Chapter 35 – Geum Nae-yeong, Not Geum Rae-yeong

“Yeah, John. Thanks. Don’t feel pressured, just look into it. Lately, our industry also prefers going out to such promotional spots. Thanks.”

Click—

Having hung up, Noh Si-an brushed himself off and stood up. He was about to head out to a department store to buy clothes.

“It seems like becoming a director at a broadcasting station is really easy these days. Or maybe his father exerted some influence?

Seeing that even a loser like him can secure a director position. Since we went to the same school, let’s help each other out… The stupid guy is useful. Hahaha.”

At that time.

Geum Nae-yeong was sitting around the dining table at home with his parents.

Just a short while ago, the family of three lived in a semi-basement rented villa. But now, they were in a spacious apartment.

Although his parents said it still felt like a dream, their lives were definitely finding a more stable place step by step.

Sizzle—

On the stone plate placed in the middle of the table, meat made a sizzle sound as it grilled.

“Ugh. What, stir-fried pork again? No, are you crazy about stir-fried pork? Why do we eat stir-fried pork at home too when you run a restaurant?”

Geum Nae-yeong’s father frowned as he looked at the main menu for tonight’s dinner.

“Why? Our Nae-yeong said he wanted to eat it tonight. It’ll be delicious since I brought the marinated one from the shop. If you hate it that much, you just eat the side dishes.”

Without even looking at her husband who was pouting, his mother smiled coyly only at Geum Nae-yeong. Then, she shook the water off the lettuce and placed it in her son’s hand.

“Wrap it in lettuce and eat it, my son.”

While Geum Nae-yeong was eating, his father spoke to him.

“I heard you went to your mother’s shop with your colleagues? Ah, why go when you’re busy.”

“They said mother’s stir-fried pork is delicious and that they would go for lunch. And… because it’s stir-fried pork.”

“Is that so? You didn’t take their money, right?”

When his father asked, his mother answered first.

“Sigh, don’t even mention it. You don’t know how kind the employees are. I persistently refused to accept it, but they said even acquaintances must pay and eat when opening a business for it to do well, and they left cash.

I felt even more sorry instead. I was so busy that I could only serve egg rolls.”

“Ah, really? They are truly good people. Tell them to just come and eat next time, Nae-yeong.”

“Why? If they ate, they should pay.”

“Nae-yeong, that’s just how human life is. Even if you don’t understand, it’s about giving and taking like that. Harmoniously, telepathically. Praising each other and looking at each other’s strengths.”

“Hmm… yes, I’ll think about it.”

His mother gently pushed the ham side dish in front of Geum Nae-yeong and asked his father.

“Then, when will you start coming out?”

“It’s over after I finish this wallpapering job. I have to do this since I’ve traded with President Park for a long time. Still, thanks to that gentleman, we sent Nae-yeong to college.”

“Sigh, but you did it without even making a profit all this time. At that rate, you’ve paid back all the debt you owed…”

“No matter what, if you receive help from others, you should know how to repay it. Thanks to that, I was able to support the family with just my paste-applying skill, so I have to do what I have to do.”

Geum Nae-yeong, who was quietly listening to his father, asked.

“Then are you going to start coming to the shop after this job?”

“Yeah, I have to. Since it’s hard for your mother to do it all by herself.”

They exchanged various stories after that as well, and Geum Nae-yeong’s family finished dinner.

***

“You may sit here.”

Geum Nae-yeong entered the dressing room of the broadcasting station to prepare for the live broadcast.

It was just when the makeup artist began to apply base makeup to his face.

Creak—

The door opened and Noh Si-an walked in.

As if boasting his presence, he offered greetings with a bright smile to the people in the dressing room.

“Hello! I am Lawyer Noh Si-an.”

Snap.

As he snapped his fingers with a wide smile, the two associate lawyers from Law Firm Gankyeok standing behind him set down coffee and donut boxes they held in both hands on the table.

“Please have some of this. Since I heard there’s no separate catering here, I brought some Starbucks coffee and donuts.

