The Secret Investment Formula of a Chemical Genius - Chapter 164



Only Krnovel

Episode 164 discovered

I never expected it would be like this when I got on a plane from the US.

Reporters fill the area in front of the airport arrival hall.

A flash that explodes so loud it’s blinding.

A harsh noise that hits the eardrums.

It seemed difficult to get out, past the crowds of people packed so tightly that there was no room to step.

“How on earth did you recognize us? We were wearing masks and hats.”

At those words, I looked Taekang up and down his body with a look of disbelief.

A height that is at least a head taller than other people.

Broad shoulders that seem to have been enlarged by 1.5 times the width by dragging the mouse cursor.

The body of a guy who stands out anywhere, it wasn’t a problem that could be solved by mixing him in with people.

“What? Why are you looking at people so unpleasantly?”

“… … No. More importantly, how do you get through that crowd?”

As if someone was pushing from behind, the people in front slowly began to push towards us.

I have absolutely no intention of arguing with reporters here today.

A dangerous situation where if you are not careful, an accident could occur.

at that time.

“CEO Han Yu-jin?”

A deep, engraved wrinkle on the forehead.

A classy navy suit.

A man in his mid-to-late 40s with a sad smile on his face approached us.

A slightly different look from the reporters here now.

“Who are you?”

“The government is here.”

A business card taken out of the wallet.

Park Soon-jin, Director of International Economic Management, Ministry of Strategy and Finance.

“You seem to be having a little trouble. Can I help you?”

Taekang exchanged glances with me and nodded.

It seems like a situation that is difficult to escape without using force.

There was no reason to hesitate since the government was willing to step in.

After confirming our intention, Park Soon-jin, the director of international economic management, gestured somewhere.

“Please get out of the way!”

“I’ll just pass by for a moment!”

“Get back!”

The police officers waiting behind quickly cleared the area and made their way out.

“Let’s go.”

“Thank you.”

The two of us quickly headed out of the airport, following Park Soon-jin.

“I have prepared the tea, what would you like to do?”

Getting out of the airport didn’t mean all the problems were solved.

There were a lot of people following us behind us with their cell phones trying to take pictures of us.

“Then I’ll be grateful to you for a little longer.”

A smile spread across the lips of Park Soon-jin, Director of International Economic Management.

“Let’s ride.”

We got into the black sedan he had prepared.

“Ugh, I thought I was going to die from the suffocation.”

Taekang, who was riding in the car, took off the hat and mask he was wearing.

I too followed him and took off what was covering my face.

“Let me introduce myself formally. My name is Park Soon-jin, and I am the Director of International Economic Management at the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.”

“This is Han Yu-jin, the representative of CZTERA. Thank you for helping me in a difficult situation.”

There was a brief exchange of greetings.

“Do you have any business with me?”

The Director of International Economic Management at the Ministry of Strategy and Finance is a first-class civil servant, a high-ranking position equivalent to director-general.

I wasn’t the type of person who had a lot of free time to spare and would come here to play.

He was silent for a moment, as if he was gathering his thoughts, and then he carefully opened his mouth.

“Can you tell me the details of the deal between the US and CZTERA?”

“I understand that the White House has distributed briefing materials to the press. What exactly are you talking about?”

An awkward smile took hold on Park Soon-jin’s lips.

“As CEO Han Yu-jin knows, Korea is a country with a high level of trade dependency compared to other countries.”

Narrow domestic market, poor natural resources.

Last year, Korea’s trade dependency reached a whopping 82.9%.

“As such, it is an environment where we cannot help but react sensitively to changes in the external economic environment. In addition, the U.S. accounts for 37% of Korea’s trade. The country with which Korea is currently trading most actively is the U.S.”

Park Soon-jin, the director of international economic management, poured out a long stream of complaints that sounded like an explanation.

The story gets longer.

I glanced out the window.

“So, what I’m saying is, do you have any idea what policy stance the United States will take in relation to carbon in the future?”

“I don’t know exactly what policy the US will take in the future. However, I have heard rumors that they will significantly reduce the proportion of ‘allocated emissions allowances’ within the next three years.”

I guess this is acceptable in return for the kindness he showed us earlier.

He listened intently as if he wouldn’t miss a single word I said.

“I understand that CZTERA is already selling ‘offset emissions credits’ to other companies.”

