No Surprises

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The overcast skies reminded you of many things. None of them exactly pleasant.

London immediately came to your mind—as gray and gloomy as you remembered it. It was your birthplace, your upbringing, and the place where you earned both your law degree and your master’s in criminal law. Yet, your prodigious talent had also earned you more enemies than you desired, of the most dangerous kind.

Aside from that, you remembered, of course, the day you landed there in Seoul for the first time. A different continent, a different culture, a different language. An escape from all the shit you’d left behind in the UK. Of all the options you considered at the time it was the least practical, that was true, but at the same time the safest. None of those Bellerose bastards could touch you there.

Or so you hoped.

A deep breath filled your lungs as you looked out at the vibrant streets of Itaewon, standing by the window with your hands clasped behind your back. The diffuse light of the gray day filtered through the large windows of the main conference room at Trinity Legal, a law firm housed in a modern, multi-story building nestled among the luxurious bars and restaurants.

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and paper permeated the air, and in the distance you could hear the murmur of voices and footsteps in the firm’s always busy, bustling hallways. That day, however, the conference room was unusually quiet. The team wasn’t complete.

The sound of the conference room door opening behind you made you turn and face your colleagues: Jang Wonyoung, senior attorney, sitting cross-legged in front of an open laptop; to her right, Anna Tanaka, an intern, with an open folder on the table and a pen between her fingers; Enami Asa, the legal assistant, standing next to a stack of documents in a corner, and the one who had just entered, Jeon Heejin, senior attorney and second-in-command.

“Oh, you finally decided to grace us with your presence,” Wonyoung remarked, closing her laptop and pushing up her glasses. “Where is everyone?”

Heejin took a couple of steps forward and placed the tablet she was carrying on her chest on the long rectangular table, her tight suit highlighting her fit figure and her eyes evoking a mixture of authority and more than justified fatigue. She scanned all of you with a penetrating gaze over her glasses.

“Kyungsoo and Baekhyun left an hour ago with a box of files,” Asa interjected from her corner, meticulously organizing folders. “They mentioned it was urgent, which must explain why it’s just us today.”

“Perhaps they went to court?” you mused from the window, arms crossed. “I can’t recall if Eunbi’s second trial was scheduled for today or tomorrow.”

“No more speculation, please,” Heejin said with her contrasting deep voice, settling gracefully into her seat. She interwove her fingers and rested her elbows on the table. “The others are busy. It’s just the five of us today, and that should be enough.” She picked up her tablet, turned it on, and set it horizontally on its stand. “It’s been an exhausting year, and we need to get things in order.”

Wonyoung snorted.

“Exhausting doesn’t even cover it,” she said, tapping her fingers on the closed laptop. “Deadlines really bring out the worst in me. Last month I was completely swamped with those darn SK Group contracts.”

“That case was a mess because of the sloppy records,” you added, leaning back in your chair with a hand resting on the table. “I did my best to sort them out, but we really need to step up our evidence organization.”

Anna, normally quite reserved but polite, raised her hand with her pen before speaking.

“Oh, well,” she said, putting her pen down. “When I got in today, I was updating the records by date in the folders. But honestly, I still think we really need a new system, because the way I’m doing it now is pretty old-school.”

Heejin, still staring at her tablet, nodded and frowned as she read something.

“That’ll do for now,” she said. “Wonyoung-ah, anything else to add?”

“Not much,” Wonyoung said, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow, a bit of a snooty look that was typical for her. “We gotta go over and organize these pending files before they stack up again.”

Heejin looked at you.

“I’m with her on that,” you said. “I don’t have anything else to add, except that we need to get a company in to build us a decent system.”

“We’ll talk about that later.” Heejin stood up, tossing her long, wavy silver hair back. “Well, there’s no real reason for us to be here alone. Let’s get to my office, come on.”

Heejin grabbed her tablet and walked to the door, where she waited for yall to gather your things and follow her.

Heejin’s office shone with its intimate and orderly feel, a complete contrast to the conference room and the other offices—including yours. The walls were lined with dark, varnished wood shelves, filled with books and knickknacks, and right in the center was a glass table that reflected the light from the white ceiling lamp. The faint scent of rain drifted in, as Heejin always kept one of her windows ajar.

Heejin sat in her stern black leather chair, facing her Mac and a steaming cup of coffee she had just poured. You were seated in one of the two chairs opposite her, legs crossed, while Wonyoung sat to your right, placing her laptop on Heejin’s table with a thud. Anna chose the couch by the window, and Asa stood between you and Wonyoung.

“Sure you don’t wanna sit?” you asked Asa, looking back at her.

“Nah,” Asa said, shaking her head with a shy laugh. “I’m good standing.”

You shrugged before turning your attention to Heejin, who was engrossed in her computer. A moment later, her gaze met yours.

“Okay, new case just landed this morning that needs someone on it,” Heejin said, holding out her tablet for you to see. On the screen was a document with a passport photo. “The defendant is Park Seungmin, works at HanTech. He’s charged with theft and data breach. The prosecution is already moving, so we must be quick.”

Wonyoung leaned forward with her elbows on the table as you read the document on the tablet.

“What do they have against him?” she asked. “If the prosecution has already stuck their nose in, they must have something solid.”

Heejin held out her hand for you to hand over the tablet. She took it in both hands and slid a finger to her left.

“The prosecution sent the reports this morning. Emails and server access logs,” she said, reading. “HanTech accuses him of leaking confidential data to LG Electronics. But the details are sketchy for now and need to be unraveled. Asa, if you would be so kind.”

Asa gently put a small stack of documents on the table.

“Those are HanTech’s first reports,” she mentioned. “From what I could tell, the access times don’t quite line up.”

“Then we’ve got something to go on,” you replied, grabbing one folder and passing another to Wonyoung without looking.

“Huh, weird, right?” Wonyoung mumbled, flipping through the papers in her folder. “Looks like someone’s messing with things.”

“We have to double check the sources then,” you sighed. “I can take the case,, but I need full access to the logs. What’s Seungmin’s take on all this?”

“He swears he’s innocent, but the public defender doesn’t have much to back that up,” Heejin said. “The case is yours, Isaac,” she looked at Wonyoung. “You and Anna will be working with him. But please, if I ever find out you two are arguing again, I’ll make sure Eunha puts you out of work for a month.”

Wonyoung snorted under her breath and crossed her arms.

“Okay, I’ll back him up,” she said. “But don’t expect me to keep quiet if he screws up.”

“That’s putting us in the dystopian scenario where I screw up,” you said, picking up the entire stack of documents Asa had left to skim through them quickly. You were good at a lot of things, but modesty wasn’t one of them.

“Arrogant bastard,” you heard Wonyoung say under her breath.

Instead of paying attention to the projected brat, you looked at Anna and handed her one of the folders.

“Can you dig up any connections between both companies from the last six months?” you asked her, your voice steady. “That’ll give us a starting point.”

“I’ll work on it,” Anna nodded with an enthusiastic smile.

“These reports have copies of every email HanTech provided,” Asa piped in, standing between you and Wonyoung, pointing at the folders in your hand.

“Great, can you sort them by date?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Asa nodded.

You then looked at Heejin.

“What’s our timeframe, boss?” you asked, getting up.

“Two days for the initial report,” she answered, typing on her computer. “Please don’t let me down. Our firm has a reputation to keep up.”

Wonyoung grabbed her laptop from the table, sighing.

“Two days. What a pain.”

“We’ve handled tougher stuff,” you replied, smoothing down your suit. “Let’s head to my office. See ya, boss.”

“Good luck, Calloway.”

You, Anna, Wonyoung, and Asa then left Heejin’s office.

Your office, slightly smaller than Heejin’s, was dimly lit by the grayish midday light filtering through the blinds. It featured a dark-tinted glass table, three white leather chairs, and a sofa positioned to the right. The back wall was paneled with dark wood, incorporating a double-shelf built-in.

You settled into your chair and powered on your computer. As the girls found their places – Wonyoung and Anna opposite you, and Asa choosing the sofa this time – you picked up a case folder, your eyes scanning its contents.

“Okay, Calloway,” Wonyoung started, a bit impatiently, as she opened her laptop. She then unbuttoned her black blazer, showing the black vest underneath. “I’m not thrilled about taking orders from you, but where should we kick things off?”

“Hang on a sec,” you said, holding up a finger as you quickly looked through a folder. After a minute, you looked up at them. “Asa, we already got those document scans by email, right? Good. First, we need to get a clear timeline together,” you tapped the folder. “Anna, please organize every email and log super carefully by date and time. Highlight anything that happened outside of Seungmin’s normal work hours. After that, keep digging into any potential links between LG and HanTech.”

“Got it,” Anna nodded, already typing on the laptop she pulled from her backpack.

“Wonyoung, I need you to work with Anna to review the metadata of the emails and look into the inconsistencies Heejin mentioned, and Asa, please verify with the IT department that we have the unfiltered logs. I never trust an accusing party’s summaries. Chain of custody, everything. I’ll analyze the contracts and Seungmin’s background.”

Two hours slipped by, the only sounds in the office the gentle drumming of rain, the rhythmic click-clack of typing, and the soft rustle of papers, as everyone quietly continued their work until two in the afternoon.

“Hey Calloway, I found something in the metadata,” Wonyoung broke the silence. She spun her laptop around. “Looks like it was modified about a week ago.”

You got up from your chair and went with her to read what was on the screen and check email after email. The digital signatures often didn’t match, and there were signs of subsequent modifications. Someone was covering their tracks.

“Interesting…” you said to yourself. “Mark the files and send them to me so I can give them to the IT department. We’ll need forensic evidence before including it in the report.”

“The LG data arrived half an hour ago. I’ll check for previous leaks,” Anna said, looking at her own laptop. “But I have something better for you: I’ve already organized the logs, and it turns out there was suspicious access on the early morning of the 15th.”

