The next day, Sophie visited Geumsan Clinic early in the morning.
In her hands was the research portfolio she had organized the night before.
‘Today is my last chance.’
Sophie steeled herself inwardly as she checked the documents once more. Her research achievements in France, the project she had worked on with Gihwan in Brest—all of it was proof that she was ready to work here.
Sitting across from her, Taeho smiled.
“Did you enjoy your vacation in Korea?”
“Yes. It was a vacation I’ll never forget.”
“You said your flight is this afternoon, didn’t you? Hayul will be very sad when Auntie Sophie leaves.”
“Yes. I think I’ll find myself missing my little friend often, too.”
Sophie gave a faint smile, then spread the portfolio she had prepared on the table.
“But there’s something I’d like to show you now, Dr. Kang. This is research I previously conducted in Paris on drug delivery systems. It was a project combining natural substances with nanotechnology.”
Taeho flipped through the materials with interest.
His eyes slowly scanned the pages.
Sophie held her breath, trying to read his expression.
“Impressive. This part in particular—the data on improved biocompatibility is truly remarkable.”
“And this is…”
Sophie said as she turned the pages. In her impatience, the corner crumpled.
“These are follow-up ideas for the fucoidan research I did with Kiwuan in Brest. I organized them last night.”
While Taeho read through the materials, Sophie’s heart pounded. Sweat gathered in her palms.
Even Sophie herself was surprised by her reaction.
Had she wanted to work at Geumsan Research Institute this badly?
At first, she had simply wanted to make the proposal before leaving, but once she began, her heart grew desperate.
She absolutely wanted to work here.
When she imagined herself researching at Geumsan Research Institute together with Kiwuan, her body grew even more restless.
Taeho set the documents down and looked at her.
“Ms. Sophie. To be honest, I’ve been thinking about this for some time as well—about how I could bring you onto our team.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Your expertise, your integrative thinking, and more than anything, the adaptability you showed a few days ago. All of that is exactly the kind of talent I’ve been looking for. So I’d like to make you a formal offer.”
Sophie held her breath and waited for Taeho’s next words.
“The position is senior pharmaceutical researcher at Geumsan Research Institute. Of course, I intend to set your salary with your previous level in mind.”
Sophie’s eyes widened. It was the very condition she had dreamed of.
“And the most important part is that you’ll lead new convergence research together with Mr. Gihwan. The meeting of traditional medicine and modern pharmacy—you’ll be standing at the center of it.”
Sophie was so moved she couldn’t speak. Her eyes grew moist.
“Dr. Kang. Thank you so, so much.”
“Then does that mean you accept?”
Taeho asked, his eyes filled with expectation.
Sophie nodded, then hesitated for a moment.
“But there is one issue.”
“What is it?”
“Because of my contract with the university, I can’t do it immediately. I have to stay in France for at least four more months. But!”
Sophie hurriedly added.
“After four months, I can. I’ll come back then. By then, I’ll have settled everything and return.”
“That’s more than enough. I wasn’t expecting you to join us right away anyway. And I have no problem waiting for good talent.”
Taeho smiled gently.
Just then, the door opened and Gihwan entered. Seeing the two of them with the portfolio spread out, Gihwan stopped short.
“Ah, were you discussing something important? I heard Ms. Sophie was here…”
“Mr. Gihwan, it’s good news. Ms. Sophie has decided to join our team.”
Gihwan’s face instantly lit up.
“Uh, really?”
Sophie looked at Gihwan and said,
“Yes! I’ll finish preparing in France for four months, and after that, I think I really will be able to work here together with you.”
“I’ll wait. I’ll also prepare the research we’ll be doing together.”
Gihwan couldn’t hide his joy.
Sophie asked with a smile,
“Already? What kind of research?”
“Based on our experience treating with licorice last time, we’ll systematically study the emergency treatment effects of traditional medicinal herbs.”
“Wow. I’m really looking forward to it! I love it!”
Sophie clapped her hands.
Taeho watched the two of them with warm satisfaction.
“Then shall we prepare a draft of the contract now?”
“Sounds good!”
At Taeho’s words, Sophie smiled brightly.
***
The parking lot of Geumsan Clinic.
Taeho was watching as Gihwan got into the car with Sophie.
The morning sunlight shone on Sophie’s blond hair.
Sophie said in a regretful voice,
“I suppose we won’t see each other again until four months from now. I won’t be able to say goodbye to my little friend.”
“Let’s have video calls often in the meantime. I’ll call when Hayul gets back from kindergarten.”
“Good.”
Sophie held Gihwan’s hand tightly.
Over the past few days, the two of them had grown very close.
Close enough that anyone could guess from the affectionate way they looked at each other.
As Taeho watched them, he felt a chill in one corner of his heart. There was a face that came to mind in his own heart as well.
Gihwan sat in the driver’s seat and rolled down the window.
“Director, I’ll take Ms. Sophie to the airport and come back.”
“Drive safely. Ms. Sophie, have a safe trip home as well.”
Taeho replied with a wave.
After the car disappeared, Taeho stood there for a while.
Gihwan would soon be able to see Sophie again.
Taeho walked back inside the clinic.
On the lenses of his glasses, Rema’s holographic form appeared in a translucent image.
