New knowledge was being unlocked.
Among the many square panels decorating the Akashic Records interface,two of them suddenly flashed,and the "???" filling their interiors began transforming into readable text.
When I read the title of the newly unlocked knowledge,I couldn't help but gasp in shock.
"Wow… what the hell is this…?!"
Following Director Kang Joo-tae's advice,we began organizing our internal titles and positions.
Up until now, aside from loosely establishing that I was the CEO,we had been running the company in a rather improvised, ad-hoc manner.
But from this point forward,we needed to give Luktic the proper structure of a real corporation.
Former Shinjeon Pharmaceutical Technical Director Kang Joo-tae advised us as follows:
"Until now, CEO Hyun Si-woo and Mr. Kim Dong-sik have led the company together remarkably well.To be frank, the results have been extraordinary.The fact that the two of you alone managed a company with factories and warehouses employing hundredsis nothing short of amazing."
He continued with a serious expression.
"However, that approach will no longer work going forward.With the 500 billion won investment from Chairman Choi Chang-sik,Luktic will undergo large-scale expansion and grow into a companyapproaching the size of a major conglomerate in a very short time.At that point, this kind of 'brother-style management' will become unsustainable."
Dong-sik nodded silently in agreement.
Watching him, I turned to Director Kang and asked,
"Then how should we redesign and restructure the organization from here on?I'd like to hear your advice on that."
He replied that, like most companies,we should first establish a proper board and executive structure.
CEO
The first role to be decided was CEO—Chief Executive Officer.
Without a single objection,both Dong-sik and Director Kang pointed to me.
"It's only right that CEO Hyun Si-woo takes the position," Director Kang said."You've been the core leader of Luktic from the beginning,and I understand that you personally provided both the foundational technologyand the initial capital for the business.If Luktic becomes a publicly listed company in the future,you would naturally hold the vast majority of shares."
Dong-sik quickly chimed in.
"I agree.There's no question that Si-woo should lead Luktic."
Director Kang looked at Dong-sik with clear interest.
"It's quite rare to see business partners who don't fight over control.But with Luktic, that doesn't seem likely to happen. Heh."
"If it weren't for Si-woo's technology,there's no way someone like me would ever have become a founding memberof such a promising company.And honestly speaking, I don't think I'd have the confidenceto lead a company under this much scrutiny anyway. Haha."
I shook my head.
"What are you talking about, Dong-sik?Do you have any idea how much you helped me when we first founded Luktic?"
Director Kang smiled faintly and then said to me,
"You have a good friend, CEO Hyun.Earning billions is easier than finding a trustworthy friend and business partner.You should treasure this bond."
"Haha… Dong-sik and I have practically been together our whole lives.Of course I'll treasure it."
"Oh yeah? I'll hold you to that."
Dong-sik replied cheekily.
CAO
Next came Dong-sik's position.
Director Kang recommended him for CAO (Chief Administrative Officer).
While I had handled major decisions and external negotiations,Dong-sik had quietly ensured Luktic's internal stability and steady growth.
Though he still lacked some professional management training,his contributions and demonstrated aptitudemore than justified appointing him as CAO for now.
I agreed wholeheartedly.
From the very beginning, Dong-sik's help had been invaluable,and when my father was diagnosed as terminally ill due to an industrial accident,Dong-sik and his family had supported us as if we were their own.
As a matter of gratitude as well as trust,I wanted him firmly positioned within Luktic's executive team.
COO
Director Kang then mentioned another crucial role:
COO (Chief Operating Officer)—the company's second-in-command.
In Korean corporations, this role is often held by a vice president.
Since I had never received formal management education,he advised that in the future we appoint a professionally trained executive as COOto support and complement me.
Listening to him, I realized just how many executive roles existed.
Compliance directors.Information directors.IT infrastructure directors.Finance directors.
As companies grow,workloads explode across every domain—and executive roles naturally diversify.
I then turned the question back on him.
"Director Kang, would you be willing to continue helping guide Luktic's management going forward?"
"Hehehe… I'm already half convinced that Luktic's technologywill change the world in the near future.To be part of such a company would be an honor indeed, but…what could an old man like me possibly contribute?"
I looked at Dong-sik.
He met my eyes and nodded.
I nodded back and said firmly,
"Please take the role of CTO of Luktic.As someone who witnessed the rise of Korea's pharmaceutical R&D firsthand,your presence would be an immense strength to us."
Director Kang looked flustered.
"I can't even begin to understand the principles behind the technology Luktic currently possesses…I'm a researcher left behind by the times.How could someone like me become an executive of a companythat holds world-changing technology…?"
In truth, it was perfectly natural that he couldn't understand it.
Luktic's technology lay far beyond the limits of modern human science.
And precisely because of that,it required analysis and research.