“Ah, just imagine,” you nodded, and sat down next to her to look at her screen. “3 in the morning?”

“Outside of Seungmin’s job hours,” Anna nodded.

“That’s a start.”

“Uh, when are you planning on talking to Seungmin?” Wonyoung asked. “We need to hear his side of the story before writing certain parts of the report.”

You paused before standing up and checked your watch.

“Tomorrow morning. But we need to have everything ready before we face him.”

Anna sighed and leaned back on the couch, closing her eyes with a pained expression.

“We have to stay late again.”

“Overtime that absolutely no one is going to pay me for,” Wonyoung added, rolling her eyes. “But whatever.”

“Don’t be a crybaby, woman,” you stood up. “You chose this job, right? Well, suck it up then.”

“Fuck you,” Wonyoung said quietly, returning to work.

The group dispersed around the table again. Another three hours later, you had most of your paperwork organized and ready to talk to Seungmin tomorrow, including the questions you’d prepared. Wonyoung and Anna were the first to go home, but you stayed a little longer with Asa to double-check.

“Sorry for holding you up a bit longer,” you said, looking down as you jotted notes and checked dates in your notebook. Half an hour had passed since the other two left.

“No worries,” Asa replied from beside you. “It’s my job, Isaac. I don’t get paid to complain.”

“But not for working extra hours either.”

“I’d rather that than be out of a job,” she said, and you couldn’t help but notice how incredibly beautiful she was. Usually, you were too focused on work to really pay attention, but having her close by while you were alone made you notice. “Plus, you’re good company.”

“Am I?” You tilted your head, fingers intertwined on your desk as you looked at her.

“Yeah,” Asa nodded with a small, friendly smile. “Kyungsoo and some others are pretty insufferable sometimes. You’re only insufferable when you’re bragging about how good you are.”

“Because I am.”

Asa laughed, shaking her head.

“You are,” she agreed. “But that’s why you argue with Wonyoung so much. You’re two peas in a pod.”

“She’s spoiled,” you objected.

“And that doesn’t mean you’re not carbon copies of each other.”

You shrugged.

“I don’t know. Maybe you’re right. She’s a pretty capable lawyer…”

Asa seemed to know you were going to add something else, because she trailed off and raised an eyebrow.

“But not better than me,” you concluded.

Asa clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes, annoyed.

“ Nan da yo… ” she said in Japanese, a language you knew nothing about because you’d barely learned Korean.

“Alright, alright, just kidding,” you had to say. “Maybe we’re on the same level.”

“Aha,” Asa looked back at the folders, hiding a smile.

“She just needs to stop being such a brat sometimes,” you continued. “And learn to deal with difficult clients.”

“It’s part of her charm. If you take that away, she wouldn’t be her anymore, you know?” Asa looked at you, crossing her arms on the table. “Just like if you take away your conceit, you’re no longer you.”

You chuckled and closed your eyes. The bloody audacity.

“Get back to work, come on. All we need is that pile.”

Asa chuckled and looked down at the folders. Together you reviewed everything in less than 15 minutes, and after finishing, you each left the building and headed home.

“Want to hurry up, Calloway?” Wonyoung asked, arms crossed. Her foot tapped impatiently.

“Give me a damn moment, woman,” you snapped, gathering up the documents scattered on your office desk, feeling the weight of responsibility fall on your shoulders. Seungmin had been waiting for twenty minutes outside, but you’d suffered a minor setback regarding some documents the IT department had sent back to you after review.

Your office door opened. Asa peeked out to look at you.

“Isaac, you should hurry up,” she said.

You groaned under your breath and forced yourself to pick up an unorganized folder and add it to the pile under your arm. It’s a good thing Anna was quietly helping you and not rushing you.

“Very well,” you stood up and adjusted both your suit jacket and tie. “Send him in.”

Asa stepped out, left the door ajar, and shortly after opened it again. Behind her came a short man with long, slicked-back hair and dressed in work clothes, the HanTech uniform. He entered, bowing politely to you, Wonyoung, and Anna, in a silence you interpreted as nervousness.

“Good morning, Mr. Park, I’m Isaac Calloway, the attorney handling your case.” You smiled softly and offered him your hand. He shook it and bowed again. “Please sit. Would you like some coffee, anything? No? Okay.”

Seungmin took the chair right in front of your desk. Wonyoung and Anna sat on either side of you, while Asa stood to one side of the door.

“Okay, Seungmin,” you sat down and crossed your fingers on your desk, leaning forward. “I need you to explain to me from the beginning what happened to that data. Don’t leave anything out, please.”

The man looked down at his fingers, playing with them. His foot tapped the floor like Wonyoung’s had a minute ago.

“Sir, I… I don’t know how I ended up in this situation,” Seungmin stammered, his voice breaking. “I swear I didn’t touch a thing! Someone must have used my credentials without my knowledge.”

You nodded and took a moment of silence to consider your words. That fit with the small investigation you and the team had put together. The emails had been tampered with; the IT team had confirmed this to you. Everything pointed to a well-organized setup.

“Tell me more about how you used the server,” you finally continued. “Who else had access to your account or knew your passwords?”

“I work late almost every night, sometimes until two in the morning,” Seungmin replied, fidgeting with his hands. “Kim Jihoon, my assistant, used my computer for routine updates. But I never gave him permission to touch sensitive data! And I manually introduced my credentials!” He finally looked up at you, but looked down again almost immediately, embarrassed. “Fuck… I should have been more careful.”

“Kim Jihoon, you say?” You raised both eyebrows. Seungmin nodded. You looked at Anna. “Miss Tanaka, check if there are any logs of him accessing the system and compare them with the official times,” you said, your mind already recording the name as a potential line of defense. Anna just nodded.

You fell silent again as Asa raised a finger, signaling you to wait while she quickly flipped through a folder. After a minute, she pulled out a sheet of paper and brought it to your desk.

“This is part of the contracts HanTech makes its employees sign,” Asa pointed to a line. “There’s a security clause here that states only the IT manager can touch the servers outside of working hours.”

You took a moment to read the security clauses one by one, just in case, but stuck with what Asa had indicated. You still discussed it with Wonyoung in a low voice for a couple of minutes before speaking to your client.

“Okay, Seungmin,” you looked back at the man. “If Kim Jihoon—if it was really him—violated this clause, we have a solid case against him and one in your defense. Only, of course, if we can prove it.”

Seungmin sighed in relief and finally looked up, a spark of hope in his eyes.

“So maybe they blame him, not me?” he asked.

“Yeah, but like I said, it would need to be proven,” you emphasized. “It’s not that simple, buddy. Because if he’s found to be uninvolved, we’ll need to beef up your defense. What’s clear is that, if you’re being honest with me, he’s currently our best bet.”

“Of course I’m being honest with you, man!” Seungmin squealed, rising slightly from his chair, his eyes fixed on you.

You remained calm, silently holding his gaze until he calmed and sat back down.

“When was the last time you checked your email?” you asked.

“The early morning of the 15th before turning off the computer,” Seungmin replied, crossing his arms. “Everything was fine. Someone snuck in afterward, I’m sure.”

“Did you see anyone near your office that night? Was Jihoon with you?”

“Jihoon had already gone home, and no, I didn’t see anyone else,” Seungmin shook his head.

Before you could say anything else, Anna patted your arm to get your attention. She handed you three sheets of paper.

“The logs for the 15th show an access at 3:03 AM,” she said, pointing to the line. “What he says matches what we found.”

You took the sheets of paper and looked through the logs.

“Were you in the office at that time, Seungmin?” you asked without looking at him.

“No, I was at home,” he replied. “I can get you the footage from my security system.”

You tucked one sheet of paper under the other as you continued reading through the records from that day, making sure you didn’t miss anything.

“Do you think you can bring them tomorrow?”

“Yeah, yeah,, of course.”

You looked up and to your left as Wonyoung turned her laptop toward you.

“According to the metadata the IT team sent back, the emails show signs of having been altered after that time,” she said. “It fits with what he says.”

A small sense of relief washed over you as you crossed your arms and leaned back in your chair, taking a deep breath. That gave you confidence that you could win the case, but you had to be cautious. Life had taught you several times before that rushing things leads to unwanted results.

“Send copies of the metadata to my email to include in the report, Miss Jang,” you ordered after a minute of silence.

Wonyoung turned the laptop back toward herself.

“On it.”

“Seungmin,” you looked at him. “Make sure you bring those recordings first thing tomorrow morning, okay? Bring them unedited, and keep a safe copy for yourself as well; we’ll need to prove they weren’t tampered with.”

“Y-Yes!” he nodded quickly.

“And, Miss Enami,” you directed your gaze past Seungmin towards Asa. “Please prepare a formal request to HanTech for the surveillance recordings from the evening of the 14th and the early hours of the 15th. Stipulate that the footage is to be delivered to the firm via USB drive no later than tomorrow morning.”

“Understood,” Asa nodded. “I’ll give it to you in an hour for your review.”

“That will be all for today, Mr. Park,” you said, shaking his hand. “Thank you for your time and patience. Make sure you bring everything tomorrow, okay?” You raised a finger. “It’s crucially important. And please keep it confidential: don’t talk to anyone about the case.”

“Yes, Mr. Calloway,” Seungmin nodded. “You think… that this will get me out of trouble, don’t you?”

“We’ll do everything in our power to achieve it,” you nodded and gave a small smile. “But let’s take it one step at a time. Miss Enami, please escort him out.”

Asa opened the door as Seungmin also said goodbye to Anna and Wonyoung. Seconds later, he left your office, leaving you alone with them.

“Well, that went pretty smoothly,” you said, leaning back, arms crossed. “Looks like we’re on the right track.”

