CI 4.3

This weekend, he was set to move into Won Hee-yeon’s house, and thinking he should build up his stamina in preparation for the move, he had also started exercising. While others might wonder what moving had to do with physical fitness, for Son Yeo-il it was a matter of survival.

Right. I’ve registered at the gym too, so if I can just resolve that one problem, I’ll have nothing to worry about.

What Son Yeo-il was devoting most of his heart to these days was the redevelopment district case against Koo & Chang. So far, the progress of that case had also been going smoothly. He had been a bit concerned about whether Koo Dae-hyun would appear again during the appraisal date the other day, but contrary to his worries, he hadn’t shown his face at all.

Did he not come because of the case? I wonder if he knows about the lawsuit by now? The provisional seizure decision was already delivered to Koo & Chang, and the main case is in the process of being served.

Another case involving Koo Dae-hyun, the broken engagement lawsuit with Oh Yu-na, was not even a concern for Son Yeo-il given the overwhelming evidence. He was just a bit curious whether things were proceeding as hoped.

The lawyers who attended the other day had the same expressions as usual, right? Well, they’re all experienced professionals, and it’s not like they’re the ones having their engagements broken, so there’s no reason they’d show any reaction during other case dates.

Since there was no way to satisfy his curiosity anyway, Son Yeo-il tried to set it aside and focus on the next task at hand. But just at that moment, a message arrived on his phone.

[Yeo-il, are you busy?]

It turned out to be Park Min-jung, Son Yeo-il’s only law school classmate he kept in touch with. Perfect, he thought. Since their chance meeting at the cafe last month, they had only been talking about how they should meet up some time, and she was someone he could ask about what was happening in the world. Son Yeo-il’s eyes lit up as he replied.

[No, I was just taking a break. Can you talk now?]

The other party must not have been busy, as a call came immediately. As soon as he pressed the answer button, a cautious voice came through.

“Are you okay? You heard about it, right?”

Since “Are you okay?” was typically asked to someone who might have experienced something unpleasant, Son Yeo-il carefully asked back, wondering if something bad had happened.

“Heard about what?”

“Ah, you don’t know. It’s not really something you need to worry about, but…some posts have been going up on the LoWithUs anonymous board.”

‘LoWithUs’ was a community for law school students, actively used by young lawyers who had graduated not long ago. It was a site with plenty of employment and exam information, and with its active chat boards that refreshed quickly, many law school students frequented it, but Son Yeo-il didn’t visit it much.

To be precise, it wasn’t that he didn’t go—he couldn’t. For a while, the person most actively criticized on the LoWithUs anonymous board had been none other than Son Yeo-il himself. Even now, just hearing the word ‘LoWithUs,’ Son Yeo-il felt his heart sink.

Though he was afraid that someone might be badmouthing him again, he reasoned that if that were the case, Park Min-jung wouldn’t have said it was “not something to worry about,” so he gathered his courage and asked again.

“I haven’t seen it. What kind of post is it?”

“Well…Koo Dae-hyun got his engagement broken. Or rather, he’s going to? Anyway, it’s causing quite a commotion right now.”

At Park Min-jung’s words, Son Yeo-il’s chest, which had momentarily felt tight, cleared up as if indigestion had subsided. While Son Yeo-il knew more than anyone about Koo Dae-hyun’s broken engagement, he wanted to check the situation first, so he casually probed.

“Really? What kind of commotion?”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s really not something you need to be concerned about. I was just worried you might feel unsettled by the fact that Koo Dae-hyun’s name is going around right now.”

“I’m genuinely curious. I’ve forgotten my LoWithUs ID, so I can’t log in to see. What are people saying?”

Momentarily touched by Park Min-jung’s concern, Son Yeo-il set the stage for her to freely share the rumors. Sure enough, Park Min-jung began to elaborate.

