been about two weeks since Luktic Drink launched,and it's already causing that level of damage?"
"Yes.The situation is extremely serious.Rumors are spreading that simply drinking it suppresses allergies, rhinitis, acid reflux—and that even colds disappear by the next day."
"That's ridiculous.No matter how good the ingredients are, it's just a fatigue recovery drink.Are those Luktic bastards hiring online shills to run viral marketing campaigns?"
"Our research lab purchased the product and conducted preliminary tests,"another executive replied carefully."And… surprisingly, a significant portion of those rumors turned out to be true."
"…What did you just say?"
"You're saying that drinking it really alleviates allergies, reflux, colds, rhinitis—everything?"
"Yes.That's precisely why the current situation is so urgent and dangerous.At this rate, Shinjeon Pharmaceutical risks suffering severe revenue lossesacross our core OTC product lines—painkillers, cold medicine, allergy drugs, and more."
Chairman Ji Heon-cheol's face went pale.
"No…How could a startup possibly develop technology that advanced?Who the hell founded that company?Are they elite researchers trained in the U.S.?"
"No.The company was co-founded by two individuals.One graduated from a mid-to-lower-tier humanities program at a Seoul university,and the other from a regional engineering school.The latter majored in electrical engineering—completely unrelated to pharmaceuticals."
"Then what the hell is going on…?!How does a Korean startup like that possess such technology?No—this isn't the time to dwell on that."
Ji Heon-cheol steadied his breathing,then began issuing orders to his aides.
"I've been informed that Luktic is also proceeding with pharmaceutical approval procedures.If this continues, Shinjeon Pharmaceutical's position will be seriously threatened.We must crush Luktic—no matter the cost.They're still just a startup.If we mobilize all our power, it's more than possible.Use every means available—legal or illegal—to attack Luktic."
A sinister smile crept across his face.
"And when they're on the verge of collapse,we'll propose a merger and acquisition.Even if they refuse,we can quietly poach employees who have access to their core technology."
"That would allow us to make Luktic's exceptional technology our own."
This was a tactic commonly employed by major Korean conglomerateswhenever they discovered a startup or SME with outstanding technology.
Crush them first—then acquire them cheaply,or steal their key personnel.
In truth, Daesung Group was no stranger to such methods either.
The only reason Luktic had been sparedwas because Hyun Si-woo and his companyhad saved Chairman Choi Chang-sik's youngest son.
"Chairman," another executive said eagerly,"if the Strategy Planning Office leads the charge—with marketing, sales, and legal teams working together—we can bring Luktic down."
"Good. Proceed.If this matter is resolved successfully,those who distinguish themselves will be rewarded handsomely."
"Yes, Chairman!"
Shinjeon Group had begun to move.
Almost immediately after Chairman Choi's warning to be cautious,their attack commenced.
It was swift, coordinated—and extremely dirty.
The first move was manipulating public opinion online.
Suddenly, rumors about Luktic Drink began appearingacross major online communities and social media platforms.
Claims spread that although it temporarily suppressed symptoms,it didn't actually cure anything—and that it contained large amounts of narcotic painkillersthat caused serious harm to the human body.
Fabricated photos and fake reviews soon followed,alleging severe side effects that never existed.
What was truly shockingwas how quickly these posts flooded the "most popular" sectionsof major online communities.
Each post was immediately swarmed with supportive comments,received massive upvotes,and rapidly dominated the best-comment rankings.
I stared at the screen in disbelief and said to Dong-sik,
"Wow… Dong-sik.So the internet really is just a playground for organized interests.Mobilize some paid commenters, tweak the upvote counts a bit,and suddenly every site is plastered with the same narrative."
"Well," Dong-sik replied dryly,"people once hoped it'd become a space for free civic discussion and debate.That ship sailed a long time ago."
Before long, as online outrage grew,media outlets began reporting on the controversy one after another.
At first, only internet news sites picked it up.A few days later, major mainstream outlets followed.
They didn't directly claim that Luktic's products were dangerous.
Instead, they framed it carefully:'Various suspicions regarding Luktic's products are spreading online.'
But each time,they described those suspicions in excessive detail.
In effect,mainstream media had become official rumor amplifiers,broadcasting online speculation straight to the public.
And then came Shinjeon Group's final move.
They filed a formal complaint againstLuktic Drink and Luktic Cream.
The charge:despite having strong medicinal effects,the products were being illegally sold without pharmaceutical approval.
The news broke as a headline alertacross every major TV network and newspaper.
As a result,the controversy surrounding Luktic grew day by day,snowballing into a nationwide issue.
I said bitterly to Dong-sik,
"Impressive.They really can move the media however they want."
"Shinjeon Group spends a fortune on advertising.The media can't help but tread carefully."
Still, I was certain of one thing.
The likelihood that Luktic Drink,created using technology decoded from the Akashic Records,caused the side effects described in these rumorswas extremely low.
"Dong-sik,Phase 1 trials of the Elixir currently show zero adverse effects on the human body.For a diluted version to suddenly cause side effects?Honestly, that's almost impossible."
"But Si-woo," Dong-sik replied grimly,"with rumors like this, the truth doesn't matter.The moment the public believes it—or even starts to suspect it—the brand's value is finished."
"Damn it…We have to respond somehow."
