Chapter 60 - Awareness - WordExcerpt

Yoonshin hesitated—he couldn’t bring himself to say the rest of his thoughts out loud. Sehun, who was about to leave completely, turned around. As if to connect the time that was dragging on, he said in his low but steady voice. “Are you practicing your right to silence? Just say whatever you want to say.”

“Well…”

“What?”

“It’s nothing. Please go ahead.”

Sehun frowned in irritation at the lackluster answer. Yoonshin felt like he could hear the other’s retort despite not leaving his mouth. He protested anyways, “Is using a few seconds on me that much of a waste to you?”

“Yeah, it is. It’s more of a waste on you than anything else.”

“Oh, of course, I’m so very sorry.”

“Let’s see how much longer you can be that cocky.” As Sehun shook his head, he turned to leave but then stopped without being called this time. He looked like he was analyzing something in his head briefly, then he gave Yoonshin quite the shocking offer. “From now on, you’ll be working on all my cases with me. Get briefed on all my files from Secretary Tak, and going forward, go to the meetings for the cases I assign to you. Before that, I’m in charge of a trial for a case, so sit in on that first. Of course, that’s if you’re willing.”

Yoonshin brightened up, hugged his book tightly, and nodded enthusiastically. Then, he suddenly recalled what Mihee told him and asked, “Is it an appeal case? I heard you like those.”

Sehun frowned, questioning what Yoonshin meant. “No, it’s the first trial.”

“How many cases do you take on at once? Your body won’t last.”

“I take enough to last. It’s a simple corporate trial that I took as a bit of a service to an old client.”

“Simple or not, I’ll go even if there’s a natural disaster.”

“How resolute. If there’s a natural disaster, the judge can’t come, so just stay put in your house.” Sehun clicked his tongue and completely turned around. The doors opened and closed, and Sehun, who exuded the heavy atmosphere of a conqueror, vanished like seafoam. Now left alone, Yoonshin staggered and flumped down wherever he could sit.

Sehun was cold-hearted yet kind. Yoonshin felt like this antipodal description was difficult for others to understand, but it was true. As Yoonshin thought about what Sehun said, he slowly raised his left hand. He touched his eyelids. He imagined it was the other’s soft touch and unconsciously brought his fingertips down and rubbed his lips.

His fingers met his lips like a kiss. Yoonshin’s heart leaped, and he felt himself coming back to his senses.

He coughed, choking on air. His entire face grew as red as a tomato. To further confirm that, his entire face felt extremely hot.

‘Why did I do that?’ He wanted to deny what had happened, but he had to admit that he was feeling sexual attraction. There was no other explanation. If Sehun ever found out, Yoonshin felt like he wouldn’t be able to leave in one piece. After all, Sehun was someone who was okay if he did something, but he was intolerant when others did the same thing.

Like a retreating soldier, Yoonshin jumped up and ran out of the room, unable to collect the mess that he was.

The door slammed loudly, closing firmly.

Act 09

Sehun’s case was a corporate lawsuit. It was a claim against an officer of the company for the compensation of damages. Sehun represented the plaintiff corporation which took action against one of its officers who went against the articles of incorporation. Next to Sehun was the managing director, who was elected as the representative by the general meeting of employees, per the Commercial Act.

In the center of the court, the chief justice gestured at the bailiff. The bailiff called the witness a few times, and a man took the witness stand. While that happened, the defendant’s lawyer glanced at Sehun, who was preparing his documents, before averting his gaze when their eyes met.

Yoonshin and Secretary Tak were observing from the gallery.

When they first met, it was the opposite—now, Yoonshin had Sehun’s permission to watch his trial. He was amazed at how much things had changed.

The first trial of Sehun that Yoonshin watched was like treading on thin ice. It was slippery, and the air was frigid. It felt like the lawyers were duking it out in the middle of a blizzard with little visibility. Sehun dealt the first blow.

“Plaintiff’s counsel, proceed with your examination.” As soon as the judge permitted, Sehun stood before the witness, wearing his three-piece suit. His eyes were so cold that they looked oppressive as he stared directly at the man on the witness stand.

When the tall man with a sharp expression stood in the center of the court, the eyes and attention of the entire room naturally focused on Sehun. His well-formed lips parted and all the people in the court watched him. “Have you heard about the Commercial Act, Article 399, paragraph 1?”

The man, who was watching Sehun cautiously, nodded. “Yes.”

“If a corporation’s directors violate the act or go against their articles of incorporation when they neglect to perform their duties, they are jointly and severally liable for damages to the company. Do you recognize this paragraph?”

“Yes.”

“Where did you hear of Article 399 of the Commercial Act most recently?”

“See, I already knew about this legislation since it’s common knowledge among executive officers of any company.”

“I asked where you most recently heard this being said.”