The Secret Investment Formula of a Chemical Genius - Chapter 168
Only Krnovel
Episode 168: The Same Mistake
“… …Me? In America?”
The voice of Manager Kim Seong-jae, who is extremely flustered.
He seemed very surprised, like a cornered rat, and hesitated and took a step back.
“I think you’re the right person for the job, sir. So why are you so surprised?”
“No, that’s such an unexpected offer… … .”
As business grows in the United States.
We needed someone to oversee the business locally.
A person who came to my mind at that time.
The person who silently took Taekang’s place whenever he and I were away from the company.
I thought that the abilities of Director Kim Seong-jae that I have seen so far would be sufficient, so I casually brought up the topic of America.
The response was lukewarm, more so than expected.
No, rather than that, I would say they don’t seem to welcome it very much.
Manager Kim Seong-jae’s awkward laugh.
As I glanced away, I saw Taekang squinting and shaking his head.
“I’m just saying this in case, but it’s not mandatory.”
“I don’t think so either!”
Manager Kim Seong-jae quickly waved his hand.
“I know that too. The CEO gave me a good opportunity. But it was so sudden… … .”
I guess so.
I was working a good job, but then one day I was told to go to America.
“You don’t have to feel so burdened.”
“Could you please give me some time to think about it?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Manager Kim Seong-jae left the office with a promise to give an answer within three days.
At that moment, Jeong Su-min was outside the door, raising his right hand as if he was about to knock.
“Come in.”
“Excuse me.”
Jeong Su-min came inside, giving a quick glance to Manager Kim Seong-jae.
“Here is a list of bidding companies.”
What he brought was a list of construction companies that bid on the US CCUS cluster project.
“The companies highlighted in white are domestic companies, and the ones highlighted in black are foreign construction companies. Also, if you look here, the companies highlighted in yellow are… … .”
A document that is organized in a clear and easy-to-read manner using diagrams and graphs.
“Thank you for your effort.”
“Is there anything else you would like me to do?”
“no.”
“Well then, I’ll be going out now.”
Jeong Su-min turned his back and went out of the office.
“You don’t think I’ll accept it?”
“maybe.”
I frowned.
“Was the salary too low?”
Instead of moving to the United States, what I promised Manager Kim Seong-jae was a promotion and a salary of $1 million.
It was a little over six times my current salary.
“Well, in my opinion, even if the annual salary were raised to $2 million, it wouldn’t make much of a difference. What can I do about that gentleman’s natural disposition of ‘If the Peace Commissioner doesn’t like me, then that’s fine’?”
As Taekang said, each person’s temperament and personality are different.
“What if Manager Kim Seong-jae says no?”
Other than him, I couldn’t think of anyone I should send to America.
“That’s for you to decide, sir.”
I sighed softly.
“There’s nothing we can do. If it really doesn’t work out, send the deputy representative to the US… … .”
“Oh my, look at this. You must have worked so hard to have your shoulders all stiff. Okay. Take it easy and work hard, sir.”
It’s like having a water pump attached to your butt.
The guy who suddenly got up from his seat smiled faintly and squeezed my shoulder.
“……stop.”
“Yes, sir!”
Taekang saluted and quickly stepped back.
I glared at the guy once, then picked up a red ballpoint pen from the pencil holder.
I skimmed through the documents at a rapid pace.
In particular, we will look more closely at the companies marked in yellow that Jeong Su-min mentioned.
For a moment, I stopped at some point.
Taekang poked his head in as if he found it strange.
“Myungwon Construction? Why is it a company you know?”
“no.”
After briefly answering the guy’s question, he put a check mark right in front of the company called Myungwon Construction.
In addition to that company, there are a total of 12 companies marked in red.
After handing the documents to Taekang, he picked up the brown coat hanging on the hanger.
The guy who was staring blankly at me like that.
“Are you really going?”
“Why? You told me to do whatever I want last time? Should I not do it?”
“No way. Don’t worry about the company, I’ll take care of your share too.”
Sigh! The guy laughed heartily and pounded his chest.
* * *
“… … Welcome, sir.”
The hair sticking out from behind the ears.
A chubby face.
Dark circles under the eyes.
Choi Ja-young, whom I met again after a week.
Her complexion didn’t look very good.
“You came here in person. You didn’t have to… … .”
He shook his head slightly at Choi Ja-young, who seemed at a loss.
“I don’t know if it would have been possible if I hadn’t started from the beginning, but doing things half-heartedly doesn’t suit my personality.”
After much thought, she decided to treat her daughter, Lee Ji-an.
When I told her the news, Choi Ja-young was jumping for joy.
I thought it would just flow like water, but I unexpectedly encountered a reef in the middle.
“Do you still show your intention to refuse?”
“My husband and I tried our best to persuade her, but Ji-an was refusing to even talk to me… … .”
In normal cases.
Patients can be treated as long as the guardian consents.
Things were a bit ambiguous at the moment.
Adult patients who are conscious and able to express their opinions without any problems.
Therefore, even if there was consent from the guardian, treatment was not possible without the patient’s consent.
Choi Ja-young and her husband desperately tried to persuade Lee Ji-an for several days to get her consent for treatment, but she was unyielding.
In the dark hospital room, covered with a blanket, she refused all conversation.
In the end, I couldn’t stand it any longer and came here today to persuade her.
“Thank you, sir.”
The man who appeared to be her husband bowed his head with a haggard look on his face.
“I will listen to your words of thanks later after Ms. Lee Ji-an has fully recovered.”
I passed the two people and entered the sickroom.
The door opened with a creaking sound.
It’s dark.
