Chemistry

5. Generalist(4)

Seated with the senior researchers, Shin Yoon-seok furrowed his brow as he listened to the second presenter stumble through their response at the podium.

Baek Gi-tae. A senior hire and KAIST alumnus. Based on his performance in weekly meetings, he wasn’t the type of passive new hire.

Shin Yoon-seok also enjoyed pressure. He believed that an appropriate whip could increase work efficiency. However, evaluations by center managers like these went beyond pressure and were closer to violence.

The can’t see anything because they are looking down from their high positions.

With everyone watching as if it were a joke, Shin Yoon-seok sighed.

‘Did I make an unnecessary recommendation?’

Shin Yoon-seok looked at the protagonist who had moved the director today.

Han Jeong-woo.

The young man in his mid-twenties had shown an impressive presence since he joined the company. It was like watching Cheon Seung-guk during his undergraduate years at Heidelberg Annex Research Institute.

‘I’m not sure how much he’ll meet expectations.’

If that young man shows something beyond his expectations, he could bring a new wind to KG Chemicals internally.

“Hello, this is Seo Kyu-min. I am working on improving the yield of KG Chemical’s main display TFT-LCD glass production for mass production.”

“That’s the main business. A brilliant plan indeed. I like it.”

“The research for improving factory yield is already a long-term project being carried out in our information electronics department. Compared to that, it falls short.”

Whenever there was a clash of opinions between the center director who was favored by the presenter and the center director who pointed out the flaws, the expressions of the new recruits became increasingly desperate.

The same thing happened with the next presenter and the one after that. The project they had prepared for three months was dismantled one by one, and their morale was being drained.

“Adhesive tape? As a physicist, I think research could start with a single reaction formula that binds the adhesive substance of mussels to the metal molecules on the surface of rocks.”

“If there was a tape that could stick underwater, it could be useful in the medical and electronics fields…”

“That’s a long story. It’s good to have a dream, but at KG Chemicals, it has to be a realistic one.”

All the new recruits who were present let out a sigh, united by the center director’s blunt assessment of their basic materials.

An hour had passed, and even Cho Sung-hwan finished his presentation and sat down.

“Seventh presenter, please come up.”

At the sound of the former department head’s voice, Jeong-woo stood up from his seat. As he walked to the podium, he could feel the vacant gazes of the new recruits who had just been through a fierce battle and were now drained.

‘It feels like I’m climbing to my death.’

Looking at Jeong-woo, Cho Sung-hwan gave him a “fighting” smile, having just been harshly criticized by the pharmaceutical and bio center director.

‘I had a feeling it was going to be like this.’

The center directors pointed out the same mundanity and lack of preparedness they had seen in the pre-presentation practice of the new recruits. From the moment their prepared projects were thoroughly defeated, the new recruits hid their confidence behind their faces.

Having seen them work hard with all their passion and energy, Jeong-woo felt a little sorry for them.

‘Ah, who am I worried about? I have to take care of myself first.’

While Jeong-woo was adjusting the microphone height after getting on the podium, the former department head spoke.

“Han Jeong-woo is an intern who joined us a week ago. We included him in the planning evaluation to see what kind of researcher he is and what values he holds. Please take note of this, center directors.”

And then silence ensued.

Jeong-woo felt naked under the gaze of KG Chemical’s top researchers, all of whom were gathered in one place and looking down at him. It was a feeling of fear and trembling, just like his first job interview.

Here, TOEIC scores, academic backgrounds, all jokes, or speaking skills that may impress others are all useless. He had to show something that could prove his value as a chemist.

“I am Han Jeong-woo, presenting my research on ‘Plastics Stronger than Steel.’”

The prepared PT material appeared on the screen, and Jeong-woo continued his speech at lightning speed. The chemical knowledge that he had been repeating in his head all morning flowed out effortlessly, without him having to memorize it.

As the smooth presentation continued, some of the center directors showed a keen interest, tilting their heads forward. It was a positive signal.

“… By pulling and aligning the molecular chains in the shape of a string when the solution is liquefied, you can create a material with a high crystallization rate when it is solidified.”

“Just a moment.”

Jeong-woo stopped his explanation when the center director of the basic material spoke.

“Did you prepare this PT yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Unless I read this personnel file incorrectly, aren’t you an undergraduate non-major?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Really? Then how did you come up with this…?”

