Chemistry

8.The Chemistry Behind Cooking (1)

Inside Dr. Cheon Seung-guk’s private research lab.

Jeong-woo’s hand lifted a test tube with a pair of wooden tongs.

A blue liquid flowed smoothly into the beaker, following the tilted test tube.

It took its place alongside the pre-existing yellow liquid, separated by a single membrane.

Inserted between them was a type of ultrafiltration membrane called a nanosized filter.

Jeong-woo quietly observed as the liquid that passed through the membrane gradually mixed due to differences in concentration.

“Great. Shall we give it a try?”

With a gentle touch, the nano-sized filter, forming a boundary, vibrated as it absorbed the invading blue liquid into its entirety.

Not only that, it also absorbed all the components responsible for the colors in both liquids.

It took less than three seconds for the liquid in the beaker to completely change color. It was the moment when the nanosized filter transformed into a nanosorption membrane.

Jeong-woo shifted his gaze to the “Reverse Osmosis (RO) Filter” installed on one side of the lab bench. It was one of KG Electronics’ products, a device capable of removing ultrafine particles.

Inside the filter, the previously added blue liquid was being purified and now dripping one droplet at a time into the beaker. Judging by the quantity, it would take roughly 20 seconds.

‘Do the differences really matter like this?’

The “Reverse Osmosis (RO) Filter” was a product that had achieved significant success in the water treatment industry. With a market worth 1.5 trillion won annually worldwide, even a slight improvement in ranking would lead to substantial profits, as Center Director Jang Tae-seon had mentioned.

This was a research project conducted by Jeong-woo in secret from Wednesday until today, aimed at meeting those expectations through filter improvement.

‘A genius who doesn’t make an effort is destined to fail.’

Today, he wanted to gauge the extent of the improvement in the results through his ability to communicate with molecules.

The achievements that cannot even be compared in terms of efficiency with just this one were impressive, but Jeong-woo found himself sighing as he looked at the green bottle placed on one side of the lab bench.

‘It’s an error that communication requires drinking alcohol. But it’s not moving like a dust particle.’

He recorded this difference in his research journal and needed to analyze the modified nano-sized filter, but he felt frustrated and couldn’t find a solution.

Looking at the clock, it was already past 9 PM, so Jeong-woo decided to finish the experiment, thinking, “I’ll do it next week or something.” He still had plenty of time for his assignment, and except for the first day, the tasks at the Basic Materials Center within the dispatched period weren’t too burdensome.

As he organized Dr. Cheon Seung-guk’s research lab, he received a message from Dr. Moon.

[I’ve seen the test results you received from the clinic. In my opinion, it seems better to continue and stabilize your sleep cycle. If it’s an adaptation issue, then you need to adapt.]

‘I want to do that, but I can’t go tomorrow.’

He had to spend Saturday helping his mother, who had injured her leg.

Jeong-woo turned off the lights in the lab and walked out into the corridor, thinking about the tasks he had for the next day.

It was the day of the neighborhood gathering.

There was nothing particularly special about it—just helping each other with the problems that arose in the neighborhood, cooking together, and having dinner.

Perhaps this month, the main focus wouldn’t be on thawing every corner of the frozen alleyways due to the snow.

‘It won’t be difficult with a special de-icing agent.’

When his family was going through a difficult time, Jeong-woo received a lot of help from the adults in the neighborhood, so this event held a special meaning for him.

It was more of a disappointment that the timing didn’t align rather than not wanting to help.

‘I won’t even get to see Yoon Yi-seol.’

That’s where the biggest sigh escaped.

Last week, Yoon Yi-seol was too busy with the year-end stage and awards ceremony, and this week, Jeong-woo had his own work and couldn’t go.

He had built a friendship with a big star, but at this rate, he wouldn’t get to see her face for a whole month.

Jeong-woo picked up his phone and searched for Yoon Yi-seol’s number.

