It was late at night. Since midnight had just passed, it could be considered the second day of the funeral.
Seheon had visited the funeral parlor yesterday morning with several partners and employees. It was Doguk’s first visible official response, so the media spotlight had been intense. His appearance had been broadcast all day as the news covered it. Even now, his image was being transmitted on the monitors silently playing throughout the funeral hall. Though he had shown his face at official occasions a few times since becoming the Representative, this was the first time he had effectively declared himself Doguk’s new owner on a national scale.
Unlike ordinary deaths, the funeral hall of someone who died by suicide was indeed more solemn. There were still some visitors coming and going, and mourners eating meals, but everyone was generally quiet. Despite the considerable number of people present, the space was hushed, and after looking around at the deceased’s parents who could barely support themselves from the grief of losing their child, Yunsin found a familiar face. It was Mihui.
“Representative Song?”
When Yunsin recognized her first, she, who had been talking to someone with a haggard complexion, slowly waved her hand. The person with her was a young man. He was dressed comfortably. His strikingly handsome face made quite an impression.
Yunsin approached cautiously and waited for the conversation to end. Perhaps it had roughly concluded, for Mihui sent a glance indicating he should come closer. Obediently following her signal, he accidentally brushed against the man who had greeted her and stood up.
“Ah, sor—.”
He tried to apologize immediately but failed.
Because a man in a suit talking with someone nearby had abruptly cut in.
‘That person... isn’t that Sa Dojin?’
That same Dojin grabbed the T-shirt of the comfortably dressed man from behind and yanked him away. He led him off as if blocking the space between the two and hiding him by his side, so Yunsin had no choice but to let his unspoken apology dissipate into silence.
Passing the two men, Yunsin approached the table where Mihui was sitting and took a seat across from her.
“Chief Superintendent Sa Dojin? Does he know the deceased junior? No, they aren’t from the same year.”
“Oh, I see. You and Chief Superintendent Sa, do you two know each other?”
“No. I know him, but I’m not sure if he knows me... But who was that person with him? The one talking to you, Representative.”
“Ah, you don’t know him? Police. National Police Agency, Metropolitan Investigation Unit. Team Leader Nam Hyejun. The case got too noisy, so it seems the local precinct requested the Metropolitan Investigation Unit to conduct additional investigation before cremation. In case an autopsy is needed.”
“Ah...”
Without realizing it, Yunsin turned his head and saw the Metropolitan Investigation Unit team leader giving the bereaved family a few words. Judging by his expression, he seemed to be conveying his condolences. Chief Superintendent Sa Dojin stood beside him with an upright posture, watching his colleague’s side profile with a strange expression as he comforted the family. Tilting his head, Yunsin looked back at Mihui and opened his mouth.
“Representative, are you alright?”
“I want to say I’m fine, but I’m not. It’s hard. I didn’t know I was such an emotional person. I should only be mourning, but feeling resentful at the same time makes me suffer from self-loathing. I don’t know how Seheon endures all this stuff.”
Unable to agree or disagree, he simply chose his words quietly. The primary target of blame in the suicide note was the two co-representatives. Seheon was handling it as calmly as expected, but Mihui was struggling greatly. Up close, her even paler complexion was proof of that. It wouldn’t be wrong to say it was a difference in perspective: Seheon saw the position of Representative as part of his career, while she saw it as part of her destiny.
Yunsin could somewhat understand the human resentment and the anxiety that this matter might harm Doguk. He too never wanted to see something precious get hurt.
When Yunsin sent her a comforting gaze and carefully showed a smile, Mihui finally drew a soft curve with her lips and smiled back.
“Coming to the funeral hall makes me think a lot. If I die, Attorney Kang will give my eulogy, right? If he says he won’t, tell him he has to so my soul can find peace. Plead with him on my behalf.”
They simultaneously pictured the man delivering a eulogy with a rigid demeanor and a cold expression. Sharing the consensus that “Kang Seheon has a cold personality but gets things done,” the two exchanged glances once more.
Yunsin burst into laughter and looked around once more. Because he was staying here, he sensed people lingering nearby, wanting to approach Mihui to talk or greet her. It seemed better to quickly bring up his important business. After deliberation, he broached the subject.
“Um, Representative Song. I have something to tell you.”
The signal for speaking about something important is lowering one’s voice as much as possible. Displaying that very typical posture, Yunsin even leaned his body forward and added,
“The firm’s atmosphere is bad right now. I don’t think it’s ever been this sluggish since I joined. I also bear some share of responsibility for this situation... So I thought about whether there might be a way to help the firm. As it happens, a few seniors...”
