Knock.
Caesar raised his head at the sound of the knock. Lyudmila came in with an awkward expression and reported.
“Excuse me, we have a guest…”
As the voice died down without confidence, Caesar suddenly remembered the ridiculous commotion from earlier. He glanced behind her and the visitor waved his hand with a bright face.
“Hello, brother.”
It was Dmitry. He walked over to Caesar, who was just staring at him without saying anything, and smiled as usual.
“You look disappointed. Who were you waiting for?”
Lyudmila stepped back and glanced at Caesar’s expression, but she couldn’t tell what was different from usual. When she tilted her head and closed the door, Caesar finally opened his mouth.
“What’s going on? You didn’t even call.”
“When did I call you?”
Sitting peacefully on the long sofa, taking out a cigarette, Dmitry glanced at Caesar. Like most people, Caesar shared his living room and office. Few people dared to barge into his office like this and take up space. Dmitry always walked into the office confidently, confident that he was ‘special’ to Caesar. This always made Caesar frown, but he never received any sanctions. But today was different.
“Make an appointment from now on, I’m busy.”
“If you’re not here, I can hang out with Lyudmila.”
“Then make an appointment with Lyudmila.”
Dmitry, who was about to inhale the smoke from his cigarette, paused and looked at him. His bewildered expression was clearly visible, but Caesar continued speaking nonchalantly.
“I have an appointment starting now.”
“What? What appointment? You should be free today.”
Instead of answering, Dmitry waved his hand holding the cigarette at Caesar, who frowned at the door.
“It’s not Lyudmila.”
Caesar immediately turned his gaze to the phone.
“I told you not to wiretap.”
Dmitry answered naturally in a quiet voice.
“Stalking you is the joy of my life.”
Caesar stood up without saying anything. Finding and removing the wiretapping device Dmitry had installed had become a part of his life. He had no choice but to leave it alone since he would install more anyway if he removed it. So the KGB, Caesar thought to himself, and silently put on the jacket of the suit he had hung up.
“Are you leaving me?”
It didn’t work on a man over 190 trying to act cute. Caesar silently patted Dmitry on the head with one hand and left the office. Dmitry shrugged his shoulders, roughly brushing back his messy hair, but did not follow.
Lyudmila, who was diligently applying lipstick while looking at the mirror, jumped up in surprise at the sight of Caesar suddenly coming out of the office. Thanks to that, the red lipstick slipped down the corner of her mouth, but Caesar walked past her with long strides as if he was not interested at all.
Yuriych was standing in front of the waiting sedan. As soon as he saw Caesar, he hurriedly approached him and reported something, and Caesar nodded. Soon, a faint smile appeared on his lips as he checked his wristwatch.
It was time to feed the hungry tiger.
When he finally finished the trial and came out, Nikolai's face was almost gray and gloomy. It was obvious that he was exhausted from the endless fight. On the other hand, Zhdanov's face, who came out late, was full of confidence.
At the sight of Yi-won putting his hand on Nikolai’s shoulder and silently encouraging him, Zhdanov, who had brought out the lawyers, laughed without hesitation. As if to say, “You’re the ones who’ll get tired and fall down anyways.” At Nikolai’s expression as he looked at his back helplessly, Yi-won said with a serious expression.
“You shouldn’t give up now. Didn’t I tell you from the beginning? Who can endure the trial longer is more important. Cheer up, the baby will be born soon.”
His pregnant wife was anxiously waiting for the results at home. Yi-won fortunately watched Nikolai barely regain his energy as he thought of his beloved wife and the baby to be born.
“Would you like to eat dinner at my house? My wife will be waiting for you.”
Yi-won shook his head at Nikolai’s suggestion.
“I’m sorry, I have something to find out about the trial.”
“You’ve had a hard time because of me, I’m sorry.”
Lee Won smiled brightly on his dead face.
“Of course, that’s what a lawyer does. Don’t worry about it.”
Lee Won lightly patted his shoulder and left the court together. Lee Won, who absentmindedly looked around, soon witnessed the scene he had expected. A familiar sedan was parked on the street. Lee Won soon turned his attention to Nikolai and spoke.
