Chapter 8: Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (3)

“...”

When Young-Joon turned his head to look back, Park Dong-Hyun grabbed his shoulder.

“Don’t give them any attention,” Park Dong-Hyun spoke.

“But still, they’re talking so loudly that it’s impossible to not hear them. It looks like they’re doing that on purpose...”

“One of the biggest reasons people don’t last here and quit is because of that. But if you hear it for a month or so, you learn how to pretend like you don’t hear anything.”

Park Dong-Hyun smiled bitterly.

“

Sugoi!

”[1]

Suddenly, Koh Soon-Yeol, who was standing in front of the line, exclaimed. Young-Joon could hear him all the way from the back.

‘So that’s what happens when you get used to it.’

Young-Joon nodded at Park Dong-Hyun.

Koh Soon-Yeol turned to where they were standing and shouted, “Senior Park! I told you the menu today is freaking good! Dak-gang-jeong

itadakimasu-yo?

[2]

“Oh, okay. Eat up,” Park Dong-Hyun replied awkwardly and waved his hand.

The cafeteria was like a buffet. Young-Joon put a few different things on his plate and grabbed a beverage as well. As he scanned the tables, he saw Jung Hae-Rim with her hand up. Everyone had gathered at that table except him. He walked over and sat down.

“Soon-Yeol-sunbae, why didn’t you get any dakgangjeong? You were worshipping it,” Young-Joon asked.[3]

“It’s not that he didn’t get any. He just ate all of it,” Jung Hae-Rim answered for him.

“

Sumanai na~

I couldn’t stop myself because it was so good~”[4]

“Even if you ate it all, there isn’t any sauce left either. How did you eat it like this?”

Koh Soon-Yeol propped up his glasses with his pointer finger and grinned.

“Haha. I guess I can’t help it if I want to show this

ningen

. Wait for me to bring some more.”[5]

He stood up with his plate and walked away. The cafeteria was a buffet, and everyone was free to have as much as they wanted, so it didn’t matter if he grabbed more.

“He does that sometimes if there’s something on the menu he likes,” Jung Hae-Rim told Young-Joon, chuckling.

“Well, I also have more if there’s something I like on the menu, but the place where he put his dakgangjeong was clean as if he washed the sauce off...”

“He licked it off...”

“...”

“Well, Soon-Yeol is a little strange, but he’s nice, innocent, and smart.”

Young-Joon nodded.

“Let’s take our time while we wait for Soon-Yeol,” Park Dong-Hyun said as he picked up his chopsticks.

Clang!

Suddenly, a loud sound of metal clashing together rang in the cafeteria. All three of them turned to the sound in surprise. Koh Soon-Yeol stood there, flustered, and a young woman stood there, staring down at her shirt in shock and anger. Her white shirt had a big red stain on the front of it.

“I... I’m sorry.”

“Damn it! What are you doing?!” the woman shouted while brushing off her shirt with her hand. “You. What department are you from?”

“L-Life Creation...”

“Ah, this idiot,” she mumbled under her breath.

Scratching his head, Koh Soon-Yeol looked like he didn’t know what to do.

“I-I’m sorry... But you bumped into me from behind when I was in front...”

Then, a middle-aged man who looked like an executive manager showed up behind her.

“What is it?”

“Sir! Look at this! This person bumped into me!” the woman shouted with a piercing voice.

The executive manager frowned.

Getting up from his seat, Young-Joon turned to face the table.

“We should go hel...”

Both Park Dong-Hyun and Jung Hae-Rim were not in their seats; they were already running toward Koh Soon-Yeol.

The Health Food Department was in A-Gen, a pharmaceutical company, but they didn’t make pharmaceutical products. Their main goal was to develop functional health products. Simply put, they studied things like Korean Red Ginseng. It wasn’t like they were giving red ginseng to a patient in clinical trials to see its effects or anything; rather, they developed and marketed products with vague functions, such as that it had health benefits, made people warm, increased metabolism, and more.

Choi Myung-Joon, the team leader of the Health Food Department, was extremely confident in this year’s annual seminar; they were about to commercialize a new product, which was made with pumpkin juice, bellflower juice, and pear juice, that was both delicious and nutritious. On top of that, the Health Food Department was already a crucial department in A-Gen as it brought in a lot of profits from its probiotic product.

