Chapter 58 – It Also Looks Like a Case of Death from Overwork

Sizzle, sizzle. Sssss-

Oil splattered and a savory aroma spread.

Geum Nae-yeong’s father smiled as he entered the kitchen.

“Oh my, smells good. What’s on the menu for dinner today?”

“I’m trying to make beef bulgogi for Nae-yeong after a long time. He seems so busy lately, and his face looks drained of energy.

I wish he would cut down on his work, but I’m afraid it’ll just sound like nagging, so I can’t bring myself to say it.”

Holding a ladle, the mother muttered and stirred the seasoning.

“I’ll talk to him a bit when he comes.”

When the father answered, the mother nodded and looked at the clock.

“Wait, what time is it?… Oh my, oh my. It must have started! Turn to channel 11. I should watch it while stir-frying this.”

The mother’s gaze naturally turned toward the TV.

[…So since when was it! Did you sleep? Did you sleep with her!]

Stimulating drama lines echoed in the room.

As her eyes drifted to the TV, the mother’s hand movements stir-frying the meat gradually slowed down.

[…If that is a crime, then my love is indeed guilty…]

“Oh my, oh my, that woman must be crazy…”

Just as the words of the mother, who was deeply immersed in the drama, flowed out—

Beep beep beep beep.

The sound of the door opening rang out.

“I’m home.”

It was Geum Nae-yeong’s voice.

“Oh, oh! Nae-yeong, you’re here! Come quickly, Mom has finished making dinner!”

At the sound of Geum Nae-yeong entering, the mother’s hands became busy again.

On the dining table, the bulgogi sizzled as it cooked, and the sweet soy sauce seasoning aroma filled the house.

As Geum Nae-yeong set down his bag, his gaze naturally turned toward the TV.

On the screen in the drama, Sa Min-woo, whom he had seen yesterday, was in the middle of delivering a passionate performance.

“That man really… acts well.”

At his father’s admiration, Geum Nae-yeong indifferently raised his head and looked at Sa Min-woo. His gaze lingered for a moment and then was calmly withdrawn.

“Nae-yeong, sit down quickly!”

At his mother’s call, Geum Nae-yeong headed to the dining table.

Sesame seeds were nicely sprinkled on top of the savory, well-fried beef bulgogi.

The plate was naturally pushed in front of Geum Nae-yeong.

“Eat a lot of meat. Lately, you’ve been bringing back your lunchbox without eating it all…”

“Yes, I was a bit busy.”

His father patted Geum Nae-yeong on the back.

“Right, right, when work piles up all at once, it’s hectic. But since you’re young, you can hold out and get it done like that.

Hang in there just a little more.”

Scooping up some rice, Geum Nae-yeong spoke after a brief pause.

“Mom, Dad. I’m appearing on *We Want to Know That*.”

“Huh? Appearing on what?”

The mother stopped her chopsticks and asked back.

“That crime program, *We Want to Know That*.”

“Oh my, oh my, really? The one hosted by the actor Kim Jung-ha, you mean that one, right?”

“Yes.”

This time, the father also asked back with a surprised face.

“Goodness, you’re appearing on that? But that’s a program that investigates cases, isn’t it? Are you appearing as an advisor?”

“We haven’t had the meeting yet… but from what I heard briefly, they are going to structure the program around fugitives who haven’t been caught for a long time.”

A bright smile spread across the father’s face. That smile was filled with joy and pride.

“My goodness! Dad has no regrets now even if I die. Seriously, our son is appearing on such a place! Hahahahaha!”

“Why would you suddenly die? Why say such a useless thing.”

“No, it’s just a figure of speech! Seriously, our son is going on that show? Wow, I feel great, I should have a glass of soju.

I must brag to Director Jeong. That our son is appearing on *We Want to Know That*. Haha!”

The reason Geum Nae-yeong accepted the casting offer for *We Want to Know That* in one go was only one.

Because it was the only program that could satisfy the common denominator of both parents.

His father usually enjoyed watching investigative programs. On the other hand, his mother liked dramas, and she was an ardent fan of the host, actor Kim Jung-ha.

Furthermore, his father was a passionate viewer who never missed the original broadcast of *We Want to Know That* every weekend.

‘Since both of them like this program…’

Geum Nae-yeong accepted the casting proposal immediately for that single reason.

