Chapter 65 – The Two of Them Did Divorce, Right

That evening, Geum Nae-yeong opened the door of his mother’s shop familiarly, as usual.

“I’m here.”

His father raised his head while trimming vegetables for stir-fry.

“Yeah, you got off work early.”

“Where is Mom?”

“Mom? Tsk… She went out, saying she’s divorcing me.”

“Pardon? Divorce?”

“Yeah…”

His father sighed.

“Then shall I give you a divorce consultation?”

At Geum Nae-yeong’s calm tone, his father gave a hollow laugh.

“Yeah, should Dad also get a divorce and change his fortune? Since our son is a lawyer, will you consult for me and help me get divorced successfully?”

Geum Nae-yeong took out a consultation sheet from his bag.

“If you divorce, what do you value as important? Division of property? Revenge?”

Only then did his father sense something strange and chuckle.

“No. Nae-yeong. It’s not that… I mean the puppy. Your mother went to catch it.”

“A dog?”

“Yeah. For a while, a white dog had been wandering back and forth in front of our shop. Not knowing whether it had an owner, your mother fed it meat out of pity for its wandering… but it seems it had been pregnant.

Wherever it gave birth, it left a single puppy in front of the shop and vanished.”

“…Why did it do that?”

“Exactly my point. I said absolutely no to raising a dog, but your mother made a fuss, perhaps because she grew attached.

So, while your mother was cooking, I secretly took it and left it at a hardware store in the next neighborhood. I told the owner that if anyone at the factory he knew was looking for a dog, just to give it away.

In response, she cried and wailed… I said ‘If you want to raise it so badly, divorce me and raise it,’ and she actually went out, saying she would write a divorce complaint once she found the dog and you arrived.”

His father shook his head.

“Easier said than done. How can we raise a dog while running a shop? The customers would hate it too. Besides, it’s a young thing that hasn’t even been weaned. Tsk, tsk…”

Just then, the door opened and his mother entered.

In her arms, a white puppy was held.

“Oh, Nae-yeong is here.”

His father muttered.

“Aigo, she went and found that puppy after all.”

“Of course! No matter how harsh the world is, how can we abandon a suckling baby? It can’t even eat solid food yet. We have to feed it milk.”

“So why should we raise it? Even its own mother abandoned it.”

“Ah, how cold-hearted. You have no affection, no affection.”

His mother smiled as she held out the puppy to Geum Nae-yeong.

“Nae-yeong, isn’t it cute? Do you want to touch it?”

His mother thrust the puppy in front of Geum Nae-yeong. The puppy flicked its tongue out for a moment, then closed its mouth again.

Geum Nae-yeong watched the sight in silence.

“Whimper…”

As the puppy suddenly began to cry, his mother hurriedly went into the kitchen to look for milk.

His father shouted toward the kitchen.

“Just feed it milk and take it back! What is a dog doing in a restaurant!”

“Who said we are raising it in the restaurant! I said we’re raising it at home!”

“Says who! I have a dog hair allergy!”

“Cut the crap about a dog hair allergy. You’ve never had one in your life. Right, Nae-yeong?”

His mother smiled as she lifted the puppy.

“Mom, I am right here.”

“Ah, not Geum Nae-yeong, but our Eun Nae-yeong.”

“Eun Nae-yeong?”

“Yeah. From now on, she’s your younger sibling. Geum Nae-yeong, Eun Nae-yeong. And Eun Nae-yeong for short is Eun-yeong.”

His mother smiled happily as she stroked the puppy.

“Mom, an animal cannot become my sibling. The species are different.

You cannot grant a family registry to this animal, either.

However, if you wish to raise it, you must register the animal within 30 days from the date of acquiring ownership in accordance with the Animal Protection Act.”

His mother replied with a smile.

“Eun-yeong~ Your brother Nae-yeong says to raise you. Let’s register you too.”

“That is not what I meant.”

However, Geum Nae-yeong’s words did not reach his mother’s ears at all.

***

A few days later.

The breakroom of Law Firm Teum, late lunch hour.

The employees had unpacked simple lunchboxes and were sitting around.

“Try some of this. I brought some fresh kimchi and boiled pork slices made with cabbage my mother grew herself.

The cabbage was very sweet.”

