Chemistry

7. Frozen(7)

Bzzt.

Jeong-woo woke up to the vibration of his phone in his pocket. He must have dozed off due to the warm air from the heater. Looking at the seat next to him, he saw his coworker Gong, who had been chattering away, also asleep.

The person calling him was his younger brother.

“Hey, Jeong-chan.”

-Hyung!

The voice that came through sounded urgent.

-Mom slipped while climbing up the hill.

“What?”

Half-asleep, Jeong-woo suddenly snapped to attention.

“Is she hurt?”

-I think she sprained her leg. It’s snowing, and the road is slippery, especially in front of the supermarket. Be careful too, hyung.

“What about others?”

-They’re fine. Mom scolded them for not doing the dishes. She was busy cleaning the room. Huh~

“…Alright, I guess she’s not seriously injured.”

Although there didn’t seem to be a major cause for concern, Jeong-woo still felt the need to check on her condition quickly.

-Oh! Where did we put the heating pad?

“Just don’t stick it randomly. I left at 7:30, so by 9 o’clock…”

As Jeong-woo looked out the window, he momentarily lost his words at the sight of the purely white landscape.

The hillsides and the rural atmosphere he saw on the way were nowhere to be seen. Just snow.

“What’s this?”

-What?

Jeong-woo, shaking his head to clear his dazed mind, asked.

“Hey, Jeong-chan. Did it snow a lot there?”

-Just around 3cm? It stopped a while ago.

“Well, first, let’s take Mom to the hospital.”

-Mom! Hyung says we’re going to the hospital… Huh? Hyung, Mom says it’s not that serious.

Jeong-woo frowned and spoke.

“Have you not experienced something like this with Mom ever? It’s better to get treatment right away instead of delaying it and it becoming a serious illness. If her ankle looks swollen, just call a taxi. I’ll call you when I arrive in Seoul.”

-Got it, hyung.

After ending the call, Jeong-woo stretched his neck as the bus hadn’t moved at all. He leaned forward and looked out the front window.

“Huh?”

The road was completely blocked with snow. The only thing visible was the red lights of cars in all directions.

“Wow…”

He had never seen snow like this in his life. It had piled up at least knee-high. Fortunately, it had stopped snowing for now.

Jeong-woo unbuckled his seatbelt and walked towards the front seat to get a closer look. As he approached, he overheard a conversation between the supervisor and the bus driver, who seemed concerned.

“Driver, what if we turn around and take the outer roads?”

“Well, I’m not sure. Both the uphill and downhill routes are blocked. And if the roads aren’t cleared of snow in this situation, it’ll be the same anywhere we go.”

Sensing their unease, the supervisor turned his head. Jeong-woo pointed outside and asked.

“Supervisor, are we completely stuck?”

“Yes, we’ve been at a standstill for about 20 minutes due to some incident ahead.”

“Oh no…”

Taking a seat at the front, Jeong-woo took out his phone and started searching.

【Heavy Snowfall in Central and Eastern Regions… Highways Subject to Control】

【Meteorological Agency: “Possibility of More Snowfall in the Early Morning”】

【Exercise Extra Caution for Slippery Roads and Increasing Accidents】

The top trending search term was heavy snowfall. He searched again for the Cheonan area.

【Korea Road Construction Cheonan Office is currently implementing emergency control on the Gyeongbu Expressway at the Mokcheon, Namcheonan, and Bukcheonan intersections due to snow removal operations. An official stated, “We requested support, but there has been so much snowfall that it’s difficult to handle with the equipment and manpower.” With snowfall ranging from 20 to 40 cm in some sections, some national roads are also causing parking issues, and the controlled areas are expected to expand further.】

“Wow.”

After reading the article, Jeong-woo looked outside again. The road conditions were utterly unmanageable. The employees inside the bus were also observing the situation outside and gradually becoming unsettled.

I was worried if I could make it to Seoul today, but someone suddenly appeared next to the bus door.

“Director Yoon Jaegil?”

He wrapped his coat tightly around him, shivering, and gestured as if knocking, asking to open the door. The supervisor quickly signaled the bus driver.

Creak, the door opened, and Yoon Jaegil quickly got on.

“Ah, I feel like dying even walking 30 meters.”

“What’s the matter?”

Yoon Jaegil briefly glanced at Jeong-woo and exchanged a nod before speaking to the supervisor.

“Don’t you have a KG Chemicals truck? It doesn’t have chains on it. We’re worried about following behind it.”

“I’m sorry. We didn’t anticipate it, so we couldn’t prepare chains for the truck.”

