Chapter 16: Year-End Seminar (3)

“You’re saying he reverted a normal cell into an embryonic stem cell?”

Bae Sun-Mi’s jaw dropped to the floor.

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“Wait, wait. Why am I set to play defense?” Cheon Ji-Myung asked, baffled.

“You’re good at that, sir. Please help us out,” Park Dong-Hyun replied.

“Of course. I can even sing if you want. You need like three hours?”

“Thank you. If you begin the presentation, you just have to drag it out until the newbie and Soon-Yeol get there.”

“Of course. Doctor Ryu, was it? Tell him to finish the data, go through it thoroughly, and bring it to me with a cup of coffee.”

Suddenly, loud applause and shouts came from the audience.

“Whoo!”

The MC for the seminar appeared on the stage. It was Kim Hyun-Taek, the lab director of Lab One. He stood up in front of the mic.

“The young ones are usually the ones to do this, but...”

All the scientists in the room laughed as Kim Hyun-Taek chuckled.

“Anyway, I will be your emcee for tonight. First, the CTO would like to say a word. Please greet him with a warm round of applause.”

With Kim Hyun-Taek's introduction, Nicholas Kim came onto the stage with loud cheers.

“Hello, my name is Nicolas. This long year is finally coming to an end. Have you all achieved the goals you planned at the beginning of the year?” Nicholas asked the crowd. “Personally, I made a goal to stop drinking and smoking and to work out every day for at least an hour... But I failed at all three.”

Nicholas smiled warmly. He looked like the kind grandpa who lived next door, but he used to be a professor at Harvard. He was probably one of the most successful Korean-Americans. He was also one of the best scientists of this time.

“However, I got my annual check-up, and luckily, I’m still healthy. I think this is what our goals and achievements are supposed to be like. You may fail to achieve your goals; that’s what science is about. It’s about looking for that bright light in a dark room, right?”

Nicholas took a deep breath.

“It’s alright if we fail. We still have time. There are about a thousand scientists gathered here. Everyone, there isn’t any problem that we cannot solve if we work together. This seminar is also for us to cooperate.”

The crowd concentrated on Nicholas’ speech.

“Everyone, it will become very intense when we begin discussing our performance. However, I want us to be kind to each other and provide constructive feedback to plan our next goals. Thank you all for your hard work.”

Clap clap clap!

The scientists in the room gave Nicholas a round of applause as he finished his speech.

“The first to present will be Laboratory One,” Kim Hyun-Taek said on stage. “The presenter from the Anticancer Drug Research Department, please come up to the stage.”

Then, Kim Hyun-Taek walked down to the front row where the other lab directors were sitting.

Kim Joo-Yeon, the principal scientist of the Anticancer Drug Research Department, came up to the podium. She opened the presentation file.

“I will present our performance for this year. First of all, we protected the sales of our liver cancer drug, Iloa. When our sales were being threatened by Cellicure, a new liver cancer drug developed by a competitor, one of the employees in our department discovered this and reported it so that our management could take appropriate action right away...”

They cleverly omitted Young-Joon’s name, referring to him as an employee of their department. The political game they played to destroy the better drug from the competitor had become “appropriate action” taken by management.

“We are working on Cellicure, the drug we obtained, in our department,” Kim Joo-Yeon stated. However, she was lying; Cellicure, the treatment for early liver cancer developed by a venture company, was never going to see the light of day.

The scientists of other labs who did not know what was actually going on just listened without any doubt.

The performance of the Anticancer Drug Research Department that followed was incredible, which matched their reputation.

Kim Joo-Yeon first presented a new drug to treat the lesions in the affected area after resecting tumors in breast cancer. Then, she talked about the item they developed with the Mobile Diagnostic Device Research Department. It was their crucial weapon.

“...And so, we are able to diagnose stomach cancer early with an accuracy of ninety-two percent and a sensitivity of ninety-six percent. This technology is very advanced, combining the molecular diagnostic proteins for stomach cancer discovered by the Anticancer Drug Research Department and the Mobile Diagnostic Device Department’s system and kit...”

The scientists and journalists in the room stared at her with interest.

“They really are amazing,” Choi Myung-Joon commented.

“They are,” Seo Yoon-Ju agreed.

