CH 75

If Sehun won the case, he would only gain a slight profit and some recognition from having his name in the news, but Sehun already had enough of both. Yoonshin would have to persuade him with something that Sehun didn’t have, but he couldn’t put his finger on what Sehun wanted.

Yoonshin had a faint suspicion that Sehun wanted Yoonshin, but despite the flustering experience of sharing an indirect kiss through a tie, Sehun’s reaction was quite frosty.

“Don’t say a word to anyone. Got it?” Yoonshin recalled his sister’s warning, which made it feel riskier to express his concerns to Sehun without collateral. Knowing Sehun, he could always stand on Soohan’s side.

Defeated, Yoonshin closed the window and glanced at a certain book on his shelf. It was Great Expectations.

After watching Yoonshin’s trial, what did Sehun unearth from the quote that he used from the book?

The main character, Pip, was a laborer, but he inherits an inordinate fortune and changes his life by entering high society. In that process, he comes to understand what is truly important. Values, not gold, were the light of life.

Yoonshin flipped the book to a page where he stuck a sticky tab, and the beautiful prose of Dickens entered his field of vision.

“I am not aware…that to think of any person is to make a great claim upon that person, my dear. …Thinking is easy enough… What is easier, you know?”

This part reminded him of his own mind that circled back to Sehun all the time. After flipping toward the back, he found the page that he dog-eared because he thought it described Sehun perfectly.

“…I have a heart to be stabbed in or shot in, I have no doubt… But you know what I mean. I have no softness there, no – sympathy – sentiment – nonsense.”

“Yoonshin Do.”

What did Sehun want to tell him back when he called him out in his dashing voice?

Yoonshin closed the cover of the book and put it back in place. Leaning limply forward, he pressed his cheek against the desk protector to cool his cheek that started to burn up from the thought of the other man.

He glanced at his phone, but the palm-sized device did not ring.

* * *

After parking in front of the large front gates, Yoonshin opened the passenger door of the car. The woman carefully set foot on the ground and pressed the doorbell. She bid farewell to Yoonshin politely, “Thank you for driving me back. Take care on your way.”

Yoonshin wordlessly nodded at his date, who grinned shyly at him. He watched until she disappeared inside the gate of her house before he turned to the driver’s seat.

Then, the woman suddenly came back out and grabbed his sleeve. “Attorney Do, won’t you ask for a follow-up? Or were you going to ask me by phone?”

Surprised, Yoonshin took a moment before he said, “Oh, right. This was my first blind date.”

“I’ve had several already, so I’ll ask. Can we meet again sometime soon? I want to meet again before the year ends,” the woman asked.

“Actually, it hasn’t been that long since I entered Doguk. I’m a bit busy trying to learn the ropes these days. Could I let you know once I get a feel for my situation? I can’t give you an exact date right now.”

“Are you refusing my offer?”

“I figured that it’s better to approach cautiously rather than being unable to keep my promise. I’ll contact you for sure,” Yoonshin replied.

She seemed convinced as Yoonshin didn’t seem to be lying. After going back into her front door, she waved at Yoonshin. Yoonshin finally got in his car when she completely vanished from sight. Yoonshin’s face on the way back home was relieved of all tension.

He learned a lot of things today when he met the woman for the first time. Several months ago, the woman saw the article about Yoonshin defending a famous athlete, who was accused of murdering her husband. Yoonshin was told that she asked around to secure a meeting with the view for marriage, which surprised him.

She then happened to learn that her father’s mass media corporation was on good terms with Soohan Group. Plus, her family had a good impression of Yoonshin because Yoonshin’s father was a respectable figure in law.

Yoonshin knew well that one meeting wasn’t enough to make a judgment on a person’s character. Even so, he didn’t get a bad feeling from the other person, and they could talk easily with each other. He could also tell that she was greatly interested in him.

It was all good up to that point. The problem was that everything was going too smoothly. She said upfront that she wanted to get to know him slowly and hold the marriage when the time was right. However, Yoonshin felt encumbered because he couldn’t disassociate this situation with his sister. His brother-in-law was no longer an ally to Yoonshin.

Yoonshin hoped that he could put out the most pressing fire first, but it was one obstacle after another.