A conference room in virtual reality.
The older executives, more accustomed to holograms than full-dive capsules, took their seats in translucent avatars.
Name, dressed in a black suit and skirt, adjusted her red tie.
‘This suits a kindergarten graduation party more than a stiff corporate setting.’
The executives were the kind of people who would bring in a monkey for the sake of profit, but they weren’t so shameless as to utter malicious words toward an 8-year-old child.
For now, let’s just observe.
They silently listened to the announcement of a big deal worth trillions, having signed an NDA (non-disclosure agreement).
“Hello, I am Noname, co-founder of BioAkashic. Before I begin the presentation—”
Except for the unique high pitch of a child’s voice, it was quite pleasant to the ears.
With her adorable gestures, the grim expressions of several executives began to soften.
“Currently, the virus causing multiple sclerosis is a type of herpes known as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)—”
Her preliminary knowledge was impressive. Noname explained the boundaries of human knowledge revealed so far in the simplest terms possible.
EBV is a very common virus that infects one in three people.
However, it also has antibodies, so there are no symptoms under normal circumstances.
Occasionally, when immunity weakens, it might cause mouth sores.
“Yet, only a small fraction of those infected with EBV develop multiple sclerosis (MS), which cannot be explained solely by its incubation period. I got the idea while walking in the summer and suddenly seeing cicadas. Do you know how often periodical cicadas appear? Yes, every 13 or 17 years—”
What connection could there be between multiple sclerosis and cicadas?
The executives shifted forward in their seats, paying more attention to Noname’s presentation.
“Returning to multiple sclerosis, it involves autoimmunity caused by T cells, which leads to abnormalities in the myelin. However, the fundamental cause lies not with T cells but with B cells. B cells, a type of white blood cell—”
Several executives nodded.
This was because, in recent years, related research had surfaced.
Some competitors’ treatments targeted B cell suppression.
However, indiscriminately suppressing B cells could lead to serious side effects such as increased susceptibility to infections like pneumonia.
“Retroviruses. If you’ve seen the movie ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes,’ you’ll recognize that the simian flu ALZ-113 is based on this virus. For those unfamiliar, both HIV, which causes AIDS, and HTLV, which leads to leukemia, fall within this group. Now, let me explain how retroviruses and EBV destroy the central nervous system, using the cicadas to introduce the concept of periodicity—”
In the blink of an eye, five PPT slides passed.
The executives became panicked.
Were they amazed by her explanation?
No, they had lost track of her explanation at some point.
It was like nodding off while a university professor passionately explained the Pythagorean theorem, only to come to awareness and find the blackboard filled with confusing equations.
“So, what’s the likelihood of passing Phase 3 trials? Didn’t you say it’s still in progress?”
An executive raised a critical point.
After all, such medical analyses were tasks for the practical workers below.
Confidently, Noname loosened her tie and showed the final slide.
“Already, in Phase 1 trials, 100 patients were declared cured without any side effects. 84% of 87 patients with quadriplegia were able to walk independently. What more should I show you?”
They really were a suspicious bunch.
Nonetheless, Noname willingly allowed them time to compute.
It was only a matter of time before the treatment would dominate the market.
“Why are you looking to sell?”
Robert Kim, the vice president of the Asia-Pacific region, asked last.
Even capturing half of the market share would easily yield tens of trillions.
In fact, it could be more beneficial to gather pharmaceutical companies with the patents and pit them against each other.
“Because it’s faster. While you see this all as money, I see only the 3 million patients.”
BioAkashic lacked the facilities and land needed for mass production of the treatment.
“And the reason I’ve estimated 900 billion won is that this treatment won’t be on the market for long.”
“Why? Is there a major flaw?”
“No. I plan to make a vaccine later. My goal is to eliminate this business.”
Leaning back in her chair, Noname expressed her aspirations arrogantly.
The executives stared at her with dumbfounded expressions.
Eventually, the female CFO burst out laughing.
“Ha ha ha, I’m tearing up. You’re not wishing the business you intend to sell to do well, your goal is to eliminate it. You’re so honest; it’s impressive, Noname.”
“Then when the time comes, I just have to buy the entire vaccine business, right? It’s good for us as it only expands our operations.”
“Well, I might just give up the patent.”
“Like Jonas Salk? If you become that kind of great person, there’s nothing we can do about it. I enjoyed the presentation.”
“Let’s move on to the MOU. There’s no need to see more.”
“Oh, right. I can’t hand over the Demon Lord’s horn.”
Noname left one last remark before she stood up.
“Minus 30 billion. Still, that magic is selling well in Japan for now.”
“Alright.”
With a bright smile, Noname extended her hand for a handshake.
BioAkashic’s status in the South Korean startup scene was nothing less than ‘the sprout of Mars,’ neither ‘a rain in drought’ nor ‘a chicken encountered on a diet.’
Their rise was predicted to stir a new wave in the South Korean bio industry, create tens of thousands of jobs, and elevate the country’s status in the international community.
However…
A shark suddenly emerged in the treacherous red ocean, swallowing the golden goose whole.
The shark, with a market capitalization of a trillion, scattered 870 billion won in excrement.
Considering that the Ministry of SMEs and Startups injects 5 trillion won annually yet the economic indirect contributions hardly surpass 10%, this was arguably just golden excrement.
But the problem lay in the uneven distribution of capital.
The public’s sentiment was as follows.
An unsightly Japanese faction barged in, gulping 500 billion won.
