DERH 10

Chapter 10

I Have a Lover in My Husband’s Life

“It’s just that whenever we meet, I end up growling at him.”

Of course, Sena was the only one who had been growling. Ryu Kang-hyun had simply been watching her.

“That’s strange. No matter how I think about it, Lawyer Gi, you’re a professional when it comes to things like that.”

“What??”

“This is the first time I’ve ever heard you say there’s something you can’t do with someone. You get along perfectly well even with people you dislike. So why is it only like this with that person? Is it simply because he knows your weakness?”

“Uh, no, it’s not that. It just…… happened somehow.”

“There is no such thing as ‘just.’ There is a reason. You know exactly what that reason is, but it’s difficult to explain.”

Kim Jung-han stopped speaking and rubbed his chin for a moment.

The tea time he had planned to end after simply listening to her for a while seemed like it would take longer than expected.

Still, since she had come to him for help after such a long time, he decided to give her some advice.

“Sometimes, you hide the reason behind the word ‘just’ because you already know that the reason itself sounds ridiculous.”

“……”

Kim Jung-han quietly waited for Sena, who had fallen deep into thought.

Judging by her expression, it seemed that finding the reason she had hidden behind the word ‘just’ was not easy.

After her conversation with Kim Jung-han, Sena returned to her office with a complicated mind.

She walked over to her chair, sat down heavily, and leaned her head back.

He was right.

It wasn’t that she had never disliked anyone before.

But why was it that whenever she got involved with that particular person, anger she hadn’t even known she had would suddenly rise inside her?

She had never once thought about the reason.

Every time she faced him, something rough seemed to stick out and poke her somewhere.

She had always thought it was simply because he was the living witness to all her embarrassing behavior.

But when Kim Jung-han asked whether he had threatened or used her, she thought carefully about it.

Ryu Kang-hyun had never once brought up that incident.

It had been such a humiliating event that she had even considered taking a leave of absence from university.

Yet there hadn’t been any strange rumors going around the school.

There wasn’t even a rumor that she had liked Chae Seong-min.

There was a strange and unpleasant feeling hidden somewhere inside her.

She could almost understand it, but it refused to reveal itself clearly.

However, today was the day she had a meeting with a new client.

A consultation record prepared in advance by the office manager was lying on her desk.

Sena leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes for a moment, and slowly took a deep breath.

Then she returned to her usual sharp and professional self and opened the consultation record.

At the same time.

Kang-hyun quietly looked at the message Sena had sent him.

[Can’t you just tell me what you want to say by text?]

Gi Sena was clearly trying to figure out every possible way to escape.

Her attitude hadn’t changed at all even after all these years.

It was so like her that a sudden laugh escaped him.

He deliberately didn’t reply.

Kang-hyun stared at the message for quite a while before finally looking away when someone called him.

“Lawyer Ryu? Have you thought of a good idea?”

The lawyer who had been briefing everyone on the direction of the case tilted his head when he saw Kang-hyun suddenly smile.

“Ah, no. Please continue with the briefing.”

Kang-hyun composed his expression and focused on the file in front of him again.

This was the first case he had taken on since becoming a lawyer.

It involved a serious dispute over which company should be held responsible for a workplace accident that occurred while companies A and B were going through a merger and acquisition process.

The acquiring company did not want to take responsibility for the accident and have problems from the very beginning.

Meanwhile, the company being acquired argued that the accident had occurred because of unsafe business expansion.

Both sides had convincing arguments over whether it was a safety accident or a human-caused accident.

But their attitude was the same.

Neither side wanted to take responsibility.

A prosecutor’s job was to determine the facts of a crime based on the law and decide whether to prosecute.

A lawyer’s job, on the other hand, was to focus on the client’s interests and rights, regardless of whether the client was guilty or innocent.

Ryu Kang-hyun’s team was representing Company A, which claimed that it was a human-caused accident.

Four lawyers sat around the table, putting their heads together.

Kang-hyun looked around at the other three lawyers and spoke.

“Let’s say we’re the jury. An accident happened, and people died. Two people, to be exact. Based on the evidence we’ve seen so far, which side are you leaning toward?”

At Ryu Kang-hyun’s question, each lawyer gave their opinion with their own reasoning.

The result was two to two.

No one was leaning toward either side.

Deep in thought, the pen between Kang-hyun’s fingers slowly spun around.

At first glance, it looked like a safety accident.

But several pieces of evidence didn’t quite fit together.

And the CCTV footage from the day of the accident had been damaged for an unknown reason.

Still, that alone wasn’t enough to prove that the other side had caused it.

Just as an investigation could not be conducted based only on suspicion, the law also followed the principle that judgments had to be based on evidence.

“Have we been able to contact the person in charge of the sales support team who first received the report about the accident?”

“We contacted him, but he refused to meet us. Should we ask the court to summon him as a witness instead?”

“We still have time, so keep contacting him and try to arrange a meeting somehow. We don’t know yet whether his testimony will help us or hurt us.”

Kang-hyun lightly tapped the table with the tip of his pen.

Then one of the scattered papers caught his eye.

“You said Company B’s last safety inspection was last year, right? Do we have the records?”

