Taeho prepared the injection with a serious expression.
Lee Hajun watched Taeho’s movements with a tense face.
“I’ll begin the treatment now.”
Taeho spoke as he adjusted his glasses slightly. Immediately, Rema’s calm voice came through.
-Based on the patient’s current immune response index, the optimal mixture ratio is 60% immunosuppressive injection, 25% low-dose steroid, and 15% antibiotic.
Taeho carefully administered the shot into Hajun’s arm.
Lee Hajun felt a sting and frowned slightly, but soon let out a breath of relief.
Next, Taeho mixed an antibacterial ointment with RemaDerm-X, which contained skin epithelial regeneration components, in the precise ratio and gently applied it to the skin.
Lee Hajun relaxed a little at the cool sensation, the tension easing from his face.
“We’ll dress it like this twice a day from now on. This method is effective for quickly calming the inflammation and regenerating the skin cleanly.”
Taeho explained gently as he finished the dressing. He met Lee Hajun’s eyes and spoke carefully.
“I’ll be observing the progress of the treatment frequently and readjusting the medication dosage and injection schedule as needed. The important thing is to avoid stress and overwork.”
As if the tension had drained out of him, Lee Hajun smiled faintly and nodded.
“Don’t worry, doctor. I’ll follow everything you tell me to do.”
Seeing the patient’s firm resolve, Taeho smiled.
“Good. If we work together, we’ll definitely see good results.”
Lee Hajun seemed ready to believe anything Taeho said.
After the consultation ended, Taeho guided Hajun to the one-hundred-million-won lodging.
“This way, please. The stairs are a bit steep, though…”
Taeho pointed to the narrow staircase that began at the end of the hallway on the clinic’s second floor. Hajun nodded and followed him. The manager carried Hajun’s suitcase and trailed behind them.
“The first and second floors were originally the clinic, and the third floor was where the former director used to live. It hasn’t been long since I took over the hospital, so I’ve hardly been able to touch it.”
Taeho gave an awkward laugh at the end of his sentence.
After climbing the old stairs for quite a while, they arrived in front of the door on the third floor, and Taeho turned the key.
When he opened the door, damp air seeped into the three men’s noses.
“As you can see, this isn’t exactly a neat environment. Don’t expect too much.”
The moment they stepped inside, the smell of old wallpaper hit them. When he flipped the switch, a dim light spread from the lamp.
The vinyl flooring was sticky, clinging to the soles of their feet with every step. And this was after Taeho had mopped it several times. In the living room stood furniture that looked like it was a hundred years old.
The manager whistled in surprise.
Hajun lowered his mask and slowly looked around.
“Mm, it definitely is a little old. I mean the style of the furniture and wallpaper and things like that.”
“The former director was fairly elderly. All the furniture was left exactly as he used it.”
An old three-seater sofa, a worn-out TV stand, and curtains that looked like they belonged in an ’80s drama came into view at once. In the corners of the walls, yellowed wallpaper was torn here and there.
“Well, it’s fine. I can stay anywhere…”
Hajun leaned against the sofa, but when it let out a loud creak, he startled and pulled himself away.
Taeho let out a hollow laugh.
“I don’t really sit on the sofa much either because it’s so uncomfortable. Shall I show you the rooms now?”
Taeho led him down the hallway on the left, opening the doors one by one.
“There are three rooms in total. This first one is the room I use, and the second has some luggage in it, but you can use it once we clear it out. The third room is too small, so I use it as storage.”
Hajun checked each room and smiled sheepishly.
“Any room is fine. My purpose is to receive treatment from you, doctor. I’ll be in your care from now on.”
At those words, Taeho scratched the back of his head. Now that he was actually showing the place, the house felt far too old. He wondered if it would be all right for them to live together for twenty days. Taeho, at least, went to work in the morning and stayed at the clinic until evening, but Hajun would have to remain inside the house all day.
Still, the one hundred million won was more important than anything right now. Taeho resolved to make the patient comfortable.
“Ah, if this house has one advantage, it’s that the rooftop is spacious.”
When Taeho pulled open the iron door at the very end of the hallway, stairs and a door leading to the rooftop appeared.
As they went up to the rooftop, the scenery came into full view. Low commercial buildings and rural houses lay below, and in the distance, mountain ridges stretched out faintly.