“Ah, Dr. Jang. Let’s finish the presentation. The intern is presenting an amazing method with over 90% success rate in crystalization.”

Throughout the planning evaluation, Dr. Jang Tae-seon and Dr. Noh Jong-seon, who were deeply immersed in the materials science, kept urging Jeong-woo to continue with their gestures.

“This solution has an adhesive property. If you compress it at high speed, it will stick together…”

Except for the brief pause, Jeong-woo completed the entire presentation in about three minutes, just like during practice.

“…A new material that can replace metals or ceramics. That’s the primary objective of this research project. That’s all.”

The center directors, who had attempted to challenge the project every time with a level of content completely different from that of the six public recruits, couldn’t find words to say in that moment.

“Who would like to ask the first question?”

Manager Jeon asked this question with a slight smile.

It was frustrating to see the public recruits constantly stumped, but Han Jeong-woo didn’t seem to have any problem.

“Any questions? No one?”

Jang Tae-sun turned on his microphone.

“Han Jeong-woo, the crystallization method. How did you come up with this without any additives, only through the process?”

Jeong-woo looked at the molecular structure in the form of a string floating on the PT screen and answered.

“I looked at molecules that already exist in nature. Proteins and polymers in DNA self-organize and exhibit functions.”

“That perspective is refreshing. Are you a non-expert? This is great. I see this as a research design that can contribute to building a sustainable society with low cost, energy and resource conservation, and low carbon emissions. Excellent work.”

“Uh… building a society?”

Jeong-woo couldn’t answer because he hadn’t prepared such a grandiose research proposal.

“I was surprised when I interrupted earlier. You’re a young talent who just started a week ago, right? I’m looking forward to your future.”

“Thank you.”

“Anyway, this presentation is based on fundamental materials. Bravo. Welcome to our center.”

Dr. Jang Tae-sun’s words began with praise and ended with a personnel transfer order. Then, Noh Jong-seon, who had been admiring throughout Jeong-woo’s presentation, took the microphone.

“90% success rate for crystallization? Give me 90 points. No need to follow complicated procedures, just come to the material center and start the project. Let’s make it a perfect score together, shall we?”

“Dr. No, we didn’t agree on that…”

“Wait. This is a battery development center, right? We have one research slot available for the project, and we can provide research funding right away before the launch ceremony.”

“Hey, Dr. Heo! What are you talking about, someone who went to the MT without paying anything saving money on equipment! Shall we lowe the subsidy ratio then?”

“Why are we talking about subsidy support here?”

The Q&A session once again turned into a dispute between the center directors.

“Only three people presented in the fundamental materials field, so please give us the right to choose first.”

“Dr. Jang, is this some kind of competition? What do we choose and what do we pick? Let’s follow the procedure.”

“No, what if we have overlapping interests in talented individuals? You agreed to simplify the process!”

Fortunately, there wasn’t a center director who looked down on him, and Jeong-woo breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he had unloaded some burden.

During the break, Bae Ki-tae and Jo Sung-hwan got close, and showed their thumbs up, saying that they did well. Jeong-woo also bowed his head and thanked them.

‘It feels good now that the presentation is over.’

It was a time when he was thinking about a good ending.

Jeong-woo’s gaze turned to the first speaker, Kim Pil-ho, who was sitting lonely in the audience seat.

As the presentation progressed, he was hardly mentioned by the center directors. Naturally, he didn’t leave a deep impression.

‘Hmm…’

It was a familiar expression of Kim Pil-ho.

When he went to many interviews since spring for employment, his face was just like that when he saw a competitor who was praised for answering well and felt disappointed.

Even Bae Ki-tae and Jo Sung-hwan, who gave him applause, showed bitterness and regret on their faces.

‘So, this is what competition is all about.’

Jeong-woo quietly stood there as the center directors’ conversation seemed to be endless.

He thought he would hear about personnel notifications once things were sorted out, as it didn’t matter much which center he was assigned to.

“That was an impressive presentation.”

At that moment, Research Director Songu suddenly turned on the microphone. The center directors, who were chattering away, all fell silent at his relaxed but weighty voice.

The room fell silent.

“Intern Han Jeong-woo.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you have anything else to add even though there’s still a lot of time before the presentation?”

“Anything to add, sir?”

Looking at the director’s face, which gives the impression of a next-door grandfather, a thought suddenly comes to mind.