“Sir, can you go back alone? I have something to do now.”
Since this was a question that was asked almost every time a trial ended, Nikolai nodded without much reaction.
“You’ve suffered a lot because of me.”
“I told you not to say that.”
Lee Won, who gave Nikolai a bitter smile and a light hug, walked towards the sedan as Nikolai turned his back to get on the tram. He didn’t wait for the driver to get out, but opened the car door himself and slid in, and the driver immediately started the car. The pungent smell of cigars that had become quite familiar was now lingering inside the car. Glancing to the side, Caesar took the long cigar he was smoking out of his mouth and began to speak.
“You look pretty tired.”
“It’s a long fight.”
He didn’t remember sleeping soundly since the trial began. Every day was a series of short naps. There was no choice, because unlike Zhdanov, who had a huge foreign law firm behind him, there was only Lee Won as the lawyer here. Nikolai also helped him with the small stuff, but in the end, Lee Won did most of the work. It was natural for him to get tired. It was when he sighed involuntarily, sinking deep into the leather seat of the sedan, which was more comfortable than his own bed.
“I have a request to make.”
Lee Won rolled his eyes to the side, and Caesar stared at him with narrow eyes.
“I’ll give you a high fee.”
“I don’t do mafia work.”
Caesar blinked in surprise at the answer that came immediately without a moment’s hesitation.
“You’re rejecting me without even thinking about it?”
Lee Won stared straight ahead indifferently.
“Anyway, I won’t do it.”
Caesar put the cigar back in his mouth. A red flame rose from the cigar he slowly sucked on. Caesar slowly exhaled the pale smoke and spoke again.
“It seems like the trial is going to be long.”
Acrid smoke floated inside the car. Caesar added more smoke to it and said.
“Don’t you want evidence that can be finished in one go?”
Lee Won turned his head at Caesar’s quiet question. The silver-gray eyes staring at him with narrow eyes were already familiar. Eyes demanding a bargain. Lee Won furrowed his brows suspiciously. Caesar shifted his gaze and faced Lee Won.
“It was a rifle until now, but this is a bazooka…”
Caesar continued speaking leisurely, deliberately taking his time.
“If you accept my request, you will be able to get it too.”
This time, Lee Won did not speak readily. He simply looked at Caesar with a frown that revealed his suspicion. He was shaking a huge tuna in front of the cat. Lee Won bit his lips tightly. He had no intention of bluffing. In any case, he was barely able to continue the trial thanks to the evidence Caesar had given him.
Judging from his experience so far, the ‘bazooka’ that Caesar was talking about was incomparable to the mediocre evidence he had seen so far. It was clear that it would be the decisive evidence that would immediately seize the opportunity to win the trial. However, Lee Won just kept his mouth shut. Caesar leisurely brought his cigar to his lips and said.
“Isn’t that an easier choice than choosing between being food for the lion or being buried alive?”
The two looked at each other in silence through the thick smoke from the cigar.
Before he knew it, the car had arrived at the apartment complex where Lee Won lived. The car slowly slowed down and soon stopped.
“Think about it.”
Caesar took a small note out of his bosom and put it in Lee Won’s coat pocket. Soon after, the backseat door opened with a click. Lee Won, who paused for a moment, quickly turned around with his bag.
“Wait a minute.”
Lee Won turned around without thinking at the sudden voice. Caesar smiled with a moderately smoked cigar in his mouth.
“Aren’t you going to give me a goodbye kiss today?”
Lee Won warned him with a blank expression as he spread his arms as if he was expecting it.
“Don’t get on.”
Lee Won, who scolded him in a cold voice, immediately turned around and got out of the car. Suddenly, he thought he heard laughter behind him. Lee Won immediately turned around and tried to throw the note to him, but the car had already driven away.
Lee Won furrowed his brows and looked at the back of the car as it drove away. The crumpled note was still in his hand. He could have just thrown it on the floor, but even while thinking that, Lee Won hesitated for some reason. After standing there for a while, Lee Won eventually put it back in his pocket and walked home with a more complicated feeling than ever.