“Do you really think Kim Jihoon’s the one and Seungmin’s just being set up?” Wonyoung asked. “I don’t think it’ll be that simple.”

“So far, all signs point to him,” you shrugged. “But without the camera footage, we can’t be sure. We need to be ready for tomorrow.”

“And what about the IT manager?” Anna chimed in.

You and Wonyoung looked at each other, then at Anna.

“Why is the IT manager relevant?” Wonyoung asked.

“The contract says the IT manager is the only one who can access systems after hours,” Anna explained. “I’m not saying he’s involved, but he’s someone we should look into.”

“She’s got a point,” you agreed. “But we’re stuck until we get those security recordings.”

“Assuming they even show up,” Wonyoung added. “If they don’t it’s gonna be more difficult to find a good defense.”

“We’ll see. For now, let’s pull our findings together and double-check everything for the report.”

With the deadline for the preliminary report looming, you scattered to your respective locations and got to work. Asa returned a short time later, already with a copy of the request he had sent to HanTech for you to include in your personal report, and joined the team.

You were meticulous to the point of obsession with your work. Discipline and precision weren’t optional virtues, but the foundation on which you had built your career. You knew how to tune out everything that happened outside your office, no matter the magnitude, in order to stay focused on every detail of the case. It was your way of working: no compromises, no distractions, with the sole objective of achieving the right result.

However, that afternoon your head was begging for some air.

“Ladies, drinks anyone?” you offered, standing up and stretching your arms. Work was done for the day, so a little treat was in order. “My treat.”

Anna grimaced.

“Sounds good, but I’ll pass. Heejin needs me for something after we leave.”

“And my office is a total mess, so I’m out too,” Wonyoung added. “Just don’t come with a hangover tomorrow, okay?”

“I said a drink, not getting wasted,” you turned to Asa, who was watching you calmly. “What about you? You’ve been typing and sorting paperwork all day.”

Asa put her notebook aside and took a deep breath before sighing.

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt,” she said, grabbing her wool jacket from the armrest of your couch. “And it won’t cost me anything, even better.”

“Awesome!” You turned to Wonyoung and Anna. “Let’s head out then. I’ll lock up the office.”

The two girls got up and gathered their things from your desk. Together, you all left the office.

“If I see dark circles under your eyes tomorrow, I’ll kill you. You know that, right?” Wonyoung threatened from behind you as you locked the door.

You turned to her with a serene look and a smirk.

“I know what I’m doing, woman. I’ve never let you down, have I?”

Wonyoung seemed to want to refute that, but remained silent, finding nothing to say. Then she rolled her eyes, turned around with a toss of her silky hair, and walked down the hallway.

“Oh, I think she’s mad,” Anna said, following the tall girl with her eyes.

You exchanged an amused glance with Asa.

“I told you. A brat.”

Asa, reserved, just giggled.

“Shall I walk you out?” Anna asked with a friendly smile. “I have a thirty-minute break before I have to go to Heejin’s office.”

“Sure, let’s go.”

Anna took the time to walk you and Asa down to the ground floor of the building, where she said goodbye with an infectious energy that shouldn’t have been possible with the workload you’d had since yesterday, but that only a person like her could pull off. The only thing you could hope for was for her to be able to stay at the firm after her internship ended; it was always nice to have someone like that on the team.

On the other hand, Asa and you weren’t exactly the best of friends, nor did you tend to talk much during work. However, you managed to keep the car ride from becoming awkward. The conversations were related to work and people at the firm in general, but it was better than the usual silence that could exist between two people who weren’t that close to each other.

The bar you chose was one you frequented in Itaewon itself, small and cozy, with a capacity for no more than 20 people. You and Asa sat at a table in the back, where you ordered a bottle of soju and two small glasses along with a bowl of chips. That day, there were no more than a dozen customers there, so the music and murmurs were low.

Asa was the first to pour herself some soju, looking at you curiously.

You leaned your elbows on the table and frowned at her.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Asa shook her head slightly and smirked.

“Nothing, it’s just weird seeing you out of the office,” she replied calmly, sliding the bottle of soju across the table toward you. “What do you think about the case so far? Things are looking promising.”

“Yes, but without the security footage, we can’t go much further,” you replied, pouring yourself some soju. “If a digital expert certifies that those recordings from Seungmin’s apartment are authentic, we’ll be able to completely dismantle the accusation. The prosecutor would have little reason to pursue the case; no one can be in two places at once.”

Asa nodded and downed the soju from her small glass in one gulp, placing it on the table with a light tap. You did the same, letting the sweet liquor flow smoothly down your throat.

“The prosecution would look foolish; it’s a very silly way to have your case dismantled. So let’s hope so.” Asa picked up the bottle of soju and poured herself more. “But anyway, let’s put that aside for now. How did you get started in law? I’ve always been curious.”

You slid your glass over so Asa could pour you more soju and paused, staring into space. Memories immediately flooded back to you. A poor 16-year-old bastard who didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life and definitely didn’t know what he was going to get himself into as the years went by.

Maybe if he’d known, he would have saved himself a lot of trouble.

“My brother and I went to a family friend’s small trial. I was barely a teenager,” you took the glass of soju Asa had just refilled and brought it to your side of the table. “I remember being so fascinated by how the defense attorney argued his case with a single argument that I couldn’t help but want to feel like him.”

“And what’s that like?” Asa asked, tilting his head. “How you wanted to feel, I mean.”

“Powerful,” you replied without hesitation. “Triumphant. To this day, the feeling still fills me.”

“I see,” Asa raised both arms to the table and leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her palm, her gaze genuine and attentive. “And then?”

You shrugged.

“And then I told my parents I wanted to study law,” you said. “There’s nothing else interesting about it. Parents usually make a fuss when their children want to study psychology, or something related to art. Not law.”

Asa watched you as you downed the small glass of soju in one gulp. You placed it in the middle of the table, between you and her.

“And what about you?” you inquired. “You must have had a good reason for leaving Japan so young.”

Asa chuckled and looked away. Her face suddenly seemed to glow with nostalgia.

“My father was a well-known local merchant in Kobe, but he wasn’t very good with words.”

“So he used you.”

Asa nodded with a small smile on her face. It was clear she remembered the time fondly.

“I did turn out to be pretty good with words,” she said. “And eventually, I started closing deals for him on my own.”

“How did you connect that with law?”

“Well, after that, Mom said I’d be a great lawyer if I put my mind to it and to work hard on my grades, which I did,” Asa pointed out. “But they didn’t offer scholarships in Japan then, so I applied here in South Korea.”

“And here you are,” you smiled.

“And here I am,” Asa nodded. “Scared to death because I have to take my bar exam next year if I want to be a real lawyer.”

“You’re already graduated, right?” you asked, waiting for her to down the soju before refilling your glass and hers.

“Of course,” Asa replied, picking up the glass and bringing it to her lips. “No way would I be working while studying.”

“Well, it would be great to have another colleague at the firm,” you said. “And if you need good references for your resume, believe me, you have my support.”

Asa lowered her glass and looked you in the eye with a small smile.

“I appreciate it, Isaac,” she bowed her head slightly. “A toast?”

“Sure.”

Asa refilled her glass. You both raised yours, clinked them, and downed the entire shot.

The conversation faded into a comfortable silence, with only the clinking of glasses and the music in the background. After a while, when the bottle of soju was half-empty and the bowl of chips was already empty, Asa stared at you, not saying a word. You looked back at her and wrinkled your forehead.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” you asked. “We’re not in the office for you to look at me like a compulsive analyzer. You make me nervous.”

Asa smiled faintly and leaned across the table a little.

“What if I told you I like to make you nervous?”

The sentence floated between you for a few seconds. There was something about the way she said that that made you think the professional barrier had collapsed.

“Well, congratulations,” you said dryly. “Because you’re getting it.”

“I should chalk that up as a professional achievement, then. One doesn’t often make you lose your composure.”

You chuckled and looked down at your glass.

“I haven’t lost my composure, Enami, it’s just…”

Asa raised an eyebrow.

“It’s just what?”

“I just didn’t expect you to say something like that out of the blue,” you looked up. “Should I remind you that up until a few hours ago, you called me Mr. Calloway and spoke to me as your superior?”

Asa let out a low chuckle.

“Oh, so you’re telling me you don’t know how to react when you’re not Isaac Calloway, the almighty lawyer?”

“It’s certainly harder,” you acknowledged.

“Well, you should get used to it,” Asa tilted her head. “No one’s going to call you Mr. Calloway here. We’re not in Trinity.”

“Oh, really?” You looked around, leaning your elbow on the back of the seat to also see behind you. Asa laughed. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Very funny.”

“Although, well, I’d say it’s even more complicated for me to deal with you outside the office.”

“Complicated? Woah, I certainly didn’t expect that.”

“Complicated in a good way,” you clarified, turning the glass between your fingers. “It’s different when you’re not my paralegal. The hierarchy disappears. And… that changes the rules.”

Asa giggled and let the sentence hang in the air for a few seconds.

“Maybe we should change the rules more often, then,” she murmured finally.

You raised an eyebrow.

“Are you flirting with me, Miss Enami?”

Asa shrugged, staring at you.

“Maybe.”

“Well, if we win this case, which is quite likely, we could try it,” you said, settling back in your seat. “Somewhere more… quieter than this, let’s say.”

“Your office?”

You were momentarily taken aback. That was a big leap. A bit unprofessional, you had to admit. But sometimes it didn’t hurt to loosen your tie a little.

“Mmm, we’ll see.”

Asa’s lips curved into a small smile as she held your gaze, until a notification on her phone pulled her attention away.

“Oh, if you’ll excuse me,” Asa pulled her phone out of her handbag to read what had come in. “Shit, I gotta go.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah yeah,” Asa put her phone back. “I’m just meeting a friend in Japan for a video call in a bit.”

