Chapter 21
Kim Gi-jin also put down his coffee cup and spoke to me seriously.
“About the success fee for this case… Grandma wants to give you the apartment in Yongsan.”
“Lawyers aren’t allowed to take success fees in criminal cases.”
“No, Lawyer Yoo. That’s the law. This is just our way of expressing gratitude.”
“I can’t accept it. A lawyer who fights for the law can’t be the first to break it.”
As I firmly refused, everyone around me looked troubled.
“Hyun-jae, isn’t this at least a minimal gesture of sincerity?”
“No. I can’t accept it.”
When my attitude remained firm, even the red eyes started blaming me.
—Tch, what an inflexible guy!
“Ma’am. Please don’t take it the wrong way. My job is one that constantly involves disputes, and I’m more likely than most to make enemies. If I accept an expensive apartment from this case, it won’t be a benefit—it could become a liability. If someone targets me later and traces my finances, it could lead to irreversible consequences.”
After I explained politely, Mrs. Lee Hwa-young nodded.
“So I wasn’t wrong about you after all.”
“Grandma, so we can’t do anything for Hyun-jae? He pulled me out of hell, you know?”
Kim Gi-jin sniffed.
Mrs. Lee thought for a moment and spoke.
“Then let’s do this.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“Instead of a success fee, I’d like to appoint Lawyer Yoo as legal advisor for our corporation.”
“The corporation?”
“Hyun-jae, my grandmother has too many properties, so she manages them through a corporation. That’s what she means.”
A legal advisory contract meant receiving a fixed monthly fee and additional compensation for cases—an arrangement no lawyer would refuse.
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll pay you ten million won per month as your advisory fee.”
—Whoa, jackpot!
The red eyes jumped up in excitement.
“I don’t have much experience in real estate law yet, so that might be too much.”
“It isn’t. Let me ask you something. What kind of fate do you think you have?”
“I’m not sure about my own fate either.”
“I’ve seen many people’s futures in my life, but someone like you is a first.”
—Is Hyun-jae’s future really that incredible?
Red eyes leaned forward, curiosity sparkling.
Mrs. Lee smiled faintly, a meaning I couldn’t decipher, then turned to the quietly sitting Lee Hae-mi.
“Hae-mi. When you look at Lawyer Yoo, what do you see?”
Lee Hae-mi looked at me.
At first, her face flushed slightly with embarrassment, but soon her eyes lost focus as she stared at me.
She furrowed her clean brow slightly, then regained clarity in her eyes.
“What do you see?”
At Mrs. Lee’s question, Hae-mi lowered her head slightly and shook it.
“I see nothing.”
“So do I. I can’t see anything in Lawyer Yoo’s future either.”
—Nothing?
“Grandma, are there people whose fortunes can’t be seen?”
Even Kim Gi-jin asked, sounding unconvinced.
“Lawyer Yoo has a strong energy and is the type who creates his own future. Even the most skilled fortune-teller can’t predict the future of someone like that. His energy shifts the future moment by moment.”
—Is that a good thing?
“It’s good. It means you can shape your future with your own will.”
“Wow!”
Everyone sitting around—Mrs. Lee, Hae-mi, Kim Gi-jin, even the red eyes—was staring at me, which felt awkward.
“What does that have to do with the advisory contract?”
“The corporation owns some land that large conglomerates are already eyeing. Ordinary energy isn’t enough to deal with them in negotiations or conflicts. I believe you are the most suitable person for this job. So think of the advisory fee as the cost of keeping a talent like you by our side. In that sense, it’s actually beneficial for us.”
—In other words, only our Hyun-jae, with his insanely strong energy, can do this.
At the red eyes’ comment, everyone burst into laughter.
After laughing out loud, Mrs. Lee grew serious again.
“So, Lawyer Yoo. Will you accept the contract?”
“Yes.”
“Then please send over the contract as soon as possible.”
“Understood.”
The time spent at Kim Gi-jin’s house was both pleasant and useful.
On the taxi ride back to Ansan, the red eyes seemed reluctant.
‘Did you have that much fun?’
—There’s no one else who can hear me except you. Until now, I’ve only been able to talk to you. But just now, it felt like I was alive again, eating and talking with others. Of course it was fun.
‘Then you could even become friends with Gi-jin.’
—Hey. I said it was fun, not that I like that guy.
‘What don’t you like about him?’
Red eyes answered bluntly, as if unwilling to continue.
—He’s a pushover.
Well, if you don’t like him, nothing to be done.
It was a windy Saturday with sleet drifting through the air.
