“Yoo Hee, starting tomorrow, you’ll only be assigned to me and Attorney Yoon Yi-hoon.”
“Excuse me?”
Already?
Actually, one of the reasons I wanted to boost Attorney Ahn’s performance was precisely that.
Numerically, there were three, but considering the number of cases those three were handling, I was managing a murderous workload.
And there was no way they’d assign a separate secretary to an underperforming attorney.
On top of that, Hyun A-jin’s outrageous antics turned everything into a huge mess.
‘That’s even after cutting back a bit.’
I filtered out some of the excessively unreasonable directives.
And yet, it was still like this.
Surprisingly, it was because everything except urgent matters had been postponed for over a month.
Just so they could give it to me.
‘Otherwise, he’d have to do it himself.’
I wasn’t the only one doing associate work for Attorney Ahn.
Add to that simple hard labor like gathering materials, and Hyun A-jin’s elegant associate life was all built on my blood and sweat.
“Attorney, did you perhaps suggest this to CEO Yeon?”
“Yes, that’s right. He said he would observe it from now on.”
“Excuse me?”
What is this, a line out of a horror movie?
I stared at Attorney Ahn Gyeong-hun with a puzzled look.
Attorney Ahn tilted his head and added,
“Hmm, he also said that when it comes to that side, no matter how good the words are, he considers lineage.”
Words, what?
Did he talk about horse racing when he went to the CEO’s office?
I was falling deeper into confusion.
‘That side? Is he talking about CEO Lee Han-woong, perhaps?’
That would make sense.
It’s true that CEO Lee Han-woong values lineage.
‘Attorney Ahn, despite his poor performance until now, has top-notch lineage.’
He’s from Korea’s most prestigious university and has excellent scores from the Judicial Research and Training Institute.
One might say that a high winning rate for unprofitable cases doesn’t count for much, but conversely, it means that if he just gets different cases, it could lead to high performance.
That means the remark about considering lineage wouldn’t be referring to Attorney Ahn.
He met all the conditions of a “sacred bone” except for performance.
Moreover, now his performance is good too.
Because after the Cha Kang-hyuk case, I diligently searched on my laptop and brought in good cases.
‘It’ll also count towards my performance in the future, so I have to work hard.’
Furthermore, considering what I’ll bring in the future, this is just the beginning.
I plan to expand into consulting, not just lawsuits.
To go beyond Go Jong-tak and deal with those above him, I had to continuously build up my strength.
Because there isn’t much I, in my current state, can do, frustratingly.
‘Referring to lineage specifically in front of Attorney Ahn must be a remark aimed at me.’
Why would he even bring that up in the first place?
He only brings it up because it’s not good.
‘The fact that such a remark came out means CEO Yeon Ji-gun recognizes my existence.’
This is quite encouraging.
It was only a matter of time; it was something that was bound to happen eventually.
However, it happened a bit sooner than I expected.
“This might be rude to say, but it seems CEO Yeon is struggling a bit.”
The situation seems to be worse than I thought.
Otherwise, there’s no way he would have reached out to Attorney Ahn already.
“Is there anything rude about it? It’s an unspoken truth.”
Attorney Ahn lightly brushed off my words.
“That’s also why he called me.”
“So, it was indeed the attorney…”
“Yes. It was a scout offer. Though it’s a bit awkward to call it a scout since I’m already a member of Lee & Yeon.”
The behind-the-scenes struggle seems to be more intense than expected.
And contrary to my thoughts, CEO Yeon Ji-gun seemed to have tried harder to protect his position.
In my previous life, I had only seen things from the perspective of CEO Lee Han-woong, who was Go Jong-tak’s superior, so things I hadn’t noticed before were gradually becoming clear.
“Whatever the situation, since he’s the CEO, he can certainly get involved in secretary appointments.”
“And it was the attorney who went so far as to care about that.”
“I merely did what I should have done all along.”
‘He didn’t need the result of Cha Kang-hyuk’s case after all.’
The timing I had envisioned was after Cha Kang-hyuk received his first-instance sentence.
Even if it was just a suspended sentence, the success fee would have been in the “hundreds of millions.”
But even without that, I had already reached a level of performance that warranted requesting a secretary appointment.
‘And the timing was appropriate too.’
It would look good to bring it up while being called by the CEO anyway.
I realized that we had accomplished more than we thought so far.
“Thank you. But seeing as he granted your request immediately, shouldn’t you also grant one of CEO Yeon’s requests, Attorney?”
I said, mixing in exaggerated gestures.
I said it somewhat jokingly.
Then, Attorney Ahn Gyeong-hun opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“Because it wasn’t all my doing.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s thanks to you, Yoo Hee. I told the CEO that too.”
“Excuse meee?”
“You mean, you were that honest even in front of the CEO?”
More importantly, even if I brought in cases based on my laptop’s information, I couldn’t handle all of them.
Since I was still a secretary, it was impossible both time-wise and physically.
And most importantly, with a competent lawyer like Ahn Gyeong-hun, there was no need for me to handle everything.
Of course, it’s true that these cases couldn’t have been brought in without my laptop, but I never expected him to go that far in front of the CEO.
“Attorney, you’re truly amazing.”
“These were cases I couldn’t even think of taking on if it weren’t for you, Yoo Hee, so isn’t it obvious? Plus, how much of a role do you play in each case?”
“Still. I can only imagine how the CEO must have seen you…”
“A weirdo.”
