Pick Your Poison (HIATUS)

chapter seven-

chapter seven-

Jae Hee

The days go by uneventful, apart from problems encountered in the lab nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. I haven't caught sight of either Jung Woo or Chairman Jang, but it's the least of my concern. I'm more worried about the toxicology results I had to report at the end of the week. The numbers weren't looking great, and it seems we'd have to push aside clinical testing for at least another month.

"I don't understand," I tell my supervisor, who is obviously unhappy about the delays, "I've done both in vitro and in vivo testing on rats. But they both resulted in organ failure. The researchers say they followed the correct dosage- "

He slams his fist on the tabletop. I flinch in surprise. "Find a way to revise those numbers then, Dr. Jae Hee. The higher-ups are getting impatient. We should be mass producing by now."

"Sir, we're dealing with highly toxic material. It'll endanger both our researchers and human trials." I insist. He takes a scathing look at me before throwing my research down the bin. I sigh. There goes a week's worth of no sleep.

Today, I meet Kyung Soon for lunch. She throws me a pitiful look while placing a strip of beef on top of my rice bowl. "You look like a zombie..." she comments.

"Kyung Soon, I think I'm losing my job for real this time." I try to calm my breathing. My heart hasn't stopped beating fast since the meeting with my supervisor, and that was an hour ago. "I'm scheduled to go to Babel Chemicals, and I have to be finished by then."

"I wish I could help you, but I failed chemistry in high school." She pats my head. "I think they're rushing to get more investors. They need funds for the new tower they're making. You know, Babel Tower? Everyone's under a lot of pressure because of it, especially Chairman Jang."

My ears perk up when I hear his name. I look at Kyung Soon, lowering my voice to a whisper. "What else do you know about it?"

She side-eyes me and grins. "Oh, now you're interested."

My mind scrambles for an excuse. "Well, he's my boss...""

"Come to think of it," she continues, "You never told me what happened when he called you to his office."

The sudden recollection of what transpired that day made me wince. I glance at Kyung Soon, who is staring at me with a bemused smile. Something about the playful glint in her eyes made me think that she already knew. Oddly enough, Kyung Soon seemed to know everything about everyone in this building. She may just be a receptionist, but she does have keen ears.

I spend the rest of the afternoon tucked away in my lab. I read through a pile of papers that detailed the methodology of producing RDU-90, but something seemed amiss. The list of drug components looked incomplete, and the quantities of each component did not make sense; It was similar to that of a commercial painkiller. If this paper claims to be true, then my toxicity testing should be cleared. I have a feeling my co-researchers weren't being transparent, and to get my work finished I need to confront them. I pick up my belongings and set foot towards the RDU-90 formulation lab.

A man walks out of the lab and I rush forward to meet him. His nameplate read "Song Hyun Woo".

"Dr. Song Hyun Woo" I call after him. He stops in his tracks before turning around, his eyes landing on me. He was a little standoffish; one might say arrogant. Nonetheless, he approaches me. He reads my nameplate just as I did his.

"Dr. Jae Hee from the toxicology lab, how may I help you?"

"I'd like to ask about the formula of RDU-90." I get straight to the point. I guess the exhaustion is getting the best of me, making me act out of character. "I don't think the formulation lab has been transparent with me. I need the actual paper, not something as heavily redacted as this." I hand him the research papers back. He looks at me questioningly, scanning through it.

"Are you saying we've been lying to you?" he says, his demeanor frigid.

I shake my head. "I'm saying you're withholding information. I cannot approve of this drug proceeding to the next stages of testing. It's too dangerous."

Hyun Woo raises an eyebrow and smirks. He takes a menacing step towards me. "The drug will proceed, Dr. Jae Hee. With or without your approval." I don't take a step backward as an act of defiance. Whatever he's doing doesn't faze me. "You think your little tests matter? If you continue to delay mass production, I doubt they'll keep you here longer three days."

He drops the papers on the floor. I bend down to scoop them up, fighting the urge to run after him and pull out every strand of his hair. What is it with this RDU-90 anyway? It's a simple painkiller. There are thousands like it already in the market. What makes it so special that they-

Realization hits me like a train. I chase after him just as he steps inside the elevator. He looks at me in confusion.

"It's an illegal substance, isn't it?" I smile triumphantly. He stiffens, like a deer caught in headlights. The other people in the elevator look at me like I'm crazy, but I couldn't care less. The doors close and I take one last scathing look at him, which he returns.

I make my way back to the lab. Now I just have to figure out exactly what kind of illegal drug I'm dealing with, and I have to find out before I lose my job.

Possibly, even my life.

author's note

And then there's Hyun Woo 😪 is he a friend or foe 👀

By the way, I'm also a huge fan of Kim Beom! I'm currently thinking about making a fanfic just for him, but I don't know if I should base his character on Lee Rang from Tale of the Nine-Tailed or Han Joon Hwi from Law School. What do you think?

Thank you so much to everyone who voted for and commented on the previous chapters! I'll never stop thanking you guys. It's truly and wholeheartedly, much appreciated ❤️

Anyway, I hope you continue to show some love for Han Seo by giving a vote and leaving a comment! See you all real soon.