An Offer and an Unseen Web

I followed Seok Juho into the restaurant.
The entrance and the front of the restaurant were ordinary.
A neatly dressed employee appeared and spoke to Seok Juho with a gentle smile.

“Good evening, sir. Did you make a reservation?”

After Seok Juho answered, the employee smiled gently once more and led the way.

Creak.

When we pushed open the old sliding door and entered the room, no one sat down.
I pretended to be standing because they weren’t sitting, but I knew what was about to happen.

Swish.

The employee, who had gone a little further into the room, moved a folding screen on one side of the room with a cautious but familiar gesture and opened a door.

[Huh?]

And then, a black elevator, which I had mistaken for a wall, was revealed.
We followed the employee’s guidance and got on the elevator and went down.

Ding.

A few seconds later, when the elevator doors opened, a large and neat room appeared.

“Then please have a good time.”

The employee left the room.

[This… is a really strange place.]

While Gram was admiring it, Seok Juho, who had sat down first, pointed to a seat.

“Sit.”
“Yes.”

As I sat opposite him, Seok Juho opened his mouth, not hiding his look of surprise.

“You don’t seem to get easily swayed by your emotions.”
“What?”
“Most people would be surprised, but you’re so calm.”

‘Ah.’

Since I already knew, I wasn’t surprised.
But I answered as naturally as possible.

“I’m not usually one to get swayed by my emotions.”
“I see. That must be a strength.”

I nodded once as if I agreed with Seok Juho’s words.

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.’

It was a place I couldn’t even dream of with Cha Yohan’s salary, not Yoon Eunho’s.
The identity of this place was rather simple.
A place where people who want to invest generously in a single meal quietly enjoy that luxury.
As I had told Gram earlier, the course started at two million won per person.
And there was no alcohol in it.

‘I wonder if the chef is still the same.’

The chef, who was formerly the head chef of a hotel restaurant, was in charge of all the cooking.
He was also famous for discarding all the leftover ingredients that day, whatever they were.

Swish.

The door opened cautiously, and the employees set down the beautifully plated dishes.
Soon, a delicious smell filled the space.
Even though I didn’t feel hungry at all, they were scents that whetted my appetite.

“The food here is not bad, so try some even if you’re full.”
“Thank you.”

And so, we continued our meal.
Continuously, without any particular conversation.
When the food was about half empty, Seok Juho put down his chopsticks and looked at me.

“Lately, whether it’s the news or anywhere else, it’s all about you. I’m curious about how you feel about being the protagonist of all sorts of hot topics.”
“…I’m just flustered because I only did what I had to do.”
“Do you like people’s attention?”

It was a question whose intention was difficult to grasp.
And it was also a question that seemed to be a leading question.

‘I don’t know if it’s a question or a sarcastic remark, this.’

I was silent for a moment.
Seok Juho also waved his hand lightly.

“Ah, don’t misunderstand. I like people who are liked by people.”

I looked at Seok Juho without a word.
His rimless glasses sparkled even more under the light from above.
And so did Seok Juho’s eyes.
There was a clear intention in them.
Seok Juho leaned closer to me and added.

“People with ‘star quality’, as they say. Those types of people attract people even if they’re just standing still, don’t they? And in my eyes, you, Lawyer Cha, are exactly like that.”
“…Thank you.”
“The reason I called you today is just because I want to give you a good opportunity.”

A good opportunity, talking with eyes like that…
I wonder who it’s a good opportunity for.

“Lawyer Cha, people always dream of a hero. They want a righteous person in front of them more than a ‘hero’ from a movie or a drama. You know that too, don’t you? You’ve created a few yourself.”
“I didn’t create them. It was their own choice.”
“Alright, let’s say so. But in the end, you were the one who brought them to the surface. I see your ability as a perfect fit for our association.”

It seemed that Seok Juho had investigated me quite a bit.

“You have a narrative that people want.”
“……”
“A narrative that an ordinary lawyer couldn’t have, starting with the ridiculous nickname of ‘Zero-Wins’ to your story so far, and you’ve also got a handsome mask, so it’s perfect.”
“Director.”
“There’s nothing to lose for you. In fact, your recognition and reputation will only grow from here.”

The Seok Juho in my eyes was like a hunter who had set a trap and was waiting for his prey to fall into it.
I met his eyes.
How would I look in his eyes?
Would I look like a rabbit that doesn’t know about the trap in front of it, or a beast that will break the trap and charge?
I was now curious about that point.

No matter the situation, no matter who I met, time passed fairly.

‘But it’s inevitable to be as tired as it is uncomfortable.’

Because searching for and gauging an opponent requires that much mental fatigue.
Especially an opponent who approaches with his cards hidden.
During a red light, I closed my eyes and rubbed my tired eyes.

[Lawyer, the light has changed.]

‘Ah, thank you.’

When I was driving alone, Gram would tell me like this, and thanks to that, I could rest a little even while driving.

Vroom.

I was on my way back to the office, as I had discussed with Won Youngoh before leaving.

[But isn’t it too late? It’s already ten-thirty.]

As Gram said, it was ten-thirty right now.
It was around eight o’clock when I had gone to the restaurant with Seok Juho, and it was a little before ten when we had finished our meal and conversation.

‘But since he said he’d be waiting when I called to say I was leaving, I’m going to go.’

