Seheon, seated before the tea table, was staring past his laptop with a grave expression. Yunsin, who had roughly dressed in the walk-in closet, discovered him as she entered the bedroom holding a new tie. Just by seeing his serious face, she could instinctively tell. It seemed he was reviewing the data she had brought him yesterday.
Yunsin settled directly across from him and observed him intently, resting her chin in both hands. Sensing her rather persistent gaze, he, who had been staring at the screen with the air of someone deeply lost in thought, turned his eyes to her.
"All ready?"
"Yes. But there isn't a single tie here for you, Chief. You don't go to work with an empty collar."
As she straightened her posture and pointed at his long neck, Seheon lightly rubbed his throat with his palm.
It so happened that while he had been away on a business trip, she had sent all the ties he kept at this house out for cleaning, so there was nothing for him to wear right now.
"I'll stop by home on the way down."
"Instead of that, can't you just wear mine?"
"If you want to make me look like a lecher your whole family toys with, then go ahead."
Though they didn't openly spell it out, each secretarial office within the firm quietly checked what the lawyers wore, just in case. It was to prevent situations where one might wear the same suit worn during a previous client meeting. Knowing this, Yunsin also took care not to accidentally wear the same accessories as Seheon.
"It's new. I bought it when I went to the department store with my sister last time. I paid for it saying it was for me, but I actually wanted to give it to you, so I kept it without wearing it. Here."
When she held out the light gray tie in her hand, he snapped his laptop shut and nodded obediently. Yunsin pulled her chair over and moved to Seheon's side. Then she grasped his shirt collar. Seheon, who had been watching her with a fixed gaze, tilted his face and kissed her as if pecking.
The two of them touched lips playfully, eyes closing and opening, before naturally pulling apart.
Soon, Yunsin looped the tie around Seheon's neck. While she carefully knotted it, he gazed straight at her. No one could possibly know exactly how good it felt to have Seheon's undivided attention devoted entirely to her in this moment. Not even she could clearly measure it.
"We should eat breakfast. The timing is a bit awkward to prepare something ourselves... Shall we grab something at the cafe downstairs? Coffee and sandwiches?"
After she finished tying the knot, she suddenly tugged it, and Seheon docilely yielded, leaning in to kiss her again. He bit her upper lip with his own, then did the same to her lower lip, before slipping his tongue through the slight opening and strangely grazing her even teeth. Yunsin's hand, which had been holding his tie, trembled slightly.
The tip of his tongue, having licked everywhere, withdrew very slowly from her mouth. When she reflexively lifted her eyelids, Seheon was still right before her eyes.
Just as she felt his sensual lips, slowly parting, were quite erotic, he uttered the husky voice that never failed to set her body aflame.
"I made breakfast."
The moment she heard those words, a somewhat surprised Yunsin let go of his tie as if dropping it.
"When?"
"While you were washing up."
"What?"
"Coffee and sandwiches."
"Wow..."
When she had groggily gone to wash up in the bathroom, he had already finished and was applying toner in his gown. By the time she finished and came out, he was neatly dressed except for his tie, reviewing documents. When he had changed clothes and come back into the bedroom, he had been busy on a phone call, perhaps because of yesterday's incident.
The last time she saw him, he had been concentrating on his laptop screen as he was just now. Somewhere in between, he had gone separately to the dining room.
Yunsin, who had exclaimed in admiration without realizing it, planted quick pecks on his cheek several times. She thought he would sit still and accept the contact for a moment, but soon he turned his head. Their lips inevitably brushed. Yunsin burst into a light laugh.
"Do you have about ten bodies, Lawyer?"
"Just one. It's really expensive, so I use it sparingly."
He said this quite impassively, but Yunsin felt preemptively stung, and her voice rose slightly.
"You're talking like I wasted it or something. You're way more insatiable than me, Senior."
The moment the sentence ended with a period, silence suddenly fell. Yunsin belatedly realized she had gone too far and closed her mouth with a start, but Seheon was already staring at her meaningfully, his brow slightly furrowed.
"That's not what I was talking about."
Yunsin, her face flushing, replied in a shrinking voice.
"I know that too."
"Your mind is filthy. You. Since 7:30 in the morning. Hm?"
