The phone vibrated.
Seheon, who was tying his necktie in front of a full-length mirror in the dressing room, turned his head toward the sound. The phone placed on the display shelf was vibrating evenly.
Looking at the screen, it was Secretary Tak. He finished adjusting his attire and answered the phone.
- This is Secretary Tak.
"Which side?"
Even though he asked straight to the point without even a greeting, Secretary Tak wasn't flustered. Click. The sound of something presumed to be an electronic device being pressed was heard, then the words continued.
- This is a vehicle registered under Suhan Group. The actual owner comes up as the second daughter-in-law's chief of staff. It's Director Do I-gyeong's vehicle. They say the Director uses it occasionally when she goes around quietly.
Just as he had guessed. If Yoonshin shed tears at the end of the conversation, it meant the caller was someone who could give him a reason to do so, and based on the report of his relationships Seheon had received, the sister was the most likely candidate.
However, unless women are exceptionally tall, it wasn't easy to clearly distinguish them by physique. He had only asked to confirm the slim possibility that it could be a lover; from the beginning, Seheon had suspected it was her.
"What else."
- You only requested a vehicle search, Attorney, so I only went that far.
"Yesterday you said it was shocking and strange. If you're the Secretary Tak I know, you wouldn't have just let it go. Plus, there was plenty of time until morning."
- The other party is Suhan. Finding out more details takes a lot of effort. You should either formally request the firm, or it would be better to use the Chief's investigators.
"You must have dug up something in areas that take less effort and time."
As if hit the nail on the head, Secretary Tak was silent for a moment. Then he continued speaking.
- It's not that I looked into it specifically, but when I requested the firm's investigation team to look into Attorney Do's surroundings before, I heard one story regarding Suhan's second daughter-in-law.
"Is it in the report you submitted to me?"
- No, they say her external exposure has been erratic lately. She used to attend group events well, but that's become sparse, and she used to go to the gallery almost every day, but recently she's been absent often.
"Is it related to Do Yoonshin too?"
- I'm not sure either, but it didn't seem like it. If it was an issue even slightly related to Attorney Do, the investigation team would have included it in the report for you, Chief, right?
Is it a personal problem of the sister? If Yoonshin's reaction intensified upon learning that, it made sense.
"Hmm." Seheon, leaning one hand on the display shelf, fell silent for a moment. Then Secretary Tak added.
- What should we do? Should I formally request further investigation from the firm?
"No. Good work. Let's meet in 30 minutes."
- Yes, see you later.
Seheon's face was expressionless as he ended the call. He fell into deep thought, recalling the scene he had witnessed last night. Setting other things aside, the fact that his sister came in person to give him a document envelope was a bit suspicious. The most likely probability was that something requiring legal traffic coordination between family members had occurred.
But one thing held him back. Assuming it was simple document sorting, Yoonshin's subsequent reaction was not normal.
"It wouldn't be a power of attorney."
Muttering low to himself, he glanced at his wristwatch and then put on his jacket properly. Subsequently, grabbing his briefcase and car keys, he left the dressing room.
Even while waiting for the elevator after leaving the house, his thoughts continued.
Perhaps what happened to those siblings was no simple matter. Yesterday, Yoonshin cried in a manner similar to the time at the funeral home when his father passed away. At the very least, it was clear that something had happened that disturbed his mind with a shock almost akin to the death of a family member.
'Annoying.'
Annoyed at constantly thinking about Yoonshin, he grabbed his nape with a large hand. While rubbing it as if massaging it, the elevator came down and opened its doors.
The numbers on the panel went down rapidly.
Quickly arriving at the underground parking lot lobby, he passed through the transparent double doors. Right at that moment, he collided head-on with a familiar face pushing open the double doors from the dedicated entrance of Building C straight ahead. It was Yoonshin.
He stopped walking and stood still, staring intently at Yoonshin.
Because, like that day sometime in the past, he was barely smiling with puffy eyes.
