Chapter 100: Laboratory One (2)

Young-Joon, who had a good rest at home, something he hadn’t done in a while, spent the weekend morning lazily. It wasn’t until eleven o’clock that he slowly got out of bed and came out into the kitchen. He saw Ryu Ji-Won, who was watching the TV while laying on the living room couch, laughing.

“Oh, you’re up. Mom made

kimchi-jjim

[1] before she left. Have some,” she said after briefly glancing at him.

“What about you?”

“I had some before.”

“Where’s Mom?”

“She went out on a date with Dad.”

“Ha. You’re not going anywhere today? You don’t have any plans?”

“No? Should I have some?”

“Shouldn’t you be going on blind dates and meeting boys at your age?”

“It’s so bothersome.”

“If you have a mutation in the SLC35D3 gene, the dopamine receptors in your brain get dull and you get lazy. You don’t get any activity and only eat chips while sitting on the couch.”

“It doesn’t apply to me since I’m laying on the couch.”

“...”

“Oh!” Ryu Ji-Won suddenly got up.

“Right, I had something I wanted to ask. Who is Doctor Song Ji-Hyun? Are you guys dating?”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Hehe.”

Ryu Ji-Won squinted and stared at Young-Joon. “What?”

“You know that you smelled like women’s perfume when you came in yesterday night?”

“Did I?”

“I heard that the clinical trial succeeded. From what I suspect with my detective skills honed by watching Detective Conan when I was younger, you went on a date with Doctor Song to celebrate the success. Right? Hehe. Tell me about it.”

“Stop joking around and keep watching TV. Is this the

kimchi-jjim

?”

“Yeah. And look at this.”

Ryu Ji-Won ran towards him with her phone. On it were posts on Young-Joon’s fan club. It talked about Song Ji-Hyun as much as Young-Joon.

—It’s great to see two geniuses cooperate and research together while respecting each other. I’m rooting for you.

—Unnie[2] marry me...

—Ryu Young-Joon and Song Ji-Hyun. These people are driving me crazy.

—They cured end-stage liver cancer that spread to the bone marrow in the pelvis... And in a nine-year-old? It’s like a movie. Insane.

—I know I shouldn’t be doing this with actual people, but I hope they get together.

—What kind of genius would be born if those two get married and have kids?

“Stop reading useless things,” said Young-Joon as he gave the phone back to Ryu Ji-Won.

“Who did you have dinner with yesterday?”

“Doctor Song.”

“See! I knew it.”

“She is just a research partner.”

“Are you sure she’s not a life partner?”

“Phew. You’re such a kid. Getting all excited about dating.”

Young-Joon poked Ryu Ji-Won’s forehead.

“Doctor Song and I aren’t like that. Mind your own business.”

Young-Joon turned his head towards the pot again.

“Oh,” he said in surprise.

Rosaline was on top of the kitchen counter beside the sink. She was looking straight down at the

kimchi-jjim

inside the pot and examining it while on her knees.

‘I really can’t get used to this.’

Rosaline had to recover for at least six hours in Young-Joon’s body after spending thirty minutes outside. It meant that she could only go outside for less than two hours a day.

—This is a very fascinating food.

Rosaline said.

‘Is it?’

—Korean cabbage leaves with bacteria and meat were steamed together with water. To me, it’s a pot full of bacteria corpses.

‘...’

—Don’t worry; they are mostly beneficial gut bacteria. It is lactic acid bacteria to be exact.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

“Hey, so you’re not going to date Doctor Song? Honestly, I think there’s potential. To meet someone like that with your face is...”

—There are a lot of microorganisms that break down glucose, but there are significantly less bacteria that break down lactose. As mammals used lactose for that merit just before the point of divergence...

“Ah, shut up!” Young-Joon shouted. “Seriously, these kids. Move. I have to eat and go out.”

* * *

Park So-Yeon was already at A—Bio. She requested a research meeting with Young-Joon regarding the development of the animal disease diagnostic kit. The reason why she came to see him even though there was a team meeting that included Park Dong-Hyun and Jung Hae-Rim was because she wanted to talk about something personal with him. Park So-Yeon knew Young-Joon well. All he did was work during work hours, and he was as cold as a robot when it came to science. However, he was the most warm-hearted person when he wasn’t working. Although she hurt him a lot by leaving him when he was going through something really difficult, she knew that he wasn’t the type to refuse when she asked to talk for a little while.

‘Of course, we also won’t be able to date again.’

Park So-Yeon had no intention of asking for that as well. It was true that she had regrets, but it was not about wanting to date him again. What was left was something like a regret for ending things the wrong way. Park So-Yeon wanted to fix that.

Her hands trembled as she grabbed the door handle to Young-Joon’s office.

‘Haa. Be calm. This is really the last time, so I have to do well.’

Click

.

When she came into the office, he was sitting at his desk and reading a paper. He was exactly the same person who she loved back then.

“Have a seat, Scientist Park So-Yeon,” Young-Joon said as he stood up from his chair. “I had seven meetings today, and this is my last one. Let’s get it over with and go home. Let’s take a look at the data.”

As he sat down on the sofa, Park So-Yeon sat down across from him and opened her laptop. She began briefing him on the progress.

“As you can see, we tested for hoof-and-mouth disease, swine fever, and AI forty times and succeeded in diagnosing the target disease all forty times,” Park So-Yeon said. “And if you see the next chart, for rabies and anaplasmosis...”

Her briefing went on for about fifteen minutes. During it, Young-Joon asked small questions like what the error bar beside the graph represented.

And as she went onto the last side, she said, “As mentioned before, we have secured single diagnostic kits for thirteen diseases, and we believe that diagnostic kits for the rest of the twenty-one diseases will be completed in two weeks.”

