Chapter 45

Chapter 45Frozen(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. Its snowing, and the road is slippery, especially in front of the supermarket. Be careful too, hyung.

What about others?

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

Alright, I guess shes not seriously injured.

Although there didnt 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 dont stick it randomly. I left at 7:30, so by 9 oclock

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.

Whats 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, lets take Mom to the hospital.

-Mom! Hyung says were going to the hospital Huh? Hyung, Mom says its not that serious.

Jeong-woo frowned and spoke.

Have you not experienced something like this with Mom ever? Its 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. Ill call you when I arrive in Seoul.

-Got it, hyung.

After ending the call, Jeong-woo stretched his neck as the bus hadnt 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, Im not sure. Both the uphill and downhill routes are blocked. And if the roads arent cleared of snow in this situation, itll 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, weve 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 its 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.

Whats the matter?

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

How many organic acids do we have?

Why do you ask?

Lets 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, its 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 managers 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 cant 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. Im listening attentively.

I need to keep thinking because Im 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.

Its 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 dont know the chemical formula, but if theres a protein with a similar composition, I can immediately make the combination.

Yoon Jaegils expression showed a hint of confusion.

Are you saying youll reconstruct the anti-freezing protein with something similar?

Jeong-woos 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, its so cold that I cant 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-woos 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 its 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-woos seemingly impossible attempt.

Very well. Since were going to do it anyway, lets start right in our vehicle. Well 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.

Well have to assess that once we achieve the result. No matter how the situation is.

Youre thorough even in such circumstances.

Its 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 Jaegils curiosity.