"I think I'm healthier than you, Chief, whose whole body is filthy. Your hands are so fast."
"Really? You know about the principle of evidence in court. Let's talk about who's more lewd using evidence."
Seheon stretched his long arm forward and pulled Yunsin's chair closer to himself. Then, as if blocking any escape route, he gripped the backrest and wrapped one hand around her slender neck. Soon he squeezed lightly before leisurely stroking down her skin.
Naturally, his hand traveled down along her shirt collar. Eventually, he toyed with her nipple, hidden beneath the fabric, over the thin cloth. In response, Yunsin twisted her lower body slightly and rubbed her leg against Seheon's firm thigh. Warm breath burst through parted lips.
"This is evidence. You keep touching me."
"I implemented what you imagined."
"I didn't imagine this."
"That's why I'm suggesting we hold a trial to determine right from wrong."
"Aren't we going to work?"
He glanced at his wristwatch and fell into brief contemplation. He seemed to be calculating the spare time they could devote to the most private act before work. Yunsin's mind was filled with similar thoughts. Then, deciding it ultimately wouldn't work, she pushed his shoulder before Seheon could make a move. She then uncrossed her legs and pulled her chair back.
"Admit that you're much more of a pervert."
"Can't. Won't."
"Then let's see who begs first. No sex for the time being."
Seheon furrowed his brow as if the very premise were absurd.
"You'll regret it."
"I'll return those words to you syllable for syllable. You'll regret it."
The hint of amusement soon creeping into his face made her realize this major deal had been struck. When Yunsin stood up first, Seheon mirrored the action while fastening his tie even more securely. They exchanged silent glances before exiting the bedroom nearly simultaneously.
On the way to the dining room, he put his hand on the back of her head. As if that weren't enough, he drew his hand down to toy with her earlobe, inserting his fingertip into the narrow ear hole and playing with it. Yunsin glared at Seheon with wide eyes as if to say this was a foul.
"Is physical contact allowed? Isn't this a foul?"
"You do it too."
He shrugged and entered the dining room first. For a fleeting moment, Yunsin, following behind, had an expression of 'This isn't right.' She had started the war boldly, yet somehow a vision of her own miserable defeat was drawn in her mind. However, she knew that Seheon, who had a strong competitive streak, crumbled endlessly only for her. Knowing this, Yunsin soon shook her head as if to say that couldn't be, and sat down at the table.
He took out the prepared sandwiches from the refrigerator and brewed coffee. During this time, Yunsin's gaze remained fixed on Seheon's solid back. Most humans probably feel a sudden desperate craving precisely when they think they shouldn't. Thirst arose needlessly because she thought she shouldn't want him first.
She was gulping down water at the table when Seheon, having quickly finished brewing coffee, filled cups with ice and placed one in front of each of them before sitting across from her.
He took a sip of coffee first. Yunsin naturally turned her gaze to the sandwich before her.
He hadn't learned it anywhere, but he certainly had an aesthetic sense. As Yunsin bit into the beautifully plated sandwich, she slowly raised her head to stare at him. She was suddenly curious how the dark liquid felt being drawn between his red lips. Yet he merely cast an indifferent gaze as if he had no particular interest in her.
Seheon had a strong possessiveness, and his exclusivity was sometimes excessive. His libido was also on the stronger side. She knew that his dry gaze right now was his way of waging war. Nevertheless, in just a few minutes, Yunsin's resolve weakened.
"Can't you just admit it, Chief? What do I get from winning?"
"The fact that you're already this eager is proof you're lewd. No? You admit it."
"I am not."
She didn't know how long she could endure. But she didn't want her competitive spirit, once provoked, to be completely broken. Yunsin deliberately averted her eyes from him and changed the subject.
"I heard Secretary Tak broke up with his girlfriend and submitted his profile to a matchmaking company. Did you hear?"
As if asking what kind of talk this was at the dining table, Seheon immediately furrowed his brow.
"Do I need to know even that?"
"This is why Secretary Tak gets hurt."
"Do you really want me to care about someone else?"
Their roles were basically fixed with Seheon as the villain and herself as the virtuous one, but there were many times when Yunsin agreed with his actions or choices. This was one such example. Yunsin liked—sometimes, no, generally—that he had absolutely no interest in other people.