“Oh, no problem. I can drive you, if you want.”

Asa shook her head.

“No need to. I live a bit far from here,” she smiled. “I’ll take a taxi.”

You shrugged.

“As you wish, then. Let me at least pay the bill and walk you out.”

Asa smiled and nodded.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Asa and you got up from the leather seats and went to the register together. After paying the bill, you walked outside together.

Fresh air hit your face as you stepped onto the busy street. It was already nighttime, so the flow of people had increased compared to when you arrived. You had to walk through numerous groups gathered outside the various bars, entertainment venues, and clubs until you reached the main road, where your car was parked.

Asa called her taxi, which arrived five minutes later.

“Well, thanks for the invitation today, Isaac,” Asa said, turning to you with her hands clasped in front of her.. “It was fun spending time outside the office with you.”

“I can say the same,” you bowed your head for a few seconds. “Your company was more than pleasant.”

Asa took a couple of steps toward you, stood on her tiptoes, and leaned close to your ear.

“Then make sure you win that case so you can enjoy it a little more.” She patted your chest and stepped away to walk toward the waiting car. “See you tomorrow, Calloway.”

You smiled and dug your hands in your pockets.

“I’ll do my best,” you replied, watching her climb into the backseat of the taxi. “See you later, Miss Enami.”

Asa looked at you, gave you one last smile, and closed the door. Then the car started moving.

You stood there, took out a cigarette, and lit it. Barely taking the first puff, your gaze was lost among the neon signs that had once captivated you when you were just a newcomer. They used to be fascinating to you. Something you’d never even remotely seen in London, at least not to that extent. Now they were just your everyday life. Sometimes you even loathed them; they weren’t in keeping with the rotten society that had built them.

A couple of puffs later, you thought of Asa. Had she actually actively flirted with me? you thought. Just a few hours ago your relationship had been based entirely on professional matters, and even in the office, you weren’t that jovial with each other. Of course, well, you weren’t very jovial with almost anyone, only with one person in particular. But that also led you to think that you really didn’t have any friends.

You were somewhat… lonely.

It wasn’t by choice, it should be noted. Arriving in South Korea, settling in, and getting the job hadn’t been an easy task. It had been months upon months of hard work, sweat, and tears. Many tears. There hadn’t been time to truly socialize. You were rather fortunate to have your current position, with good pay, a rising reputation, and excellent colleagues.

However, you missed someone to talk to and hang out with. In three years, Asa had been the first person you’d had a drink with. That was worrying. You knew that.

Still, why weren’t you doing anything to change it?

Without realizing it, you’d finished your entire cigarette and nearly burned your fingers on the butt. You threw it into a nearby puddle to put it out, returned your hands to your pants pockets, and walked to your car.

Arriving at your apartment only reinforced how empty you suddenly began to feel.

It was large, about 200 square meters, luxurious, beautiful. Dark wood on some walls, black marble in the spacious kitchen, gray sofas, and a ceramic floor. Everything was sophisticated. But there was no one there to welcome you. That was a past thing now. Not anymore.

With a heavy sigh, you took off your jacket and vest and left them both on your coat rack, leaving you in a shirt and tie. You immediately went to your personal wine cellar, took out a bottle of whiskey, and poured yourself a drink with a block of ice and sparkling water, which you enjoyed sitting on your balcony overlooking the river. After finishing it, you made dinner, took a long shower, and read for a couple of hours before going to sleep.

Dawn tinged your apartment with the grayish light of another cloudy day in Seoul. There was silence in the kitchen, broken only by the steady drip of your coffee maker. You were sitting on a stool, your suit already half-done, reading the news on your phone until it vibrated with an incoming call.

“Seungmin-ah!” You answered, your tone tired but firm. “Good news, I hope?”

“Good morning, Mr. Calloway,” Seungmin replied on the other end of the line. “I just dropped off the recordings from my apartment at the front desk. They’re on a USB flash drive in an envelope with your name on it.”

“Understood,” you said. “I’ll be heading to the office in about an hour. Be available, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

Just as you’d told Seungmin, an hour and ten minutes later you were in the building that housed Trinity Legal on two of its floors.

You entered the elevator and pressed number seven. As the doors opened, you were greeted by a spacious and bright reception area, dominated by polished marble surfaces and minimalist lines. The ceiling, covered with dark wood slats, cast a warm, even light over the space, while the firm’s name stood out in black steel letters on the main wall. Normally, the floor-to-ceiling windows flooded the place with natural light, but that day the gray Seoul sky filtered a dull clarity, making everything seem duller than usual.

Hinata, the eccentric receptionist, looked up when she noticed you walking toward her. Her lavender hair clashed with the rest of the place, a pop of color amidst all the gleaming white. Most places wouldn’t have hired her with that look (a policy, in your opinion, absurd), but luckily for her, the three people running the place believed in meritocracy and always put job performance first. You didn’t know much about her, only that she was half Korean and half Japanese and that she had rather… peculiar tastes.

“Ah, good morning, Mr. Calloway,” she said, sitting behind her monitor, with the usual restraint you’d grown accustomed to. She hadn’t been on the job for long; only a year. The previous receptionist had been fired for actively flirting with Mingyu, something that Eunha hadn’t been too happy about. Hinata was the complete opposite. In fact, if you flirted with her, you were likely to get a professional resting bitch face. “Two packages arrived for you this morning.”

“Good morning, Hinata,” you said, leaning an elbow on the counter as she searched inside.

Hinata pulled two envelopes from behind the counter and placed them on the counter next to a pen. One of the envelopes was white, sealed only by creases. The other was glossy black, a more expensive material, with the HanTech logo embossed in silver.

“I need you to sign the delivery records.” She reached over and took two sheets of paper from the printer tray. She placed them next to the envelopes without looking at you.

You took the pen and quickly signed both documents.

“Thank you,” you said, placing the pen back on the counter and taking both envelopes, which you stuffed into your briefcase.

Ready to head up to the second floor, where your office and the other senior partners’ offices were, you picked up your briefcase and turned around. But you froze when you noticed the person just coming down the stairs.

Seol Yoonah was clutching a stack of folders to her chest, a focused expression on her gorgeous face. She was wearing a very dark green sweater, along with a tight ochre-colored skirt with black and white stripes, her silky brown hair falling in soft waves. Of all the people in the firm, she was probably the only being of light (along with Anna, perhaps).

And unexpectedly, she looked up, met your eyes, and gave you a warm smile before walking toward you. She had no obligation to do so; just a nod from a distance was enough to say hello. But she was going out of her way to do it properly. It seemed trivial, but the friendliness of many people didn’t even reach that level.

Suddenly, your morning, as hectic as ever, felt a little lighter.

“Good morning, Isaac,” she said as she stopped a meter away from you, her voice sweet as honey. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d go straight up to your office like usual.”

“Good morning, Yoonah,” you greeted back, a small smile on your face. “Oh, yes. Evidence for a case,” you gestured to your briefcase.

“Ah, always so busy, aren’t you?” Yoonah nodded, her eyes sparkling with interest as she clutched the folders. “You should take a break once in a while. I wouldn’t want to see a zombie walking around in a suit,” she giggled.

You sighed.

“I try, but you know how this job is,” you said, pointing at her folders. “I could say the same to you. You’re always swamped with paperwork.”

Yoonah laughed.

“Unfortunately, Miss Eunha likes her accounts very clear and organized, so I have no choice.” Yoonah paused and tilted her head. “By the way, do you like tea?”

“Believe me, I fit most of the stereotypes about British people.”

“Well, then I could bring you a cup sometime, if you’d like,” Yoonah said, looking you in the eye with her chin lowered. “You seem to need it more than I do.”

The offer initially took you by surprise. But then you remembered the type of person standing in front of you. She hadn’t offered to go with her to get a cup of tea. No, she had offered to personally bring you a cup of tea. An angel.

“I’m tempted, yes,” you laughed. “Maybe when I get off this case.”

Yoonah smiled.

“I’ll look forward to it then,” she said. “And if you need to chat a little, my office is open during my lunch break too. I can even arrange for tea and a biscuit if you’re good.”

“Oh, giving me incentives now?” You smiled amusedly. “Hey, thanks for stopping by, Yoonah. I should go.”

“Of course,” Yoonah bowed her head and took a few steps away from you. “I hope you have a nice day, Isaac. Don’t forget to eat and rest properly, okay?”

A genuine smile graced your face from ear to ear. You could count the times someone had made you smile like that over the past three years.

“I’ll try,” you nodded. “Have a nice day, too.”

“You two look cute together,” a voice said behind you.

You frowned and turned toward the counter. Hinata was still staring at her monitor.

“Are you talking to me?”

Hinata glanced at you quickly over her glasses.

“You’re the only person standing there, Calloway,” she replied, typing. “Go away, go away. You’re running late.”

Your frown deepened.

“How do you know I’m…?” You sighed. “You’re right. See you later.”

You climbed the stairs Yoonah had used to come down a moment ago and went straight to your office. After about half an hour of answering your emails and briefly reviewing the report so far, there was a knock on your door.

“Come in!”

The door opened and Asa poked her head in.

“Good morning, Mr. Calloway,” she greeted with a small smile. “The team is already waiting in the conference room.”

You nodded and stood up.

“Let’s go, then.”

The conference room you had there on the second floor was a space longer than it was wide, dominated by browns and whites. A full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows was the first thing you saw upon entering, with small single sofas lined up in a row along its length. Adorning the center of the wall on the left was the gigantic television, embedded in a space with two wooden panels on either side. Wonyoung was sitting in one of the seats on the right side of the long rectangular table in the middle of the room, her laptop open as usual.

But she was alone.

“Where’s Anna?” you asked, walking to the other side of the room, toward the television.

