DN Group Chairman Nak-seon Choi looked entirely unbothered, despite a sum of 1.5 trillion won having turned to wastepaper.

He swirled his wineglass this way and that and went on speaking.

"I'd meant to bury it and offset it slowly, you see. Managing Director Song was the one responsible for that… and then those tax-devouring vermin, the civic groups, filed their complaint — and now there's no time to be had."

Nak-seon Choi shook his head as though he found it absurd all over again on reflection, took a mouthful of wine, and smacked his lips.

"You know as well as I do, little brother, what the mood is like at present."

"I do. If talk of bad debt or accounting fraud comes out now, it would deal a company an enormous blow."

"It may not end at a blow. Handled badly, we might have to take down the DN name altogether."

At Nak-seon Choi's words, Seong-ho said nothing and only nodded.

Judging that with the preamble delivered, the moment had come for the real reason Nak-seon Choi had summoned him here, Seong-ho quietly waited for the next words.

Chairman Choi drank his wine again and slowly brought it out.

"Little brother."

"Yes, Brother. Please go on."

"What do you make of it?"

"Make of… what, exactly?"

"What I mean is, what do you think I ought to do?"

Nak-seon Choi looked at Seong-ho steadily.

"Is it that you'd like me to introduce you to my friend?"

"No, that isn't it."

Nak-seon Choi shook his head.

"With a civic group's complaint filed, meeting the Special Investigation Division's Division Chief or the Chief Prosecutor changes nothing. The Ilhyeon chairman might be able to manage it, perhaps."

Nak-seon Choi continued in a calm voice.

"What I want to hear from you is what we should do."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that I called you here to tell me what the best course is for us to take in the situation as it stands."

Thinking that there might be some other meaning buried in Nak-seon Choi's words, Seong-ho did…