CI 2.5

His memory wasn’t clear, but he seemed to have spoken passionately for more than 30 minutes. He even got irritated at poor Won Hee-yeon, saying that the minority opinion his law school advisor promoted was nonsense.

It was the next morning when he realized he had committed a ridiculous act. After everything was over and he had 10 hours of sleep, he opened his eyes in bed, recalling everything that had happened last night

I’m crazy. Concurrent offenses…? Did I really talk about such things?

The more troubling fact was that this was among the tamest of the mistakes he had made that night. Following the recollection of how he had impulsively asked Won Hee-yeon to sleep together—though he hadn’t said it so directly—and how he had kissed his lips while drunk, Son Yeo-il was aghast.

Wait, hold on. So, uh, um…

Son Yeo-il tried briefly to think of a way to clean up the mess he had made, but nothing came to mind. He was completely dumbfounded, and in the midst of this, he was also hungry, and suddenly his phone started buzzing.

What is it? Is it Won Hee-yeon? A call? A message? Should I answer? Ignore it? Wait. What time is it? Isn’t it time to go to work?

As an office worker who had to go to work even at the risk of dying from embarrassment, Son Yeo-il had no other choice but to check his phone screen. Fortunately, it was earlier than his usual wake-up time, and there was a message from Won Hee-yeon.

[Did our Yeo-il sleep well? On such a tiring day I should drive you to work, but I have a place to drop by briefly this morning, so what to do ㅠㅠ You probably went to sleep without dinner? Worried you might be hungry, I bought some marsh snail soup and hung it on your doorknob. Eat it before you go.]

Marsh snail soup? The unfamiliar name made him both hungry and curious. Son Yeo-il opened the front door in his pajamas to retrieve the bag Won Hee-yeon had left on his doorknob.

Opening the container, he found food he had never seen before, just as the name suggested. In a bluish broth similar to dried radish leaf soup, there were small, round, unidentifiable little snail-like things scattered among the vegetable pieces.

In the past, he wouldn’t have dared to eat something with such an appearance, but with the formula ‘Things Won Hee-yeon buys = Delicious things’ imprinted in his mind, Son Yeo-il bravely picked up his spoon.

Ah. It’s refreshing? This would be good for a hangover.

Son Yeo-il’s eyes lit up as he mixed the heaping white rice into the broth and swallowed it with slurping sounds. While he was eating enthusiastically, Won Hee-yeon sent another message as if he had forgotten something.

[Oh, and today oppa will earn a lot of money, so if there’s anything you want for lunch, just let me know.]

Son Yeo-il snorted in disbelief. Won Hee-yeon had the attitude of a primitive human or animal who had left his mate in a cave to go hunting. Furthermore, he was just having breakfast and he was already asking him to think about lunch.

Does he think I’m possessed by a hungry ghost? Hmm. But something spicy might be good…

Son Yeo-il got ready for work while thinking of various menu options. It was strange that despite the terrible experience of running into Koo Dae-hyun yesterday, he wasn’t thinking about it much. If such a thing happened again, he would probably end up being flustered again, but he felt he could soon dismiss it as no big deal.

Son Yeo-il put on the new clothes and shoes Won Hee-yeon had bought him. Although it was shameless to receive such expensive items, they were certainly comfortable for both his body and feet.

Arriving at the office with a determination to work harder today, Son Yeo-il unexpectedly encountered a certain person. The usually tardy Director Bae was at his desk on a Monday morning for the second consecutive week. Son Yeo-il sensed it. Today, there would be another client.

“Hey, Attorney Son! No, how active were you in the volunteer work? Chairman Kim was praising you to me until his mouth went dry. And you even took on a case! I’m really fortunate. Right?”

“Yes. I’ll report to you immediately when we hear from the client.”

“Good. Attorney Son is no longer an apprentice but a full-fledged lawyer! In that sense, how about you take complete charge of today’s consultation case, handling it from the very first meeting?”

Since Son Yeo-il had always worked as if there was only one lawyer in this office, there was nothing particularly new about this. However, enchanted by the impressive phrase “full-fledged lawyer,” Son Yeo-il’s eyes sparkled as he shouted, “I’ll work hard!”

Son Yeo-il first reviewed the notes Director Bae had written while talking on the phone with the client’s side. It was a criminal case, the client was a 20-year-old male, and the charge was a violation of the Special Act on Sexual Violence (Recording Using Cameras, etc.).

A recording crime? Got caught taking pictures up a woman’s skirt at an amusement park?

Just as his chest began to churn with instinctive revulsion, the office door opened. The client seemed to have arrived.

“Aish, shit. Ah, let go of this. I said it’s fine.”

“Are you really going to be like this? I’m telling you, let’s just go in for just one moment.”

A middle-aged woman with a face full of worry was wrestling with a young man who was struggling, not wanting to enter.