[Have you done a lot of checklists? I have work tomorrow. It’s an important neighborhood event, so I can’t miss it. Let’s definitely meet next week.]

Jeong-woo sent the message while getting into the elevator.

After two weeks, the memories of Christmas felt somewhat faded. It felt like a dream. Who would have known that I would spend a day with Yoon Yi-seol and even watch a movie together?

Jiing.

[ㅜㅜ……]

As I got off the elevator, that was the reply from Yoon Yi-seol. It felt like I had received a similar concise message last week.

‘Seems like I’m the only one feeling regretful. Well, I did fully immerse myself in the Christmas atmosphere. Thanks to Chan.’

As Jeong-woo left the company lobby, the phone rang again. Wondering if it was her, and with an excited heart, he looked at the screen—it to see it was Park Soo-chan.

“Ugh, why did I get nervous for nothing? Oh, Soo-chan. What’s up?”

-Are you busy tomorrow?

“I am!”

-Why are you so annoyed? I’m not suggesting we work part-time. Let’s meet for a moment.

Upon hearing Park Soo-chan’s words, Jeong-woo had a slight suspicion and asked.

“Aren’t you busy?”

-I have a day off. Now that the year-end is over, I can finally breathe. I have plenty of free time until graduation season. When should we have our New Year’s gathering?

Having one more person to help makes the work easier. Jeong-woo smiled with a sense of relief.

“Hey, then let’s do something meaningful.”

-Something meaningful?

That way, Jeong-woo made an early morning appointment with Park Soo-chan for tomorrow.

Saturday morning at 8 o’clock.

Jeong-woo and Jeong-chan were sitting at the kitchen table, listening to Hong Ji-sook’s instructions.

“Since we’ll be preparing a feast with the Women’s Association budget this time, make sure to buy everything on this list by 2 o’clock. I have to stay at the hall to answer the phone if someone’s call.”

“Got it.”

Jeong-woo thought that he we did well calling Park Soo-chan because the list of items to buy was full.

It felt like when they worked together on stage as part-timers. When it comes to shouldering responsibilities, Soo-chan is top-notch.

“As for delivering coal to Grandma Hwang’s house, just follow the team leader’s instructions.”

Upon hearing this, Jeong-woo quickly glanced at Jeong-chan.

“You’ll have a tough time, Chan.”

“What about you, Hyung?”

“I’ll be working with Soo-chan to clear the ice on the alleyways.”

Very simple. However, it seemed like his younger brother considered this task to be more difficult.

While nodding his head, Jeong-chan expressed a hint of regret.

“Soo-jin is coming. Delivering coal seems too trivial. I’ll help Mom with cooking instead.”

“What don’t you understand? It’s about showing a warm heart for Grandma. Show that, make it captivating. Playfully tease while having a little bit of coal smudged on your nose. Hyung, you know what I mean, right?”

“Well, I think so?”

Hong Ji-sook, who had seen a dating novice receiving coaching from a solo relationship coach, raised an eyebrow.

“Soo-jin?”

Jeong-woo smiled and said.

“Mom still doesn’t know, huh? Chan has a girlfriend now.”

“What?”

When Hong Ji-sook looked at Jeong-chan in surprise, Jeong-chan looked embarrassed and turned his eyes to the TV.

Jeong-woo stood up from his seat.

“Anything else?”

“Oh, right.”

Hong Ji-sook examined Jeong-woo’s clothes and said.

“There’s a live broadcast in the evening, I think it’s at the broadcasting station. They said they’ll cover our neighborhood stories. Don’t dress like a slob. Like an unemployed person.”

“A coverage?”

“I don’t really know either. I guess the team leader accepted it because they expect a lot of sponsorship funds to come in.”

“Well, that’s nice. I’m really good at interviews.”

At this remark, Hong Ji-sook and Jeong-chan chuckled.

Around 9 o’clock, a knocking sound was heard at the front door, Jeong-woo went out and saw Park Soo-chan’s head.

“You’re here?”

