CI 1.10

Son Yeo-il couldn’t comprehend it at all. Why was the car pink? Why did B*W make this expensive car pink? Was it originally not pink but wrapped? If so, why would this robust man in his 30s spend money to wrap his car in pink?

Various questions crossed his mind, but he decided to stop looking for answers in that area. How could Son Yeo-il, a normal person, fathom the mind of the crazy Boss Won? The important thing was that there weas no way he could ride in that car.

“No way.”

Sitting comfortably in the car that would seemingly reduce one’s lifespan from embarrassment just by getting in, Boss Won tilted his head to one side as if he couldn’t understand.

“Huh? Why not?”

“Anyway, no way!”

Why ask for a reason when it was obviously unacceptable? Son Yeo-il abruptly turned and started walking toward the office. Boss Won followed him as if it were perfectly natural.

A sensible human would have parked that monstrous car somewhere and gotten out to follow, but he very slowly drove the car alongside Son Yeo-il, crossing the alleyway together.

“Why are you following me? This is a road where people walk. You’re causing an obstruction.”

“There’s nobody here. What are you talking about?”

Unfortunately, as Boss Won said, the alley was empty of both people and cars. Continuing straight along this awkwardly narrow alley would lead to the office.

This man seemed determined to follow all the way to the office, driving alongside him, and this was several times more embarrassing than riding in the car. Son Yeo-il had no other choice but to surrender in the meantime.

“Ah, fine. I’ll get in…but don’t go all the way to the office, let me out a little before we get there.”

“But that’s not even 1 km.”

“You brought a car for a distance that doesn’t need one in the first place. Where did this car even come from?”

“It’s my car. Where else would it come from? That black Mayb*ch is the company car, and this one is registered under Won Hee-yeon.”

He had thought the sedan he usually drove was just a Ben*, but apparently, it was a Mayb*ch. Well. That meant he couldn’t have bought a pink convertible as a company car. Son Yeo-il wanted to just accept it and move on, but there was one question he absolutely couldn’t hold back.

“Why pink of all colors?”

“Pink is for men.”

A half-bitten pink strawberry-flavored candy was in his mouth. The fact that pink actually suited him quite well, as he claimed, was even more infuriating. Finding Son Yeo-il’s defeated expression amusing, Boss Won grinned.

“I’ve never let anyone ride in the passenger seat, so Attorney Son is the first to sit here. To commemorate Attorney Son being the first to ride in Won Hee-yeon’s passenger seat, how about a drive for lunch later?”

“Passenger seat…what?”

Son Yeo-il was at a loss for words at the vulgar expression he’d never heard before, but Boss Won became even more excited as he continued.

“There’s a road that runs along the river over there, and the scenery is really great. There are also many good restaurants on the way to the valley. Oh, but that area is famous for eel. Hmm, even without that, I get all worked up whenever I see our Attorney Son, so would it be troublesome if I eat eel too?”

By now, Son Yeo-il had developed his own strategy for dealing with Won Hee-yeon. Son Yeo-il pretended not to hear his words, keeping his eyes fixed on the view outside the window while thinking to himself, So for lunch today, we’ll go near the dam and eat something. I should bring up that I don’t like eel.

“Please stop here.”

As soon as they reached the alley near the office, Son Yeo-il spoke sharply. Boss Won smacked his lips in disappointment but obediently stopped the car.

“Maybe it’s because I’m riding with a beauty, but why does the trip to your office seem so short?”

“It is short in reality. Thank you.”

Son Yeo-il got out of the car with a gruff reply. He could feel Boss Won enthusiastically waving from the convertible behind him, but he ignored it and walked quickly toward the office. Then he spotted someone entering the building and ducked his head in surprise.

“Ah, Representative Bae. Good morning.”

As if the world had turned upside down, Representative Bae, who spent less than three hours a week in the office, was arriving at 8:50 on Monday morning.

“Oh, Attorney Son, did you have a good weekend?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

“By the way, I hear you’ve been having lunch with Boss Won every day lately?”