The only light visible was the dim glow of an electronic clock hanging on the wall.
Without realizing it, out of habit, I find myself fumbling with my hands to find the switch next to me.
I stopped in my tracks as I remembered what Choi Ja-young had said a little while ago.
… … You said you absolutely hated light.
So, these days, even doctors and nurses are having a hard time treating her, he said.
There’s nothing I can do.
I stood still, trying to ignore the hard feel of the light switch in my hand.
It has been said that humans are animals of adaptation.
As time passed, my eyes began to adjust to the darkness.
I cautiously approached the hospital bed, relying on the light from the wall clock, which seemed brighter than before.
I managed to sit down on the chair with great difficulty and let out a small sigh.
“Mr. Lee Ji-an.”
The voices of my parents that I have been hearing for over 20 years.
Now, it is not the voice of a doctor or nurse that we have become accustomed to, but the voice of someone else.
It seems like he was suddenly very surprised by the unfamiliarity.
The blanket shrank as if it was shrinking.
“My name is Han Yu-jin. Ms. Lee Ji-an, you may know me too. I’ve been on the news quite often.”
To clear the awkwardness.
I even tried to make a joke, which I don’t usually do.
Rather, it seemed as if that had heightened her alertness, and she crouched down even more.
… … I’ll see you later when I go to work.
It is said to be the secret weapon of conversion.
The tips Taekang gave me were of no use at all.
Thinking about the guy’s shameless face, I gritted my teeth for a moment and then focused on the Lee Ji-an in front of me again.
What should I talk about?
How can I convince her?
I kept seeing and disappearing countless fingerprints in my head.
A firm promise to definitely cure you?
So any words of comfort to give us hope?
With that… … .
Can the lock that is firmly fixed in her heart be removed?
How many times have I moved my lips?
“I had a friend.”
“… … .”
“In terms of years alone, it’s been almost 17 years. In fact, he’s someone I’ve spent more time with in the same space than my family.”
The darkness obscured not only her face, but also my face.
He continued his slow monologue within it.
“Normally, he’s the kind of guy who makes me laugh by saying things that don’t fit the situation. But he just told me that he’s going to get married soon. Well, it’s a little annoying to see him smiling like that, but what can I do? But he’s getting married, so I congratulated him.”
“… … .”
“And as time passed and the wedding got closer, the smile on his face grew wider. It seemed like it was going to be a happy ending, just like in a fairy tale.”
I clenched my fists on my knees.
“His soon-to-be girlfriend was also a close friend of mine, having watched her from the side for a long time. I quietly hoped that the two of them would be happy forever, but misfortune really struck in an instant.”
“… … .”
“The person who had been stalking and harassing her heard that she was getting married and got so angry that he threw hydrochloric acid in her face. Her rosy future was shattered in an instant in a puff of acrid white smoke.”
“… … .”
“It wasn’t just the girlfriend who was suffering, but the guy who was watching it was also suffering. He said he couldn’t protect her.”
“… … .”
“That would have been enough, but fate didn’t let him off easy. The court rejected the arrest warrant for the perpetrator, citing three reasons: no criminal record, the fact that he admitted all his crimes, and the fact that he had a relatively stable job. It was truly unbelievable.”
“… … .”
“When the news reached his friend’s ears, he couldn’t bear it anymore. He held the hand of the bride who was writhing in pain and went to find the perpetrator.”
“… … .”
“The assailant laughed at him as soon as he saw him. He didn’t want a sincere apology, but the assailant’s behavior was so absurd that the guy’s mind went blank for a moment. Who could have endured that situation? In the end, the guy swung his fist. Just once. With that one time, the guy ended up in prison instead of the assailant. He ended up bearing the yoke of being a murderer.”
“… … .”
“After the guy was locked up in the detention center, the girlfriend’s sense of loss and despair deepened. Because of her, the person she loved was branded a murderer. Even though it wasn’t her fault, the guilt in her heart grew even bigger. And eventually, something that shouldn’t have happened happened.”
“… … .”
“It was a snowy day, as Christmas approached. She quietly went up to the roof of the hospital and sat on the railing. She looked up at the sky for a moment and hummed a tune. Then, her body tilted and soon disappeared down.”
“… … .”
“What was I doing at that time? Well, I don’t know. Things just happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to do anything. But when I look back, I feel really ashamed of myself. Really, I wonder if there was anything I could have done during that time… What do you think, Ms. Lee Ji-an?”
Before I knew it, a black silhouette quietly kicked back the blanket, raised its body, and looked at me.
In the pitch black darkness.
The two of us faced each other with our faces covered.
“I don’t know how much despair, pain, and loss Ms. Lee Ji-an feels.”
“… … .”
“The world is so cold and cruel. No one wants to understand the pain of others. I can’t pour out my feelings to others because my current situation is too difficult and burdensome… .”
A dry smile appeared on my lips.
“… … .”
“I heard later from an employee that for several days, Ms. Choi Ja-young, Ms. Lee Ji-an’s mother, waited in front of the company all day without drinking a sip of water, asking to meet me. Her lips and hands turned blue in the gradually colder weather. In the meantime, her father, worried that his daughter might repeat the same mistake, watched over her without being able to close his eyes for even a moment, fighting off the terrible feeling of sleepiness.”
A thin sob like the sound of a flute.
After watching the scene quietly for a while, he slowly opened his mouth again.
“At that time, I couldn’t hold his hand or his girlfriend’s hand in time. But now, there are at least two people next to you who can hold your hand. So… … I sincerely hope that Ms. Lee Ji-an won’t repeat the same mistake as me and won’t let go of the hand you’re holding.”
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