It was obvious that the Health Food Department was going to carry Lab Six in the seminar again like last year, although it was unknown just how awkward the idiots at the Life Creation Department were going to make it. Still, there was no way the Health Food Department would be criticized as they had already finished their presentation files, which were filled with information about their excellent performance.

The Health Food Department was excited and relaxed recently as they were able to go home without having to do overtime. Seo Yoon-Ju, one of the scientists on the team, was especially in a good mood, and she was even humming. She wore a white silk shirt, tights, and a tennis skirt to work because she was planning to leave at 6 PM sharp and go on a date with her boyfriend. She was in a good mood when she came out for lunch, but some fat otaku had ruined her day.

“Scientist Koh Soon-Yeol from the Life Creation Department.”

Choi Myung-Joon scoffed.

“...”

“You all. Why is it that you guys are always causing a scene whenever I see you? You’ll be doing that in the year-end seminar that’s taking place in a few weeks too, right?”

“I-I’m sorry.” Koh Soon-Yeol apologized repeatedly.

“So what are you going to do about it?” Choi Myung-Joon asked in an arrogant tone.

“Ah... Um... C... Can I give you money for dry clean...”

“Dry cleaning? You think some dry cleaning is going to fix the damage you did to this shirt?” Seo Yoon-Ju shouted back with a piercing voice.

“T... Then I will reimburse...”

“Do you know how much this is?”

“B-But, it’s not like I bumped into you. You bumped into m...”

“Soon-Yeol!”

Jung Hae-Rim and Park Dong-Hyun hurried over to Koh Soon-Yeol and stood beside him.

“What happened?”

“I was waiting to get some more dakgangjeong, but this person bumped into me while talking on the phone and dropped her plate...”

“

I

bumped into

you

?” Seo Yoon-Ju frowned.

“I-It’s true. You were holding your plate with one hand and then you tripp...”

“Tripp... what?” Seo Yoon-Ju spoke in a demanding tone.

“...”

Koh Soon-Yeol closed his mouth and couldn’t speak out of fear.

“What? Why aren’t you finishing your sentence?”

“Sorry... I... I’m not used to talking to 3D women...”

“Ah, this damn otaku is pissing me off.” Seo Yoon-Ju glared at him in irritation. “If you’re done shoving food down your mouth, return your plate and go work. Trying to get more food like the pig you are...”

“What?” Jung Hae-Rim looked shocked.

“What? Am I wrong? He finished his plate and then lined up again! I let him get his ticket first and came in a while after to not get close to him.”

“Aren’t you being too harsh? No matter who bumped into whom, it was a mistake, wasn’t it? If it was Soon-Yeol’s mistake, he can give you money for dry cleaning or for the shirt. He even apologized, but is that the only kind of thing you can say to him?”

“Are you in the same department?” Seo Yoon-Ju asked.

“Yes, I’m Jung Hae-Rim from the Life Creation Department.”

Seo Yoon-Ju smirked. “How befitting as the troublemaker department. Did you all rush over here to protect your otaku?”

“What?” Jung Hae-Rim asked angrily.

“Wait.” Park Dong-Hyun stopped Jung Hae-Rim and faced them.

“Koh Soon-Yeol is not a liar. To be honest, I think you’re the one who bumped into him. If so, you should be the one giving him money for dry cleaning. There’s some on his shirt, too.”

“Dry cleaning? Do you even wash that rag of a shirt? I would just throw it away and buy a new one.”

“Seriously, why are you speaking to him like that?”

Jung Hae-Rim clenched her jaw in anger.

“To be honest, you all are just a nuisance to everyone during the year-end seminar. Can’t you just stay quiet and not cause any trouble in the lab at least? Do you have to ruin someone’s clothes and mood and then all rush over to pick a fight?”

“Let’s look at the surveillance footage,” Park Dong-Hyun said.

“There’s a camera in the cafeteria. Didn’t know that, right? It’s over there, above the spoons. I think it would’ve gotten this area.”

Seo Yoon-Ju frowned a little when he brought it up.

Park Dong-Hyun added, “I know a lot about Lab Six because I’ve been here for a long time. If we see that you bumped into him, you’re going to sincerely apologize to us and give him money for dry cleaning.”

“W-Why does it matter who bumped into who? Do you know how expensive this shirt is?” Seo Yoon-Ju said.