I nodded.

“Could you please increase that proportion a little bit?”

Park Soon-jin’s cautious request.

Currently, Korea’s carbon neutrality ratio is only 7%, which is very low compared to other OECD countries’ 25-30%.

There are two ways to break through the carbon barrier in the United States.

Either produce products using renewable energy, which is called eco-friendly, or pay for carbon emissions by purchasing offset credits from CCUS companies such as CZTERA.

When thinking about the distant future, the best thing for companies to do is to increase the proportion of renewable energy.

If only it were that easy to change the corporate structure.

It wouldn’t have gotten to this point now.

Let me sit quietly, without saying anything, lost in thought.

“Is there any restriction on CZTERA expanding its business in Korea in its dealings with the United States…?”

“No, that’s not it.”

A large-scale project with an investment of a whopping 200 billion dollars.

The White House wanted me and CZTERA to focus solely on our U.S. operations.

I agreed with that too.

In fact, the contract even included a clause that prohibited expansion into other countries for five years while the U.S. business was in a stable orbit.

However, the countries where CZTERA currently has or plans to build factories are Korea, Norway and Germany.

It was decided to make exceptions for these three countries.

Therefore, there were no restrictions on CZTETA expanding its business in Korea.

For a moment, as if a light bulb had turned on, Park Soon-jin’s face brightened.

I stared blankly at the sight.

His facial expression clearly showed what he was thinking at the moment.

But what can I do, I’m sorry?

“However, we have no plans to expand our business in Korea for the time being.”

“… … !”

What you can do and.

The difference between having to and having to do something.

Park Soon-jin overlooked it.

“I’ve been expanding my business here and there in a short period of time. I don’t think I’ll have the energy to focus on anything else for the time being.”

“… … .”

He seemed shocked and didn’t say anything for a while.

“Thank you for giving me a ride here. I’ll take it from here on out.”

I put back on the mask and hat I had taken off.

“… … Representative Hyeon Yu-jin, do you have any wishes for the government?”

I turned my head as I was placing my hand on the car door handle.

“If so, please let me know. I will make sure to pass it on to the higher-ups.”

“I don’t have any specific expectations from the government.”

Park Soon-jin’s face filled with disappointment.

“But, things can always change.”

“… … !”

As I came out, a passing muttering, like a soliloquy.

Park Soon-jin’s eyes sparkled.

The black sedan leaves us behind.

“Do you like raw fish?”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“You keep trying to eat it raw, but is it really possible to expand the factory just by talking about it? Who is going to pay for the costs involved?”

A guy who laughs more fiercely than usual.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’ll check later and decide what to bring.”

Taekang smiled sinisterly.

“Yes, if money can’t solve the problem, you should consider whether it was because you didn’t have enough money.”

“Stop talking nonsense and go now. I’ll be waiting for Hyejin.”

“Are you going to give me a vacation?”

“A week,”

“As expected! Sir! Then let’s meet at the company later!”

As I watched the guy leaving, I also caught a taxi that was passing by.

Fortunately, the place I got out of the car was not far from my house.

Soon after, I arrived home, opened the front door, and went inside.

Dododo.

Dododo.

As soon as I opened the door, two children hugged my legs.

Without me knowing, the tension that had been building up inside me was relieved.

“How have you been while I was away?”

Nod nod!

“……huh.”

“Are you here? You must have had a hard time. I’ll prepare dinner for you soon.”

As always, my mother welcomed me right there.

The savory smell of soybean paste stew tickles my nose.

Two tiny warmths felt in my hands.

“I’m back.”

I smiled brightly.

* * *

“Cerebral blood flow is good, brain waves are normal, that’s good.”

Ha-eun, who had been staring at the monitor for a while, nodded.

“Did you listen carefully to what the nurse said earlier?”

Ha-eun held out the can that was in front of her.

Natasha, who was sitting on the chair and excitedly stamping her feet, reached in with a familiar expression and took out a piece of candy and offered it to me.

Eyes that shine brightly as if hoping for something.

When I opened the candy wrapper and put it in my mouth, he opened his mouth and said, “Ah!”

Bulging cheeks.

Ha-eun stroked Natasha’s head as if she thought she was cute.

“Could you please wait outside for a moment? Sir, I need to speak to the doctor.”

