In the fourth episode of "The Art of Negotiation," the narrative resumes immediately after CEO Cha withdraws from the impending deal. In retaliation, Joo-no makes a personal visit to the developers at Chacha Games, where he verifies that they have been enticed with a doubling of the offer—a substantial sum of 20 million. While exploring the premises, Joo-no's eyes catch a photograph of CEO Cha alongside a captivating woman, piquing his intrigue.
On their return journey, Joo-no and his team engage in a discussion, observing uncanny similarities between the woman in the photograph and characters from the game's end credits, as well as a particular scene. Joo-no promptly directs his team to maintain an outward composure, ensuring no hints of their internal stirrings leak beyond their circle.
Elsewhere, the true orchestrator of the Chacha deal's collapse is unveiled: Tae-su. He conspires with another corporation, manipulating CEO Cha into inking a deal worth 2 billion. Tae-su reassures Cha that Sanin would never consent to the initially discussed 10 million compensation, suggesting that even 1 million would be a stretch.
Meanwhile, Jin-su's gaming expert friend, recognizing Chacha Games' untapped potential, has left her former employment to join the fold. She divulges that the woman in the photograph was CEO Cha's first love, who also lent her vocal talents to the game's soundtrack. The developers elaborate on Cha's undeclared admiration for her, revealing how he subtly incorporated an easter egg in her honor within the game.
This revelation proves to be a turning point when the team unearths the exact same easter egg—a distinctive hallmark of CEO Cha—embedded within DC Games' product. This discovery furnishes irrefutable proof that DC's CEO has plagiarized Chacha's hardware, a fact that was previously unprovable due to the blockchain-based backend's complexities.
Later, Joo-no reconvenes with CEO Cha, commending the exquisite quality of his game while learning that Cha has already sealed the deal with the rival company. With a mixture of respect and resignation, Joo-no bids him a temporary farewell.
The following day, as Joo-no engaged in conversation with Jin-su, a nagging suspicion began to form in his mind—perhaps Jin-su's friend Jenny had inadvertently spilled the beans about the Chacha acquisition. However, Jin-su swiftly came to her defense, recounting an incident where he himself had carelessly shared sensitive information with his superior. The dots connected, shedding light on how the confidential details had found their way out.
Driven by determination, Joo-no devised a clever new strategy. He subtly instructed Jin-su to let his superior know, in a roundabout way, that Sanin was shifting gears and no longer pursuing Chacha Games. This piece of information eventually trickled down to Tae-su and the rival company, who saw an opportunity to sell Chacha to Sanin at a substantial profit.
When they approached Joo-no with their proposition, he flatly refused to buy Chacha Games. Instead, he visited CEO Cha, offering a mere 3 million, citing Cha's previous agreement for a lower deal. However, Joo-no harbored a secret plan to secure the developers their coveted 10 million.
Meanwhile, the scene shifted to Soon-young confronting the CEO of DC with irrefutable evidence—the stolen Easter egg design. Quaking in fear of a public scandal, the CEO of DC agreed to a 10 million settlement, along with stock concessions and a pledge not to compete with Chacha's forthcoming game.
Joo-no finally secured CEO Song Jae-sik's approval for the acquisition. Intriguingly, Jae-sik confessed to harboring regrets for not embracing e-commerce sooner. With the deal sealed, it seemed like a resounding victory, but trouble was lurking just around the corner. A news article emerged, casting the M&A as a perilous maneuver that jeopardized Sanin Group's stability. Consequently, their stock price nosedived. If it dipped below a critical level, Samoel, the same company that had sabotaged the Chacha deal, would be poised to seize control.
