Chapter 136

Hwang Minsung sighed and took out a tissue to wipe his mouth before trying to help the man up. However, despite Minsung’s offer of assistance, the man firmly kept his head bowed, unwilling to rise until he heard what Minsung had to say.

“Please spare me.”

Seeing this, Hwang Minsung spoke gently.

“President Jo, please sit down first.”

“You said you would help…”

“I’m willing to listen because you knelt before me, President Jo. I asked you to sit not because I don’t want to see you kneeling.”

At these words, President Jo looked up at Hwang Minsung.

“If you don’t take a seat, I’ll leave.” Hwang Minsung stood up, took out his wallet, placed a ten-thousand-won bill on the table, and started to walk away.

As President Jo hurriedly stood up to leave after placing ten thousand won on the table, Hwang Minsung spoke firmly.

“I’ll sit.” At this, President Jo hesitated but eventually sat down as directed by Hwang Minsung’s gesture.

Hwang Minsung began speaking while observing him closely. “I assume you’re here about the capital withdrawal issue.”

“If you suddenly withdraw your investment, our company will go bankrupt!”

“There was only one reason I decided to invest in your company: Your business—no, your research—had potential for growth.”

“Our research still holds promise…”

“I am aware of what it entails—the development of female aphrodisiacs, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

President Jo quickly responded, “As you know, just the domestic market for male enhancement drugs is worth seventy billion won. It’s hard to calculate the global demand. But do only men need such products? No, women also—”

Hwang Minsung interrupted him with a raised hand. “I supported your Alzheimer’s research.”

“I’m aware of that, and I truly appreciate it. Thanks to your investment, our Alzheimer’s study has progressed significantly.”

“Again, I supported your Alzheimer’s research.” Hwang Minsung repeated himself firmly.

President Jo pursed his lips at this insistence. The message was clear: Hwang Minsung had invested solely in Alzheimer’s research and had no intention of funding any other projects.

“The substance we’re researching now was discovered during our dementia study. Further research on this could potentially aid dementia treatment as well.”

The company’s mission was to prevent and treat dementia through brain research. The female aphrodisiac worked by affecting hormones in the central nervous system of the brain, regulating neurotransmitters to increase libido.

In a way, the aphrodisiac was an unintended side effect of their dementia research. Thus, studying the aphrodisiac could indeed help with dementia-related studies. After all, failures were just stepping-stones toward success.

“Moreover, there is still a long road ahead for dementia research. However…”

“The female aphrodisiac should be ready for clinical trials within two years or so. Why not fund Alzheimer’s research with profits from that product?”

President Jo made sense. Multiple universities and pharmaceutical companies worldwide were already conducting studies on Alzheimer’s disease, but…none had found a perfect cure yet. All they’d managed was to slow its progression. Researching Alzheimer’s was difficult due to how much ground needed to be covered.

As President Jo spoke, Hwang Minsung watched him closely before gently spilling some water onto the table.

Glug!

President Jo eyed Hwang Minsung suspiciously at this sudden action. Under his gaze, Minsung used his chopstick to draw a line through the spilled liquid.

Shhhf…

The water formed a long line following his movement. Then he placed the chopstick at the end of the trail where the liquid had pooled.

“If we start from the same place but head in different directions…”

Shhhf…

As President Hwang moved the chopstick, the two lines initially ran parallel but gradually diverged.

Shhk!

Hwang Minsung lifted the chopsticks and pointed at the table with his finger.

“The outcomes will be quite different.”

Just as he said, the initial lines were close together, but they ended up far apart.

President Jo hastily responded to him.

“President Hwang! This isn’t right. What I’m trying to achieve is…”

“I invested in Alzheimer’s treatment research. However, your company is now focusing on female aphrodisiacs instead of Alzheimer’s, so I’m withdrawing my investment from your business.”

“President Hwang, Alzheimer’s treatment sounds good and all, but female aphrodisiacs could be profitable…”

“It certainly will be.”

It was undoubtedly lucrative territory. Men weren’t the only ones with sexual desires; women had them as well. Just like male enhancement pills, researchers were developing pharmaceuticals for females. The market for these products was also growing rapidly.

