Chapter 48: Materialists

Lawyer Seo Il-hwa adjusted his posture and spoke,

“Actually, after the meeting last Friday, I called our team’s associate, explained the case overview, and gave them an assignment: to find relevant precedents for this case and create a leading case. The deadline was two days. That’s exactly the time Ms. Yoo Hee took to prepare these materials.”

“That’s something I can’t really compete with either.”

“Ah, I admit. There’s no escaping this one. Anyway, that’s why I received the materials when I came to work this morning.”

He handed me a stack of papers he had put aside on his desk.

“How about it? Do you want to take a look at our associate’s work?”

“No, thank you. After all, I’m a secretary, and I don’t think it’s right for me to evaluate materials made by a lawyer.”

“Wow, even politeness. I really like Ms. Yoo Hee; are you truly not considering being my secretary? If you do, I’ll even use my performance bonuses to significantly increase your salary. This is absolutely not a joke; I’m serious?”

“Wouldn’t we also need to hear Lawyer Ahn’s thoughts on that?”

“Oh no, that’s a no-go. If I did that, I’d probably have to go look for a burial plot. That guy is rougher than you think, so I might be buried tomorrow.”

“You said that during the last meeting too, and you were fine then.”

“For that kind of money, wouldn’t I have to be? I even got a love confession from Lawyer Ahn back then?”

Ah, that finger heart.

Thinking about it again makes me dizzy.

We became momentarily solemn.

“Hmm, well, for the sake of my life, I’ll hold back for now. Anyway, regardless of the assignment I gave the associate, I also diligently searched on my own.”

“Yes, you said you would at the time.”

“That’s how I understood it even better. To do this in two days—no, if you subtract working hours, it’s not even two days. I know your murderous workload well, Ms. Yoo Hee.”

“Murderous… not quite. I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

“Pfft. Ah, yes.”

Why does he laugh whenever I say something now?

A sudden urge to find the burial plot Lawyer Seo said he’d look for him surged, but I held it back.

There was still quite a while until payday, and I hadn’t received my promised bonus yet.

“Anyway, what you managed in that short time was better than what my associate submitted. It was good enough to be made into a leading case as is.”

Of course.

I desperately searched for that, based on legal principles that won all three trials.

Did I even get four hours of sleep during the two days I made the materials?

I truly poured myself into it.

“This case is winnable. That’s my judgment. But I really wanted to hear Ms. Yoo Hee’s opinion before the meeting.”

“My opinion? You already have it in the materials you received…”

“Oh, that’s not all, is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s more, isn’t there? What you prepared last weekend.”

I was hit right where it hurt. I had something prepared to deliver a decisive blow at today’s meeting.

But how did he know that?

Has he already figured out my style?

Many thoughts flashed through my mind in a short time.

“The An-eum case, you mean. The briefing back then was quite impressive, but do you think I completely entrusted the case to you just based on that?”

“…Then, surely?”

“Yes. I’m a lawyer who took on the case, after all. Couldn’t I receive updates on the progress anytime?”

“Ah, so that’s why you put Lawyer Yoon as an associate on our case.”

“Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon is good at his job, isn’t he? But I didn’t entrust it to Lawyer Yoon. He’s a bit of a bluffer.”

That’s accurate.

Perhaps it’s because he’s one of the associates he’s worked on many cases with.

“Lawyer Ahn is the best person to report accurately without exaggerating things, right? Even if he’s close to someone, he doesn’t cut them any slack when it comes to work.”

I nodded unconsciously.

Then Lawyer Seo Il-hwa continued speaking even faster.

“The An-eum case, it’s actually your work, Ms. Yoo Hee.”

“With two capable lawyers, how could that be? I merely helped out.”

“Of course, they both write well. And it’s true that they’re excellent as lawyers. But that case, well, you not only overturned the situation with knowledge that only an expert in that field would know, but you also secured a list of industry professionals as witnesses, obtaining affidavits and even petitions. You truly played a comprehensive role, and you’re going to say this isn’t true either?”

“I just tried my best to be helpful.”

“Is the Cha Kang-hyuk case also ‘effort’? You completely turned that case around too.”

Lawyer Seo Il-hwa looked at me with serious eyes and said,

“You didn’t even take the sudden acceleration case to court, did you? Was that something that could be handled at the prosecutor’s level? I only found out about it this time.”

“The sudden acceleration case couldn’t be taken to court. You know well that it’s virtually impossible for an individual to prove and win against a corporation.”

“That’s exactly what I want to say. You can’t just not go to court if you don’t want to, can you? Besides this, there are a few other things you’ve been actively involved in recently. Should I continue?”

“…No, that’s enough.”

When I surrendered, Lawyer Seo Il-hwa straightened his shoulders. Then he showed his demeanor as a negotiator.

