Chemistry

A pill, a tiny capsule encased in a biologically harmless water-soluble shell; A shell whose very... Read more A pill, a tiny capsule encased in a biologically harmless water-soluble shell; A shell whose very existence is a result of a century of research and technological advancement. A manmade synthesis of Chemicals and product of complex processes.And in the end, a means to an end.A way to deliver a concoction of other Chemicals for an agenda; Vitamins for nutrition, medication for treatment, or… perhaps more.We trust that what we eat won’t do us harm, and trust that those who are responsible for its creation had the best of intentions. But in the end, it is difficult or perhaps impossible to truly tell what lies within a pill.That is until one day I entered a research institution as a test subject. All I did was swallow a pill I was told to be a health supplement. Collapse Adapted to Manhwa, Determined Protagonist, Hidden Abilities, Male Protagonist, Modern Day, Scientists, Special Abilities All this and I'm still gonna fault that chem class I'm kinda surprised none of the reviews here have mentioned it, but it's VERY much more romance/slice of life focused than research/powers. Based on the description it sounded like it may have been something like "Scholar's Advanced Technological System" or "I Have a Super USB Drive", where the knowledge and/or powers are the main focus, but that's not the case at all.For the most part his days at the workplace are Skipped over quickly, whereas a lot of time is spent on him doing random other things - like consulting for a rival company, working part time with a friend in order to see some an idol he likes, going to a sleep clinic and then on a very long 'date' with the idol he met etc.It's written fairly well and the characters aren't annoying or unlikeable, it just isn't what i expected going in. Like he gains all this random new knowledge as well as being able to control these dust particle things that let him do minor "magic" type stuff, like preventing static electricity, mess with someone's hair by moving his hands, auto-aim a thrown ring onto a bottle etc. He also basically has detective vision - can zoom in and see the composition of things to tell if someone is wearing makeup, failed at doing laundry properly, what they have eaten recently, what notes a wine has etc.You'd think that he would perhaps do some more studying to find the extent of his knowledge, practice with his powers etc. But nope. He basically can pull out knowledge from out of nowhere thanks to the pill. He doesn't practice his powers at all - just uses them at random moments. Whenever he uses the detective vision he basically spews a ton of observations out all at once, which we are told in passing is because he can't really control himself when he goes into that mode.Basically, as long as you go in with the knowledge it's more romance/slice of life focused than science/powers, you'll enjoy it...provided you like romance stuff. Rank B+It's like the saying goes: those who plant dates don't harvest dates. Date palms are trees that bear fruit every eighty, ninety years. Once a boy watched a man planting palm trees and asked him: why do you plant palm trees if you won't be able to harvest? The gentleman with a kind smile said: my son will take it up his ass, it's my backyard and I'll plant whatever I want. From NU Reviews - The Top Review Very cool modern slice-of-life novel, basically MacGyver (1985, 2016) + Limitless (2011, the movie), with a strong basis in science (mostly) !I think author borrowed some elements from the hilarious Kdrama "History of a Salaryman" (2012), which was a nice surprise.As far as modern day korean novels go, this is on par with "Top Management".PREMISE:MC enters a research program and gains a superpower via a pill, only it isn't just raw intelligence, but the knowledge of Chemistry and the power to identify/manipulate chemical reactions. He uses his newfound abilities in very unique modern-day settings (much like MacGyver).CHARACTERS:MC is initially a down-and-out guy struggling to make ends meet, much like Bradley Cooper was in Limitless. He's a decent person but knows he's on the bottom rung of the social ladder. As his cognitive abilities improve, he doesn't become a douchebag like Bradley Cooper was. Instead, he tries to improve and put his newfound abilities to good use, helping others purely out of compassion and goodwill.And best of all, MC genuinely develops a love for chemistry.------------------------------------------------------------------------An excerpt from making it snow in an indoor mall event...A particle of snow became focused by Jungwu's vision.It was transparent and flat. It was a more perfect six-sided wings than any other snowflake he had ever seen.'Oh, you were made so well. Bye bye~'The perfectly pure and clean snowflake gently floated down to the plaza below.--------------------------------------------------------------------------Side characters are well written with distinct personalities and are established professionals in their own line of work (doctors, scientists, singers, regular working Joes, etc). Heart-warming interactions with MC, nobody falls head over heels for MC unlike other shounen novels.WRITING:The pacing of the story is a little fast, MC goes from zero to hero pretty quick. But the story and writing more than makes up for it. You almost feel like you're watching a light-hearted korean drama rather than reading a novel.MC's ability to visualize molecules and chemical reactions is written with amazing magical realism.Dialogue is great without too much exposition. Fantastically beautiful chemistry-related analogies that really make the subject come alive, especially when MC is explaining his solutions to others.The technical details/jargon are amazing, I can only guess how hard it is to translate to English. It's a refreshing change from most superpowers, makes you wonder if author used to be a chemistry major or a MacGyver fan.SLOW UPDATESUnfortunately the lack of translators and slow updates is a real problem. I understand the translator has health issues as well. Unless someone else picks it up quick it's gonna languish. not the greatest way to get people to read your story by not really telling people what your story is about Poison testers? This poison seems to be a little too potent.. a novel about chemistry seems like it's gonna have to be read with a dictionary on the side