That morning, the quantum computer showed the following progress:
[Stage 1 Elixir] (Tier 1)Progress to next knowledge: [487 / 500]
Progress accumulates each time a certain amount of the Stage 1 Elixir is produced.
New knowledge was about to unlock.
At a time when we should have been expanding the business even further,this kind of trouble had erupted.
We had to resolve the situation before the Luktic brand suffered irreversible damage.
Daesung Distribution, which was already handling Luktic Drink nationwide,had reportedly entered emergency meetings.
Chairman Choi Chang-sik also contacted me,saying he would support our response in every way possible.
After that, I began calling the numbers on the business cardsI'd received during my meeting in Sejong City—
the Vice Minister of Health and Welfare,the Vice Commissioner of the MFDS,and the Industrial Science and SME Policy Director from the Prime Minister's Office.
But their reactions had turned remarkably lukewarm.
[CEO Hyun… it's true that a complaint has been filed, and given public sentiment,we need some time to assess the situation more carefully…]
[Since allegations of side effects and illegal pharmaceutical sales are circulating,the Prime Minister's Office believes a cautious approach is advisable…]
The only one who remained actively supportivewas the MFDS Vice Commissioner.
[So far, Phase 1 has shown absolutely no side effects.On the contrary, the Elixir's extraordinary efficacy has been confirmed.From our perspective, this appears to be a public-opinion offensive by Shinjeon Pharmaceutical, which feels threatened by Luktic's new technology.We'll review whether there's any way we can assist further.The President has great interest in Luktic, so please stay strong.]
Aside from him,everyone else had become defensive and hesitant.
This time, Dong-sik exploded.
"How can they do this?!Back in Sejong, they acted like they'd give us their liver and gallbladder to help us!Now suddenly—everyone except the MFDS Vice Commissioneris just sitting around watching the wind blow?!"
"…Sigh," I replied quietly."Public opinion has become unpredictable.Wasn't the government's original reason for supporting usto back a promising startup with world-class technology—so they could later claim it as a political achievement?"
"Then now that public sentiment is shaking,are they ready to abandon us if they think it won't help their approval ratings…?!"
"They won't turn their backs immediately.They're probably just waiting to see how things play out.If the rumors turn out to be true—even partially—supporting us too openly would backfire on them."
"…Damn it."
We had briefly forgotten a simple truth.
The least trustworthy things in the worldare high-ranking government officials and politicians.
They react instantly to shifts in public sentiment,flipping their stances as easily as turning a hand over—and conveniently forgetting any promises they once made.
That kind of survival instinctwas precisely how they'd climbed so high in the first place.
It couldn't be helped.
That's simply how society—no, all human societies—are structured.
So how should we respond now?
The MFDS Vice Commissioner still seemed friendly,but it was unlikely he could act aggressively at this moment.
The reason everyone was frozenwas because public opinion's direction was still unclear.
But if public sentiment could be completely reversed—
the government would likely return to our side,supporting Luktic as a future global successthey could proudly claim credit for.
After all, this was the same governmentthat had boldly streamlined even the most conservative drug-approval proceduresafter we threatened to move overseas.
However, one of Shinjeon Group's main argumentsdid carry some weight.
Despite its strong medicinal effects,Luktic Drink was being sold without formal pharmaceutical approval.
That criticism wasn't entirely unfounded.
We had used a workaroundto avoid the lengthy approval process.
Dong-sik acknowledged it too.
"With a formal complaint filed,we really do need to stay on edge about that.But what do we do, Si-woo…?If sales of Luktic Cream and Luktic Drink are suspended, we're finished.All these massive production lines we built would just sit idle…"
At that moment, a suspicion surfaced in my mind.
"Wait, Dong-sik.Shinjeon Group is going all-in on this public-opinion war.But if their only goal was to protect their products,they could've just filed a complaint against Luktic Drink from the start.Why go through the trouble of launching such a massive smear campaign at the same time?"
"…Huh.Now that you mention it, that is strange."
"Since new drug approval usually takes ten years,blocking sales of Luktic Drink alonewould've been enough to put out the immediate fire for Shinjeon Pharmaceutical.Even with fast-tracking, it normally takes at least five years.And yet they're trying to bury Luktic itself from the very beginning…"
"…So you think they're planning to destroy the company completely—and then do something afterward?"
"Exactly."
"…Ah.That is a classic conglomerate move.Crush a promising startup,then swallow its technology whole."
"That's why we can't afford to play clean."
Dong-sik looked at me, startled.
"Si-woo…you've got something in mind, don't you?"
"Yeah.If they're going to incite public opinion to bury us,then we'll flip the boardby moving the public's emotions in the opposite direction."
"Public emotions…?What do you mean? Explain it in a way I can understand."
Memories surfaced—of Shinjeon Group coldly discarding my fatherafter he left their factory with a devastating illness.
Seeing them now, using their overwhelming capitalto launch an all-out assault on us,made my teeth grind with rage.
And then—
A scenario suddenly formed in my mind.
If we could erase the negative public sentiment surrounding Luktic,the government would once again support us.
And once that happened,there might even be room to negotiate awaythe complaint Shinjeon Group had filed.
But to do that—
We needed one massive bombcapable of completely reversing public opinion.
I intended to create that bomb.
Using the quantum computer.