Chapter 112
Chapter 112
Well, medicine should be left to the pharmacist
“I’m not planning to keep it a secret, but I’m not planning to go around advertising it either. It’s not like anything will change just because one illegitimate child showed up anyway.”
Baek Seol glanced once at Ga-on’s face, who seemed intent on maintaining an air of mystery, then snorted in disbelief.
“After what you pulled at the private party, does it even matter whether you hide it or not?”
“People forget faster than you’d think.”
Even if their perceptive abilities had become vastly superior with the help of sub-brains.
That went doubly so for humans who roamed the heavens. In the first place, there was no reason for people like them to descend into the underground where fixers ran around, so any actual contact would be close to zero.
As for the information that would inevitably spread, all he had to do was ask Damian Mac, the chairman of B&B, to control it. He was the head of one of the most influential media companies on Mars, after all.
It would be difficult if he remained Fixer Ga-on, but if he was Baek Ga-on, Baek Seol’s half-sibling, then it was possible.
That was also why she had brought him along to the private party in the first place, to skip over the stale introductions. There was no need to waste time explaining every little detail of the background now.
“Instead of that, how about coming into Baekdu? I’ll make a place for you somehow. No, wait. Uncle left, so the president position at Baekdu Heavy Industries just became vacant. What do you think?”
“Me, who doesn’t have even a shred of relevant knowledge? A pine caterpillar should only eat pine needles.”
Even as he said that, Ga-on knew that resuming his activities with Baekdu’s support would be the rational and efficient choice.
But unlike when Baek Seok-do had ruled it, Baekdu was no longer an impregnable fortress. It had merely become one of many corporations suffering growing pains from a rapid systemic transition.
Even though Baek Seol had founded Snow Apparel, there were surely countless people who doubted her capabilities and opposed her. Even after cutting out Baek Ryang, most of the executives had practically been his hands and feet.
Moreover, the majority of them were the very people who had once pushed Baek Seol aside.
They would bite at her just to survive. He should not expect to be welcomed.
In any case, Baek Seol’s position was already unstable due to her weak support base. So what if a half-sibling suddenly appeared?
Since they could not target her directly, they would come at her indirectly instead. It wasn’t that he couldn’t deal with it, but it would become quite bothersome. Walking into a thorn-covered path on his own was not his style.
That was why Ga-on concluded that he should keep his distance from Baekdu until Baek Seol had gained enough experience and authority as chairman.
But perhaps because she saw him as a child trying to stand on his own feet, Baek Seol supported that choice.
“You’ve grown up well, little brother. Honestly, by this point, I thought you’d settle down first.”
“There are still too many things I want to do before settling down. Ah, right. I almost forgot this.”
He pulled out a neatly wrapped case from his chest and handed it to Baek Seol.
“So a bouquet wasn’t enough, huh? Hehe, are you already trying to flatter me because I became chairman?”
“I’m not giving it to you because you’re chairman.”
Since Mars had twenty-four months in a year, birthdays were celebrated twice. To Baek Seol, 21 Sol of the 15th month might have been a nightmare she wanted to forget. But he hoped that at least 21 Sol of the 3rd month would become a cherished memory.
Yes, today.
“It’s a birthday present.”
“Ah.”
The inauguration ceremony had taken priority, so she had temporarily forgotten. No, it would be more accurate to say she had deliberately avoided it because it brought back painful memories.
Baek Seol opened the case with wide eyes. Inside was a necklace shaped like a triacontahedron. Looking closer, a transparent light was revolving within it.
“It’s a miniature planetarium projector. When you’re in a dark place, it projects constellations all around you.”
It was an accessory made for Baek Seol, who suffered from claustrophobia.
“I had to prepare it in a hurry, so you might not like it.”
“No, no.”
Clutching the necklace tightly, Baek Seol wore a dazed expression as though she were walking through a dream.
“This is more than enough. I’ll treasure it.”
Then, perhaps realizing how she looked objectively, she hurriedly coughed awkwardly.
“Rather than this, I should give you something too. Sol-ah. You know that thing I put in the shopping cart last time? Buy it right away.”
“Understood, Chairman.”
A short while later, Ga-on let out a low groan after receiving a document through short-range communication.
“This is…….”
[Business Transfer Agreement]
The words reflected on his retina looked unusually large. The subject of the contract was a startup company established six years ago called Orametic Bionics.
“Baekdu is also a corporation specialized in robot manufacturing, so we’ve been researching organoids too. But that’s strictly bioengineering, not biotechnology, so I bought one this opportunity.”
The amount invested must have easily been in the tens of billions, yet she spoke as though she were talking about some neighborhood corner store.
“It’s small in scale, but it used to be a partner company under Inatomi Corporation, so its foundation is solid. Right now, they’re collaborating with Isabella Public University and focusing on research and development. The subject is safe genetic modification and minimizing the aftereffects caused by it. Don’t you think it sounds familiar somehow?”
Only then did Ga-on understand why Baek Seol had acquired Orametic Bionics. She had taken to heart the excuse he gave about being exposed to radiation.
Naturally, he felt awkward.
“I’m completely ignorant about this kind of thing, so I don’t know if I should even accept it.”
“I already found a professional manager. You just need to receive the reports.”
No, he was happy. Extremely happy, even. But this was a bit too much…….
As if she had read the expression on his face, Baek Seol spoke firmly.
“Or are you trying to make me into a noona who can’t even properly repay her little brother? I want to stand proudly before my younger brother.”
