Legal relationships also required storytelling.
Especially when it came to matters involving massive amounts of money, like an M&A or a stake sale.
“In any deal, the party that’s more desperate inevitably becomes the underdog. Even if Shin Hye-seo has a firm intention to sell her stakes, she shouldn’t just come out and say it so easily.”
“You mean I should make them bring it up first?”
A smile played on my lips.
“Exactly. You should appear to be weighing your options, push at times, and pull at others. In the process, you have to wound the man’s pride as well. Ultimately, the narrative should be that you are selling your stakes reluctantly.”
“I’m not sure if I can do that well.”
“Don’t worry.”
My smile deepened.
“That’s why you have a ‘legal representative’ to help you with things like that.”
“Ah!”
“That reminds me, would you happen to need an assistant?”
“!”
Immediately, Shin Hye-seo’s eyes filled with anticipation.
“Will you be handling it personally, Prosecutor? Then I’d love that!”
“Since I still hold my current status, it’s a bit difficult for me to do it directly… instead, I’ll introduce you to someone who’s very good at their job. Although they’ll be the lead, I will, of course, be present during the negotiations.”
Shin Hye-seo’s face, which had been darkening, brightened once more.
“May I ask that of you?”
“Of course.”
For a moment, I couldn’t help but be flustered.
This was because Shin Hye-seo suddenly placed one hand over her heart and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle.
“I am always grateful to you. I’m not just saying this, but meeting you, Prosecutor, is the greatest stroke of luck in my life.”
“Me, me too!”
Min Haru, who was standing beside her, also bowed excessively low.
Seriously, this kind of atmosphere is hard to handle.
“Well… first, I’ll try giving my friend a call.”
I immediately headed toward the room.
I made a conscious effort to ignore the stinging gazes I could still feel on my back.
***
As soon as the call connected.
― Look who it is?
A voice full of sarcasm came through the receiver.
― The great Prosecutor Baek Seo-jun, who is so incredibly busy he can’t even send a single text! Is that you?
“Hi. Long time no see.”
“Don’t you ‘hi’ me after disappearing like that. What should I do with you? Should I come over there and kill you?”
“Why are you saying such gruesome things between friends, Seok-gu?”
― Friends? You’ve got a lot of nerve. If you thought of me as a friend, how could you stay out of touch this long after causing such a massive disaster!?
My eardrums were going to burst at this rate.
Of course, I had no intention of stopping Seok-gu.
‘If I did, he’s the kind of guy who would actually track me down and grab me by the collar.’
Above all, I knew well that this reaction stemmed from his concern for me.
In fact, Seok-gu was such a good guy that I wondered if I could ever meet another friend like him in my life.
“You haven’t changed.”
Jang Seok-gu.
He was my college classmate and a lawyer at a prestigious large law firm, doing quite well for himself in the legal world.
― What on earth were you thinking? Wasting your one and only bullet like that? No, those other political prosecutors who don’t have a damn thing going for them use that precious bullet to secure a party nomination, but you…
“But has the rumor already reached you?”
― Of course it has! It spread everywhere! They’re saying the biggest psycho in the history of the prosecution has appeared. A righteous whistleblower? You’re a guy who knows exactly how people like that end up in Korea!
…Listening to this, I wasn’t so sure.
“If I had any interest in politics, wouldn’t that ‘psycho’ nickname be more advantageous for getting a nomination later?”
― Is that even a sentence that should be coming out of your mouth right now?
“I’m fine. Don’t worry too much. It’s just that I feel a bit sorry for I-re.”
― Sigh. I heard about that too. That Seo I-re is the one who took over the case.
At the same time, the sound of clicking teeth reached my ears.
― This is why they say your life is ruined if you meet the wrong person, whether you’re a man or a woman.
“Hey. That’s not it. What am I to I-re?”
― You aren’t serious, are you? She followed you around like she liked you for ages. You must have at least that much intuition, right?
“I’m sure any affection she had has dried up by now.”
― That psycho would probably be even more attracted to you now.
“Nah. No way.”
― It’s a ‘yes way,’ you idiot. Haven’t you ever heard that birds of a feather flock together?