The neighborhood where our office was located was close to a residential area.
A neighborhood where even the cafes and restaurants close at this time.
Sometimes when I would return to the neighborhood after this time, it felt as if everyone was ending their day together.
Among them, the light in our office was always on.
It was the same today.

Creak.

‘They don’t seem to have any sleep.’

[I don’t think you’re in a position to say that, lawyer. When you don’t even sleep four hours a day.]

‘Where do I have time to sleep?’

As I was talking with Gram and going up to the office, everyone was there.

Chime.

“You’re back?”
“Yes.”

I approached the sofa where the three of them were sitting comfortably.
As soon as I sat down next to Lee Ilwoo, Won Youngoh asked a question.

“Did anything happen?”
“Hmm, not yet.”
“Not yet?”

Well, it’s really not yet.
My ambiguous answer was enough to arouse the curiosity of the three of them.

“It’s a matter that will proceed only after I give an answer. Shall we talk while we drink something?”

Won Youngoh frowned before my question had even finished.

“I’m fine. I still haven’t digested my dinner. I overdid it a little because Han Junyoung’s eyes were so pleading.”
“I feel the same way, lawyer.”

Jeong Donghyeok answered, unknowingly wrapping his stomach.
Lee Ilwoo let out a low laugh at the sight of the two.

“Did you have dinner, Mr. Lee Ilwoo?”
“Yes, the two of them took care of it separately. But it’s a shame I couldn’t eat it when it was warm.”
“Then I’ll go get some water.”

I took a sip of lukewarm water and told them what had happened with Seok Juho.

“Well, it’s not that serious or great right now. Though there are some parts that bother me in the director’s proposal.”
“What kind of proposal was it?”
“The Bar Association asked me to be their face. They said I was the person they were looking for.”

Thump.

I put down the half-empty cup and continued.

“It seems they’re planning to start producing content in the future, and they asked me to be the face of it.”
“Content?”
“Yes, it seemed like they were planning to run a channel in earnest. They said they would put me anywhere I wanted as long as I did as they said.”

Won Youngoh narrowed one eye and looked at me.
And he asked back as if it were ridiculous.

“‘Anywhere’?”
“Yes. They told me to just name it. If I said I wanted to be a prosecutor, they would give me a prosecutor’s robe, and if I said I wanted to join the Bar Association, they would prepare a ‘room’ for me.”

Jeong Donghyeok and Lee Ilwoo couldn’t hide their surprise.

“I didn’t know the director of the Bar Association had that much power.”
“But it’s a different direction from what we were worried about, Lawyer Cha. In a way, it could be a good proposal.”
“I thought you were going to get disciplined, lawyer.”

The two of them had relieved expressions, but Won Youngoh’s face was not so.
He rubbed his chin as was his habit and then lowered his hand and spoke.

“No.”

I picked up my cup again.
The two of them turned their gaze to Won Youngoh, who had uttered a denial.
Because it was a completely opposite answer to their reaction.

“As expected, the situation is more serious than I thought.”

I nodded, stroking the handle of the cup.
Lee Ilwoo looked at me.

“…Isn’t it a good thing?”
“Yes.”

Won Youngoh immediately added to my answer.

“Until a moment ago, it was just a guess, but now it has become a fact.”
“What guess are you talking about, Lawyer Won?”

Jeong Donghyeok asked back, narrowing his eyes.
He seemed to be thinking on his own.
Lee Ilwoo looked back and forth between us.

“The part about being able to place him as a prosecutor.”
“Ah.”

Jeong Donghyeok let out a low sigh.
He seemed to have immediately realized the serious situation that Won Youngoh was talking about.
I closed my eyes deeply once and then opened my mouth.

“Actually, a law firm can easily place someone anywhere with the help of the director of the Bar Association. But a prosecutor is different.”

In particular, Won Youngoh was a former prosecutor.
That’s why he immediately realized what position Seok Juho was in right now.
A prosecutor has a very special character, unlike other civil servants.
Won Youngoh narrowed his eyes as if he were thinking of the past and then started talking again.

“To put it simply, it’s not an exaggeration to say that one prosecutor is one ‘government office’.”
“A government office?”

Lee Ilwoo tilted his head and asked.

“It means that a prosecutor can exercise prosecutorial power on their own, not as an organization. Administrative dispositions such as a stay of prosecution can also be made by individual prosecutors as a single agency.”
“Yes, that’s right. As Lawyer Won said, one prosecutor is a quasi-judicial agency in itself.”

The more I continued to speak, the darker Won Youngoh’s expression became.

“So they often say that if a prosecutor is determined to take off his robe, he can even take down a company.”
“……”
“Because an investigation that has once begun cannot be forcibly stopped, no matter how great the external pressure is.”

That could not be stopped even if a superior, or even the prosecutor general, came.

“As such, the appointment of a prosecutor requires the approval of the prosecutor general.”

And so, Lee Ilwoo’s expression also gradually changed as he recognized the situation.

“So what you two are saying is…”
“Yes, so Seok Juho’s story means that an agreement has already been reached with the prosecution, no. To be precise, even with the prosecutor general.”

Won Youngoh washed his dry face once and added.

“It means he has a connection there, and that they’re coveting you for some reason, Lawyer Cha.”

The problem was that I couldn’t guess what that reason was.