Wonyoung shrugged, still staring at her screen.

“I don’t know.”

“Oh, well,” Asa said. “She’s…”

Her words were cut off when the door opened again. Heejin entered the conference room, her small but imposing figure standing under the threshold. That day, she wore a high bun with wisps of hair trailing down the front, along with black flared pants and an oversized gray coat.

And there was someone behind her. A guy who was a whole head taller than her.

Heejin took a few steps forward, placed her tablet on the table, and looked at you through her thin-framed glasses, her expression serious as ever. Choi Beomgyu, a junior criminal lawyer, followed her, carrying a black leather folder under his arm, his eyes shining with dangerous enthusiasm. He was wearing a dark gray suit with his shirt slightly unbuttoned at the neck.

“Change of plans, guys,” Heejin said. “Miss Tanaka has been reassigned to another team in her area of expertise.” She stepped to the side. “Beomgyu will be her replacement from now on. I’m bringing the folder she’d been collecting data in. Isaac, make sure he settles in quickly.”

You exchanged glances with Beomgyu. He gave you a mischievous smile. You sighed. He wasn’t exactly known for being the neatest and most prudent of his class. He was more of a pain in the ass at times. He was a good kid, but sometimes he got carried away.

Wonyoung snorted from her chair and looked away, crossing her arms.

“Fuck, wasn’t there another junior to assign?”

Beomgyu smiled defiantly and took a seat across the table from her, leaving the folder open on top of it. You knew from the gossip circulating that they had been a couple years ago, hence the constant tension between them. Or rather, hence Wonyoung’s dislike of him. Beomgyu didn’t seem to care.

“I don’t care if you don’t like it,” Heejin snapped. “It is what it is. You’re a professional. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off. The preliminary report must be on my desk by midnight. I won’t tolerate delays.”

Without waiting for a reply, Heejin spun on her heels and left the conference room.

The conference room fell momentarily silent.

“Anyway,” you sighed and looked at Beomgyu. “Have you taken a look at the folder?”

“Enough,” Beomgyu nodded. “I can catch up. What’s in your briefcase, boss?”

“Oh, right,” you looked down and opened your briefcase to take out both envelopes. “Security recordings. From the client’s apartment and HanTech’s offices.”

“Are they encrypted?”

“I don’t think Seungmin took the time to do that. But HanTech’s are; they left the instructions in my mail, I presume. Wonyoung, may I have your laptop?”

Still clearly displeased by Beomgyu’s presence, Wonyoung stood up and went to leave the laptop next to the envelopes. Asa immediately went to assist you, connecting the laptop screen to the TV while you opened Seungmin’s envelope. A few minutes later, all you had to do was plug the USB into the laptop to display the files. Asa opened one of the two recordings.

The file opened without problems, with an internal date of June 15th at 1:45 AM. The image showed Seungmin entering his apartment, leaving his black leather briefcase on the dining room table and turning on a floor lamp in the corner. The camera, located in a corner of the ceiling, recorded his every movement. Seungmin followed a completely normal routine until 2:30 AM, when the lights went out. Asa then put the recording in fast motion; It wasn’t until 7:00 AM that they turned on again and Seungmin left the house wearing a suit similar to the one he’d worn for your interview.

His alibi was confirmed. At least partially. That meant you were close to proving his innocence.

“Nothing out of the ordinary, apparently,” Wonyoung said. “He didn’t lie about being home.”

“Miss Enami, please send the files to the IT department so they can validate them when you leave,” you said, and took the other envelope. “Let’s see what we have here.”

When you opened the envelope, you found the USB drive inside. Asa plugged it into the laptop, but to open it, the password was missing. You quickly checked your email on your phone, finding the email HanTech had sent you. You entered the alphanumeric password and were finally able to access it.

The screen now showed the HanTech offices, a hallway lit by ceiling lights with a barely audible buzzing sound. The recording time was 3:00 AM on June 15th. The hallway was deserted until five minutes later, when a figure walked quickly from the right and entered an office. Asa switched cameras until she found the right one. It now showed a room full of computers. The man, with short black hair and wearing a HanTech uniform, approached the wall near the camera.

“Stop it right there,” you said. Asa did so. The individual’s face was clearly visible, and it definitely wasn’t Seungmin. “Beomgyu, there’s a picture of Kim Jihoon in the folder. Confirm it’s him.”

Beomgyu quickly flipped through the folder until he found the section where Anna kept the files on those involved. He looked up at the screen, then back at the photo, his eyes narrowed.

“It’s him,” he finally nodded.

Asa resumed the recording. Jihoon typed quickly, and the time stamp on the recording matched perfectly with the suspicious login in the logs you’d already reviewed, which indicated an attempted login with invalid credentials. But apparently, after a second attempt, Jihoon got in. Minutes later, the computer screen he was on displayed a command terminal window that opened a file transfer. 12 emails sent to an external IP address.

“There it is,” you muttered. “The rat downloading files.”

“Twelve emails, everything matches the logs,” Beomgyu said. “Is he supposed to know the password?”

You shook your head, staring at the paused screen.

“Seungmin manually entered his credentials for routine updates. Jihoon is not supposed to know.”

“Then someone gave him access.”

Asa zoomed in on the image to show the IP address in the file transfer window. Wonyoung quickly snapped her fingers and pointed at the screen.

“That IP address,” she said. “It matches what I saw while reviewing the metadata yesterday. And the emails were tampered with just after the recording time. This is a deliberate setup.”

“We have the necessary evidence to prove Seungmin’s innocence,” you said, still staring at the screen. “As long as the IT department validates everything and gives us a certification.”

“Why do I get the feeling you want to go further?” Wonyoung asked. “You could win the case with just what we have.”

“Because Jihoon is still scheduled for an interview today at noon, and we still have time.”

Wonyoung sighed.

“I guess you’re right.”

Asa resumed the recording, but nothing else happened after that, so you unplugged everything and put the USB drives back in their envelopes.

“I’ll head to the IT department to deliver the recordings,” Asa said. “When do we meet to prepare for Jihoon’s questions?”

“At 11,” you said. “An hour early to get everything ready.”

“I don’t like having nothing to do, Isaac,” he said, standing up. “So if you could give me some direction, I’d be very grateful.”

“Oh, right,” you turned to him. “Well, you can pick up the work Anna was doing. Check Jihoon’s background to see if there’s anything to pressure him about. You know, any irregularities.”

“Got it.”

Beomgyu opened the folder again and started flipping through it again. You gathered all your things and headed for the exit. Stepping under the threshold, you turned to him.

“Are you staying there?” you asked.

“Hm?” Beomgyu raised his head and looked at you over his shoulder before giving you a quick nod. “Yeah, it’s quieter to work than out there.”

“Well, whatever.”

With that, you left the conference room and went to your office. There, ten minutes before the scheduled time, Asa was the first to arrive.

“Looks like you won,” she said, closing the door behind her.

You looked up from your notes and watched her approach your desk.

“I haven’t won anything. We won’t know until we submit the report.”

“Come on, Isaac,” Asa sat down in the chair across from your desk and propped her elbows up, looking you in the eye with her chin resting on her palm. “You and I both know that if the recordings are validated, you’ve won.”

You stared at her wordlessly for a moment.

“Eager for that drink, huh?”

Asa’s lips curved slightly before she bit her lower lip.

“Oh, you have no idea.”

Silence fell between the two of you, allowing the palpable tension to permeate. At one point, you felt she was about to lean across the desk and kiss you, but two new knocks on your door brought you out of your funk.

“I hope you’re prepared to stay late today,” you said quietly, so whoever was on the other side of the door wouldn’t hear. “Come in!”

Wonyoung walked into your office and closed the door behind her. She immediately went to sit with you. Only Beomgyu was missing, but when the time came, he didn’t arrive. You had to wait an additional ten minutes until he deigned to appear.

“You’re late,” you said tersely, staring at him..

“Sorry, sorry,” Beomgyu bowed a few times and hurried to sit next to Wonyoung, who leaned across the chair to be as far away from him as possible. “I didn’t want to come here without thoroughly studying my paperwork.”

“He must have been flirting with some poor, naive girl, don’t believe him,” Wonyoung muttered, staring out the window.

Before Beomgyu could answer, you raised your hand.

“Silence,” you said. “That’s enough. I’m not interested. Let’s get to work.”

The team got to work, each with their respective tasks. You were excited to dig deeper into the matter and find the real culprit, or at least leave a clear path for whoever took the case once the prosecutor filed charges against Seungmin. Wonyoung was right: you could simply submit the report as is and it would be enough to win.

But that didn’t make a good, passionate lawyer.

The clock in your office chimed at noon. Asa had left for about 15 minutes to wait in the reception area for Jihoon to arrive. At 12:15, Asa returned to your office, and with her came a lanky, pale young man with short, greasy hair and a wrinkled uniform. He sat in the chair across from you.

“Good morning,” Kim Jihoon said, his gaze lowered, his arms crossed to hide his trembling hands.

“Good morning, Mr. Kim,” you said, hands folded on your desk. “I’m Isaac Calloway, in charge of Park Seungmin’s case. Let’s clarify your role in the unauthorized access that occurred in the early morning of June 15th. Let’s start with the recordings.”

Jihoon frowned.

“R-Recordings?” he muttered.

Wonyoung, to your right, turned her laptop and showed the camera footage. Jihoon saw himself walking briskly down the hallway before entering the office.

“There you are,” you said, pausing the recording. “What were you doing there at that time, going to Seungmin’s terminal?”

Jihoon paled and lowered his gaze again.

“I was doing my job, Mr. Calloway,” he replied quietly. “I don’t know why you called me here. I was doing my job, like always. I didn’t steal anything.”

“No one said anything about you stealing anything. But it’s good of you to mention that.”

