As negotiations with Ha Si-heon collapsed, Hols and Blackwell found themselves at a critical crossroads.
In the heavy silence that had settled over the office, Blackwell’s voice rang out gravely.
“Will you call an additional witness?”
The decision belonged to their client, Hols. A deep conflict flickered in her eyes.
“Which option is more advantageous?”
“This isn’t the ti to deliberate the ‘best’ course of action. We must anticipate the worst-case scenario and avoid it.”
“……”
“This is no longer just about winning the lawsuit. The priority is dispelling the mounting suspicions fueled by the repeated ntion of the NDA.”
They had to act with the aftermath of the lawsuit in mind.
From that perspective, no matter what choice they made now, Theranos was in an unfavorable position.
If they called an additional witness? The controversy over ‘silencing’ witnesses would flare up again, further intensifying demands for an investigation into Theranos.
But if they chose not to? They would simply be handing over the current hostile atmosphere to the defense.
Next up was the defense’s argunt.
This ant that Ha Si-heon’s carefully selected, fiercely anti-Theranos witnesses would take the stand.
Even with their carefully prepared friendly witnesses, they were already struggling. If hostile witnesses were to testify—
The consequences were too terrifying to imagine.
“Is withdrawing the lawsuit… completely impossible?”
“Even if we withdraw, Ha Si-heon has already filed a countersuit. The trial will not stop.”
Even if they dropped the defamation lawsuit, Ha Si-heon’s mismanagent lawsuit remained. There was no way to halt the trial.
Hols' voice began to carry a hint of desperation.
“If we attempt negotiations again…”
“He seed to have no intention whatsoever.”
“But! If things continue like this, he’ll lose too, won’t he? If we remind him that the damages amount to 4.9 billion dollars…”
“Even so, he is determined to proceed.”
“This…! No, why? It doesn’t make any sense…!”
“That man is insane. Logic doesn’t apply to him.”
Blackwell declared firmly.
For a brief mont, a past conversation with Ha Si-heon flashed through his mind.
Blackwell had dealt with all kinds of people in his career, but never before had he encountered soone so thoroughly indifferent to others’ words.
“Negotiation is impossible. He seems to be enjoying this situation.”
“……”
“He is fully prepared and is pushing us to the edge of the cliff. Now, we have only one choice left: to call an additional witness or not.”
A heavy silence fell again.
Minutes passed—perhaps ten or so.
Then, Hols finally spoke, her resolve firm.
“In that case… I will take the stand myself.”
Her words rang out with unwavering determination.
“With public opinion turned against us, if we hand things over to Ha Si-heon’s argunt now… the suspicions will only snowball. We cannot allow this to continue.”
Blackwell hesitated briefly, but in the end, he gave a silent nod.
Hols possessed a commanding charisma that could captivate people.
If she could use that talent to sway hearts filled with doubt—
There were no guarantees, but it was a risk worth taking.
She was Theranos’s last stronghold.
The next day.
Hols took the witness stand.
“Newton is a device that will change the world.”
Her low, resonant voice echoed through the courtroom, and as if spellbound, the jurors’ gazes all turned toward her.
Hols spoke with sincerity, a story she had recited hundreds of tis before.
Her uncle’s passing. The importance of early disease detection that she had realized through it. Her unwavering commitnt to innovation.
Every word she uttered seed to fill the courtroom with her conviction.
“But all innovations inevitably face resistance from the established order. That is why we had to operate in secrecy. In fact, there have been instances where our employees left and created similar products. So even moved faster than us to secure patents after hearing our ideas. Our strict security policies were nothing more than an unavoidable asure to overco these obstacles and change the world.”
Her plea was beginning to shift the courtroom’s atmosphere.
Subtle changes flickered across the jurors’ expressions, small nods appearing here and there.
For the first ti, an air of reconciliation surrounded the embattled Theranos.
However—
The greatest hurdle still lay ahead.
“I have no further questions.”
With Blackwell’s examination complete, it was now ti for Ha Si-heon’s cross-examination.
Hols clenched her fist silently, steeling herself.
‘I cannot surrender the initiative.’
She had to dismantle the narrative Ha Si-heon had carefully constructed.
The top priority was breaking the perception that “the truth is buried behind the NDA.”
Yes, Theranos’s NDA was strict, but not everything was hidden behind it, as Ha Si-heon claid.
That was an exaggeration, a distortion of the truth.
As the CEO, she had to make it clear: the NDA was strictly for legitimate confidentiality.
But at that mont, the first question struck like a sharp arrow.
“Does Theranos use competitors’ devices?”
Hols’ expression stiffened.
But she quickly regained her composure and answered calmly.
“Yes, we possess a few competitor devices. They are used solely for comparative research.”
A murmur rippled through the courtroom.
For the first ti since the lawsuit began, a witness had answered a question directly, without hiding behind the NDA.
This helped alleviate so of the suspicions that Theranos was concealing everything.
But the relief was short-lived.
“Then, aside from research purposes— Has Theranos ever used competitor devices for other reasons?”
Hols’ breath caught for a mont.
Because Theranos had used competitor devices for other purposes.
‘No way… do they know?’
Not just used—they had modified competitor devices.
It had been a last resort after their own technology failed.
‘They couldn’t possibly know that… could they?’
No, that was impossible.
Only a handful of people within Theranos were aware of this secret.
And those who knew were undeniable accomplices.
There was no way they had leaked it. Even if, by so mistake, the information had slipped out, there was no chance those involved would testify against themselves in court.