Hajun’s eyes sparkled.
“Wow, it really feels open. The sky is so clear, too.”
“Right? When I’m feeling troubled, I sometimes come up here for some air. I heard the former director even grilled pork belly up here. I was thinking I might decorate it someday if I had the time.”
Hajun’s eyes lit up.
“Then I can zone out up here too. It’s hard to find a place like this in the city.”
“Yes, you’re free to use it as much as you like.”
Taeho nodded.
The manager asked Hajun once more.
“Are you really going to be okay? Should I just book you a hotel by the beach?”
“No, hyung. It’d be hard to go back and forth twice every day, and I can stay here. Don’t worry.”
The three of them looked up at the sky beyond the rooftop railing for a moment. Instead of the city’s neon signs, a black sky and starlight that seemed ready to pour down spread out before them.
From somewhere came the cry of a mountain bird. Breathing in the cold, refreshing air made them feel healthier already.
“Shall we go down, then? You need to unpack, and I should tidy the room a bit for you.”
“Yes, doctor.”
Hajun answered dutifully.
After the manager left, only Taeho and Hajun remained in the living room.
Taeho smiled and added one last request.
“Hajun. If anything makes you uncomfortable, tell me right away. If you need anything, I’ll get it for you.”
“To be honest, I like places like this. I can focus on my next script while receiving treatment.”
Since Hajun seemed to be thinking positively, Taeho felt relieved inwardly.
Before entering his room, Hajun bowed to Taeho once more.
“Then I’ll be in your care, doctor. I’ll live quietly so I don’t bother you for the next month, so please don’t worry about me. All I need is to receive treatment properly.”
***
That evening, the two of them were unable to fall asleep for different reasons.
Taeho pondered how he could grow the one hundred million won that had been deposited into his bank account.
A way to increase one hundred million won as seed money as quickly as possible.
He had never touched stocks until now, but wouldn’t it be possible if he had reliable information?
“Rema. You said you know a lot about pharmaceutical company information, right?”
-Yes. Rema monitors every stage of new drugs worldwide, from Investigational New Drug (IND) application, to Phase 3 clinical trials, New Drug Application (NDA), and launch.
“Then tell me about clinical trials announcing results within a week.”
Rema searched quickly and gave him the results. There were dozens of search results.
“Rema. Then pick the four among these that are the most innovative and have the highest chance of success.”
-Yes. Understood. Analyzing…
Before long, Rema selected four pharmaceutical companies and created a report.
-Hion Pharma’s ALG-52: a treatment for Fabry disease, a rare genetic disorder
-New Biotech’s NMG-914: a treatment for hyperlipidemia and obesity
-ABN Therapeutics’ AVN-QT: a targeted therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer
-Zenith Pharmaceutical’s Inbutos (IMVT): an integrated treatment for immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus
After reading the report carefully, Taeho chose Inbutos as the one with the most certain prospects and the greatest impact. It was not merely applicable to rheumatoid arthritis; it also had potential to expand to immune diseases such as lupus, psoriasis, and Crohn’s disease.
Just as atopic dermatitis patients were flocking to Geumsan Clinic, the number of patients with immune diseases was increasing worldwide. That meant its market potential was high.
Moreover, Zenith Pharmaceutical had recently been recognized for its ability to develop lead compounds, and it also possessed a global partnership network. Judging from the company’s scale, it could cooperate closely with the FDA or EMA (European Medicines Agency) and even aim for fast track designation. The possibility of rapid commercialization was an enormous merit.
If Phase 3 succeeded, the company’s value could rise exponentially.
Having made up his mind, Taeho asked Rema again with the thought that it was better to be cautious.
“Rema. Could Inbutos fail its Phase 3 trial?”
After a brief silence, Rema soon answered confidently.
-The probability of failure is 0%.
“What? Why?”
-I have obtained the Phase 3 clinical data and interim analysis report. I have also succeeded in accessing the private network used by Zenith Pharmaceutical’s internal development team.
“Accessing a private network? Isn’t that illegal?”
-It is not an improper method. By classification, it was an internal shared server, and I only viewed it through a security vulnerability.
“So you read all of that?”
-Yes. The files totaled seventy-five thousand pages, and after organizing them, I found that although the official announcement has not yet been made, more than 94% of the 978 Phase 3 subjects showed clinical improvement compared to existing standards. Among them, 70% reached the level of “marked” symptom relief.