The strapping, even plump male client had a very peculiar appearance. A tight-fitting black shirt and fluorescent lime green shorts. Tattoos darkly covering his arms and neck. With a sense of familiarity, Son Yeo-il narrowed his eyes.

Where have I seen that before…? Where was it? Ah!

Son Yeo-il’s new client had an appearance that exactly matched the image that would come up if you searched for “tattooed pig” on the Internet.

No, that’s not right. I can’t disparage someone based on their appearance. No matter how repulsive, calling a client a tattooed pig…

Son Yeo-il forced his furrowing brow to relax and put on the most kind yet professional expression he could manage. It was a desperate effort as a working professional, but the client himself seemed too busy wrestling with the middle-aged woman, presumably his mother, to spare a glance at Son Yeo-il.

“You fool, get your act together. Is this the time to be stubborn? Come over here quickly and tell the lawyer everything! Quickly!”

“I told you I’m busy. I have to go meet Ye-bin!”

“What? This kid has lost his mind. You, hurry…”

“Aaargh! Really, shit!”

The client, who appeared to be some kind of thug, suddenly screamed like a madman at his mother’s scolding. At the booming voice, Director Bae, Manager Kim, and Son Yeo-il all flinched in surprise, yet couldn’t quite look directly at him, not knowing where to fix their eyes.

“Why are you making a scene first thing in the morning? So annoying. I told you, I’m busy!”

“No, t-this kid…”

After the thuggish client stomped out of the office, his mother trailed off as if flustered. In the truly wretched atmosphere, Director Bae gave Son Yeo-il a sidelong glance filled with unspoken instruction. It was as if he was pushing him to do his job with a “Go on! Full-fledged lawyer!”

Reluctantly, Son Yeo-il rose from his seat and approached the client’s mother. And for exactly two hours, he had to listen to the lamentations of a middle-aged woman plagued by her good-for-nothing son.

‘My son was originally a good kid, but he met the wrong friends,’ ‘He may not study, but he’s really a smart kid.’ Stripping away such meaningless interjections, the client’s claim ultimately came down to ‘He didn’t intentionally take pictures up her skirt.’

“Haven’t you ever experienced this, Attorney? When you’re carrying your phone like this and that, walking around, sometimes the button gets pressed accidentally. Sometimes you end up calling the wrong number. That’s my kid’s situation. Somehow the picture was taken at just that angle…”

“I understand what you’re saying, ma’am. But in the end, I think I need to consult with the client himself.”

Son Yeo-il didn’t particularly want to exchange words with that man either, but it was unavoidable if they wanted to proceed with the case. At Son Yeo-il’s words, the client’s mother wore a troubled expression.

“I’m not sure if he’ll listen. My child is fundamentally a good kid…but these days he’s completely fallen for his girlfriend. Innocent kids can be like that, you know. You understand what I mean, right?”

“Ah…Yes. Still, though you must be busy, I hope you can visit the office this afternoon if possible. You said he has to appear at the police station this week? We need to determine the direction of our defense before then.”

The client seemed far from ‘innocent,’ but Son Yeo-il went along appropriately with the customer while making her request. After she left, Son Yeo-il looked up precedents and reviewed legal principles, pondering what strategy would be best for the client, but couldn’t determine the right answer.

It was taken accidentally. Accidentally…Is it better to argue that way? If I could at least check how the picture was taken, I might find out for myself.

Before he could reach a conclusion, it was already lunchtime. At this rate, he would be troubled by work thoughts even while eating, but he had no other choice but to go out since Won Hee-yeon would be waiting for him.

However, Son Yeo-il, who got up with a sigh, had to completely change his expression after just a few seconds. The moment he took just one step outside the building, he was hit by a wave of intense praise.

“Oh my, what’s this?! How can a person exude such an elegant aura?”

Won Hee-yeon began to make a fuss without restraint upon seeing Son Yeo-il wearing the clothes he had bought him.

“This is too pretty, way too pretty! Wow, the clothes have found their rightful owner. A masterpiece, a masterpiece.”

“Be, be quiet!”

Flustered Son Yeo-il, forgetting all concerns about his main job, could only jump into the car while frantically waving his hands with bright red cheeks. Won Hee-yeon, who got in the seat next to him, looked exactly the same as usual. The smiling face, and the fact that he had abandoned the nice white shirt he wore yesterday somewhere and was wearing a colorful, garish shirt instead.

“Did you sleep well?”

However, the subtle nuance emanating from that question clearly indicated that last night’s events were not a dream and that Won Hee-yeon remembered everything. While trying to hide his suddenly reddening cheeks, Son Yeo-il mumbled a response.