“Rema, how is it going?”
-It’s more complicated than I expected, Taeho. As you ordered, I’m tracking Prometheus’s Middle Eastern network, but the security system they’re using is sturdier than anticipated.
On one side of the screen, red warning messages were blinking.
-ACCESS DENIED
-FIREWALL BREACH DETECTED
-The firewall is… really powerful. They’re using military-grade encryption. It’s a seven-layer multi-factor authentication system, and they’re going through fourteen stages of VPN tunneling as well.
“Stop whining. I know you’ll get it done in the end. So how much longer do you think it’ll take?”
-With my computing power, I’ll need at least three more days. If I try to break through too hastily, we could be traced back. Look, I’ve already been caught by the intrusion detection system twice.
When Rema automatically switched to another monitor screen, log files with flashing red warning lights appeared in a stream.
-If I’m caught one more time, they may identify our location.
Taeho rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought. The fact that Prometheus had built such a thorough security system meant they were carrying out something equally important.
“Are there no detour routes?”
-I’ve already tried them.
Rema answered as she brought up several screens at once.
-I attempted access through forty-seven dark web routes, but encountered the same firewall system at every point.
“The same firewall?”
Taeho’s eyes sharpened.
Rema displayed a world map on the main monitor. Red dots were blinking across the Middle East.
-Yes. These are the estimated locations of Prometheus’s Middle Eastern network that I’ve analyzed so far. They appear to have bases throughout almost the entire Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait.
Taeho stared at the red dot in the UAE.
It was Abu Dhabi.
Rema brought up a data graph on the screen and continued explaining.
-What’s especially strange is that in the past month, medical-related data traffic in these areas has surged by 3,847%. There are records of hospital systems, medical personnel’s personal information, and even royal medical records being transmitted.
“Royal medical records?”
-Yes. A total of 1.2 terabytes of encrypted data was transmitted. After analyzing the structure and transmission patterns of the data packets, there’s a 99.7% probability that it’s medical data.
Taeho clenched his fist. The fact that Prometheus had even reached into royal medical records meant their next target was clear.
“Rema, we need to use another method.”
-Another method?
“If we can’t break through head-on, we have to attack from the side. Let’s approach through the WHO network.”
-You mean the WHO GOARN system? The GOARN system network has direct connection channels with medical institutions in the Middle East. Since it’s an official route, the firewall should be relatively weaker.
-I’ll connect now.
***
The infirmary of the Abu Dhabi royal palace was filled with the world’s finest medical equipment.
The latest MRI machine and CT scanner stood on the marble floor, along with a blood analyzer imported directly from Germany.
But now, all of that cutting-edge equipment seemed powerless.
“Your Highness, it is strange.”
The royal physician, Al Mahdi, stood before the king’s brother, Mansour, holding a thick file of test results. His hands were trembling faintly. Though he had served as the royal physician for thirty years, this was the first time he had ever encountered a situation like this.
Moreover, the person before him was Sheikh Mansour bin Muhammad Al Nahyan.
He was the full-blooded younger brother of King Sheikh Zayed and the third-ranking power within the Abu Dhabi royal family.
“The princes’ symptoms do not match any known disease.”
Mansour raised his eyes from his office chair.
“Speak in detail.”
Al Mahdi began explaining as he turned through the file.
“Prince Rayyan developed a high fever and a strange skin rash starting early yesterday morning. But the pattern of this rash is completely different from that of ordinary viral diseases.”
He turned on a tablet and showed a photograph. On the screen were red spots spreading in a geometric pattern.
“Prince Khalid is showing neurological symptoms. Along with intermittent convulsions, he has temporary memory loss…”
“Memory loss?”
When Mansour shouted sharply, Al Mahdi flinched in surprise.
“Yes. He cannot remember anything from approximately six hours ago. And Prince Hashim…”
Al Mahdi stopped speaking. His body began to tremble. He was afraid to say what came next.
“Speak.”
“He is experiencing respiratory distress along with symptoms of a blood coagulation disorder. His platelet count is dropping rapidly…”
Mansour clenched his fist. The fact that all three of his sons were showing different symptoms meant this was not an ordinary infection.
“What are the blood test results?”
“That is what makes it even stranger. No ordinary bacteria or viruses were detected.”
“What about the possibility of external infection?”
Al Mahdi shook his head.
“That is also strange. The royal security was flawless, so how something like this could have happened…”
“Flawless?”
Mansour laughed coldly.
“Then how do you explain this situation?”
“My apologies, Your Highness. But I personally checked all visitor records from the past two weeks. I also investigated the health status of every person who came into contact with the princes. We retested all food and water as well, but everything was normal. No contaminants and no suspicious individuals were found.”
Mansour moved to the window in frustration and looked outside.
In the royal palace garden, the guards were still patrolling in perfect formation. But that perfection now seemed meaningless.
The royal family was being attacked at its core by an unseen enemy.
“Summon the head of security.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After Al Mahdi left, Mansour remained alone, lost in thought.
The fact that his three sons had collapsed at the same time, yet with different symptoms. And the fact that the cause could not be found.
There was no way all of this was a coincidence.
‘Someone is targeting us.’