No Moral

Sehun answered coldly. He left the room, seeing no reason to continue the conversation.

Left alone in her office, Mihee shook her head in defeat.

* * *

Yoonshin was led to Sehun’s office by a secretary and warily took a seat on Sehun’s office couch. Yoonshin shot the secretary a grateful look and the other man smiled back before quietly slipping out of the office.

Now alone, he could finally observe his surroundings.

Sehun’s office was more spacious and comfortable than other partners’ offices that he had seen so far. However, Yoonshin strangely felt more at ease in his previous humble office.

He couldn’t fathom what his sister was thinking. “Why Sehun Kang of all people?” he asked out loud.

He recalled his favorite Hasidic saying: “Be the master of your will and the slave of your conscience.”

Sehun was the type of person who abided by the first half of the proverb but completely ignored the latter half. Although this was the first time they met in a formal setting, Yoonshin had heard a tedious number of rumors about Sehun as a senior at law school. Tales of his deeds were practically urban legends.

They said that Sehun was a snake in a suit or trash who did anything for victory.

The most important addendum was that he always won.

Sometimes, his methods were reasonable, while other times they were low. Basically, Sehun would use any method. Receiving intel about corruption was his hobby, and using it to his advantage was his specialty. The most widespread rumor that Yoonshin heard was that, whether it be witnesses, lawyers, prosecutors, or corporation employees, he would dig out their weaknesses and blithely blackmail the other party. Surprisingly, most of Sehun’s juniors reproached him, yet they wished to become like him. Yoonshin was part of the minority who decided to hold off their judgment about Sehun.

Yoonshin had no idea that he, a part of the minority, would be sitting here and waiting for Sehun.

From what Attorney Song had told him, his sister strongly requested that Sehun take care of Yoonshin. Of course, there were things that Yoonshin could learn from the other man. But as two polar opposites, he doubted they would be able to tolerate each other for long. As luck would have it, he was warned by the other not to get in his way, so he couldn’t help but feel uneasy as to how this unfortunate encounter would advance.

His mind in turmoil, he sat nervously as he looked around. A book lying on Sehun’s desk caught his eyes.

It was Charles d*ckens’s Great Expectations.

‘Is it because of me?’ Yoonshin slowly started getting up to walk over to the desk, but the door burst open and the wild beast that he was waiting for came in. His eyes were cold today, as always. Yoonshin stood up and bowed deeply. “Hello, I’m Junior Associate Yoonshin Do.”

The other walked over, perched on his desk, and observed Yoonshin. He flicked his head, gesturing for Yoonshin to take a seat on the couch, and when he did so, the other wordlessly stared down at Yoonshin. Yoonshin tried to hide his mild panic and locked eyes with the other. Then, the other’s pigmented lips slowly and languidly opened. “We keep seeing each other.”

Sehun spoke in a more relaxed tone. Yoonshin intuitively felt the difference in power and how small he was in comparison. “I apologize for not being able to fulfill your wish of not meeting professionally.”

“Already set on not losing a single word. The road ahead looks bleak.”

“Sorr—”

“No need. I’ll ask you a few questions first. This situation, is there a reasonable cause for it?”

Sehun thought that the reason Yoonshin was placed in his team instead of one of Doguk’s numerous departments was quite suspicious, questionable, and fishy—this all showed in Sehun’s well-shaped eyebrows. 

Yoonshin calmly chose his words. “I don’t think you would find it reasonable.”

“I won’t? Why not?”

“It wasn’t either of our intentions; rather, this was at the will of my sister, a third party. I was told that my sister strongly recommended that I work here with you. And unfortunately, I am an obedient younger sibling. This is the full extent of my knowledge,” Yoonshin replied briskly.

Sehun made a complicated face. “Your sister was involved in it, yet you’re showing me all your cards. Your statement has too many weak spots. Even if you weren’t a good fit for Doguk, I thought you would be quite useful, but I changed my mind. You’re disqualified.”

“I can adjust my tempo and flow according to the need.”

“And you don’t have a joker in the deck?”

“I will let you know if I find one.”

Yoonshin’s seemingly kind and gentle eyes looked directly at Sehun. Just like his upright attitude, his eyes were clear. Instead of simply telling Sehun to trust him, he sent Sehun a respectful look with eyes that reflected his candidness.

Their gazes intersected, and as if planned in advance, both of them closed their lips.

A silence fell over the room.

At that very moment, Yoonshin felt the ever-present cold atmosphere about Sehun flicker. As if confirming this hunch, the other, who was steadfastly sitting on his desk, changed his posture. He crossed his arms and leaned askew on the desk, then he stared intently at Yoonshin, whose eyelids were studded with thick eyelashes.