"What's so funny? Excited?"
Saying that sarcastically because it strangely didn't sit well with him, Yoonshin immediately bristled.
"Should I cry from the morning, then."
"Greet me properly first. Where do you get off being so insolent."
"Oh, right. I'm sorry. Good morning, Chief. Have you had breakfast?"
Seeing him hurriedly bow his head deep to greet him only then twisted his stomach more. Somehow, a feeling of dislike at seeing that face boiled up from his dantian. Seheon, nervously pressing his lips together, belatedly took a step forward again.
While heading together to the common parking lot, the figures of the two were clearly reflected through the side glass. Seheon, who inadvertently cast his eyes on Yoonshin's side, furrowed his brow like crumpled paper.
He tried not to ask, but his lips parted on their own.
"Why is your face so puffy."
As if this question was quite unexpected, Yoonshin, who had his head turned slightly, glanced at Seheon.
"Is it very puffy?"
"My question came first."
"I was hungry so I ate ramen and slept."
"You get that puffy from eating ramen? You need to improve your constitution. How about swimming? It helps with blood circulation."
"I go home, firm, home, firm like a zombie every day, how can I exercise. Sometimes it happens depending on my condition."
Knowing the full situation, he let out a hollow laugh in disbelief at this clumsy lie Yoonshin told without batting an eye.
"Looking at your puffy eyes makes me sleepy too. Don't show up puffy like that even one more time."
"Yees, I'll try my best."
Looking at Seheon as if stealing a glance, Yoonshin didn't try to argue further. Instead, seriously pondering whether it was really that puffy, he scrutinized his own reflection through the side glass. During that time, their long legs steadily stepped forward. A short moment of silence passed.
Because he took a taxi home yesterday, one of Yoonshin's cars was still at the firm. He could drive the spare one he kept, but that would mean leaving both cars at the company, making future movements inefficient. Yoonshin, watching Seheon's walking figure as if stealing glances, soon moved to follow his boss rather than heading toward his own car, as if having made up his mind.
"Um, Chief. Could you not let me ride with you?"
Stopping abruptly mid-stride, Seheon looked back at Yoonshin. His eyes were full of bewilderment, as if he absolutely couldn't understand this situation, like water pooling on the floor during the monsoon season.
"What?"
"I took a taxi home yesterday because I was afraid I might drowsy drive on my way back from work. But if I take another car, considering the headquarters' parking lot situation, it's not economical, and also I happened to see you..."
He immediately cut off Yoonshin's words.
"Call a taxi again, or use public transportation. Or contact the firm to send a car. There are plenty of ways. Do I have to tell you every little thing like this? Are you three?"
"So damn harsh..."
Yoonshin, who retorted reflexively, slowly shut his mouth. Then, the stopped Seheon strode over to where Yoonshin stood. While he panicked and looked for an escape route due to the instantly narrowed distance, he had already approached close enough that the gap between them was less than 50 centimeters.
"Finish it."
"I said you're being harsh."
What even is this guy?
His long eyes were full of such signs. As if proving this wasn't Yoonshin's delusion, Seheon exhaled a deep breath, utterly dumbfounded.
Truly, an associate lawyer like this was a first in his life. A junior begging a commuting partner to let him ride in their car—he had never even heard of such a thing. Even Seheon during his associate days, when he was always criticized behind his back for being arrogant, wasn't to this extent. If anything, he didn't mingle, but he never chased after a partner lawyer and acted annoyingly.
"I've really never seen a bastard like you before. Don't you know I hold your personnel rights?"
"I know. Is there a problem?"
"You must not know much, but if I don't like the look of you, I really fire you. Do you live under a rock without hearing rumors?"
"I'm a lawyer. I have a lot of experience with unfair dismissal trials."
"Do I look like a thoracic surgeon to you?"
"I'm not saying I'll ride for free. You drive yourself when commuting, right? I'll drive for you."