"I think you're doing very well right now."
"You don't pay unnecessary attention to others either. I can't stand that."
"You added that preamble because you wanted to ask about me, right? Are you showing off your lack of social skills?"
Not bothering to deny it, he jerked his chin as if telling her to go on. Yunsin excitedly continued.
"So have you ever registered, Senior? Even before? Good genes, excellent looks, earns well, overflowing academic credentials and career. Your specs are so excessive that I doubt there's anyone who can match you, but..."
After savoring a sip of coffee, he asked quite puzzled, "Why'd you leave out that I'm an orphan?"
"Women like that. No in-laws means it's comfortable. That's what my sister said."
"So why leave out something that important? And can't you do something about that sister complex? At this rate, you'll be talking about your sister even in bed. 'Senior, put it in. Sis says it's okay to insert now.'"
Seheon was averse to even hearing other people's names come out of her own mouth. Yunsin didn't particularly dislike that. However, using it like this was problematic. Startled, she immediately retorted.
"Why would I talk about my sister in bed? I mean, this isn't a complex, it's called an attachment relationship..."
"Why build that attachment with someone else? Your lover is right here."
"My sister is family."
"I don't have family. It's unfair. Build it with only me."
"Forget it. I forgot you're Kang Seheon, devoid of love for humanity. Let's pretend I never mentioned the matchmaking company."
Clicking her tongue in dissatisfaction, Yunsin examined Seheon with wide eyes, looking for flaws. From his neat and tidy way of eating, she felt a sense of intimidation, but if one looked, there were bound to be gaps.
"Senior, you'd definitely never make a good husband. You'd be obsessed with work, have a dirty personality, be stubborn in attitude, and often do shady things. You'd always be rough during sex, and smoke when annoyed! You wouldn't lift a finger for household chores, and it's obvious you wouldn't care about childcare."
"I told you to pretend you didn't hear. What's with openly slandering me?"
"I thought of more to say just now. I could probably do about a hundred more."
Seheon seemed to agree entirely with the definitions Yunsin had given. He nodded, then quietly asked Yunsin, who was making a rather stern expression.
"Do I have that many flaws?"
"I like even those flaws. If you have a lot of money, more than half are roughly solved."
Yunsin, who had little talent for lying, answered in a somewhat reluctant manner, and he smoothly curled up the corners of his mouth as if to say she was cute. Seheon smiling was always so magnificent that it dazzled Yunsin's sight. Her mood immediately cleared, but not wanting him to notice, she suddenly clamped her mouth shut and said nothing. He cut the thread of that silence and released vocal frequencies into the air.
"Then you should just take me in. Like now."
Yunsin, who had been immersed in a battle of wills that wasn't quite a battle of wills with him, captured the image of the two of them in this moment. As if she had become an observer, she stepped back to survey the shape of this relationship, then soon delved deep inside it and looked around as the protagonist.
They ate breakfast together and spent nights together. He, who had left for somewhere on business, returned here as if returning to his hometown, and she, here, had only waited for him to come. If they were a man and woman, the law too would have defined this relationship as a de facto marriage. All of this felt surreal, yet she knew better than anyone that it was reality itself.
Feeling affection for the Seheon before her eyes, Yunsin replied in a tender tone.
"Sometimes it feels like we're married. Are you still skeptical about that institution?"
"Yeah. I don't like being constrained like that."
"Even with me?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"If the Life Partnership Act isn't enacted in about five years... let's do that together, just the two of us. I'll be the one to propose. Because I was the first to say let's date, I like you, and I love you."
At that moment, Seheon, who had been drinking coffee, set down his cup. Clang—the sound of the glass touching the table as his hand missed its mark, grazing the plate awkwardly. It was such an uncharacteristic mistake that Yunsin's eyes went wide, and he swallowed dryly before letting out a low voice.
"That's one foul for you too."
Perhaps because she suddenly felt she understood why he was reacting this way, Yunsin's pale cheeks twitched.
Soon, he slowly raised his upper body. Then, leaning across the table as if traversing it, he kissed Yunsin's lips before returning to his seat.
