Chapter 03
Through the crack in the open door, she could see the face of an agitated client.
“I’m so sorry! I thought you were my husband…!”
After splashing the water, the remaining water in the basin dripped onto the floor, soaking it. The extremely flustered client, not knowing what to do, wrinkled her eyes and looked at Iyeon.
Iyeon, her blouse thoroughly soaked and clinging to her body, let out a breath that had gone cold.
Iyeon steadied her breathing and brought her hand to her shoulder where the cold water had hit.
Her shirt was soaked through, and the documents she had been holding in her hand instantly became damp and soggy.
The embarrassed client, flustered, repeatedly apologized. Iyeon, with a calm face, said it was okay and busied herself with taking off her wet outer clothing first.
In the midst of the busy moment, a peculiar gaze felt like it had attached itself to her.
The moment she felt someone’s intense gaze pouring onto her back, Iyeon thought, ‘Oh no.’ She remembered the bra she hadn’t put on in her haste to leave the hotel.
“Uh…”
Just as Iyeon’s face was about to flush red in an instant, a thick jacket was draped over her shoulders.
She turned around to see Wookyung, dressed in a shirt, turning his body away.
Somehow wearing Wookyung’s jacket, Iyeon calmly picked up the documents and greeted the client.
“I’m from Beophyeon Law Firm. You remember the interview appointment, right?”
Iyeon swept her wet hair back and smiled wryly.
“Yes, I remember. I’m really sorry.”
Who would have thought she’d get splashed with water while working?
Swallowing her dismay, Iyeon carefully shook the moisture off the damp documents, straightened them neatly, and then asked with a light laugh.
“It’s fine. It’s an understandable mistake. May I come in for a moment?”
The client, with disheveled hair and even red, bloodshot eyes, nodded, then glanced subtly at Wookyung standing beside Iyeon.
“Yes, but the person who came with you…”
At first, she thought it was wariness. But the client, looking at Wookyung who was slanting his gaze down next to Iyeon, blushed.
It was understandable, as Wookyung’s appearance was unchanged from three years ago.
Even though he was a man, his faint beard shadow that wasn’t darkly tanned, and even his skin was transparent and clear.
His eyes without double eyelids stretched out elegantly, which could sometimes give a cold impression, but overall, the bridge of his nose that formed a smooth curve, and each of his eyes, nose, and mouth were well-proportioned and handsome.
Perhaps because his profession was a lawyer, he had learned basic self-defense and mastered various sports; his body, even though covered by a suit, was solid and sturdy with no room for flab.
His broad, squarely set shoulders were more than twice the width of Iyeon’s shoulders.
Moreover, his tall height, looking down at the two women, told her he was over 190cm. In many ways, one had to say he was born different.
Iyeon, feeling a subtle sense of inferiority, smiled brightly at the client and explained.
“He’s a lawyer from our office.”
“Ah, I see.”
Only then did the relieved client open the door from inside.
The front door creaked open cautiously.
But Wookyung grabbed Iyeon’s shoulder as she was walking ahead.
“Manager Yoo, how about drying yourself off first?”
Wookyung furrowed his brow and urged, looking at Iyeon’s wet body dripping with water. Only then did Iyeon politely ask the client.
“Sorry, but may I use the bathroom?”
“Yes, please do.”
She went to the bathroom to deal with the wetness first. ‘What a ridiculous state to be in after our long-awaited reunion.’ Iyeon let out a faint, bitter laugh. After she wiped off the moisture and straightened her clothes, she heard laughter from the living room.
“Really?”
Seeing the client, who had been awkward and reluctant to reveal her true feelings even after several meetings with Iyeon, now laughing comfortably, Iyeon felt a surge of irritation, wondering how he had managed to win her over.
“What were you talking about?”
When Iyeon cautiously joined the conversation, the client answered immediately.
“Turns out, Lawyer Cha here has also been divorced before.”
Iyeon, taken aback, let out a sudden, forced cough.
What. Given Wookyung’s already well-known, impressive history, adding one divorce wouldn’t be a blow to him. But if it became known that the other party in that divorce was Iyeon, that blow would fall entirely on her.
Building rapport with a client was one thing, but was it necessary to bring up personal matters to that extent?
Before she forgot the original purpose of the visit, having already lost the initiative to Wookyung, Iyeon pulled out the still-intact documents from the damp document envelope.
“To continue from our last conversation, your husband is currently refusing the divorce. So, if this goes to litigation, we need evidence to prove your husband’s fault.”
“Evidence? My gut feeling is practically evidence.”
“That alone isn’t enough to establish grounds for divorce.”
“Then… wait a moment.”
The client abruptly got up and went into a room. A moment later, she came out with a face still full of excitement, holding a white dress shirt.
