IRLPLBIO Chapter 46 Part 2

…I understand what you’re saying. However, the development of an anticancer drug isn’t easy, and finding an effect from the side effects of another product is a bit…”

“Isn’t that true of the famous Viagra as well? It’s common to discover new effects from side effects. It’s definitely worth investing in.”

Jeong Seung-dae reeled off slick words as if his tongue had been oiled.

“Hmm,” Han Yun-cheol hummed, taking his time. But his body was leaning slightly forward. It was clear he was interested in Jeong Seung-dae’s words.

“Research thrives on money and bears fruit. Imagine cases where it returns a hundredfold, a thousandfold profit later. As a businessman, you should be able to calculate its value.”

Jeong Seung-dae slowly warmed up. He was an expert in investment linkage, believing that there was nothing more desirable than securing support from Dae-yeong Group, the nation’s top company, yet he was still a young man, showing his emotions.

Woo Dong-hyeok, watching, felt his mouth go dry. If Han Yun-cheol were to take even one step back, Woo Dong-hyeok’s bottom twitched, wanting to jump in himself.

Woo Dong-hyeok was envisioning the scene of “investing” in a new drug under the name of Woo-shin Pharmaceuticals. The actual development of the therapeutic agent was a secondary issue; just by subtly leaking that information to the media, the stock price was sure to jump dozens, even hundreds of times. Afterward, whether he stopped the investment or sold Woo-shin Pharmaceuticals, he would be left with more than enough money in his hands.

There was another pair of eyes watching the impatient Woo Dong-hyeok. It was Jae-gu, crouched behind a large ornamental plant pot, with only his eyes peeking out. Normally, Woo Dong-hyeok would have immediately sensed the suspicious gaze, but he was too absorbed in the other conversation to notice Jae-gu.

Not a word of Jeong Seung-dae and Han Yun-cheol’s conversation reached Jae-gu’s ears, but he could tell what was happening from the change in Woo Dong-hyeok’s expression. It seemed Jeong Seung-dae was quite good at talking.

It had only been three days, but Jeong Seung-dae had come up with a quite plausible plan. The actual incident was years away, but it seemed he already had a nearly complete plan in his head. Even before acquiring a criminal record, a con artist was still a con artist.

In any case, Jeong Seung-dae, polished and gleaming, had a rather impressive facade. He embodied the image of an investment expert with decent skills but lacking sufficient experience.

In reality, everything he wore and carried was made possible through Kwang-cheol’s cooperation and sponsorship. The substantial allowance Kwang-cheol received upon joining Dae-yeong Group had gone into equipping Jeong Seung-dae.

Spending Kwang-cheol’s money on that con artist! Jae-gu’s eyes widened and he strained, feeling like he was about to cry from how wasteful it was. Jeong Seung-dae, seeing that expression, interpreted it as a threat that he would be killed if he tried to pocket even one of the many luxury items or pull any stunts.

Anyway, it was that same Jeong Seung-dae, now as docile as a dog on a leash, who was meeting Han Yun-cheol. If Han Yun-cheol pretended to hesitate and left, and Jeong Seung-dae then sought out Woo-shin Pharmaceuticals, the next target, and met with Woo Dong-hyeok, the preliminary work would be complete.

It was then.

“They’re liars.”

“Hup!”

Jae-gu jumped up in surprise. A child, whose arrival he hadn’t noticed, was crouched right beside him. It was the child with whom he had shared and read the secondary gender guide, and a patient in the special room at Hanguk Daeyeong Byeongwon.

The child looked at Jae-gu with bright eyes and said again.

“That’s all lies. You know it too, right, big brother?”

It wasn’t the typical exaggeration of a child. His dark, deep eyes conveyed that he already knew their conversation was full of lies.

How did he know?

Jae-gu just gaped, unable to say anything. A sneer flickered in the child’s bright eyes.

“If new drugs could be developed in a snap, there’d be no reason for me to be in the hospital for so long.”

“Tha-that’s, kid…”

“I’m Kang Su-un, Su-un. My original name was different, but my dad changed it so I’d live a long life.”

Su-un’s eyes grew distant.