Family Ties and a Child’s Wish

Bribery. I wonder if there’s a word that suits Won Youngoh less…
Won Youngoh, after an awkward laugh, opened his mouth.

“Uh, my older brother and his wife are prosecutors.”
“My grandpa too! Though he’s retired and at home now.”

The more cheerfully Won Doyeong spoke, the more Won Youngoh’s expression uncharacteristically darkened.

‘Won Ojun is currently a chief prosecutor, and among the recently retired prosecutors, if he has the surname Won… Is it Prosecutor General Won Hayeop? In a word, a family of legal professionals, but…’

But no one in this room knew that fact.
I was the same.
Even before, in my Yoon Eunho days, I had just thought it was a coincidence.

‘Because his path is so different from Won Youngoh’s.’

And Won Youngoh was not the type to talk about his personal life easily.

‘First of all, I didn’t even know he was a building owner…’

I was reminded once again of how little I knew about Won Youngoh.
I looked at Won Youngoh, who was now affectionately stroking Won Doyeong’s hair with his usual expression.

‘I thought we had a pretty close relationship.’

Although you can’t know everything just by being close, I felt a complicated emotion.
Come to think of it, even when I was living as Yoon Eunho, Won Youngoh had excessively avoided personal conversations.
I felt like I had finally learned the reason today.
A reason that might be Won Youngoh’s shame.

“You’ll come, right? Uncle.”

Just by looking at Won Doyeong’s behavior towards Won Youngoh, I could guess how good of an uncle Won Youngoh was.
Though that sight was a little awkward…

“Of course, it’s our Doyeong’s request. When is it?”

A Won Youngoh who was so affectionate was actually very awkward…
But Won Youngoh himself didn’t seem to mind showing this side of himself to us.

“Next Wednesday! The day before the vacation ceremony!”

At that cheerful word, we simultaneously checked the calendar.
As soon as he checked the date, Won Youngoh frowned, showing his predicament.
On ‘Dike’s’ calendar, a red circle and a yellow highlighter circle coexisted.
Red meant a criminal trial, and yellow meant a civil trial.
And the day that Won Doyeong had pinpointed was…
A day with several layers of yellow circles.

“Oh, I have some work that day, uncle…”

Won Youngoh stroked Won Doyeong’s head with a genuinely apologetic expression.
That day was the trial day of a victim who had been with Won Youngoh for several months and had no one to trust but him.
Even if he was a spitting image of Won Youngoh, a child is a child, and Won Doyeong’s face instantly became sullen.
I looked at the troubled Won Youngoh for a moment and then sat down next to him and spoke.

“Then shall I go to school in your place? I don’t have a trial scheduled for that day.”

Won Doyeong turned his small face and fixed his gaze on me.
He definitely had a rounder impression than Won Youngoh.
Though I don’t know why they had a similar feeling even though he didn’t resemble Won Youngoh’s characteristic sharp eyes at all.
Won Doyeong opened his mouth instead of Won Youngoh.

“Are you a lawyer too?”
“Yes, I’m a lawyer like your uncle.”

I answered, pointing alternately to the lawyer’s badge on Won Youngoh’s jacket and my own with my fingertips.
Won Doyeong’s eyes sparkled as soon as he received confirmation that I was a lawyer.
But he soon became sullen again.

“But you’re not my family.”

The fence of ‘we’ that the child was talking about seemed quite strong.

‘Is this also genetic…’

Because Won Youngoh’s fence was also always clearly demarcated.
I burst out laughing for a moment and then spoke again.

“Hmm, what do you call your dad’s friends, Doyeong?”
“Uh… uncle?”
“But here, your uncle Youngoh is also an uncle, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then what about me, your uncle Youngoh’s friend?”
“Uh… uncle.”

Won Doyeong tilted his head at my smooth three-step argument.

“So you’re like a nephew to me too. Just like your uncle Youngoh is like a real brother to me.”

Won Doyeong nodded at my words with a more relaxed expression than before.
Won Youngoh, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, looked at me for a moment as if he were surprised by my words.
Then he gently patted the back of Won Doyeong, who still couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“Yes, Doyeong. This uncle is like a little uncle to you.”
“Yeah…”

But it wasn’t the result he wanted, and he still didn’t smile as he had before.
Jeong Donghyeok, who had been quietly watching, gestured to us.

“Excuse me, little gentleman. Do you like cake? Cookies? Bread?”

‘As expected, even a cold person can’t help it in front of a child.’

That thought came to me as I saw Jeong Donghyeok smiling brightly and asking Won Doyeong.

“…I’ll have a cake.”
“Since it’s come to this, let’s take a break at the cafe. I’ll be right there too, uncle. Please, office manager.”
“Yes, Lawyer Won.”

In the end, Won Doyeong went down to the cafe on the lower floor first, holding the hands of Jeong Donghyeok and Lee Ilwoo.
I grabbed my coat from my room and approached Won Youngoh again.

“Shall we go down too?”
“Yes, Lawyer Cha. But just a moment before that.”

He had already returned to his usual Won Youngoh.
And a Won Youngoh with a slightly complicated expression.
I felt like I knew what Won Youngoh was about to say.

“…Did you notice?”

I thought for a moment and then nodded.
Judging from Won Youngoh’s reaction, it was clear that he had caught on to the fact that I had noticed and was trying not to show it.
With Won Youngoh’s intuition, he would have.

“Yes, though I didn’t know you had a brother, lawyer.”
“Haa… How much do you know? By now, you must have figured out who my father is too.”

I nodded and then sat down next to Won Youngoh again and asked back.

