Chapter 39 – Never Received Anything Like This in My Life

It was just past 11:00 AM.

A man dressed in a fine suit came up to the third floor.

Information desk employee Lim Seon-hee greeted him.

The man bowed politely with a disciplined attitude that was natural to him.

“Is Mr. Geum Nae-yeong here by any chance?”

“M… Mr.? Yes. Lawyer Geum Nae-yeong is here.”

A gold badge shone on the man’s suit lapel, and a luxurious metal nameplate reading ‘F&B Manager’ flashed in front of his pocket square.

As he gestured slightly with his head, several employees wearing hotel uniforms entered in a line, holding well-packaged boxes in both hands.

“Our hotel GM prepared lunch boxes for you to eat for lunch. We prepared plenty of them, so it should be enough for the entire staff to eat together. Where should we put them?”

“Pardon…? Ah… one moment please.”

Lim Seon-hee hesitated for a moment and then hurriedly guided the people to the lounge.

The eyes of the employees, who saw the hotel staff entering the lounge in a line, widened on their own.

At that time, the hotel manager was exchanging greetings with Lawyer Geum Nae-yeong.

“GM Shim Tae-yun told me that the staff prefers eating comfortably in the office.

So we brought the best Korean lunch boxes prepared with care by our hotel chef. We would appreciate it if you would enjoy eating them.”

Geum Nae-yeong tilted his head expressionlessly, then nodded slowly.

“Yes. Thank you. But by any chance, is stir-fried pork included in the side dishes?”

“Yes… st… stir-fried pork? Since it’s a Korean lunch box, it will probably contain Hanwoo ribs and grilled short rib patties.”

At those words, Geum Nae-yeong nodded once more.

“Hmm… I see. Understood. I will greet the GM separately. Thank you.”

A moment later, the staff of Law Office Teum sat around with expectant faces and began lunch.

Click! Swish—

All at once, the lunch box lids were opened and the employees tore off the lunch box wraps.

“Wait… what is this. I’ve never received anything like this in my life.”

Director Kim Mi-yeong, who was looking inside the lunch box, widened her eyes.

“The hotel logo is even stamped right on the chopsticks. Grilled short rib patties, glass noodles, five kinds of pancakes… It’s luxurious. This is Hanwoo ribs, right?”

Deputy Kim tasted a bite and marveled.

“It’s really delicious.”

Office Manager Yeom nodded as he stuffed beef wraps into his mouth, chewing away.

“We are really having a luxury day today. If it’s that top-class hotel, isn’t it cooked by a really great chef?”

“By the way, Lawyer, didn’t you say you have no friends? Yet he sends such a high-end lunch box? At this level, aren’t you best friends?”

To Cha Ra-ri’s words, Geum Nae-yeong replied expressionlessly.

“Not a friend, but a client. A legal counsel client.”

“But didn’t you graduate from the same high school?”

“Yes. That is correct. I was first in the school, and in between us, a very large gap. And that friend was second in the school… like this.”

Geum Nae-yeong opened both hands and spread his arms to the left and right to show the gap.

Office Manager Ju Yong-hae spoke excitedly.

“Why, can just anyone get second place in the school? I’ve never even ranked in the school top tier.

Anyway, thank you. Thanks to the lawyer, we are eating such a high-end lunch box. If it’s a hotel lunch box, it would be tens of thousands of won, right?”

“Originally, he invited us to a buffet for lunch, but when I said the staff prefers eating in the office, he sent lunch boxes like this.”

Everyone spoke in unison.

“Eh? Lawyer?!”

“Where in the world is a person who hates a hotel buffet? Even so, this is the 5-star InterKontinental, a really famous place.”

Cha Ra-ri said in surprise.

“Is that so? Since everyone was gathering here and eating happily.”

“Well, here is fine too, but… next time, please never, ever reject such an offer. Got it? Haha.”

Office Manager Yeom added as he smiled slyly.

