Bang bang bang!

Sang-jong Lee, who had come to the Cheongdam boutique early in the morning, hammered on the firmly shut iron door.

Bang bang bang!

"Open the door. Open the door, you bastard! Open it."

But from inside came no sign that anyone was there.

"I know perfectly well you're in there, so open the door!"

For all the continued hammering and shouting the iron door did not budge, and only Sang-jong Lee's voice went echoing round the building.

"What's going on here?"

Just then the building caretaker came along.

Sang-jong Lee, who had been hammering at the door, began asking the caretaker about the Cheongdam boutique.

"Have you got a key that opens this door?"

Sang-jong Lee had spoken to him abruptly and without courtesy, but the caretaker, who must have had a good deal of experience of such things, answered without making anything of it.

"I have one… but why do you ask?"

"I've business here just now, so open it."

"You have business here?"

"Ah, I said so, didn't I. Open it, quickly."

"Well now, that's…"

The caretaker tilted his head as though he could not make sense of it, and went over to the door.

Taking a key from his pocket, the caretaker opened the door, tilting his head again and again as though the thing were strange.

"It's open. Only…"

Just as the caretaker, having opened the iron door, was about to speak, Sang-jong Lee shoved past him and went inside.

"Chang-jong Lee! Seo-gang Won! Where are you? Do you think I won't find you if you hide? You bastards. Come out!"

Once inside, Sang-jong Lee went about the office shouting.

But there was no one in the office.

"There's no use shouting like that."

The caretaker, who had followed Sang-jong Lee inside, waited until the man's raging voice had died down and then spoke quietly.

"These people have all gone."

"All gone? When? When did they all go?"

Sang-jong Lee, who had been searching the office, turned around.

Looking at the caretaker, he demanded to know what he meant, and the caretaker answered…