Mihui, who had seemed to be replaying his voice seriously, showed in her eyes that she could guess where this was going even having heard only that much. If translated into a sentence she might have uttered, it was roughly, ‘These guys finally made a mess.’
Mihui was a superior and representative with more flexibility than Seheon. She often overlooked things if they ultimately helped the firm. Since it was she, not the merciless Seheon, who had rejected this matter on the front lines during the meeting, the other partners had likely banded together to gauge Yunsin’s intentions directly. As if she knew exactly what words would follow, she cut him off immediately.
“No.”
“Representative.”
“I have a rough idea of what you’re going to say. This already came up as an agenda at the executives’ meeting, and I only returned fire from the front lines, but Seheon clearly opposed it too. Above all, I’m also against it. You want to get entangled with Suhan again? Are you trying to divert attention with what everyone is curious about? Suhan is the bad one. Doguk is the victim. I don’t want to make you take point on something like that.”
“I can persuade him. If Attorney Song would just take my side.”
“I said no. Representative Kang would rather throw away his position than owe you. Then I’d be at too much of a disadvantage. Attorney Do, give it up. I’ll accept your sentiment. Sincerely, thank you.”
“Representative, I can persuade him well. He listens to me. There’s a quick way, and I hate that he’s taking detours to protect and hide me. He’s not someone who works like that.”
An expression of abundant confidence in persuading Seheon—almost smugness—rose on Yunsin’s face. Staring directly at that evidence of unshakable trust, Mihui recalled that Seheon had said he would soon be leaving the official residence.
Mihui’s words certainly seemed like undeniable truths. Even now, she could guess they were more or less sharing a space, but because he was ‘that’ Kang Seheon who disliked even a single fingerprint of others, the very fact that he was considering formal cohabitation with someone made the subject significant.
To him, Yunsin must be the only equation that determined the crossroads of his life.
“Attorney Do, I’m still against it. Sorry. Seheon’s opinion matters more to me. I don’t want to clash with him.”
“Then... what if we do it this way?”
His face clearly showed he had anticipated Mihui’s refusal. A sly smile revealed those thoughts together. She took on an attitude of listening as if to say, go ahead and tell me. Yunsin corrected his posture and began explaining his thoughts to her step by step.
Mihui’s gaze, mixed with concern, and Yunsin’s sparkling eyes crossed at one point.
* * *
Seheon, who had been reading materials regarding the establishment of a corporate law research institute and candidate profiles for the director position, slowly raised his head.
Secretary Tak stood before him with a shrewd attitude, holding a document envelope and a file in both hands.
“Which one shall I show you first? One is a woman, and one is a man. I’m confident that at least one of them is to your taste.”
Seheon, who had been staring intently at Secretary Tak, opened his mouth without filtering any signs of fatigue.
“Obviously. My head is about to explode because there are only shoddy cards. Every time I try to bring someone in, no one meets my eye, and I’m sick of it. Tell me why I have to put up with your jokes on top of this. I really want to know.”
“Still, it would be best to choose. You must hear both of them.”
One of them would definitely be to his taste.
Then it could only be Do Yunsin. He, who hated people, had no taste other than Do Yunsin.
Seheon chose the opposite one first.
“Sigh, the woman.”
“The CCTV footage from Korea University Hospital. A few days ago, I reported that I discovered a woman sitting collapsed there, remember? The angle only showed her side and back, so I had them commissioned to enhance the image quality.”
Tap. Tap.
He tapped the desk in a regular rhythm with his fingers and asked back nonchalantly,
“Did you confirm her identity?”
“Yes, just in case, I tracked the license plate of the car parked next to the woman and completed cross-verification.”
“Judging by your expression, it seems I know her.”
“It would be best to check for yourself.”
Secretary Tak extended the thin document envelope he had been holding to Seheon. It was approximately B5 size. Seheon took the envelope and pulled out several photos printed on thick photo paper. The area around his eyes sunk into a subtle expression as he stared down at the subject in the photos.
After flipping through all the photos behind them as well, he eventually let out a hollow laugh. He had inwardly expected this since hearing that the owner of the presence at that spot had been a woman.
“It’s Director Do Igyeong.”
“Yes.”
Igyeong had started suspecting something quite a while ago. Since she was neither slow-witted nor unintelligent, she must have realized that assumptions she had initially dismissed with ‘No way’ were gradually gaining credibility. However, as Yunsin remained silent for a long time, she seemed to have tried to cover it up. Every time she saw Seheon, she looked like she had much to say, but seeing her hold her tongue completely in the end, he had already sensed it.
‘So this is how it turns out.’