Son Yeo-il, who was pressing the elevator button, flinched in surprise. He had hoped the representative hadn’t seen Boss Won’s car, but unless he was blind, Son Yeo-il had a feeling Representative Bae must have noticed that hot pink convertible.

“Ah, yes. Somehow it happened…”

“It seems Boss Won really likes our Attorney Son.”

Just as Son Yeo-il was becoming anxious, wondering if there was some strange misunderstanding—though it wouldn’t be entirely unjustified since he had slept with Boss Won once—Representative Bae laughed out loud heartily.

“This neighborhood is quite rural and aging, so young people are rare. How pleased he must be to find a young friend he can relate to! And it must be less lonely for Attorney Son too.”

Friend? Despite their ten-year age gap, perhaps to someone of Representative Bae’s generation, they both simply fell into the category of ‘young people.’

It was fortunate amidst misfortune. The rigid prejudices of the legal profession, one of the most conservative groups in South Korea, seemed likely to protect Son Yeo-il from the threat of being outed. Representative Bae, who had been looking contentedly at the awkwardly smiling Son Yeo-il, heaved a deep sigh the moment they entered the office.

“Ah. Manager Kim isn’t here yet. This is a problem. I need to serve at least a cup of coffee to the client who’s coming soon.”

It seemed a consultation was scheduled for this rare occasion when Representative Bae had arrived on time. Son Yeo-il readily put water in the coffee pot and asked, “I’ll prepare it. Is it a client?”

“Oh my, I’d appreciate the help. The client looks quite intense. I’m beginning to think I shouldn’t have taken this case…”

An unusual atmosphere flowed through the office. Not only was Representative Bae flustered about not being able to brew a cup of tea with his own hands for the guest, but a client who would come for a consultation at 9 a.m. on a Monday to a law firm must be no ordinary person.

Sure enough, at 8:58, a middle-aged woman with a stern expression and thin frame arrived at the office. Claiming to be seeking a divorce, she talked incessantly for two hours, venting her anger and complaints about her husband.

The gist of his story, which began with “That man begged me to marry him, so I married him with the mindset of saving a person!” was that she was certain her husband was having an affair, but she was furious that he was completely denying it.

“Ah, yes, yes. Then perhaps, as for more direct evidence of infidelity…”

“Is evidence important? I’m telling you, that man is completely hiding everything! So cunningly, so meticulously! Even without evidence, I know!”

The same story kept repeating over and over again. Manager Kim, who had initially listened to her words with interest, eventually seemed bored and began reading Internet articles. Representative Bae hesitated, looking perplexed.

“Ma’am. As I explained, without evidence, the possibility of winning the lawsuit…”

“That’s why the lawyer should find the evidence for me! I’m telling you, it’s today. On days when that man sprays cologne and goes out, he definitely meets up with that woman. If you wait in front of the motel, you can catch him one hundred percent!”

“No, um, so are you saying that we…we should personally go there and wait…”

“Isn’t that obvious? That’s your job as a lawyer! You should wait until he’s caught. Isn’t that why I paid you such a high retainer fee?”

It was a common misunderstanding, but lawyers were legal experts, not detectives. Strictly speaking, finding evidence through stakeouts was outside a lawyer’s duties. However, the client’s eyes, as she pressured Representative Bae, were full of conviction. She seemed to believe that since she had paid, she could naturally demand this much.

Representative Bae clicked his tongue in dismay but, having some confidence, managed to appease the client and send her off with the words, “I’ll do what I can.” He then immediately called for Son Yeo-il.

“Attorney Son. Do you have a car?”

“Pardon? No, I don’t.”

“Oh dear. It would be difficult without a car. Ah, fortunately there’s a cafe right in front of this motel in a perfect spot. If you sit here, you can see the entrance directly! That’s fortunate. Right? Attorney Son. Take today as a field day.”

“Me…sir?”

“Of course. The client said if we wait in front of the motel today, we can catch the husband in the act of cheating right away.”

Representative Bae’s confidence was none other than Son Yeo-il. The reason he paid a not insignificant salary to a new lawyer was probably to pass on troublesome tasks like this.