“Exactly. Truly incredible… Huh?”
“He called me a weirdo.”
Uh, hmm. Was there another meaning to ‘weirdo’ that I didn’t know about?
“Oh, he said the same thing to you, didn’t he, Yoo Hee?”
“Excuse me?”
“That there’s one more weirdo like me among the secretaries.”
It must be a new kind of compliment….
Even if it applies to me, there’s no way he’d insult Attorney Ahn, whom he called to scout.
“But why would I…?”
Nevertheless, I couldn’t stop the questions swirling in my mind.
It definitely wasn’t as shocking as when Cha Kang-hyuk told me I was ignorant about fashion.
“Perhaps he sees us as being cut from the same cloth?”
It’s not an insult.
Not an insult.
Being cut from the same cloth as Attorney Ahn couldn’t possibly be an insult…
‘Attorney Yoon, if you get this, are we officially a couple starting today?’
Hmm.
I can totally throw out a line like that in front of an enraged Cha Kang-hyuk.
It has nothing to do with Attorney Ahn being a weirdo.
In that kind of situation, my tact is just a little bit off, still.
‘Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Don’t be like that, Team Leader, let’s have a drink.’
What’s wrong with laughing like an AI in a tense situation?
It’s definitely not an insult…
“Oh, no!”
My image at the company, I guess I’ll have to reconsider it.
Unlike trials in dramas, verdicts are given mechanically.
That’s because there are many other verdicts scheduled for the same day besides ours.
But I can’t help but be nervous.
I was sitting in the company car with Attorney Ahn Gyeong-hun and Attorney Yoon Yi-hoon, trembling slightly.
“Hmm, I feel a vibration from the passenger seat in front. Surely Yoo Hee isn’t shivering?”
“Oh!”
“No, I’m not…”
This Attorney Yoon has no tact whatsoever!
I deliberately lowered my voice to hide my trembling.
“Wow, you’re right, you’re right. This vibration, rivaling a thrilling amusement park ride, is definitely Yoo Hee shaking like crazy.”
If he had been sitting next to me, I would have immediately punished him.
It was a huge regret that I had to sit alone in the front because it was too cramped for all three of us in the back.
“Attorney Yoon, stop teasing Yoo Hee. It’s her first verdict, in a way, so it’s natural to be nervous.”
“I’m not like that.”
Attorney Ahn, who was trying to stop him, was even worse…
I held back, feeling that the more I tried to make excuses, the more it would reveal that I was trembling.
Talking also helped me relax a bit.
“You don’t have to worry too much about today’s verdict. Judging by the court’s atmosphere, it was quite positive.”
“Attorney Ahn is right. Most importantly, Yoo Hee suffered so much because of this case. I really hope for a good outcome.”
“It’s not just for me; I just hope for a good result for the company’s sake.”
In the Food Sanitation Act violation case, only the CEO was released on bail in the middle of the trial.
That means the remaining executives and employees are still in detention.
Because they were immediately arrested along with the verdict.
That’s why today’s verdict in the second trial is so important.
The factory cannot be normalized just because the CEO, who hasn’t fully recovered after the suicide attempt, is released.
The executives of An-eum also serve as the practical staff themselves.
Most importantly, the company cannot remain intact after being hit with a fine that exceeds its sales.
“Given that the court granted the CEO’s bail, it seems the atmosphere isn’t bad.”
“Yes. The CEO was eager to see Yoo Hee anyway.”
“The CEO was?”
“Yes.”
Unlike civil cases, in criminal cases, the defendant must attend both the trial date and the sentencing date.
So, Attorney Ahn and Attorney Yoon would be quite familiar with the CEO, having met him on every trial day.
Even when he was detained, they visited the CEO and employees at the detention center, so their internal familiarity must be indescribable.
“Oh, don’t even get me started. Every time we went for a visit, he praised Yoo Hee a truckload.”
Considering he spoke so frankly even in front of CEO Yeon Ji-gun, it might be natural.
Sitting in the passenger seat, I turned my head back and thanked him.
“Eh, I praised her too. Only greeting Attorney Ahn! I’m disappointed.”
“Attorney Yoon went comfortably thanks to Yoo Hee. Of course, you should support me next to me.”
“Hahahaha, I can’t deny that. You have no idea how happy I was that my workload was drastically reduced.”
“Could you please not be so openly pleased about that, Attorney Yoon?”
“Oops, I tried to hide it enough, did it show?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
As Attorney Ahn and I answered simultaneously, Attorney Yoon Yi-hoon suddenly changed the subject.
“Wow, we’re here! The traffic isn’t bad today, so we arrived quickly.”
“It’s usually not congested at this time.”
And Attorney Ahn Gyeong-hun answered him straightforwardly.
“Shall we go straight to the meeting place we arranged with the CEO?”
We decided to meet before going to the courtroom and go together.
But I had something to do before that.
“Um, since the traffic was clear, we have a little time left.”
More than a little. I deliberately reserved the car that way.
Understanding the hidden meaning in my words, Attorney Yoon raised his hand and said,
“Hmm, since we also have time, how about we have a cup of coffee before going up? They say the vending machine coffee here is really good.”
“If it’s Attorney Yoon, who’s serious about food, it must be true.”
Attorney Ahn Gyeong-hun, who had already grasped Attorney Yoon’s personality, opened the back passenger door and said,
“Then, shall we have a cup before the verdict?”
And Attorney Ahn, who was serious about instant coffee, wouldn’t pass that up.