It was going from bad to worse. With a much calmer tone, Seheon continued speaking as if explaining and persuading.
"The reason I don't use a chauffeur on my commute, unlike other partners, is because I hate having my time interrupted. 15 minutes each way, a total of 30 minutes a day. That time is mine."
"Can't I just keep my mouth shut and ride? Seeing someone I know after being alone all night suddenly puts my mind at ease a bit."
Perhaps these words quite scrambled Seheon's mind, as he suddenly clamped his mouth shut. Yoonshin watched his silent figure with a clear face.
When Seheon's always well-organized, dashing appearance came into view in the lobby earlier. Honestly, he had been somewhat shaken. That was why he hadn't even offered a greeting and only stared at him, forcing a smiling face.
He didn't exactly know why he felt relieved seeing Seheon. Just strangely, absurdly, it felt like the foremost safety zone. Anyone who heard would mock him for chasing a lost cause.
"Can't it somehow work out?"
Looking at Yoonshin blankly, Seheon asked back.
"I'm asking because I have absolutely no memory of it. Have I ever borrowed money from you? Or defaulted on it?"
"No way."
"Or perhaps I made some huge mistake to Professor Do that I don't know about?"
"Did you? If it were my father, he would have forgiven you."
"Or perhaps I dated your sister when I was young. I don't remember, but it's not impossible."
"I wouldn't know about such things between you two."
"Right. Since I don't owe you anything, there's no need to let you ride in my car either."
Dried up instantly by the veteran rejection, Yoonshin fell silent with a face that realized his mistake. Instead, he quietly looked up at Seheon, who was smiling comfortably with a terribly puffy face. As he faced that, his expression seemed to crumple slightly, then soon turned his back on Yoonshin and left without any further explanation.
His tall, lean body approached the vehicle. Elegantly getting into the luxury sedan, Seheon drove out of the parking lot without even a hint of looking back.
"Attorney Kang!"
Yoonshin, who reflexively tried to follow, took a step forward and then stopped. Chasing after him and begging when he disliked it that much would be no different from stalking. Still, he felt they were getting closer, albeit by a very microscopic margin, but it seemed it wasn't like that for Seheon yet. Honestly, he also felt he had overstepped in front of a far superior boss.
Actually, since he didn't know his circumstances of having his sleep disturbed all night, there was no need for him to be considerate. However, even if he did know, he couldn't guarantee that he would understand.
"Yeah, go. Go. That's why you have no friends. Expecting mutual understanding from you, I'm the fool."
Standing blankly for a long time watching Seheon's car disappear, Yoonshin slowly turned around. Then, feeling time gradually becoming tight, he walked toward his car. The moment he was about to pass the pillar, he hesitated as he witnessed a familiar-looking car returning from the opposite side.
Unless his eyesight had suddenly dropped significantly, it was the car Seheon was in just a moment ago.
Honking the horn 'Beep' at the startled Yoonshin, he brought the car to a heavy stop. Not only that, but he opened the car door with very nervous movements and came out. Stepping his long legs onto the ground, he stared straight at Yoonshin a few meters away.
Yoonshin was bewildered.
"Did you leave something at your place, Chief?"
He motioned his chin toward the passenger seat as if he was very displeased.
"Get in."
"What?"
"Get in, and don't make me say it multiple times. Get in before I change my mind."
Although he couldn't understand the context of him returning and saying this, Yoonshin moved quickly for now. Taking the hint, he got into the passenger seat and put on his seatbelt, and Seheon also got back into the car.
Not knowing what was going on, Yoonshin constantly glanced at Seheon as he started driving again. As if that gaze was uncomfortable, he gestured as if telling him to speak if he had something to say. Yoonshin immediately took the bait.
"Why did you come back? I thought you'd just go."
"Yeah, I also thought I would do that."