As if they had made a promise, the two gazed quietly at each other. A subtle silence, not uncomfortable but clearly carrying tension, enveloped them like wind. Yunsin liked these moments when she shared nothing but time with Seheon. Because she could focus solely on him. She was debating whether to move her lips and ask for another kiss when, unexpectedly, he spoke first.
"Fine. I lost. I'm the pervert, I'm the lewd one, I'm the debauched one."
She had more or less expected he would concede eventually. It had been a matter of whether she could hold out until then. But she hadn't known he would surrender so easily and simply. Yunsin replied as if she had snatched victory.
"I know."
"Lift the sex ban. If you don't, I'll probably wither and die."
"Done."
"It wasn't banned from the start?"
This time, Yunsin couldn't readily answer and pressed her lips together. Seeing this, he burst into a chuckle and comfortably leaned back against the chair back, resting his chin in his hand as he quietly stared at her across the table.
Yunsin, who had sounded the victory bell in this brief battle, endured his gaze and bit into the sandwich Seheon had made. Chewing the crunchy vegetables in her mouth, she smiled without realizing it. He too laughed out loud, perhaps infected by her laughter.
It was a peaceful morning.
* * *
After finishing lunch with a client, Yunsin was passing the cafe on the first floor of the law firm building when she spotted Secretary Tak at the pickup counter. When she approached, he greeted her with an unusually delighted wave, which suggested he had needed an extra pair of hands.
Sure enough. He seemed to have bought snacks and coffee; there were four trays and five paper bags for him to carry. Yunsin glanced at the staff busily preparing things inside and casually asked.
"What did you buy so much of? Do we have guests?"
"Lawyer Kang is treating the secretarial office. For working over the weekend."
Recalling her phone call with Secretary Tak yesterday, Yunsin immediately nodded.
"Ahh... that."
"There's one for you too, Lawyer. That cafe latte over there. Oh, and the Chief gave me his card, so we're going out for meat later. Want to come?"
"Oh, no. I didn't work, so what's the point of me joining?"
"Everyone would love it, though?"
But Seheon wouldn't like it. Unable to explain in detail, Yunsin smiled awkwardly and brushed it off.
While waiting together for the drinks to be packaged, the topic between them naturally had to be that matter. Yunsin, who had many questions, broached the subject first.
"How is that matter from yesterday progressing? It seemed like the Chief was on the phone about it all morning. It must be complicated enough already, so I didn't want to pry."
An meaningful gaze from Secretary Tak fell upon Yunsin, who was waiting for an answer. Though he skillfully handled most tasks, he had little talent for hiding his curiosity, and his words pricked at Yunsin.
"You heard Chief Kang on the phone this morning?"
The moment she heard that, she was flustered by the thought that he might read something between the lines. Secretary Tak was one of the few people who knew all of Seheon's official affairs. He would also be aware of whom Seheon had spoken with before going to work, so the fact that she knew this was rather suspicious.
She searched for excuses but nothing appropriate came to mind. All she could do was tackle the situation head-on.
"I saw him briefly early this morning."
"Oh, really? Ah, right. You live in the firm housing together. At first, the Chief seemed very concerned about Lawyer Do, but you two have gotten quite close after all. It's amazing every time I see it."
Yunsin smiled awkwardly and changed the subject.
"But will it really be alright? I checked briefly at dawn too, but there were no articles."
"They can block it for a few days, but if an indictment happens, they won't be able to keep it up. That's why the Chief is considering solutions through various routes. Of all things, it had to be the kind of accident the media loves... Still, one fortunate thing is that our client and the bank president have known each other for a long time, so it seems they'll reach an amicable settlement. They're quite close, apparently. If they resolve it between themselves, it can be covered up to some degree."
As she nodded as if relieved, it seemed the drinks and snacks were all ready. Yunsin divided them with Secretary Tak and started walking.
While crossing the long lobby, she happened to remember something and briefly changed the subject.
"Oh, about my case. Please do a background check on the husband's side."
Secretary Tak immediately realized what case she meant and what she was requesting.
"Credit card?"
"Yes. Please run a check and find anything related to immigration records. Hotel deposits are fine, travel agency payments too. The circumstances of him siphoning money abroad are so obvious that we thought settlement was a given and didn't touch it, but they seem to think we can't trace the fund flow. They keep picking fights."