The client held out the shirt, pointing to a stain that looked like a lipstick mark, and began raising her voice.
“Look at this. This mark, how can I not suspect him with this?”
Handling divorce cases, you see the same pattern ten times out of ten. Iyeon calmly countered.
“A stain from daily life alone can’t prove your husband’s infidelity. It could have gotten there by accident, or maybe it’s your lipstick mark.”
As Iyeon explained calmly, the client replied with a deflated expression.
“Then… what should I do?”
“If you want a divorce, how about a mutual agreement divorce instead of litigation?”
Iyeon offered her opinion within the most reasonable bounds. But Wookyung, who had been listening intently from the side, suddenly cut in.
“Why do you want to divorce your husband?”
“Well… I think he’s cheating on me, somehow.”
“Did you witness it directly?”
“That… no, but… he’s not like he used to be. Something has definitely changed.”
“Have you considered that your husband might feel the same way? Have you asked him?”
“His position?”
The client was momentarily speechless. She seemed somewhat embarrassed, avoiding eye contact and fidgeting with her fingertips. Then, Wookyung’s gaze slowly shifted towards Iyeon, who had been quietly observing the conversation.
“If the husband doesn’t even know his wife is misunderstanding him like this and just avoids her, from his position, there’s nothing he can do, isn’t there?”
The moment the gaze that had been on the client suddenly shifted to her, Iyeon’s shoulders flinched momentarily. As if her conscience was pricked, her lips sealed shut.
Wookyung’s words echoed in her head. It was essentially a roundabout way of saying that the reason for the divorce was me.
By the time Iyeon, who had lost the initiative, gathered her wits, the consultation was already heading towards its end.
***
The two left the apartment. The lingering dampness of her still-wet outer clothes clung unpleasantly to Iyeon’s body.
She thought it would be best to change clothes. She was just about to contact the office manager to request half a day off when she sensed a persistent presence following her. Iyeon’s head turned.
“I’ll be on my way now.”
“Let’s go together. If you’re heading home, I’ll give you a ride.”
“No, I’ll go separately.”
“Iyeon-ah.”
Wookyung grabbed Iyeon’s arm as she tried to turn away after her firm reply.
“Don’t call me that. We’re not on those terms anymore.”
Whenever Wookyung’s soft voice called her name, her heart softened just the same, whether it was three years ago or now.
“Are you uncomfortable with me being here?”
“If you know it’s uncomfortable, can’t you just stop?”
He must have heard from Manager Moon that the client today was preparing for a divorce lawsuit.
Knowing that, he still insisted on coming along.
Besides, even if it wasn’t Jeongyul Law Firm, with Wookyung’s specs, any major law firm would be desperate to hire him.
Was he really taking a contract position because of her?
At that moment, Iyeon felt miserable. Because she too had once believed she could earn the gold badge with the scales motif on her chest, just like Wookyung.
It was a feeling Wookyung wouldn’t understand even if he died and came back to life, and she didn’t want to give a tedious explanation.
“Why are you taking a contract position, leaving a good place behind, Mr. Cha Wookyung? Go back to where you belong.”
Iyeon deliberately spoke more firmly. But the reply she got back was far more solid than she expected.
“I can’t do that.”
Their gazes met head-on, neither giving an inch. But Wookyung pressed even harder.
“You seem to forget things easily. Seeing you’ve been seeing someone else since then.”
At that moment, a sense of injustice rose to her throat, but Iyeon hurriedly clarified before the misunderstanding deepened.
“That’s a misunderstanding. Things with Lawyer Song ended a long time ago.”
“But you still saw him.”
The existence of Song Juho, who must have known Iyeon intimately during the time he wasn’t around, irked him endlessly. A wave of inexplicable displeasure flashed across Wookyung’s face, and a bitter smile drifted over his lips.
“But it doesn’t matter. Anyway, I plan to do as I please from now on.”
“Are you really not going to stop?”
“If you dislike seeing me that much, then get the contract yourself and tear it up.”
Iyeon, exasperated, let out a hollow laugh.
“How does that make sense?”
“Why wouldn’t it work? There’s a you from last night who clung to me like that without even knowing it was me.”
“Mr. Cha Wookyung, that was…”
“Isn’t that the answer?”
Wookyung’s gaze pierced through Iyeon’s face. In that moment of exchanging unbearably tense stares, a vibration transmitted to the fingertips she had shoved into her jacket pocket.
She took out her phone; it was an unknown number. She had never given her personal number to the client, so assuming it was a personal call, she answered.
– Hello, are you the tenant of unit 405? What are you going to do about the mail that’s been piling up for years? If you don’t pick it up, I’m throwing it all away.
At that moment, the sensation of faded, old mail stirred up suppressed memories from three years ago that flashed through her mind.
