The news that Tak-hyeon Lee was relinquishing his stake in Ilhyeon Fire sent a huge ripple through the market.

It was because his willingness to take responsibility for a managerial failure stood in stark contrast to the other slippery, eel-like businessmen.

Most business owners were in the habit of pinning their managerial failures on something else. They were busy locating the causes of failure somewhere external—the state of the world economy, market conditions, or perhaps some abrupt shift in government policy. And so they had shown, again and again, that even enormous debts were not something they had incurred but something the company had incurred, and therefore they had no reason to be held responsible.

People remembered clearly how such owners, even after their companies had plunged to the level of bankruptcy, would file for a stay of bankruptcy proceedings with the court and then wage an endless war of nerves against the creditors, trying to scrape up even one more won for themselves. It was the very same scene that had been on display in the countless companies collapsing during the foreign-exchange crisis.

That was why Tak-hyeon Lee's decision this time could not help but appear remarkable.

The people gathered at the Myeongdong branch of Ilhyeon Securities were also discussing yesterday's events in front of the price board.

"I've completely reassessed Chairman Lee. Truly."

President Han, a cigarette dangling from his lips, spoke toward President Seong seated beside him, his face full of admiration as though the more he thought about it, the more remarkable it seemed.

"A full one trillion. One trillion. How could anyone hand over that much money so readily?"

"That's what I'm saying. I don't think I could hand over even a million won."

"For an ordinary person, that's about right."

President Nam cut in between President Han and President Seong.

"And it's not a matter of money. He gave up Ilhyeon Fire."

At President Nam's words, President Han's and President Seong's heads turned naturally toward him. Receiving the gazes of the two men, President Nam went on talking.

"He handed over the entire management…