Rema projected a hologram screen and showed countless graphs and statistical figures on it. The blue curve was the recovery curve of the placebo group, and the orange curve was the recovery curve of the Inbutos administration group. The gap between the two curves was quite large, and the difference widened even further as the clinical trial period progressed.
“This really is incredible.”
Taeho stared intently at the data Rema presented. The impact shown by the numbers was substantial.
“Then what about the remaining 6% or so?”
-Of those subjects, 4% dropped out midway, and 2% were excluded for failing to meet the criteria.
After seeing the data before his eyes and hearing Rema’s analysis, Taeho understood why the probability of failure was “0%.” Unless the statistics were compromised, with this level of improvement, there was no reason for the FDA not to approve it. It went without saying that it even had blockbuster potential.
“All right, let’s buy Zenith Pharmaceutical stock. I’d be an idiot not to buy after learning information like this.”
Taeho opened a stock trading window on his laptop and searched for Zenith Pharmaceutical. Since it was listed on Nasdaq, trading had just begun.
***
Meanwhile, Hajun could not fall asleep for an entirely different reason. He took out his phone and went to a search site.
His secret hobby, which he had not been able to indulge in for a long time.
Hajun’s heart began to pound.
‘But what if the doctor dislikes it?’
Hajun was worried, but his chest was already burning. He simply could not stop his restless hands.
***
The next day as well, Taeho treated the atopic dermatitis patients who poured in from morning until evening. In the cramped examination room, he had no time to do anything else, treating patients except for the time he spent eating and going to the bathroom.
Only after the work was finally over did he head to the house on the third floor. His body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
But the moment he opened the door, Taeho froze on the spot. It had changed so much that he wondered if he had come to the wrong house.
The living room floor looked brighter in color and shone with a glossy finish. The clutter that had been around the old sofa had also been neatly organized.
“Huh? I’m sure it wasn’t this clean even this morning…”
As Taeho stood there bewildered and took off his shoes, Hajun poked his head out from beyond the entryway. He was dressed comfortably in a tracksuit, and his face was flushed as if he had been sweating.
“Ah, doctor. You’re back!”
“Did you clean all this, Hajun?”
Hajun smiled slightly awkwardly.
“Yes, I was bored. I organized here and there, and since there was detergent in the utility room, I wiped things down.”
Taeho tapped the floor with the tip of his foot. The floor was dry and smooth.
“I was worried I’d have to spend money to call in a cleaning company. Thank you.”
Just then, Taeho’s stomach let out a growl.
Hajun grinned and pointed toward the rooftop.
“I prepared dinner too. You worked hard all day, doctor, so I’ll take responsibility for dinner. Shall we go to the rooftop?”
Taeho was startled.
“I didn’t expect you to prepare dinner too, Hajun.”
“To be honest, I like pork belly. I just bought green onion salad and lettuce wraps and things like that from the market. Is that okay?”
“No, how did you shop? Did you go outside?”
“No. I ordered by phone, transferred the money, and they delivered it right to the door.”
It was a method Taeho had never even thought of. As if possessed by a ghost, he followed Hajun up to the rooftop.
On a table near the railing where a cool breeze blew, pork belly and wrap ingredients were laid out in abundance. Thanks to simple lighting and a neatly arranged table, the rooftop that had only seemed shabby now had a pleasant atmosphere.
The two placed the pork belly on the grill and enjoyed the rural night air as they listened to the sound of the sizzling oil.
Taeho relaxed his stiff expression and ate the meat Hajun grilled for him. Ever since coming to Geumsan-ri, he had been forcing himself to eat tasteless meals just to survive, but today he truly enjoyed the food.
When he placed golden-brown grilled pork belly on a fresh lettuce wrap, added grilled garlic spread with ssamjang, and ate it, it tasted heavenly. With a cool glass of soju alongside it, he wondered if happiness was really anything more than this.
Because Hajun was undergoing treatment, he could not drink alcohol, but he said it was fine since he had never enjoyed drinking much anyway.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, Hajun, I’m getting to enjoy a moment like this.”
“Doctor. There’s one thing I’d like to ask of you…”
“What is it?”
Hajun hesitated slightly with his face somehow flushed, then opened his mouth.