"How did it go?"

Tak-hyeon Lee looked at Team Leader Byeong-ju Jeong and asked.

Byeong-ju Jeong felt his body stiffen the moment he met Tak-hyeon's gaze directly.

The pressure of having every last one of Ilhyeon Group's core inner circle, gathered in the meeting room, waiting on his words alone, bore down on him hard.

"Team Leader Jeong. What we want to hear is the news. So please, speak comfortably."

Byeong-ju Jeong turned his head toward the voice, and found Seong-ho Kim looking at him with a warm expression.

Only then did some of the tension ease from him. Byeong-ju took a deep breath to steady himself and began speaking in a calm voice.

"It seems Sunwoo has defaulted, unable to settle roughly 20 billion won in returned promissory notes at J Bank's Myeong-dong branch. Led by J Bank, the creditor group is set to meet tomorrow morning to discuss the matter. I'm told that along with J Bank, the eleven major creditor institutions — including the Korea Development Bank, Sunwoo Motors' main lender bank, Foreign Exchange Bank, Dubit Bank, and others — plus around a hundred creditor financial institutions who've sent representatives, will all gather at the Bankers Club."

"What's the reason for gathering?"

"It seems J Bank intends to move forward with a workout."

"So it's finally come to that."

Tak-hyeon let out a short sigh.

Seong-ho Kim gave a small smile.

What's bound to happen, happens.

Even though Seong-ho had succeeded in the Big Deal and delayed Sunwoo Group's default, Sunwoo had, in the end, been unable to escape the wave bearing down on it.

Just as Tak-hyeon's sigh was fading, Sang-jong Lee turned urgently to Byeong-ju Jeong and asked.

"What about a way to survive without a workout — just extending more loans instead? Isn't that possible too?"

He threw himself into the questioning as though Sunwoo Group's affairs were his own.

Byeong-ju Jeong shook his head with a hardened expression and answered.

"That possibility looks very slim."

"Why is that?"

Sang-jong's voice burst out as if to say it shouldn't be so, and Byeong-ju Jeong…