As the employee, it was natural to do what he was told, but Son Yeo-il already had a lot of work on his plate. With written briefs piled up like mountains, he now had to do tasks that weren’t even a part of a lawyer’s job description.

Perhaps his reluctance showed on his face. When Son Yeo-il didn’t readily answer, Representative Bae patted Son Yeo-il’s shoulder with an apologetic expression on his face.

“Just show some sincerity to the client for a day or two, please help me out, Attorney Son. You’re taking vacation this Thursday, right? I haven’t been able to treat you to proper meals, so let’s have a company dinner the night before your vacation!”

Oh no, if he had just promptly agreed to go, nothing would have happened, but because he hesitated, he ended up with a company dinner too. There was nothing he could do about it.

The Thursday vacation had been planned since before his employment. It might have seemed presumptuous for a lawyer fresh out of law school to discuss vacation plans before even starting work, but Representative Bae had willingly accepted the condition Son Yeo-il had put forward. Due to that, he was a person Son Yeo-il was grateful to.

“Yes, sir. Thank you. I’ll depart right away.”

Son Yeo-il took a taxi, carrying the husband’s photo received from the client. He pretended to be brave, but inside, complaints like ‘Koo & Chang wouldn’t take cases like this’ or ‘I heard big law firms have separate teams for evidence investigation’ came to mind. He knew these thoughts only made him feel more miserable, but he couldn’t help it.

[Boss Won, I’ll be working in the field today, so I’ll have lunch separately.]

On the way to his destination, Son Yeo-il sent a message in as businesslike a tone as possible. After chatting away yesterday, suddenly pretending to be calm seemed funny, but he forced his brain to focus, feeling that if his mind relaxed now, he might end up whining to the wrong person.

On the outskirts of a quiet country road stood the “Bulyaseong Motel,” with a crude exterior poorly imitating a European castle. Across from it was a cafe, just as Representative Bae had mentioned.

Son Yeo-il sat by the window in the small cafe. After ordering a cup of coffee and sitting blankly, various thoughts came to mind.

Would he have to stay here all day? Might he get kicked out if he stayed too long? He should order a couple more coffees, right? Would the expenses incurred here be reimbursed? Since Representative Bae said a day or two, would he have to come here tomorrow too? After a series of questions, an idle thought slipped in.

He’s not even replying?

He had expected Boss Won to either call immediately or reply in a fuss when told they would have lunch separately, but for some reason, he stayed quiet. The ‘1’ next to the message had disappeared a while ago, but there was no contact.

Well. It’s just him trying to get with me again, so there’s no reason to act sweet on a day when we can’t even meet.

Son Yeo-il calmed his mind with this cynical thought and drank his coffee. There were few people around the countryside motel, and time passed slowly as a result. Although he was looking out the window, it felt like watching a still image on a monitor.

Right after that, his eyes widened when a middle-aged couple in hiking attire passed by, but although they also looked like an adulterous couple, they were not the client’s husband but different people.

“Sigh.”

A weary sigh escaped at the thought, That figures. Honestly, Son Yeo-il barely believed the client’s words. Her neurotic attitude made her seem like a typical patient with pathological jealousy. It was frustrating to be waiting for someone who, by all accounts, wasn’t likely to come.

After one middle-aged adulterous couple entered, there was no sign of anyone at the motel entrance again. Though Son Yeo-il was quite patient, he couldn’t contain his growing boredom and frustration as more time passed. He almost wished something would just appear. Something that would startle Son Yeo-il.

Eeng?

And as if it were a lie, at that moment, something startling appeared at the edge of the scenery outside the window. It was a hot pink convertible bright enough to make his eyes pop.

The person who came in the car was, of course, Boss Won. It would be troublesome if there were two people riding pink convertibles in this small Yongju area.

He must be crazy, really!

Boss Won descended from the flashy convertible and leisurely walked toward the cafe where Son Yeo-il was sitting. The old, ridiculous exterior of the motel strangely matched Boss Won’s colorful shirt.