Even so, I-re and I shouldn’t end up together.
If one person is a troublemaker, the other should at least act as a stabilizer.
― Hey. Forget it. If you have no intention of going back to the prosecution, hurry up and find another job. You need to own at least one house in Seoul like me to get married, right? You know the market for lawyers is oversaturated these days and the industry is struggling, right?
“Yeah, yeah. Good for you and your house in Seoul, jerk.”
― Hehehe. Jealous? You can do it too. Or, just come to our firm. I’ll put in a good word with the higher-ups.
Whether it was Seo I-re or those around me, I was grateful they evaluated me so highly.
However, I was too exhausted to return to that world now.
Maybe it would be different if it was just doing small-scale legal consultations in the neighborhood.
“But even if you don’t put in a good word, wouldn’t someone like me be scouted from all over?”
― …Excuse me?
“I think they’d even offer to pay me a higher salary. Your grades at the training institute weren’t even as good as mine.”
― …….
After a moment, a disgruntled voice came through the receiver.
― You were a bit of a prick just now. Admit it.
“Now do you understand how I feel not having a house in Seoul?”
― You just can’t let a single word go, can you?
“What can I say? It’s an occupational hazard for us.”
That was enough for greetings.
“Anyway, work on a case with me.”
― I’ll work on your head, you punk.
***
‘What kind of bullshit is he going to pull today?’
Team Leader Bae Young-jun was inwardly anxious.
This was because the foul-tempered CEO had just returned from a police investigation.
He heard the charges were for masterminding illegal GPS tracking, residential intrusion, and coercion.
Since the criminal code strictly contains provisions for solicitation.
‘It’s not likely that Chief Cha talked.’
Right.
Knowing Chief Cha’s personality, he wouldn’t have breathed a word even under investigation.
Yet, the police were apparently certain that CEO Bang Ki-cheol was behind it.
That point weighed heavily on Team Leader Bae Young-jun’s mind.
“…Regarding CEO Shin.”
“!”
At that moment, Team Leader Bae Young-jun snapped to attention.
CEO Bang Ki-cheol, who had been silent until then, finally spoke.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be in a particularly bad mood…
‘…Then again, he’s not the type of person to blink an eye over something like this.’
Bae Young-jun, letting out a quiet sigh of relief, replied immediately.
“Is something on your mind?”
“If I keep harassing her like this… do you think she’ll make the same choice as Lee Ji-hoon?”
“!”
Shudder!
In an instant, goosebumps erupted all over Bae Young-jun’s body.
“Her mental state has been looking very unstable lately, hasn’t it?”
“T-that is true, but…”
“Hmm… perhaps not? Tsk. Forget what I just said.”
Bae Young-jun laughed awkwardly.
‘I still have goosebumps on my arms; do you really think it’s possible to forget that?’
But well, if the boss says jump, you jump.
“More importantly, the illegal propofol administration case. That’s proceeding properly, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It looked like the police would be summoning CEO Shin for questioning soon.”
“The two CEOs are in a real mess. Anyway, since I ended up like this while cleaning up after those bitches, let’s use that case as an excuse to take CEO Shin’s stakes away this time.”
“!”
Only then did Team Leader Bae Young-jun’s eyes widen.
“W-was this your goal from the very beginning?”
“Well… it’s about time those fat cats felt a sense of crisis, right? Especially since the market conditions are so bad lately.”
Team Leader Bae Young-jun shook his head.
No.
This had nothing to do with the recent series of events.
The reason was,
‘You were the one who recommended that illegal propofol clinic to CEO Shin. You, CEO Bang Ki-cheol.’
Because Bae Young-jun clearly remembered hearing it.
Saying he knew a fantastic clinic for sleep induction prescriptions, things like that…
“CEO!”
It was at that exact moment.
As if heaven had sent a punishment in response to a villain’s evil deeds.
“T-there’s chaos right now.”
“…? What chaos?”
“It seems CEO Shin made a move… anyway, public opinion has completely shifted to her side.”
“What are you talking about? It was only a few hours ago that I saw articles and comments saying that bitch was finished!”