As Manager Kim Mi-yeong presented the well-seasoned spicy fresh cabbage kimchi and pork slices, the sound of chopsticks became busy.

“Wow! This is totally bossam! It looks really delicious.

The short ribs go, and the bossam comes. Hahahahaha.”

Clerk Yeom quickly picked up a slice of boiled pork with his chopsticks.

Placing the crunchy, spicy fresh cabbage kimchi squarely on top of two thick slices of boiled pork, he added ssamjang, chili pepper, and garlic, then took a big bite.

The savory, mild taste of the pork, free of any unpleasant smell, combined with the refreshing yet spicy fresh kimchi, melted together in his mouth.

“Mmh. This is really delicious.”

“We have a lot of work these days, right? You also look like you’ve lost some weight compared to the beginning, Ra-ri.”

At Manager Kim Mi-yeong’s worried words, Cha Ra-ri let out a sigh.

“I don’t know, lately it feels like I’m fighting against myself. When there is a lot of work, money comes in, but I don’t have time to spend it.

Running on the Dongbu Expressway at dawn is my dream, but these days I just pass out when I get home.”

“In times like this, mild meat like this is the best. This was boiled without water, only laying down vegetables.

So-called waterless boiled pork. All the meat juices are preserved, and it’s moist without any unpleasant smell.”

“It’s so delicious, Manager!”

As Kim Mi-yeong slid the side dish over, Cha Ra-ri smiled and picked up her chopsticks.

Knock, knock.

Just then, the door opened and Clerk Chu Wang-cheol poked his head in.

“Aigo, everyone is having lunch just now? I just ate at Eundang Pork Bone Hangover Soup right in front, haha.”

He slid out a chair on one side and sat down.

“Wow, the side dishes here are very plentiful. There was a reason everyone eats lunchboxes in the office.”

At those words, Clerk Yeom offered some food.

“Clerk Chu, have a bite too. We have plenty of instant rice, and Manager Kim brought such delicious boiled pork today that our mouths are being pampered.”

“Ah, then shall I taste a little bit too? Haha. Thank you for the meal.”

Clerk Chu raised his chopsticks with a hearty laugh. He placed the spicy fresh kimchi squarely on top of hot white rice and took a big bite. Chu Wang-cheol’s eyes widened.

“Kya, this is totally Jang-geum’s kimchi! The fresh kimchi at the hangover soup place I ate earlier tastes like it was made with feet. Manager Kim, this is absolute art. Art!”

“Oh, not at all. It’s just that this cabbage was farmed by my mother herself, so I guess the taste is good.”

“No. It’s not easy for a beautiful woman to also cook well. Hahahaha.”

Kim Mi-yeong laughed at those words.

“I feel rewarded for cooking because you look upon it favorably.”

Just then, the door burst open and Ju Ha-yul, wearing a backpack, ran in.

“Mom, I think I aced my midterm exam fucking well!”

Kim Mi-yeong put down her chopsticks and asked happily.

“Really? You solved it this time without guessing, right?”

“Of course! But this time I have a good feeling!… Although I guessed on math as I always do, I really solved social studies this time!”

“Since you guessed, math will be Grade 8. Since you solved social studies yourself… you probably got Grade 9? …Haha.”

As Clerk Yeom made a joke, Ju Ha-yul pouted.

“Hmph! Mister’s sense of humor is seriously hopeless.”

Ha-yul suddenly spoke to Ju Yong-hae indifferently.

“Dad, but can’t you get me double eyelid surgery this vacation?”

Ju Yong-hae’s hand holding the chopsticks stopped.

“…Double eyelids? Isn’t it still a bit early to do that?”

Huh??? Ah… Dad?

At that single word, Chu Wang-cheol’s eyes underwent a pupil earthquake.

‘What… what kind of relationship is this? Manager Kim Mi-yeong’s daughter is calling Clerk Ju Yong-hae ‘Dad’?’

“Ju Ha-yul!! Your mother gave birth to you so beautifully, what double eyelid surgery!

And we agreed to do double eyelid surgery if you get Grade 6. You try giving permission needlessly, just you wait. I won’t stay quiet.”

As Manager Kim Mi-yeong firmly intervened, Chu Wang-cheol looked between Kim Mi-yeong and Ju Yong-hae while holding his chopsticks.

