Chapter 204
"……."
Kang Minjae didn't respond. He simply lowered his gaze a fraction, fidgeting with his hands as though deep in thought. I waited in silence for him to speak.
"What did I do wrong?"
The reply that came after a long pause was nothing like what I'd expected. In the time he'd stayed quiet, his mind hadn't filled with resentment toward me for suddenly announcing his dismissal. Instead, it had turned inward with self-reflection.
"That's not it."
"……Then why are you saying this out of nowhere? I know the office finances as well as anyone. If there's…… some problem I don't know about, I can just take a pay cut. Or if you think I'm not capable enough……"
"It's not about the office finances, and you're more than capable, Kang. If anything, I think you're doing exceptionally well."
Back when we first opened the office, before Office Manager Oh joined, it was just Kang Minjae and me handling cases together. I often thought that without him, we might not have made it this far so smoothly. Sure, that connection led to my tie with former President Kang Gwanung, but setting that aside……
His passionate approach to every case, the countless leads he'd uncovered through sheer effort. The way he treated vulnerable clients with genuine humanity. Wasn't it his attitude that made them feel safe enough to open up?
He was affable, empathetic. Wherever he went, bosses would adore him, and colleagues would lean on him. Even I had hesitated endlessly before saying this, regretting the loss.
He'd be welcomed at any law firm.
"Then why tell me to leave? I just don't get it. Please be straight with me. You're good at what you do, so…… I won't take it personally. I'll take it to heart."
He claimed he wouldn't be hurt, but his face already looked scratched up, raw with emotion. Facing that expression made the words stick in my throat.
Even this morning, Office Manager Oh and I had debated for ages how best to break it to Kang Minjae. Our opinions clashed, but neither of us was wrong. I'd argued against revealing our true purpose; Office Manager Oh wanted to tell him and hear his thoughts.
My worry was that young Kang Minjae might jump in too eagerly and regret it later. If I told him I'd started this firm to take down Wooshin Group—and that I'd do anything to achieve it—he'd insist on joining. But had he truly weighed it? Would he regret it down the line?
That uncertainty gnawed at me. He was still so vibrantly young. Unlike Office Manager Oh, Jo Bongjun, and Choi Jonghyeon, who bore some weathering from life like me.
Kim Chan-young was family to Go Sangjun, and I'd already seen his future deeds from my past life. But Kang Minjae? I knew nothing of his previous life.
I couldn't upend his entire path here—just because he'd crossed mine. Especially not toward something potentially ruinous for him.
That's why I couldn't tell him rashly.
"Kang, do you remember what you said when you first joined the firm?"
"What…… do you mean?"
"You said you came to learn from me, and I told you to leave once there was nothing left to teach. That's now. The moment when there's nothing more to learn."
"No, that's not true. You said to leave when I felt there was nothing left to learn, and I still have so much to—"
"You've learned plenty, Kang. I have nothing more to teach you. And……"
"And? And what?"
"For your career, it's time to aim higher. Not just Taegwang—there are plenty of big firms in Korea."
Kang Minjae bit his lip. Another long silence stretched as he gathered his thoughts, then he spoke again.
"……You might think you have nothing left to teach, but I still have tons to learn from you. Yesterday, I left work wondering when I'd ever measure up, thinking the road ahead is still so long. Isn't grad school the same? Even after finishing your coursework, if you feel lacking, you go back for more."
"People usually go for the degree, not just to learn more."
"Well, yeah, but…… still, this is too much. Too sudden. I like working with you and Office Manager Oh…… If it's not that you don't need me, can't you just keep using me?"
He seemed genuinely wounded. When he'd spoken bitterly toward me before, it always came with a playful glare. Not this time.
"If you need it, I can write you a recommendation letter. Not sure how useful mine would be, but it'd highlight your track record better than nothing. I think you'll excel anywhere. Better than your peers with the same experience."
"Lawyer Cha!"
If I'd said he was useless, he might've shattered on the spot. But I couldn't. Today reminded me what I meant to him.
Telling him he wasn't needed—or that his skills fell short—might make him believe it for real.
"……."
Kang Minjae let out a long sigh. His face flushed with anger. All within expectations. I was prepared for him to lash out—How could you? Didn't I help you dodge prosecution?—and take whatever came.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
"……What needs saying?"
"You and Office Manager Oh are going after Wooshin right now. That's why you're sidelining me."
An unexpected blow. I couldn't respond right away. How had he figured it out? I pondered. Had Kang Gwanung or Manager Kang slipped?
"Don't you trust me? Am I not reliable enough for something like that?"
"Kang."
"I know. But give me a little more guidance, and I can pull my weight."
"I've been really anxious, actually. Worried you'd say you didn't need me anymore. But you stayed silent, so I figured you were just watching me. I waited for you to come clean, but nothing…… so I thought I must be lacking, and vowed to work harder."
My frank talk with Kang Gwanung was just days ago. But Kang Minjae's words suggested he'd sensed it long before.
"I've agonized plenty too. That's why I'm saying this now. I can't claim to know you forever, but it's been nearly three years up close. So I get it. How seriously you take this. I'm just as serious. And if you're worried about me getting hurt…… well, I'm the former president's grandson. I won't die. At least."
The word hovering above his head rang as true as his expression, but I still couldn't nod easily.
Was I underestimating him? Seeing him as some naive rich kid, too young for the world?
"If you still can't trust me, let's draw up a contract."
"What would your grandfather think? You in danger—would he welcome that? You know he helps me because of you. Dragging you into peril would leave me ashamed."
"Grandpa supports what I want, as long as it's not wrong."
"Haa……."
"I've told you a bunch of times. This is better than Taegwang. Defending criminals for prestige pales next to helping the vulnerable in crisis. I don't know your full reasons for targeting Wooshin, risking everything…… but I'm starting to see how rotten they are, how they corrupt justice."
"Kang."
"……I'm not charging in blindly. I wouldn't dare compare to you, but I became a lawyer for a reason. I grew up under Grandpa, haunted by guilt for failing the people he'd promised a better world to. I wanted to fulfill that dream for him. Ended up at Taegwang anyway, per his overprotective wishes…… but meeting you, I felt like I found my place."
"……."
"If that's not enough, I have utility. Even if my skills fall short, there's Grandpa…… so use me that way if you have to."
"Kang. Enough. Your skills are plenty. Even without being former President Kang Gwanung's grandson. You've proven yourself on your own."
I couldn't find a way to dissuade him anymore. Just as trauma from his U.S. childhood hid behind his bright facade, maybe he had depths I hadn't grasped—a maturity beyond my assumptions.
Had I been too hasty, thinking I'd agonized long enough to decide right?
"I get where you're coming from, Kang."
"Lawyer Cha…… So, I don't have to go? I can keep coming to the office?"
His face brightened noticeably. That unguarded emotion made me think he was still young.
But he'd sussed out my goal long ago, endured anxiety in silence—that I'd missed.
It hit me: Maybe he didn't hide his feelings. Maybe he just didn't with me.
Because he trusted me. More than I trusted him.
"Yeah."
"……For real?"
"Yeah. Truth is, I need you, Kang."
Seeing him light up like a kid eased something in me. Maybe, despite thinking I had to cut him loose, I'd hoped he'd insist on staying.
"I'll work even harder from now on. And if you say overtime every day, I'll do it. And also—"
"Enough. Finish your food."
"My resolve isn't done yet! And from now on, I'll handle all client consults. You focus on work. And……."
Kang Minjae started chattering again. I turned back to my meal, a smile creeping in unbidden. He didn't notice, still yapping away noisily.