“Come on in.”
The grandmother, who was cleaning the table, found him through the window and opened the door first. Lee Won smiled as usual and kissed her on both cheeks.
“I’m home.”
“Yes, is dinner ready yet? Wash up and come down. Dinner is very generous tonight.”
Lee Won, who knew how tight the household was, looked at her with a puzzled look, and the grandmother continued.
“Nikolai’s wife sent you pork to thank you.”
Lee Won just looked at her without saying anything. The grandmother continued talking while busy making bread.
“He said that if he loses the trial, he’ll end up on the street, and he doesn’t know how he’s going to live from now on. I told him because he seemed worried. You’re the best lawyer in Russia, no, the world, so you’ll definitely win. Isn’t that right?”
The grandmother glanced at Lee Won. Lee Won couldn’t answer, just smiling awkwardly at the trust clearly revealed in his blunt expression. He climbed the creaking stairs more slowly than usual.
When he opened the door and went in, Lee Won, instead of taking off his coat, flopped down on the bed.
I sat down. Hesitantly, Lee Won put his hand in his pocket and took out a note. An unfamiliar number was written there. He stared blankly at it and threw it in the trash can.
♩♪♬♪♪♬…
Lee Won, who had been feeling particularly unfocused since the morning, was making tea to cool his head when the phone rang. It was a call from Nikolai. What could it be, when he should be working at the factory? Lee Won picked up the phone with a bad feeling.
“Yes, sir. What…”
“Oh, something’s wrong, come here quickly!”
Nikolai’s voice was urgent, as if he was about to burst into tears. Before Lee Won, who was surprised, could even ask why, he shouted.
“The factory is closed!”
Lee Won’s whole body froze in an instant. The factory is closed, what does that mean? The shock didn’t last long. Lee Won, who quickly regained his senses, hurriedly took out his coat and said.
“I’ll go now!”
I thought I heard people screaming over the disconnected phone. It shouldn’t be a big deal. I begged them while skipping down the stairs two or three at a time, but Lee Won knew better than anyone that the situation was not good.
My bad premonitions never go wrong. Maybe it’s because of the human instinct to be more sensitive to unhappiness than happiness. Lee Won blankly stared at them in front of the factory that was in chaos with screams and screams. The factory door was firmly shut. The two letters “Closed” written in large red paint never left my sight. However, it was not the time to stand there dumbfounded. Men in suits everywhere were mercilessly pushing and assaulting Nikolai and his employees who were running towards them while crying. Even Nikolai’s wife, who was working in the office, was dragged out in her full-term pregnancy and was begging them.
“Mr. Nikolai!”
Lee Won hurriedly approached him as he screamed and fell. Nikolai, who was hit head-on, fell to the ground, bleeding from his nose, unable to get up. Lee Won immediately protested.
“What are you doing!”
The man who had hit Nikolai glanced at Lee Won and, instead of explaining, tried to swing his fist at him as well. Lee Won barely managed to hold back the punch that was about to come out and just dodged his body. No matter how you looked at it, the men didn’t look like mafia. Hitting a civilian would be annoying. First, it was important to understand the situation.
“What are you, you punk?”
Lee Won shouted in a sharp voice at the man who was trying to push Lee Won back again while swearing violently.
“I’m your lawyer, Nikolai. What are you doing? Who the hell are you?”
He paused at the word lawyer. However, his face was not embarrassed at all. He simply said with a look of annoyance.
“It’s the city councilman’s order. Shut down the factory.”
Yi-won realized later that they were city council employees.
“Assemblyman Zhdanov wouldn’t have the right to do that. Isn’t it clearly illegal to close down the factory while it’s still under trial? I’ll call the police.”
“I don’t know about that, but this is the order. Okay, is that enough? Get out of here!”
The man shouted, shoving the crumpled documents at Yi-won. Yi-won’s face distorted as he hurriedly looked through the documents, having no choice but to step back.
“Huh? What’s wrong? What does it say? Is that document real?”
Yi-won answered Nikolai’s hasty questions without any order with a pale face.
