A Wall Street Genius’s Final Investment Playbook

Chapter 353 : The Goose That Lays Golden Eggs (11)

A few days later.

My secretary, Nicole, brought me some news.

“Sean, Kate Moslin, the CEO of Editors, has requested a meeting.”

The CEO of Editors wanted to meet me.

The reason was obvious.

‘It worked.’

Not long ago, I had asked Allergan for a simple favor.

To refuse Editors’s request to accelerate their clinical trials.

In other words, to put shackles on the rabbit’s ankles so it couldn’t run.

Naturally, Allergan didn’t agree right away.

—Of course, our relationship with you is special, Sean, but this is strictly business. Our investment in Editors was a strategic move to secure their technology first.

Allergan had ambitions of its own.

They wanted to dominate the ophthalmology treatment market using Editors’s CRISPR technology.

But to restrain the very company they paid huge money to invest in?

That was an unreasonable request on its face.

Convincing them, however, was easy.

—If my involvement is burdensome, I can take note of that and keep my distance going forward.

For reference, I own 4.9% of Allergan.

And if I raise that by just 0.1%?

I can file a 13D and immediately start a proxy fight for control.

From Allergan’s perspective, that was something they wanted to avoid at all costs.

On the other hand, what if I dumped all my shares at once?

Allergan’s stock price would plummet—today, even.

And that wouldn’t even be the end of it.

At this moment, Allergan enjoyed a “Ha Si-heon-backed company” premium, attracting massive numbers of retail investors.

But if I withdrew?

People would think, ‘There must be a reason he’s doing this’, and they would flee like a receding tide.

Was Allergan prepared to suffer that level of damage?

‘Of course not.’

So Allergan did as I asked.

In other words, they shackled the rabbit named Editors—just as I instructed.

And in this situation, what does the rabbit do?

If the turtle suddenly starts sprinting at full speed while the rabbit’s ankle is unexpectedly chained?

Eventually, the rabbit has no choice but to seek out the person who handed Allergan the shackle.

The door opened, and Kate Moslin, the CEO of Editors, walked in.

“Back again, I see.”

I didn’t stand to greet her.

I simply sat at my desk and looked at her.

In the past, I would have stood and guided her to the sofa.

But now—

‘Such formal niceties were no longer necessary.’

A loser must accurately understand their position.

That, too, is education.

And nothing shows that position more clearly than seating.

Moslin hesitated for a moment.

Then she sat across from me—in the reporting chair.

Normally, my subordinates sat there.

“The seating has changed, I see.”

She deliberately voiced the observation.

A telling sign of her personality—always pushing once to test the waters.

“The situation has changed.”

“That it has.”

Her expression hardened, her gaze sharpening.

Her eyes had not yet accepted defeat.

They were searching for any hint she could exploit.

Her gaze drifted to the chessboard on my desk.

Only two pieces sat upon it.

A black king and a white knight.

And beneath the board, another white knight lay waiting.

A piece not yet placed on the board.

Because it wasn’t my piece—yet.

Now was the time to place it.

“You seem to like chess,” she said, attempting small talk.

But it was obvious she wasn’t someone who normally said such things. Watching her try was oddly amusing.

“Not particularly.”

“For someone who doesn’t, this looks quite elaborate. Custom-made, isn't it?”

“I use it as a tool. I don’t play.”

That much was true.

Games played under preset rules were boring.

But the moment I answered, her eyes moved to another object on the desk.

My die.

“This is… quite an unusual item.”

“Don’t touch it.”

My voice came out sharper than expected.

At the sudden coldness, she quietly withdrew her hand.

“I don’t like people touching my things without permission.”

After giving the warning, I picked up the die and placed it in a small box.

The ebony box was coated in deep black lacquer, dark as the night sky.

Inside, lapis-colored velvet lined the interior, bordered with delicate platinum trim.

At the center, a small recess held the die perfectly.

I closed the box.

“You didn’t come here to talk about chess.”

“Then… you’re finally getting hungry, are you?”

It was a reference to our very first conversation.

Back then, she had said, ‘There’s no reason to hand over a goose that lays golden eggs.’

I had listed several reasons she should hand over that goose.

And she had replied—

‘A goose reserves the right to choose its owner.’

She spoke from confidence, believing in the value of her own golden eggs.

And my answer at the time had been simple—

‘When hunger sets in, one’s judgment always grows cloudy.’

I clasped my hands and leaned back.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect you to come this soon. I had more things I wanted to show you.”

“Shame.”

“It is a shame.”

It truly was.

I had many plans I had only sketched out, never executed.

