The Secret Investment Formula of a Chemical Genius - Chapter 150



Only Krnovel

Episode 150 Fate

The face of the guy I hadn’t seen in a long time had turned copper.

“Did you get a tan?”

“Oh, this? The Mediterranean sunlight is surprisingly strong.”

“Then at least put on some sunscreen.”

“Hyejin told me to put on some sunscreen, so at first I did, but then I started to find it annoying to have to keep reapplying it every few hours. So later on, I just stopped putting it on.”

Sunscreens also have different SPF (Sun Protection Factor) values ​​and the amount of time they block UV rays from the skin.

“Can’t you make it for me?”

“What are you making?”

“I’m talking about sunscreen. A powerful, long-lasting sunscreen that you can apply once and never have to reapply again throughout the day.”

… … Why did I make that?

As usual, I listened to Taekang’s nonsense with one ear and let it go out the other.

“Did you have a fun honeymoon?”

In response to my question, the guy just smiled sinisterly and gave me a thumbs up!

I’m glad you’re doing well.

“Here, take this.”

The guy handed me the paper bag he was holding in his hand.

“What is this?”

“Souvenirs, if you look there, you can see cosmetics.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll bring it to you, Mom. Ko, Kore? Anyway, I heard it’s a famous cosmetic in Greece.”

“I’ll tell your mother, but what about this below?”

“That’s for the little ones. I heard Eun-soo likes puzzles, and I didn’t know what Natasha would like, so I bought her a doll for now.”

Anyway, he looks like a foolish teddy bear, but he’s secretly meticulous.

however…….

“Is the one at the very bottom mine?”

“uh.”

There was something flat packed at the very bottom of the paper bag.

“What is it?”

“If you’re curious, try solving it yourself.”

But the sight of that strangely smiling guy bothered me.

Well, since you said it was a gift.

I removed the packaging and opened the box.

And inside it.

“… … .”

“Isn’t it cool?”

The gift he gave me was a wooden mask that looked like an ancient Greek figure.

The problem is… … .

It’s not even Munch’s The Scream.

Eyes wide open, mouth wide open.

The mask had a face that was scary to dream about.

“… … This is a bit different from other gifts.”

“As expected, you know right away. Hyejin chose the gifts for mom and the kids. That one was mine. Hyejin originally wanted to choose a coffee cup from Greece as your gift, but when she thought about it, she thought it was too plain. So you put in a lot of effort and chose something better. What do you think? Do you like it?”

… … You should have just listened to Hyejin, Taekang.

“Good.”

I put the mask the guy gave me back in the box and put it aside.

As far away as possible.

“Have you heard the news?”

“Russia? Of course. Even on Greek TV, they only broadcast that all day long.”

The guy pulled up a chair and sat down next to me.

“Honestly, you’re causing more trouble than us.”

Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Immediately after the incident occurred.

The United States and Europe immediately issued statements.

A crude accusation that even omits diplomatic rhetoric.

Especially since the pretext that Russia used for this invasion was Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO.

The backlash in Europe was stronger than ever before.

“I heard that in Germany, the Nord Stream-2 project has also been suspended.”

Europe and Russia have had a long history of hostility.

Regardless of such lingering feelings, the two economic entities, Europe and Russia, were quite closely intertwined due to their close geographical proximity.

A representative example is the Nord Stream.

Between Germany and Russia, there was an undersea pipeline called ‘Nord Stream’ that was built to supply natural gas.

Natural gas supplied by Nord Stream branched out from Germany to several European countries.

In fact, Russia, which has the world’s largest natural gas reserves, is responsible for Europe’s winter.

Nord Stream is not the only natural gas pipeline supplying Europe from Russia.

Yamal-Europe pipeline.

This natural gas pipeline runs through Russia, Poland, Belarus and Germany.

A few years ago, due to a sudden contractual problem, gas supplies were temporarily interrupted.

And the aftermath was beyond imagination.

Natural gas prices in Europe hit an all-time high.

In Europe, where the fire was at their feet, they had to stamp their feet because they could not obtain natural gas for immediate use.

It was from then on.

Russia began weaponizing its natural gas supplies.

Europe, too, was aware of this fact, but because it had no clear solution, it had no choice but to be dragged along every time Russia threatened to cite the issue of natural gas supplies.