The recording fast-forwarded to the moment when Jihoon downloaded the data and sent the emails to LG’s IP. Then you paused it again.

“Did you do that of your own free will, or did someone force you?”

“Oh, and this isn’t the first time you’ve stuck your nose where it doesn’t belong,” Beomgyu, to your left, chimed in.

You wrinkled your brow slightly and turned to look at him, trying to hide how puzzled you were. You locked eyes with Wonyoung, but she didn’t seem to know what he was talking about either.

“You got a warning in October of last year for trying to access a test server,” Beomgyu continued. “Do you have anything to say about that?”

Damn reckless guy, you thought. He hadn’t shared that discovery with the team. Apparently Wonyoung owed him an apology.

Jihoon’s breathing quickened as he looked up and quickly shook his head.

“That was a misunderstanding!” he objected. “Seungmin asked me to update the system that night; I didn’t do anything without his permission!”

“There’s no record of an update order on either the 14th or the 15th, Jihoon. Who ordered you to do that?”

Jihoon hesitated, his eyes darting between each of you.

“Seungmin… he called me at 1:30 AM and told me it was urgent,” he finally said. “But I swear I didn’t know it was sensitive data!”

“How urgent did it have to be to download 12 emails with sensitive information?” you asked, tilting your head. “What exactly did Seungmin tell you?”

“He… he… said it was for an internal audit,” Jihoon murmured. “He gave me the credentials and told me to do it quickly. He never told me that the IP belonged to LG. If anyone tricked me… it was him.”

A knot formed in your stomach. You were already thinking it was getting too easy to win the case. This was a huge setback; Seungmin’s presence in his apartment was no longer irrefutable proof of his innocence.

“How did he contact you? Do you have proof?” you asked.

Jihoon sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket to show the call screen.

“There. He called me at 1:32 in the morning. From his personal number.”

Wonyoung took out her own phone and quickly took a picture of the recording. Jihoon didn’t resist, but gave her a suspicious look.

“It’s necessary for the report, sorry,” she said.

You took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, looking down at your notes and the report. Seungmin’s recordings wouldn’t be of any use if he really was behind it all; things had gotten complicated. However, you weren’t going to despair about it; you’d been through worse things.

After a silent pause of a couple of minutes, you looked up and stood up.

“That will be all for now, Mr. Kim,” you offered your hand. He stood up and shook it. “We’ll check the information and get back to you. Please be available.”

“Yes, sir,” Jihoon nodded. “Thank you.”

“Miss Enami, please escort him out. And if it’s not too much trouble, bring some coffee.”

Asa nodded and looked at Jihoon.

“Please follow me.”

“Is that why you were late?” you asked. “Where the hell did you find that, and why didn’t you say anything?”

“Anna had some new documents that just arrived this morning; it was all there,” Beomgyu said with a proud smirk. “I was going to say it until Wonyoung came out with her false accusations and you shut me up.”

Wonyoung rolled her eyes.

“False accusations…” she grumbled under her breath.

You sighed.

“Whatever. The important thing is that this just got a little difficult for us.”

“Jihoon was just a tool,” Wonyoung said. “I’m sure he’s telling the truth and didn’t know what he was doing.”

“What if someone else coerced Seungmin?” Beomgyu said. “I don’t think a culprit would be so cooperative as to readily share his security footage.”

“We should consider the IT manager,” you said. “He’s the only one with full access to everything.”

“And why would he use someone else to steal information?” Wonyoung asked.

“So he wouldn’t get his hands dirty. Like a criminal wearing latex gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints.”

“Do we have information on him?”

“Lee Sungchol,” Beomgyu answered immediately, as if he’d memorized the name. “44 years old, a technician with over 20 years of experience.”

“We need to investigate him then, and quickly,” you said. “Beomgyu, I need you to check corporate emails and records to see if there was any contact between Sungchol and Jihoon. Contact HanTech for that. And Wonyoung, check if there’s any access from Sungchol that matches the time of the theft. And right now, I need to talk to Seungmin, and fast.”

Wonyoung and Beomgyu nodded silently, and you took your phone out of your pocket to call Seungmin. As the phone rang, you put it on speakerphone. Seconds later, the man answered.

“Tell me, Mr. Calloway,” Seungmin’s voice came through your speaker.

“Seungmin,” you said, not bothering to say hello. “We have proof that Jihoon accessed your computer with your credentials. Why did you give him access?”

There was a silence that was too long.

“I-I gave him permission to update the system, nothing more,” he finally answered, his voice shaking. “He didn’t have to steal anything!”

“You told him it was for an internal audit, not a system update,” you said, your voice calm. “Was it your decision? I can’t get you out of this if you’re not honest with me, man.”

Another long silence.

“I-I was… pressured, Mr. Calloway,” he finally admitted in a small voice.

You locked eyes with Wonyoung, who was listening intently.

“Who pressured you, Seungmin?”

“I don’t know… I…”

“Seungmin…”

“Lee Sungchol!” Seungmin squealed. “Lee Sungchol threatened me on the phone and said he’d ruin my career if I didn’t cooperate!”

You nodded slowly to yourself.

“Do you have proof?”

Seungmin sighed.

“No, I don’t,” he said, and paused. “Although… wait a minute. Don’t hang up, Mr. Calloway.”

You frowned. Seungmin remained silent for a couple of minutes, his labored breathing the only sound.

“Ha! Here it is!” Seungmin exclaimed. “My phone has a feature that automatically records all calls and deletes them after 21 days.”

“Can you send it to my email right now?”

“I’ll do it right away!”

“T-…”

Seungmin, perhaps unable to contain his excitement, hung up.

“That’s it. It’s our victory!” Beomgyu said.

You decided neither to confirm nor deny it, just waited for the email to arrive, and when it did, you hurried to open it on your phone to replay the call. First, a faint buzzing sound was heard, then the connection tone.

“Hello?” said an unfamiliar voice, low and measured.

“Uh… hello,” Seungmin replied. “Sungchol-sunbaenim? At this hour?”

“I don’t have time to explain,” the voice said again. Lee Sungchol. “I need you to do me a favor right now, urgently. Can you access the server and run an update? Then you’ll transfer the files I’ll tell you about to an external account I’ll send you. Nothing complicated.”

“An update?” said Seungmin. “Why? No one notified me before I left.”

“The infrastructure manager called me and told me it was for an audit; they need to check some patches and send an urgent backup to an external server. I can’t explain more over the phone. Trust me, and do it without delay.”

“But…” Seungmin hesitated. “If there’s no official record, they might ask me. I don’t want any trouble.”

There was a long silence. Sungchol’s intake of breath was heard before he spoke again.

“I’m warning you, kid. Do it, or I’ll make sure you get the worst reputation so they’ll kick you out.” His voice didn’t rise, but his words were laced with venom.

Another silence. You thought you heard Seungmin gulp.

“What exactly should I do?”

“Log in with your credentials when I tell you. Run the update I’ll tell you step by step, and then start the transfer to the IP I’ll give you. If anyone asks, it was a routine system check. I’ll be responsible for reporting it later. Understood?”

“And if they ask me for proof?” Seungmin asked. “You’ll leave me hanging?”

“If you screw me, I assure you: you’ll have problems at the next evaluation. And it won’t be pretty,” Sungchol replied tersely. “Do it, and there’ll be nothing to fear. Do it now.”

“Fuck…” Seungmin muttered. “Okay, I’ll tell my assistant to do it. I already left the office.”

“Whatever, but make it quick.”

The call hung up. A long beep sounded until the audio ended. Just then, your office door opened. Asa walked in with four cups with lids. Seeing your faces, she frowned.

“Uh… what?”

“We got it,” you said. “Bring that here and contact our IT department. Tell them to keep an eye out for key evidence right away.”

Asa hurriedly placed the coffees on your desk, looking at your phone.

“What is it?”

“The culprit behind all this being such an idiot for leaving loose ends,” you said. “Come on, sit down. I’ll tell Seungmin to come immediately.”

Not even half an hour had passed before Seungmin had arrived at the office. He handed over the phone without hesitation, and Asa made sure to photograph the screen that displayed the IMEI and the call log. Then, he placed the phone in a zip-lock bag and wrote down the date and time. Seungmin signed both the bag and an authenticity certificate.

You tried to contact Sungchol to bring him in for an interview, but you couldn’t find him, so you had to settle for simply proving your client’s innocence.

Later, when Seungmin left the office, the phone was sent to the IT team so they could make an exact copy of the file for safekeeping. You, for your part, downloaded the email Seungmin received and noted the sender and the time of delivery. Separately, you had Beomgyu write a transcript of the call in the report, leaving Sungchol’s threat to Seungmin as key evidence.

In the end, the report concluded:

A recording of a call in which Lee Sungchol pressured Park Seungmin to provide access to sensitive information has been received and certified. We recommend referring the investigation into Lee Sungchol to the authorities and filing a precautionary measure to protect Mr. Park.

Sent at 9:14 PM.

“Fuck, finally,” Wonyoung sighed, settling back in her seat. “I just want to go home and sleep.”

“Good work, guys, good work,” you said with an air of encouragement. “We couldn’t have done it better.”

Beomgyu sighed.

“I would have liked to know what Sungchol had to say,” he said, standing up. “But I guess that’s not our problem anymore. I’m leaving.”

“Good night, Beomgyu,” you said with a nod. Asa waved with her hand and a little smile. Wonyoung didn’t even pay attention.

Beomgyu left your office. Minutes later, Wonyoung stood up as well.

“Well, the idiot must have left by now,” she said. “Bye, guys. See you tomorrow.”

Wonyoung walked to the door, opened it, looked over her shoulder at you, and winked before leaving.

That left you and Asa, who was sitting on your couch, alone.

Asa put her folder aside, stood up, and leaned her lower back against the opposite edge of your desk.

