Chapter 8 : Hyun Ah-Jin is a bi**h

I quickly flipped through the file that Lawyer Hyun Ah-jin gave me.

“It’s the client’s deposit and withdrawal history.”

“Yes, I need to find specific deposit details. You know, there isn’t just one company’s deposit and withdrawal history, is there? I have so much to do, where would I find the time for something like this?”

Given the nature of an associate at Lee & Yeon, the workload wasn’t small, but she had a style of postponing it until the last minute.

This was probably also a document she received quite a while ago.

With a certain degree of conviction, I pointed to the file and asked,

“Lawyer, did you just receive this today?”

“No, I received it four days ago, but I have so much work. I just found time to look at it now.”

Of course.

To put it nicely, Hyun Ah-jin is thoroughly self-centered; to put it badly, she’s quite selfish.

From the start, she must have intended to leave this to me.

In my previous life, no matter when she threw it at me or how long it took, I would have meekly done it.

Lawyer Hyun Ah-jin, who has worked with me for over two years, would know this very well,

Then she should have handed me this file the day she received it, at the very least.

Then I would have had enough time over four days to deal with it.

But not only did she give it to me when time was running out, she even threw it at me after quitting time.

‘She probably thought of this on her way to dinner.’

I opened my mouth, looking at Hyun Ah-jin, who had her arms crossed, holding a luxury wallet.

“Are you going to dinner?”

“Oh, yes. No matter how busy I am, I need to eat well to work.”

Then what about me?

In the past, on a day like this, I would have worked without eating because of the bomb you dropped.

“I was so foolish.”

“Excuse me?”

Not all the associates I handled were like that.

There were more decent and personable people than difficult ones like Hyun Ah-jin.

But the ones I worked with for a long time were this type.

Irreparable types, like Go Jong-tak or Hyun Ah-jin.

The characteristic of these people is that they survive ridiculously well.

Much more than people who rely solely on their skills.

I stood up and met Hyun Ah-jin’s gaze.

“Lawyer, when do you need this by?”

“Hmm, by tomorrow lunchtime at the latest.”

I didn’t ask what she needed to find.

Normally, I would have first asked what I needed to do, but even after working together for over two years, Lawyer Hyun Ah-jin didn’t find anything unusual.

That’s how little she knew about me.

She just saw me as a secretary who was always easy to exploit, nothing more, nothing less.

“Then I’m afraid I can’t.”

“What did you say? What did you just say?”

“I said it would be difficult, Lawyer.”

“Ha!”

Lawyer Hyun Ah-jin, who was about to leave with her wallet still in hand, approached me with the sound of her heels.

“I said I need this by tomorrow. I have important work piled up that I need to do after dinner. So, can’t Yoo-hee, who has time, do it?”

“Why would I be sitting here when quitting time has passed, Lawyer? It’s because I also have a lot of work to do.”

I clearly listed the tasks I currently had.

“Tomorrow, I have to submit the prepared brief for Lawyer Ahn’s wrongful termination case. There are over twenty parties, so just organizing the documentary evidence takes this much.”

I pointed to the stack of papers piled up beside my desk, reaching my shoulder height.

For reference, Lawyer Ahn had already handed over everything last week, considering the volume of work.

So, the work was actually somewhat completed.

‘But I don’t need to explain that to Hyun Ah-jin.’

I straightened my shoulders confidently and said,

“And today, I need to understand the case and research materials for Lawyer Seo Il-hwa’s food sanitation law violation case.”

“Why are you doing that, Yoo-hee? Lawyer Ahn should be doing…”

Lawyer Hyun Ah-jin, who was continuing her sentence, quickly closed her mouth.

No matter how low-performing a lawyer, a partner is still a partner.

An associate lawyer, employed by the firm, was not in a position to argue.

“Lawyer Ahn entrusted it to me.”

“Hmm.”

Hyun Ah-jin rested her chin on her hand, still standing.

Thanks to an incompetent partner lawyer, Kim Yoo-hee always had a lot of work.

This was because she took on a significant portion of the work that an associate should do.

But so what?

That was Kim Yoo-hee’s situation, and what was important right now was her own work.

Otherwise, she would have to pull an all-nighter instead of Kim Yoo-hee.

Hyun Ah-jin arrogantly tilted her chin up.

“Then just finish it by tomorrow before you leave work. Since you seem to have a lot of work, especially…”

“What I just told you isn’t everything.”

“Excuse me?”

Hyun Ah-jin’s pupils trembled slightly.

I didn’t miss that opportunity and pressed on.

“Support for Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon’s PF agreement, a physical examination opinion for a industrial accident case, and…”

“No, why is there so much?”

“There’s more. And what I just told you all needs to go out tomorrow.”

Simply finding materials and preparing briefs or agreements are entirely different in terms of scale.

They are urgent and important documents that must be submitted immediately.

“This… I’ll do it.”

Finally, Lawyer Hyun Ah-jin stumbled, picked up the file she had thrown at me, and disappeared.

In fact, this was an associate’s job, and I didn’t even need to do it.

If she wanted to entrust even such data-intensive manual labor, she should have borne all the costs and hired a personal secretary.

And some partners did hire secretaries in that way.

It was because they had sufficient means.

However, most secretaries, like me, handled multiple lawyers.

So, if they covered everything from A to Z like a personal secretary, their work would become paralyzed.

