Chapter 07
“Attorney Yoo, it’s your first day at work, and you already have a client looking for you? I was going to chat with him until you finished eating. Go on, have a seat.”
Attorney Kim Chang-soo stood up without changing his expression and offered me his seat.
I felt a deep sense of betrayal, but I didn’t show it.
People may lie with their words and actions, but they can’t deceive the color of their aura.
“Assistant Oh, what are you doing? Hurry and bring some tea.”
“Yes, sir.”
Breaking the awkward atmosphere, Attorney Kim raised his voice, and Assistant Oh hurriedly moved.
A moment later, I sat across from a man in the consultation room.
Once we were alone, I asked what had been on my mind first.
“Did someone tell you about me?”
“I was outside looking up at the signs on this building, and the one that said ‘Attorney Yoo Hyun-jae’ was sparkling unusually brightly.”
“That’s because the sign was just installed yesterday.”
“No, it’s not just because it’s new—it was glowing like it had a halo.”
“A halo?”
“Yes. Apparently, people are drawn in by signs that shine like that. They say it means good energy.”
“Who says that?”
“My grandmother.”
“……”
“That’s not all. I saw a fortune teller on the street, and he also told me that if I came to see Attorney Yoo, my case would be resolved well. I even paid him 50,000 won. Then I looked up at the sign, and yours was glowing.”
—What the hell is this guy? Is he nuts?
Red Eyes crossed his arms and clicked his tongue.
“What did that fortune teller look like?”
“He looked about seventy. White hair… Ah, and maybe he smoked a lot—his teeth were really yellow.”
“Ah, I see.”
As soon as I heard the description, someone came to mind.
It was the old man who had drawn a talisman for me on the street this morning.
Could that talisman be the reason the sign appeared to glow?
Even though he wasn’t human, he was luring people in broad daylight—definitely not an ordinary ghost.
I opened my consultation notebook and began in earnest.
“What is your name?”
“Kim Gi-jin.”
“Yes. What kind of case would you like to entrust to me?”
“Hm, my girlfriend cheated on me.”
“…I see. And?”
“So I met the guy she cheated with. To settle things man-to-man, you know? You’re a man too, so you get it, right?”
“…Yes.”
“But that bastard said he’d break up with my girl if I gave him five million won.”
“I see. And then?”
“So I gave him the money. But he didn’t break up with her.”
Kim Gi-jin clenched his fist, his face flushed with anger.
“I really love this woman. The place she’s living in right now is an officetel under my name. But how can she fool around with another guy in my place? That damn woman!”
He slammed his fist lightly on the table in frustration.
Something about him felt… off.
I relaxed my gaze and scanned his aura.
His body was surrounded by a white light.
It was a color I had never seen before, and it seemed to repel my attempt to read it.
It felt strongly as if someone was protecting him.
I looked more closely and saw lively yellow and orange swirling within the white aura.
That swirling yellow and orange was his true nature.
From my experience, Kim Gi-jin possessed physical vitality far beyond that of an ordinary person.
He also had some degree of spiritual sensitivity.
There was no dark or murky energy, so he didn’t seem to be lying or hiding anything.
Still, I was curious whose white aura was protecting him.
“Client, do you happen to have other girlfriends?”
“Yes. Two more. I’m pretty popular with women…”
“Ah…”
That explained it.
“So what would you like to do?”
“Can you teach this woman a lesson?”
“Do you want to punish your girlfriend, or remove the man she cheated with?”
“Both.”
“…Hmm.”
This was tricky.
What kind of legal advice could I give in a situation like this?
—Wow, what a player. He’s got three girlfriends, and he comes to a lawyer because one of them cheated?
Red Eyes clicked his tongue in disbelief.
—Still, he must be loaded. Isn’t that watch super expensive? His clothes look high-end too. Hyun-jae, this guy’s a sucker. You’ve gotta reel him in.
Just then—
“Hey, what the hell is this?”
Kim Gi-jin suddenly waved his hand where Red Eyes was sitting.
—Huh? Can he see me?
Startled, Red Eyes leaned back.
Kim Gi-jin’s hand followed his movement.
He really could see him.
“What do you see right now?”
“Ah, I must look strange, right? Sometimes I see something shimmering in front of my eyes like heat haze. Don’t worry about it.”
“Do you hear anything? Strange sounds?”
“No, I don’t hear anything. But why is my nose so stuffed? Do I sound nasal? Ugh, this is annoying.”
As I thought—his spiritual sight was slightly open.
He couldn’t hear, but he could faintly see and sense things.
“So what should I do, Attorney?”
Kim Gi-jin asked again.
“For now… what we can do is apply pressure on your girlfriend’s partner. The officetel your girlfriend lives in is in your name, correct?”
