Chapter 113 "Nothing Happened."
"Nothing happened."
Nothing had happened, so why on earth...
Suddenly, Lee Ye-jin's words from their earlier phone call came back to him. The part about how she'd agonized over the decision before making it.
"I've sent my kids to college, and I've paid off most of the housing loan. Now I just want to do what I want to do. Just like you, Lawyer Cha."
The first time she'd told him of her intent to resign, Oh Yanghun had said he envied her—the way she could follow her conscience. He'd said that with family to think of, he could never do the same.
That had been just this past early spring. There was no way all his worries had vanished in the meantime.
"...Manager Oh."
"Working with you on the Jeong Yeongjun case the other day brought back old memories. It felt good. Kept thinking about it. Even started missing the days we worked together at the Blue House."
Oh Yanghun pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at the beads of sweat already forming on his forehead.
"Kinda creepy, right? Haha. I kept spacing out, so Prosecutor Lee pulled me aside and asked what was up. That's how I ended up spilling it all."
Listening to him, Cha Juhan could picture it clearly enough. Now he understood why Lee Ye-jin had phrased it that way. Even that bit about her being so fond of him she might get jealous.
"Then she told me to come work for you, Lawyer Cha. Said you'd probably pay better than the prosecutors' office. Haha. Oh, not that I'm asking for that! Don't get the wrong idea."
Realizing his slip, Oh Yanghun waved his hands frantically.
Kang Minjae leaned in with a serious face and whispered to him.
"Manager Oh. You could ask for that much. The boss will definitely take good care of you."
"I'm not hoping for that. You've only been open a year and a half. I show up unannounced, no job posting or anything. I just want to work with you again, like old times. That's all."
"In that case, are you saying you'd be fine starting as an unpaid intern?"
Oh Yanghun's shoulders twitched at Cha Juhan's question.
"W-Well..."
He had two daughters. As far as Cha Juhan knew, the younger one had graduated from junior college this year and found a job. But even so, with weddings to pay for and retirement to plan, staying at the prosecutors' office was clearly the safer bet. Especially since he'd married young and was still in his forties with two college-grad kids.
"Kang, print out a contract."
Kang Minjae shot him a horrified look, his eyes screaming: You're really gonna use a top-tier guy like Manager Oh as an unpaid intern?
Hm. Maybe the joke went too far.
"As you know, our office is still a startup. There are risks. If you leave the prosecutors' office to join us, you'll be taking on some of that uncertainty."
"I know."
Oh Yanghun met his gaze, his eyes more resolute now.
"We'll pay you double your current prosecutor's salary. Raises every year through negotiation, of course. Full social insurance. Monday through Friday, 9 to 6. Sound good?"
"..."
"Oh, and Kang here is still freelance, so this is our first real hire. I'd like a bit more time to research benefits and other perks before proposing a full package. That okay?"
Oh Yanghun looked stunned. Cha Juhan paused, then spoke again.
"If the salary's not enough, we can raise it. Tell me what figure you have in mind."
"No, Lawyer Cha, no! That's plenty! More than I expected, honestly. I figured matching my old pay would be plenty to be grateful for!"
Oh Yanghun shot to his feet, shouting. It was rare to see him raise his voice like that.
"Once your resignation's approved and you have a departure date, let us know right away. We'll prep the office furniture for you in the meantime—Manager Oh. Er, Office Manager Oh."
About a month later, Oh Yanghun joined the office.
With cases piling up, he hit the ground running from day one—shuttling to and from the courts, sorting documents, greeting clients.
The work wasn't all that different from his prosecutors' office days, so Office Manager Oh adapted quickly. Above all, Kang Minjae seemed thrilled to have someone to chat with.
"Ahh, weekend work. Hate it."
Kang Minjae stretched as he walked in. The workload made it unavoidable, especially since he'd volunteered for today. No idea why he was glaring at Cha Juhan.
"By the way, Office Manager, did you win the lottery last week? Isn't today the draw for this week's numbers? Just remembered to ask."
"If I'd hit first prize, you think I'd be here since Monday?"
"Oh, right."
"Still got five thousand won, though."
"Broke even."
"This week'll be the one."
Office Manager Oh grumbled as he tore up last week's lottery ticket and tossed it in the trash. Cha Juhan vaguely recalled that in his past life, the man had missed out because his numbers were off by one each time.
"Office Manager."
"Yes?"
"You always do quick picks, right?"
He couldn't recall exactly when, but it hadn't happened yet. That much was clear.
"Yeah?"
"From now on, buy two manual tickets shifting each quick-pick number forward and back by one. Just those."
"Huh? Why?"
"Heard it boosts your odds."
If he could change things within his power, why not steer his colleagues toward maximum happiness?
"Pfft, as if."
Kang Minjae jumped in.
"First time hearing that."
"Right? Boss must've read some weird post somewhere."
Cha Juhan slipped out of the conversation naturally and glanced at the calendar.
I remember now.
He'd finally recalled what he'd forgotten.
"What?"
Kang Minjae asked, but Cha Juhan just pulled out his phone instead of answering. He found Yun Se-yeon's number and hit call, eyes still on the calendar.
He didn't remember the exact date. But the man had described it as around the time 2009 started getting chilly—not full autumn or winter, or he'd have said so plainly. By that vague phrasing, it had to be right about now.
But Cha Juhan still remembered that face—red-rimmed eyes over soju glasses at some raw beef joint in Seocho-dong.