It was a tone as if he himself was utterly absurd. As sometimes was the case, this time too, uncharacteristically, he seemed unable to understand himself, so Yoonshin couldn't ask further. Sitting quietly in the passenger seat, Yoonshin observed his skillful driving as he gripped the steering wheel with straightened arms.
Come to think of it, just as Seheon said, this kind of situation seemed to be a first for him. Working at Do-guk, he often felt how truly unconventional of a treatment he received to join the firm.
Not only the associates but even the high-ranking partner colleagues found Seheon very difficult. Because he was the招牌 lawyer of Do-guk, that was considered very natural. He had heard the order from Attorney Song to assist him closely as his team member, but even so, for a mere junior like him to use the office across from his was something that went against both the hierarchy and the atmosphere within the firm.
"I could drive, though."
"Don't touch anything in my car as much as possible. I hate other people's fingerprints on my things."
Yoonshin immediately obediently placed his briefcase on his lap and rested both hands quietly on top of it.
"It's your first time gripping the steering wheel with an associate in the passenger seat, right. You're having a new experience."
"You often forget what you've been told. That's not good."
"Ah, I'll keep my mouth shut and ride."
"From now on, if you talk to me needlessly, I'll grab you by the collar and drag you out in the middle of the road."
Yoonshin, instinctively aware that Seheon was the type of person who would actually drag him out, kept his mouth firmly shut. Pressing his lips into a straight line, he silently scanned his figure. Then, while stopped at a traffic light, he too turned his head sharply as if he couldn't take it anymore. Their eyes met. His sharp gaze targeted Yoonshin's pale face very precisely.
"Can't you wipe your eyes? Your eye sockets are puffy so you look gloomy, it ruins my mood."
"Do I look that gloomy?"
"There's a human invention called a mirror. It's made for kids like you to use."
Taking out his phone in a flash, Yoonshin examined his face this way and that through the camera.
His bloodshot eye area and puffy eye sockets were unmistakably those of someone who had stayed up all night. If it were Seheon, who had good intuition, he might have noticed they were traces of crying, even without knowing the context. As his thoughts flowed that way, the scene a moment ago where Seheon returned on his way was strangely explained.
That's weird, really.
Even if he died, he couldn't attach the title of a 'good person' to Kang Seheon. The opposite was easily possible. He was generally rude, arrogant, fierce, and ruthless. But why did this man, who schemed for the next move every moment while facing the other person, not seem so bad to him?
Yoonshin didn't find him very difficult or scary. It wasn't because he had nothing to lose. Since he had to endure at Do-guk for the time being, it was rather the opposite. The reason for this was not himself, but him.
Unexpectedly, Kang Seheon had both patience and discernment. When he joined the company, during the first test, when seeking advice on the pro bono case, and now.
He was very cold, but he always left a small margin open. If one made an effort, he didn't just ignore them but acknowledged them. Instead of coldly reproaching the wrong parts, he taught them ways to fix them together. If spoken to honestly, though he found it annoying, he listened.
That might look easy at first glance, but for people like Seheon who made money by the minute, it was a very difficult thing.
Watching from the side, he thought he understood why his sister had appointed him as his guardian.
〈Most large law firms wouldn't even take the case.〉
Yoonshin, fishing out her resigned voice he had heard yesterday from his mind, swallowed dry saliva.
'If Kang Seheon takes it, wouldn't my sister be able to take on Suhan? It's Kang Seheon, of all people.'
She also didn't trust herself, but it seemed she would feel very reassured and rely on him if Seheon stepped up. But persuading him in the first place wouldn't be that easy. The opponent was a large corporation, and whether the wound was big or small, someone would definitely get hurt somewhere. For such a renowned and successful lawyer, there was no need to jump into a chaotic mess like Avici hell.
Above all, Kang Seheon generally didn't take relatively small cases like family lawsuits. There had to be an attractive aspect that would make him dive in with his eyes flipped.
'Is there no way? How can I make him take the case.'
