Chapter 2
The man slowly closed the distance between us as I stood there on high alert.
As the cigarette smoke cleared, his face came into focus.
“Stop. Don’t come any closer.”
I spoke to the man approaching me. By then, we were already close enough that I could hear his faint chuckle.
“Long time no see, class rep.”
Class rep?
Now that I looked at him, his face wasn’t unfamiliar.
Who is he?
He seemed amused by my puzzled expression, flashing his crooked tooth in a grin. Beneath the sleeve of his perfectly fitted white shirt, a tattoo of indiscernible shape peeked out. Combined with his already rough-looking features and that sly smile, he felt more than a little threatening.
Could he be someone Jaehyun sent…?
The man just kept smiling, offering no answers.
Who is he…?
I recognized him, but couldn’t place him.
Without realizing it, I let my guard down and got lost in my own thoughts.
“You’ve grown up pretty.”
He didn’t take his eyes off me as he brought the cigarette to his lips.
“Ah! You…”
A burn scar on the back of his right hand.
A hazy memory that had been tickling my mind suddenly became clear.
“You finally remember?”
At that moment, a loud noise echoed as an SUV pulled into the parking lot. Its headlights shone toward me, making me turn my head.
Soon, a large man—big enough to fill the front seat—stepped out of the car.
“You’re early.”
A bulky man in a black suit bowed deeply toward him.
Neither of them looked ordinary.
I glanced between the two men. I didn’t need any further explanation to guess the kind of life he was living.
“Kim Sunwoo… how did you end up…?”
Kim Sunwoo.
He was my middle school classmate.
What I remembered about him was that he lived with his grandmother in Geumje-dong, and that he was on welfare back then. He often skipped school, so as class rep, I had to go all the way to his neighborhood to get confirmation forms for his aid supplies.
That was about it.
Sunwoo tossed his cigarette to the ground and pulled out his wallet.
“I’m busier than I look. I don’t have time to talk right now…”
He held out a business card between his index and middle fingers like he had done with the cigarette, pushing it in front of my face.
Frowning at the playful gesture, I took the card from him.
“Huh?”
I looked up at him in surprise after reading the title on the card.
While my expression had been all over the place since seeing him, he remained calm and composed, as if he had rehearsed this moment.
His shadow fell over my startled face.
Suddenly—
He grabbed my arm as I tried to step back, pulled me close, and whispered in my ear.
“If you want to do it with me, call me.”
Ha.
Before I could even process what just happened, he was already walking away.
I looked at the business card again.
<Law Firm Ikim Representative Attorney Kim Sunwoo>
“Kim Sunwoo… a lawyer?”
Law Firm Ikim.
A tall building in the heart of Seocho-dong.
On the 8th floor was the law office listed on the card Sunwoo gave me.
That Kim Sunwoo—the one who used to live full of resentment and rebellion—really became a lawyer?
I still couldn’t believe it.
In front of the building, five or six people wearing masks held picket signs in protest.
<Kim Sunwoo tramples judicial justice—revoke his law license>
“I’m just here for a consultation.”
Right now, I needed a competent and reliable lawyer. And if someone could win me custody, I was ready to make a deal even with the devil.
If Kim Sunwoo was that capable devil, I would take his hand without hesitation.
If you want to do it with me, call me.
Whatever the price.
As soon as I stepped off on the 8th floor, I saw the sign for the law office. The glass doors revealed the inside clearly.
Before I could hesitate, the automatic doors slid open.
“How can I help—oh? Ms. Lee Yujin?”
As one staff member recognized me, others who had been focused on their work turned to look as well. The office filled with murmurs.
“I have an appointment with Attorney Kim Sunwoo.”
I had expected this kind of attention.
“This way, please.”
The office walls were made of glass, offering a full view inside.
Through the glass door, my eyes met Sunwoo’s.
Unlike me, trying to hide my discomfort, he smiled brightly.
Was he always this smiley?
His sharp nose and the crooked tooth that showed when he smiled—his face still carried traces of the rebellious sixteen-year-old he used to be.
“Sit.”
Perhaps because he was sitting in a law office, he looked far more like a professional than he had in the parking lot.
