"Representative. You're back."

Chung-seop paused mid-stride and glanced at the staff member who had greeted him.

The staffer, having lifted his head, cautiously asked —

"Representative. Is something the—"

"Have every executive at head-of-division level or higher gather. Now."

"Every executive?"

"Yes."

Chung-seop gave the instruction and, muttering to himself, walked into the office.

"Yes. I have to move too. I can't miss this."

Watching Chung-seop head into the office muttering, the staffer looked at his back with a puzzled expression.

Another staffer with a stack of documents came over.

"What's got him like that?"

"He just got back from Ilhyeon and now he's like this."

"Ilhyeon? If it's Ilhyeon…"

Inside Silla Future Asset, a rumor circulated that the company's real owner lay elsewhere. The story went that Chung-seop was merely the face and a puppet president, and that the real owner controlling the company was someone else.

Most people brushed it aside as the wordplay of a few gossipers and didn't doubt that Chung-seop was the company's true representative — but those who really belonged to the inside knew the rumor wasn't entirely groundless.

"He came back after being told something again this time?"

"Isn't that always the case?"

Those in the inner circle knew Chung-seop went to meet Seong-ho often — without even a secretary — and that after each meeting, the company's direction shifted.

Which was why, quietly, a phrase drifted at Silla Future Asset's very top: The owner of the company may be Representative Chung-seop, but the direction of the company is set by Representative Kim.

"Anyway — must be important. His face was different from usual."

"So — a good thing?"

"A good thing. Whenever he comes back from meeting Representative Kim wearing that face, something good has always followed."

The staffers had watched the company step up several rungs at a time after each of Chung-seop's meetings with Seong-ho — and this time too, they felt that the same thing was coming.

"He said gather every executive — get everyone to the conference room."

"Got it. Making the calls right now."

The staffer with…