Not exactly good weather for a long trip.
But my mother must have been waiting eagerly.
I left the officetel wearing light clothes.
From Ansan to Yongmun was more than three hours by public transport.
My mother ran a small restaurant in Yongmun.
She hadn’t taken a single day off since my father passed away.
Even while I finished high school, university, and law school, she never rested.
Her hands were rough—her finger joints deformed from years of washing dishes and working in water.
Before arthritis set in, she refused to hire staff even though the restaurant was doing well, insisting on cooking everything herself because she believed food only tasted right when made by the owner.
Rain made her arthritis worse. On days like this, she must be suffering more.
When I arrived at Yongmun Station, I went straight to her restaurant.
It was between lunch and dinner, so the place was relatively quiet.
“Mom.”
“My lawyer son is here!”
She welcomed me happily.
“Hurry and sit down. You must’ve skipped meals on the way. Eat first, okay?”
“Yes.”
I took a seat.
“Oh my, the lawyer is here!”
“So this is the son she always brags about?”
“Didn’t I tell you? He really looks like an actor, right? Like that actor from Love and Hate!”
“Right, even better than him!”
“Hello.”
The kitchen ladies I’d known for years greeted me loudly.
My mother smiled and shot them a playful glance.
“Stop staring, you’ll wear out my handsome son’s face.”
“Oh come on, what do you do if you don’t have a handsome son? Life’s unfair, haha!”
“If you don’t have a son, just get a son-in-law!”
“Hey, I saw him first! My daughter’s still in middle school, so give me five years!”
“You’re too greedy! Hahaha!”
The kitchen burst into laughter.
The menu was simple—pork bulgogi set, mackerel set, Spanish mackerel set, and braised cutlassfish set.
But the variety of side dishes that changed daily, crispy-yet-juicy fish, spicy pork stir-fry, and rich braised fish made it very popular.
Regulars came almost daily like clockwork, eating as if it were home-cooked meals.
My mother often added an extra fried egg for them.
While the kitchen ladies were on a short break, I went inside.
The kitchen was old but clean, renovated years ago while keeping the structure of the old house. Still, it was cramped.
Some people even called my mother stingy for not expanding despite making good money.
But it was actually me who had stopped her from selling the place.
—Hyung!
From a wooden shelf high in the kitchen, a golden serpent slid down smoothly.
It was the spirit that protected and prospered the restaurant.
The reason the place was never sold, no matter how much money we made, was because of this guy.
When we first met, it was only the size of an arm. Now, after thirteen years, it had grown over two meters long.
Its thickness was comparable to an adult man’s thigh.
‘You’ve been well?’
—Missed you, hyung.
The golden serpent rubbed its head against my chest.
—Isn’t this guy getting too big to act cute?
The red eyes, who had appeared at some point, shook their head.
The golden serpent hissed and flicked its long tongue at it.
—How scary. You haven’t changed at all.
—You should be protecting my brother properly, not causing trouble. If you fail, I’ll punish you.
—How exactly are you going to punish me? You can’t even step outside the kitchen…
—You think I can’t leave? I stay here to help the restaurant! I can go out anytime I want!
‘Hey, you two already fighting?’
I stopped both the red eyes and the spirit.
‘You’ve worked hard protecting the restaurant income and even the health of the staff.’
—Me? I’m just helping because Mom does everything. Cooking and running the place is all her…
‘I know you’re subtly controlling customer flow so it doesn’t get too overwhelming. Good job.’
—I don’t want Mom to get overworked. If we handed things off, we could open branches and grow bigger…
It clicked its tongue in disappointment.
My mother was the type to put care into every small thing, so if the business grew too large, she would likely ruin her health.
‘What we have now is enough. I was planning to tell her to take it easier anyway.’
The spirit eagerly told me everything that had happened—chasing away rude customers, guiding food critics to appreciate the meals, and taking care of my mother and the kitchen staff’s health.
‘Honestly, I feel reassured having you.’
—You haven’t forgotten me just because you’re having fun as a lawyer?
‘I’m always grateful.’
—Then… can I follow you to work someday? I like being with you the most…
It twisted shyly.
‘Once I get more settled, I’ll take you with me. Until then, help Mom here.’
—Really?
‘She can’t keep working forever. She needs rest soon.’
—I promise, hyung. Don’t worry about Mom. I’ll help her until then.
‘Thanks.’
The red eyes frowned at the sight of the spirit rubbing against me.
—How sentimental. Were you two lovers in a past life or something?
‘Maybe?’
The spirit and I both laughed.
