Physical Training

Won Youngoh spoke to Lee Ilwoo, who adamantly refused to accept a wage, with a firm expression.

“Still, unpaid work is not acceptable. That is blatant labor exploitation. Are you by any chance planning to report us to the Ministry of Labor later on, Mr. Lee Ilwoo?”

I seemed to be the only one in this room who understood that that was Won Youngoh’s idea of a joke.
Well, if someone says something like that with such a cold face, even if you had no intention of suing, you might start to wonder if your subconscious was actually hoping for it.
In the end, they reached a dramatic settlement of ten thousand won per hour, but Won Youngoh still seemed dissatisfied.

‘I bet he’ll hand him a labor contract tomorrow, right away.’

It was in Won Youngoh’s nature to prefer everything neat and precise.
We left the restaurant in a good mood.

“Then, everyone, please go home.”
“Since we’ve eaten, let’s really not contact each other anymore.”
“Yes, I’ll contact you again tomorrow.”

I said we left in a good mood, not on good terms.
Choi Suhyeok was still snappy even with a languid expression, and I answered playfully.
It was a truly satisfying dinner.
The people I ate with, and the food.
I liked everything without a single exception.

‘It would be even better with a can of beer.’

So on my way home, I bought a can of cold beer and came back.

‘It doesn’t feel awkward to call this place home anymore.’

Humans are truly creatures of adaptation.
At first, I wondered what was going on, but now I’m not even that surprised to see the hologram that appears before my eyes from time to time without any notification.

Thump.

“Haa, I’m alive.”

After a hot shower, I took a sip of the chilled beer.
And I sat on the bed under the window and looked outside.
It was different from the high-rise apartment I lived in as Yoon Eunho, and the view from the CEO’s office at ‘Justice’, but I liked this night view.
The quietly flowing chanting was also nice.

‘Now, I’m finally doing the kind of lawyering I truly dreamed of.’

Not lawyering to somehow reduce the sentence of the guilty, but lawyering to help alleviate the sense of injustice.
As I was lost in thought, looking out the window, the hologram spoke to me.

[What are you looking at so intently?]

“Just, because it’s pretty.”

[…What exactly?]

“Hmm, the night view?”

The park over there is peaceful, and I can clearly see people walking in it.
As I was silently looking out the window again, the hologram reappeared.

[Since you’ve solved another case, there should be a suitable reward. I will give you points.]
[As it was a case you took on yourself, the points will be different from usual.]

Ah, hearing that, a question I had forgotten for a moment came to mind.

“I’ve been curious for a while, can you give me those points as you please?”

[This much is within my discretion.]

“Then, since you’re giving them, how about giving me a lot? A generous service.”

[You know that’s not possible.]

Ah, that’s a shame.
Still, as the points filled up, quite a few skills had their slashes removed.

‘Hmm… <Divine Eloquence>, <Righteous Body>, <Omniscient Lawyer’s Perspective>…’

These were the three new ones, but none of them really appealed to me.
First, <Divine Eloquence>.
It’s said to prevent you from stuttering for a desired amount of time, but I already don’t do that.
Second, <Omniscient Lawyer’s Perspective>.
If you read the case file a certain number of times, you can instantly memorize and understand its contents…
I’ll memorize it all if I keep reading it anyway.
There was nothing useful except for the third one, <Righteous Body>.

<Righteous Body> 300 points
The more you use your body for justice, the more your physical abilities will increase.
Synergy is gained according to the amount of exercise.

“This is the only useful one this time…”

[There are also Divine Eloquence and Omniscient Lawyer’s Perspective.]

“I already know how to do those things, so I should save my points. And I enjoy reading case files.”

Then, the hologram uttered a meaningful phrase.

[I’m envious. I wish I had at least a little bit of eloquence.]

“What did you say?”

[I didn’t say anything.]

“This is suspicious. Anyway, I’ll buy <Righteous Body>.”

I had just been thinking that I needed to build up some stamina.
If it weren’t for Lee Ilwoo and Choi Suhyeok, I would have been lying in a hospital bed by now.
At the very least, I would have had a hole in me somewhere.

‘I can’t move my body as well as I did when I was Yoon Eunho.’

Cha Yohan wasn’t objectively weak, but he couldn’t keep up with me as much as I wanted.

‘There’s nothing bad about a strong body. If my stamina increases, the time I can invest in cases will also increase.’

An notification that I had purchased <Righteous Body> immediately appeared.

“I don’t really feel any difference.”

[That’s because it’s level 1.]
[It’s a skill that can grow, so you’ll feel it more and more as the days go by.]

‘Hmm, I see.’

I chugged the rest of the beer before it got completely lukewarm and looked forward to tomorrow.
Will I feel refreshed in the morning?

A few days passed like that.
Since acquiring <Righteous Body>, it had become a little easier to wake up in the morning.

‘It’s strange.’

Chime.

When I first came to ‘Dike’, it was just Won Youngoh and me, but now, not only Lee Ilwoo but also Jeong Donghyeok had started coming to work, so it was quite bustling from the morning.

“Good morning.”
“Lawyer, you’re here?”
“Good morning, lawyer.”

The two, who had already seen each other during their public defender days, seemed to be getting quite close day by day.
The two of them were sharing the coffee that Won Youngoh habitually brewed, and when I appeared, they greeted me together.

“Yes, and where is Lawyer Won?”
“He went to meet a client.”
“Where?”
“He said he was going to the hospital.”

I nodded at Jeong Donghyeok’s answer.
It seemed to be a case that Won Youngoh was already handling before I joined, since I didn’t remember it.
Jeong Donghyeok handed me a cup of coffee and spoke again.
Surprisingly, he had a smiling face.