“It’s cold. Open up quickly.”

Jeong-woo opened the door, and besides Park Soo-chan, there was a man he hadn’t seen before standing under the stairs. The looked to be in his early thirties, with a neat appearance, but there seemed to be a slight age difference to consider him a friend.

“Who is he? Did he come with you?”

Park Soo-chan laughed and pointed to the man.

“He’s the cameraman I mentioned before. He said he has something to say to you, so I brought him.”

“I’m Shin Ki-joon.”

“Oh, hello.”

Jeong-woo was surprised by the unexpected guest and gestured for them to come inside.

“Come in. Please come in.”

“Is your mother here? I heard she got injured.”

Jeong-woo nodded at Park Soo-chan’s question.

“She went to the association. She’ll be there all day.”

“I see. I should greet her later.”

After opening the front door, Jeong-woo pointed to the kitchen.

“Please have a seat over there. Can I get you some coffee?”

While boiling water in the kettle, the two guests took their seats at the dining table. Jeong-woo tore open a packet of instant coffee and put it into a mug, then asked Shin Ki-joon.

“What’s the reason you wanted to see me?”

“I mentioned it through Soo-chan, but it seems like the message didn’t get properly delivered.”

Shin Ki-joon took out a tablet from his bag and placed it on the table.

“It’s about creating your own channel and managing videos. I wanted to be a consistent part of it, so I came here.”

Jeong-woo filled the mugs with hot water and mixed the coffee before offering them to Shin Ki-joon and Park Soo-chan.

“Consistently?”

Sitting across from each other, Shin Ki-joon clicked on a video on the tablet and handed it over. Jeong-woo was taken aback when he saw it.

“The Line 1 Magician. That’s you, Jeong-woo?”

“H-how did you know?”

“I make a living with videos. You can tell at a glance. It even made it to the popular video rankings.”

Park Soo-chan, watching the video for the first time, chuckled at the sight of the person’s hair dancing on its own.

“Jeong-woo, what is this? It’s so amazing!”

“It’s just an electrostatic effect.”

Jeong-woo looked at Shin Ki-joon and asked.

“It doesn’t really matter to me, but consistently? I’m not a celebrity or anything…”

“These days, videos with high creativity from individual creators receive more attention than celebrities. You know the Skateboarding Goddess? The person who buys unique toys from abroad and plays with them? This is the era where popular creators overflow more than the celebrities you see on TV.”

Shin Ki-joon’s gaze was firm and unwavering.

“I see tremendous potential in you, Jeong-woo. With simple chemical theories that people consider insignificant, you became the Line 1 Magician and the White Magician.”

“Well… I understand the meaning well enough. But what can I do?”

“You don’t have to do anything in particular. Just what you usually do. For example, that video where you taught Soo-chan here how to assemble fireworks. Even a video at that level, with an editing footage of actual fireworks exploding on stage, has 300,000 views now. I don’t see this as a one-time thing.”

Seeing Jeong-woo’s contemplative expression, Park Soo-chan lowered his voice and spoke.

“He graduated from a really famous photography department. Go for it.”

Jeong-woo looked at Shin Ki-joon. The cameraman he had thought of as someone who simply filmed celebrity videos didn’t seem that ordinary from his actions.

“Well, I have nothing to lose.”

Shin Ki-joon’s expression brightened at this response.

“I’ll create a page dedicated to Jeong-woo’s chemical everyday life. I’ll make it and open it right away. I’ll send you the contract for ad revenue and donations.”

“That sounds good. Oh, by any chance, are you busy today?”

“Today? I don’t have anything special.”

“Would you like to do something meaningful?”

Upon hearing this, Shin Ki-joon turned his head to Park Soo-chan, who chuckled.

“I’ll show you a magic trick that melts ice later. That way, it won’t be a waste of time. Oh, did you bring your camera?”

“It’s in the car.”

“Great.”

Without realizing it, another worker was added. Jeong-woo was satisfied with that and stood up.