From her standpoint, he couldn’t have been a welcome figure as Yunsin’s partner. Yunsin seemed greatly mistaken in thinking she would unconditionally root for the two of them, but the reality he suspected was different. Do Igyeong was not Do Yunsin. Compared to her younger brother, who remained untarnished despite going through all sorts of things, she knew the harsh realities of the world.
He had thought such a time would come eventually. The circumstances for suspicion were piled high, and the key to resolution was in Do Igyeong’s hands. He even felt it was rather late. She could have found out in a single breath if she had wanted to, but she hadn’t all this time. Do Igyeong’s choice to pretend not to know was likely consideration for Yunsin. At the same time, there was probably some self-interest mixed in as well.
Truth was often something that grew more frightening and terrifying the more one knew.
‘I was hoping there would never be an opportunity.’
Secretary Tak, who had been watching the headache-ridden Seheon carefully, broke the silence. Deciding to divert his attention with a different topic since he seemed to be in a very complicated state of mind, Tak raised his voice.
“Also, Attorney Do has given an external interview. You knew that, right? Thanks to that, Doguk is transforming from ‘a group of perpetrators who neglected the victim and drove them to suicide’ into ‘a law firm that knows how to support its attorneys in every possible way.’ It seems people who have been helped by Attorney Do are sharing the article on social media and leaving comments. It’s a boon for the firm.”
This time, the man awkwardly smiled as he placed the file containing printed articles on top of the photos. Yunsin had given only three interviews through major media outlets, but countless news agencies had immediately copied and pasted the article. Spread widely across the sea of information, the sheer volume was impossible to collect entirely, so the public relations team had not yet finished reviewing them for errors or distortions.
Seheon was already well aware of this as well. Seeing through Secretary Tak’s real intent beyond his suspicious expression as he watched him, Seheon shot back,
“What’s the real thing you want to say, bringing up things I already know? Don’t beat around the bush and speak.”
“Please discipline Attorney Do.”
Grinding his teeth, he spat out a voice laced with a sigh.
“Tak, do I really have to quibble with you about this? Someone of your standing in the firm can take his side, can’t you?”
“I am the Representative’s secretary. I think entirely from the Representative’s perspective. If you leave it be, word will get out.”
He easily guessed why his own secretary was risking displeasing his superior with this advice. An official notice had been issued firm-wide that any employee mentioning this incident outside designated channels would be disciplined. It was Seheon himself who had ordered it. Since Yunsin had violated the Representative’s order, treating only Yunsin differently and letting it slide would violate fairness. That was what he wanted to say.
“As if I haven’t been gossiped about for a day or two? I don’t care.”
“It’s also for Attorney Do’s sake. He is at the center of jealousy, after all. Especially since he receives exceptional treatment every year during salary negotiations... If you are too lenient, it will cause misunderstandings.”
Everyone could receive the same treatment if they accumulated as much performance as Do Yunsin. The firm handled salary reviews with a transparency that was among the best in the industry. Furthermore, Doguk had never been stingy with support or investment since its founding until now.
The salary Yunsin currently received was a raise proportional to his performance, a recognition of his value as an attorney. While the representatives gave final approval, it was fundamentally the HR team’s jurisdiction. There might have been minor instances where Yunsin was treated differently in trivial matters. But at least regarding work-related domains and corresponding compensation, Yunsin had never received special treatment.
“Do I have to take responsibility for him doing his job properly too?”
“Since you are treating him with truly fair standards, this matter cannot be overlooked either. From the outside, it looks like Attorney Do disobeyed the Representative’s orders. I believe you should discipline him. This is sincere advice. You know I don’t usually say such rude things.”
The air inside the firm had been turbulent with all sorts of talk about Yunsin for quite some time. No matter how well he accomplished things on his own, the atmosphere was rife with the notion that it was because Seheon was pulling him along from the front. It could be an inability to acknowledge the achievements of a parachute hire, or simple envy of everything Yunsin possessed; the reason could be anything. Moreover, some still seemed to believe in the scandal between Do Igyeong and Seheon.
A platinum-colored ring glinted slightly on Seheon’s left hand as he swept his face with one hand. Fatigue was palpable on his expression slowly reappearing between his long fingers. After mulling it over, he finally compromised.
“I’m going to put him on restriction.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to hand down a more visible disciplinary action?”
“Restriction.”
“Representative, that is not discipline. At least a demerit.”
“Restriction. I’ve fired every employee who made me repeat myself four times. You’re no exception.”
“...”
Yunsin’s interview was genuinely helping the firm. Under such circumstances, disciplining him for breaking the rules didn’t feel right. No, it was an excuse. Seheon quietly admitted to himself that he simply wanted to cherish Yunsin. If anyone else had done the same thing, he would have punished them severely.