“Yes, you’re right, President Hwang—”

“Do you remember what I told you when we first met, President Jo?”

Hwang Minsung’s words reminded President Jo of their first meeting five years ago. At that time, he had been contemplating shutting down his company due to lack of research funds when Hwang Minsung approached him as a young entrepreneur willing to invest.

“I don’t intend to make money from Alzheimer’s research. My goal is to completely unravel this disease and eradicate it from the world, even if it takes ten or twenty years. I’ll secure funding, so you can focus solely on your studies.”

Recalling Hwang Minsung’s words, President Jo looked at him and asked, “President Hwang…were you truly serious?”

“I won’t seek any return on my investment for these past five years.”

“Really?”

Seeing President Jo’s relief, Hwang Minsung quickly added, “However, I will take all dementia research materials, Senior Researcher Jang Woonsung, and his team with me.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Otherwise, I’ll recover my investment of fifteen billion won.”

President Jo’s face hardened at this ultimatum. The total amount invested by Hwang Minsung so far was indeed fifteen billion won, most of which had already been spent on research expenses. Even if they sold their company, they wouldn’t be able to come up with that much money.

After some deliberation, President Jo asked, “Are you planning to conduct dementia research yourself, President Hwang?”

“That is none of your concern.” As he spoke, Hwang Minsung took out a ten-thousand-won bill from his wallet and checked the time printed on it.

“I need your answer within an hour.”

“One hour?” President Jo looked flustered at being given such a short deadline.

Hwang Minsung rose from his seat under President Jo’s gaze. The older man hurriedly asked him:

“What about your shares of our company?”

When Hwang Minsung had invested in the company, he’d acquired quite a significant number of shares. It wouldn’t be an issue if they continued on the same path, but it needed to be addressed if their goals diverged.

Hwang Minsung turned toward President Jo’s question.

“Are you attached to those shares?”

“You’re not taking any research materials or researchers with you, right?”

“Do my shares have a value of fifteen billion won?”

President Jo pursed his lips at Hwang Minsung’s words. The shares weren’t worth it anymore. They were valued at less than forty billion won, never mind fifteen billion.

“Or you can return the fifteen billion won to me.”

“But such a sudden request…!”

“This is common when dealing with the powerful and powerless. And I’m clearly the one in power here.” President Jo looked grim as Hwang Minsung spoke firmly yet coldly.

“You’ve…changed.”

Hwang Minsung considered President Jo’s comment before asking him:

“Why do you want to make money, Mr. Jo?”

“Well…for more money, of course?”

Isn’t it true that most people believe there’s no such thing as too much cash? President Jo stared at Hwang Minsung, who continued without missing a beat.

“I earn money so I can pursue what I truly desire.”

“The thing you want to do…”

“I’m earning money to cure Alzheimer’s disease. Earlier, I was searching for ways to find a cure, but now I’m making money to fund research.” Hwang Minsung turned away and added, “If you need more investment, please contact me.”

“You’ll continue investing?” President Jo urgently asked.

Hwang Minsung replied without turning back, “I will invest if it involves company shares or pharmaceutical patents.”

“That’s…” Unable to finish his sentence, President Jo watched as Hwang Minsung dropped another 10,000 won bill into the acrylic box while addressing Kang Jin in the kitchen.

“Thank you for the delicious meal!”

“Here’s your five thousand won change,” said Kang Jin after seeing him put in the money.

With a smile, Hwang Minsung shook his head.

“No need to worry about it. Consider this your lunch today.”

As Hwang Minsung opened the door to leave, Kang Jin quickly grabbed four boiled eggs and placed them in a plastic bag before stepping out of the kitchen. He glanced at President Jo once more before exiting the restaurant.

Kang Jin called out as Hwang Minsung approached his imported car parked on the road.

“Excuse me, sir!”

Hwang Minsung turned around, and Kang Jin handed him the bag.

“I noticed you like soft-boiled eggs.”

“Thank you.”

After accepting the eggs, Kang Jin took out a business card from his wallet and offered it to Hwang Minsung.

“This is our restaurant’s card.”

Hwang Minsung examined the card:

One Meal Restaurant

Lee Kang-jin

“Please take a look at the back as well,” prompted Kang Jin.

