The Secret Investment Formula of a Chemical Genius - Chapter 149



Only Krnovel

Episode 149: Chornozem (Black Earth)

CCTV footage of Kiev’s Independence Square shaking under heavy missile strikes.

Apart from Yoo Hae-jin’s sharp analysis.

Me too, deep in my heart.

It is true that I had doubts about whether there would be a war between Russia and Ukraine.

The dark shadow of war has always followed mankind, so much so that it is called the history of war.

Wars are ongoing all over the world.

But. 21st century.

Who would have thought that two countries with such vast territories would start an all-out war…

Something I never expected until I left home.

In that short time on the way to work, the war finally broke out.

“Representative!”

The employees who had been concentrating on the news for a while were startled when they saw me.

“Can you turn up the volume a little bit?”

“Oh, yes!”

The bewildered expression lasted only a moment.

An employee quickly turned up the TV volume a little with the remote control.

– At 8:20 AM on the 24th, Korean time, a surprise attack by the Russian military was carried out on the Donbas region of Ukraine. Currently, Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, is also under Russian missile attack, and the casualties are… … .

Explosions erupting everywhere without pause.

A building that collapses to the ground without any strength.

Citizens running away with anxious faces.

“… … .”

“… … .”

CZTERA staff members, including myself, were momentarily speechless at the vivid tragedy unfolding before our eyes.

That day.

Newspapers and news outlets around the world, including in Korea, were filled with news about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

* * *

I put the documents I was holding down on the desk.

It’s already been 30 minutes since I started working.

When things got out of hand.

I got up from my seat and went to the window.

Even as the weather gradually became cooler, my stuffy mind did not seem to go away.

After fiddling with the phone in my hand for a while, I pressed the saved speed dial number.

A few signals flowed.

– I got a call.

A low, deep, low-pitched voice.

“Long time no see, Mr. Mikhail Ivanov.”

-Are you calling because of something that was on the news this afternoon?

He immediately realized why I was calling.

“yes.”

– … … .

A moment of silence.

Even as the silence grew longer and longer, I waited for him to open his mouth.

– … … What are you curious about?

“Did you know in advance what was going to happen today?”

– I knew it.

As expected.

“Was the fall of Mikhail Ivanov possibly connected with this incident?”

– … … .

“You don’t have to answer if you feel uncomfortable.”

– I’m not particularly uncomfortable. I was just thinking about how to bring it up. That’s right. As Han Yu-jin said, I was against the war with Ukraine.

“Why?”

– Because I could see the damage people were suffering.

“Is it because of conscience or morality or something like that?”

At that moment, a low laugh was heard over the phone.

– Mr. Han Yu-jin, do you know which country has the largest territory in the world?

“It must be Russia.”

The size of Russia’s territory is a whopping 17,098,246㎢.

Russia, which has one foot in Asia and one foot in Europe, boasts an overwhelming size that is almost twice that of Canada, the world’s second largest country.

– You know very well. Then, do you know how many people there are in Russia, a country with such a large territory?

“… … .”

I immediately understood what Mikhail Ivanov was trying to say.

Russia’s population is 140 million.

In absolute terms, it is not a small number, but considering the area of ​​the country and the status of Russia as a country, it is true that the population is relatively small.

– The world has changed a lot compared to hundreds of years ago. I think it’s long past the time when national competitiveness was measured simply by the size of the country. Even if you compare it to Korea right now, Russia’s economic power is not much different. It’s not that we lack resources or land. Ultimately, I thought that what Russia needs most to develop is people and technology. Not the fertile Chornozem (black soil) of Ukraine.

“… … .”

– Ms. Han Yu-jin.

“Go ahead.”

– Mr. Han Yu-jin, do you love the country called Korea?

“well…….”

With my 1 year and 8 months of military service and tax payment obligations, I thought I was fulfilling my duty as a citizen.

Beyond that, I never thought about it separately.