“I’m not blaming you. It’s just that our research center vehicle is equipped with snow spray. It might take some time to clear the road, so I thought it would be better to apply it to the wheels in advance and start moving.”

“Snow spray? Isn’t that not very effective?”

Yoon Jaegil smiled lightly at the supervisor’s skeptical question.

“Well, it could be the case with other products. But Yujin Chemical’s product is part of the Total Care System and has been recognized for its performance by the Alaska Petroleum Company and Antarctic bases.”

Yoon Jaegil, who boasted with a shrug, turned his gaze to Jeong-woo, tempting him with a smile as if saying, “How about our global company? Don’t you want a position?”

The supervisor nodded without hesitation, as it was a chemical product boasted by a key figure in a rival company.

“I’ll gratefully accept the favor.”

“Great, let’s go right away. Our staff is setting it up.”

Yoon Jaegil pointed outside. As he was getting off, he glanced at Jeong-woo and casually asked.

“Would you like to come along and take a look, Mr. Jeong-woo?”

Seeing Yoon Jaegil covered in snow up to his knees, Jeong-woo didn’t particularly want to go outside in the cold and shook his head. Then, he added to the supervisor who was getting off.

“If there’s anything I can help with separately, please call me.”

Creak.

Yoon Jaegil and the supervisor went outside and continued searching the internet when he received a phone call from Song Boyeong.

“Yes, senior.”

-Are you coming already? The supervisor isn’t answering the phone. If you haven’t left yet, please tell him to take a different route even if he has to turn back.

“We left a while ago and we’re on the road now.”

-Oh no. We’re currently stuck completely on the narrow road ahead. We can’t even turn the cars because of the snow. The cars that were going uphill are all sliding. It’s chaos.

Jeong-woo glanced toward the end of the line of vehicles connected to the front windshield. It was impossible to gauge the distance, but there was no sign of lights visible from the area that appeared to be the mountainside.

“Can’t you move at all?”

-No. Senior Seung-ju suggested we go back on foot if necessary. It’s getting so cold we might freeze to death…

Jeong-woo, who was enjoying the warmth inside the bus, felt a sense of pity but also worry.

What if they couldn’t get off the road for good today? Even looking at the driver, it seemed like it would take a while for this rural outskirts road to clear.

-So, Jeong-woo, where are you behind us?

“I think I’m somewhere around there. About 1 km? 1.5 km? If you’re going to move, come toward the bus. There’s plenty of space here.”

-I’ll let them know.”

After the call ended, Jeong-woo noticed a text message.

[Hyung, on the way to the emergency room.]

[Okay. Let me know if there’s anything wrong.]

[Okay.]

Fortunately, it seemed that Jeong-chan had left with their mother safely. But if Jeong-woo couldn’t get out of here, Jeong-chan would have to take care of their mother alone all the time.

‘Is there no way?’

As Jeong-woo pondered, the snow piled up outside the window suddenly expanded rapidly. Soon, a world filled with giant snowflake crystals came into view.

The snow pillars, stacked on the ground in hexagonal transparent symmetrical forms, displayed a remarkably beautiful appearance unrelated to the chaos around them.

‘Not skiing, not building a snowman.’

However.

Above it, hundreds, thousands of red arrows rained down. The heat-infused arrows showered the snow pillar, shattering it into pieces. The once beautiful form was instantly fragmented.

Jeong-woo watched as the snowflake shattered and melted away in an instant, but then his gaze focused on the red arrows.

‘Calcium chloride? No, it’s pulverizing the snow much more intricately than that.’

This compound seemed to be more effective than calcium chloride, which he had often used during his time in the military. It must be a new combination, one that didn’t come to mind with any specific name.

‘What could the ingredients be?’

As he started pondering, a sense of excitement surged within him.

This kind of fantasy was akin to a sudden burst of inspiration. To observe the effect and then deduce the chemical formula in reverse.

‘When it comes into contact with snow, it should release the maximum amount of heat. It should absorb the melted water and prevent it from freezing again.’

The result quickly emerged in his rapidly spinning mind. It was a somewhat complex process, but not a time-consuming task.

Jeong-woo abruptly stood up and rushed toward Gong Gyeong-ho, who was sleeping in the middle seat.

“Gong Manager!”

“……Yes? Yes?”

Startled, Gong Gyeong-ho quickly stood up and looked at Jeong-woo.

“The compound we have with us. Is there acetate on it?”

“Um…”

Gong Gyeong-ho shook his head to clear his confusion and replied.

“We probably have it. I checked the list of additives we prepared.”

“How many organic acids do we have?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Let’s melt the snow. A lot of it.”

“Snow?”