He hadn’t guessed exactly that things would flow this way. But looking back now, he felt like he had sensed in a corner of his heart that such a thing might happen. On the very day this matter became public, Seheon had said nothing about it at the meeting.
Usually, whatever happened, he gave his opinion, and it immediately became the firm’s direction or policy. Why he had been silent on this matter alone, why his instinct had acted that way, he now thought he understood. Every cell in his body remembered Do Yunsin’s disposition.
Secretary Tak cautiously asked again, perhaps worried about his lenient decision.
“Will this really be okay?”
“Probably not. Since Do Yunsin did it to help me, I’ll bear the consequences. Leak to the other attorneys that I permitted it. I’ll say the same at the executive meeting too. That strategically, Doguk made crucial use of Do Yunsin’s existence. Since he was indeed a great help. If you understand, get out.”
“...Yes, sir.”
Secretary Tak didn’t seem to dislike Seheon, who had strongly petitioned for discipline yet reacted so leniently only to Yunsin. A faint smile proved it. With an expression of not knowing what tune to dance to, Seheon faced his secretary and then arrogantly jutted his chin, conveying a message to disappear from his sight quickly. Then, just before Secretary Tak vanished completely from view, he snapped his fingers sharply.
“Ah, when is Yunsin’s meeting?”
“The family affairs team meeting? In two hours. Shall I tell them to prepare since you’ll be observing?”
“No. Leave it. I’m going in as a surprise, so clear my schedule in two hours.”
“Yes, sir.”
Click.
The door closed.
Finally left alone, he pushed the file aside and carefully took in Do Igyeong in the photo. The photos and articles placed side by side appeared to him as two agendas to handle, or more simply, Do Igyeong and Do Yunsin. Indeed, the sister came up frequently in the articles about Yunsin’s interview.
He had had a bad feeling since sensing that the presence in the hospital parking lot had been Do Igyeong’s.
This matter probably looked the same to Do Igyeong’s eyes. That Doguk was making very crucial use of Do Yunsin’s existence. Doguk, recognized by all as Kang Seheon, was essentially Kang Seheon himself. It was obvious that it would look as though he owed Yunsin. She knew well that her younger brother disliked becoming the topic of tabloid gossip like this. Simply put, the timing of these two incidents was the worst imaginable.
“Surrounded by mountains on all sides. The two siblings, both at once...”
Yunsin’s interview articles had fulfilled their role of shifting public opinion faithfully, thanks to their timely release and good content. Since Yunsin possessed an upright nature, he had frequently appeared in the media since his sister had caused a scandal by asking Doguk for favors. Because the messenger had power, the message gained power as well.
The problem was the specific interview content. The gist was that life at Doguk was highly satisfactory and that he learned a lot from capable seniors and kind peers and juniors. He also didn’t omit that the internal atmosphere of the firm was quite different from how it appeared from the outside. Regarding the recent unfortunate incident involving a colleague, he expressed great regret, and he also timely conveyed a message about depression, a social issue increasing in frequency among young adults these days.
He had truly acted admirably like an attorney.
It was astonishing how adept he was.
“He speaks well for someone who’s been ostracized for years.”
To think he could lie this well.
His proficiency in handling the media was beyond what he’d been taught, leaving him unsure whether to praise him as a senior or scold him as a Representative for not listening. His head throbbed.
He opened his drawer, roughly crammed the photos and papers inside, and took out the headache medicine he kept on hand.
* * *
This was definitely a bit strange.
‘The PR team started circulating my article?’
It was a difficult thing to logically accept, so Yunsin’s head tilted as he read the report from the secretariat.
‘My interview... they’re saying it was something Senior Seheon permitted.’
He had acted unilaterally. He had violated Seheon’s orders and ignored the position Mihui had publicly announced, so he had been prepared for discipline. But the upper management’s reaction was completely unexpected. That’s why the current situation was puzzling.
Because it was an extremely, very, incredibly rare and unprecedented thing for Kang Seheon to reverse an order.
‘Why did he take that risk? Why not just discipline me?’
Whatever the case, if that man had decided to use this method, it was best to align with it for now.
Honestly, it hadn’t been easy to reveal things about the law firm and his sister through the interview. He had to mix ten percent truth with ninety percent lies. While committing the act, he had constantly questioned himself. Though his intentions were good, there was a possibility the results wouldn’t follow his expectations perfectly, which in turn might put Seheon in a difficult position.
Fortunately, his interview seemed to be helping to prevent the deterioration of the law firm’s image.
However, there was one thing.
‘I feel a bit sorry for my sister.’