There seem to be many women among the staff, so I brought a variety of lattes as well. Please feel free to eat.”

Noh Si-an patted the shoulders of the associate lawyers in a friendly manner with a bright smile.

“Attorney Park, Attorney Kim! Thank you so much. I borrowed your hands for no reason.”

“Not at all, Attorney. It’s my first time in a broadcasting station too, so it’s fascinating.”

“Good. Next time, remember? We decided to gather our crew for a yacht party.”

“Yes! Then we will be on our way.”

The two lawyers left the dressing room laughing. As soon as the door closed, Noh Si-an’s eyes changed.

He immediately began to scan the dressing room.

His eyes flashed as if he did not want to miss even a single facial expression, tone of voice, or hand gesture of the people.

The back of a man receiving makeup with his back turned on one side of the dressing room.

‘…Is it this guy?’

Noh Si-an glanced at the man through the mirror.

Even sitting, he looked about 180 centimeters tall. The bridge of his nose was high, and his face was small.

His skin was very fair, but on the contrary, his eyes were expressionless and cold.

‘Anyone would say he’s handsome. Aha… Is he the type to show off relying on his face?’

However, something was a little different.

‘Hmm… He seems slightly different from the guys I knew who cosplayed as eccentrics?’

However, Geum Nae-yeong was too absorbed in deep thought to notice his gaze at all, and Noh Si-an kept observing him, looking for gaps as he always did.

At that moment.

“Oh, Attorney Noh? Hello. I am Yoo Myeong-ho, PD of Smoking Trigger.”

“Ah, hello.”

Noh Si-an smiled brightly and offered a handshake to the PD.

“I’ve heard a lot from Director John. You’re really skilled, PD Yoo.”

“Haha. Do you mean Director Lee Jun-hyeong? He will be here soon. Rather, I should be the one to thank you.

Since experts like you are joining us, the viewers will also like it.

Oh, by the way. You haven’t greeted each other yet, have you? This is Lawyer Geum Nae-yeong.”

‘Are they talking about me?’

Hearing his name, Geum Nae-yeong spun his chair around and stood up.

Geum Nae-yeong looked straight at Noh Si-an. Clear but emotionless eyes that reflected the opponent exactly.

A brief silence hung in the air.

‘He’s not ordinary… Pretty good, huh? Even so, I’m not the type to lose in a battle of nerves.’

Noh Si-an took out a business card case from the inside of his clothes and strode over.

“Ah, you are that famous Lawyer Geum Nae-yeong. Nice to meet you.”

Extend.

He handed over his card and spoke clearly.

“I am Noh Si-an of Law Firm Gankyeok.”

Geum Nae-yeong also immediately took out his own card and handed it over.

“Yes, I am Geum Nae-yeong of Law Office Teum. Nice to meet you.”

“Wow, seeing you in person, your aura is quite impressive? Hahahaha.

I look forward to working with you today. I really wanted to meet you once.”

“……..”

“You are famous as our law firm killer, so it’s a bit embarrassing to say this… But I’ve watched all the broadcasts you appeared in. Should I say I’ve become a complete fan? Hahaha.”

“…Yes. Is that so.”

Geum Nae-yeong slid Noh Si-an’s card into his jacket pocket and replied flatly.

At that moment, the corner of Noh Si-an’s mouth twitched very slightly.

It was a sneer.

‘What… the bastard is stiff. Is he pretending to be smart? Should I probe him a bit more…?’

“You graduated from Hankuk University Law School, right? Haha, actually, I also planned to go there, but since my father is a professor at Yeonje University, I ended up choosing Yeonje University Law School. Otherwise, I might have been classmates with you, Lawyer Geum?

Oh, and isn’t there that famous vegan restaurant ‘Sanchae’ in front of Hankuk University? You have no idea how much I liked that place.

I even went all the way there to eat while attending Yeonje Law School.

