As the year wound down, a handful of news stories set the whole country buzzing.

The first was that Ilhyeon Construction would go to Mun-jong Lee, who was in the middle of his trial.

Word went out that Tak-hyeon Lee had given up on his eldest son, once the likeliest heir of all, and was sending him away.

People understood the decision.

The succession had narrowed, naturally enough, to Gyeong-eun Lee, and with it came the news that every share Mun-jong held would pass to her.

Even so, here and there people argued that as long as Suk-ja Chu was in the picture, the Ilhyeon family's succession wasn't settled yet.

But that talk quickly died away too.

The news broke that Suk-ja was paying the gift tax on Mun-jong's Ilhyeon Construction shares for him.

Now everyone knew: Gyeong-eun was the undisputed heir to the Ilhyeon Group.

"If he'd just sat tight, Mun-jong Lee would've been the next Chairman. Am I right?"

"Sure. All he had to do was sit still and he'd have been the next owner, and he wrecked it with his own two hands."

"Tell me about it…"

Tonight was no different. Gathered in a samgyeopsal joint (TL Note: Samgyeopsal is thick-sliced pork belly grilled at the table, a Korean barbecue staple.) with soju (TL Note: Soju is a clear Korean liquor drunk in small shot glasses, the most popular drink in the country.) glasses in front of them, people were talking about the Ilhyeon Group.

They kept each other's glasses filled and talked about everything Ilhyeon.

"His brothers and sisters were all out of the running. All he had to do was sit still and that whole giant company called Ilhyeon was his, and he kicked it away?"

"That's why he's on trial now. A man with the sense to see that wouldn't have ended up a criminal, would he?"

"Ugh. What a moron."

One of the men sighed as if it were his own fortune Mun-jong had thrown away, and tipped back his glass.

"So the Ilhyeon succession's over now, right?"

"You'd have to say it…