The youngest lawyer sitting at the far end quickly searched through the files and handed one to Kang-hyun.

It was an evaluation report from the Industrial Safety Corporation showing the risks and safety levels.

On the surface, there was nothing suspicious about it.

Everything looked clean.

Yet something about it left a strange aftertaste.

Kang-hyun knew very well that he had to approach the case logically.

But sometimes, when he had this kind of feeling, he followed his instincts.

And most of the time, his instincts turned out to be right.

“Lawyer Kim. Find out how many workers who worked at Company B resigned over the past three years, and among them, how many had worked there for less than a year. Make a list.”

“Yes. Understood.”

“And let’s also find out who from the Safety Management Corporation went to inspect Company B’s site.”

Kang-hyun gave each team member several additional instructions and ended the meeting.

As the lawyers left the office, he called Lawyer Kim, who was the last one to leave.

“If I want to check another lawyer’s schedule, should I ask the senior lawyer’s secretary’s office?”

“Yes, but you could also just call them directly.”

“They’re such a busy person that it’s difficult to get in touch.”

Lawyer Kim asked who it was, wondering whether someone could really be so busy that even sending a text message was difficult.

Instead, Ryu Kang-hyun calmly told him to leave.

“Ms. Kim Young-hee?”

“……”

Sena stared closely at the woman sitting in front of her.

She was sure she had seen her somewhere before.

But because her eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses, Sena couldn’t remember who she was.

She checked the client’s name again, but still couldn’t think of anyone.

As the corners of Sena’s mouth twitched awkwardly upward, the woman sighed and removed the sunglasses that had been covering half of her face.

The moment Sena saw the client’s face, she accidentally let out a gasp.

“That’s right. I’m Jung Si-yeon.”

Jung Si-yeon was the female lead of a weekend drama that had surpassed a 30% viewership rating.

She was famous for playing a woman who stabbed her husband to death, calmly reported the murder, framed a completely unrelated person for the crime, and then shed tears in front of the detective who suspected her, perfectly acting the role of a grieving widow.

Her chilling acting skills amazed viewers every week and made her the center of attention.

“I’m a fan! I’ve been enjoying your drama.”

“It feels a little embarrassing hearing that a lawyer has watched my drama.”

“Who doesn’t watch it these days? It’s the best drama right now. Your acting in last week’s episode was incredible. I got chills watching that closing scene!”

Jung Si-yeon thanked her for the compliment, but she looked somewhat anxious.

Wanting to change the atmosphere, Sena placed a cup of fragrant herbal tea in front of her with a soft clink.

“But I heard you came to see me personally.”

“Yes. Someone recommended Lawyer Gi Sena to me as an expert in this field.”

Sena remembered that she specialized in divorce cases.

That was why she couldn’t understand why Jung Si-yeon had come to see her.

Her husband was also a famous actor who had starred in films that attracted more than ten million viewers.

Back when Jung Si-yeon was still an unknown rookie actress, her husband was already one of the biggest stars in the industry.

When news of their marriage was first made public, the media went wild.

From their first meeting to their dating life and marriage, every little detail about them was exposed in the media.

The man gained the image of a devoted husband, while Jung Si-yeon quickly rose to the top as the beautiful woman who had captured a superstar’s heart.

They regularly visited each other’s filming locations.

There were hundreds of photos of them enjoying dates on the streets and sharing small displays of affection.

At year-end award ceremonies, they called each other’s names and gave cheesy acceptance speeches like,

“Meeting you was the greatest luck of my life.”

One particular acceptance speech was still talked about years later.

“Because there is a sun that covers my flaws, I can stand here today and receive this award. My sun, Jung Si-yeon. I love you.”

They were known as the perfect couple and were the envy of every couple preparing for marriage.

So Sena couldn’t help but wonder why one half of such a famous loving couple had come to see a divorce lawyer.

“I read the consultation information you submitted, but you didn’t give me much to work with. Could you tell me how I can help you?”

“……”

Jung Si-yeon nervously played with her neatly manicured nails and slightly parted her lips.

Her lowered eyes moved from one place to another without settling anywhere, showing exactly how she felt.

It was obvious that she had spent a long time thinking before coming here.

Sena was used to this.

Some people came to her after already deciding to get divorced.

But there were also many clients who came because they didn’t know whether divorce was really the right choice, with their feelings changing countless times a day.

“Take your time. You can tell me when you’ve sorted out your thoughts. We have plenty of time.”

“Everything we discuss here will definitely remain confidential, right?”

“Of course. Under Article 26 of the Attorney-at-Law Act, lawyers have a duty to maintain confidentiality.”

Sena gave her a steady, reassuring look.

Her gentle smile was an added comfort.

After thinking for a long time, Jung Si-yeon finally spoke carefully.

“My husband has a lover. Someone eight years younger than me.”

“……I see.”

“He’s a man.”

“……”

“And I knew about his preferences even before we got married. Our marriage is a contract marriage.”

Sena was completely speechless at the story she had never expected to hear.

Overwhelmed by shame, Jung Si-yeon covered her face with both hands and burst into tears.