When Tak-hyeon stopped speaking and knit his brow, Mun-jong, catching that Tak-hyeon found it awkward to bring up what came next, spoke in his stead.

"But a problem's come up with the Big Deal."

"A problem?"

Mun-jong, with no idea that this whole situation was one Seong-ho had deliberately engineered, began to explain in earnest.

"Mirae Group has butted in."

"Mirae has?"

"Yes. They can't stand the idea of us acquiring Sunwoo Electronics, apparently. If we take Sunwoo Electronics, there'll be no room left for Mirae Electronics to stand — that's why."

"What an absurd thing to say."

"Right. It's an absurd thing to say. The problem is that it's working."

Seong-ho shook his head as if he couldn't understand, and said,

"Working? It's not even that we want to do it — didn't you say Sunwoo requested it? And the government's mediating. So you're telling me the government and Sunwoo are just sitting and watching Mirae throw a tantrum… but even if they are, if Mirae comes at us like this, can't we simply wash our hands and walk away?"

Seong-ho tossed out the question, feigning ignorance.

Mun-jong glanced over at Tak-hyeon.

He was trying to read Tak-hyeon's mood to judge whether it was all right to keep talking.

At that glance, Tak-hyeon, his brow deeply furrowed, snapped,

"With things having come to this, what are you still reading my face for!"

At Tak-hyeon's rebuke, Mun-jong smiled sheepishly and bowed his head.

Then he spoke to Seong-ho.

"The reason we can't just wash our hands of it is… Mirae's Vice-Chairman Bang has offered to resolve Jeong-eun's problem."

"So you're saying Mirae offered to resolve the Ilhyeon Securities matter?"

"Yes. He came forward saying that if he resolves Jeong-eun's problem, then Mirae joins in and we make it a three-way negotiation. So Sunwoo has no reason to object, and since the Big Deal can be run on an even grander scale, the government has no reason to object either."

"So in the end, they're asking to be let in. Hahaha. That's fine. This is good news."

"Good news?"

Mun-jong asked…