"Congratulations."

Chung-seop Jo had carried an orchid up to Seong-ho Kim's office. He looked the room over, one wall then another, before he said it.

"Is this the Chairman's office?"

"Would I dare use the Chairman's office? It's the Vice-Chairman's office Vice-Chairman Mun-jong Lee used."

"I see."

Chung-seop Jo passed the orchid to Jeong-cheol Choi and took the chair facing Seong-ho Kim.

"One day I'd like to work in an office like this myself."

"Hahaha. Anybody who heard you would curse you. The head of Future Asset, envying somebody else's office."

"Come now. Set beside Ilhyeon we're children playing house. How could we stand comparison with Ilhyeon?"

Chung-seop Jo waved the comparison away and gave Seong-ho Kim a look with something behind it.

"One step left now."

Seong-ho Kim knew what Chung-seop Jo meant.

So instead of answering he only smiled.

Seong-ho Kim's smile seemed to be answer enough for Chung-seop Jo, who only smiled back.

They traded smiles like that for a moment, and then Chung-seop Jo spoke first.

"So why did you want to see me?"

"How is business these days?"

He had asked why he was there. Seong-ho Kim answered with a question of his own about business.

Chung-seop Jo thought it odd, and answered Seong-ho Kim's question anyway.

"So good my mouth won't come down off my ears. You see it? The corners of my mouth, hooked over my ears."

Chung-seop Jo showed Seong-ho Kim his ears and went on.

"China was the move of a god, Vice-Chairman. Going in when you told me to."

"So you're having some fun with it?"

"It's past having fun……."

Chung-seop Jo stopped and looked around the office for a moment.

There was nobody in the office but Seong-ho Kim and Chung-seop Jo, with Jeong-cheol Choi at the door. He knew it, and he looked anyway.

Nobody. He lowered his voice regardless.

"We're raking the money in with a garden rake. The Chinese market right now is properly out of its mind."

The thought of it alone lifted Chung-seop Jo, head of Future Asset. The corners of his mouth twitched,…