IRLPLBIO Chapter 51 Part 1

Park Kwang-cheol sat so close that his thigh touched Jae-gu’s, meticulously observing Jae-gu’s startled reactions right in front of him. It was clear Jae-gu was aware of him, but he seemed to be desperately pretending not to remember what had happened that night. Park Kwang-cheol was truly curious what reason Jae-gu had concocted for himself, and how long he could keep up the facade of composure. Park Kwang-cheol subtly stuck out his tongue and licked his lips. Instead of Jae-gu, who was looking around and didn’t see it, Jeong Seung-dae rubbed his goosebump-covered arms. Jae-gu, restless, subtly leaned his upper body away, trying to create some distance. However, at Park Kwang-cheol’s single remark, “Hyung, you need to sit straight,” he was pulled close again.

He could feel Park Kwang-cheol’s breath. The tremor in the air pierced his ears, and the fine hairs on his skin stood on end. A shiver ran down his spine, as if something ticklish was crawling up the middle of his back. Jae-gu, stiff and frozen, his face, neck, and ears flushed crimson, yelled at Jeong Seung-dae.

“S-so! What’s this new method you’re talking about!”

Even after being subjected to Jae-gu’s unwarranted outburst, Jeong Seung-dae found Jae-gu, who was simple and even transparent compared to the inscrutable Park Kwang-cheol, easier to deal with.

“We’re planning the operation in reverse. On the front end, we agree to partner with Woo-shin Pharmaceuticals to develop a new drug and boost its stock price, but behind the scenes, we short sell to drop the stock price, and then recoup the losses from the CEO who can’t afford to sacrifice the company’s value for a successful sale…”

“Hey, stop with the difficult words and explain it simply.”

“…How can I explain it more simply than this?”

Jeong Seung-dae bravely voiced his displeasure. But he immediately cowered when Jae-gu muttered “Damn it” with a clenched fist.

Park Kwang-cheol put his arm around Jae-gu’s shoulder, pulling him close. Then, pretending not to notice Jae-gu’s flinch, he said in a low voice, “We’re going to drop the stock price of Woo-shin Pharmaceuticals, and Han Yun-cheol will want to buy Woo-shin Pharmaceuticals.”

“Maybe not…”

“He will, if it’s Han Yun-cheol.”

Park Kwang-cheol was certain. Han Yun-cheol, being as clever and as shrewd in business as he was, would definitely seize this opportunity. Even if Jae-gu had just thrown out a casual remark, Han Yun-cheol would have considered possibilities similar to Park Kwang-cheol’s.

It was an opportunity where, even if he couldn’t acquire Woo-shin Pharmaceuticals, he could create a debt for Jae-gu and Park Kwang-cheol, and if he did acquire it, he could expand his medical division. It was very rare for a businessman to gain profit without any loss, and this was that exact opportunity.

“CEO Woo Dong-hyeok is the kind of person who would hand over Woo-shin Pharmaceuticals if he’s given enough money. Of course, he’d want to sell it for the highest possible price, right? So he wouldn’t like us dropping the price, meaning CEO Woo Dong-hyeok would bear the losses to maintain a high price. The more we lower Woo-shin Pharmaceuticals’ stock price, the more money CEO Woo Dong-hyeok will spend on defense.”

Park Kwang-cheol’s voice was low and deep. Listening to his calm explanation, Jae-gu was captivated by the feeling that everything would go exactly as Park Kwang-cheol intended.

Jae-gu, as if mesmerized, was about to nod when he suddenly blurted out a question. Even though he didn’t fully grasp Jeong Seung-dae’s complex explanations, he understood the parts Park Kwang-cheol explained, which allowed him to ask.

“What if the loss is greater than the profit? If Woo Dong-hyeok gives up, won’t we suffer a loss?”

“That’s a good question. But you don’t have to worry, Hyung. It’s his job to skillfully manipulate that and blind both sides.”

Park Kwang-cheol’s long finger pointed at Jeong Seung-dae. Only then did Jae-gu’s expression brighten. Although it was a bit different from what he had initially envisioned, it was even better if Woo Dong-hyeok bore the losses instead of the small investors.

“See? You can explain it this easily, but you just make it unnecessarily complicated!”

Jae-gu exclaimed triumphantly. Only Jeong Seung-dae, mumbling, “N-no, that’s…,” felt repeatedly wronged.

Four newspapers lay neatly on Han Gyeong-jin’s desk. He sought to indirectly gauge the political sphere’s thoughts from the varying tones of different media outlets. Han Gyeong-jin diligently sought out and analyzed subtle nuances that those who had grown up on Dae-yeong Group’s money couldn’t convey. To prevent himself, currently the second-in-command, from being pushed down to third, consistent effort was required.

He quickly scanned the front page of the newspapers, checked the size and content of the advertisements, and then carefully read the economic section, taking his time. If anything differed from his expectations, he had his secretary verify it. Up to that point, his morning tasks were complete.

As Han Gyeong-jin was about to push aside the read newspapers, his gaze fell on a four-page health supplement section. Next to an illustration of medicine and a syringe, there was a photo of a round, oily-faced man.

“Woo-shin Pharmaceuticals, Woo Dong-hyeok. New drug development, huh.”

Han Gyeong-jin’s finger tapped the name of an overseas investment firm written next to Woo-shin Pharmaceuticals.

“A name I haven’t seen before.”

Others might say the role of a newspaper was to convey information, but in Han Gyeong-jin’s eyes, a newspaper was a massive block of money. Prices were determined by the newspaper’s circulation, the position and size of the advertisement, and the amount of space allocated even in supplemental sections. Even if Woo-shin Pharmaceuticals had a decent name among pharmaceutical companies, it wasn’t a particularly large entity when considering all corporations. This meant it wasn’t substantial enough to simply have feature articles running for several weeks in a major newspaper with over a million copies in circulation.

Han Gyeong-jin smelled not the potential for Woo-shin Pharmaceuticals’ development, but the money behind it.

“Let’s see, my nephew would already know.”

If it appeared in today’s newspaper, any useful information would have already circulated weeks ago. The fact that Han Yun-cheol, who would have known about the new drug development long ago, hadn’t told him, made the scent of money wafting about even stronger.

“If my younger cousin knew about this, he’d probably need quick cash right about now.”

Han Gyeong-jin decided to obtain shares from someone who had already invested, rather than belatedly purchasing stocks whose prices had already risen. He pulled out his mobile phone, and countless missed calls appeared. Most were from the same number. Not long after he stared at it, the mobile phone rang again. Han Gyeong-jin, watching leisurely, let it ring a few more times before pressing the call button.