Sitting across from each other, Seong-ho Kim and Vice-Chairman Hyeon-u Bang of the Mirae Group didn't exchange a word for a while.

Feeling the cool early-summer breeze and simply watching one another, it was Hyeon-u Bang who finally spoke first.

"It's late, so I won't dress it up."

"Please, go ahead."

"The quarter-finals. Do them with us."

Seong-ho Kim didn't play dumb.

He knew perfectly well that stringing along a man who had turned up in the small hours of the morning by pretending not to follow was not the smart play.

Hyeon-u Bang liked that Seong-ho Kim had grasped his intent immediately.

So he laid out what he wanted next.

"I'll give you 10 billion. We'll cover the entire event cost, too, and we'll put Ilhyeon's name ahead of ours as the primary host. All you have to do is let us in. How's that?"

"You're saying you'll cede everything to us?"

"That's right. If you'll take us on, ceding isn't a problem."

Hyeon-u Bang delivered the offer and studied Seong-ho Kim closely.

Seong-ho Kim appeared to sink into thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Vice-Chairman Bang, we—"

"All right. I'll put down 20 billion."

Realizing Seong-ho Kim was about to refuse, Hyeon-u Bang doubled the figure on the spot.

Seong-ho Kim held back a laugh at how urgently Hyeon-u Bang was moving.

The Hyeon-u Bang he knew ordinarily was never this urgent, this pleading.

Ten billion or 20 billion was a large sum on its own — but as money the head of Mirae Group would personally get up and move, it was in fact very small.

If the 10 billion could produce a hundred-billion or two-hundred-billion effect, however, the calculus changed.

And right now, 10 billion could produce a one-trillion or two-trillion effect.

That was why Hyeon-u Bang had come personally to make the offer.

"If 20 billion isn't enough… I'll go 30 billion. At that price, I'd think you'd not only recoup every won you've invested but come away with a surplus. What do you say?"

Without Seong-ho Kim saying a word, the 10…