Jeong-eun, who had arrived at Pyeongchang-dong, sat down with a face that couldn't make sense of things and said,

"What is it? Did the company go under or something?"

Yeong-su Cha, seated beside her, tried to stop Jeong-eun, asking how she could say such a thing.

But Jeong-eun, finding it strange, didn't stop.

"With the whole country going under, is there some law that says our company can't? Isn't that right? If it's not that, why else would Father call all his children together at this hour? He didn't call us to watch the midnight news together, did he?"

"Dear, watch your—"

"Did I say something wrong? Brother. Did I say something wrong?"

Jeong-eun turned to Sang-jong, asking whether she was wrong.

It was on the thought that he might know something.

But Sang-jong was just as much in the dark.

"We'll find out if we wait."

"You don't know either, Brother?"

"How would I be the one to know?"

Sang-jong shrugged his shoulders and turned to Suk-ja.

Catching the meaning of Sang-jong's gaze, Jeong-eun asked Suk-ja,

"Mother. You know something, don't you?"

"What does it matter whether I know or not? Your father called us to tell us, so keep quiet."

"If you know, tell me in advance. That way we can at least prepare."

"Prepare what, exactly? Do you think there's anything you lot could do even if you prepared?"

Just then Tak-hyeon appeared and let out a remark laced with derision.

At it, Jeong-eun's face flushed red and she rose from her seat.

The others rose as well and greeted Tak-hyeon.

Receiving his children's greetings, Tak-hyeon looked around and said,

"Not everyone's here yet."

"I don't know why the youngest ones had to move south of the river. That's why they're late like this."

Jeong-eun tried to turn the subject to the Seong-ho couple.

But Yeong-su Cha, not catching his wife's meaning, brought up something else.

"It's not only the youngest sister-in-law's household that's late. The eldest brother and your brother haven't come either… if anything, we came early."

At those words, Jeong-eun shot him a hatchet-eyed…