I’d been looking forward to testing them, one by one.

But instead—

‘She rushed over the moment her funding stream was slightly disturbed.’

I was almost disappointed.

‘Though this outcome is better.’

After all, my ultimate target wasn’t Editors.

It was CRISPR Medical.

Editors was merely a knight meant for my chessboard.

The real rolls of the die would be reserved for CRISPR Medical.

As those thoughts crossed my mind, Moslin spoke.

“I haven’t admitted defeat yet.”

She met my gaze head-on and continued.

“We are not interested in who owns the goose. We want to be the owners ourselves.”

“Now that you mention it, I recall you saying you’d rather swallow poison than lose the goose.”

“I stand by that. But before it comes to that, I came here to at least try negotiating once.”

Well, it was a goose that laid golden eggs. Trying to negotiate before cutting it open was perfectly rational.

“I came to ask what it is that you want.”

“What I want…?”

“I’m ready to hear what you want. However, ownership of the company is not part of the negotiation. Let’s make that clear from the start. Anything else, we’re willing to consider.”

I replied with a faint smile.

“There’s only one thing I want. The advancement of the technology.”

Moslin frowned.

“I didn’t come here to hear vague idealistic lines like that. I came to hear what you, Ha Si-heon, really want.”

“You misunderstand. This is not an empty line. I genuinely have only one interest. That CRISPR is actually used on real patients.

In other words, if someone is taking concrete steps toward that goal, I’ll stand on their side—whoever they may be.”

‘Whoever they may be.’

That meant I did not necessarily have to stay loyal to Intellegencia.

A flicker of distrust—and curiosity—crossed Moslin’s eyes.

I clasped my hands and emphasized again.

“I can remove the shackles from your feet. You’ll be able to compete freely with Intellegencia.”

“You… would have no reason to do that.”

“That’s not true. As I said, my goal is real-world application of the technology. And competition accelerates progress.”

“But… if we win, you’ll suffer losses. I honestly cannot understand…”

She assumed that because I invested in Intellegencia, I would obviously lose if they did.

But that, too, was a misunderstanding.

‘Not necessarily.’

Editors bet everything on a single golden egg. Intellegencia was different.

They were building the factory that mass-produces golden eggs.

Losing one egg wouldn’t collapse the factory. If anything, the process might lead them to develop an even more sophisticated production line.

Moslin surely knew this as well. She simply hadn’t had the space to reach that conclusion due to how sudden my proposal was.

But I didn’t bother explaining.

Instead, I shrugged lightly.

“I’m prepared to take losses. Naturally, I’ll need compensation for that. Every risk must come with a reward.”

Meaning: I wasn’t going to remove her shackles for free.

She swallowed and asked quietly,

“What price do you want?”

“Run as hard as you can. Give it everything you’ve got. But when the race is over, you must join hands with the other runner.”

“Join hands…?”

“I want you to conduct a joint clinical trial. With the other participant in this race.”

After a brief silence, she finally spoke.

“If it’s the clinical trial you’re referring to… you must mean Castleman.”

“Correct.”

“But we don’t have the technical capability to run a Castleman trial. You know that.”

Editors only focused on ophthalmological applications. They deliberately chose a field with minimal systemic impact and the highest chance of clinical success. Naturally, they had no technology for applying CRISPR to the immune system.

“That is why I said together. Your partner can provide the technology.”

“Then what would our role be…?”

“You would simply lend your name.”

“…!”

Moslin muttered under her breath, finally grasping my intention.

“You’re saying you don’t want to pay licensing fees.”

“That’s correct.”

CRISPR technology involved a complex web of patents.

But at the moment, only the Editors founder’s patent was recognized.

Anyone who wanted to use the technology had to pay massive licensing fees.

But if Editors itself participated in a joint clinical trial?

They would essentially receive a “family discount.”

As Moslin now understood, that was what I was after.

“If you agree to that, I’ll remove the shackles. Allergan will fully support accelerating your clinical trials so you can run freely.”

Moslin remained silent for a long time.

It was only natural.

When she finally opened her mouth, disbelief tinged her voice.

“You’re telling us to share the prize money of this race.”

“That’s right.”

“And your condition is: keep running, and in exchange for that, divide the winnings? That’s what you’re demanding?”

“Exactly.”

She stared at me with an incredulous expression, then asked coldly,

“Then what exactly am I running for?”

The answer was simple.

“For survival. If you don’t run, you’ll be removed from the race entirely.”

“Whether you want to chase first place while receiving half the prize… Or drop out of the race altogether… That is your choice.”