‘He was said to be an unstoppable person, right?’

“Well….”

“It’s okay, go ahead and say it.”

It was even the director’s remark. He thought that he should do what he could do as long as he had the ability.

“It’s not my assignment, but there’s something I want to add about what Mr. Kim Pil-ho presented earlier….”

Jeong-woo glanced at Kim Pil-ho. When their eyes met, Kim Pil-ho nodded slightly as if to say it was okay. He also seemed nervous when the director spoke.

“Really? Where should you start?”

As soon as Jeong-woo finished speaking, the former department head, who had been focusing on the director’s reaction, hurriedly found the PT material and displayed the first assignment on the screen.

“Could you please show the picture that was in the fourth slide, Manager Jeon?”

Jeong-woo’s gaze stopped at the PT with a picture of a glass window and coating. As he had thought, it allowed for intuitive understanding of the phenomena that occur in the micro-world, just like how chemical reactions are magnified.

“Earlier, one of the center directors said it would be difficult for insulation coating research to evolve into an actual research project.”

At this sound, the head of the center for basic materials, Jang Tae-sun, opened the microphone.

“Yeah, you’re right. There’s no room to squeeze into the market.”

“What if we use a material that produces energy-saving effects more than three times the existing efficiency?”

“But is there really such a groundbreaking material?”

“Well, wouldn’t a threefold improvement be considered groundbreaking?”

Jeong-woo quickly read the data on his laptop and spoke.

“If we coat glass with a ‘light-adjusting’ film that can turn into a mirror and transparent glass, the efficiency increases by six times. It adds energy-saving effects by reflecting in the summer and transmitting in the winter.”

“What?”

“We add a reaction that allows for conversion in a state where visible light is reflected like a mirror. We use the reaction between palladium and hydrogen gas.”

A new opinion was added to the PT material in an instant.

“Huh? We need to review this.”

“Dr. Jang, what do you mean by review? I don’t understand. Intern Han Jeong-woo. Please explain it properly.”

Dr. Heo intervened.

Following the center director’s instructions, Jeong-woo walked towards the screen and pointed his finger between the glass and the window.

“This part. It’s a reaction where the light-adjusting film alloy becomes transparent when hydrogenated and turns into a mirror when dehydrogenated by oxygen. If palladium is too expensive, we can set the research direction with magnesium or nickel alloys.”

Jang Tae-sun was ecstatic. If successful, it was not only the end, but also the possibility of transforming into a grade 1 research project for the research center.

To reverse the words he had spoken, Jang Tae-sun was conscious of the other center directors, but he felt unfair to admit it. Dr. Heo Il-jeong, who had been at odds with him since earlier, laughed out loud.

“Dr. Jang, did that intern just revive the research project that you dismissed?”

“I know, so just shut up.”

“You did well to attend today. I never thought I’d see such a rare sight.”

Jang Tae-sun, who was taken aback, suddenly looked at Jeong-woo and asked, “Do you have any other opinions? What about the PT that Dr. Heo dismissed?”

“Yes?”

Jeong-woo raised his head and recalled Bae Ki-tae’s presentation on solar cells.

“There are other opinions, but…”

“Then speak up. This is a question and answer session.”

This time, the former director put Bae Ki-tae’s data on the screen. The chief smiled and stepped back.

Jeong-woo cautiously expressed his opinion while looking at the screen.

“Someone said earlier that semiconductor efficiency improvement is a meaningless and broad setting…”

“That’s right. Dr. Heo said that.”

When Jang Tae-sun pointed it out, Heo Il-jeong let out a groan.

Jeong-woo watched the chemical 3D structure of a ring-shaped compound, which was liquefying and floating on the semiconductor plate, as if it were swirling.

“What do you think about developing a liquid ‘silicon ink’ that only needs to be heated instead of using traditional silicon? It’s more efficient without wasting silicon.”

“Liquid?”

“You shine ultraviolet rays on cyclopentasilane to turn it into polyhydrosilane, then dissolve it in an organic solvent. If you drop this liquid onto a glass substrate and spin it at high speed, it will spread evenly. And then you heat it up.”

As soon as Jeong-woo presented this new perspective on research, Manager Jeon swift typing speed completed additional information in the PT.

As the two center managers closed their mouths in succession, other researchers who had been watching them with interest naturally turned their attention to Jeong-woo.