"You mean the case handled by the lawyer who was Chief Kang's classmate? Where the client sold a building behind his wife's back before the divorce?"
"That's right. I want to win this one big."
"He has a lot of history with us too. Anyway, got it. I'll report back soon."
Yunsin smiled, meeting his eyes with an expression of gratitude. As she walked quietly toward the elevator, she saw a man about her age in a worn coat hobbling toward the information desk at the center of the lobby, asking something earnestly with animated gestures. When a staff member pointed to the building across, he headed that way; it seemed he had come looking for the annex, not this building.
To get to the annex, the man had to pass diagonally by where the two of them were standing. Thanks to that, his expression was clearly visible. It was very dark and gloomy.
Secretary Tak too had been captivated by the man, and the moment he disappeared, he spoke.
"The entrances are connected, so sometimes people mistake the annex for this building."
"If he was looking for the foundation side, could it be for legal consultation?"
"Right. The legal consultations moved to Mondays. Could he be Lawyer Do's client?"
Even for free consultations, Yunsin had a habit of reviewing the contents beforehand. She had also been meticulous about gathering necessary laws and precedents for each case. But this time, with the consultation scheduled for today, she hadn't been able to do so. She had been buried in other matters and completely forgot. Come to think of it, she had been unusually lax about that side of work recently.
Swallowing a bitter breath, Yunsin quietly asked, though she knew Secretary Tak wouldn't have the answer.
"The consultation is after 3 today. If that's right, why did he come so early?"
"He must have been in a great hurry. He looked really unwell. You saw."
"Right. It doesn't feel good. I've seen that expression on clients before."
"I bet. But you won those cases, right?"
"It seems like I've won more, but I don't know why only the cases where I couldn't do anything come to mind."
While Secretary Tak nodded as if in sympathy, they had already reached the elevator.
The two stepped inside. Perhaps knowing Yunsin was lost in thought, Secretary Tak didn't disturb her, quietly pressing only the floor button and keeping silent.
The numbers on the display rose at a uniform speed. Soon they arrived at the office floor and exited. Yunsin set the load down on the secretarial table and picked up only her share of coffee from the tray. Then, keenly glancing toward Seheon's room, she exchanged eye greetings with Secretary Tak and the office manager before quickly entering her own room.
Click. She closed the door and looked for materials on her desk. After rummaging for a while through the mountain of documents, she got her hands on the free legal consultation application forms buried beneath the divorce case materials. They were crumpled here and there. As she barely pulled them out and lifted them up, her heart grew complicated.
'Why are these buried underneath like this. So they're not even visible.'
In the past, free consultations and pro bono cases had seemed to take much higher priority than her own work, but now she was different. Kang Seheon was her top priority above all else, followed by the official work assigned to her.
Of course, strictly speaking, from the standpoint of a Doguk-affiliated lawyer, the weight of cases taken on retainer and work done for social contribution were naturally different. Still, Yunsin wanted to maintain balance. Seheon liked her that way, and Yunsin too didn't want to lose herself.
Settling into her rolling chair, Yunsin checked the current time on her wristwatch. Fortunately, though pressed for time, she had a very small margin.
"Civil Code Article 390, breach of obligation, and illegal acts..."
Taking out her fountain pen, Yunsin began carefully reading through the application contents and taking notes.
* * *
Yunsin, seated in the foundation annex meeting room, raised her head. She saw the man her age from the main building lobby earlier cautiously entering. Thinking that he had likely waited endlessly in the outer waiting room for over two hours just for this short consultation, her heart grew heavy.
The man's face was very tired. She didn't know what he originally looked like, but his current appearance could aptly be described as rather frail. Yunsin knew that face well. When she was outside Doguk, some of the people who had come to her thinking she was their last lifeline had worn that expression.
One of them remained vividly in her memory in nearly every moment they had shared. He was one of the people who had made her wear a black suit and black tie.
She had done her best, but perhaps because he had not seen a single thread of hope during the litigation process, he had ultimately chosen suicide in the midst of the lawsuit. At that time, she had fallen into such a slump that she seriously wondered if she should quit everything and do something else. That helpless feeling resurfaced anew.
