"What is it? Why the sudden fuss?"

Jeong-eun looked up at Mun-jong, who had abruptly shot up from his seat, with a strange eye.

"What kind of news makes you jump like that? Did something happen at the company?"

Tak-hyeon, who had told him to go ahead and hear the report, seemed no less curious about Mun-jong's sudden reaction.

Still seated, Tak-hyeon looked up for a moment at Mun-jong, whose face wore a somewhat vacant expression, and spoke in a sharp voice.

"What's the matter?"

Coming to his senses at Tak-hyeon's voice, Mun-jong glanced around for a moment.

And he realized this was the once-a-week Pyeongchang-dong dinner.

"What's gotten into you? Did someone's parents pass away or something?"

"Father's sitting right here—how can that joke come out of your mouth?"

"Well, it's odd, him flailing about like a man whose parents just died."

At Suk-ja's scolding, Jeong-eun pointed at Mun-jong and asked wasn't it strange.

Suk-ja, it seemed, couldn't make sense of it either, and she regarded Mun-jong with a strange look.

With even Suk-ja looking at him strangely, Mun-jong hurriedly explained why he was acting this way.

"A friend's father has passed away, they said. That's why. Right up until recently they'd told me he was perfectly fine."

"So a parent did pass away, after all. Just not one of mine."

At Jeong-eun, who'd muttered to herself loud enough for everyone at the table to hear, Suk-ja shot a glare, then turned to Mun-jong and asked,

"Then shouldn't you hurry off?"

"I suppose I'd better."

Gathering himself, Mun-jong begged Tak-hyeon's leave.

"Chairman, I'll take my leave now."

Tak-hyeon looked up at Mun-jong for a moment from his seat.

Then he nodded and waved a hand.

"Yes. If you have to go, then you must. Off you go."

Mun-jong bid farewell to Tak-hyeon and Suk-ja and hurriedly left.

Jeong-eun watched him go with a strange look, then muttered to herself.

"What is it? Why's he acting like a man being chased?"

Tak-hyeon too watched Mun-jong's retreating back for a moment, then lifted his spoon and said to the family gathered…