“Hmm, how much?”
“Yes.”
“…That your father and brother are an ideal family of legal professionals to the public? That they’re all graduates of Seoul National University’s law school, have excellent training institute grades, and are carrying on the legacy of an elite family.”
“Then what’s the reality?”

I uncharacteristically rolled my eyes once and moved my lips.
Because even for me, it felt strange to talk about the parts that Won Youngoh hadn’t talked about himself.

‘And the fact that there was no mention of Won Youngoh even in a family like that is even more… This field is so small.’

Won Youngoh nodded as if it were okay.
It was an expression that was difficult to read.

“You can speak comfortably. I’m curious too. How those people are perceived by others. Especially from your perspective, Lawyer Cha.”
“…Entertainment is a given, bribes are a must, and in return, they’ll look the other way in investigations. And, yes. …Don’t tell me even the nickname?”
“Yes, even that.”

After much thought, I chose just one and opened my mouth.

“…The no-charge vending machine.”
“Hahaha!”

But Won Youngoh showed an unexpected reaction.
Because he laughed as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.
I couldn’t help but be flustered by Won Youngoh’s reaction.
It was a situation where I was basically insulting his family to his face, but to laugh as if he had heard something so funny.

“You’re the first person to talk so honestly to me after knowing this fact.”

I guess so.
Since his was not a family without power, they would have acted in a way that would make them look good to Won Youngoh first.
Whoever it was.

“At times like these, I’m sometimes curious about what you don’t know.”
“My information network is a little better than it looks.”

As I added with a brazen face, Won Youngoh shook his head with a look that said he couldn’t be stopped.

[Still, didn’t you talk too much this time? You should pretend you don’t know things like this…]

‘Somehow, it was a face that wanted to be caught.’

I have spent a considerable amount of time with Won Youngoh.
But the expression I saw on Won Youngoh’s face just now was one I had never seen before.
Won Youngoh looked at me as if he wanted to be freed from the secret he had been hiding all along, and he laughed as if he were so happy that it was revealed.

‘And you know that Won Youngoh would have noticed even if I had hidden it. You have to give what you have to give to make the trust even stronger.’

Won Youngoh, whose smile had completely disappeared from his face, slowly opened his mouth.

“I am estranged from that family. And for quite a long time.”

Won Youngoh’s eyes narrowed slightly for a moment, and then he added again.

“At first, I was more proud of the fact that my father was a prosecutor than anyone else. To the extent that I naturally wanted to walk the same path as my father.”

So the sense of betrayal was even greater, Won Youngoh’s eyes said quietly.

“But I inevitably ran into my sister-in-law a few times. Doyeong is particularly attached to me. I didn’t know he would come to visit like this today. I don’t even know how he came, really.”
“He looked just like you, Lawyer Won. The way he talked, and his personality.”
“I guess it’s in the blood.”

Won Youngoh spoke in a self-deprecating tone and then, with a sigh, brought up the main point again.

“What I mean is, your offer to go in my place is appreciated, but if you go there, you could get involved with my brother. There’s no other way to describe it than getting splashed with muddy water.”
“That’s fine.”

The person closest to me was Won Youngoh, who was right in front of my eyes.
He was also the person closest to the grand word ‘family’.
Won Youngoh’s thoughts might be different, but well.
Because I could feel more than anyone else that Won Youngoh was genuinely worried right now.

“I could see that you really cherish Doyeong, lawyer. And Doyeong is not at fault. It’s the adults’ business, and a child who has done nothing wrong should not be harmed by that business.”
“Lawyer Cha.”
“Even if Doyeong finds out everything later and is disappointed, your presence will be a comfort to him.”

Won Youngoh looked at me with a calm gaze.

“And I think you would be a good guide for Doyeong to follow. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks so.”
“……”

Was I too honest?
But it was a sincerity without a single exaggeration.
I scratched the corner of my eye with an awkward expression, feeling Won Youngoh’s gaze on me.

“Ah, this kind of cringeworthy situation is even harder to bear than a tense one. Everyone must be waiting, so let’s go down now.”

Even when I stood up, Won Youngoh just waved his hand and did not get up.
His face looked even more complicated than before.

“A hot Americano, please. I need to look at some materials.”
“Ah, I understand. I’ll be back.”
“And, Lawyer Cha.”

Chime.

I looked back with my hand on the doorknob.
The wind chime above my head swayed, pouring out a pleasant sound.
Our eyes met as naturally as before.

“Yes?”
“I also sometimes feel like you’re my real younger brother. Strangely, as if I’ve known you for a very long time.”

When he had finished speaking, the corners of Won Youngoh’s mouth were drawing a bigger curve than ever before.

Four in the afternoon, an ambiguous time.
When I went down to the cafe, I was once again faced with an unexpected scene.

“Lawyer, here’s your coffee. I was waiting for you so it wouldn’t get cold.”
“Thank you.”

I took the coffee from Ha Seonghui and headed to the table, which was full of cheesecakes and cookies she had baked herself.
Jeong Donghyeok and Lee Ilwoo were watching Won Doyeong’s munching with a very pleased expression.
I also smiled and sat down, and Won Doyeong asked a question.

“What do you have to do to become a lawyer? I’m going to be a lawyer too when I grow up.”

It was surprising to hear him say he wanted to become a lawyer even though he knew his parents were prosecutors.
I took a sip of the savory coffee and asked back.

“Hmm, why do you want to be a lawyer, Doyeong? Because your uncle Youngoh is cool?”

Won Doyeong looked at me once and then poked a soft cheesecake with a fork.

“I know everything.”
“Oh, what?”
“What people call my dad and grandpa.”