"Please sit. You must have waited a long time."
Yunsin gestured to the seat across from her. The man sat with a nervous expression, avoiding her gaze. To ease the atmosphere and calm his mind as much as possible, she offered cool water before him. The man stared at it, cautiously drank, and stole a glance at Yunsin. Yunsin met his gaze clearly and took out the consultation application.
"I've briefly looked it over. Hm. You were dismissed from your former company, and even went through a lawsuit once. It was a dismissal invalidation and wage claim suit, and as a result, the dismissal was declared invalid."
Whether instinctively feeling that Yunsin was someone who would listen to him well, the man nodded earnestly.
"Yes, the court ordered the company to calculate and pay me the wages from the date of dismissal until the date of reinstatement. But the company won't reinstate me."
"Even after the judgment was finalized?"
The man's voice trembled noticeably as he held the cup with both hands.
“I went there myself because there was no word from them. But my seat was already gone from the office, and a copier was in its place. I felt like an invisible man to those people. My colleagues didn’t even acknowledge me. Everyone looked at me like I was some insect… I must have caused trouble for the company. Only the Division Chief, whom I’d always respected, barely acknowledged me.”
“Client, please calm down. I’ll listen to everything, so just take your time and speak slowly.”
“At first, I prepared and filed the lawsuit alone. So when the company didn’t comply, I thought I’d seek help from a law firm this time. Your name comes up often in the online victim communities. They say it’s better than the free lawyer consultations at city hall or the courthouse, and that Do Igyeong’s younger brother is the kindest….”
Whether the man felt he had misspoken after uttering his sister’s name, he trailed off at the end. Yunsin placed his trembling hand under his own in a reassuring gesture, then brought up the precedents he had prepared on the client monitor. Fortunately, the man recovered his focus and fixed his gaze on the screen.
“What is this?”
“In this case, you can claim damages principally based on breach of obligation due to non-performance of the reinstatement duty, and alternatively based on the illegal act of refusing reinstatement. Principal means it is the main claim, and alternative means it is a backup claim in case the main one is not accepted. Please read.”
As if gulping down cool water on a hot summer day, the man read the letters earnestly.
“I don’t fully understand, but the claim looks similar to my situation.”
“That’s right. There was a very similar precedent at the Supreme Court. The likelihood of winning is very high. But why did you file the lawsuit alone at first? It couldn’t have been easy.”
The man turned his gaze back to Yunsin.
“The retainer fee… I heard that even if I win, I can’t claim one hundred percent from the opposing party.”
“Yes, according to the fee regulations, you can only recover part of it. I see, you are facing financial difficulties.”
Lost in thought, Yunsin paused for a moment. The man’s eyes, focused entirely on him, were very serious. Worried that he might wound the man’s pride, Yunsin opened his mouth with extreme care.
“Is your livelihood very difficult at the moment?”
“While waiting for reinstatement, I didn’t seek re-employment, so I burned through all my savings. As that dragged on… When I went to the company, they didn’t treat me like a person, so my confidence plummeted. Once I started psychiatric treatment, it naturally became difficult to even try part-time jobs. It was a vicious cycle.”
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the man did not even seem to be thinking about emotional issues. He spoke passionately in quite an aggrieved tone, then closed his mouth as if he had realized he was getting too excited. Yunsin responded in a calm tone, doing his utmost to steady the man.
“Returning your position will not be easy, but I think I can resolve the financial problem.”
“H-how?”
“Even if the lawsuit result itself is positive, that company has already violated the court order. The second time will be even easier. Courts issue judgments and orders, but they do not monitor compliance individually. In my opinion, it would be better to resolve this through settlement outside of court rather than through a lawsuit.”
“If they won’t even listen to the court, how could I resolve it through settlement?”
“At our Doguk, we have a team called pro bono… a team that handles cases for the public interest. They do not only handle lawsuits; they also act as representatives to negotiate settlements. If you wish, I would like to try getting you in. What do you think? Won’t you leave it to me? It just so happens that I am a labor specialist lawyer.”
It was not such a long time to contemplate, but earlier in his office, recalling this case and the man’s appearance alternately, Yunsin had formed a hypothesis. And he had felt it was worth trying.