Just then, Clerk Yeom slightly leaned over and whispered in his ear.

“The two of them… ex-wife, ex-husband.”

Chu Wang-cheol could not continue speaking, with his mouth half open.

“Pardon?… But in the same company?”

“Well… re-employment isn’t easy at this age. Doesn’t everyone have their own story? Hahaha.”

Chu Wang-cheol looked at Kim Mi-yeong once again with a subtle expression. She was nagging her daughter and Ju Yong-hae about something.

‘In any case… the two of them did divorce… right?’

***

That afternoon, Geum Nae-yeong was continuing close consultations.

Knock, knock.

“Lawyer, the client who made a reservation has arrived.”

Cha Ra-ri opened the door to guide the client inside, and a bright-looking woman entered the office and sat in a chair.

“Wow, seeing you in person really feels like seeing a celebrity, it’s fascinating.”

It was the woman’s own way of complimenting.

Geum Nae-yeong cut to the chase and went straight to the main point.

“What kind of matter brings you here?”

Rustle.

The woman took out a document envelope from the large bag she was carrying.

“In the past, I had my money taken by a very nasty guy, you see?

But that guy said his own circumstances were also difficult… and instead, he said he had money to receive from someone he knew.

He told me to go and receive that money instead of him. He said he really had absolutely nowhere else to get money.

So, biting the bullet, I said I would receive that money instead and had it transferred to me.”

“Yes.”

“However… I didn’t know at the time. That what he transferred to me was, in fact, money that was difficult to receive.

But that money I lost… was money I really gathered diligently by not eating and not dressing, you know?

So I inquired here and there for a way to get it back, and even got a judgment through a lawsuit.

Who said it. ‘If you only have a judgment, you can even seize their bank accounts.'”

Geum Nae-yeong nodded.

“It must have been an assigned claim lawsuit.”

“Yes, that’s right. This is the judgment I received back then.”

The woman handed over a sheet of paper.

Payment Order

Case: 20** Chajeon 1010 Assigned Claim

Creditor: Choe In-mi

Debtor: Ga Chan-deuk

The debtor shall pay the creditor the sum of money specified in the attached sheet.

The debtor may file an objection within two weeks from the date this order is served.

[Served on 20**. 11. 17. Finalized on 20**. 12. 03.]

Geum Nae-yeong muttered as he flipped the documents.

“Hmm… The opponent did not file an objection, and finalization was in December.”

“Ah, don’t even get me started. At first, I tried seizing bank accounts and all sorts of things to get this back, but I don’t know how that person hid the money so tightly, not a single penny came out.

So I just thought of it as a huge scam and lived forgetting about it.

Oh my… But, excuse me. I was so surprised when I saw you on TV, Lawyer. How can a person be so handsome?”

The woman kept diverging into side topics.

It was unclear whether consultation was her purpose or if she had come to watch Geum Nae-yeong.

Geum Nae-yeong said nothing to the client who stared intently at his face.

“Actually, ordinary people don’t know much about this kind of thing. But I came for both reasons, just to see your face once, Lawyer.

At first, the very cold female employee in front said ‘It is absolutely not allowed to just come and watch’… so I really waited for a long time, and since I was so, so curious, I made up my mind and booked through Naver to come here, you know?”

“Yes, you observed order.”

“Right. But it was worth the wait. Aigu, your real-life appearance is even more handsome. With this, how proud must your parents be, Lawyer?”

“Yes… I will ask for the answer to that question when I go home.”

His tone of voice was dry as usual.

Geum Nae-yeong were consulting with the woman, already organizing the entire litigation structure in his mind. He quickly wrote down letters on the consultation sheet.

“Did you bring your ID?”

“My ID? Let’s see…”

The woman rummaged through her pockets. A lot of paper scraps came out of her pocket.

“This is a flyer… and this is a receipt… Oh my, I must have left it behind, I don’t have my ID?”

“Then go and bring it right now.”

“Pardon? Why the ID? What else do we have to do besides this?”

“Yes. We have to file a complaint right today.”

“A c-complaint?!”

The woman opened her eyes wide.

“I… I have no intention of doing a lawsuit. I also have this judgment…”

Geum Nae-yeong spoke without stopping his pen.

“That… is the problem.”