Sang-jong, gone pale, chewed his lip and paced, unable even to sit.

"Father. No — Chairman. It's barely 1.5 billion. Insolvency over 1.5 billion — does that even make sense?"

"In the time it takes to make excuses like that, think of a solution!"

Whack!

The ashtray flew and struck Sang-jong square in the face. It cut his face, but Sang-jong couldn't say it hurt.

"Is there really no way?"

Mun-jong, dark-faced though not to Sang-jong's degree, asked Do-beom.

Standing at Tak-hyeon's side, Do-beom nodded. "Chairman Jeong's side has already declared its intent to give up management rights."

"No — the madman. Giving up management rights over 1.5 billion, does that make sense?"

Sang-jong spat out words full of grievance, still with a face that couldn't understand.

Tak-hyeon watched him as if he were pathetic. "Do you really think Chairman Jeong gave up management rights over 1.5 billion? The 1.5 billion is only a trigger — the money tied up in Dubo is over 5 trillion."

"5… trillion?"

Sang-jong turned to Do-beom, startled.

Do-beom nodded and added to Tak-hyeon's words. "It's 5 trillion by what's come to light so far, and no one knows how far the debt will climb. A lot of the money is cross-tied… and the debt in the private loan market is still unknown."

"This is insane…"

Sang-jong struck one wall with his fist.

Watching him as if he were pathetic, Tak-hyeon asked, "Did you really not know?"

At the question, Sang-jong, who'd been hanging his head, lifted it to look at Tak-hyeon.

With a face full of suspicion, Tak-hyeon said, "This isn't something you cooked up in cahoots with Chairman Jeong, is it?"

"Father. I truly didn't know. I'm being wronged."

"What have you done right, to talk of being wronged!"

Tak-hyeon snatched up the water glass before him and hurled it. It didn't hit Sang-jong, but he took the water it held full in the face and bowed his head without a word.

Because to anyone's eye, the most suspect person in the present situation was himself.

Water dripping from his face, Sang-jong turned…