Of course, he had to adjust a few lawsuits and consultation schedules.

“But which case’s fugitive is it? Is it a violent criminal by any chance? Dad has seen most of them, so I know them all.”

“Well, I haven’t heard details yet. Since they said it’s a long-term fugitive… it’s probably close to a cold case.”

“Really? Then that’s even better. Cold cases must be solved.

Back then, you know, that case where several children went missing too…

The hearts of parents around the world must have been the same back then. They would have wanted to step forward and search for them…”

His father’s voice carried a parent’s empathy. Meanwhile, his mother asked in an excited voice.

“But if you go to the recording, do you meet the actor Kim Jung-ha too? By any chance, he wouldn’t give you an autograph, right?

No, no. Mom just said something useless.

You’re going there to work anyway… In any case, Nae-yeong, you must do it without overdoing it!”

It was an evening when the parents talked to Geum Nae-yeong non-stop for the first time in a while.

***

The next day, Law Firm Teum.

“Manager, here it is. I’ve organized all the materials.”

Seong Tae-gyu handed over the file folder.

At Teum, Seong Tae-gyu was working more diligently than people expected.

As he worked, his fiery personality became much gentler, and lately, his speed in learning work from Ju Yong-hae also increased.

Ju Yong-hae, who was entering something on the monitor, called Seong Tae-gyu.

“Um, Mr. Tae-gyu!”

“Yes, Manager.”

“I’ll teach you this part too. It’s good to know.”

“Pardon? What is it?”

Ju Yong-hae pushed his chair back with his hips to move inward, then dragged an auxiliary chair to seat Seong Tae-gyu in front of the computer.

“Well, simply put, this is the ‘routing system’.

We just call it ‘routing’. All office staff in this field need to know it. It’s not difficult, but if you don’t do this, it will become very troublesome later.”

“Routing?”

“Yes. When you appoint a lawyer, you submit a power of attorney to the court or investigative agency, right? What you attach together at that time is the ‘routing stamp’.”

“Ah, it’s that document that was always attached.”

“Right, that!”

Ju Yong-hae smiled and continued his explanation.

“In the past, to buy this, you had to go directly to the Bar Association, present your ID card, and stand in line.

We submitted it by gluing something that looked like a postage stamp, but now it has changed to electronic, so at least it has become much more convenient.

When a lawyer accepts a case, they must do this. Because this is an obligation under the Attorney-at-Law Act.

It’s partly for the transparency of case recruitment, and partly to be used by the Bar Association for verification if a problem arises later.”

Ju Yong-hae opened the routing stamp purchase window to show him and added.

“It’s 5,000 won for application cases, 12,000 won for merits. And if the value of the lawsuit is 1 billion won or more, it’s 30,000 won.

When I was under my former lawyer, there was rarely a need to use this 30,000 won one… but working with Lawyer Geum, it comes up occasionally, haha.

Now, if you press the print button like this, two sheets come out: one ‘for submission’ and one ‘for retention’. Then you just need to attach the one for submission along with the power of attorney. Easy, right?”

“Ah. Yes, it is.”

Seong Tae-gyu nodded as if in admiration.

“Keep the retention copy safe since we occasionally use it to match the number of accepted cases or check case numbers later.”

“Ah, understood.”

When Seong Tae-gyu skillfully manipulated the mouse, Ju Yong-hae nodded in satisfaction.

“Look at that, you understand so well, Mr. Tae-gyu. Hahaha. I should ask to get you promoted right away.”

At Ju Yong-hae’s joke, Seong Tae-gyu scratched his head as if embarrassed. At that moment, Deputy Kim smiled and chimed in from the next seat.

“But seriously, Mr. Tae-gyu really works well, doesn’t he?

He doesn’t even ask about criminal cases anymore and does all the copying on his own.

It seems he has a talent for this work. He should get promoted to deputy manager next year, haha.”

Hearing that, Cha Ra-ri chimed in.

“Oh, then shouldn’t Deputy Kim also be promoted to manager?

No, but now that I think about it… How long has Deputy Kim’s career been? It seems like it’s been quite long?”

“Me? I’m already in my 8th year…? No, has it passed that? In any case, I am not a deputy manager.”

Cha Ra-ri asked back with wide eyes.