Hols swiftly finished her calculations and opened her mouth.
“No. Competitor devices have never been used for anything beyond research purposes.”
It was an outright lie.
But Hols had determined—it didn’t matter.
There wouldn’t be a way to prove it anyway.
However, the next question was even sharper.
"Then, have you ever modified a competitor's device?"
"No, we have not."
"Are you saying that you have never modified a competitor's device and used diluted patient blood?"
As she answered, Hols' hands grew cold.
This was a question that could only be asked by soone who knew the truth.
‘How on earth…?'
But ‘how’ they knew wasn’t the issue right now.
The priority was escaping this crisis.
"We have never done that. And due to the NDA, I cannot disclose specific details about our use of competitor devices."
The problem was that in order to prevent further probing, she ultimately had to rely on the NDA as a shield.
As expected, the mont she ntioned the NDA again, the courtroom erupted in jeers, as if waiting for this mont.
"Again with the NDA!"
"What exactly are you hiding?"
The courtroom descended into chaos.
People stood up, pointing fingers and shouting.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The judge barely managed to restore order.
"Anyone causing further disruption will be removed imdiately!"
However, the damage was already done.
The jurors' cold stares pierced through Hols.
Their doubt had already reached the point of no return.
Hols had taken the stand to clear suspicions, but instead, she had sunk deeper into a quagmire of distrust.
"Does the plaintiff have any additional witnesses?"
At the judge’s question, Blackwell lowered his head.
"No. The plaintiff rests its case."
The worst possible conclusion.
***
[Hols admitted to using competitor devices.]
[But that alone isn’t enough to draw conclusions. It’s common practice for dical device companies to use competitor products for benchmarking. Hols also clarified that it was for R&D purposes.]
[However, her abrupt ntion of the NDA when the questions beca more specific raises suspicions. If she was aware that invoking the NDA at this point would only fuel speculation, yet still did so— Doesn’t that imply that revealing the truth would be even more damaging?]
Watching the broadcast, Kissinger let out a deep sigh.
Because he knew the truth, he understood just how dangerous the tightrope Hols was walking had beco.
‘So in the end, has she crossed the river of no return…?'
After resigning from the board, Kissinger had personally reached out to the whistleblower.
He had promised protection and listened to the full account of Theranos’s reality— And he had been utterly horrified.
Theranos had no real technology.
They had been using competitor devices, and even then, they couldn’t et the required minimum blood volu—so they diluted the blood.
Naturally, this ant the test results couldn’t be trusted.
And if dical decisions were made based on such unreliable results?
Patients’ lives could be at risk.
This wasn’t just fraud—it was a severe public safety threat.
Yet ironically, the more Kissinger learned of this dreadful truth, the more he felt compelled to remain silent.
If the world found out that, for nearly ten years, he had been funding a company that endangered public health with bogus technology…?
If Theranos won, the truth would remain buried.
He had already demanded that Hols shut down Newton in exchange for his silence.
But if Ha Si-heon won and the truth was exposed—
Then everything would co to light.
The undeniable link between Theranos’s fraudulent technology and Kissinger’s financial backing.
Within Kissinger, his conscience urging him to tell the truth clashed with his pride in protecting the reputation he had built over a lifeti.
‘But haven’t I already prevented further harm…?'
He had already ensured the Newton device was discontinued.
Wasn’t that enough?
But as he silently reassured himself—
Bzzzzt.
The sharp ring of his phone shattered the silence.
The na on the screen: Ha Si-heon.
[The defense begins their argunt tomorrow.]
Another one of Ha Si-heon’s calls, which ca roughly every other day.
And the ssage was always the sa.
A request for Kissinger to testify.
His voice sank heavily.
"…Please don’t summon ."
But his words lacked conviction.
Because rather than a firm declaration, his response sounded more like a desperate plea.
In truth, Ha Si-heon had the ans to compel him.
If he formally requested a subpoena, Kissinger would have no legal way to refuse.
But if that happened, Kissinger would be left with only two agonizing choices.
First, telling the truth.
But doing so would an admitting to the entire world that he had played a role in bringing this dangerously flawed product to market.
His reputation would plumt beyond repair.
The second option: hiding the truth.
He could claim that he was bound by the NDA as well—
But in that case, he would be branded as complicit with Theranos.
Either choice would be devastating for him.
[Understood. I won’t force you.]
Ha Si-heon’s response made Kissinger exhale in relief.
Thankfully, he wasn’t pushing any further.
Ha Si-heon could have pressured him— Could have appealed to his conscience, or even strong-ard him— But he had never done so.
He was a young man who respected boundaries.
However—
[I’m only suggesting it because I believe it would be beneficial for you. Wouldn’t it be best for you, too, to distance yourself from Theranos?]
Kissinger wanted to agree, but reality wasn’t so simple.
"…I’ll think about it. If I change my mind, you’ll be the first to know."
Once again, he postponed the decision.
Because sotis, delaying a choice was a choice in itself.
His hesitation ant he still hoped for this situation to resolve quietly.
But—
After ending the call, Ha Si-heon didn’t seem disappointed.
‘If I push too hard, it’ll backfire.'
What he wanted wasn’t just for Kissinger to testify—
But for him to testify and walk away still viewing Ha Si-heon favorably, supporting his cause.
For that, forcing him onto the stand would be a poor strategy.
But that was fine.
Because starting tomorrow, the defense would take the floor.
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