“Hmm, hmm, yes, well…”

“That’s good. Since you didn’t tell me what you wanted for lunch today, I chose on my own, is that okay? How about spicy braised pork ribs? For some reason, I’m suddenly craving something spicy today.”

Even with her face red, Son Yeo-il tilted his head to one side with an “Eh?” Son Yeo-il had also thought this morning that something spicy would be good. To have exactly the right menu reserved without even having him say anything, that was really something. The perceptive Won Hee-yeon immediately caught Son Yeo-il’s puzzled expression.

“Eeng? What’s that look? Don’t tell me we had the same thought?”

“…No.”

“You did, you totally did. One of Yeo-il’s 500 or so strengths is that he can’t lie. How can we be this in sync? Do you know what this is called?”

“I don’t want to know.”

Sensing the other man wasn’t in the mood for this, Won Hee-yeon immediately cut off his question. However, as always, conversations with Won Hee-yeon flowed according to his whims, regardless of Son Yeo-il’s answers.

“I’m talking about telepathy! And say, why do you think Yeo-il and I suddenly started communicating telepathically?”

“I said I’m not curious!”

Son Yeo-il answered firmly, but Won Hee-yeon winked one eye with an exaggerated expression while tapping his own lips. He seemed to want to say something ridiculous like their lips had created a path or something.

Son Yeo-il wanted to shout, “You pervert!” but it wouldn’t have been an effective attack. After all, what would that make Son Yeo-il, who had pressed his lips to that pervert first last night?

Worried that Won Hee-yeon might start reciting all of Son Yeo-il’s shameful behavior from the previous night, fortunately, he didn’t talk nonsense until they had eaten about half their meal at the restaurant.

He seemed too busy to spout nonsense as he carefully removed the meat from the beef ribs with tongs, cutting it into small pieces and placing them on Son Yeo-il’s plate. Like a baby bird, Son Yeo-il was busy picking up the meat Won Hee-yeon had prepared and placing it on top of his steamed rice.

“Oh my, my baby shouldn’t eat spicy food anywhere else.”

Just as sweat was about to appear on his forehead, Son Yeo-il asked in alarm,”Why? Do I have something on me?”

“Mmm. You’ve got something all over you.”

“What? Where?”

“Your face is covered in~ sexiness~”

Ah, I really hate this. Son Yeo-il instinctively blushed seven or eight different colors. Won Hee-yeon only grinned more, as if getting more and more excited by Son Yeo-il’s reaction.

“Oh my, with those plump, red lips, how am I supposed to react when you glare at me like that? Down here…”

“Shhh. Be quiet.”

Son Yeo-il grabbed a napkin and vigorously wiped his lips. While glaring at Won Hee-yeon with fierce eyes, he noticed that Won Hee-yeon’s lips also looked redder than usual.

They do look a bit plumper…Do lips get like that when eating spicy food? Was the food even that spicy?

When his gaze lingered out of pure curiosity, Won Hee-yeon smiled, his cheekbones twitching. By the time Son Yeo-il realized his mistake, Won Hee-yeon was already gathering his things and starting to stand up.

“Where are you going?”

“Just wait. Since I never know when our Yeo-il might crave my lips, I’ve decided to carry mouthwash from now on. Where’s the bathroom…?”

“Ah! No! Just sit down.”

Son Yeo-il blushed seven or eight colors again. Being so busy with the commotion, unlike his worries at the beginning of lunch hour, he didn’t suffer from work thoughts throughout the meal.

Rather, it was only after finishing the meal and returning to the office in Won Hee-yeon’s car that Son Yeo-il remembered that scoundrel client again. He couldn’t help it. Whether the client had been scolded by his mother or something, he was standing in front of the office building.

“Who’s that pig-face?”

Hearing Won Hee-yeon’s comment about the client through the window, Son Yeo-il almost burst out laughing. He quickly composed his expression, said goodbye to Won Hee-yeon, and got out of the car. All things considered, this was his first client, so he needed to greet him with a serious face.

“What the fuck is this? Are you training me like a dog? How can you tell someone to come and then leave the office empty?”

Before Son Yeo-il could even reach the building entrance, the highly agitated client began yelling. Before, he had acted like he would never return to the office again, but apparently had unexpectedly come during lunch hour and waited.

“I’m sorry. From 12 to 1 is our lunch break as well.”

“I’ve been waiting for 10 minutes! What time is it now? Huh? Look! Look at this! It’s 1:05!”

After checking his watch, the man raised his voice even more, veins bulging in his neck. If they had taken their usual two-hour lunch, they would have faced an even worse scene.

“Is this how you do business here? Huh? My precious time! I barely squeezed out time from my busy schedule to come here, and this is how you…?”

While reciting the typical repertoire of a difficult customer, he suddenly looked over Son Yeo-il’s shoulder and flinched. He even brought his accusatory hand down and held it politely in front of his body after that.