“So,” Asa took off her glasses, folded them, and hung them on the collar of her shirt. “Can I officially say we won and deserve that drink?”

You chuckled softly and leaned back in your chair, looking into her eyes.

“We won’t know that until tomorrow,” you said. “But I guess we can have that drink. Do you drink whiskey?”

“Sure,” Asa nodded.

Asa watched you as you went to your bookshelf and took down an unopened bottle of Blue Label a client had given you a couple of months ago and a couple of small, wide glass tumblers. With it, you took two bottles of water out of a small cooler you had in the corner. You placed everything on your desk as you walked over to her.

“I usually drink it with ice, but it’s what it is,” you said, uncapping the bottle.

“I’m sure you’ve had worse,” Asa said.

You chuckled as you poured two fingers of whiskey into one of the glasses.

“Definitely. The water could be warm, and that would make it taste disgusting.”

After filling the bottom of the glasses with whiskey, you uncapped one of the water bottles and filled the rest. Then, you took one and gave it to Asa.

“Here’s to that victory,” you raised your glass.

“Oh, so you reckon it’ll be a victory?” Asa raised an amused eyebrow, then laughed. “Cheers.”

Asa and you clinked glasses and each took a sip from your drinks.

“Would you like to sit down?” you asked.

Asa nodded and followed you to your couch, where you sat in the middle, quite close to each other. You leaned slightly toward her, your right arm draped over the back of the couch behind her shoulders.

“Can I ask you something?” you said, crossing your legs and resting the glass on your knee. Asa turned and looked at you curiously. “What was your urge to drink here specifically?”

Asa glanced at your arm draped over the back of the couch, and you thought you saw a hint of a smile.

“Ah, I think that’s an easy question to answer,” she said, meeting your gaze. “I wanted to see how you’re holding up… you know, away from public scrutiny.”

“I see,” you nodded slowly, a discreet glance at her lips. “Any noticeable differences so far?”

Asa gently shook her head.

“No,” she said. “For now.”

“Well, that’s a shame,” you said, watching as she took another sip of her whiskey. “I don’t think I’m that interesting.”

“I said for now, Isaac,” Asa said, then leaned slightly toward you. It was almost imperceptible, but now her knee was brushing against your leg. “But do you want me to tell you something?”

You just stared at her and sipped your whiskey.

“I know the right way to start finding out,” she said again.

Then, she shifted the glass from hand to hand and placed her left hand on your thigh, squeezing it near your crotch. You looked down, then met her eyes.

“I don’t think I’m entirely sure what you’re talking about, Miss Enami,” you lowered your voice, and so did your arm from the backrest; it now rested behind Asa’s waist, not quite touching her.

“Don’t play dumb, Mr. Calloway,” Asa slowly moved a finger up your lap and ran her fingernail over your bulge before resting her palm there. “You and I both know I want you to fuck me right here.”

The sudden advance didn’t take you by surprise; in fact, you welcomed it. You weren’t one to mince words. Now, what did take you by surprise was the fact that this was going to happen in a place like this, in what you thought was your sacred place.

Because yes, it was going to happen: the decision was already made.

“Aren’t you afraid someone might hear?” you asked, finally grabbing her by her small waist.

“There’s no one in the building at this hour, Isaac,” Asa said softly, her gaze forming a triangle between your eyes and your mouth. “Except maybe Miss Eunha, of course. But she never leaves her office.”

“I’d advise you not to summon her; the damned woman is like Voldemort.”

Asa laughed, her eyes narrowing into a pretty line. You’d never realized how truly beautiful she was; you were always too busy in your own little world, just like her. You’d never be able to admire her if she was always running around running errands and working on her own things.

Now you had the chance to witness that authentic Japanese beauty up close. Very close.

“Well?” Asa tilted her head and gave your bulge a little squeeze, which grew beneath her hand. “Are you going to kiss me now, Mr. Calloway?”

Her small, round, bright eyes studied you silently, begging you to do it. And far from wanting to make her wait, you pulled her against you and crashed your lips against hers.

Asa immediately squeezed your cock again through your pants, making it grow beneath her fingers until she began to knead it. The kiss lasted a long time: hot, passionate, your tongues battling each other. A couple of minutes later, you pulled away and took the glass from her hand.

“This can wait,” you said, placing both drinks on a small shelf to your left.

“How gentlemanly,” Asa said in a small voice, and with one agile movement, she climbed astride you.

Quickly, you wrapped Asa’s slender body in your arms and kissed her again. Asa cradled your face with her hands, deepening the kiss and pressing your bulge with her ass until she moved both hands to your belt, undid it, and unzipped your zipper to slide her hand into your boxers.

The cool touch of her fingers on your now-hard cock made you gasp against her lips and made you move too, moving your hands to her ass to squeeze it. You then left your hands on her waist. Seconds later, you moved them up to grab her glasses from the collar of her shirt, place them next to her drinks, and unbutton three buttons to reveal a black bra underneath.

Asa let out a soft moan when you pulled away from her lips and peppered the right side of her neck with kisses, moving down her collarbone to her chest. Asa’s breasts were bigger than they appeared under her clothes; you kissed the outline of both, your hands holding her small waist. She then grabbed the hem of your pants and boxers and pulled them down a little so she could free your cock.

“Oh, of course your cock is big,” Asa gasped, circling it with her fingers to rub it up and down. “Worthy of a lawyer of your caliber.”

“Do you want me to strip you completely naked?” you asked, unbuttoning the rest of her shirt.

“Are you in a hurry to go home?”

“Not really.”

“Then you have no excuse not to strip me completely naked. I could say the same about you.”

Asa released your cock and began to remove your shorts, unbutton your shirt, and take it off, while you took off your shoes and helped her with her own shirt. When she had you undressed from the waist up, she removed her bra, freeing her small, perky tits, one of which you brought to your mouth to suck and lick the nipple.

It wasn’t long before Asa pulled away from you and got down, kneeling between your spread legs, her gaze darting between your cock and your eyes. She leisurely pulled down your pants and boxers, peeling them off your legs.

With a small, mischievous smile on her face, Asa rubbed your inner thighs and leaned forward, exhaling hot breath over the back of your shaft before peppering it with kisses. Just a couple of seconds after that, she stuck out her tongue to slowly lick upwards until she reached your tip, where, hands-free and in truly impressive fashion, she positioned your cock upright, taking the first few inches into her mouth.

“Oh my…” you murmured to yourself, watching Asa grip your thighs and slowly pump her head over a few inches of your cock.

Asa looked up, noticing your gasps, and without taking her eyes off you, she lowered her lips a little further until she reached the middle of your shaft. Soon she began pumping her head faster, still caressing your thighs with her fingers, the wet sounds echoing through your office.

Asa finally used her hand to cup the base of your cock and pull you out for air.

“Mmm, so tasty, boss,” she panted, placing kisses along the sides of your shaft and your balls as she did so.

Not wanting to give you time to think, Asa took you back into her mouth and went a little further than halfway down your shaft. Despite reaching her limit when gagging, she began pumping her head and salivating on your cock so hard it made you close your eyes and clench your fists.

“Fuck…” you gasped. “Stop.”

Asa quickly obeyed, and you opened your eyes to lean forward, grab her face, and kiss her, inevitably causing her to stand up as you did. Your hands then roamed over her petite body, running them down her smooth back to her ass, then unbuttoning her pants and slipping your hand inside her panties.

“Did you just get this wet?” you said against her lips, feeling her wet folds beneath your fingers as you rubbed them up and down. “Sucking my cock?”

Asa moaned and bit your lower lip.

“I’ll be honest, Mr. Calloway?” she said. “I already get a little wet when I see you being so attractive at work. All the time. Please don’t be surprised to find me dripping wet right now.”

A giggle escaped you, and then you knelt down, ready to get back to work. But you were greeted with a pleasant surprise you’d overlooked before.

“Oh wow…” you said, noticing the two metallic studs piercing Asa’s navel. However, that wasn’t the most attractive part. She had a tattoo of a small butterfly on the left side of her abdomen. “A piercing and a tattoo? I’d never thought that coming from a Japanese law student.”

“You like it?” Asa asked.

“It’s stupidly sexy,” you replied, and grabbed her waist to plant your mouth on her abdomen, right over her tattoo.

The wet kisses and light sucks on her tattoo and then all over her tummy made Asa moan, both hands gently holding the back of your neck. Meanwhile, amidst the trail of kisses you traced around her navel and lower abdomen, you grabbed the hem of her pants and panties and yanked them down to her ankles.

You could have sat her on the couch or leaned her against a wall, but her perfectly shaved pussy looked so delicious to your eyes that you couldn’t help but grab her by the hips and bury your mouth there. Asa’s response was to part her legs slightly and moan, her slender fingers now coiled in strands of your hair, where they gave gentle tugs.

Your tongue moved in slow motions back and forth, tasting her soft folds and the light layer of fluids that coated them. The focus quickly shifted to her clitoris, which you quickly sucked and licked with the tip of your tongue, causing Asa to fill your office with her sensual moans.

After a minute, Asa grabbed the back of your neck and urged you to stand. As you did, she placed one hand on the back of your neck, took hold of your cock to rub it with the other, and kissed you again. You wrapped your left arm around her waist and pressed her against you, squeezing her ass when your hand lowered slightly.

Asa then pushed you back against the couch and straddled you, hands on your shoulders.

“I can’t take it anymore,” she said, taking your cock in one hand to hold it upright and lower her hips onto it. “Oh god…”

Your tip entered first, and with that alone, you were stunned by how tight she felt around it. Asa lightly dug her nails into your shoulders, slowly lowering her hips until your cock filled her to the hilt. You both moaned. Then, at the exact moment you grabbed her waist and clamped your fingers there, Asa began to move up and down.

