The aides gathered in the Blue House annex were in the middle of a heated argument.

"We're better at exports. So hand over your electronics division. You people can barely keep up with domestic sales, but we sell to five billion people worldwide — of course we should be the ones to keep it."

The Sunwoo Group representative needled the KF Group representative.

The KF Group man laughed in disbelief, rolled up his sleeves, and shot back.

"Hey. You've only existed for twenty years — where do you get off lecturing anyone? We're sixty. Sixty years. When your group's chairman was still toddling around in diapers, our founding chairman was out selling goods door to door. You understand that?"

"If being old made you good at business, why bother drawing up sales strategy at all? Just hang a sign out front and coast."

"What did you say?"

As the tension climbed, Seong-ho Kim sat quietly, eating an apple.

The argument only grew rougher.

"Let's be blunt — is there anyone in this room who doesn't know your company's rotten from the roots up even while you're moving units? Everyone in this business knows Sunwoo Group sells at a loss."

"We sell at a loss? Says who? Have you even looked at our actual financials? Our annual operating profit runs into the hundreds of billions."

"Is there anyone who doesn't know those financials are fake?"

"What? You little—"

"Little what? Have you lost your mind?"

"What is all this commotion?"

At the rising voices, the Blue House secretary who had briefly stepped out returned to the room.

He moved to separate the Sunwoo and KF representatives, who were now on their feet, glaring at each other.

The Mirae Group representative, watching the standoff with no idea what to do, glanced over at Byeong-jin Jo — who was calmly eating an apple — and hesitantly spoke up.

"Um..."

Byeong-jin Jo, in the middle of putting another apple slice in his mouth, turned at the sound of someone addressing him and looked at the Mirae Group man.

"Yes? Were you calling me?"

The…