“Ms. Yoo Hee, you’re naturally gifted in this area. And I highly value that ability.”

“Thank you for seeing me in a good light.”

I meant it. That’s exactly what I’m aiming for.

If Lawyer Seo is coming out like this, it means I’m on the right track.

“So, don’t just burst onto the scene alone; let’s do it together. I think I can make it even bigger if I add fuel to it.”

“It seems you’re saying you really want to take on Lawyer Yoon’s uncle’s case. Did I understand correctly?”

“Haha, now you’re talking. If we win this, we’ll set a good precedent.”

Lawyer Seo, who was about to persuade me further, stopped speaking and changed his gaze.

And then he let out a puff of air and chugged the water in front of him.

“I won’t use difficult words; I’ll just be honest. Unlike Lawyer Ahn, I’m materialistic, so I thought, ‘If I do this well, I might be able to boost my reputation, right?’ And the case fees won’t be small either. Performance and honor. I can achieve both, so wouldn’t it be foolish to miss out on this?”

“There’s one more thing.”

“Hmm, what’s that?”

“Lawyer Yoon’s uncle himself.”

“Wow…”

Lawyer Seo stood up and began to applaud.

This time, I picked up the glass in front of me, drank the water elegantly, and opened my mouth.

“First, before we work together, I’d like to confess something.”

“Oh, is this a major announcement?”

“No. Since you’ve been honest, I’d like to be honest too.”

“Oh, really?”

Lawyer Seo Il-hwa gave me an intrigued look.

I made the same puffing sound with my mouth as he had.

And then,

“I’m also materialistic, so let’s make this even bigger while we’re at it.”

I gave him back his own words, only louder.

“Hahahaha. Oh, I’m going crazy. I guess I’ll have to go look for a burial plot tomorrow.”

“Oh, and my secretary offer is already declined, by the way.”

He threw his head back, laughing harder than he had all day.

“We have two problems.”

“Hmm, what are they?”

“Persuading Lawyer Yoon won’t be easy, and his uncle is backing him up.”

Having to persuade them twice for something that’s difficult to do even once.

I heard that Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon’s uncle is considering entrusting this case to ‘Law Firm Aso,’ the largest law firm in Korea.

Hearing my words, Lawyer Seo rubbed his brows and said,

“Aso? This raises the difficulty level a bit.”

“Yes, we are one of Korea’s best law firms, but Aso is the one among them.”

I gave a thumbs up.

“But it’ll be even more thrilling if we win. Because we’d be defeating Aso and establishing a new precedent.”

I could hear Lawyer Seo Il-hwa’s combativeness increasing in real time.

I drove the wedge further.

“Yes, Lawyer. It’s great for media promotion. ‘Lee & Yeon’s Joint Team established a new precedent,’ something like that.”

“By ‘joint team,’ you mean our tax team and Lawyer Ahn, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But did Lawyer Ahn have a team?”

“He’s been performing well this year, so wouldn’t he get one soon?”

“Then I’d like to pick him up for my team. Lawyer Ahn is a case law fanatic, so he handles most things well.”

“What about the opposite?”

“The opposite? Me joining Lawyer Ahn’s team?”

“Yes. You two have been long-time friends, after all.”

It’s precisely the team I’m envisioning, but it didn’t seem bad to test the waters at this level for now.

I watched Lawyer Seo with a slightly trembling heart.

“Hmm, I’ve never thought about it, so I’m not sure.”

“I see.”

Perhaps it’s too much for now.

But there’s still plenty of time ahead, so I can persuade him gradually.

Because Seo Il-hwa is worth it.

‘A truly materialistic person doesn’t call themselves materialistic.’

Just like I’ve never seen someone who truly doesn’t like money, even among those who claim not to.

What’s the reason for working in the first place?

It’s to earn money.

Someone who can express that as being materialistic is actually more honest.

His actions so far, as well as the way he was in his previous life, are the same.

Lawyer Seo Il-hwa loved his work.

He never crossed the line he had to uphold as a lawyer in that process.

Most importantly, he was a centrist, meaning he had no side.

At first glance, Lee & Yeon might seem to only have sides with CEO Yeon Ji-gun or CEO Lee Han-woong, but there was also a middle ground led by Lawyer Seo Il-hwa.

Belonging to neither side.

Their numbers aren’t large, but there’s a reason they’re important.

If they increase their influence here, they could hold the casting vote.

To the extent of influencing even the CEO’s position.

‘Then to what extent should I increase it?’

That’s my part.

If the team I create establishes itself at Lee & Yeon, it won’t be Yeon Ji-gun stepping down from the CEO position in this life, but Lee Han-woong.

An unexpected voice reached me as I organized my thoughts.

“But it seems fun.”

“Excuse me?”

“Working with Lawyer Ahn.”

“Ah…”

And perhaps that path isn’t so far away.