Until now, apart from the basics and battery development, the other center directors had just looked.

And then, feeling that he couldn’t be left out, Heo Il-jeong pointed to Kim Seong-bo, the director of the Information Electronic Materials Center.

“What about the display aspect? Dr. Kim criticized it the most.”

“Well, I’m not sure…” Jeong-woo scratched his chin. Even though he thought it might work, it seemed like the situation was going in a direction where he couldn’t just stop the ongoing chemical reaction in the middle of it.

As Manager Jeon naturally opened the third PT prepared by Seo Gyu-min, Kim Seong-bo let out a sigh of anxiety.

“Dr. Kim Seong-bo.”

“You can’t…”

“Oh, I don’t have a big opinion on it. Improving the factory yield in the display industry is related to microelectronics. I’m interested in things that happen in my small world. This is just my hunch, but please listen. How about improving programming for the nano world, not just the micro world? Maybe researching black carbon nanotubes would be worth considering. The tiny holes where hydrogen molecules settle seem to interact quite strongly, but…”

As Jeong-woo asked for opinions, Dr. Kim Seong-bo became more and more tongue-tied.

It was like a chain reaction. When the former director put up data on Woo Young-sik’s battery-related research project for the fourth presentation, the center director who criticized it the most was surprised.

“The hydrogen tank project is at its limit. The risk is too high.”

“What about storage through carbon nanotubes? It might be worth researching black carbon nanofibers too. The tiny holes where hydrogen molecules settle seem to interact quite strongly, but…”

“Well, then it won’t be that risky. You didn’t mean to suggest using even micro-sized storage devices earlier, did you?”

The materials science center’s director, Noh Jong-seon, who had liked Jeong-woo from the beginning, called out to the terrifyingly aggressive director who only talked about shortcomings about the PT materials of the fifth presenter.

“Director Jeon Young-hak. Didn’t I tell you to let intern Han Jeong-woo?”

“Is that so? Mr. Han Jeong-woo. Do you have any opinions here?”

The attention of other researchers who were watching was focused on this question.

“I do, but…”

“Do we really have to go this far? I’m the director of the materials science center, after all. We should be doing research that’s worth 100 points together.”

Noh Jong-seon asked Manager Jeon with a sharp look.

“And isn’t it time for the presentation to be over?”

“There are 3 minutes and 23 seconds left.”

“Cough.”

Manager Jeon answer seemed to be waiting for this.

The newly hired employees sitting next to the podium began to smile, and they were busy admiring the expressions of the center directors who were now flustered by Jeong-woo’s unexpected comments.

“About the mussel adhesive…”

“I don’t remember.”

When Noh Jong-seon suddenly burst into laughter, laughter erupted throughout the conference room.

“If we apply the delicate texture seen on the back of reptile feet, called lamellae, not just from one type of clam but also from this structure, could we create an adhesive reaction formula that would enable the completion of our research project?”

“Two, is not enough.”

“Yes, even in my brief opinion, two seems insufficient. So, what if we apply the ‘photopolymer resin’ that sticks with UV rays and falls off with UV rays?”

After briefly examining the structure of the giant galaxy in front of him, Jeong-woo spoke.

“Azo benzene becomes straight when exposed to visible light and bends when exposed to UV light.”

“Three is…?”

“Still impossible? I still have a lot to learn.”

There was no hesitation in each of his answers. Impressed, Noh Jong-seon exclaimed:

“No, it’s not impossible. It’s worth researching thoroughly. If we make these modifications, I’ll give you an 85.”

Finally, when Noh Jong-seon acknowledged it, senior researchers with longer experience than the center directors clapped.

“Intern Han Jeong-woo.”

After feeling down since being pointed out by Jeong-woo at first, and then being criticized by other center directors, Jang Tae-sun, who had chuckled, opened the microphone.

“Just one thing I want to ask. The research modification direction you pointed out. Did you come up with it on your own?”

“To be precise, it was not just me.”

“Then?”

“I learned it from the suggestions of the center directors. Thank you very much.”

“Huh, after putting Dr. Heo on the spot like that, you’re being so humble here? That’s a virtue needed for basic material research. We start our research by denying the existing materials.”

The other center directors were taken aback by the wicked plan of Jang Tae-seon, who was trying to flatter Jeong-woo to win his heart.