Yoonshin carefully moved his hand. Once he developed a desire for something from Seheon, he couldn't keep stealing glances like earlier. With no choice, he looked out at the falling leaves flying like melodies on the wind outside the window, filling his eyes with the busy morning scenery.
* * *
Yoonshin's face as he stared at the laptop screen was very serious.
Inside the memory card he received from Seheon regarding the pro bono case was, how should he put it, like a gold mine of another meaning. However, it looked as if landmines were scattered all around it, preventing anyone from mining the gold carelessly, so he hesitated to reach out easily.
Inside this, the flow of blind money received from business partners was basic, and various charges of breach of trust and tax evasion, as well as circumstances of money laundering and illegal solicitation, were overflowing. Not only that, there were also quite a few unspeakable scandals of the family. It was obvious that shaking this up would spread into a pretty big scandal.
"Using a young daughter's hand for auction fraud... of all things. It's a wonder they survived without getting caught."
At this level, although the category was different, it definitely wouldn't be their first sex crime. The suspect's meticulousness revealed in the process of investigating the dynamics of evidence destruction also proved it. Looking at the man's photo with a disdainful expression, Yoonshin soon flipped the page and carefully took in the various power-closeness related charges with his eyes.
"Bribery of high-ranking public officials... gift certificates, golf clubs, resort vouchers... Delivering paintings and jewelry to the wife. It's in the hundreds of millions of won. After this money flowed... the ruling party's floor leader. The opposition party's multi-term lawmaker. Even a sitting minister."
Following the connection links marked with symbols, unimaginable faces appeared one by one like a whack-a-mole game. There were also multi-term National Assembly members famous enough for Yoonshin to know their names, and the party leadership. It was a foregone conclusion that South Korea would become noisy even if they only started brushing off these things.
At this level, he thought they should just hand it over to the police.
Drawing a circle in the air as if circling the faces of familiar politicians, Yoonshin slowly stroked his chin. A gold mine it was, but this made the scale too big. And Seheon didn't give this to him to become a crusader of justice blowing it up, but gave it with the intention of holding onto these and extracting something for his client. His advice to use it in a secret way because it was dangerous data proved that. In that sense, no matter how he thought about it, stirring up the political world seemed dangerous.
Moreover, it wasn't because people didn't know about this all this time that they didn't dig into it. It meant that the cartel between the political and business worlds was comprehensively solid. Even a company like this, which wasn't one of the handful of large corporations and was still a mid-sized company despite being sound, was involved this much with public officials, so a large corporation like Suhan would be much more so.
〈It seems you want to see how I want to use that while you're at it.〉
Recalling the hint Attorney Song had given him, he pictured in his head what Seheon's method would be. Blackmail was his major, but he was known to be so good at deals that coaxing was his minor. He must have utilized that ability fully during the numerous cases where he drew out settlements without going to trial. If it were him, he wouldn't simply win, but would definitely try to extract something in the negotiation process.
Yoonshin, who had fallen into worry, first called his client. Before the signal rang three times, the woman answered the phone. As if intending to cut to the chase, Yoonshin immediately brought up the business.
"This is Attorney Do Yoonshin from the law firm Do-guk, who contacted you last time."
- Yes. I know. Why are you calling me? If it's something important, should I go to the headquarters like during the last meeting?
"No. You don't need to do that. By any chance, are you at home right now?"
- Now? I am, but...
"That's good. I'm going to send you a copy of the documents via a courier now. Please check if there are any parts you can confirm yourself and give me a reply. Then I'm going to plan a strategy based on that."
- What kind of documents are they?
"They are corruptions related to the company you're working for. I'm thinking of negotiating a settlement money with this. Of course, if the client agrees."
The woman seemed to have difficulty understanding Yoonshin's words.
- A settlement? I'm not some kind of company whistleblower. I just need to legally prove what happened to me. And I want to be reinstated in a normal form, not an indefinite standby order like now. During the last meeting, you said our CEO was almost caught for destroying evidence.