But this time, for the first time.

Germany was the first to decide to withdraw from the Nord Stream project.

This means that Europe is taking the invasion of Ukraine very seriously.

“It’s chaos, it’s chaos. But you… … .”

Taekang opened his eyes half-heartedly and looked at me.

“Are you having any strange thoughts?”

“What a strange thought?”

“No, I was just wondering if you were trying to intervene in this Russian-Ukrainian war.”

“……what?”

“Honestly, you’re not completely unrelated to this either, Natasha. You know who that kid’s father is.”

“I have no intention of doing that.”

I spoke to Taekang in a firm voice.

Mikhail Ivanov.

One of the Siloviki, the core power group that leads Russia.

Although he was overthrown, his influence in Russia was not completely lost.

But apart from that.

I had no intention of interfering in this matter whatsoever.

“My nose is three feet long, so who cares? I’ll take care of it. I’m not a kid.”

“Yeah, I thought about it well. Should I just do it on my own? That person will be able to handle it on his own.”

“Do you think so too?”

“Of course. Even though he was overthrown, to eliminate Mikhail Ivanov, you would need to mobilize at least a few companies of Spetsnaz. How can Russia afford that when it is short on manpower to deploy to the Ukrainian front right now?”

“I guess so.”

I guess Taekang knows this much better than I do, so what he says is probably right.

“But didn’t you say last time that you didn’t know much about Mikhail Ivanov?”

“… … !”

“From what you said today, it seems like you know a lot about it… … .”

“Oh my stomach! Did I eat breakfast badly? Why does my stomach hurt so much?”

… … It’s hard to pretend not to know.

I shook my head.

“Please send relief supplies to Ukraine in the name of the company.”

“Don’t worry, sir!”

“And you prepare for the business trip.”

“A business trip? Where are we going?”

“America. You have to keep your promises.”

Knowingly or unknowingly, I have received help from Professor Jennon Smith many times.

In return, he hoped I would visit the United States once.

There isn’t much time left this year.

If not now, I won’t be able to keep my promise.

“Really? How long are you going to stay in the US?”

“About a month or two?”

“… … That long?”

“I have some things to take care of.”

Then the guy started whining like a puppy that needs to poop.

“what’s the matter?”

“No, first, let me talk to Hyejin… … a little bit… … .”

“That’s true. I forgot about Hyejin.”

“I see, right?”

In an instant, a color came to Taekang’s face.

“Then I… … .”

“Let’s call Hyejin and ask.”

“……what?”

While the guy was panicking, I called Hyejin.

– What’s going on, Eugene?

“Did you have a nice honeymoon?”

– Of course! It’s been a while since I’ve had a relaxing and comfortable rest!

“I received the gift well. I think my mother and the children will like it very much.”

– Then that’s great!

Just wanted to say hello to her for a moment.

“But, I think I’ll have to go on a business trip to the US. It’ll probably be two months. But the problem is that Taekang will have to go with me.”

– is it so?

Even though it’s not a video call, I can’t even see Hyejin’s face.

The guy shook his head with a desperate look on his face.

“Could you lend me Taekang for a moment?”

– Of course! Feel free to borrow as much as you want!

She readily agreed without much hesitation.

Let’s take a quick look at Taekang.

He was in despair, with a face that looked like he had lost the world.

After finishing the call.

“Is it okay now?”

“I… … am not an eraser that you can borrow when you need it.”

The guy muttered with a blank expression on his face.

“Since the professor has decided to send a private plane, there is no need to book a separate flight.”

“Private plane?”

The guy who had returned to his original face perked up his ears at the mention of a private jet.

“okay.”

When I said I was going to America, the professor said he would send a private plane for me.

Even though you said it was okay.

The professor was reluctant to change his mind.

In the end, the heated debate over the private jet ended up in the professor’s favor.

“Oh! A private plane! This is my first private plane since I was born!”

The guy hummed excitedly, completely forgetting what had happened just a moment ago.

… … Did I say I would go with you for nothing?

* * *

The captain of the private jet was a white man in his 40s with a sad face.

“Welcome! CEO Han Yu-jin! Vice President Lee Tae-kang! I am Larry Collins, who will be in charge of the flight today.”