“It’s like a makjang drama. Last week or so? A post went up on the anonymous board saying the son of Koo & Chang’s CEO was being sued for a broken engagement due to marriage fraud. At first, no one believed it, but then someone verified that they saw some document, maybe a complaint, that was sent to Koo & Chang.”

This too was part of Son Yeo-il’s calculation. Although “marriage fraud” wasn’t a proper legal term, Son Yeo-il had deliberately included that word in the application so that even people at Koo & Chang who glimpsed the provisional seizure decision would immediately recognize that some provocative issue was involved.

“I started watching in real-time from then on. Everyone was wondering what ‘marriage fraud’ meant, and whether or not it was just a broken engagement, when another post went up saying Koo Dae-hyun was gay and that the poster had even had a one-night stand with him. After that, well, everyone started making exposés and it became chaotic. There’s even an LGBTQ+ community board on LoWithUs? It’s absolutely on fire right now.”

“Aah.”

“I thought Koo Dae-hyun had a good reputation because he hid his dark side well, but it seems everyone knew his shady aspects and just turned a blind eye. It’s satisfying to see justice prevail in the end, but I also wonder if the people leading the charge now weren’t the same ones who used to suck up to Koo Dae-hyun before, and that made me think of you…”

Park Min-jung let her words trail off, but throughout her story, Son Yeo-il had been twitching at the corners of his mouth. After hesitating whether to speak or not, Son Yeo-il thought there was no harm and casually confessed.

“You can feel fully satisfied about it.”

“Huh?”

“The lawsuit for breaking off Koo Dae-hyun’s engagement is being handled by our office. I’m also the one who applied for the provisional seizure papers that went to Koo & Chang.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line after Son Yeo-il’s words, and then Kim Min-jung burst into laughter for quite some time.

“No way, really?”

“It’s kind of funny, right? The request just happened to come to me.”

“Ha, I never imagined. Son Yeo-il, you’re truly a professional lawyer, huh? Wow…But you know what? I always thought you were a really strong person.”

At Park Min-jung’s suddenly serious words, Son Yeo-il thought, Was I a strong person? He had always thought of himself as narrow-minded, but being called a strong person made him feel as if he might have indeed become stronger, and his shoulders straightened with pride.

“Tell me in detail. What happened? He’s getting his engagement broken because he was found out to be gay, right? How did the other party find out?”

“That’s confidential because of my professional duty…”

“So, you’re not going to tell me?”

“Well, it’s a bit difficult over the phone, maybe when we meet next time?”

As he said that and let out a soft laugh, Son Yeo-il’s strong heart simultaneously became very light.

“I must see you then. When might you be free? Where are you planning to go during the court recess? Does your office give you vacation time?”

It was common for legal professionals to take summer vacations during the peak season from late July to early August, when courts nationwide simultaneously suspended trials. Though probationary lawyers without accrued leave or those at black-listed offices probably couldn’t even do that.

Son Yeo-il recalled the handover file he had received from his predecessor long ago. That file also contained notes about vacation, which read, “Head Attorney Bae says to take as much time off as you want during the court recess, but he won’t reduce the workload. Wish he wouldn’t even pretend to be generous.”

For an ordinary lawyer, it would be difficult to find time for vacation unless the workload decreased, but for Son Yeo-il, who was quick with his hands and pulled forward, even working with deadlines far away, the conditions weren’t too bad.

If they don’t reduce the work, I can just do it in advance. I wonder if I really can take as much time off as I want?

Having experienced such eventful days since coming to Yongju City, he hadn’t thought about summer vacation until now, but the situation was different now. Son Yeo-il found himself naturally imagining a vacation with Won Hee-yeon.

Perhaps I should bring up vacation plans when we finish organizing the house. Hee-yeon would like that, he thought, momentarily forgetting to answer as he indulged in pleasant fantasies. Park Min-jung must have misinterpreted his silence negatively, as she asked again in a worried voice.