Natasha got down from the chair, nodded vigorously, and headed outside to where Boris Kamenov was waiting.

“Like a chameleon.”

Ha-eun, who was looking at Natasha, suddenly blurted out a word.

“chameleon?”

“Yes, children usually change their appearance according to their surroundings. So, just by looking at their facial expressions, you can clearly tell what kind of environment they live in. They’ve become much brighter since I first saw them.”

“yes.”

The doll-like, expressionless child is slowly becoming accustomed to expressing his emotions, albeit clumsily.

At that moment, a can suddenly came into view.

“… … What is this?”

“You wouldn’t know it if you saw it, it’s a gift.”

Ha-eun shook the bucket, smiling playfully.

“… … .”

“Why? You don’t like it?”

“I told you before, I never said no.”

I reached into the can and took out a candy.

Red ginseng flavored candy.

… … Another dud.

Let me look at the candy jar with a look of annoyance.

Ha-eun smiled bashfully and quickly hid it behind her body.

“You brought that to give to me, right?”

“uh.”

Ha-eun Lee looked at the yellow wrapped items I had brought.

“What is this? Why is it so bulky?”

“Take it apart and see for yourself.”

Let’s give a gift.

Ha-eun opened the package with a dubious look on her face.

“… … !”

Behind the glasses, wide-open eyes.

“Hey, is this… … a fede galizia painting?”

“That’s right. It’s a painting by that Italian female painter.”

As if possessed.

Ha-eun, who had been caressing the glass frame above the painting with a blank expression for a while, suddenly came to her senses.

“Where did you get this?”

“Professor Jennon Smith gave it to me.”

“That Stanford professor?”

I nodded.

For a moment, she shut her mouth tightly.

A brief conflict.

Ha-eun sighed and handed the picture to me again.

“Why? If this painting is yours, you’ll die.”

“Hey, sir! That’s what I’m talking about! Do you know how much this painting sells for?”

“Of course I know, it was recently sold at auction for around $4.7 million.”

One of Fede Galizia’s paintings, ‘Still Life with Peaches and Flowers in a Fruit Bowl’, was sold for a whopping $4.7 million at Sotheby’s, one of the world’s top three auction houses.

“Why would someone who knows that give this to me? It looks like it’s an unreleased work, so it’ll probably be more expensive. Why are you giving me the gift you received?”

I gently pushed the picture towards Ha-eun.

“It wasn’t given to me. The professor gave it to me and told me to give it to you.”

“That professor? Why? We don’t know each other.”

I smiled bitterly as I watched her with a puzzled expression.

While I was talking to my professor about this painting in the San Joaquin Valley, we also started talking about Ha-eun.

Maybe you misunderstood something back then.

While handing over the painting by Fede Galazia, he jokingly added that Ha-eun would like it if she received it.

… … The professor is secretly mischievous too.

“He said, ‘Don’t think of the gift as money. I’m going to give you a nice gift. Don’t worry about it and just take it.’”

Ha-eun, who had been thinking for a while, slowly reached out her hand toward the painting.

“Really. I’ll do it.”

“Okay, do it.”

I took Ha-eun’s hand and brought it to the painting.

At that moment, she coughed softly.

A faint smell of nicotine on my hands.

“Do you have a cold?”

“Oh, it’s the changing of seasons.”

“I don’t think it’s because of the changing of seasons, but because of the cigarettes.”

“… … .”

She quickly pulled her hand away from mine and hid it behind her back.

“It’s bad for your respiratory system. Stop it if possible.”

“I’m a doctor. I know that. Enough nagging.”

“Okay, I got it.”

The frown lasted only a moment.

Ha-eun couldn’t take her eyes off the painting, with an expression of rapture.

Meanwhile.

A phone call came to me.

“I’m going to the bathroom for a bit.”

“Okay, go slowly and come back.”

I left the examination room, leaving her waving her hands behind, and headed to the bathroom.

“It’s been a while, sir.”

The person who called me was Director Baek Hee-seong.

– … … .

what?

Even though I greeted him warmly, there was no response from him.

“Director?”

– Sir.

A voice that was harder and tighter than ever before.

I have a strange feeling.

“Is something wrong?”

– … … found it.

“What are you talking about?”

– I think I found Han Yu-jin’s father… … Han Sang-won.

“… … !”