"To speak coldly, due to the limitations of our country's positive law, we won't be able to repay you as satisfyingly as you received. I ran a trial simulation, and even with various aggravating factors added, the door to punishment is far too low since it's a first offense."
- I heard there are cases where even first-time offenders of forcible molestation get sentenced to prison. The lawyer who wrote the complaint for me last time said so.
"If the evidence is absolutely certain. But even then, the law itself to punish isn't strong. It's a matter of choice. Either make them suffer for a moment, or get another form of compensation instead."
Above all, if the situation ended without inflicting a significant blow, there was a high chance that a secret revenge in the form of personnel retaliation would come when he couldn't help. Because the woman had already become an outcast in the industry.
By then, there would be no way to help with an already finished case. He couldn't keep chasing after her and cleaning up her messes. He was pondering how to explain this euphemistically when the opponent broke the brief silence with a somewhat intensified tone.
- I consistently testified and told the situation accurately. But because this is not enough to prove the damage, you're telling me to just receive monetary compensation for what I suffered? That's what you're saying right now, isn't it?
"Paying settlement money means the suspect admitted to the corresponding crime. The fact of the damage isn't deleted just because it proceeds as a settlement."
- It's a case where I can't even pay the legal fee, are you reluctant to go to trial?
"Client, there's no way. It's not annoying at all. This case is very precious to me too."
- Then you have to punish that person. You acted like you had a good personality, but you can stab me in the back like this? I believed I met a good lawyer this time...
Something like resentful anger was felt in the client's increasingly fading voice. Yoonshin, closing his eyes tightly, pondered how to convey his sincerity, and barely spat out his voice.
"If you really want a trial, we'll proceed that way. However, you said you wanted reinstatement. You probably want that because you want to prove your innocence to everyone. I'm telling you that can be done in other ways."
- No, how much are you going to get for me? Is it about a few million won?
"I might be able to give you more than that. Not only settlement money, but a format like a public apology might also be possible."
Perhaps she couldn't understand this remark right away, as she fell silent. Her rough breathing gradually subsiding transferred to his ears in real-time. She was probably catching her breath and ruminating on her thoughts. Then, as if she still couldn't comprehend it at all, she asked back sharply.
- The law is weak so they can't even punish properly, but that person will give me a lot of money and even apologize? The words don't make sense.
"That's why I contacted you. Even if the law can't, the documents I'm going to send you can do that. If the client helps just a little. Could you review them for me once?"
Only then did the opponent seem to regain some reason and recognize what the core of what Yoonshin was trying to say was. As if reflecting on the story he had told when they first started the call, a low, muttering sound like talking to herself came over the receiver. He waited patiently instead of rushing her.
Not long after, she opened her mouth to speak again.
- Even after fully reviewing your proposal, Attorney, what if I want a trial?
"Then of course we have to proceed that way."
If he failed to utilize these documents, it was obvious he would get a failing grade from Seheon. But if the client ultimately wanted the frontal attack, it couldn't be helped. Yoonshin quietly stared at the window left open on his monitor. During that time, the opponent asked gently with a much calmer frequency.
- Can I trust you, Attorney?
Fortunately, she seemed to be trying to understand Yoonshin's genuinely worried heart. He swallowed a pitiful sigh and replied.
"You don't need to try hard to force yourself. Making you believe is my job."
- I'm sorry for speaking carelessly earlier. I was a bit upset.
"I understand. It's okay."
- You asked me to confirm the parts I know in the documents you're sending, right?
"Yes. Let's organize that first, and then put our heads together and think about what we can get out of it, and how much the client wants to get out of it. Ah, you must receive the documents in person, and send them back to me through the courier I sent."
- I will. Thank you.
"Then get some rest."
After finishing the call, Yoonshin connected to Secretary Tak on the intercom. After asking him to send the prepared documents to the client, he gave a nod of greeting through the window. Seeing Secretary Tak wave his hand as if he understood, he leaned back comfortably in his chair.