Hwang Minsung flipped over the card.

If you inform us of your preferred menu when making a reservation, we will source the ingredients and prepare a delicious meal for you.

Please inform me beforehand if you require any exotic ingredients to prepare your meal. I will source them and cook accordingly. Advance payment is required for all reservations. >

At the bottom of the densely written text on the backside was his bank account number.

Hwang Minsung looked up from the card at Lee Kang-jin.

“You request advance payments for reservations.”

“No-shows can be devastating for restaurants.”

In every restaurant where Kang-jin had worked part-time jobs, no-shows were always a headache. The problem worsened in more successful establishments. Restaurants couldn’t accommodate other customers due to reserved tables, and prepared food often went to waste. To address this issue, Kang-jin decided to include the clause about advance payments when distributing his business cards.

“It’s troublesome indeed. But customers might not like paying upfront, right?”

Kang Jin had anticipated this issue and felt slightly concerned about it…until Bae Yongsoo provided him with an answer.

“In our restaurant, we charge a ten percent deposit for reservations.”

“But wouldn’t guests dislike that?”

“If they don’t like it, they can dine elsewhere. Our business thrives even without such customers.”

Recalling his conversation with Bae Yongsoo, Kang Jin smiled.

“They’ll simply go somewhere else,” Kang Jin replied succinctly, causing Hwang Minsung to nod while observing him closely.

“If they don’t like it, let them leave… Quite bold of you.”

“The food business speaks through taste.”

“That’s true.”

As he glanced at the restaurant, Hwang Minsung took out his wallet and handed over fifty thousand won.

“I presume the person inside hasn’t eaten yet.”

“I’m quite confident.”

“You must be very brave.”

“For 50,000 won, I expect it to be quite substantial…”

“Please make it grand.”

Hwang Minsung handed Kang Jin the money as he surveyed the restaurant.

“It seems like you two had some disagreement…”

“Did you hear that conversation?”

“No, I wasn’t eavesdropping…but I couldn’t help overhearing since we were close by.”

Upon hearing Kang Jin’s words, Hwang Minsung briefly glanced at the restaurant before speaking again.

“When I first met him, he was a doctor.”

“A doctor?”

“He knew the pain of dementia and wanted to create a cure for it. That’s why he established his company and worked hard to keep it running despite difficulties. Knowing the potential risks involved, I supported him extensively due to my own interest in combating dementia…”

Hwang Minsung paused momentarily, sighed, and shook his head.

“The relentless struggle against the monstrous disease called dementia…”

Hwang Minsung swallowed his words and turned to Kang Jin.

“I look forward to your cooking.”

Kang Jin nodded in response. “Of course.”

Satisfied with this answer, President Hwang retrieved a business card from his wallet and handed it over.

“Here’s my card.”

Kang Jin took the offered card and read:

President Hwang Minsung

“I’ll be sure to enjoy the meal.” With that, Hwang Minsung got into his car and drove off.

Vroooom.

As he watched the smoothly moving vehicle depart, Kang Jin entered the restaurant.

Inside, President Jo was on the phone, looking grim.

“If we refuse, we have to pay fifteen billion won, understand? Do you think selling our company would even cover that amount? We’re out of options. You know how President Hwang is! If he says one hour, then it’s exactly sixty minutes. Have Jang Woonsung prepare all the documents first. No, not within an hour; there might be something missing if rushed like that. Instead, copy everything related to Alzheimer’s research and hand them over. After all, Jang Woonsung can organize them once he arrives at their facility. Alright, and…”

“There might be something missing if we rush to compile everything within that hour. Just copy all the dementia research data and hand it over. Jang Woonsung can organize it once he gets there anyway. And…for Jang Woonsung and his team…”

President Jo paused before continuing.

“Let’s have a farewell party on the field. Please make preparations for it. They’ve worked hard with me, so at least I should treat them to dinner before they leave.” With that, President Jo ended the call with a sigh.

Kang Jin couldn’t help but smile inwardly as she watched him.

I don’t know what kind of person he is exactly, but…he’s not bad.

Food symbolizes sincerity and love. Someone who provides meals cannot be inherently evil.