They had left the Shinpyeong Party headquarters, cleared Yeouido, and crossed the Mapo Bridge when Tak-hyeon spoke.

"Pull over and go have a cigarette."

"Yes, sir."

Do-beom, in the passenger seat, told the driver to stop and glanced at Mun-jong, seated beside Tak-hyeon.

Mun-jong understood what it meant.

He tried to think of what he'd done wrong, and nothing came to mind.

The talks with the Shinpyeong Party had, he thought, concluded well.

The car pulled over, and the driver and Do-beom got out.

Once only the two of them remained, Tak-hyeon spoke.

"Is that all you amount to?"

"I don't know what you mean…"

"Do you still not know what you did wrong?"

"I— I—"

As Mun-jong stammered, Tak-hyeon seized him by the back of the neck and dragged him close.

Meeting his father's eyes, Mun-jong went rigid, realizing this was no ordinary error.

Having pulled him right up to his face, Tak-hyeon spoke as though he might devour him.

"Do not reveal your thoughts so easily in front of others. Do you understand?"

"Is it… because I accepted the 50 billion…?"

Mun-jong wondered whether the sour mood was about accepting the Shinpyeong Party's terms.

Tak-hyeon only pulled him closer, hard enough that their foreheads nearly touched.

"It is not a question of accepting 50 billion or not. It is that in a negotiation you do not reveal your thinking — you do not let the other side know what you want, or whether you like it or loathe it. Understood?"

"I— I'm sorry."

He still didn't understand, but he couldn't say so, and offered an apology in place of an answer.

Tak-hyeon held him by the neck and stared at him without blinking, as though reading his mind.

After a long moment, he released him and leaned back.

Mun-jong rubbed his neck and spoke first.

"You needn't worry — once the greenbelt is lifted, we'll recover 50 billion quickly enough."

"Tsk. You don't know what you did wrong."

"That's…"

Tak-hyeon spoke without so much as looking at him.

"They were the ones burning to know what we were…