“My name is Han Yu-jin!”

“This is Lee Tae-kang! Captain, please steer the plane gently. Please!”

“We will make sure you are as safe as possible.”

Captain Larry Collins burst into laughter at Taekang’s joke.

We boarded the plane right away.

“Ha! I’ve ridden first class before, but it’s definitely nothing compared to a private jet!”

The guy kept exclaiming in admiration as he touched various parts of the airplane seat.

“Is there anything you need?”

Fluent Korean, not English, flowed out of the stewardess’ mouth.

“You speak Korean well.”

“Yes. I have lived in Korea for quite some time.”

She smiled faintly.

You took care of it so meticulously.

Seeing one is like knowing ten, and I could feel the meticulous consideration of Professor Jennon Smith.

“No, I don’t need anything else.”

“Do you have any wine?”

“Of course I am ready. What kind of wine would you like to prepare?”

“What… … wine?”

“Yes. There are several different types. Please take a look and choose.”

The guy who had a blank expression for a moment accepted the menu the stewardess handed him and got absorbed in it.

“Don’t drink too much.”

“Of course. I’ll just have a taste.”

Looking at Taekang answering in a mumbled manner.

I put on the blindfold I had prepared in advance.

* * *

12 hours.

After a nearly half-day flight, we finally set foot on American soil.

After getting off the private plane, we immediately went to the hotel we had reserved.

After a brief respite from the toxins, the evening drew near.

A visitor came to see us.

“Welcome to America, Professor Han!”

“It’s been a while, Professor.”

“It seems like it hasn’t been that long since I last saw you in Korea, but time really flies.”

“That’s right.”

“Have you eaten?”

“I simply took care of it at the hotel.”

“So, would you like to take a quick walk with me down the Long Beach beach?”

“Okay, Taekang, do you want to go with me?”

“… … No, you go alone… … and come back.”

The boy lay limply on the bed, muttering in a mosquito-like voice.

Professor Jennon Smith was shocked when he saw the sight.

“Does anything hurt?”

“That’s not it.”

A bitter smile that comes out without me knowing.

“I’m not in good condition because of the flight, so don’t worry about it.”

“Larry, that guy isn’t the type of guy to fly a plane recklessly… … .”

“It’s not because of you, Captain. We encountered turbulence midway.”

“Turbulence?”

“Yes. The turbulence was quite strong. To the point where the flight altitude suddenly dropped in the middle of the flight.”

“That happened. I saw on the news that the turbulence has gotten a lot stronger recently. But Professor Han seems to be fine… … .”

“Unlike some people, I don’t have a fear of heights.”

“Acrophobia… … No.”

“Let’s go.”

We headed outside, ignoring the voices we heard behind us.

* * *

“It’s beautiful.”

“It’s pretty during the day, but Long Beach is especially beautiful at night.”

Professor Jennon Smith had a pleased smile on his face.

Palm trees, wide sandy beaches, and young couples chatting away on the beach – things you wouldn’t see in Korea.

“Instead of an old man like me, you should come to a place like this with your girlfriend or wife… … The doctor named Eunha Eun, who was next to a professor before I saw her… … .”

“We’re just friends.”

“is it so?”

A mischievous smile crossed Professor Jennon Smith’s lips.

“By the way, I heard that another professor created something new this time.”

“It’s a burn treatment. It’s not that great.”

“No, I have a teaching record so far.”

We walked along the white sand beach for a while, chatting away.

“Professor Han.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“So far, one professor has created a lot in a short period of time.”

Professor Jennon Smith stopped walking for a moment and stared at me.

“Every single invention there is something that astonishes the world.”

“You are too kind.”

“No, I am definitely not exaggerating.”

A serious look in his eyes, with no hint of laughter.

“By the way, what do you think is the greatest thing a professor has ever created?”

“well…….”

Professor Jennon Smith smiled broadly as he saw me pondering, then turned his gaze to the dark sky.

“I think the chemical formula that the professor first created is the most amazing.”

“Why do you think so?”

To a question that was half-joking.

“Because that chemical formula has the power to change the ‘fate’ of the world.”

“… … !”

“Isn’t that right, Professor Han?”

Before I knew it, Jennon Smith was looking straight at me with wrinkled eyes.