"Are you asking for a four-week supply all at once?"
Seo-han’s voice was dry, a refined tone entirely devoid of both anger and panic.
He lightly adjusted the cuff of his meticulously tailored dark navy three-piece suit. Under the lights, his cuff links emitted a subtle, metallic gleam, shining with a heavy luster.
"That's right, CEO Lee. We're both busy men, so why go through this tedious routine every week? I'll raise your compensation to 200 million won."
Jeong Hyun-jin unbuttoned his tailored suit jacket and pushed the bag slightly closer. The flamboyant silk scarf draped around his neck shifted minutely.
He couldn't hide the deep shadows under his eyes and his grayish complexion.
His gaze was a volatile mix of greed—the burning desire to wrest control from Seo-han—and the absolute terror of the physical decay he faced every time the drug began to wear off.
Hyun-jin was utterly convinced that once he secured the raw solution, Ki Jong-ho would finally be able to reverse-engineer the compound.
After that, he could easily tame this dogmatic scientist or discard him like a spent pawn whenever he pleased.
"It is not difficult."
Seo-han reached into his bag and pulled out four transparent vials, arranging them with surgical precision at even intervals on the smoked-oak table.
Catching the light, the liquid within glowed with a chilling blue luminescence.
Hyun-jin’s pupils instantly dilated.
The thing that had made the world worth conquering again was finally within reach.
The only sound in the dead silence of the safe house living room was his heavy, ragged breathing.
"However, Vice Chairman," Seo-han added casually, idly touching the cylinder of the syringe.
"The substances I formulate possess highly sensitive biological activity. If you inject a four-week supply over a short period, it will cause receptor desensitization."
"Desensitization...? What the hell does that mean?"
"To put it simply, neuroendocrine dysfunction. Excessive stimulation triggers receptor desensitization, which can leave entire motivational pathways unresponsive."
It was a stark warning that he could lose the very drive, hunger, and sense of dominance he had only recently reclaimed.
"Th-then what am I supposed to do?"
"The dosage must be precisely controlled. That is why I have personally administered the injections and monitored your condition every week."
Seo-han lightly flicked the top of a vial with his fingertip.
A crisp, ringing ping echoed through the sealed room.
"Taking them all at once is fine by me. The contract has been fulfilled.
However, you must take full responsibility for the injection protocol yourself. If you deviate even slightly from the prescribed dosage, you may never regain the drive you've only just recovered."
Hyun-jin’s fingertips trembled minutely.
It was a perfectly engineered dead end.
If he consumed the raw solution for analysis, he would lack the dosage required for his own injections.
Yet, to inject it without verification meant risking his own body to irreversible damage—a horror that froze him in his tracks.
He could either gamble everything to reverse-engineer the compound, or remain permanently subordinate, paying exorbitant sums to live within the confines Lee Seo-han had engineered.
Hyun-jin’s mind overloaded with sheer, suffocating chaos.
Yet, his immediate greed and the temptation of replicating the drug through Ki Jong-ho loomed larger than his fear.
"...I'll take them. I'll manage my share myself."
With a tentative, cautious hand, Hyun-jin gathered the four vials from the table.
It was a gamble that would test the absolute limits of what he could endure, but the dice had already been cast.
As Hyun-jin buried himself deep into the sofa and let out a dry exhale, an unhideable anxiety began to harden beneath his grand bravado.
A chilling arc crossed the corner of Seo-han's mouth.
He calmly packed his injection device and closed his bag.
This was the pathetic limitation of those who believed their capital could buy them control over everything.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"I will see you next week. Make sure you arrange introductions to the absolute best on that list."
Seo-han's rhythmic footsteps faded down the marble hallway and receded past the entrance.
Left behind was the anxious breathing of a man who had willingly stepped into a trap.
Deep within a quiet alleyway in Cheongdam-dong sat "Artichoke," a private dining establishment.
The reservation-only private room on the third floor featured floor-to-ceiling glass windows that looked out solely onto a meticulously manicured bamboo garden.
The interior was defined only by faint spotlighting, thick carpeting, and the silent, retreating silhouette of a sommelier.
A Burgundy wine and an amuse-bouche sat elegantly on the table.
The two sat across from each other, measuring one another in cool silence.
"Thank you for carving out time on a weekend evening, especially given Vice Chairman Jeong's relentless pestering," Seo-han began casually, lightly swirling his crystal water glass.
Despite being well past forty, his thoroughly disciplined, solid build and the sharp silhouette of his suit exerted a strangely heavy, oppressive gravity, even in this private setting.
Across the table, Kang Si-hyun lowered her eyes, quietly observing Seo-han’s neat hands and impeccable posture.
The Cartier Tank watch gleaming sharply above her cuff line perfectly mirrored her rational, analytical disposition.
In that single moment, she finally understood why the S Group secretariat had caused such an uproar, doing everything in their power to orchestrate this arrangement.
"I’ve heard you’re a very busy man. Since they told me you were a biotech venture CEO and researcher, to be quite honest, I expected a dull, old-fashioned academic cooped up in a lab."
Si-hyun adjusted her collar elegantly and took a sip of her tea.
Her gaze, as sharp and targeted as one would expect from a partner at one of Korea's top law firms, deliberately dissected Seo-han's demeanor.