– I love the country of Russia. More passionately than anyone else.

“… … .”

– In my heart, anyway, at the time, it was easy for me to agree with that opinion on the outside. But my mouth moved differently from my head. I couldn’t just sit back and watch Russia continue to go astray.

“You’re being honest. Usually, you lose a lot in those cases.”

He smiled faintly even at the sarcastic, slightly pointed remark.

– We’re definitely losing a lot because of that.

“Don’t you regret it?”

– Will anything change even if I regret it?

Well, now that we’ve come to this point, asking questions like this is probably meaningless.

“… …Are you okay?”

– Of course. I’ve recently taken up fishing as a hobby, and I don’t even realize how much time has passed while I’m doing it.

That’s not what I’m asking… … .

While I was sighing softly.

– I recently had a video call with Natasha.

“Is that so?”

– Since my wife left, I haven’t seen my child smile even once, but she has become much brighter. She is so excited and chatters a lot. Thank you for taking good care of Natasha.

“No problem.”

– Please take good care of Natasha in the future.

“All right.”

– Okay, that’s it.

The phone call suddenly hung up.

I raised my head and looked at the sky for a long time.

Unlike the hustle and bustle of things happening on land.

The clouds floating high in the sky were still peaceful.

* * *

“… …Can I come in now?”

“Where? Prison?”

“Oh, why are you saying such cruel things?”

“That’s why I told you to buy our company’s stocks a long time ago. Who would turn a deaf ear to someone who keeps nagging you?”

“At the time, I didn’t know it would turn out like this. How long have you been working as a senior researcher?”

“I put everything I had into a loan, including my salary.”

“… …Why do you go to work?”

“I go there for fun.”

“Are you kidding?”

“Does this sound like a joke?”

“… … I said that you’ve been spending strangely lately. You’re the kind of person who usually says we should split the bill every day.”

A voice that can be heard clearly even outside.

I opened the door to the lab and went inside.

“What are you talking about so interestingly?”

“It was nothing, sir. This guy just keeps making stupid jokes.”

Senior Researcher Choi Dong-hyeok was poking Researcher Lee Su-min in the ribs.

“The research results are out?”

“Yes. Come this way.”

I followed the two people’s guidance and entered the laboratory.

A bunch of lab rats locked inside glass walls.

“Here are the results of experiments with the burn treatment you gave me so far.”

I glanced over the materials provided by Senior Researcher Choi Dong-hyeok.

The results are not much different from what Bligh derived from simulation.

“Experiments are being conducted on rats over here.”

Post-it notes attached to the glass wall.

Above it was written in detail the start date of the experiment and the condition of the mice at that time.

“This is the condition of the mouse one day after receiving the burn treatment.”

I looked closely at the rat that Choi Dong-hyuk was pointing at.

Red burn marks, like patches of solder, between the white fur.

Whether it was because of the pain or not, he didn’t move from his spot.

If it weren’t for the occasional trembling or movement of the back as if breathing.

The rat’s activity level was so low that it seemed almost dead.

“This is what the mouse looks like three days after being administered the treatment.”

“The burn scar has faded a lot.”

“you’re right.”

Although there was still a hint of redness on his back.

As I watched them quickly moving around to find food, I could see that their activity had greatly increased.

“And this is what the mice looked like about a week after being administered the treatment.”

“The hair… has grown.”

On the back of the laboratory rat, a short, fluffy white hair was growing above a mark the size of a ten-won coin.

“As you can see, the damaged hair roots seem to have recovered!”

The excited voice of Senior Researcher Dong-hyeok Choi.

“That’s amazing.”

Honestly, I didn’t even pay attention to the roots.

Because the area I was interested in was skin regeneration.

however.

“Do you have anything you would like to say to me?”

Senior Researcher Choi Dong-hyeok hesitates, wondering if he has something to say.

“… … Sir, are you thinking of releasing this as a burn treatment?”