"Phew," as he exhaled, distracting thoughts began to fill his head as if filling the empty space in his body. Yoonshin's eyes, quietly watching the laptop screen, grew heavy with worry. There was no way to know what route one had to take to easily obtain such fatal information in a short period. At the very least, it wasn't the work of a single person.
With these things that looked like they could completely bury a person, Seheon would always be gripping them tightly and manipulating people at his mercy.
'My brother-in-law must have much more dirt than this.'
Suhan Group didn't run its business very transparently. Suhan Holdings, which his brother-in-law was managing, seemed to be in the same situation. So Yoonshin also remembered how the elders of that family had been very proactive in forming a marriage alliance with his father, who had a socially clean and upright image.
His father, who wasn't unaware of that, stepped down from all public office after his sister married and went out to the private sector, devoting himself solely to social movements. It seemed he judged that if his influence was even slightly tied to the in-laws' taking of private profit, it would ultimately become an embarrassing situation for everyone.
Since returning home a few days ago, there had been no contact from his sister. Yoonshin, who couldn't muster the courage, couldn't even leave a message. He wanted to find a way to overcome the difficulties together. The desire to help her rose up to his throat. But that was all.
Just as Seheon said, he knew his place well. Knowing that if he recklessly intervened with just determination, he could worsen his sister's situation, he couldn't dare to step up to do something. If he knew the situation more accurately and in detail, it seemed like a way would open up, but judging from her very defensive attitude at that time, she would never tell him in detail.
'Tell me properly what's going on at least.'
His stomach churned because there was nothing he could do to help right away. A feeling of emptiness and an uncomfortable sensation intertwined. Recalling her messed-up face made him feel even more distressed.
Since she had personally warned him with her own mouth that it would be a long fight, he had no choice but to grasp the context and find a way. For now, he had to work to survive in this place.
That was part of the way to protect her and to protect himself.
* * *
Coming out toward the break room, Yoonshin stood tall in front of the window facing outside at the end of the hallway.
Outside the window at 3 AM was pitch dark. Being the darkest time before sunrise, it felt even more eerie than the dawn of other hours. The sight of the earth's sky dyed in dark colors looked quite desolate. Especially since the floor where Yoonshin's office was located was more than half empty, it felt even more so.
The visible skyscrapers had lights on here and there like this headquarters. He wondered what they all wanted to gain by living so fiercely. And he wanted to know what the hell he was doing standing here. In his life, it was the first time he felt the place where he stood was so precarious.
Not only did he not come here of his own volition, but he was also confused when he learned that it was a decision his sister made to protect her younger brother from the harm of the husband she had lived with, struggling for nearly 10 years.
'Is there no possibility that Kang Seheon knows all about this situation? What if he knew and still accepted me?'
Before a client retained him, Seheon was on no one's side. In other words, he could be on anyone's side at any time. And that was generally, no, 100 percent the stronger side.
Shaking his head at the very slim possibility, Yoonshin headed back toward the office. He kept having distracting thoughts. It seemed better to go home and get some sleep, even for a moment. As he blinked his heavy, drowsy eyes and came out of his room with his jacket and bag, Seheon's dark office across from his suddenly caught his eye.
Since all the secretarial staff had left work, there was no one to see Yoonshin.
But at that very moment, the story of Seheon handing him the 'dangerous' documents and telling him not to ask about the 'source' suddenly crossed his mind. Like a sparrow can't just pass by a mill, and a cat can't quietly slip past a fish market, Yoonshin's two legs headed toward his room on their own.
Somehow, the thought that it had to be now boiled up like bubbling water. His head knew it was a bad thing, but knowing he would never hear the truth from Seheon's mouth, this was also the best option. No matter how much he was under him and had to believe and follow the partner's word as law, he couldn't just roll around in the palm of his hand without knowing anything about the weapon he would use to save his client. It was right to do as much as he could.