As Yunsin spoke with considerable reliability, the man’s expression, which had remained gloomily submerged like winter rain, brightened in an instant. A subtle yet hopeful air flickered in his eyes.
Through this small change, Yunsin’s heart was relieved as well. As expected, this kind of work suited him. Though it was not something to be blindly optimistic about, if the matter was resolved well, perhaps the faded trauma frozen and hidden like the underside of a glacier at his depths could wash away a little.
“Thank you. Thank you, Attorney.”
“It’s simply doing what needs to be done. Now, we need to register you with our firm as well, so please write down your personal information first. Then let’s talk in more detail. Is now a good time?”
The man nodded and urgently picked up the pen to write his personal information on the paper Yunsin held out.
Watching that figure, Yunsin’s previously uncomfortable heart also became much lighter.
* * *
With a beep, the headlights of Seheon’s black sedan flashed on. Yunsin, who had been leaning against the parking lot wall waiting for him, spotted a slender figure walking from the elevator direction and straightened up. Seheon, dressed in a well-fitting suit, walked with heavy steps toward him. The bright gray tie around his neck suited his cynical impression very well.
“Are you on your way down?”
“I am in the middle of it. Didn’t you go first? Tak Bi said so.”
“How dare I go first. I said I would go separately in case the secretariat views it strangely.”
Even after hearing only that curt explanation, Seheon seemed to roughly grasp the gist.
“You caused trouble in front of Tak Bi.”
Yunsin simply could not figure out which part of his words had given Seheon that intuition.
“How did you know?”
“Because you told a lie you don’t usually tell.”
Ah. Only then did he roughly guess the flow of the trouble.
“It was nothing major. I told Secretary Tak unnecessary things, saying I had overheard the senior talking on the phone in the morning.”
“Tak Bi is quite perceptive, but you don’t need to worry about him. He likes me very much.”
“Did you know?”
“How could I not.”
For no reason, Yunsin even envied the long-standing relationship with Secretary Tak, and he swayed his upper body left and right like a roly-poly. Seheon watched this silently. His narrowly opened eyes swept over Yunsin’s fair face as though licking it with his tongue. Embarrassed by that persistent and blatant gaze, Yunsin checked if anyone was watching nearby and poked Seheon’s chest with his briefcase.
“Why are you hitting on me starting from the parking lot?”
“You have something good going on. You get over worries too quickly.”
“There’s nothing like that.”
Perhaps because Yunsin’s shameless retort was absurd, Seheon let out a hollow laugh.
Holding the car body, he opened the passenger door and gestured as if telling Yunsin to get in. There was a time when he had threatened that he couldn’t do such things because they were too embarrassing, yet now he was quite natural even without being asked. It was the moment when Yunsin, barely suppressing the urge to kiss, was about to board the vehicle. Due to the sudden words that followed from Seheon, his action stopped as if frozen.
“Why say there is nothing good. You were venting your desires through Doguk.”
Yunsin, who had wanted to tell him with his own mouth when they were alone, grumbled with a deflated expression.
“You know the contents too?”
“How could there be something I don’t know?”
“No, why on earth does word spread so fast here? I have few friends in the firm, yet I hear rumors before anyone else.”
“So be careful not to cause a scandal with me. You’ll get kicked out. Not everyone is on my side like Secretary Tak. Always watch security.”
Unable to readily accept this logic, Yunsin became riled.
“If people aren’t on your side, why would I get kicked out?”
“Because I earn really, a lot of money. You’re a pervert who only likes pro bono. I thought you would focus on the family law team for a bit. Exactly one year. One year. Impressive, Do Yunsin.”
Tap. He knocked the car body and gently pushed Yunsin’s body into the passenger seat. While Yunsin, who had obediently climbed in, fastened his seatbelt, Seheon closed the door, went around the bonnet, and headed to the driver’s seat. As he soon began driving, Yunsin, who had turned his upper body halfway sideways, stared fixedly at him.
“I am ready to answer.”
Though Seheon smiled lightly as if to say cute, he did not say the words Yunsin wished for.
“You must be dying for me to ask. I hate doing things when the other wants them.”
