Managing Director Pyeong-in Gu and Director Beom-mu Kim came running to the vice president's office.

"Ten container ships? What on earth does that mean?"

Pyeong-in Gu asked as though he couldn't believe it even having heard it.

"Maersk really placed that order?"

"Sit down first."

Yeong-bae Song gestured for Pyeong-in Gu to sit and laid the fax the employee had brought him in front of the two men.

"It came from Maersk."

The moment the fax hit the desk, Pyeong-in Gu snatched it up.

He scanned its contents and spoke, incredulous.

"Seven hundred million dollars means 70 million a vessel — has President Kim lost his mind? Selling an 80-million-dollar ship for 70 million? What kind of—"

"The more absurd part is further down."

Yeong-bae Song gestured for him to read it to the end before speaking.

Pyeong-in Gu dropped his eyes back to the fax and read on.

"Total, 700 million dollars. And… delivery within three years of contract signing—!"

He lifted the sheet up.

Holding it to the light, he said,

"Is this an error? Three years? What is this—"

"I wondered the same, so I checked with Denmark."

"And what did they say? It's an error, isn't it?"

Pyeong-in Gu hadn't a shred of doubt that the three-year figure was a mistake.

But Yeong-bae Song's answer was not the one he was expecting.

"They say three years is correct."

"What? Correct? But… by what means does anyone build ten vessels in three years…"

"Who knows. Whatever method he has in mind…"

When Yeong-bae Song shook his head, Beom-mu Kim — who had been sitting quietly until then — asked carefully,

"Is there also a liability clause for failure to perform…?"

"There is."

Yeong-bae Song pointed at the fax.

"Look at the end there. It even specifies that for every three months of delay, we pay 10 percent of the contract value in late-delivery penalties."

"What in the world…"

Beom-mu Kim looked down at the fax, incredulous.

"Has President Kim truly gone mad?"

"To my mind, he's gone thoroughly mad."

Pyeong-in Gu spoke as though madness were the…