“They don’t even give you one day? If that’s the case, you should cut ties with that office immediately. Remember, I quit my last place because they wouldn’t let me use my vacation days.”

“Uh, well…”

“Ah, right. Are you planning to move elsewhere after resolving the Koo Dae-hyun case anyway? Everyone will know now. That you were wronged and Koo Dae-hyun was the strange one. If you’re thinking of moving, I think you could transfer to a much bigger firm?”

Son Yeo-il, who was about to speak, lost his words again. Changing jobs? It was something he hadn’t even considered.

Until now, it wasn’t that I hadn’t thought about it—I hadn’t dared to even dream of it.

Come to think of it, entering a large law firm had long been Son Yeo-il’s dream. Facing this sudden recollection of his old aspiration, Son Yeo-il strangely felt more confused than pleased. As Son Yeo-il again failed to respond for a while, Park Min-jung continued, as if trying to smooth over the atmosphere.

“Sigh, I should just focus on my own work, I’m being too nosy. That’s something you should think about carefully and decide, but anyway, I’d like to hear the details when we meet soon. You’ll meet with me, right?”

“Ah, yes. I’ll let you know after things settle down a bit.”

Even after ending the call with a promise to meet later, Son Yeo-il’s heart swayed momentarily like a reed, but he soon regained his composure, patting his cheeks with both hands.

I should focus on what needs to be done right now.

The Baegi-dong law office still indiscriminately took on cases, so there were mountains of documents to write, and above all, this weekend was the much-anticipated moving day, so he needed to get work done in advance. Seated at his desk, Son Yeo-il slightly rolled up his shirt sleeves and began working, his eyes clear and bright.

Saturday morning, Son Yeo-il was rubbing his sleepy eyes while folding clothes into a box half filled with books. He should have gone to bed early last night since he hadn’t finished packing, but he had been too excited about moving and ended up tossing and turning all night.

His heart was racing, but his fingers couldn’t keep up, and as he was fumbling around, a knock came earlier than expected. Son Yeo-il ran to the entrance with a flustered face.

“I’m sorry, Hee-yeon. I’m not fully ready yet. If you could just wait a little…”

“Hmm? I told you I’d take care of everything, so why is my baby packing?”

Barely listening to Son Yeo-il’s excuse, Won Hee-yeon poked his head inside the doorway and asked, seemingly perplexed to see that Son Yeo-il had already organized more than half of his small belongings.

“Well, because they’re my things.”

“No, didn’t I clearly say I wouldn’t let water touch my baby’s hands for life!”

“Packing doesn’t involve water though…”

Just as they were about to start their morning banter, murmuring sounds came from the corridor. Looking out, Son Yeo-il saw Hong-shik and two large men who looked familiar, standing with their hands respectfully clasped. Hong-shik, seeing Son Yeo-il, greeted him enthusiastically.

“It’s been a while, Sister-in-law!”

This was Hong-shik, who worked as Won Hee-yeon’s driver on weekdays. But recently, because Won Hee-yeon often drove himself, wanting to be alone with Son Yeo-il in the car even during lunch, it had indeed been a while since they’d met.

Setting aside the greeting itself, the title that followed it hit Son Yeo-il like a blow to the back of his head. While he stood dumbfounded, the other two men also bowed deeply like flip phones and greeted him loudly.

“Pleased to meet you! Sister-in-law! I am Oh Jae-deok!”

“I am Kim Gyu-sang! You’re just as beautiful as I heard!”

Son Yeo-il’s face turned as red as it possibly could. Even in his panic, Son Yeo-il searched his memory and acknowledged them.

“Ah, the one who runs a photo studio, and the one with the flower shop.”

“That’s right, Sister-in-law!”

“It’s an honor, Sister-in-law!”

“But, why am I…”

Just as Son Yeo-il was about to ask “Sister-in-law?” the quick-witted Won Hee-yeon quickly interjected.