‘He doesn’t usually smile much.’

“Mr. Ilwoo said his hobby is hiking, so we decided to go together sometime.”

Ah, so that was it.
Office Manager Jeong Donghyeok was a renowned hiking enthusiast.
He said that there is life in climbing up and down the mountain.
I nodded silently. Lee Ilwoo asked me a question.

“Lawyer, what do you usually do on weekends?”
“I usually go to temples.”
“…Temples?”
“Yes, the places where temples are located usually have good air. It’s peaceful and puts my mind at ease.”
“Ah, I think I know what you mean. Then do you like hiking too, lawyer? Maybe we can all go together one weekend…”
“No, I like temples, not hiking. You two can go hiking.”

At my firm answer, Jeong Donghyeok let out a complaint-like remark with a cold face.

“I’ve never been with you once even during your public defender days.”
“Hiking is hard.”
“There’s nothing like hiking to build up stamina. But you would get so scared whenever I suggested going to the mountain, but I never knew you liked going to temples.”

Well, this is Yoon Eunho’s preference, not Cha Yohan’s.
But I couldn’t say it honestly.
Jeong Donghyeok took another sip of the fragrant, steaming coffee and then mentioned the day I first woke up as Cha Yohan.

“No wonder you suddenly asked me to play Buddhist scriptures that day… Was it a hidden hobby? Come to think of it, we’ve never had a conversation like this.”
“…I forgot my earphones that day.”

It was a lame excuse, but Jeong Donghyeok seemed to believe it.
Lee Ilwoo was listening to our conversation with interest.

“Private conversations are usually a double-edged sword. I heard you’ve successfully concluded your second case already.”
“Ah, yes. From now on, there will be nothing but victories. ‘Zero-Wins’ is no longer a thing.”

Jeong Donghyeok’s eyes sparkled as he sensed a different kind of composure in my words than before.
Uh oh, that looks like a suspicious eye.
I quickly changed the subject.

“Then I’ll go and check the piled-up requests.”

I gathered the case files on the table and went into the glass wall next to Won Youngoh’s space.
It was my cozy and perfect space, with a nameplate that Won Youngoh had even put up.

‘Won Youngoh is not here right now, so I should check the requests and collect some points.’

I took out my earphones from my bag and played the Buddhist scriptures again today.

[…no suffering of the mind, no suffering of no suffering, no nothingness, fear, delusion, dreams…]

The perfect environment for concentration was created.
And so, I finished reading each case 50 times in the morning alone.
Though it was only three cases.

‘This is just like Won Youngoh.’

Among the three, there was not a single client who seemed to be a malicious corporation or an evil person.
A parent who stole powdered milk due to financial hardship.
The righteous man from Apgujeong Station who, while trying to prevent a car accident caused by a luxury sports car suspected of drunk driving, became the perpetrator instead.
A teacher who was assaulted by a parent for crushing her child’s spirit with excessive discipline and was also sued for child abuse.

‘It’s just like his prosecutor days.’

Even as a prosecutor, Won Youngoh only prosecuted those who were truly identified as evil, not based on performance.
He repeatedly emphasized that that was his calling as a prosecutor.
It was while looking at Won Youngoh’s confident back that I felt that a clean and upright person has many enemies.
As a long time passed like that, my eyes met with Lee Ilwoo, who was stretching with a bored expression beyond the glass wall.

“Ah…”

Because Jeong Donghyeok was also sitting at the wooden table, trying to understand the case.

‘He must have been awkward by himself.’

Creak.

I pushed the door open and approached Lee Ilwoo.

“Are you bored?”
“Haha, a little. But it’s also a little amazing. To see you two concentrating like this.”
“So I was thinking of taking a break now. My eyes are a little tired.”

I plopped down on the sofa opposite where Lee Ilwoo was sitting.

“Shall I give you some books? Something to read. You can make yourself at home.”
“Actually, the office manager gave me a few books earlier.”

Ah, so he gave them to him to read.
I had no doubt, as the titles of the books were naturally Won Youngoh or Office Manager Jeong Donghyeok’s taste.
<The Harmful Truth of Justice>, <Mastering Civil Law Cases in One Volume>, <Is Surveillance Punishment?>…

‘Just reciting the titles would make any civilian run away.’

I laughed awkwardly and pushed the books to one side. At my appearance, Lee Ilwoo smiled, his long eyes crinkling, and waved his hand.

“They were more readable than I thought. But lawyer, do you usually exercise?”
“I do a moderate amount of running. On days I can’t, I do some simple push-ups at home.”
“I see. A friend of mine has a dojang near here.”
“A dojang?”
“Yes, they also have a gym. I was a little worried seeing your work style, lawyer.”

Lee Ilwoo cautiously added to my questioning eyebrows.

“I’ll be with you from now on, but in case of an unforeseen situation, how about learning a few techniques from me?”

I had been impressed seeing the flying Lee Ilwoo last time.
It was a tempting story.

‘Where else would I get the chance to learn directly from a bodyguard? And a former national athlete at that.’

My eyes sparkled as I asked back.

“Techniques? That’s great. Office Manager, I checked earlier, but there are no client meetings today, right?”
“Yes, there are none. Please feel free to go. I’ll contact you if a new client visits.”
“Yes, I’ll come right away if you contact me.”

There were no new cases for me yet, and Won Youngoh had repeatedly said that I could use my time freely when there were no requests.
I stood up from my seat with a light heart with Lee Ilwoo.

‘I’m also curious to see how the skill reacts.’

“Heok, heok…”

It hadn’t been long since I changed into my dobok, but I was already soaked in sweat.
I was just lying on the floor, feeling the dampness on my back and panting for breath.

‘Even if he is a former national athlete, can a person really be like this?’