CH 51

Yoonshin let out a deep sigh, and in place of the air that left, useless thoughts started to flood in. He stared at the screen, eyes brimming with apprehension. He couldn’t imagine how such crippling information could be obtained in such a short time. The one thing he was sure of was that it wasn’t the work of one person.

Sehun always held the reins to these kinds of things—things that could completely bury one person alive.

‘My brother-in-law probably has more flaws than this,’ Yoonshin thought.

Soohan Group wasn’t the most transparent with their business operations. He could intuit that Soohan Holdings, which his brother-in-law operated, was the same. Yoonshin recalled that was partly why the adults of that family were so assertive and open to becoming in-laws with Yoonshin’s father, who had a clean public image.

His father wasn’t blind to these circumstances. He retired from all his public positions after his sister’s marriage and threw himself into social justice cases at Jaeya. He probably thought that if his social influence diminished whilst his in-laws were benefiting from it, it would ultimately be a detriment to everyone.

After his sister’s last visit to his apartment a few days ago, he heard nothing from her. Yoonshin wasn’t brave enough to leave a message either. He wanted to find a way to overcome this obstacle together. The desire to help her was brimming, but that was all.

As Sehun once said, Yoonshin was good at knowing his place. He knew that if he jumped in recklessly with determination as his only saving grace, he could make his sister’s situation worse, so he couldn’t bring himself to do anything. Maybe he could find a way if he learned about the situation in detail, but given how defensive Ikyung was, it didn’t seem like she would ever tell him the particulars.

‘She should have still told me what exactly is going on.’  Yoonshin felt nauseated because there was nothing he could do for now. The feeling of defeat tangled with another uncomfortable feeling. He felt even more unsettled when he recalled Ikyung’s messed-up face.

His sister said that it would be a long fight, so there was no other way than to get a sense of the flow of the situation. For the time being, he had to work to survive at this firm.

That was one step in protecting her and himself.

* * *

Yoonshin stepped out of the break room and stood in front of the window facing the outside.

The three in the morning view was dark. It was the darkest time before it grew brighter, so it felt a bit more haunting than other hours of the night. It was quite ominous to see the earth’s atmosphere stained in such a dark color. Yoonshin felt more chilled since half the offices on his floor were unoccupied.

The skyscrapers in the view had handfuls of lights, glimmering much like this firm’s building. He wondered why everyone was working so hard. He also wanted to know what in the world he was doing, standing here. This was the first time in his life that his situation felt so delicate and precarious.

Not only did he not come here despite his wishes, but he also felt bewildered when he learned that he came here upon his sister’s decision to protect him from being harmed by her husband of 10 years.

‘Is there no possibility that Sehun Kang knew everything about this situation? What if he took me in despite knowing?’

Sehun was on nobody’s side until the client formally signed a retainer agreement. To phrase it a different way, he could become anyone’s ally at any time. And most of the time—no, 100% of the time—he was on the stronger side.

Yoonshin shook his head at the very unlikely possibility and returned to his office. He kept having useless thoughts. Perhaps it would be better for him to drop by his home for some shut-eye. He blinked his gritty eyes as he picked up his jacket and bag from his room when he saw Sehun’s office with its lights off from across the hallway.

The secretary’s office was  empty. Nobody was watching.

At that moment, he remembered the time when Sehun gave him the “dangerous” documents and told him not to ask for the source. Unable to ignore this opportunity, he seized the chance and started to make his way to the partner’s room.

Yoonshin was overcome by the thought that it was now or never. He knew that he was about to do something bad, but he also thought this was the best he could do since Sehun would never tell him the truth. Even if the partner’s words were the law and Yoonshin had to blindly follow it, he couldn’t turn a blind eye without knowing about the weapon that he would use for his client. It was only right that he went as far as he could go.

‘I’m so sorry. I really am. I’m really, really sorry.’ He apologized three times in his heart. He turned the handle of Sehun’s office and carefully went inside.

He flinched at the chilly air that surrounded him in the darkened room. He rubbed his face with one hand and looked around.

He turned on his phone’s flashlight and saw the array of certificates of Sehun’s qualifications on the wall. Next to them was a coat hanger that was around Sehun’s eye level, and from it hung several spare suits and ties covered with stiff plastic.

Past the wall, Yoonshin saw Sehun’s bookshelf. He was overcome with a strange sense of loneliness. Other lawyers had their family photos or other personal effects to decorate their room, but Sehun had none of that. Everything was all work-related. The only thing that was out of place was Great Expectations on the bookshelf.