“That’s right. Actually, I own the entire building.”
He grinned.
“Then did you warn that man not to come to your property again?”
“I did. Is that a problem?”
“No, that’s good. If you gave him that warning and even paid him, yet he still entered the property, we may be able to pursue fraud.”
“Fraud?”
“Yes. It can be handled both civilly and criminally, so it’s likely to produce the result you’re looking for.”
“Really?”
Kim Gi-jin jumped to his feet.
I nodded confidently.
“Of course, this depends on securing sufficient evidence. Do you have CCTV?”
“CCTV? Of course. At the entrance and in the hallways. It’s a high-end officetel with the latest systems.”
“Good. Then would you like to proceed with the case?”
“Let’s do it.”
He transferred the retainer fee on the spot and left.
After he was gone, I reflected on the case.
Outside, Manager Kim and Assistant Oh avoided eye contact and slipped away.
While organizing the contract in my office, Attorney Kim Chang-soo appeared at the doorway.
“Yoo, is this your first case already?”
“Yes.”
“First day at work and you’re already lucky. You should treat us to a team dinner!”
—Wow, what a shameless con artist.
Red Eyes clicked his tongue and pretended to poke both of Kim’s eyes.
“The office manager is your younger brother, right?”
“Huh? Yeah. Why?”
“You should have told me in advance.”
“Why? Would that change anything?”
“Yes. Quite a lot. Especially since I’d be paying both your salaries.”
As I said it bluntly, his face turned red.
After clearing his throat awkwardly, he retreated to his office.
—They say you can’t trust anyone… Feels like we walked into a trap. Was it really a good idea to join this firm?
If I couldn’t read auras, I would have trusted him as a good senior.
There was a reason I chose this small firm in Ansan instead of a major law firm in Seoul.
“It’s not time yet.”
—Because of that dream?
“Yeah. I’ve never had such a vivid dream before.”
—Even if it was your father, isn’t it a bit much to trust it that much? You had the grades for a top firm.
When I started interviewing for major firms, I saw my father in a dream.
He told me earnestly not to go to Seoul yet, but to gain experience in Gyeonggi Province first.
“My instincts say the same. I should start here, build experience, then go to Seoul. I’m still too weak right now.”
—Alright. If that’s what you think…
Red Eyes smiled faintly and disappeared.
Kim Gi-jin’s fraud case didn’t even make it to court.
He said everything was resolved satisfactorily and immediately transferred a success fee.
A few days later, he called to treat me to dinner.
I met him at a high-end Japanese restaurant.
After giving my name, a staff member politely guided me to a reserved room.
“Ah, Attorney Yoo! Welcome. Was the trip here comfortable?”
Kim Gi-jin greeted me energetically.
Beside him sat a woman in her mid-twenties.
Her makeup was a bit heavy, but she was undeniably beautiful.
It didn’t take long to figure out who she was.
“Ah, is this your girlfriend?”
“That’s right. This is Song Seul-gi. Honey, say hello to the attorney.”
“Hello, I’m Song Seul-gi.”
“That bastard got the lawsuit papers and totally panicked.”
“You mean the complaint was served.”
“Yeah, that thing. Anyway, as soon as he heard he was being sued, he backed down and begged. Seeing him act like that made Seul-gi lose all feelings for him. So she came running back to me. It’s all thanks to you, Attorney. Hahaha!”
Kim Gi-jin laughed loudly.
Seul-gi lightly punched his shoulder playfully.
“That guy wasn’t manly like my oppa.”
“Right? Who knew it’d be resolved this quickly? You’re really smart, Attorney.”
I felt a bit uncomfortable, but the two of them didn’t seem bothered at all.
To them, it was just a small, laughable episode.
—Yeah, laugh it up. What a sucker… Hey, do you see that ghost clinging to her?
Red Eyes clicked his tongue beside me.
I see it.
—Wow, haven’t seen one like that in a while. That’s a gold-digger spirit, right?
The ghost clinging to Song Seul-gi was a long-haired woman.
She had long nails, wore flashy clothes—but her face was that of a snake.
The snake-woman flicked her long tongue toward Kim Gi-jin, but couldn’t penetrate his white protective aura.
Without it, his body would have already been ruined.
—A sucker and a predator. Perfect match. Truly made for each other.
Red Eyes shook his head in disbelief.
After spending so much time with him, I had learned that other ghosts couldn’t see us unless we spoke to them first.
Red Eyes said it was because of my power, though I didn’t know when or why I gained it.
In any case, seeing grotesque ghosts no longer frightened me.
“Ugh, is it humid in here? Why is my nose so stuffy? Aren’t you the same?”
“I’m fine, oppa.”
Kim Gi-jin pulled out a tissue and blew his nose loudly.
