Ghosts of Eternity

On the fifth floor of an old building in Seocho-dong’s legal district, President Park pushed open the door to Min & Partners Corporate Services.

The musty smell of paper pricked his nose. He swallowed hard, clutching a black leather folder handed to him by Aetherno’s planning office tightly to his chest. The folder pressed against his chest, but the weight felt reassuring—a tangible sign of his rising status.

Inside were the incorporation documents for 'IPS Global,' a newly created overseas distribution subsidiary of IPS TECH.

Sitting across the desk, Mr. Kim, the corporate filing specialist, pushed up his glasses and began skimming through the documents inside the folder. The crisp rustle of turning pages broke the silence.

"'IPS Global'... So it’s structured as a subsidiary of IPS TECH, with you serving as CEO, President Park. But you’ve bundled both import and export operations together?"

Mr. Kim pointed at one of the sheets and continued.

"Domestically, it functions as an import agency for specialized foreign reagents, while supplying your own research-grade reagents abroad. Bundling import-export declarations and overseas delivery contracts together in one go is quite unusual. Your preparation is remarkably thorough."

"Does anyone in the bio industry survive by doing just one side these days? We live in a world where you can only make money if you can instantly source specialized foreign reagents the moment university labs or corporate R&D centers request them. But to be truly global, we also need to send our own proprietary research reagents overseas. We’re just staying ahead of the curve."

Park rattled off his rehearsed answers without a hitch, adding a pleasant chuckle.

The manual provided by Aetherno’s legal team was meticulously crafted. They had handled all the complex procedures; all Park had to do was submit the paperwork in this faded office.

Mr. Kim turned another page and added in a calm voice, "Research-grade substances do follow different distribution and application procedures compared to conventional pharmaceuticals. However, if an end user administers the product to a human, liability may arise outside the scope of ordinary reagent distribution. Our contract scope will strictly cover the import, export, and delivery of research-grade reagents to local distributors."

Park responded smoothly, exactly as dictated by the manual.

"Of course. We only handle the delivery of research-grade reagents. Please state clearly that all downstream use is the responsibility of the local purchaser and end user."

Mr. Kim nodded, pushed the stack of papers forward, and pointed to the spot for his signature with the tip of his ballpoint pen.

At every spot Kim indicated, Park stamped the corporate seal for the new entity cleanly. The heavy thud of the seal echoed solidly through the narrow office.

The office itself was barely fifteen square meters, little more than a registered address. On paper, however, IPS Global had acquired the polished exterior of an international distributor of research reagents.

Park chose not to think too deeply about the possibility that these research reagents might eventually end up in human bodies overseas. He had no idea how vast that gray-market pipeline would eventually become.

"Everything is complete. We will contact you as soon as the filing is processed and the corporate registration is finalized."

Park straightened his chest and stood up. His grip tightened as he tucked the leather folder back under his arm.

Within the narrowest channel the law still permitted, an official route for exporting research-grade reagents produced by Aetherno had opened—under the name of Park’s company.

It felt less like moving reagents and more like moving gold bullion.

He touched the Ghost nasal spray case in his pocket and pressed the elevator button. The stale smell of paper faded, and the world before his eyes brightened into high resolution once more.

Two months later, the cool, dry air outside Frankfurt Airport filled Park’s lungs.

Despite the ten-hour flight, Park showed little fatigue after sleeping in a lie-flat business-class seat. His face looked firmer, and his eyes remained remarkably clear after the long journey.

With a luxury watch on his wrist and two aluminum suitcases in hand, Park looked every bit the international businessman he imagined himself to be. The clipped German voices echoing around him sounded unfamiliar, but he scanned the crowd without hesitation.

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The haggard, hand-to-mouth reagent vendor of the past was dead.

At least in Park’s own mind, he was no longer a petty trader hustling around domestic university labs to secure small reagent orders. He was the CEO of an international bio-distribution company who had come to deal directly with European clients.

He didn't know exactly what kind of man Hans Weber was.

He was simply the man who had sent an inquiry to purchase 1,000 units of research-grade Ghost just three days after IPS Global’s new English website went live.

His affiliated research institution and specific research purpose were vague. However, he provided solid proof of advance funds and storage facilities in Switzerland.

It was their first major overseas order.

Over the next three days, Park indulged himself—expensive meals, a powerful rental car, and every small luxury he had denied himself for years. Ghost kept the fatigue away, and each kilometer fed the illusion that his life had finally begun moving upward again.