“So twisted. Then you won’t ask?”
“Pay the consultation fee first.”
He tapped his own white cheek with his finger. Yunsin leaned his upper body toward Seheon without hesitation and kissed his smooth skin. Taking advantage of the red light, Seheon turned his head. The two explored each other’s lips for a few seconds, then slowly separated.
Perhaps judging that he had properly settled the account, Seheon opened his mouth.
“What was special?”
“Special? I didn’t take the case because it was unusual.”
“As far as I know, there were quite a few cases you wanted to take pro bono until now. I’m asking what was different about the problem that man brought that it moved you.”
Ah, special in that sense.
Yunsin did not deny it and fell into thought, then suddenly threw an out-of-field question.
“Are you jealous?”
“Would you like it if I were?”
Yunsin did not answer, but Seheon willingly added.
“You have the right to misunderstand, and I have no duty to explain.”
“So you were? You definitely pretend not to be. When you pretend you’re not, it’s one hundred percent.”
This time, without him asking, Yunsin moved first. Pulling the tie he had gifted him that morning, he carefully kissed its lower end, and as if that was not enough, he pressed kisses all over Seheon’s ears and cheeks. Only after rubbing his nose tip against the sharp jawline did he face forward again and sit up straight.
Because he was chewing over quite an old matter connected to the present, the silence grew a bit longer.
“There was a client who committed suicide. It was probably when I was in my second year at a law office my father knew. I couldn’t do anything for a while and rested for over a month.”
Perhaps because it was quite a heavy subject, Seheon did not particularly answer either. He simply listened. Yunsin, who knew well that Seheon listened to his voice more than anyone else’s, covered his hand resting on the gear shift with his own left hand as if enveloping it, intertwining their fingers. The tone that followed was quite flat and detached.
“Walking without knowing why I walked, speaking without being confident in what I was saying, with nowhere particular to rely on yet having to move constantly to protect something, needing to earn money but no opening appeared no matter how much I worked, with nothing enjoyable so no strength came at all. Powerless. Sleep poured down.”
“Was it a patient with depression?”
“Yes. That content was written across as many as ten pages of the will. That person’s will came to me, not the family. I was the only person who had listened to him.”
“That man and that dead client felt similar, I suppose?”
Of course that was not entirely absent, but a more fundamental reason had moved him.
“When I was young. There were times when Father sat my sister and me down and drank. I don’t remember exactly. It is a really old story.”
Fortunately, this was a topic Seheon was quite interested in as well, so he quickly followed this breath.
“I was too young to really know what he was saying, and my sister seemed to know but didn’t explain it to me. I kept him company drinking cola or such. But the day I passed the bar exam, my sister told me for the first time, saying it was what Father always said when drunk.”
“What was it?”
“It’s embarrassing….”
“……”
“I hadn’t really understood what was so embarrassing until now. My feeling earlier was exactly that.”
The family law team work he was doing now was fun and rewarding, much easier than before. His relationship with Seheon was smooth sailing, and his sister was settling into her place too. Perhaps because of that, he had certainly become somewhat lax. Looking at that client, he felt like he was gradually forgetting the heart of why he had become a lawyer.
His reaction was subtle, as if agreeing yet not agreeing. Yunsin added.
“That is why I am thinking of getting him that money, loads of it.”
Actually, the case itself was very simple. But though it may look easy to him, it would not be to the party involved. It was clearly a very important and serious twist in life. He would help with that, a little.
Seheon, who had glanced at him for a moment, nodded as if saying of course.
“Of everyone I’ve seen this year, you look like you have the highest job satisfaction.”
At those words, Yunsin looked into the mirror right away and replied in a hollow tone.
“I guess I am not cut out to earn big money. I’ll just live off my mother’s inheritance.”
“Is there even any left?”
“I told you before, but I spent it all buying a house. I said I wouldn’t let you starve, and I’m sorry. Still, if I earn a million won, I’ll let you spend 800,000. In a de facto marriage, material evidence is important, so feel free to record this.”
“De facto marriage. Where did the proposal go?”
“That is a conversation for five years later.”
Tap, tap. A splendid smile hung on the corners of Seheon’s lips as he lightly tapped the steering wheel with long fingers.