The words didn’t come out of Asa’s mouth again for a long moment; she was in a deep trance, her arms around your neck, moaning louder as she moved her hips faster. Your hands were still clutching her waist, so overwhelmed by how good her pussy felt enveloping your shaft that your neural capabilities were limited.

“Fuck, that feels so good!” Asa squealed, bringing you back to reality.

“Jump faster then,” you groaned, sliding your hands to her ass. “Bounce on that cock.”

Asa took that as a holy word and bounced frantically on every inch of your cock, hugging your head. You sank down a little in the seat, sucking on her tits as you guided her movements. But in search of more speed, she soon planted her feet on the couch and bounced hard against your pelvis, resulting in her first electrifying orgasm.

“Mmmghh!!” Asa collapsed against your chest, grinding her hips against you. Her lips met yours; she moaned against them, her thighs trembling at the sides of your hips. You bit her lower lip and let out a groan, her walls suffocating your shaft tighter than you’d ever felt in your damn life.

When Asa’s legs stopped feeling like they were going to implode, you wrapped one arm around her waist and used the other to prop her up on the couch and push yourself to your feet, carrying her. Asa held on tightly to you with her hands and legs, letting you place her on the front edge of your desk. She spread her legs wide and leaned back on her elbows to get comfortable, giving you the green light to grab her by the waist and fuck her hard.

It was a good thing you kept your desk organized and clean, because if you’d been a little more dirty, you would have caused more than one thing to fall to the floor with the way you shook Asa’s body, between deep, frantic thrusts that constantly elicited moans from yourself. Your solitary tendencies weren’t exactly proportional to how you led your sex life; in the three years you’d been in Korea, you’d slept with several women. But Asa was, without a doubt, by far the most beautiful, sexiest, and tightest of them all.

Above all, tighter.

“Fuck me harder, Mr. Calloway,” Asa moaned, looking into your eyes before standing up slightly and wrapping her arms around your neck to look at you closer. “My tight pussy feels good, doesn’t it? It can be yours whenever you want.”

“Whenever I want?” you asked with a gasp.

“Mhum,” Asa nodded, rolling her eyes as you braced your hands on the desk and pounded into her pussy with violent thrusts. Her hands dug into your back with pointed nails, and it wasn’t long before she came a second time, scratching your back a little.

Asa dropped her head back and groaned in her throat, her thighs twitching at the sides and her pelvis shaking. Your first instinct was to pepper her neck with kisses, finishing with a hard, feral bite you hadn’t expected from yourself. Asa hissed. It had hurt her. But she didn’t seem bothered by it.

You pulled out of her and lowered her off the desk. The next spot was the wall. Asa braced her hands against it as you turned her over and pressed her against it, feet apart and hips pushed back. Her small, round ass was pale as snow, and to add a little color, you gave her a hard spank that reverberated through your office. Asa squealed, but squealed even louder when you came back inside her.

Asa leaned her forehead against the wall, breathing heavily as your office filled with the delightful sound of your pelvis violently colliding with her ass. After a few seconds, however, you grabbed her arm and pulled her towards you so her back was pressed against your chest, and held her with one hand around her neck and the other on her waist.

“Please don’t cum inside me,” Asa gasped after a while, a drop of sweat trickling down her temple. “Not for now.”

“I’ll let you know, don’t worry,” you promised.

Asa nodded gratefully and dropped her head onto your shoulder, silently enjoying your cock going in and out of her, letting her facial expressions speak for themselves. She soon came once more, throbbing around your cock again. You let your thrusts flow, still fast and still deep, until you felt a sudden tingle in your cock.

“On your knees,” you said in her ear, pulling out of her. Asa turned around and dropped to her knees in front of you, taking the tip of your cock into her mouth and masturbating the rest of your shaft until you exploded inside. “Oh fuck yes!” you groaned.

You placed a hand behind Asa’s head and let her guide the entire moment as you shot jets of cum into her mouth. Asa moved her lips further, giving you a slow, sensual blowjob and moaning with you. When you’d emptied yourself onto her tongue, Asa pulled away from her mouth and gave a long lick underneath your cock, letting you know she’d swallowed all your fluids.

“Fuck,” you gasped, brushing the sticky hair from her forehead. “You really made me desecrate this place.”

Asa giggled and stood up.

“And I assure you it won’t be the last time, boss,” she said before giving you a long kiss. “Let’s go before the janitors start wondering why we didn’t leave.”

“Fine, but we need to talk about this later,” you said, holding her waist with both hands.

“About what?”

“About what just happened. I don’t want to say I didn’t like it or that I’m upset. But we’ll have to, well, set boundaries.”

“Mmm, fine by me,” Asa shrugged. “It’s not like I have that much free time anyway.”

You chuckled.

“Same here,” you nodded at the pile of clothes in front of your couch. “Come on, let’s go.”

Asa and you dressed quickly, and with rather little discretion, you left the office under the suspicious eyes of the two janitors who also had to leave in an hour. Outside, Asa called a taxi, and just like when you went to the bar, you waited for her to leave before getting in your car and heading to your apartment.

Where, once again, you felt yourself returning to the sad reality: you were still alone.

There were people, of course, but you couldn’t talk to any of them for your own safety, and maybe for theirs. That’s why you had to settle for the only true friend you had: yourself.

However, that night you suppressed the feeling, having achieved another professional victory (or so you hoped) and had seen some light at the end of the tunnel. What had happened with Asa might not mean anything in the long run, but you noticed something different about that girl, something that might be worth it. It was doubtful that you would end up romantically involved, but you hoped at least it would bring you a little closer, because if you were honest with yourself, not having anyone to vent to was starting to get desperate for you.

You couldn’t completely fool your brain, because that night you skipped dinner; you took a shower and went straight to bed.

The next morning, you felt like shit, like you’d had a massive hangover and had been run over by a truck. But you hadn’t been drinking anything or walking on public roads. It was just the way you felt sometimes. You were used to it.

The cup of coffee you’d bought on the way to the office and were holding in your hand had perked you up a bit. You walked through the reception desk with the best face you could and went up to the second floor. The main hallway was wide and straight, with a polished wooden floor and dark walnut walls lined with doors with metallic frames. At the far end, a panoramic window offered views of the entire financial district. There, you saw a familiar, friendly face.

Anna Tanaka was sitting on one of the two black leather sofas between the coffee machine and the water filter, reading a magazine with a cup in her hand. She looked up when she noticed you.

“Hi, Isaac!” She greeted you in English, with a warm smile from ear to ear. Talking to her was always gratifying, as you could hear and use your native language, even if it was with an American accent. “How did yesterday go?”

“Good morning,” you greeted back, digging a hand into your pocket. “Smooth as silk, I must say,” you replied. “Although I don’t know the outcome yet.”

“Beomgyu notified you of the documents I was able to obtain early in the morning, didn’t he?” she asked.

“Well,” you grimaced. “I wouldn’t say he notified us exactly, but yes. It was important to put pressure on Jihoon.”

Anna smiled proudly.

“I’m glad it worked.”

A slim, petite figure to your right made you turn. Asa, her hair slightly messed up in a high bun, leaned against the wall next to the coffee machine.

“Good morning,” she greeted with a small smile, and looked at you. “You look terrible, Mr. Calloway. Did you sleep well?”

“I’m afraid not,” you sighed. “My legs were a little sore.”

“What a coincidence. Mine too.”

Anna looked at you without a hint of suspicion. Good.

“Hey, have you seen Heejin?” you asked.

“You summoned her,” Anna said, pointing behind you.

You turned and saw Heejin emerge from the hallway, a folder under her arm and a serene expression.

“Good morning,” she greeted politely, reaching over to fill her cup with coffee. That day, her white hair was loose and curled. “I was looking for you, Calloway,” she said without looking at you. “The prosecutor’s office dismissed the complaint and ruled in favor of you and Seungmin. Congratulations.”

You nodded in relief.

“Good to know.”

Heejin took a sip of her coffee and turned to look at you.

“I have no idea how you do it, but you seem touched by the wand,” she said. “Keep it up and maybe you’ll make yourself an official partner like me and the others.”

The others were her, Eunbi, Baekhyun, Yujin, and…

Kyungsoo.

The man, short but with an imposing and handsome demeanor, had just come out of his office, dressed in an all-black suit without a tie. He was one of the most brilliant and capable lawyers you’d ever met.

But sometimes he was a bastard.

“Oh, hello, everyone,” he said when he reached the common area. His tone may have seemed friendly, but you knew he didn’t mind making friends with anyone. He walked over to you and patted you gently on the shoulder. “I heard you won the case, Calloway. I don’t think you’re that far from me anymore.”

You took a deep breath and forced a kind smile.

“The case wasn’t that big of a deal, but I appreciate it.”

“Ah, nonsense,” he waved his hand and smiled. “A win is a win. Even if it’s a minor, petty case.”

You were about to loosen your tongue and respond, but a presence at the end of the hall silenced you completely. In fact, everyone seemed to stop what they were doing to look at her. Jung Eunha, with her long blonde hair trailing behind her back and her cold demeanor, stopped in the middle of the hall.

She was one of the most beautiful women you’d ever seen, and her fashion sense was excellent; that day she was wearing a tight black skirt and a simple long-sleeved white shirt, but it looked perfect on her curvaceous figure.

And she was looking directly at you behind the large lenses of her glasses.

“Calloway, Kyungsoo,” she said, crossing her arms. “To my office. Now.”

The harsh, unfriendly tone wasn’t a surprise to anyone; she was that way naturally. But this morning, in particular, she seemed different. Annoyed. And if that woman usually scared the hell out of you, with a negative mood she could easily make anyone manipulable enough to pee their pants.

And you had to go to her office. The purgatorium.

“Fuck, big problem,” you heard Heejin mutter. “Good luck, man.”

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