“Thank you. Good work. You did a lot in a short span of time. It’s amazing.”

“It was just difficult to find the right conditions the first time, but the rest was just changing the type of Cas9. The rest will come out soon.”

“Great. I wasn’t able to follow the progress of the project because I was busy with clinical trials, so thank you for coming to see me and briefing me on it. Keep up the good work until the project is over.”

Young-Joon grinned.

“Of course,” Park So-Yeon replied.

“I think that’s everything, right?”

“...”

Park So-Yeon stared at Young-Joon. It was time for her to bring up the personal conversation.

“Um...”

“Oh, right,” Young-Joon said.

“So-Yeon-ssi, you might have to work with me for two to three more years after this project ends.”

“Pardon?”

“I am going to receive temporary authority over the Mobile Diagnostic Device Research Department. I have already discussed this with Mr. Yoon.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“For what?”

“I am going to purchase two hundred of Illemina’s equipment from Conson & Colson. I need scientists who can operate them and analyze DNA. I am going to begin a new genome project with them.”

“The Genome Project?”

“We will analyze the genomes of different races and create background knowledge for future pharmaceuticals. All pharma companies will use it.”

“...”

“You are especially good, so I look forward to working with you.”

“... Um, sir,” Park So-Yeon said.

“Can I talk about something personal for a moment?”

Young-Joon shrugged.

“What is it...?”

Park So-Yeon hesitantly opened her mouth while touching her hair.

“I’m leaving A-Gen.”

Young-Joon’s eyes widened.

“Leaving?”

Park So-Yeon's face had a faint smile on it.

“What do you mean you’re leaving?” Young-Joon asked.

“That is... Can we... think that this is our last time together and... go back to the past?”

“...”

Park So-Yeon bit her lower lip. She played with her pants near her thigh, clenching it and letting go repeatedly.

“Okay, go on,” Young-Joon said.

“...”

Park So-Yeon cautiously spoke.

“I thought about it a lot as I watched you work. I wondered what it would feel like to constantly challenge and run towards your dreams and goals so passionately and how much fun it would be. I just get my pay by doing a few experiments every day while trying to please my seniors.”

“Um...”

“And you were so different compared to me. The happiest I’ve been at this company in the past year and a half was when I was developing the diagnostic kit. Working was really fun. It was hard to stay up and research, but it was fun. So, I’m going to try and look for something like that. I’m going to quit my job and find something that I like... Something like my dream. So, I told Lab Director Kim Hyun-Taek that I’m quitting.”

“...”

“It’s funny when I think about it now. I could have quit this company this easily. I thought I’d be in trouble if I kept dating you. Why was I so stupid? What was I so scared of that I betrayed someone who believed in me? And it was when things were the hardest for you. When there was someone who pointed out the unethical behavior of the company and fought with the director, I was just afraid of getting on their bad side and having problems with promotions...”

“... No, it’s understandable. I didn’t think of you and acted rashly. I don’t regret it, but I still feel bad. So, don’t feel guilty.”

“... Things are so ironic, aren’t they? I saw that Doctor Song, the one who developed Cellicure, is famous these days.”

Park So-Yeon smiled.

“Yeah. She was already talented and she has passion, too. She should get famous.”

“You look good together,” said Park So-Yeon. “I wasn’t good enough to be by your side. The reason we broke up is because I couldn’t measure up to you.”

“...”

“That’s why I’m quitting. You get what I’m saying, right?”

“... Yeah, I think I know what you mean.”

There was a moment of silence. Park So-Yeon bit her lip.

“Phew. I wasn’t going to talk about this first. I started off so weird.”

She chuckled. In contrast, her eyes were full of tears. She lowered her head.

“I’m sorry...” she said. “I’m really sorry. And congratulations on everything you achieved after leaving Lab One. I am sincerely happy for you, and congratulations.”

“...”

“I know that you don’t have any feelings towards me now. I’m not asking you to take me back or anything. I just wanted to apologize and congratulate you.”

“... Okay.”

Park So-Yeon sniffled, then smiled.

“I should get home now. I’ll make sure to finish the remaining kits, so don’t worry. And you have to be professional with me like usual if you meet me in the few weeks I have left, so you don’t have to care about that.”

Park So-Yeon got her things and left.

“I’ll be on my way,” she said. “Mr. Ryu.”

* * *

Click.

Park So-Yeon felt like her heart, which was drenched in sadness, was beating out of her chest as she closed the office door behind her. She let out a deep breath. It was over now; it was a clean ending. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

‘Should I go to the United States after I quit... Or maybe Europe... Should I apply for the WHO?’

A smile appeared on her face. She came down from the office with light footsteps.

‘Did he say that he was going to get authority of the Diagnostic Device Department for a few years?’

Park So-Yeon tilted her head in confusion. Recently, Kim Hyun-Taek had been planning a new national project for the Diagnostic Device Department. Even she didn’t know what it was yet in detail. All she knew was that Kim Hyun-Taek was making it a large project with all the department members participating one hundred percent. Park So-Yeon had told him that she was quitting in the process of writing the list of participants for the project as it could be a problem if she quit after the project started.

‘But can they transfer the authority over the department after this kind of thing starts? When Kim Hyun-Taek is doing a national project with this department?’

Of course, it was going to take a while for it to be selected as a national project as it was just in its planning stages right now. And there wouldn’t be any problem if Young-Joon got the departmental authority in the meantime; there was a high chance that that would happen.

‘But something feels off for some reason.’

Park So-Yeon thought as she got on the bus.

‘I should find out more about this project when I go to work tomorrow.’

1. a steamed kimchi stew, typically with pork ?

2. How a younger woman refers to an older woman informally. ?