Having become a shield for the defense and fighting an image battle, her matter had occasionally resurfaced in the process. Though he had obtained her consent before the interview, she likely hadn’t given it entirely willingly. However, since she was currently thriving independently and he hadn’t hidden his affection for his sister throughout the interview, he suspected she would be inwardly pleased after reading the article.
The progress wasn’t bad so far.
He hoped he could be of some help to Seheon. In this relationship, since he usually played that role, he wanted to bear such burdens occasionally too.
His expression relaxing, Yunsin slowly rose. The family affairs team meeting was imminent.
After stepping out and habitually stealing a glance at Seheon’s office, he quickly collected himself and walked to the small conference room. Finally arriving in front of the meeting room, he flinched upon encountering an unexpected, massive obstacle.
“You’re the one presenting today.”
“Huk!”
The silhouette in the suit facing him was familiar. Slowly raising his head, just as expected, Seheon was standing firm, looking down at him. Was it his imagination that his complexion was cold? Since he was someone whose default attitude was already brusque, he couldn’t readily tell.
Behind him, he saw Secretary Tak subtly greeting him with his eyes. He seemed to want to convey an important message about Seheon’s current mood and feelings through some gesture and glance, but since it wasn’t verbal language, he couldn’t properly understand it.
In a hurry, Yunsin answered Seheon’s question first.
“Yes, I’m the presenter. Are you observing the family affairs team meeting?”
When he nodded apathetically as if he were just going to pass him by, Yunsin unconsciously grabbed his wrist to stop him. It was instinct. Seheon looked down at the spot where he was grabbed, then faced forward again.
“What do I look like to Attorney Do Yunsin?”
“Representative Kang Seheon.”
“I think you see me as a handhold.”
“...Ah, I’m sorry.”
Even inside the office building, the two maintained a proper line between senior and junior, Representative and senior associate. Though there were many times they couldn’t, that was only permitted when they were alone. In a situation like this, the maximum skinship would be secretly brushing the back of each other’s hands. Even that rarely happened. Naturally, he was quite used to his sharp tone grazing him.
But today the temperature was definitely different. The more he probed, the more Seheon’s face looked unwell.
Could it be because of my interview?
It was entirely possible.
How should he put it? Seheon’s current expression was difficult to explain simply. The answer didn’t come even after looking, and he seemed annoyed but not entirely displeased, yet he didn’t seem to know the perfect way to handle it... It was exactly the expression he wore when looking at him right before their hearts connected.
“Why is your complexion like that?”
“Then why is yours like that?”
“...Excuse me? No. I asked because you looked like you had a headache.”
“You little brat, knowing that...”
“...”
“What are you doing? Move.”
He brushed past.
Seheon didn’t answer the question clearly. He merely amplified Yunsin’s curiosity to its fullest before ruthlessly cutting off the flow of conversation and entering the meeting room.
It wasn’t one of Doguk’s major teams like M&A, restructuring, or tax; the affiliated attorneys had never dreamt that the Representative would appear at a family affairs team meeting, so they were all half-stunned. Judging by recent trends at Doguk, the timing wasn’t good. After keenly observing the flustered juniors whose meeting preparations were slowing down, he turned to Yunsin and spat out irritably,
“The family affairs team seems to be running quite well. Congratulations.”
Yunsin couldn’t bring himself to answer. If he responded at a moment like this, he would surely act impudently toward him, and he couldn’t show such behavior in front of his colleagues. Secretary Tak, who had been silently watching the two and tactfully entered, pulled out the seat at the head and left the meeting room. While Seheon took that seat, the family affairs team members, finally coming to their senses, busily moved to prepare the meeting.
Yoonshin, who had been standing in the doorway, fiddled with the small pointer he had brought for the briefing before soon entering the bright conference room. After confirming that the juniors, all finished with their preparations, were seated in their respective places, he took the remote mounted on the wall and dimmed the interior lights. Then, he calmly began his presentation.
“Managing Partner Kang, thank you sincerely for attending the family law team meeting. The presentation covers a total of three cases. These are the lawsuits our team will be handling, and the matters the team leader has given final review. I shall begin the briefing.”
Click.
After changing the screen, he gestured for them to look at the tablets placed in front of each person.
“The first case is a lawsuit concerning the legally reserved portion of an estate. It is a matter in which the parents, who were joint heirs, died, so the grandparents’ property passed to the grandchild through succession by representation[1]. Currently, it has become a topic of public interest because there is a possibility that the adopted son, who is also the successor by representation, was involved in the cause of the parents’ death some time ago.”