“I’ll get ready and come back soon, so please wait a moment.”

Yoon Yi-seol was flipping the blanket over on the bed, wriggling around.

It was a lazy Saturday morning. She had to prepare for an outing in the afternoon, but she felt too reluctant to get up. Yet, sleep didn’t come to her either.

“Ugh.”

She took a breath of the air outside the blanket and covered herself again.

“What am I doing? Like a fool.”

Sometimes, there were days like this.

Days when her mood sank endlessly due to the lack of anything to do.

Was it because she hadn’t seen that person’s face last week? There were hardly any good memories since Christmas.

Even the four consecutive performances on the year-end stage that went on until dawn felt bitter.

‘I can’t even come up with a melody.’

If we were to find a reason, this would be the biggest one. The fact that the songs weren’t coming to her. Music was almost everything in her life, but if the music wasn’t enjoyable, what was the point?

This onset of melancholy made Yoon Yi-seol feel helpless, unable to control it.

On top of that, Dr. Seong would definitely be angry when he saw the incomplete checklist.

A meaningless comfort from someone. Whether it turned into a song or a person, it was a desperately needed moment.

“But outside the blanket is too dangerous.”

She tightly wrapped the thick blanket around herself and burrowed deeper inside.

Beep.

The phone sparkled, revealing a text message from Team Leader Ji.

[Are you going to the clinic? Shall I pick you up at 11 a.m.?]

“Ugh.”

With various thoughts popping up, Yoon Yi-seol abruptly got up. She felt sorry for Team Leader Ji, but in moments like this, running away was the best option.

She rushed into the bathroom, quickly washed up, grabbed her clothes, and stood in front of the front door wearing a beanie and a mask.

‘Where should I go?’

It would be fun to storm into Sora Unnie’s radio booth. They could chat and gossip. Or maybe make a surprise appearance at a cafe in Hongdae? Take a quiet walk on a serene trail for meditation? Pretend not to be Yoon Yi-seol while strolling through crowded streets?

Yoon Yi-seol held her phone in her hand and checked the text she received last night.

[…I’ll definitely see you next week.]

Jeong-woo’s text made her sigh. And her surprised reply.

“I can’t see you! I have a studio recording schedule, I really can’t make it! I won’t see you again! And why did I only send such a short text! I’m so frustrated! Everything is messed up!”

While shouting only words with ‘can’t,’ she blamed the sky and stomped her feet.

Beep.

In the midst of it, her finger accidentally brushed against the call button. Yoon Yi-seol was startled and almost dropped her phone while trying to end the call.

“Oops!”

-Hello? Is this Yi-seol?

The other person had already picked up.

“What should I do?”

Yoon Yi-seol hurriedly placed the phone against her ear.

“Uh, Jeong-woo.”

-What’s the matter? Are you at the clinic?

“No, it’s… “

Yoon Yi-seol tightly closed her eyes. Spilled water. At times like this, she had to spill it.

“I couldn’t complete the checklist. The event you mentioned with Jeong-woo today. Can I participate too?”

-Um…

She involuntarily clenched her hand at Jeong-woo’s bewildered voice.

-It doesn’t matter, but is it okay? I’m quite busy, and it involves helping the elderly.

“I’m really good at that kind of thing. I’ve done a lot of volunteer programs.”

-I see.

Yoon Yi-seol believed that he would understand a bit of exaggeration and falsehood, so she asked for forgiveness from the sky.

-Can you still move with public around?

“If I wear the hat, most people won’t recognize me.”

-I can easily spot you, though.

“That wasn’t me.”

Yoon Yi-seol said as a final word.

“And it’s okay if I get caught. If it’s volunteer work, it’s about making people feel good and getting the story out. The team leader is an expert at that.”

-I understand. When will you come?

“Now…!”

Yoon Yi-seol lowered her voice and spoke again.

“I’ll prepare and leave. Before 12 p.m.”

-Here’s the address…