Jeong-woo pointed outside the window. The eyes of Gong Gyeong-ho, who saw the world transformed into a winter wonderland, widened in astonishment.

“Ugh.”

As soon as Jeong-woo stepped outside the bus, he let out a groan. The outside world was a completely different realm from the warmth inside. The biting cold wind made his nose and ears itch, and the snow attacked his knees relentlessly. Even his fingertips, covered by gloves, felt the intrusive chill.

“Ah, it’s so cold!”

Gong Gyeong-ho also screamed and followed behind Jeong-woo.

As they walked toward the KG Chemicals truck, they saw a Yujin Chemical employee spraying something onto the wheels.

When Jeong-woo approached, the manager and Yoon Jaegil, who were standing behind the truck, turned their heads.

“Are you here to take a look?”

Yoon Jaegil asked, and Jeong-woo nodded his head. Then, taking the opportunity of seeing the manager, he relayed the story he had heard from Song Boyeong earlier.

“There was a slippery road accident on the way? We should address that immediately if cars are sliding off the road behind us.”

Jeong-woo pointed at the truck.

“Manager, I want to use the compound in the truck for that. Is it okay?”

“Using it is not a problem, but why all of a sudden…”

As the manager’s gaze questioned the reason, Jeong-woo spoke, feeling his ears about to fall off.

“I thought if we could make a de-icing agent that would melt the snow in one go and spray it on the slippery road, it might solve this situation. We can’t wait indefinitely with cars lined up behind us.”

“A de-icing agent? Can that be done right here?”

“In theory, it should be possible. Using acetate as the base, combining it with magnesium and sulfates in an emergency…”

While discussing, Jeong-woo flinched when Yoon Jaegil leaned closer, sparkling eyes fixed on him.

“Please continue, Mr. Jeong-woo. I’m listening attentively.”

“I need to keep thinking because I’m not sure if I have all the necessary ingredients inside.”

“I see.”

Gong Gyeong-ho, who followed behind, unlocked the rear door of the truck.

Jeong-woo examined the labels on the compound boxes and concluded that the perfect combination he had seen in his fantasy was likely impossible.

There were no sophisticated experimental tools, and the compounds were not fully available.

‘But still, it could be a highly concentrated solution compared to calcium chloride…’

As he thought so, his gaze rested on Yoon Jaegil, who was standing close to the truck, looking curious.

“Right, Director.”

“Yes?”

“In the Mobile Research Center, by any chance, are there any stored protein compounds?”

At this question, Yoon Jaegil smiled proudly.

“It’s a size that can rival most material laboratories. What are you looking for?”

“An anti-freezing protein. One extracted from bacteria that inhabit polar regions. I don’t know the chemical formula, but if there’s a protein with a similar composition, I can immediately make the combination.”

Yoon Jaegil’s expression showed a hint of confusion.

“Are you saying you’ll reconstruct the anti-freezing protein with something similar?”

Jeong-woo’s mind instantly crossed the chemical formulas, envisioning the necessary catalyst in between.

“When I was at the Mobile Research Center before, I think I saw a machine capable of protein coding. Synthetic oligonucleotide adapter… Ah, it’s so cold that I can’t pronounce it properly. If we code something similar and connect it, it should work.”

“How are you going to find the DNA recombinant vector?”

“We can infer by thinking in reverse, considering the effect.”

Upon hearing Jeong-woo’s nonchalant gaze, Yoon Jaegil fell silent.

The time and effort required to analyze a specific DNA and establish a mass production system for it could involve astronomical resources, depending on the research project.

Yoon Jaegil shivered in the cold. That young man was talking about something tremendous as if it were nothing.

“From what I roughly understood, the de-icer that Jeong-woo is trying to create seems to have a unique combination. It appears to have a similar melting effect as the existing CMO and organic acid de-icers. But with the addition of an anti-freezing component? Will it work properly?”

“If Director could help us. Whether it’s in the front or back, we need to clear the snow to move, right?”

Yoon Jaegil put aside concerns about being trapped in the snow and simply became curious about Jeong-woo’s seemingly impossible attempt.

“Very well. Since we’re going to do it anyway, let’s start right in our vehicle. We’ll provide resources as much as possible. However, once the result is achieved, can we also receive the production method? The location, equipment, and most importantly, the essential compound.”

Jeong-woo looked at Yoon Jaegil, shivering in the cold, upon hearing this.

“We’ll have to assess that once we achieve the result. No matter how the situation is.”

“You’re thorough even in such circumstances.”

“It’s strange, but I have become calculative when meeting with you.”

As Jeong-woo laughed, Yoon Jaegil smiled as well. He was no ordinary young man. He kept piquing Yoon Jaegil’s curiosity.