“But if they split the achievement with the Mobile Diagnostic Device Department and theirs, they might not be able to win the award.”

However, the Anticancer Drug Research Department had another card up their sleeve. Even the Mobile Diagnostic Device Department did not know about this.

“Along with this, we have developed a new anticancer drug using the stomach cancer markers mentioned earlier,” Kim Joo-Yeon added.

“This new anticancer drug can precisely track the markers of stomach cancer cells. As such, when used on a patient, it can destroy only the cancer cells without touching the healthy stomach cells.”

“Wow!”

This time, the scientists audibly exclaimed in surprise.

It was a new drug for stomach cancer that selectively destroyed cancer cells. Drugs that worked like this were called targeted therapy—they accurately found the target and destroyed only the cancer cells to decrease the level of negative side effects. It was something that a lot of other pharmaceutical companies were aiming to develop. A variety of drugs had been developed already, but they were still lacking.

The scientists stared at Kim Joo-Yeon in awe as she presented the experimental data. The Anticancer Drug Research Department was the first to present, but all the scientists in the room had already determined that they would be the department to win the Award for Exceptional Performance.

“That is the end of our presentation. Are there any questions?”

There was nothing but silence. It was actually quieter because the presentation was so outstanding.

Kim Joo-Yeon, who came down from the podium with a round of applause, stopped by the Mobile Diagnostic Device Department table.

“Sorry that I was hiding a nuclear weapon up my sleeve. The award is ours,” Kim Joo-Yeon said with a chuckle.

“Congratulations. That is definitely enough to get the award. I can’t believe you developed a new target therapy drug. The Award for Excellent Performance will be enough for us,” Song Yu-Ra, the principal scientist from the Mobile Diagnostic Device Department replied with a cheery smile.

The next to present was the Mobile Diagnostic Device Department. They also came down from the podium with equally favorable comments.

But they were both the best departments in A-Gen.

The lab directors began to attack the departments as they presented, starting with the Medical Device Department.

“What would you use that for?”

“Does that even make any money?”

With that, they threw around technical terms and even bluntly asked them what the hell they were thinking doing experiments like that.

The seminar always went like this; the atmosphere got more hostile as it went on.

“They don’t even know the basics of science! Why is the precision of the affected area for that chemical important at all? You can just limit the delivery method locally!”

People like Kim Hyun-Taek even shouted at people.

Doctor Tae Jin-Sung from Laboratory Five came down from the stage. It was finally Laboratory Six’s turn to present. But Young-Joon still hadn’t arrived.

After the four departments of Lab Six presented, Choi Myung-Joon from the Health Food Department, the self-acclaimed MVP of Lab Six, began his presentation.

“Our department is about to launch a new product, which consists of a mixture of pumpkin juice, bellflower juice, and pear juice. A quick explanation of this product...”

Choi Myung-Joon’s presentation went on for about fifteen minutes. It was a pretty good achievement, but the lab directors did not look very happy.

“Didn’t Pfizer release a product that has pumpkin juice, bellflower juice, and pear juice?” Kim Hyun-Tae asked.

Choi Myung-Joon looked a little nervous as he stammered an answer, “That’s right.”

“I’m thinking that they dominated the market first, but do you think it’s beneficial to develop the same product in terms of efficiency?”

“Our product has better nutrients. And the difference in the manufacturing method is that we obtain our pumpkin juice through low-temperature extraction, whereas Pfizer destroys their nutrients through their high temperature. I believe we can win against them in the market because our method makes the drink healthier...”

“That’s what you think.” Kim Hyun-Taek criticized.

“Low-temperature extraction or whatever, the public is not interested in the manufacturing method. I think I say this several times every seminar, but I want our scientists to have some sense of business.”

“...”

“You are not researchers who research at universities. Don’t focus on making a good product; focus on making a product that will sell. How high do you think sales will be from selling that pumpkin juice? Pfizer has a higher brand recognition than us in North America and Europe! You’re going to beat Pfizer with low-temperature extraction? Do you think that makes sense?”

There was fear in the air. It was quite shocking and uncomfortable seeing a manager be berated by lab directors in front of young scientists. However, Kim Hyun-Taek went on.