If we merely followed the manufacturing methods decoded from the Akashic Records,Luktic's growth would forever remain dependent on them.
But if we could even partially understand the principles behind those technologiesthrough systematic research,their potential would become limitless.
Of course, it wouldn't be easy.
Even to my untrained eye,the technologies revealed by the Akashic Recordswere centuries—if not more—ahead of modern science.
Trying to analyze them would be likean 18th-century scientist who had just discovered steam powerattempting to dissect a modern nanometer-scale semiconductor.
But that was exactly why we needed a research leaderwith perseverance, conviction, and lofty ideals.
And I believed Kang Joo-tae was the perfect candidate.
I spoke to him sincerely.
"To be honest, even I—the developer—don't fully understandthe principles behind Luktic's technology.That's why we need professional, organized research."
He nodded slowly.
"That makes sense.Advanced technologies are often so complexthat even their creators don't fully grasp them.This is especially true in pharmaceuticals.Given what you've shown, that explanation feels entirely natural."
I continued,
"That's why I sincerely hope you'll serve as Luktic's CTOand lead our R&D efforts—analyzing and refining the technologies I've developed."
Director Kang smiled, clearly moved.
"To study and analyze technology that will change the world,right beside the person who created it…That would indeed be an incredible honor.But… are you truly sure?"
"Of course.We're the ones asking."
And so, Kang Joo-tae accepted.
Former Shinjeon Pharmaceutical Technical Director Kang Joo-taewas appointed as Luktic's CTO.
That left one remaining key position: CFO (Chief Financial Officer).
Would Chairman Choi Chang-sik's eldest son, Choi Eun-hyuk, be suitable?
With an elite background—Korea University's business program and an MBA from Harvard—he was certainly qualified on paper.
However, with no real-world experience yetand an uncertain relationship with Dong-sik,it would be best to observe him after he officially joined the company.
Factory Expansion
Meanwhile, preparations for large-scale factory expansion were moving forward rapidly.
With 500 billion won in investment cashand approximately 20 billion won in monthly profit,Luktic now possessed overwhelming financial power.
We planned to purchase all available land surrounding our existing factoryand build a massive industrial complex.
Under normal circumstances, permits in the metropolitan areawould have been nightmarishly complicated.
But perhaps due to presidential backing,everything proceeded with astonishing speed.
Director Kang offered further advice.
"For the headquarters, it would be best to lease a building in Seoul.Up until now, being based in Yangseo County was fine,but going forward you'll need much closer interactionwith government agencies, corporations, and overseas buyers.Accessibility and infrastructure will matter far more."
He was absolutely right.
There was a reason major conglomerates clustered their headquarters in Seoul.
Even regional giants typically placed their HQsin metropolitan or major industrial cities.
Dong-sik spoke excitedly.
"Wow… so Luktic is finally getting an officein one of those flashy Seoul skyscrapers…?"
Just imagining it made my heart race a little.
Of course, we wouldn't own the building outright at first.Seoul office real estate was on an entirely different levelfrom Yangseo County.
Like most companies,we'd start as tenants.
Still, considering our cash flow and margins,owning an entire building somedaywasn't an unrealistic dream.
Since neither Dong-sik nor I had experience leasing large office buildings in Seoul,we decided to rely on Director Kang's help for that as well.
The Newly Unlocked Technology
There was a reason I had been pushing Luktic's restructuring so aggressively.
The moment I saw the title of the newly unlocked knowledge in the Akashic Records,I became certain.
With this technology,Luktic would leap into the ranks of global mega-corporations almost instantly.
The newly unlocked knowledge was:
[Hair Growth Agent] (Tier 1)Description: Causes hair to grow in the applied area.(Also effective for treating hair loss.)
A medicine humanity had desired for generations.
I asked the quantum computer directlywhether this was truly a hair-loss treatment.
[System Message: Yes. Your understanding is correct.You have accurately grasped the primary use of this pharmaceutical.]
A question suddenly occurred to me.
Why would the Akashic Records—containing knowledge from ancient extraterrestrial civilizations—include a hair-loss treatment?
Did they also have hair…and suffer from hair loss over long histories?
Hair loss—a universal enemy transcending planets and star systems.
In any case,the moment this product launched,people suffering from hair loss all over the worldwould come running to Luktic.
We needed to decode the manufacturing method immediatelyand prepare production linesin the massive new facilities we were building.
Compared to the skin regeneration agent and the Elixir,this hair-loss treatment had far greater commercial value.
Unfortunately, the next-stage Elixir formula was not unlocked this time.
Still, knowledge would continue to reveal itself step by step.
Someday, the technology to fully cure my fatherwould surely appear.
For now, I issued a command to the quantum computer.
[Hair Growth Agent] (Tier 1)Would you like to begin decryption of this knowledge?▶ Yes / No
I pressed Enter.