The Ilhyeon Group's investment in China was announced on a grand scale.

The substance of it was that over ten years they would put close to ten trillion won in Korean money into an enormous chemical plant in China.

The Chinese government welcomed the decision.

Once the contract was concluded the Chinese President invited Mun-jong Lee in person and made an occasion of talking with him, and said several times over that the principal men of the Ilhyeon Group would be received in China as state guests.

Advertising the investment on a grand scale, China worked hard to let the outside world know what a good country it was to invest in.

And this plan of China's worked.

"Mirae is building a plant in China too?"

"The labor is cheap, they say."

"How cheap, exactly? Is it only 100,000 won or something?"

"Not so low as 100,000 — about 150,000, is it? And I hear the ones out of university get about 200,000."

"What? 200,000?"

The man with the chopsticks in his hand heard him out, and his eyes went wide.

"Is that true? Only 200,000?"

"And that is a big-company employee, I am told. Among the provincial workers there are some who get only the 100,000 you said."

"Well… what is our minimum wage?"

"Is it 600,000 now, or 700,000? Something about there, anyway."

"Then their skilled people out of university come to a third of our minimum wage? Does that make any sense?"

"It makes sense enough, which is why the companies are all in an uproar about building plants in China."

The man took up the chopsticks he had let rest, laid some of the side dish on his rice, and said,

"At this rate they will be saying every plant in the Republic of Korea is to go to China."

"Why would they not? The rumor is that Ilhyeon Motors is going over too. China has offered to lend them the land for nothing, they say."

"Aigh. If it is all taken by China, what are we to live on?"

"It is not only China you…