Having finished the feast for lunch, the employees scattered to their respective spots.

Office Manager Yeom and Ju Yong-hae exchanged meaningful glances with each other.

“Brother Ju, care for a post-meal smoke?”

“Sounds good.”

“Kyah~ The hotel lunch box leaves a great aftertaste too. It’s clean somehow, haha!”

They quietly moved their steps to the smoking area behind the building, exchanging stories.

At that time. A van slid to a stop in front of the front gate of Teum Law Office.

“This is the place, right?”

Slide—

The van door opened and men got out.

Two men with sharp eyes got out first, and soon, three men wearing black jumpers got out holding heavy bags with something inside in both hands.

“Pack all the equipment. Because we’re going to use it right away.”

On their backs, white letters were clearly printed.

[KCSI Scientific Investigation]

“Uh… what brings you here?”

As the men suddenly barged in, the information desk employee Lim Seon-hee flinched and spoke falteringly.

A man with short athletic hair took out his ID from his bosom and presented it.

“We are from the Seobu Police Station. We request your cooperation.”

The word ‘Police’ was clearly printed on the ID shown by the man.

Lim Seon-hee’s voice shook.

“Ah… well… what is this regarding? This is a lawyer’s office…”

The man in the front row glanced back and said.

“Here, Geum… wait, what was the name? Look at the document.”

The man behind set down the bag, took out a white sheet of paper, and unfolded it. He read the name written on the paper clearly.

“Geum Nae-yeong. Lawyer Geum Nae-yeong.”

“Ah, right. Lawyer Geum Nae-yeong. Where is the office?”

“Yes… He is on the third floor.”

Lim Seon-hee felt embarrassment at the unusual energy of the men.

‘No, what on earth is today… Who are these people…’

As they headed toward the elevator expressionlessly, Lim Seon-hee hurriedly took out her cell phone.

Tap. Tap.

She opened the firm’s staff group chat. In her haste, Lim Seon-hee’s hand trembled on its own.

[Lim Seon-hee]

Guys. I don’t know what it is, but I think we’re in big trouble. The police are looking for Lawyer Geum. It’s not just one or two, but five of them barged in together. Holding a bunch of things in their hands. The atmosphere is unusual, what should we do?

[Kim Dae-rin]

What? Lawyer Geum? Why would the police look for the lawyer?

[Lim Seon-hee]

I don’t know… It’s not a common thing for the police to barge into a lawyer’s office like this, is it?

But they came completely confidently. Their eyes are sharp too. They even took out the paper earlier and checked the name. They just got on the elevator!

[Jo Mun-chae]

What? Could that by any chance be… a summons or an arrest warrant?

[Lim Seon-hee]

Yes? Is there such a thing?

Completely unaware of the active group chat content.

Office Manager Ju Yong-hae was sharing a cigarette with Office Manager Yeom behind the building, having small talks.

“Ah… I should quit smoking…”

“Life is boring enough as it is, and if you quit even this, there’s no fun in living.”

“But by any chance, Office Manager Yeom, you don’t watch baseball much lately, do you? You used to like it so much.”

“Baseball? Eh…”

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“Telling you will only raise my blood pressure… I don’t know if I can even see them win before I die. Since they lose consecutively like having meals… it makes me so angry I can’t watch. I’m telling you, it’s better if I play myself.”

“Hahaha. At that age? But if you don’t watch baseball, what will you do this weekend?”

“Weekend? The weather right now is perfect for fishing. The wind is also really calm.”

“If there is no wind, it’s good because there is no wind, when it rains, it’s good because it rains, when it’s cool, it’s good because it’s cool. Then when is it ever bad? Hahaha.”

“Now is exactly the season for webfoot octopus and cuttlefish. You just drop the fishing line, right? They stick right to it. I found a cheap boat rental place lately, let’s go together, Brother Ju.”