Yoonshin, who had been pointing at the front screen with the pointer, momentarily made eye contact with Seheon, who was watching him with arms crossed. Generally, Seheon never acted kindly during meetings, but now the atmosphere was clearly different from usual. It felt like he was thoroughly steeling himself for something. It seemed he was trying to clean up the matter of the interview Yoonshin had conducted on his own. Since the situation was being framed as if Yoonshin had moved according to his orders, Yoonshin guessed that Seheon might be trying to give the impression that he was slowly wrapping up the scheme they had fabricated together while many people were watching.
‘Hoo.’ Feeling heavy-hearted at the thought that he had caused him trouble, Yoonshin shook off his concerns with effort and calmly continued speaking.
* * *
Yoonshin, standing under the lights, faced Seheon at the front and politely bowed.
“If there are no further questions, I will conclude here. That is all.”
When the family law team leader to Seheon’s left gauged his mood, Seheon, who had been listening to the briefing with arms crossed, lightly nodded as if to say they could disband now. It meant there was nothing particularly worth faulting.
The lawyers, relieved, waited for his next command. Normally, when a meeting ended, everyone would rise, tidy up, and leave the room, but now no one could budge an inch because Seheon remained in his seat. Yoonshin, who had been watching the situation, cautiously broached the subject.
“Um, Managing Partner?”
Seheon, who had been staring intently only at Yoonshin, finally gestured as if telling everyone to leave.
The lawyers, who had been twitching awkwardly, rose up resignedly once the team leader moved. Yoonshin, who had been briefly fretting over what to do, also returned to his place to gather his documents, but Seheon sharply cut off the flow.
“Attorney Do Yoonshin.”
“Yes, Managing Partner.”
“You stay.”
In an instant, an icy air flowed through the conference room. The personnel inside, realizing the atmosphere was unusual, hurriedly left like an ebbing tide.
Silence settled inside the small conference room. The bright lighting illuminated every corner, leaving absolutely nowhere to hide. Beneath it, Yoonshin, standing and receiving the light fully, opened his mouth first. Because he remembered Seheon’s reaction before entering the meeting earlier, he had predicted something like this would happen.
“Do you have something to say?”
“I know you don’t lie to me, but I’m emphasizing this because it is a matter you must answer honestly. My attitude changes depending on your answer, so tell me exactly as it is.”
“Ask away.”
“Your interview—did the partners force you to do it when you said you didn’t want to?”
His prediction had hit the mark. The only secret between the two of them recently had been that. Since he hadn’t told him beforehand, it was natural that Seheon would be angry. From the moment he made the appointment for the interview until the day of reckoning, he had been anxious that a situation requiring him to confess would arise. Because it was obvious Seheon would oppose it. The stroke of luck amidst misfortune was that Seheon had been so busy there was no need to lie deliberately.
“That couldn’t have happened. They gave their opinion, but if I had hated it, I would never have done it.”
“Attorney Song. I could tell from the meeting earlier that you two planned the operation together.”
“He kept refusing, saying he couldn’t permit it, so I proposed a deal. If Managing Partner Kang disciplines me, he is to lift it. Since I made an offer that was hard to refuse, don’t blame him for accepting.”
“So… you did it because you wanted to, while moderately coaxing Attorney Song along, deciding on your own to do it.”
“Yes.”
“Then you ignored my order even though you clearly knew about it. I clearly announced that all media contact must be unified through the PR team. Did that sound like a joke to you?”
Taken at face value, those words were correct. That was why Yoonshin had thought Seheon would discipline him. But for some reason, Seheon seemed to have broken the logic of being a managing partner and defended him instead. Even without knowing the exact circumstances, the current situation made such an inference possible.
It was different from helping with his sister’s lawsuit or the consideration of setting aside a portion of one’s life for someone. The former was something possible as a lawyer, the latter as a lover, but what Seheon had done this time was something the head of a large law firm must absolutely never do. It was inconceivable that Kang Seheon would be unaware of the contradiction in his own actions. That was why it was strange.
“It couldn’t be.”
To Yoonshin, who bowed his head slightly as if making excuses, Seheon poured out the rest in a sharp tone.
“Do you think there are two managing partners, so you only need to listen to one? Did I teach you that? I clearly warned you I’d fire you—that we don’t need a lawyer like that in this firm.”
“I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
“If apologies could solve things, why would lawyers exist?”
“…Senior, what’s wrong? Are you very angry?”
“Who do you think you’re trying to gloss over things with, you insolent… Did I call you here because I love you?”
At that cold response, Yoonshin was about to choke up and retort, “But you do love me, don’t you?” but held back his rising heat with effort.
“I did it because I was worried. I know I was wrong, but still, because I was worried!”
