At the Pyeongchang-dong gathering, too, the talk turned to the Ilhyeon Securities rights offering.

"Kim. If you've got something that good going, shouldn't you let me in on it too?"

Jeong-eun aired her grievance at Seong-ho.

"I hear the stock's already up 50 percent? And the offering hasn't even started."

"Do you not do any work, sis? Just watch the Ilhyeon Securities share price all day?"

"Even if I don't go looking at the price, it reaches my ears — what am I supposed to do about that?" Jeong-eun shot back with a scowl, then went on. "Out of the 200 billion you said you'd put in, I'll take 50 billion — so consider it settled."

"Excuse me?"

"I said I'm coming in for 50 billion."

"Didn't you say your company had too many other places for its money, that you had none to spare for the offering? Why the sudden fuss about joining in now?"

"Oh my — listen to her. Father. Mother. Will you look at her? Did marriage rattle her brains? Well — I suppose something rattled them." Jeong-eun jabbed a finger at Gyeong-eun and called on Tak-hyeon and Suk-ja. Then, as though speaking on their behalf, she planted a hand on her hip and raised her voice at Gyeong-eun. "Is that any way to talk to your older sister? All I'm saying is that shouldering 200 billion won by yourself looks like too much, so I'll help you out a little. Since when is an older sister helping her younger sister a crime?"

To anyone's ear, it was little more than a tantrum. Jeong-eun's husband, Yeong-su Cha, tugged at the hem of her clothes, signaling her to stop now. He couldn't lift his head for the embarrassment; his eyes stayed fixed on the floor. Jeong-eun, however, was nothing like Cha.

"Let go. Did I say something wrong?" She flung off his hand and looked round at the other siblings in the room. "Brother — you come in for 50 billion too. The eldest won't be bothered, I'm sure… And you, fourth — you come in as…