“P-please look at this.”
An employee held out a printout they had just retrieved.
“These are complaints coming into the company email in real-time.”
“Complaints…?”
CEO Bang Ki-cheol quickly took the paper and read through it.
[ I’m a fan of Haru. Is it true that the agency systematically covered up the in-ear explosion accident? ]
[ Haru Unnie has been having a hard time lately; what is this article (link) about forced labor exploitation? Please clarify! ]
[ What on earth do you people think your artists are? ]
[ Outdated labor exploitation and excessive surveillance. Corrupt CEO Bang Ki-cheol, step down! ]
There was no end to it, no matter how much he read.
If the internal company inbox was like this, there was no need to check entertainment news, social media, or YouTube.
“What the…!”
The face of CEO Bang Ki-cheol, which had been calm throughout, distorted violently for the first time.
“Team Leader Bae! Find out what kind of bullshit is happening right now! Immediately!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
***
“Are you there!? Giant ice delivery is here!”
“I’ll be right out!”
As soon as the voice was heard from the front gate, I dashed outside like an arrow.
I had been waiting for this.
“You’re here?”
“Heave-ho!”
Thud!
Mr. Jang immediately set down the ice he had been carrying on his back.
Just by looking at it, the size was monstrous.
‘It looks to be well over a meter.’
There was a reason Mr. Jang had gone as far as providing delivery service.
“I really should pay you properly for this.”
“Zip it!”
As I reached for my wallet, Mr. Jang immediately glared at me.
“I told you I don’t need the money. I’m actually the one who’s grateful!”
“…Pardon?”
“Ah, no, I mean, they told me to convey their thanks. That legal consultation you did before. Apparently, the kid’s stress has decreased a lot thanks to it?”
Mr. Jang laughed awkwardly while his eyes darted around.
Judging by his reaction, it seemed it was his own story after all.
“The reason that family’s kid was clashing with her mom recently was because of high school entrance issues.”
“Hmm. It must have been quite serious?”
“Well… the kid’s mom is incredibly overbearing. Actually, the biggest reason for that family’s divorce was the fight over the child’s education. As for me… no, as for the kid’s dad, he just wanted to dote on his daughter, so he didn’t have much to say.”
After finishing his sentence, Mr. Jang smiled bitterly.
“Anyway, thanks to you, that family doesn’t have to worry anymore. The kid said she’d run away to her dad’s house if things went south.”
“Did it turn out well then?”
“It turned out well, I guess? Since it seems those two have reconciled for now.”
But why?
Why did Mr. Jang’s face look so lonely as he said that?
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Wait a moment, sir.”
“Ziiiip! You again…”
“It’s not about the money; I told you I’d treat you to a meal. Please eat before you go.”
Mr. Jang kept waving his hand in dismissal.
“Hey. What meal? Forget it. I already got a free legal consultation from someone as high-priced as you; I should be the one buying the meal.”
“That’s one thing, but this is another.”
But it was at that very moment.
“Mister!”
“!”
Mr. Jang’s eyes widened.
Seol was already running toward us with her tiny steps.
“Oh? Is that…?”
“Ah! She’s my niece. You saw her when she was a baby, do you remember?”
“No way, Hyuk’s daughter? My goodness… she’s already grown this much?”
Mr. Jang couldn’t hide his surprise.
“They say children grow so fast you can’t even recognize them day by day…”
Mr. Jang’s face darkened a bit more.
He was probably thinking of his own daughter.
At that moment, Seol, who had approached right in front of us, pointed her finger at the giant ice.
“Mister!”
“Hmm?”
“Go for it!”
“…!”
Judging by the context, Seol probably wanted to say “You’re strong!”
However…
“Uh… hmm…”
“…?”
“Tha… thanks.”
Our Mr. Jang.
In an instant, his eyes became bloodshot and filled with tears.
“Y-yeah. I, I have to keep going.”
Mr. Jang quickly tilted his head toward the sky.
A weak side he couldn’t dare show in front of his family.
That choked-up voice was carried quietly by the evening breeze.
‘…I’ll be rooting for you too.’
To all the fathers in the world.
Fight on.