“Why are you worrying about me!”
Yoonshin, who had maintained a submissive posture, stiffened his facial muscles in an instant. No matter what Seheon said or what he did to him, Yoonshin had never been hurt because he knew the true feelings underlying them all. He could sometimes understand that Seheon said such things because he liked him too much. However, even for Yoonshin, who was open to Seheon in every way, this was hard to accept. He could not stop his tone from growing cold.
“If not me, then who? Do you perhaps have another lover? If you do, bring them here. I’ll kill them.”
“I’ll resolve the problems that come at me on my own. I’m telling you not to interfere. Do you understand?”
“Interf….”
For a moment, Yoonshin sincerely doubted whether he had heard correctly.
He chewed over the words that had struck his ears moments ago several times, and since it seemed he hadn’t misheard, he continued.
“Don’t interfere?”
“Do I have to tell you twice? Yes, don’t interfere.”
Unable to endure it any longer, Yoonshin finally exploded.
“Kang Seheon, you really are a son of a bitch. I knew it well enough, but you really are a bastard.”
“What kind of language is that? Won’t you fix your attitude?”
“Is there anyone here who speaks more rudely than you, Mr. Kang Seheon? You mind yourself.”
There was something Seheon normally didn’t do. Perhaps it was closer to something he couldn’t do. It was losing the words to respond because he was flustered. Just like now. Seheon, who rarely found himself at a loss for words, was dumbfounded. Laughing hollowly as if exasperated, he gripped the desk tightly with his hand.
In his pupils, words stacked up one by one like this:
*Has he lost his mind?*
Seheon, who had remained seated and looked down at the other arrogantly to the very end, sprang to his feet.
Far from cowering, Yoonshin stretched out his left hand as if telling him not to come near. He deliberately spread his palm flat so that the ring on his ring finger was visible in Seheon’s line of sight, turning it toward himself. Only after clearly feeling the sharp gaze land on the ring did he point there with his opposite hand, lower his arm, and continue.
“This is the couple ring with you, Attorney. I thought you had forgotten, so I’m letting you know.”
“Are you being sarcastic? Are you doubting my memory?”
“It’s both. Since I did what I was told not to do, I didn’t even expect you to thank me for worrying about you. Even if you discipline me! Since you’re just now settling in as managing partner, you mustn’t act without fairness, so I was prepared to accept that willingly. Do you think my heart was some flower garden while doing what I was told not to do? I particularly didn’t want to do it either!”
“Then you shouldn’t have done it!”
“I wanted to be helpful in your life, that’s what I’m saying!”
“….”
“Yes, I was wrong. But did you have to scold me by telling me not to interfere? If you were only angry about me breaking the order, that would have been fine. So that I could accept it.”
He had never doubted that even if Seheon scolded him harshly enough to make him cry as a managing partner, he would embrace him when they met alone.
Had he misread Seheon? Or was Seheon handling him wrongly? Seheon was moving in the exact opposite direction of what Yoonshin had expected. He defended Yoonshin as a managing partner, but chastised him as a lover. It was a different direction from the attitude he had shown for several years until now.
“I’m saying you don’t need to sacrifice for me. Why would you do such a thing? Only look at good things, only wear good things, only do good things. You’re worried? Fine, worry only that much. Don’t step forward.”
“How can I only do good things in life? Then you’d have to do all the bad things. Watching that is more hellish. You said there’s no such thing as sacrifice without selfishness. Can’t I do that for my own satisfaction?”
“Do….”
“I’m not finished yet!”
His eyebrows twitched. Whether he was angry at a subordinate who had violated the managing partner’s order and was now acting like a thief crying thief, or exasperated with a lover venting his anger, or what sensation encompassing those he was feeling, could not be accurately determined. This kind of emotional fight was the first between the two of them. Yoonshin didn’t care. Or rather, it would be more fitting to say he didn’t have the energy to spare for that.
“Even if you cancel appointments because of work, even if you come home near dawn, even if you leave me alone for weeks, have I said a single word for years? I stayed silent because I wanted to be a good lover for you. Even when I miss you, I endure and wait every single day. But now you’re telling me not to interfere in your life?”
“Do Yoonshin, calm down. That’s not what I mean.”
“Why is that not what you mean? It is perfectly what you mean. According to your words, I can’t do anything for you. I can only grin like an idiot while watching you exhausted. If you like that, why don’t you just date a doll?”
Yoonshin’s tone was unprecedentedly cynical. It was astonishing that he was someone who could speak this sharply.
Now that the situation had reached this point, Seheon too could no longer keep the words inside him.
“Hah.” He exhaled a heavy, deep breath resembling a desert, then clenched his teeth and replied.