“Pardon? Deputy Kim is not a deputy manager…? Then what are you?”

Deputy Kim answered as if surprised.

“Me? I am a manager.”

“Huh?! Why is Deputy Kim a manager? Then why does everyone call Deputy Kim, Deputy Kim? They should call you Manager Kim!”

At that moment, the staff members in the office burst into laughter at the same time.

“Ahahahaha! Asking why Deputy Kim is a deputy manager? Haha!”

Everyone laughed, and only Cha Ra-ri was blankly confused, not knowing the reason.

Seeing that sight, Chief Kim Mi-yeong smiled and answered.

“No way… Did you really think Deputy Kim was a deputy manager? Did no one tell you until now?”

“What?? What didn’t they tell me?”

“Kim Dae-ri is a name, not a position.”

“Pardon? A person’s name is Kim Dae-ri?”

Cha Ra-ri asked back in surprise.

“I thought only my name was unusual, but there’s another unusually named person in the world right here.”

Then Deputy Kim smiled and stepped forward directly.

“My name is not Kim Dae-ri, but Kim Dae-rin. ‘Great Dae (), Clear Rin ()’. Kim Dae-rin.

But I was a deputy manager for a very long time, and everyone just called me ‘Kim Dae-rin, Deputy Kim~’ like a joke, and that stuck.

My official title is manager. Haha. Ms. Cha Ra-ri, you didn’t look at the work assignment sheet closely, did you?”

“Yes… Honestly, I only thought about the seat location and didn’t think about the title. My apologies…

In self-reflection, I will politely call you Manager Kim from now on.”

“Haha. No, you don’t have to do that. I’m already more used to ‘Deputy Kim’.

Ah… And it must be written as Kim Dae-rin on the company chat?”

“I thought they made a typo when uploading it. My goodness…”

***

While the employees were united in teasing Cha Ra-ri and exchanging pleasant chat, Geum Nae-yeong was sitting in the lobby of the SBC broadcasting station.

“Lawyer Geum Nae-yeong?”

Hearing an unfamiliar voice, Geum Nae-yeong raised his head.

A man wearing a name tag that read ‘PD Do Jun-gi’ around his neck was smiling and looking at Geum Nae-yeong.

Geum Nae-yeong stood up and offered a polite greeting.

“Hello.”

“Yes, you arrived early, Lawyer.”

“No. I arrived exactly on time for the appointment and was waiting in the lobby.”

“Ah… Haha… Yes. Most people are about 5 minutes late, but since you were already here, I mentioned it. Let’s go.”

PD Do Jun-gi smiled awkwardly and led Geum Nae-yeong inside.

After walking along the hallway to some extent, Do Jun-gi stopped in front of a door with a sign hung on it.

[We Want to Know That Team]

Pushing the door slightly, a wave of noise rushed in.

Riiiiing— riiiiing—

Telephone bells were ringing all over the office, and the people sitting in front of laptops were holding the receivers with hollow faces showing traces of night shifts.

An office where indistinguishable smells were mixed together.

On desks without a single partition, half-eaten cup ramen, snack bags, and paper cups were piled up like mountains.

“This way.”

At PD Do Jun-gi’s words, Geum Nae-yeong turned his head and followed behind.

Then, Geum Nae-yeong stopped his steps.

“Excuse me?”

PD Do Jun-gi, who was walking ahead, heard Geum Nae-yeong’s voice and turned back.

Geum Nae-yeong was looking at someone, pulling out his notebook and writing something down.

‘Since it could be a death scene, I document the witnessed scene in case of any eventuality. Because memory is difficult to claim as evidence.’

Following Geum Nae-yeong’s flat gaze, the PD also looked at the place he was observing.

Geum Nae-yeong said in a low voice.

“This person… seems to have died. It also looks like a case of death from overwork.”

On one side of the sofa, a woman who appeared to be the writer in charge was lying down with her stomach half-exposed.

The laptop had slipped from her lap, and a half-dried coffee cup and a ballpoint pen lay scattered beside her.

“Ahahaha… Just… leave her alone… Her sleeping habits are quite rough, haha.”

PD Do Jun-gi smiled awkwardly, grabbed a sheet of A4 paper from a nearby desk, and carefully covered the writer’s stomach.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”