“I intend to do that. Why are you doing that?”

“that is…….”

“Do you by any chance plan to market this as a comprehensive skin treatment rather than a burn treatment?”

Researcher Lee Su-min, who was standing next to him, stepped forward and spoke on his behalf, seemingly frustrated.

“Comprehensive skin treatment?”

“Yes. If you look at it, it has been confirmed to be excellent for treating burns, but when we studied it, we found that it was also quite effective for other skin diseases.”

“Like hair loss?”

“ha ha ha.”

As if her true feelings had been revealed, an awkward laugh escaped Researcher Lee Su-min’s mouth.

Naturally, as the scope of indications expands, the duration and cost of clinical trials increase exponentially.

That would be the case.

If you register as a burn specialist, you only need to test for burns.

Because if it is registered as a comprehensive treatment, it must undergo clinical trials for other diseases as well.

The reason I developed this was to treat burns.

Even if there are other effects, I wonder if it is really necessary to go that far… … .

I noticed Senior Researcher Choi Dong-hyeok looking at me with an earnest expression.

His crown felt somehow empty.

“… … Let me think about it.”

“thank you!”

Researcher Lee Su-min made a smug face toward Choi Dong-hyeok, who was smiling brightly.

“How much weight have you lost?”

I tried to somehow reduce the side effect of weight loss, but the treatment effect was also reduced.

Eventually, I had no choice but to give up on improving the burn treatment.

“It appears that on average there has been a decrease of about 4 to 5%.”

“Were there any side effects that came with it?”

“Nothing in particular has been found.”

“That’s fortunate.”

I looked closely at the lab rat behind the glass wall.

The mice used in the laboratory were genetically very similar to humans.

In certain genes, they are almost 99% identical.

Because of their rapid gestation cycle and fertility, rats have been used primarily in animal experiments.

Of course, that’s obvious.

To test burn treatments, we needed mice that had suffered burns.

And that happens… … .

“Are you okay?”

Unless you are a mentally ill psychopath.

Even though the species is different, when humans hurt other living beings, it can be a traumatic event.

Then the two people laughed bitterly.

“At first, when I started this job, I would sometimes dream about rats, but after doing it for a while, I got used to it. I guess I became numb to it. And isn’t this something that is absolutely necessary?”

Some animal rights groups often protested, demanding an end to animal testing, arguing that animals also have the right to live freely.

but.

“That’s right. It’s absolutely necessary. We can’t directly administer substances to humans without even the minimum safety testing.”

Animal testing is absolutely necessary.

Even if it seems a little selfish.

“In a short period of time, you both worked hard to verify the research results.”

Even if I couldn’t do it, I would have stayed up all night for several days to achieve this level of performance.

“No. I felt uncomfortable because I felt like I was just playing around for a while, but thanks to you, I’m glad that I can do proper research after a long time. Should I apply for a clinical trial to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety right away?”

“Yes. There’s the EMA (European Medicine Agency), the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, the US Food and Drug Administration), and the RZN (Roszdravnadzor, the Federal Health Supervision Service)… … It’s going to be a little difficult.”

Choi Dong-hyuk and Lee Su-min laughed bitterly.

“Okay, sir. I will submit the clinical trial report to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and two other places.”

* * *

The world’s second largest military power.

At the beginning of the war, most people expected that Ukraine would not be able to withstand the Russian offensive for long.

That prediction turned out to be somewhat accurate.

In an instant, Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, was surrounded by Russian troops.

But Ukraine did not just sit back and let it happen either.

Urban combat using familiar geography and terrain features.

The Russian army, which had boasted of victory, was in trouble.

Especially with the fierce counterattack by Ukraine, which had regrouped in the rear.

Eventually, Russia was forced to pull back its front lines.

In such a short period of time.

A lot of things happened.

“Eugeneaaaaaa~~!!!”

Taekang came back from his honeymoon.