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Chapter 153 - Meeting, Finally
To further demonstrate his intention to end this topic, Sehun stood up. He was about to take back his tablet PC when Mihee pressed down her palm on the screen, preventing him from taking back his device.
“Wait. Let’s have dinner together sometime. I’m going to meet Director Ikyung Do. I already checked your schedule for this week with Secretary Tak and managed to find a time that worked for everyone, so don’t refuse,” Mihee said.
“Why so suddenly?”
“I didn’t tell you? The art purchase matter that you refused last time, I decided to take that on. Since you refused, I thought that if I gave it to anyone working under you, they would feel uncomfortable about it. I was the best card in that situation.”
“Did you really have to? Snap out of it, Senior Attorney Song. That’s not a handout. The difficulty of the task is bound to be reflected in the price that you pay later. Do you have no experience at all? She’s definitely going to ask for something big later.”
“I know, but how could I refuse goodwill? The other party wants to meet you even though you refused her work. She wants to treat you to a good meal, so let’s go.”
A thousand thoughts flickered through Sehun’s mind. The most prominent thought that wound itself in his memories was Yoonshin, crying in the middle of the street. He then recalled the time when Yoonshin was searching for an ocean to save him, and the information from Sehun’s investigation on Yoonshin’s sister’s marriage—they all bubbled up and burst on the surface of his mind.
Judging by the fact that Mihee accepted Director Do’s goodwill without deep thought, she didn’t seem to know about such extenuating circumstances. However, thinking that the turning point for Yoonshin could be at that dinner, Sehun couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
He sighed once, then he begrudgingly nodded.
* * *
Mihee had left the table for an important work call. Sehun and Ikyung were left alone in the quiet, private room. Ikyung peeked up at Sehun, then she courteously refilled his teacup. Sehun merely looked down at the elegant cup, yet he didn’t touch it. As if she knew that he would react that way, she grinned bitterly then said, “Is a cup of tea too much to take?”
Sehun’s immediate reply was frigid, “The tea itself is fine, but I don’t know if I feel the same about what you’re about to tell me.”
Not denying it, Ikyung calmly answered, “I heard that you were difficult to meet last minute. Thank you for coming here today.”
“It depends on who the client is since there are clients who I absolutely need to see even if it means sacrificing my time.”
“You’re quite a good salesman, just as I’ve heard.”
“I merely hope for the best shopping experience for my clients,” he said, then Ikyung fell silent again. Sehun could feel that she was mildly upset, so he said, incitingly, “This is how I teach Yoonshin Do. A lawyer works in the service industry. Do you still not regret sending him to me?”
“It’s too early to tell. Now that you mention him, how is Yoonshin? He’s a smart boy, but I was too easy-going on him, so sometimes he’s a bit naïve on the ways of the world. But thanks to that, he listens to me quite well, so I somehow convinced him to go to Doguk… Honestly, I’m very worried if he’s adjusting all right.”
“He’s good at adjusting and doing his work. Much better than my expectations.”
“Thank you for seeing him in such a positive light.”
Sehun wasn’t intentionally looking at him in a good light. Yoonshin’s fundamental values may differ from those of a large law firm, but Sehun couldn’t deny that Yoonshin was a good lawyer ready to work for the right reasons.
Unlike judges and prosecutors who received a monthly salary proportionate to their years of experience, a lawyer’s hourly rate was everything. In some respects, it was much like an athlete who was valued based on their annual net worth. Someone with Yoonshin’s moral values and experiences was a rarity in this superficial market. Yet ironically, the world ran smoothly only when people like Yoonshin existed.
Even Sehun, who lived the completely opposite life on the spectrum, knew that. There was no way Ikyung Do didn’t know that either.