‘Or become a company ghost like me.’

In my previous life, I thought that was the way to be recognized at the company.

So I gave up my life and foolishly did everything she asked.

I worked so much that I practically didn’t even receive half of my overtime pay.

‘Ha…’

However, it wasn’t time to fight with Hyun Ah-jin yet, and realistically, I lacked the strength to fight.

So, I just calmly took her down with words.

Hyun Ah-jin would probably pay the price for trying to pawn off work on me with a sleepless night today.

‘Actually, I had already done some of what I just mentioned.’

Yoon Yi-hoon was still a rookie, so he was clumsy with work and lacked common sense in work, but within the scope of what he had learned, he handed over work cleanly.

And at the very least, if he asked me to do something that wasn’t my job, or if I struggled because of his inexperience, he would at least feel sorry.

But Hyun Ah-jin is too malicious.

She just regarded me as a tool she could use whenever she wanted.

“She’s just like someone I know.”

Go Jong-tak probably never thought he was doing anything wrong either.

The more I think about it, the more it feels like a bitter reality.

“What are you thinking with such a serious expression?”

“Oh, Lawyer Yoon.”

The face of Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon suddenly appeared before me.

I stared at Yoon Yi-hoon with a surprised expression.

“Is it about the Eum case?”

“Oh, Lawyer. You know I’m working on the Eum case?”

“Of course. I’ll be working on it too.”

“Excuse me?”

“Lawyer Seo Il-hwa assigned me to support the Eum case.”

“You’re supporting Lawyer Ahn?”

“Yes.”

Of course, associates support cases.

Partners oversee the cases, and associates provide practical support.

That’s what an associate’s job usually is.

But there was another reason why I was surprised.

“Lawyer Ahn has an associate…”

Though it’s probably just for this case.

I looked up at Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon with curious eyes.

“Oh, it’s a bit much when you stare like that.”

“How was I looking at you?”

“Ahem, that’s a secret.”

Did I really glare at him? I was just surprised and curious, so I stared.

Confusion rushed into my mind.

“Ah, I can see what you’re thinking, Ms. Kim.”

“Excuse me?”

“Listen to what I’m about to say without misunderstanding.”

“Yes.”

“Have you ever been told you’re pretty?”

“Of course. I’ve heard it many times.”

Even if I look like this, I’m a secretary of 22 years, you know.

I understood Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon’s words at once.

“That’s a common compliment. It’s embarrassing to openly say someone works well, or it’s awkward and unnatural when you first meet them and work together. At times like that, to change the atmosphere…”

“Cough.”

Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon covered his mouth, suppressing a laugh.

Did I state the facts too bluntly? But it’s true that I work well…

Seeing my expression, Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon failed to hold back his laughter and burst out laughing.

“Hahahaha. Oh really, what am I going to do with you, Ms. Kim?”

“I didn’t show it that obviously, though.”

Honestly, should I pretend I don’t work well?

My heart was gradually becoming a little prickly.

‘How many steaming hot mistakes have I covered for him all this time?’

I practically raised the rookie Lawyer Yoon with all those late nights, darn it!

I couldn’t bring myself to shout that out.

“No, it shows. Be honest with me.”

“W-what…”

“Ms. Kim, you’re single and have never dated, aren’t you?”

“Gag.”

One of my most painful spots was pierced.

It was an unexpected rebellion from my late-night work comrade.

“No, I told you I didn’t mean it badly.”

“Lawyer Yoon, in my opinion, your intention was quite clear.”

“Ah, Min-woo, why are you doing this too?”

In the end, Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon bought dinner as an apology.

Guk Min-woo, who was about to leave work, casually joined us, suggesting we have dinner together.

It certainly wasn’t because our dinner menu was pork belly that he joined us.

“Lawyer, listen carefully.”

“Yes, Min-woo.”

“What would happen if you called a fool a fool?”

“They’d get angry. Calling a fool a fool openly. That’s crazy.”

“Then what if you call a fat person a pig?”

“Ah, seriously, that’s a bit much.”

“How do you think a bald person would feel if you said they were thinning?”

“Wow, that’s not human.”

A momentary silence flowed with Yoon Yi-hoon’s last words.

And immediately, a soju glass was pushed in front of me.

“I’m sorry, Yoo-hee. For asking if you’ve never dated.”

“That’s right, Lawyer Yoon, you were wrong.”

“…Min-woo is worse.”

What’s wrong with me being single?

Forgetting that I had to go back and work again, I emptied the soju glass in one go.

“Why me? I was just trying to ease your hurt feelings, Yoo-hee.”

“Just eat your meat.”

I stuffed pork belly into Guk Min-woo’s mouth.

Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon, watching the scene, slapped his knee and said,

“I’ll set you up on a blind date as an apology. If you’re Yoo-hee’s type, people would line up to date you.”

“It’s okay, Lawyer. I don’t have time for that.”

“Oh, why not? You said your late-night work partnership is over now.”

“No, are you saying that while seeing me working overtime even today?”

“That’s right. Don’t make Yoo-hee do anything like that.”

Guk Min-woo even put down the meat he was eating and subtly glared at Lawyer Yoon Yi-hoon.

“Min-woo, you just keep eating your meat.”

“…Got it.”

I thought the blind date conversation had ended there.

Without knowing that this would later bring an even bigger bomb.