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Chapter 1 - Unforeseen Meeting (1)
As Sehun walked toward the elevator, he could hear the whispers.
“Isn’t that Attorney Sehun Kang from Doguk? Is he related to this case?”
“What’s he up to? Why’s he here?”
“Is there anyone who got a good shot of him entering the building? A full-body one.”
Upon discovering Sehun, the flock of reporters camping outside the courtroom murmured amongst themselves as they started to gather around his lean body.
For large-scale law firms, their main source of income was from giving legal advice to corporate dealings rather than from litigations in civil suits. Within corporate dealings, the two most prominent areas of consultation that came with high retainer fees were financial and corporate law, but these two areas were different in substance. The former needed strong an*lytical thinking while the latter required flexibility in thought. Sehun was exceptional at processing both areas of law. Furthermore, he was adept at various kinds of litigation. He minimized his exposure to the media, but it was a given that reporters who frequented the courts knew him.
Standing nearby, Sehun’s chauffeur approached Sehun, who was crowded by people. However, Sehun put up a hand signaling the other to wait and listened to the onslaught of questions pouring out from the reporters.
“Aren’t you Doguk’s Sehun Kang? If I remember correctly, you don’t take on average criminal cases. What brought you here today?”
“This is because you acknowledge that the press is bad for the recent corporate restructuring case, correct? To my knowledge, the displaced workers gathered to protest against the company and Doguk, denouncing your actions!”
“If that’s not the case, are you pa*sing the hot potato onto the current interest of the media? If it is, please tell us if this was discussed in advance with the defense counsel!”
Sehun’s eye-catching looks and acrimonious parlance were the perfect prey for the media. When needed, he gladly tossed food for the vultures. However, today was not such a day.
Sehun, who had patiently listened, waved his hand elegantly requesting silence, then spoke with gravitas, “I’ll get straight to the point. The reason I visited this courthouse was for personal reasons. I did not come here officially on behalf of Doguk. If I come across any speculative articles released, I will have no choice but to pursue legal action against you. That is all. I have no further comments, so please, step aside.”
After his brief answer, he gestured for his driver to come over. The man came and opened a path among the field of people. Sehun walked by the reporters and stood in front of the elevator.
Finally, the double-doored elevator opened and the two boarded the lift.
“Mr. Kang, are you leaving like this?”
“Say something, Mr. Kang!”
He ignored the desperate calls for him and personally pressed the close button.
Zing. As soon as the doors closed, his poker face collapsed in annoyance. Sehun hated the interest others had in him. In addition, he abhorred the loud voices that provided no benefit to him and pierced his eardrums. Unfortunately, he was plagued with the general majority, contrary to his will.
“Can’t people tune down their vocal frequencies to match Yoonshin Do?” Sehun said.
At his random remark, the driver who was covertly checking on Sehun flinched and replied, “Sorry?”
“Hah. I don’t know what I’m talking about. It’s nothing. Let’s go down quietly.”
“Yes, sir.”
He shouldn’t have come here.
Sehun, who was peering at the elevator panel, frowned in irritation.
Act 01
Screech.
The vehicle carrying Yoonshin stopped at a shared basement parking garage of a multi-purpose mixed residential and commercial building complex near the law firm district in Seocho-dong. The garage was densely packed with expensive sedans and supercars.
The entrance leading to the hallway exclusive to the parking lot was fashioned like an art gallery entrance with grandiose patterns decorating the surface. Past the entrance was an extravagant hall reminiscent of a festive Christmas lobby in a renowned hotel. To exaggerate slightly, from the very entrance of the building to the neighborhood park at the back, it seemed like a small, standalone kingdom.
This apartment, lavish even at first glance, was a company residence that belonged to the law firm Doguk.
Doguk employed around four hundred lawyers, one hundred patent attorneys, and other personnel required to maintain intellectual property rights for a total of nearly one thousand full-time professional staff.
If any of their professional personnel wished, they could reside at a unit in the residences, a*signed according to their position in the firm. For welfare purposes, the employee’s family was allowed, so the three buildings in the residential complex were almost completely filled by over one thousand households. Apparently, Sehun Kang lived in Building A on the “Royal Floor,” which had the largest square footage. Yoonshin also moved in recently to this complex.
Yoonshin started to gather the files that were placed in his backseat but paused to pick up and look at his resume.
“Is this really all right? I’ve never gotten a job from my connections before…” he thought.
A few weeks ago, Yoonshin was contacted by his elder sister.
The siblings’ relationship was quite close. Their father raised the two children by himself and his significantly older sister, Ikyung, practically raised Yoonshin like her son. After their father pa*sed away, they were left alone in the world and naturally depended on each other. They were unable to meet frequently after Ikyung got married, but one of the things that Yoonshin was determined to follow was his sister’s words.
So, when she asked him to submit a resume to Doguk, he was quite taken aback—even more so when she told him that his spot was already made and announced that all he had to do was walk in. This was quite unprecedented since she had never ordered him to do this or that before.
‘So that was why Mr. Kang came to watch my trial with Senior Attorney Song,’ Yoonshin thought. His sister wanted Yoonshin to find a financially stable job instead of working all day and night for very little gain. She advised him that if he had experience at Doguk, he would be able to carry more credibility in court. He could feel her fondness and worry for her lonesome brother.