Chapter 11
11. Client
2023.05.11.
Early afternoon. Yulkyu Law Firm.
With a pounding heart, Hee-wook walked down the hallway, reflecting his image in the glass wall.
Is my outfit okay? Do I look smart?
As Hee-wook was making various expressions in front of the glass wall, fixing his hair, Hyun-ji approached.
“Lawyer Yang, are you also going to Conference Room A?”
“Lawyer Choi, too?”
“Yeah. What could this be about?”
Hyun-ji asked in a clear voice.
It seemed Lawyer Lee Chan-il hadn't given Hyun-ji a proper heads-up. It meant Hee-wook was the main and Hyun-ji was the sub. Hee-wook smiled without answering.
Lawyer Lee Chan-il said he would introduce him to an important person. Lee Chan-il was the lawyer who received the most premium requests at the firm. He wouldn't have said it lightly.
It must be someone from the political or business world. He had to make a good impression. He had to look neat and smart.
As he steeled himself, the door opened. Hyun-ji entered the conference room first.
Next to Lawyer Lee Chan-il sat a man as handsome as a celebrity. His sharp nose and clear eyes, and sharp jawline were beautiful enough to catch the eye even from a man's perspective. However, his languid posture and relaxed smile seemed a bit arrogant.
"Ah, you're here."
Chan-il smiled, looking at the open door, and the man stood up. When the man stood up, the spacious conference room felt full. He seemed to be half a head taller than him. As a guest, his presence, exuding an aura like an owner, was somehow threatening.
"This is Lawyer Yang Hee-wook. This is Lawyer Choi Hyun-ji."
Lee Chan-il introduced the two to the man.
"Hello. I'm Kim Tae-joon."
The man, with a relaxed smile, offered his business card along with his greeting.
Kim Tae-joon.
Where have I heard that name before, Hee-wook thought, taking the business card the man handed him.
Kim Tae-joon, Director of the Central Headquarters of K Electronic Service.
Checking the business card, Hee-wook realized Tae-joon's identity. He had seen a news article a while ago that Chairman Kim Jae-pil of K Group's grandson had returned to Korea. He was curious because there was no separate photo, but now he was seeing him in person.
This person is going to K Electronic Service. K Electronic Service Central Headquarters was the company where his girlfriend So-eun was working.
Hyun-ji, who received Tae-joon's business card next to him, seemed to recognize that fact as well, and coughed, snorting.
Tae-joon asked Hyun-ji.
"Is there a problem?"
"No, not at all."
Hyun-ji turned her head and glanced at Hee-wook, then squinted and smiled. Hee-wook was nervous that Hyun-ji would bring up So-eun. Fortunately, the perceptive Hyun-ji didn't say anything.
"Then, please have your discussion. I have another meeting, so I'll get going."
After Chan-il said his goodbyes and left, the three people remaining in the conference room sat down.
"Lawyer Lee Chan-il recommended both of you to me. He said you are young and capable."
"It's all thanks to Lawyer Lee's kind words."
Hee-wook bowed his head slightly and smiled.
Tae-joon went straight to the point.
"I don't know if you know, but I am the only grandson of Chairman Kim Jae-pil of K Group. I am also the second in line to inherit Chairman Kim Jae-pil's assets."
The only grandson. The second in line to inherit.
Hee-wook's chest swelled. His heart was beating even more fiercely than the moment his girlfriend told his mother she would donate her liver.
If he could get to know the royal family. Furthermore, if he could become that man's personal advisory lawyer.
Just thinking about it was thrilling. Hee-wook thought he should do his best for Tae-joon's request.
"However, I don't think I will inherit the chairman's management rights. It would have been possible if my father were alive, but it's already been 20 years since my father passed away, and the world has changed a lot. I think Kim Sang-deok, the president of the K Electronics Wireless Division, who is currently in that position, will eventually take my grandfather's place."
Tae-joon's explanation continued.
"However, I also have shares in K Electronics, and since my grandfather called me here, I think I should do my part. So, what I would like to request from you two is..."
As Tae-joon paused, Hee-wook swallowed the saliva that had gathered in his mouth.
"I am currently at K Electronic Service, but I am scheduled to be transferred to the K Electronics headquarters early next year. I am making plans in preparation for that time. I want to create a dream team by recruiting talent from around the world at that time. Global headhunting has the potential for legal disputes due to patent-related issues or non-compete agreements from their previous companies. I would like you to meet these overseas talents directly and mediate this part. Therefore, I may need to request overseas business trips from time to time."
Global headhunting. Dream team. Overseas business trips.
Hee-wook wrote down the things he could remember in his notebook and circled them several times. The circles in the notebook kept getting bigger. Hee-wook's smile also grew bigger.
"I understand everything you said, Director. If you send me the related materials and schedule, I will start working on it right away."
"Yes. And before you start working, you will receive a non-disclosure agreement."
"Yes. You don't have to worry about security."
Hee-wook replied in a confident voice.
\
After the meeting, Tae-joon said goodbye to Hee-wook and Hyun-ji and left the law firm. But he soon returned. He had deliberately left the business cards Hee-wook and Hyun-ji had given him.
Tae-joon's feet, moving slowly, stopped in front of the conference room. He could hear the voices of Yang Hee-wook and Choi Hyun-ji through the open door.