“Webfoot octopus…”

“Catching webfoot octopus. Putting it straight into ramen on the boat and slurping. Kyah!”

While Office Manager Yeom was quite excited about the fishing story, Ju Yong-hae casually raised his phone to check the time.

At that moment, the group chat message that popped up on the home screen notification window caught his eyes.

[Could that be an arrest warrant?]

Ju Yong-hae’s heart sank.

“W… what?? An arrest warrant?”

The tip of the cigarette in his mouth trembled, and the ash fell with a plop. Although the hot cigarette ash fell on his arm, Ju Yong-hae didn’t even notice the heat.

His hands began to shake in surprise.

Ju Yong-hae shoved his feet tightly into the slippers he was wearing loosely. And immediately, he ran into the building as if throwing himself in.

“Wait, Brother Ju! Why are you suddenly like that?”

The bewildered Office Manager Yeom shouted from behind, but Ju Yong-hae was already gone.

Tap, tap, tap, tap—

Although the button was already pressed and the light was brightly lit, Ju Yong-hae’s fingers kept tapping the elevator button endlessly as if chased.

“Why is it so slow!”

The elevator indicator light was still stopped at the eighth floor.

‘Of all times…’

It would take much longer to come down.

Without time to hesitate, Ju Yong-hae turned around and headed for the emergency stairs.

Jumping up two steps at a time, he caught his breath.

Huff, puff—

Breath rushed up to his throat.

It felt as if the hotel lunch box he ate full for lunch was rising back up his esophagus.

Bam—!

The moment he pushed open the emergency exit connection door on the third floor and entered, his legs lost their strength.

All the employees inside the office were holding their breath and looking only at the door of Lawyer Geum Nae-yeong’s office with tense faces.

‘What on earth… what… happened?’

“Office Manager Ju, did you hear?”

Deputy Kim rushed over urgently.

Sweat droplets formed on Ju Yong-hae’s forehead and rolled down.

“I only saw the KakaoTalk. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know exactly either. Whether they are police or prosecution… a bunch of people went inside the room. Holding something in their hands…”

“What… did you say they held?”

“…Could it be because they’re afraid he’ll resist if they arrest him? I was scared, so I couldn’t follow them in.”

Ju Yong-hae gulped.

‘…With the Lawyer Geum I’ve seen for a few months, he has a personality that is more than capable of standing up to the police or anyone. Because he is a person who acts in his own way.’

Thoughts flashed rapidly.

‘What on earth… is it. Who reported him? Ah… could it be the KBA discipline?… Right, that passed too quietly. It was worth a heavy discipline, so why was there no word.’

Inside Geum Nae-yeong’s room was still quiet. An ominous silence.

‘Besides, the materials Lawyer Geum took out back then… that might have been the problem. Did he blackmail someone with that?

Or is it the Gankyeok side? If it’s them, they might have cornered Lawyer Geum in an unimaginable way.’

‘What should I do…’

Office Manager Ju quickly organized his mind.

‘If he’s getting arrested… do the staff have to watch Lawyer Geum being handcuffed right in front of their eyes? …No, absolutely not.

Even if a warrant has been issued, it’s better to have him appear voluntarily. That way, we can claim he surrendered later. Yes, let’s do that.’

Thoughts were organized in the blink of an eye.

Director Kim Mi-yeong entered the vision of Ju Yong-hae, who made up his mind. Ju Yong-hae brushed past Kim Mi-yeong and spat out shortly and firmly.

“It’ll only take a moment, so keep a good eye on Ha-yul.”

Leaving those words, Ju Yong-hae quickly moved his steps to Geum Nae-yeong’s office.

No hesitation could be found in his agile movements.

Clatter! — Slam!!

Ju Yong-hae kicked the door open and barged in. The door collided with the wall with a bang, making a huge noise.

“Lawyer Geum! Leave quickly, I will block them here!”

Ju Yong-hae, closing his eyes tightly, spread his two arms wide as he entered through the door.