On the morning of the fourth day, the rental car crossed the German border into a damp industrial district on the outskirts of Basel, Switzerland, not far from the Rhine.

The navigation system halted in front of a shabby office nestled among old warehouses and low-cost apartment complexes.

Stepping out of the car, the smell of rusted iron dust and acrid diesel exhaust carried by the river wind brushed past his nose. From the dark shadow of the building, a man wearing a worn leather jacket walked out slowly.

A rough beard, eyes steeped in fatigue, and a worn prosthetic hand attached to his left wrist. It was Hans Weber.

"President Park? You arrived earlier than expected."

No greeting. No small talk.

Park almost frowned for a split second, but caught himself. If it was a major client dropping cash for 1,000 units, he could handle a blunt tone. Park stepped forward with his practiced sales smile.

"I couldn't be late for our first transaction. I came to inspect the storage conditions in person and discuss our future supply schedule."

Stepping into the office, a laboratory freezer equipped with a temperature logger behind a worn desk hummed, releasing a cold mechanical drone.

Hans extended his right hand and asked in a heavy voice, "Do you have the batch release documents?"

Park pulled out his phone as if he had been waiting for the prompt.

"Right here. The batch number, release certificate, and shipping temperature log are all included."

Hans cross-checked the release number on the screen against the seal code attached to the box. Park waited quietly at his side.

Though it was his first time meeting this client, the dexterity in Hans's hands as he inspected the goods was anything but amateurish. It was clear he was someone who had handled reagents before.

When Hans opened the inner door of the laboratory freezer, a wave of cold air spilled out, and a light layer of frost coated the inner walls. Inside were Styrofoam boxes shipped from Korea under official research-use labels.

As Hans carefully removed a box cover, one thousand silver-capped vials stood in precise rows, gleaming with a cool luster.

It was the first overseas bulk order fulfilled since the incorporation of IPS Global.

Hans reached out with his right hand and carefully picked up a single vial.

"So this is... the real thing."

Hans's fingertips trembled subtly.

"The quantity ordered is completely accounted for. The batch is uniform, and I’ve separately emailed you the certificate of analysis and shipping temperature log."

Park smoothly extended his business card.

"Since this is our first deal, I offered favorable terms: a 30% deposit upfront, with the remaining balance due after your inspection. If you encounter any issues with the product or need additional documentation during handling or distribution, feel free to contact me."

Hans held the vial up against the dim sunlight streaming through the window and swallowed hard.

"You granted fairly generous payment terms for a first transaction."

Park smiled and waved his hand dismissively.

"It’s my way of asking for your continued business. You’re our first major customer in Switzerland, so we want to build a long-term relationship. If you continue ordering volumes like this in the future, we can be much more flexible with unit prices and supply schedules."

Hans placed the vial back into the box and closed the freezer door.

"Can I get the same quantity next month?"

Park’s eyes widened slightly. Inspection for the first order had barely wrapped up, yet Weber was already asking about the next batch.

"If you give us the schedule in advance, I’ll coordinate with our production team right away."

"Is double the volume possible?"

Park forcibly suppressed the corners of his mouth from curling upward.

"I’ll make sure it's possible. However, doubling the volume will require us to reserve production capacity, so I’ll need the order confirmed early."

Hans gave a brief nod.

Park didn't think Hans was a simple researcher.

1,000 vials, a shabby suburban office, documents with a vague institutional affiliation—it was far from a standard laboratory transaction.

Still, he didn't envision a massive illegal network either. He merely guessed that Weber was distributing them through a private network or filling requests for wealthy clients.

Anything beyond that was none of Park's business. As long as there were no issues with the product, the remaining balance arrived on time, and reorders kept coming, that was more than enough.

"Well then, as soon as the remaining balance is confirmed, I’ll mark the local delivery as complete. Let’s keep in touch, Mr. Weber."

Park extended his hand with a practiced smile.

Leaving the office, Park turned around before opening his car door.

Somewhere inside the old building, the freezer motor hummed. Behind its door rested the thousand silver vials Hans had ordered.

A client with no clear lab name or specific purpose of use. Yet the first order was 1,000 units, and he was already mentioning 2,000 for the next batch.

Park tried to hide his smile, but his reflection in the car window showed his lips curving up.

"European business is going to go much better than I thought."

Who Hans would pass those vials to, and through how many hands they would travel after leaving the freezer in Basel, was not yet Park’s concern.

Only one thing mattered to him: the fact that IPS Global’s first major overseas client was already eager for the next order.