"But you seem remarkably strict with yourself. I think I can finally see why Vice Chairman Jeong treats you with such exceptional care."
It was the refined rhetoric characteristic of the upper class, but beneath it lay the distinct probing of a legal mind.
An attempt to discern whether the man across from her was just another common businessman chasing capital, or someone of an entirely different caliber.
To Si-hyun, other people were merely variables to be controlled, and she was well-accustomed to hiding a blade beneath an elegant demeanor to test her opponent.
A faint smile crossed Seo-han's face.
Though he was a man unversed in social pleasantries, he read this opening gambit with ease.
"The Vice Chairman must have been overly dramatic with his descriptions. I’ve heard you are one of the most exceptional talents in the industry, Attorney Kang.
I'm sorry to have monopolized your weekend evening for a meeting like this."
"If I thought it was a waste of time, I wouldn't have accepted," Si-hyun said, setting her glass down and staring straight into Seo-han's dry eyes.
"The Vice Chairman told me you were an 'obnoxiously smart bastard.'"
Si-hyun continued calmly, "I've encountered countless people who manipulate others with words, but I found myself curious to see just how sophisticated the logic of a man dedicated to science would be."
Seo-han didn't bother to justify or explain away Jeong Hyun-jin’s colorful description.
Instead, he quietly watched the precise movements of the sommelier pouring the wine before posing a dry, respectful question to Si-hyun.
"Logic. Law and science are essentially cut from the same cloth. They both require forming a hypothesis, gathering evidence, and proving absolute reproducibility.
The only difference is that while science proves the laws of nature, law arbitrates the fluid, variable rules agreed upon by human beings."
Seo-han set his glass down.
"Don't you ever grow fatigued, Attorney Kang, dealing with that unpredictable variable known as human nature every single day?"
A curious glint flickered in Si-hyun’s eyes.
This was entirely different from a cliché, mundane investigation into someone's background.
Seo-han's clinical approach, which cut straight to the core of her professional essence and her internal exhaustion, provided an exquisite intellectual stimulation.
What she craved wasn't mere wealth. It was the intellectual conquest of controlling even the most arrogant power players beneath her legal architecture.
Seo-han had pierced right through to that core.
"An intriguing point," Si-hyun murmured, tilting her wine glass slightly.
While the heavy aroma filled her palate, her eyes remained locked on his demeanor.
"You're exactly right. The legal codes are sophisticated, but the humans who operate them are brutally irrational and emotional.
So sometimes, I find myself envying the world of science, where everything is proven by stark numbers alone. At least data doesn't lie. I suppose you don't have to suffer headaches over the human variable, CEO Lee."
"My laboratory is ultimately a place that deals with the human organism as well, so I confront those illogical variables every day," Seo-han said, raising his wine glass slightly.
"But that is precisely why the sense of control is so absolute when you finally derive a clear conclusion.
Much like the triumph you must feel, Attorney Kang, when you resolve a multi-billion-won corporate lawsuit with airtight, flawless logic."
The glasses met, and a clear, crystal chime echoed through the room.
Kang Si-hyun realized something. Throughout the entire evening, she hadn't driven the conversation a single time.
Seo-han looked into Si-hyun’s intelligent eyes as the wine slid smoothly down his throat.
Bathed in the soft lighting of Artichoke's private room, Kang Si-hyun shone with a cold brilliance.
The pristine cuffs of her white shirt peeking out beneath her sleeves and the refined poise emanating from her long fingers holding the glass exuded an impeccable elegance.
In the air, the heavy, oaked scent of the red wine mixed subtly with the calm, woody notes of her perfume.
Kang Si-hyun was undeniably a captivating person. Exquisite logic, unshakeable dignity, and an intelligence that had conquered the peak of her field.
Yet, as Seo-han took another sip of his wine, a thought occurred to him.
It felt exactly like looking into a mirror.
A cold, transparent, and ruthlessly rational entity.
When two mirrors face each other, they produce nothing but an infinite reflection; no warmth can ever spark between them.
Seo-han set his glass down and offered a gentle smile. His gaze met her clear eyes softly.
"Your logic is so incredibly precise, Attorney Kang, that I almost forgot it was a weekend evening for a moment."
His tone was gentle, but the line he drew was unmistakable.
The corners of Si-hyun’s mouth curved into a smooth, elegant arc.
She, too, understood his meaning instantly—that further intellectual probing between them was entirely meaningless.
Si-hyun gave a light shrug and set her glass down.
As she leaned back slightly, the professional armor that had been tightly fastened shifted, loosening ever so minutely.
The dinner concluded with seamless, pristine neatness.
Maintaining a flawless distance that never crossed each other's boundaries, the two descended the heavy marble steps of Artichoke.
"I enjoyed tonight, CEO Lee. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a conversation that kept me on my toes."
"The honor was mine, Attorney Kang. Drive safely."
With his hands slid into the pockets of his dark navy suit, Seo-han quietly watched the cold, foreign sedan of the Kim & Chang partner glide smoothly out of the alleyway.
Without a shred of lingering attachment, Seo-han turned and walked out of the dark streets of Cheongdam-dong.
The crisp night air cooled a mind that had been running at full capacity for the past two days.