Hi, for that question we are looking to get to the minimum number of different salaries. So, we should ask, who could make the same salary as another person. Since we know that K comes before everything else, it can't, and that we have a long chain of IFMGJH, so none of them can share with each other. That leaves, L and N who could share with any of I through H, meaning that at most 4/9 could share with someone else, and 5/9 must be alone.