“Am I the only one in your debt here? Didn’t you see your sister being summoned? What face am I supposed to show Director Do? Do you have any idea how much burden this matter places on me? I don’t want your sister to know about this!”
Since Igyeong’s name had been brought up at this moment, he was slowly getting the picture. Yoonshin, who had been pondering Seheon’s intentions in showing a different pattern from usual, now smiled on his own with a look that said he roughly understood. Within his hollow laughter, disappointment and sorrow were buried.
“Are you so averse to it because you’re afraid Nuna will find out about us?”
“Do Yoonshin.”
“I didn’t know you disliked it so much. Every time I begged you to meet her, you really hated it?”
In Yoonshin’s voice, which had calmed in an instant, a stronger storm was hidden than when he had raised his voice moments ago. It was not a disappointment born overnight. It was closer to something accumulated, piled up. It was proof that even good-natured Do Yoonshin harbored disappointment regarding a few things that Seheon would not do no matter how many times he asked. Perhaps a dam had burst. His added voice sank immeasurably.
“Just discipline me according to procedure, please. I ask you. And I am truly sorry. For forcibly intruding upon your lonely life. You are someone who lives well on your own; I was too tactless.”
As if seating difficult people to brief them in front, Yoonshin bowed at the waist in an excessively polite greeting, then immediately turned around. Seheon chased after him like mad and grabbed his arm in front of the door. Seeing signs that Yoonshin would reflexively shake him off, Seheon pressed the gap of the door with his opposite palm to prevent it from opening, then slammed Yoonshin against the wall from behind in an embrace-like posture.
*Bam!*
“I’m not finished speaking either. Listen to the rest, Do Yoonshin. The meaning of my words.”
‘Hoo.’ Yoonshin took a long, deep breath, twisted his body, and looked at Seheon from the corner of his eye. His face seemed to say, “Go ahead, try me.” Their gazes met. When facing each other at this close distance, the two of them had usually ended up kissing. Remembering that familiar habit, they both drew short breaths at the same time.
Seheon, sensing that a communication error had occurred, tried to correct his words. Neither the words telling him not to interfere nor the words saying he didn’t want Do Igyeong to find out had been meant with the kind of meaning Yoonshin was currently misunderstanding. But he could not think of where to start.
While he closed his mouth and worried, Yoonshin, who had been inwardly hoping, seemed even more disappointed. He appeared to judge the silence as avoidance. Staring at him fixedly, Yoonshin pulled himself together with effort and calmly confessed.
“No matter what anyone says to me, I don’t get hurt, but I do with you. Right now I am incredibly upset, so you must be hurting even more, right? Though you never know how to show that you’re hurting.”
“If you know, don’t go.”
“That is exactly why I’m going. Suffer.”
“Do….”
Yoonshin shoved the off-guard Seheon away hard and forcefully flung the door wide open. As Yoonshin ran out as if fleeing, Seheon tried to grab him again, but because people passing in the hallway cast curious gazes wondering what was happening, he missed his timing.
He bit his lower lip hard and roughly closed the door again. Turning toward the window, he pulled off his tie irritably. He felt suffocated, to the point of feeling something stuck in his throat. Every word Yoonshin had left behind came back one by one like daggers piercing him.
Exactly as he said. Even if he canceled appointments because of work, came home near dawn, or neglected and left him alone for weeks, Do Yoonshin would smile it off if he explained well. He would gloss over it with lovely words—asking to be sure to date next time, to come home a little earlier, to hug him as much as he couldn’t touch him—but he would not repeatedly pester him to keep his promises.
Conversely, there were times when Yoonshin made him lonely too, but each time, he made sure to compensate with several times more time—a contrasting attitude.
Do Yoonshin, who would never have missed out on anything in life if he hadn’t met Kang Seheon, had grown accustomed to giving up, resigning himself, and sacrificing something as this relationship continued.
He didn’t want Igyeong to find out about that.
Afraid she would take him away.
“Damn it.”
Of all times, she had caught on to the relationship at the worst timing, and he couldn’t help but admit that he had been more anxious about how the current situation of Doguk escaping the crisis through Yoonshin would look, driving him to push harder. He hadn’t intended to hurt him, but his sharp tongue and clumsy expression had come back to bite him like this. Had Do Yoonshin ever rebelled to this extent? Judging by the fact that it didn’t come to mind even in his excellent memory, it seemed to be the first time. His heart was deeply wounded.
Having rubbed his face roughly, Seheon sat lightly on the desk.
It seemed there were things even the unparalleled Do Yoonshin couldn’t notice if not conveyed properly.
A very long conversation would be needed.