A few unscrupulous securities firms turning money into money had scooped up 2.5 trillion won.
Though the South Korean government managed to recover just under 100 billion won, the remaining one became a thorn in their side.
– Noname alone took 348 billion? After taxes, at least 200 billion, right?
– Wasn’t it a company operating for fun?
– I thought it was just a magical toy company…
– Crazy, right? LOL.
– What value does that company have to attract such a large amount of money?
– Why does Noname hold overwhelmingly more shares than the CEO? I don’t get it.
– So envious I could be jealous… At 8 years old, she could spend without worry… I’m tied down by credit and loans, working to exhaustion and still can’t pay…
– If I get jealous of things like that, how do I live life? If we say that, there are people living life right from the starting line.
– Don’t be jealous of our poor Noname!
In the market, BioAkashic’s corporate value hovered around 100 billion won, even generously estimated at 300 billion.
The news of a big M&A deal where they bought it for ten times its worth came as a surprise announcement, prompting media outlets to report eagerly.
The Financial Supervisory Service belatedly acquired information and began monitoring and auditing.
How could they secure the MOU and the main contract so swiftly?
The background lay in BioAkashic’s scant asset list.
All pharmaceutical machinery was registered at market value, and the company owned no land or buildings, so validating the treatment was all that was needed.
Everything progressed rapidly and smoothly.
Warm sunlight melted the frozen Korean Peninsula, pushing humans glued to their beds out into the world.
Spring had finally arrived.
“Ah-choo!”
I sniffled and vigorously shook a hot pack against my cheek.
When would this winter end?
The start of spring, known as Ipchun, had long passed, and it was approaching Gyeongchik (the awakening of insects).
If I woke up from hibernation now, I’d become frozen meat and mostly end up on the tables of the French.
Using heat-retaining magic every time the weather turned cold directly harms immunity.
Children of a similar age were running around at the park, screaming joyfully.
In fact, that was the right thing to do.
To release body heat, you need to work hard with your legs like that, but as I grew older, I didn’t want to waste energy in unnecessary places.
There was a girl running into the park entrance, looking around.
“Nameya!”
It was my orphanage classmate, Arin.
As soon as she saw me, she ran over at full speed and hugged me.
Her adoptive father, Baek Ho-chan, joined us late for greetings.
“Hi, Arin. Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Baek Ho-chan.”
A young CEO, once utilizing his major in microfluidics at USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering, led a business combining microscopes and AI for cellular observation and disease diagnosis.
He had to wind down the business due to a series of bank failures in the USA, but he returned with a glamorous comeback.
“Why do you start with ‘Thank you for your hard work’ instead of just ‘Hello’?”
“Because you genuinely worked hard.”
“Well, thanks.”
Baek Ho-chan had become a man who could be considered to have exchanged health for business, living with various diseases affixed to him.
“What are your plans for the future?”
“Me? For now, I’ll work hard with the lab employees aiming for the launch of Persizumab. After that, I think I’ll need about a year to observe the results.”
“And after that?”
“After that… I’m thinking of leaving. I feel like I need to take a break and focus on my health. I’m also mulling over some business ideas I originally wanted to pursue.”
The nominal CEO was Baek Ho-chan, but I actually held the power.
With the sale of BioAkashic, he also became a multi-billionaire, thus laying a foundation for achieving his own dreams.
He was truly a person with a lot of greed.
“Nameya, how much is in your account? You still have 40% of your shares, right?”
“That’s rude.”
“We’re not exactly in a position to stand on formality, are we?”
I nodded slightly and opened my securities account to check.
[Payment Date: March 1, 2052]
[₩214,105,826,285]
“That’s quite a bit.”
“Come on, stop hiding it! Local reporters know you have over 200 billion, too.”
“But it’s about 7.3 billion less than expected. And it’s an amount I’d spend quickly, so it doesn’t really mean much.”
“Haha, that much money? Even if you spam your favorite magic thousands of times, you still wouldn’t use it all!”
That’s not entirely wrong when it came to 5-circle magic.
“Anyway, be careful. If money keeps appearing in the news like this, those filthy flies will swarm around.”
“Then I should spend it as quickly as possible.”
“Nameya, do you have a lot of money? Just how much?”
“Why? Is there something Arin wants to eat?”
“Mm, I just have to ask my dad to buy it for me.”
We spent the tedious time exchanging trivial chatter.
How long had it been since I’ve enjoyed a leisurely day like this?
“School starts next week, right?”
Upon Baek Ho-chan’s question, I nodded once more.
“3rd grade?”
“Yes.”
“Wow… I can’t believe it.”
His breath rose in the wind.
That statement had already become familiar to me.
“There are many mysteries in the world after all. It’s easier to just think of it that way and live life.”
Like a comedian-turned-president leading a war to victory against a superpower, or Korea reaching the semi-finals in the World Cup while Morocco won the championship.
If you consider previous lives, dragons soared through the skies.
Of course, there were no horned horses in that realm.
“More than anything, I’m most surprised that you almost made this treatment all by yourself. What if the world finds out?”
“Well, people forget more easily than you might think. A little time passes, and it fades from memory.”
“By the way, I heard a religion named after you was founded overseas.”
“What?”
“Oh? You didn’t know?”
I had no idea at all.
“Look it up on a community later. Watching different religious groups bicker can be quite entertaining.”
“Haha…”
I forced a smile and placed my phone face down on the floor.
For some reason, I had a strong instinct that I shouldn’t look it up right away.