Was this the dignity of a megacorp chairman, even if she was still inexperienced? From Ga-on’s perspective, there was nothing bad about gaining one more card he could use. And in the end, there was only one answer he could give.
“Alright, so stop already.”
***
After exchanging a few more words with Baek Seol, Ga-on parted ways with her and tapped on the probe. If there was anyone who had observed this request from the closest position, it would naturally be Dobby. As expected, his reaction was rather special as well.
[To think you were from Baekdu. I never even imagined it. Though, you did say you experienced Black Shower when you were young.]
No matter how large Maximum Noise was as a major corporation, it was modest compared to a megacorp like Baekdu. Wondering if Dobby perhaps felt some distance because of that gap, Ga-on found himself unable to respond easily.
[Then I guess you can spend comfortably on Lost Saga now! There’s a newly released equipment upgrade system this time, so how about giving it a shot?]
“Hey.”
Of course, it was merely his misunderstanding. Dobby was Dobby to the very end.
“As you know, the situation has become pretty complicated.”
[Because you unintentionally became a young master.]
“I know that feeling very well”—Dobby added. Perhaps because he was a genuinely pure-blooded young master raised in privilege, the range of his misunderstandings was broad. Since there was no need to correct him, Ga-on immediately moved to the main topic.
“Investigate everything about Chairman Baek Seok-do. Especially what he was doing during the time he secluded himself.”
[You’re aiming for something?]
“An inheritance.”
[Hooh, so it’s a treasure hunt.]
He had once served as the chairman of a megacorp. Even in death, that level of influence would not simply disappear somewhere. It would probably take quite a long time before they found any clues.
But that was fine.
No matter how secretly he moved, traces were bound to remain somewhere.
***
The basement of his house.
Sitting in the prayer room, Ga-on entered new samples into Veda. While carrying out the request, he had encountered Meta-humans.
Not just one, but two of them.
Gideon and Baek Gi.
Their abilities were electricity generation and transformation respectively, and even the themes themselves were fairly interesting. Fortunately, collecting samples had also gone smoothly, so their preservation condition was excellent.
[8 consecutive trials reserved. Confirmation will require 16 Sols.]
“Filter them out first.”
Since the sample size was small, there would be limitations on how many times it could be utilized, but with a control group available, comparative analysis would surely yield results one way or another.
Even if the abilities of Meta-humans did not originate from genetic factors, he was prepared to accept that possibility.
After all, he had experimented on his own body several times already and still failed to obtain any meaningful data.
But the moment he began thinking that―
[A singularity has been detected.]
An anomaly occurred. Specifically, between the cellular tissue collected previously and the cellular tissue gathered this time.
“What is it?”
[ACTN3 has increased approximately 1.4 times compared to before.]
It was a gene that affected physical performance. More precisely, it was related to the formation of fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers. In other words, it meant his muscle composition had changed.
Simply put, it meant his innate constitution had improved―
“What?”
He trained every single day without fail, but something like that could not fundamentally alter his body. It felt as though he had found a clue only to sink deeper into a labyrinth instead.
Even if some time had passed, it had only been a few Sols. He had not experienced anything particularly special during that period.
Still, the fact that there had been progress was encouraging―
“Save the entire transformation process.”
[Understood.]
Deciding to investigate it gradually, Ga-on immediately moved on to the next matter. It was the storage device he had obtained from the android girl. A drive presumed to contain records of Gideon’s movements.
Since following the trail of Meta-humans was essential if he wanted to cure Dobby, he cautiously connected it to the computer in hopes of finding a way to contact them, but all Ga-on saw was a screen filled with errors.
No matter how many times he checked, it was the same.
Ordinary programs could not even access it. This was the kind of situation that required an expert’s touch.
“Well, medicine should be left to the pharmacist.”
***
Outer area of the 5th floor of the Biotechnology Department Annex Research Institute at Isabella Public University.
A person who rarely appeared had suddenly shown up, yet Noah’s expression refused to soften.
“Miss Phytoncide.”
“What’s with that? You uncivilized brute who treats people like encyclopedias.”
“Is this because I suddenly hung up on you last time? There were circumstances. Still, thanks to your advice, I made it back safely. Look.”
“You certainly don’t look injured anywhere.”
“Were you worried about me by any chance?”
“Wh-Who would worry about you?”
“Hmph,” she answered curtly before turning her head away. Then she focused on the monitor as though the sudden visitor was beneath her notice.
“Miss Phytoncide, calm down. I even bought cake from New Neatte and brought it here.”
“Food isn’t allowed inside the lab…… no, that’s not the point!”
“You’re basically the boss here anyway.”
At his continued coaxing, Noah accepted the cake box with an expression that looked half-defeated. Truthfully, after endless research sessions, she no longer even had the energy to argue over every little thing.
“So what is it this time, coming all the way to the lab?”
“There’s a box I want to open.”
With those words, Ga-on pulled the drive out from his chest.
“That looks ominous at first glance. It’s legal, right?”
“As long as the two of us keep our mouths shut.”
“This is exactly why I said I didn’t like this.”
Shaking her head as though he were hopeless, Noah added,
“You do know I’m a professor, right?”
“What, do you think I’m stupid? If you weren’t a professor, I wouldn’t have even come here.”
“No matter how you hear it, that sounds like teasing! Haa, fine. Just this once. Hand it over.”
“You really can’t be honest.”
Noah practically snatched the drive from Ga-on’s hand and immediately connected it to the computer.