Chapter 18. The Value of a Potion
Kim Do-yoon barely slept that night.
At the deepest part of his desk drawer...
Beneath old notebooks and workbooks...
Two small glass bottles were hidden.
Clear liquid.
At first glance...
It looked no different from ordinary water.
But Do-yoon knew better.
It was not water.
It had saved Han Seo-yeon.
It had instantly closed torn wounds.
It had demonstrated healing that reality could not even explain.
And today...
For the first time...
He would sell it.
For real money.
Do-yoon checked the drawer once more.
Then carefully locked it.
He checked the door several times in case someone might find the bottles.
Only then did he leave for school.
School.
After morning homeroom, Han Seo-yeon naturally approached Do-yoon's seat.
"Hey."
"What?"
"Are you in a good mood today?"
Only then did Do-yoon realize he had been smiling.
"Is it obvious?"
"Extremely."
Seo-yeon asked playfully,
"Win the lottery?"
"Something like that."
"Stocks?"
"Something like that."
"Don't tell me you got a girlfriend?"
Do-yoon nearly sprayed the water he was drinking.
"What are you talking about?"
"Your reaction tells me the answer is no."
Seo-yeon laughed hard enough to hold her stomach.
"That's unfortunate."
"What is?"
"If you had one, I was going to ask you to introduce us."
"Why would you need an introduction?"
"Friend verification."
"I don't need it."
"Liar."
Do-yoon eventually failed to hold back his laughter too.
It was an everyday life he could never have imagined before.
Laughing and joking with someone at school.
Eating lunch together.
Talking about plans for the weekend.
Only weeks ago...
He had been the student eating alone in a corner of the classroom.
Not anymore.
The moment class ended, Do-yoon left school.
A black sedan was waiting in front of the main gate.
Seo Ji-hoon stepped out from the driver's side first and greeted him.
"Kim Do-yoon."
"Hello."
"The Chairman is waiting."
Do-yoon silently got into the car.
The sedan moved smoothly along the road.
While watching the scenery outside...
Do-yoon checked the potions inside his bag once more.
Today was the beginning.
About thirty minutes later...
The car entered the private underground parking lot of the Han Myeong-jae Medical Foundation.
Do-yoon had visited several times already.
But the building still felt unfamiliar.
Glass walls.
Marble floors.
Expensive paintings along every hallway.
It was a building that showed exactly what kind of spaces money could create.
A secretary guided him to a conference room.
Han Myeong-jae stood as Do-yoon entered.
"You're here."
"Yes."
"Sit."
Do-yoon quietly sat.
A thick contract and a small silver metal case rested on the table.
Han Myeong-jae held out his hand.
"The potions."
Do-yoon opened his bag and carefully removed the two glass bottles.
The moment the clear bottles were placed on the table...
Han Myeong-jae's eyes changed.
Only a moment ago, he had looked like a gentle old man.
Now...
The cold calculation and desire of a businessman appeared in his eyes.
Almost like a hunter looking at prey.
Wearing gloves, he carefully picked up one potion.
He held it toward the light.
Slowly shook the bottle.
"Fascinating."
After murmuring to himself, he opened the metal case and placed the potions inside.
A brief silence passed.
Then Han Myeong-jae spoke.
"The test results are in."
Do-yoon's expression became serious.
"How did the component analysis go?"
Han Myeong-jae shook his head.
"Failed."
"..."
"Molecular structure."
"Composition."
"Nothing matches anything in our existing databases."
Do-yoon inwardly sighed in relief.
He had expected that.
The substance came from another world.
Of course modern science could not easily explain it.
Han Myeong-jae pushed a thick file toward Do-yoon.
"But we confirmed the effects."
Do-yoon slowly read from the first page.
The tests had been performed on animal tissue.
Artificial skin.
Damaged muscle tissue.
The results were shocking.
Rapid regeneration of torn muscle tissue.
Abnormal recovery of fractured areas.
Closure of severe wounds.
Sharp reduction of inflammatory responses.
The regeneration rate was impossible to explain through existing medical knowledge.
Even Do-yoon was surprised while reading.
When he had treated Han Seo-yeon...
The situation had been too urgent for him to fully understand what he had witnessed.
Looking at the actual data made him realize...
The potion was worth far more than he had imagined.
Han Myeong-jae lightly tapped the contract.
"One Standard Potion."
Do-yoon looked up.
"Fifty million won."
The room went silent.
Do-yoon could not speak for a moment.
"...How much?"
"Fifty million won."
Han Myeong-jae repeated it casually.
"Two bottles."
"One hundred million."
Do-yoon calculated the number in his head.
The answer remained unchanged.
One hundred million won.
A number completely disconnected from the life he had lived until now.
Han Myeong-jae remained calm.
"Cheap."
Do-yoon stared at him.
"You think that's cheap?"
"Yes."
Han Myeong-jae leaned back.
"If someone can survive..."
