Chapter 29
“Since it’s a law office, I bought it with practicality in mind. Is it not good? The seller said it was a multifunctional product.”
If it were an experienced lady, I thought we’d have a decent back-and-forth.
As expected…
She drew a circle with her finger and spoke.
“It’s black. No matter how often you dust it, it piles up again right away. If it were for your home, that’s personal taste so I wouldn’t say anything. But for a business? Not recommended. I’m not running a flower shop for nothing.”
I nodded at her words—that the environment itself had to be pleasant for work to be efficient.
If Continet (the big law firm) didn’t have massage chairs, nap rooms, and other facilities, there would’ve been plenty of associates ready to rise up in rebellion, starting with Partner Kim.
‘If I’d been at Continet, I would’ve joined them too.’
Something that could never happen now.
“Mr. Lawyer, return this. When you have time, come shopping for interior decorations with me. The terminal mall is fine too.”
“Since we’re talking about it, why not go right now? We can shop and grab dinner.”
“Now? Then I might as well close up shop for today… wait. Let me check if I had any reservations.”
While she checked her phone schedule, I scrawled something on an A4 sheet with a pen:
Inside the bouquet, there’s something strange. Let’s step outside.
When she saw the note, she looked at the soap-flower bouquet strangely. Like dormant lava bubbling once garbage was thrown in.
“Ma’am, just leave your stall for now and let’s go out. We can eat at the food court, or if it’s crowded, just get takeout.”
“…Should we? I feel like I’m troubling you.”
“It’s all for a living, right? By the way, do you have anything you’d like to eat? If not, how about that spicy braised chicken place that opened a month ago?”
If it’s crowded, we’ll go elsewhere.
Food court, express bus terminal – spicy braised chicken shop.
Though it was the bustling terminal, there were still empty tables.
We picked a corner seat, good for conversation.
“Sit here, ma’am.”
“Thanks to you, it’s been a while since I ate at a restaurant.”
Unless you had a business with a break time, self-employed people like her usually ate irregularly, never knowing when customers might show up.
‘At least lawyers are better off.’
Depending on the firm, but generally, lunch breaks were guaranteed—except when a VVIP client could only meet then, or there was a trial.
“Ma’am, shall I order the medium spicy braised chicken?”
“And a bottle of soju, please.”
“Soju? I don’t drink… would you be okay drinking alone?”
“Oh right, you still have work to do. Don’t worry, I’ll pour for myself.”
As soon as the owner set the soju down, she poured a glass and downed it in one shot.
“Phew. Even if they lower the alcohol percentage, soju’s still bitter. Maybe it melts away this harsh world. Just one glass and I already feel my head spinning.”
She told me I should stick to good liquor instead of soju. I couldn’t bring myself to admit I couldn’t drink at all—not since her face had changed when I mentioned something strange in the bouquet.
“Ma’am, remember I said there was something odd in the bouquet?”
“You did.”
When I explained it had been brought back from the office, her face darkened again.
“While working in the office, I heard strange sounds. I thought it was electromagnetic interference. But no matter what I did, it wouldn’t go away. So I used a detector.”
That black device I had pretended was an interior gadget earlier.
“And the detector reacted strangely. I concluded there was a bug inside the soap-flowers. Because the device in my hand was a bug detector.”
“…What?”
Her chopsticks froze mid-air.
“To be certain, I’d have to break open the bouquet base, but I’d bet it’s either a bug or a recorder.”
“Wait, young man.”
She held out her palm.
“You said the bouquet was from the office. You didn’t get that from one of Yoon-sik’s brothers, did you? Right?”
She wanted so badly for me to say no.
“Young man, tell me it’s not.”
“……”
Her face looked worn, like a soap-flower dissolving into bubbles when touched by water.
I didn’t want to lie. That would only deceive her, who had surely endured similar schemes from Mr. Oh Yoon-sik’s brothers many times.
“It’s believed one of his brothers gave it as a gift to Mr. Oh Yoon-sik.”
“……”
“The restaurant owner tried to throw it away, but I picked it up.”
She cursed under her breath and emptied her glass.
Fraud didn’t care if you were kin, stranger, rich, or poor. Like germs, it attacked the moment you let your guard down.