“Yes.”
His voice came out rough as if it was caught in his vocal cords.
“It’s real.”
A thud was heard. A physical fight broke out between the factory employees and men trying to enter the factory from all directions. Screams and cries rang out, but of course they were the workers. Lee Won bit his lips while holding the documents. There was no procedural error. There was nothing Lee Won could do.
“Ahh!”
A woman’s scream came from among the rough men. He turned around reflexively and saw Nikolai’s wife staggering while holding her stomach. Nikolai, who had become lost in thought, ran over, clutching his bleeding nose.
“Honey, Anna!”
“Madam, are you okay?!”
Lee Won also ran over, shouting urgently, and the woman who had collapsed in confusion blinked her wide-open eyes blankly.
“Honey, the baby…”
At the same time, Nikolai and Lee Won’s gazes turned to her stomach. It was only then that they realized that her maternity clothes were soaking wet. Her water had broken.
The baby’s cries, coming into the world earlier than expected, were faint. Nikolai looked down at the small body that barely fit in his arms for a long time.
“You did a good job, you.”
Lee Won silently watched as Nikolai held his hand tightly, feeling sorry for his wife’s haggard appearance. When he came out of the hospital room after congratulating her, Nikolai looked more exhausted than ever.
“Mister.”
Lee Won put his hand on his shoulder to encourage him.
“I will look into it in detail and protest. It is an abuse of power by the member of parliament to issue such an order while the trial is still in progress. If this is known, the jury will probably sympathize with it.”
“Yes… I guess so.”
Nikolai’s voice was still weak. When Lee Won tried to open his mouth again, he spoke first.
“I know what you want to say. I also know how hard you have worked. Yes, you have to cheer up. Now that the child has come into the world, I can’t just give up like this. I have to hold on, I have to win.”
Nikolai's voice trembled faintly.
"It's hard."
Nikolai closed his eyes. The man's rough and hard hand lingered on his wet eyes for a moment, then he didn't know how to leave. Yiwon was speechless and just kept his hand on his shoulder, remaining silent. The footsteps of people walking up and down the hallway echoed.
Yiwon could do nothing but stand there and watch Nikolai's despair.
The room was filled with a deathly silence. Yiwon had been sitting on the bed for hours without moving. No matter how much he thought about it, there was only one way. After taking a deep breath, Yiwon got up from his seat before his mind changed. His steps headed toward the trashcan, but his mood was rock bottom.
Yiwon, who had no choice but to pick up the trashcan and rummage through its contents, suddenly frowned. Yiwon realized belatedly that he had emptied the trashcan in the morning. Lee Won’s face immediately turned fierce.
“Damn it!”
Lee Won kicked the trashcan away. What should I do? A groan escaped from his throat. Lee Won closed his eyes and let out a boiling sigh toward the ceiling. He made up his mind and looked for something else this time. Lee Won, who barely managed to find a business card in the piled up files, stared at the number for a moment and quickly pressed the button. Suddenly, he wondered what would happen if this number was out of service. But that didn’t happen.
“Yes, thank you for calling. This is the secretary’s office.”
Lee Won paused and then opened his mouth.
“This is the lawyer I met with earlier. I would like to speak to Mr. Caesar.”
Lyudmila seemed to hold her breath for a moment, then hurriedly pressed the button, forgetting to greet him. A monotonous ringtone was heard, and a moment later, the voice he had been waiting for followed.
“What happened to the number you gave me? It’s unexpected that you’re calling the office.”
Caesar sarcastically spoke in a tone that was not at all surprising. It was as if he had already guessed that Lee Won would have thrown away the memo. Lee Won did not answer and changed the subject.
“I will accept the request. However, you must not kill or cause anyone to die.”
I felt Caesar laughing silently. He did not drag it out for too long and said.
“I will send a car to your house tomorrow.”
I thought that was the end of it, but Caesar added as if he had remembered it belatedly.
“It is not illegal.”
With those words, the call really ended. Lee Won looked down at his phone and let out a trembling sigh. The choice was made. Now, all that was left was action.