“So why would you wear an expensive shirt to the lab? And you’re also wearing tights and a skirt. That’s against the rules for using the lab.”

“I told her she could,” Choi Myung-Joon, who was silently watching the situation, interfered.

Park Dong-Hyun, Jung Hae-Rim, and Koh Soon-Yeol all looked surprised. A principal scientist, who was the equivalent of an executive manager, was telling them himself that he allowed her to violate the rules.

Choi Myung-Joon shrugged.

“Yoon-Ju isn’t doing any experiments right now. Do you know why she isn’t?”

“Pardon...?”

“You probably don’t. Since you guys don’t prepare for the year-end seminar, right?” Choi Myung-Joon looked at them.

“Yoon-Ju is the most talented person on our team. She has finished her experiments. She has exceeded this year’s goals. She was the one who made most of our team’s presentation slides. All Yoon-Ju is doing right now is editing those files.”

“...”

“Yoon-Ju. How much is that shirt?”

“Two hundred thousand won.”[6]

“You have to go to the store again to buy it, right? That means a crucial member of the Health Food Department, the one responsible for Lab Six’s performance at the year-end seminar, is losing that much time. And it’s not like these employees in the Life Creation Department can do what Yoon-Ju has to do, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then, if these people have a conscience at least, they will reimburse you for the taxi ride to and from the store, right? You must be so sad that your outfit and your mood are ruined for your date today, huh? You should be reimbursed for that, too. Maybe about four hundred thousand won. Right?”

Jung Hae-Rim clenched her fists.

“No way... You’re going to make him pay four hundred thousand won for a used shirt that you bought for two hundred thousand won?”

Even Park Dong-Hyun clenched his jaw.

“Even though you were the one at fault?”

“We don’t know who was at fault yet,” Choi Myung-Joon argued.

If the Life Creation Department asked to check the surveillance footage, they would be harshly criticized for spending so much time slacking off when they had no results. Choi Myung-Joon was basically threatening them to stop making this a big deal and crawl on the floor like the potato heads they were.

“I’ll give it to you...” Koh Soon-Yeol said.

“Soon-Yeol?” Jung Hae-Rim looked at him in surprise.

“

Sumimasen...

I’ll give you it right now, so please don’t be mad.”[7]

“There’s no need.” Young-Joon showed up from behind. Everyone stared at him in surprise.

“You said that you didn’t do anything, Soon-Yeol. But why are you giving her anything?”

“Uh... But...”

“Who are you?” Seo Yoon-Ju asked.

“My name is Ryu Young-Joon. I came to the Life Creation Department a week ago.”

“Oh, the one who cursed at Director Kim Hyun-Taek?” Choi Myung-Joon laughed.

“Yes, that’s me. I cursed at a lab director—an executive. I can do a lot more if the other person is in a lower position,” Young-Joon said.

Choi Myung-Joon flinched.

“Are you threatening me? You’re going to punch me or something?” Choi Myung-Joon said.

“No, of course not. But let’s look through that surveillance footage. You have to apologize if it’s your fault, Scientist Seo.”

“I think I told you to do some experiments if you have to go through that.”

“Don’t worry. I am already doing an experiment.”

“You have something to present at the seminar?” Choi Myung-Joon smirked.

“Yes, we do,” Young-Joon spoke confidently. The three people beside him, including Park Dong-Hyun, looked shocked.

“W-We have something...?” Park Dong-Hyun whispered quietly.

Young-Joon spoke firmly, “Health Food? Whatever results your department presents, I’ll show you something that is double that.”

1. Japanese for ‘Amazing’ or ‘Great’ ?

2. Dak-gang-jeong is small, bite-sized, fried chicken tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce.

Itadakimasu

is a Japanese phrase people say before eating, meaning ‘Thank you for the meal.’ ?

3. Sunbae refers to an upperclassman or senior. In this case, Koh Soon-Yeol is Young-Joon’s sunbae because he joined the company earlier than him and holds a higher position. ?

4.

Sumanai

is a Japanese phrase used when saying sorry, but in a playful and slightly embarrassed way. ?

5.

Ningen

is Japanese for ‘human’ or ‘mortal’. ?

6. About 150USD when this chapter was translated in Nov 2023. ?

7.

Sumimasen

is Japanese for ‘Sorry’ or ‘My apologies’. ?