If I hadn’t done my master’s in the US right after taking the bar exam, we would have met somewhere in this field… Haha. Maybe that’s why I feel a sense of familiarity.”

To Noh Si-an’s endless talk, Geum Nae-yeong replied briefly. It was a calm tone.

“I don’t feel it at all.”

“…Yes?”

“Familiarity. I don’t feel it at all. We have no common denominator.

With my LEET scores and undergraduate GPA, I didn’t need to go to Yeonje University. Because my scores were enough to go to Hankuk University.

And my father is not a professor at Yeonje University, but even if he were, I would have no reason to choose Yeonje University. Because regardless of my father, my scores were high enough to get into Hankuk University.”

“Ah? Yes?? Hahahahaha. Yes. Well… it’s just about getting closer. Let’s talk again after the broadcast.”

“And, that restaurant. It went out of business during my undergraduate years.”

“Yes?”

“Even if we attended law school together, we wouldn’t have met at that restaurant. It wasn’t a vegan restaurant either.”

“Ah? Haha. I must have mistaken the restaurant. Well.”

Noh Si-an smiled on the outside but cursed Geum Nae-yeong on the inside when Geum Nae-yeong ruthlessly deflected his social mask.

‘What is this bastard? Pretending to be a genius and having pride in Hankuk University. Extremely annoying.’

That was how the first meeting between the two ended.

After Geum Nae-yeong moved to the waiting room, a moment later, Noh Si-an sat on the makeup chair.

At that time, the writer of Smoking Trigger opened the door and approached. She was holding something in her hand.

“Oh, hello. You are Lawyer Noh, right? This is the revised script. One copy is for Lawyer Noh Si-an to see…”

“But have you seen Lawyer Geum Nae-yeong? The script has been revised quite a bit and I need to deliver it…”

“…It seems he went to the bathroom for a moment. Give it to me. I will deliver it to him.”

“Ah… would that be okay?”

“Of course! Hahaha. Don’t worry about it at all.”

Noh Si-an scanned the revised script handed over by the writer. A significant portion was marked with ‘Revised’.

“What? A big catch already?”

Then, he casually slipped Geum Nae-yeong’s script into his bag.

***

“Now, entering standby. Commercials are running. Studio, get ready!”

The final check continued in the control room.

The studio was set up with a round table.

Comedian Park Kyeong-gu, Geum Nae-yeong, Psychologist Oh In-uk, Video Analyst Kim Woo-jin, and finally, Noh Si-an who joined them.

Comedian Park Kyeong-gu, who sat right next to him, smiled brightly and spoke.

“Ah, Lawyer Geum Rae-yeong! I saw you when you appeared on the quiz program. Haha, you look good on screen, but your face is really handsome.”

“Yes. Hello, but it’s Geum Nae-yeong, not Geum Rae-yeong.”

“Ah, Rae… no, Nae! Okay, let’s do well today. Hey, let’s finish quickly and go grab a drink. Haha.”

Once greetings were finished, as if only then looking through the script, he flipped through the pages and muttered to himself.

“One, two, three… Cue!”

“Hello, everyone! We greet you with the Chuseok Special . I am your host, Jeon Jae-mu.”

As the broadcast began, the main camera showed all the participants.

‘Angle is good. Let’s start with introducing the participants today.’

The PD’s voice continued through the intercom.

“Today we will deal with unsolved cases and look for new clues together with experts.

First, from the left, Lawyer Noh Si-an… and Video Analyst Kim Woo-jin… followed by Lawyer Geum Nae-yeong.”

When Geum Nae-yeong was introduced, the camera caught him in a full shot.

‘He definitely looks good on screen.’

The camera director muttered.

“Now, then, let us open today’s unsolved case file.”

Swish— swish—

While the announcer’s narration flowed, Geum Nae-yeong felt a slight sense of incompatibility as he flipped through the script.

He had clearly pointed out the awkward grammatical parts in the script he received in advance, but it was unchanged on the broadcast, and some of the host’s lines were different.

‘Something… is different?’