“Would you like some coffee?”
“Not coffee—water. Two glasses, please.”
At his request, the staff member nodded and left.
Once the door closed, Sunwoo stood up and pulled down the blinds on the glass walls.
“Did you approach me from the start because you wanted me as your lawyer?”
He turned to face me.
“For now? We happen to live in the same officetel building, too.”
I clasped my trembling hands together and placed them on my lap.
I had told myself I would do whatever it took, but facing his unreadable expression made my nerves tighten all over again.
“The other side is Daewoong Group. Are you confident?”
Unlike me, tense down to my toes, he looked relaxed and at ease.
“Why so nervous, Lee Yujin? I haven’t even said anything yet.”
“Just answer the question.”
He leaned forward, placing both arms on the table.
His gaze bore into me, as if trying to read my thoughts.
“A result worthy of the compensation.”
“Ah…”
He reached under the table and lifted my index finger. Without realizing it, I had been picking at my nail until it bled.
“I’m transparent. Give and take.”
Holding my finger, he pointed between himself and me.
Frowning, I pulled my hand away.
“I came to you ready to bet my entire life on this. Stop joking and tell me what you want. What you want is my—”
“Wow. Do we really need to start talking about money right away between old friends?”
“What?”
“You can discuss fees with my manager. Don’t be too shocked by the amount—it even includes a special ‘acquaintance discount.’”
He looked as if it was ridiculous that he even had to explain this.
“Money?”
My voice rose in surprise.
“If not that, were you expecting something else?”
He smiled, clearly amused.
Only then did the tension leave my body.
“If it’s money, I’ll give you as much as you want. So… what do I do now?”
“Now tell me about the man who’s about to become your ex-husband. How did Lee Yujin end up coming all the way to me?”
If he became my legal representative, he would learn everything about my past marriage.
It wasn’t pleasant exposing my flaws in front of a former classmate.
Thinking back, a bitter smile formed on my lips.
“It was just a one-night mistake.”
One ordinary day, Jaehyun came home from work holding a newborn baby.
Before I could even process what was happening, he asked for my consent to register the child under his family registry.
“Even if it’s not my child, I’m supposed to accept it just because it’s your blood?”
Maybe Jaehyun had wanted a submissive, obedient wife like those in other chaebol families.
We argued fiercely over the innocent newborn, and in the end, he said something I could never accept.
“The child you gave birth to isn’t my only child.”
That was undoubtedly the moment everything broke.
A happy family—the kind I had dreamed of since childhood, something money couldn’t buy.
I would have given up everything I had to have it.
But the moment that dream shattered, I made my decision.
I had to end things with him.
That day, I firmly demanded a divorce and custody of our son, Yeonha. But he refused to accept it.
“You don’t actually think you can win custody against me, do you?”
He looked at me with frustration.
During that hellish marriage, the only comfort I had was my son, Yeonha.
When persuasion didn’t work, Jaehyun suddenly changed tactics and used our child as leverage.
Even though he knew better than anyone that Yeonha was the only thing I wanted in that massive house.
“You don’t like noise, do you? I’ll make sure people gossip about you behind your back for the rest of your life.”
I didn’t bother hiding my scoff.
I didn’t want to lose to him anymore.
“I shouldn’t have married an actress…”
“Good thing we feel the same way.”
I knew marrying into a chaebol family wouldn’t be easy, but I never expected my identity and dignity to be crushed like this.
“Stop being difficult. When I tell you to stay, you stay. If you walk out now, you won’t just lose custody—you won’t even get visitation rights.”
“Do you know who Yeonha’s closest friend is?”
Seeing him so twisted actually calmed me down.
“That kind of emotional—”
“Do you even know his favorite food? How far he’s gotten in learning Korean… do you know anything at all?!”
My anger burst out as he tried to take away everything that mattered to me.
“Ha… Lee Yujin.”
It was heartbreaking.
A man who didn’t even know what his own son needed—only concerned about his pride.
I couldn’t stay under the same roof as someone who brought an illegitimate child into our home.
Overcome with emotion, I left without thinking of the consequences.
And the next time I saw him… was on the day of our first court hearing.
