Byeong-jin Jo watched the side of Seong-ho's face for a good while as he walked calmly out of the booth.

"What were you thinking, investing that kind of money in a place like that?"

"A place like that?"

Seong-ho turned his head, looked at the booth Byeong-jin had called "a place like that," and asked.

Byeong-jin spoke in a voice only Seong-ho could hear.

"Why did you invest in a place selling used books — and a full million dollars, at that?"

Byeong-jin looked at Seong-ho as if, no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't understand.

Seong-ho saw Byeong-jin's expression and said with a smile,

"They say they'll start selling new books too from next month."

"What good is that?"

Byeong-jin, realizing his voice had risen, hastily lowered it and said,

"That or not, it's a bookstore. Why invest in a bookstore? And not even a bookstore in Korea, but an American one... No — fine, let's say, granting every concession, that you invest in a bookstore. Then at the very least, it ought to have a proper storefront, that's what's normal. But that place? Selling books over the internet? Who's going to buy and read that?"

Byeong-jin looked at the booth Seong-ho had come out of.

The man, who'd worn a blank face until Seong-ho arrived, was now beaming, happy together with his wife.

Byeong-jin gave a wry smile at the sight of them rejoicing.

Having received an enormous investment of a million dollars, it was only natural they'd be happy, Byeong-jin thought.

"Those people, sure, they've every reason to be happy getting an investment out of nowhere — but you... why are you the one rejoicing?"

"Because I'm happier than those people?"

"You're happier? You spent it on a place where you might lose a million dollars?"

"Why think so negatively? That place is going to succeed."

Seong-ho pointed at the booth and said to Byeong-jin,

"You should shut your eyes and invest just ten million won too. Then your life might change down the road."

"...Invest in a place with some name like a South…