“Your probiotic sales are down as well, right? Your share in the market was taken little by little after Roche developed a new probiotic and put it on the market. Isn’t that right? What percent are you at right now?”

“...Twenty-two percent,” Choi Myung-Joon replied.

“And the year before?”

“It was at forty-nine percent.”

“At least you know that. But you did not develop a new product?”

“We are working on it...”

“Work on revolutionizing probiotics instead of making something stupid like pumpkin juice. The future industry of health foods will be probiotics.”

“We will keep that in mind.”

“Is there anything else to present?”

“...No, sir.”

“Come down. Good work. Next. Lab Six. Who is it?”

“It’s the Life Creation Department.”

Oh Jun-Tae, the lab director of Laboratory Three replied.

“The presenter for the Life Creation Department. Come up.”

“Do we really have to listen to this?” One of the lab directors mocked. The other directors smirked.

Principal Scientist Cheon Ji-Myung slowly headed to the podium.

“We were criticized because of you,” Choi Myung-Joon quietly whispered as he walked by. There was a jinx that the atmosphere always became very hostile before the Life Creation Department presented.

“I will begin the presentation for the Life Creation Department.”

Cheon Ji-Myung opened the presentation file.

A bunch of pictures of cells popped up on the first slide.

“What is that? Are those frog eggs?” Lab Three Director Oh Jun-Tae asked in a mocking tone.

“Hahaha.” The scientists burst out in laughter.

“It is Artificial Cell Rosaline 4.8.

“Alright, let’s hear it. I wonder what kind of shitty data you will go on and on about this time,” Laboratory Two Director Koh Yoo-Sung commented.

Cheon Ji-Myung’s presentation began.

“... Like this, we tested from Rosaline v4.80 to v.4.87, and we created v.4.80 in the following way.”

Cheon Ji-Myung was presenting relatively well, but everything in his presentation was about failing and trying something, and then failing again.

The lab directors sighed, but Cheon Ji-Myung paid no attention to it and went on.

“And if you look here at v.4.87, you can see that the organelles within the cell have stabilized. But the cell membrane was unstable and...”

“Why is the membrane unstable?” Kim Hyun-Taek asked.

“We have tracked down that reason and are trying to alter our experiment accordingly.”

“What do you think the reason is?”

“We are predicting that it is an osmosis of some sort, and we are going to control the salt concentration within and outside the cell.”

“Then you should have done that experiment and brought the completed data,” Koh Yoo-Sung said.

“I wanted to, but...”

“Why didn’t you do that experiment?” Kim Hyun-Taek asked.

“When our department was doing this project, I was in Cheonan for a month to help the GMO Department with their work...”

“Why does that matter!”

Lab Two Director Koh Yoo-Sung screamed. The GMO Department was part of Lab Two.

“Even if you weren’t there, you could have instructed the experiments by phone or email! You couldn’t do that as an executive manager, so you are using your business trip as an excuse?”

Cheon Ji-Myung stayed silent for a bit. To be honest, this attack was completely forced. Even if he did the experiment he was talking about, they would have asked him what he thought about those results. If he didn’t know, they would attack him for not knowing, and if he thought of a reason why, they were just going to attack him about why he didn’t do that experiment.

“Instructing work by email from being away from the frontlines of work for months at a time can cause problems in progress,” Cheon Ji-Myung replied.

The lab directors frowned right away.

“What?”

“Is that his excuse?” Kim Hyun-Taek shouted.

“All our members did the best they could. We just needed more time to solve this problem.”

“Doctor Cheon Ji-Myung, take a look at your data.”

As Kim Hyun-Taek spoke, Cheon Ji-Myung turned to look at the screen.

“Do you think that data is good enough to gather all the scientists at A-Gen and present at a year-end seminar, Doctor Cheon?”

“We cannot throw away any data. We may find something important in the data that we think is insignificant.”

“Stop talking about such principles. We want to see output. What’s in your presentation other than the fact that you failed, and then failed again at fixing it?”

“I’m sorry. We were not good enough,” Cheon Ji-Myung replied politely and briefly. As he did, he glanced at the clock. He had been defending for twenty minutes.

From afar, Park Dong-Hyun was sending him a signal.

‘They’re almost here.’