“Ah, why are these guys being so uncouth again? Don’t call him Sister-in-law, you should say Attorney Son, like this.”

“We’re sorry, Brother! Sister-in-l—ah, no, Attorney Son!”

“That’s right. And Gyu-sang, why are you blabbering to someone else’s person about being beautiful or whatnot?”

At Won Hee-yeon’s words, which were humorous yet subtly cutting, not only Kim Gyu-sang but also the others paled and lowered their heads.

“I’m sorry, Brother! I misspoke!”

“Brother, I’ve failed to educate my younger brother properly!”

Amid the intense wave of apologies, Son Yeo-il felt like he wanted to hide in a mouse hole. Determined to move out of this building as soon as possible, he resumed organizing the boxes.

Though Won Hee-yeon and his “brothers” jumped up and insisted that the lawyer should just sit still, Son Yeo-il, being quite stubborn himself, resolutely packed boxes and carried them to the truck parked in front of the building, mixing in among the mountain-sized men.

While Son Yeo-il staggered under the weight of just one box, most of which contained books, Won Hee-yeon effortlessly carried one in each hand, diligently following behind Son Yeo-il.

“Please stop now. My husband does important work, so he should leave such menial tasks to his strong wife.”

“But they’re my things. And with everyone helping, it’ll be done quicker.”

“That’s true. Now that we’ve moved almost all the luggage, why don’t you rest a bit in the car, my husband?”

When Son Yeo-il had loaded the third box onto the truck, Won Hee-yeon, as if unable to bear it any longer, grabbed Son Yeo-il’s wrist and seated him in the passenger seat of his car. By that point, there wasn’t much luggage left in the room, so Son Yeo-il gave in and followed his lead.

Just then, Kim Gyu-sang and Oh Jae-deok, both with their hands full of belongings, passed by, looking contentedly at Son Yeo-il and Won Hee-yeon together. Thinking they were too far away to overhear their conversation, they put down the luggage in the truck and went back into the studio apartment, whispering to each other.

“But why is Brother the wife and the attorney the husband?”

“I know, right. Perhaps…”

Just then, oh my goodness. The silence flowing between the two was ominous. The two men had apparently seriously misunderstood the positions between Won Hee-yeon and Son Yeo-il.

Listening to this made Son Yeo-il feel like dying of embarrassment, but he couldn’t rush out and tell them that wasn’t the case. While Son Yeo-il was just rolling his eyes, Kim Gyu-sang and Oh Jae-deok began exchanging even more outlandish comments.

“Wow. You really can’t judge people by appearances, seriously. Our Brother is no joke, but the lawyer must be quite the man among men.”

“How incredible must he be…Wait, then instead of Sister-in-law, what was it? Shouldn’t we call him Brother-in-law?”

It felt like a public execution. Son Yeo-il was dying from his burning face, while Won Hee-yeon, finding something amusing, giggled beside him.

“Those guys do have good eyes. Right? Our Yeo-il is definitely a man among men.”

Come to think of it, Won Hee-yeon was the root cause of this disaster. If he hadn’t used strange titles like “wife” in the first place, they wouldn’t be in this embarrassing situation. Unable to contain his annoyance, Son Yeo-il pinched Won Hee-yeon’s earlobe hard with his thumb and index finger.

“Ouch, oww oww oww.”

Though Son Yeo-il pinched with all his might, Won Hee-yeon seemed to find it entertaining rather than painful, pretending to groan like someone playing along with a child’s antics. When the frustrated Son Yeo-il dropped his hand, Won Hee-yeon even blushed strangely and spoke languidly.

“With my baby pinching me like that, I think I might discover a new preference. Try pinching me once more. Hmm?”

“What are you saying? That’s disgusting, really.”

Son Yeo-il made a face of distaste, but the moment his eyes met Won Hee-yeon’s, he laughed again. Despite everything, it was frustrating that he couldn’t help but smile whenever looking at his face.