Kang Junu's voice rang through the banquet hall. The people who'd been voicing agreement here and there fell silent.

A graduate who'd been chatting with the person next to him turned his head.

A staff member about to fill an empty glass stepped back, bottle in hand.

Ju Seojun, still gripping the mic, glared at Kang Junu.

That son of a bitch!

A curse surged all the way up his throat.

He hadn't liked Kang Junu since Jeju.

Every time Ha Tae-ung threw his weight around, Kang Junu had stood guard beside him like a sworn bodyguard. Now he'd raised the flag of rebellion right in front of the sunbaes.

Any other kid, and he'd have been roaring at him on the spot.

But Kang Junu's mother was Chief Go Mihui of Ilseong Hotel.

The Ilseong Group was only his mother's side, but its shadow still reached Kang Junu.

He couldn't insult him carelessly at a public gathering like this. It could end with his own father, who knew nothing about any of this, picking up the phone.

Ju Seojun calmly brought the mic back to his mouth.

"Junu-ya. This isn't the place to weigh personal friendships……"

"I oppose it too."

At that moment, Jang Jiyu, sitting next to him, stood up too. She didn't raise her voice much.

Even so, it cut Ju Seojun off mid-sentence. The sunbaes at the inner tables exchanged looks.

Jang Jiyu was the Sindo Group's eldest daughter.

Through her grandmother, Honorary Chairman Go Junhui, she was related to the Ilseong house.

Kang Junu alone was awkward enough, and now Jang Jiyu had joined him.

"Jiyu, not you too."

A woman sunbae at a nearby table said it quietly.

"I'm stating my objection."

Jang Jiyu didn't look away. Thanks to Ha Tae-ung, she'd gotten back her confidence and her money. What were those chances worth, if you put a value on them?

How could she go along with talk of throwing him out behind his back, when it hadn't been long since they came back from St Moritz laughing together?

If I can't even hold…