It seemed they had returned to the conference room to strategize.
"Why didn't you tell Director Kim Tae-joon that your boyfriend's girlfriend also works at his company? Director Kim Tae-joon might have been able to take care of her."
"We're the ones who need him. There's no need to create something that would make him uncomfortable."
"I guess so. So-eun wouldn't be helpful to our work anyway. Anyway! I'm so glad I get to work with you on this again, oppa. What about you?"
"I'll like it more than you, won't I?"
"Oh my! Really? Ahahaha! So-eun will be jealous if she hears that."
The woman's sweet voice was a bit annoying.
Yesterday, at Omotesando Hills, Tae-joon noticed that Yang Hee-wook was quite concerned about Choi Hyun-ji.
He hired the two of them to confirm this more thoroughly. As a result, today he learned that the two were quite conscious of each other.
A relationship that could ignite at any time if someone just threw a spark.
It didn't seem necessary to go back into the conference room to find the business cards. Tae-joon suppressed a smile and turned away.
\
The next day.
So-eun woke up early in the morning and made porridge and several side dishes for Mal-hee, as Hee-wook had requested. The bundle of food alone was heavy, but she also brought the bouquet she had received from Hee-wook yesterday. She moved diligently, but it was close to noon when she arrived at the hospital.
Before reaching the hospital room, she spotted Hee-wook across the hallway. So-eun ran over with a beaming smile.
"Oppa!"
"Oh. You're here?"
Hee-wook smiled faintly and looked down at So-eun's hands. The luggage looked heavy, and she was holding a bouquet, so Hee-wook frowned.
"Why did you buy flowers, wasting money? You should have bought fruit instead."
"This is the bouquet you sent."
As So-eun replied with a puzzled look, Hee-wook quickly corrected himself.
"...I didn't expect you to bring what I gave you here. I bought it for you to see."
"I can't keep it at the company, and if I see it at home, I can only see it in the evening. I thought it would be better to put it in Mother's hospital room. It would be nice if the hospital room looked brighter."
This was what he didn't like. It was good to be frugal, but there was no need to be so stingy. Hee-wook kept comparing So-eun to Hyun-ji in his mind. The intelligent and sophisticated Hyun-ji seemed like a much better woman for him.
Still, he had to leave his mother in her care, anyway.
Hee-wook waved his hand, hurrying out of the hospital.
"So-eun, I'm busy, so I have to go now. Please take good care of Mom."
"Okay."
He could have at least helped me carry the luggage. It's a bit heavy.
So-eun was a little disappointed, but she thought her boyfriend must be very busy and moved on.
She opened the hospital room door and met Madam Kim Mal-hee. Mal-hee was sitting with her back against the electric bed, watching the TV in front of her. Her eyes, focused on the drama, looked happy.
"Mother, how have you been!"
However, when So-eun opened the door and greeted her, she suddenly changed her expression. The lively expression she had while immersed in the drama turned heavy.
"Yes. You've come."
So-eun had heard that Mal-hee had waited a long time the day she came to the hospital and turned back, but today she didn't seem particularly welcoming.
Was she disappointed that she had waited in vain that day?
"Have you eaten anything?"
"I can't eat if there's nothing to eat."
"How can you not eat like that, Mother? I made a few things. It may not be as good as your cooking, but it will be edible."
So-eun spoke kindly, raised the bed table, spread out the food she had brought, and made Mal-hee sit comfortably.
Now, three months after the liver transplant, Mal-hee had regained a lot of energy. She could eat on her own and move around a little. When So-eun came, she seemed particularly weak and left everything to her, but So-eun was happy about that too. She seemed to be acting spoiled because she thought So-eun accepted her situation well. So-eun felt proud that there was someone who needed her.
So-eun asked Mal-hee, who had taken a spoonful of porridge.
"How is it, Mother?"
"Yeah. It's okay."
It wasn't a great review, but it was still a relief. Mal-hee glanced at the drama and finished a bowl of porridge that So-eun had served. So-eun neatly cleaned up what Mal-hee had eaten and put the remaining side dishes in the refrigerator.
It had been a week since they had met, but Mal-hee was particularly quiet today. Judging by the fact that she had finished the bowl of porridge, she didn't seem to be in bad condition. So-eun's heart kept stinging as she recalled the day she had come to the hospital room a few days ago and returned home.
As they sat silently watching TV with Mal-hee, the hospital room door opened.
"Sister!"
Mal-hee's daughter. Hee-wook's sister, Yang Heejin.
Heejin, who was married and lived in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do, had left her child with her husband and came to visit her mother.
Mal-hee, who knew that her daughter was having a hard time raising a child, couldn't welcome Heejin wholeheartedly.
"Why did you come here when you're busy?"
"My husband said he would take care of the child, so I came. So-eun was here too!"
Heejin, who greeted Mal-hee first, turned her head and greeted So-eun as well.
"Yes. How have you been?"
"Yes. Have you been well too?"
"Yes."
"Is your body okay?"
"Yes. You don't have to worry."
"That's right. I can't believe you're the same person who had surgery on the same day as my mom. You're young, so your recovery must be fast. That's great, really."
Heejin looked back and forth between her mother, who was still wearing a patient gown, and So-eun, who was standing healthy, and quietly sighed. So-eun felt somehow embarrassed and slightly raised the corners of her lips.