'I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Really, I'm sorry.'
Ruminating a total of three apologies in his mind, Yoonshin turned the doorknob of Seheon's office and carefully entered inside.
He paused, feeling as if the cool air of the dark room was enveloping his whole body. Wiping his face dry with one hand, Yoonshin looked around.
When he turned on his phone's flashlight and shone it on the wall, his certificates were lined up. Next to it, on a high hanger matching Seheon's eye level, his spare clothes and ties were wrapped in stiff vinyl.
Passing the wall and shining the light into every corner of his bookshelf, Yoonshin suddenly felt a strange loneliness. Usually, other lawyers had family photos in their rooms, or at least some accessories that could imagine a private realm, but Seheon had none of that. It was all about work. If there was one heterogeneous thing, it was the copy of 〈Great Legacy〉 still stuck in that bookshelf.
"It's strangely lonely here. Does the room resemble its owner."
Muttering to himself, he belatedly gathered his wits and approached the work desk first. He hopefully ran his circuits that there might be something to pick up about the source of the documents here. Really important information wouldn't be left out in the open in the office, but still, he thought he might find at least a very small clue.
However, the desk was neatly organized from the start, and the drawers were designed so they couldn't be opened without a password, which flustered him.
"My dreams were too big going up against Kang Seheon."
Feeling a sense of emptiness, Yoonshin, who was about to go out even now, discovered a desk calendar on the desk. Setting aside the purpose of entering here for a moment, he dragged the curiosities about Seheon that had constantly made his stomach noisy up to the surface of the water. Then he sat in his chair and flipped through the back pages of the calendar one by one. But as expected, it was all about work.
At the very moment he was regretting the lack of gains, he found a spot marked with an 'X' among the schedules on the very last page in a tiny size. It was the last day of December.
'What's this. A birthday.'
'If only I could find a weakness, I'd cling to even that and beg him to please help me.'
Tilting his head, Yoonshin put the calendar down. Then, just as he was about to turn off the flashlight, he belatedly realized that his room's desk was very visible from Seheon's room. It would be the same from his room. The blinds on his office window had been drawn far more often than they had been raised, so it was something he hadn't thought about all this time.
'Did this person see me often.'
Reaching his hand over the light, Yoonshin created a shadow in the shape of Seheon's hand stroking his head. Then, feeling embarrassed that he had made a useless imagination, he jumped up.
'What am I doing, really.'
It was when the man with reddened earlobes was finally about to end his bizarre behavior and slip out of the office. He discovered a thick object among the documents stuck on the side of the laptop. Only that part was lifted, so his eyes naturally went to it. Just in case, he slipped his long index finger inside. A smooth texture touched his fingertips. Dangerously pulling it out as if rubbing it, he took out half of it, and it was a file. The contents inside were familiar.
'Why is this...'
It was a copy of some of the case-related documents he had requested Secretary Tak to keep the originals of today, no, yesterday morning. The underlines he had carefully read and marked the issues with a pen himself came into view.
Of course, since it was a case he had directly assigned, it was fully possible for him to check it. He had felt that he had been grasping the case quite in detail since last time. However, the owner of this room was Kang Seheon, the ace of Do-guk who absolutely didn't take pro bono cases. The fact that he had already read the documents secured by a mere associate on the same day was a bit suspicious.
〈Are you trying to get some massive bill from Suhan Group by touching that. I'm not interested.〉
'It seems like you are interested in me...'
Wiping his slightly flushed cheeks with the back of his hand out of embarrassment, Yoonshin scanned the documents once and the copy of 〈Great Legacy〉 stuck in the bookshelf once, then inserted the file back into its place, restoring it to its original shape as much as possible.
Subsequently, he quickly closed the door and slipped out of the space.
Thump. The door closed.
Right at that moment, a red light flashed on the access sensor above the door and then faded away.