Clink!
She slammed the glass down, seething.
“I thought, no way…”
“……”
“That soap-flower—back when it was popular, it was from Yeji’s flower shop. Six years ago.”
She explained that during the soap-flower craze, she had worked with a supplier to make unique marbled ones with mixed colors. Later, others copied the trend.
“But the ribbon tying that bouquet—it had our shop’s labeling. So it’s ours!”
‘So it really was her shop’s product.’
I had only guessed from the psychometry vision and the dust-covered bouquet.
“By the timing, it must’ve been a gift for nephew Yoon-taek’s middle school graduation. Given by Yeji’s dad.”
I hadn’t known it was a graduation gift six years ago.
‘So they gave it as thanks for signing the land compensation agreement? That’s even more outrageous.’
Soap-flowers might be eco-friendly and long-lasting, but using a dusty old bouquet with a bug hidden inside just to save money while scamming for compensation—that was beyond the pale.
‘Even if they’re family, I want nothing to do with them.’
“Is that what people do? Re-gift something, call it a present, and stick a bug or recorder in it?”
She kept drinking, furious.
“Young man, I don’t get it. Why put that thing in the bouquet? Does it make any legal difference?”
I didn’t know either.
Illegal recordings or bugs couldn’t be used as court evidence anyway.
So it must have been for the brothers themselves—to decide what to do after listening in.
‘But it’s overkill. They could just get him drunk, like in this case, and ask. Why bother with such inefficient tactics?’
Scammers didn’t optimize like an “energy-efficiency grade.” They just squeezed as much as they could, rich or poor.
I couldn’t be certain, but I suspected there was more to it.
“It’s clearly illegal, that’s for sure. But I can’t figure out what Mr. Oh Yoon-sik’s brothers ultimately want.”
I had one thing I could say as a lawyer:
“But if we win this case, things will change. Family relations, I mean.”
Sometimes, for people constantly plagued by misfortune, only a lawsuit’s outcome could flip the world upside down—stronger than blocking numbers or cutting ties.
She sipped again.
“You’re right… this time, it has to change. Actually, at the office earlier—if not for that soap-flower—I meant to tell you.”
“Oh? Did his brothers contact you?”
“…How’d you know?”
“Scammers always think the same. If the victim doesn’t fall into their trap, they’ll poke from the side to push them in.”
Like drizzle soaking your clothes before you realize it. Making you believe their words are the very definition of truth.
“They contacted after Yoon-bok hit Yeji, right?”
“Mm. So Yeji’s dad, just like you said, tried to smooth things over—said maybe we should forget the agreement.”
‘So Mr. Oh Yoon-sik actually tried?’
Unexpected. But then she gave a bitter laugh.
“The problem is, Yoon-ja overheard. Suddenly, she blew up—said we were trying to split the family, threatened to sue for emotional damages, and hung up.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
We should be the ones suing, not them. They had no evidence of damages linked to his actions anyway.
“Does Mr. Oh Yoon-sik want to sue? I imagine he called you right after, yelling.”
“Exactly. But I want to sue. I can’t live like this anymore.”
Before she finished speaking, the braised chicken arrived.
I served her a portion.
“First, let’s get a power of attorney from him.”
“Power of attorney?”
“Yes. You could be his legal representative.”
“……”
It would be up to her to persuade him, but he hadn’t given up his retirement fund. It was doable.
“Do you think I can?”
“Of course. Just say, ‘I can’t live like this anymore. Yeji came home bruised today, and now I’m supposed to give them compensation money too? Isn’t my husband the head of this family?’”
A line hitting Mr. Oh Yoon-sik right where it hurt—his desire for respect.
“And… what if he refuses?”
“Then use the unblockable move.”
“…Unblockable move?”
A skill that couldn’t be blocked, no matter how much the opponent guarded.
Mrs. Lee Kkot-soon had just such a move.
“Divorce.”
“……!”
I didn’t mean literally. Just to threaten him.
“I’ll print out both the power of attorney and some divorce petitions. In case he tears one up.”
Her jaw dropped.
“…Young man. You’ve only met Yeji’s dad once. How do you know him so well?”
I see it all—through insight.
