Bang, bang, bang!

In the dead of night, the sound of someone pounding on an iron gate rang out.

From beyond the gate came the voice of an old man only just woken from sleep.

"Who on earth, at this hour… Whose house do you take this for, carrying on like that?"

Throwing a coat roughly over himself, the old man opened the gate and spoke as though thoroughly put out.

"This is the residence of DN Group's… hm? Managing Director?"

"It's been a while, Butler Kim. The Chairman is inside, isn't he?"

"The Chairman is in, yes… but what business brings you here at this hour?"

"I've come because there's something urgent I must tell the Chairman. Even if he's asleep, it has to be said now, this very moment."

"He hasn't gone to bed yet, as it happens… All right. It seems to be urgent, so come in first."

The butler swung the gate wide open, telling him to come in.

"But why did you pound on the gate rather than ring the bell?"

"Ah… In my haste it never even occurred to me to ring the bell."

"However urgent could a thing be… So you came straight here without so much as calling the Chairman ahead of time?"

"Yes…"

Unable to imagine what sort of matter would leave a man unable to call ahead and without the presence of mind even to press a bell, the butler tilted his head and crossed the yard into the house.

"I'll go in and speak to the Chairman, so wait here just a moment."

Telling Gu-taek Song to wait, the butler went inside.

Gu-taek Song, unable to settle his heart, stood before the door and shifted from foot to foot.

Roughly five minutes after the butler had gone in — around the time the soles of Gu-taek Song's restless feet began to ache — DN Group's Chairman Choi appeared.

Nak-seon Choi stood before Gu-taek Song in his pajamas, his face creased into a frown.

"What is it, that you come at this hour… Have you been drinking?"

Nak-seon Choi grimaced…