The Lawyer Who Reads Tomorrow - Chapter 26

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 26

 

 

‘…It’s nothing.’

 

That day, what was Sung Tae-jun trying to tell me?

The conversation that ended so abruptly had been buzzing around in my head for days.

 

It seemed like he knew something.

Sung Tae-jun spoke in a drowsy voice, as if barely holding back words that had risen to the tip of his throat.

 

‘Just, don’t try to find out. Hyung. Forget it.’

 

I, who already had no memories of Lim Do-hyuk, seemed rather pleased about it.

 

Sung Tae-jun knows something.

 

Lim Do-hyuk and Sung Tae-hyun.

 

So between what happened between this body I possess, there was something bad enough for Sung Tae-jun to beg me to ‘please forget it.’

 

Sung Tae-jun knows about it, but hopes that Sung Tae-hyun doesn’t.

 

“…It didn’t seem like they were particularly close brothers.”

 

Looking at the messages that arrived later with things like [Contact mom when you have time] or [Mom says she misses you], it seems that ‘Mother’ doesn’t even know about the abuse she inflicted on Sung Tae-hyun.

 

Or maybe he just wasn’t interested enough.

 

“…How annoying.”

 

I did promise Sung Tae-hyun that I would clear his grievances.

 

“Well, that’s ultimately Mother’s business, not Sung Tae-jun’s.”

 

In the end, it’s one of two things.

 

Either he was cruel enough to turn a blind eye to the abuse Sung Tae-hyun suffered,

Or he was uninterested enough not to know about the abuse Sung Tae-hyun suffered.

 

Either way, the person called Sung Tae-jun didn’t know much about Sung Tae-hyun.

Even so, if he’s showing that level of rejection toward his senior, no… toward Lim Do-hyuk,

 

“He saw something.”

 

But he has no intention of talking about it.

Anyway, these young guys have too many secrets.

 

Not a single line about Sung Tae-jun was written even in this diary.

 

That’s when it happened.

With a familiar sense of déjà vu, the pages of the diary glowed white.

 

“…Ha, what timing.”

 

[20■■ ■■month ■■day]

 

A new diary entry began to be inscribed.

 

* * *

 

“P-please… save… me…”

 

Her mind was hazily clouded.

 

Clinging to blurry memories that kept flickering and fading, Shin Da-ye ran like a madwoman.

Her shoes had come off, and even the sensation of her bare feet touching the ground and tearing didn’t feel like her own.

Along with her slowing breath, her vision that seemed about to stop gradually dropped and shook unsteadily.

 

“Is… is anyone there… p-please save…”

 

No matter how hard she tried to squeeze it out, her voice wouldn’t come out properly.

As if rebelling against her slowing heart, her breathing leaked out even more roughly.

 

Just a little more,

Just a little more.

 

She ran while urging herself on, but her feet touching the ground became increasingly numb.

 

The pitch-black night.

The spreading lights of cars unfortunately moved away without hearing Shin Da-ye’s voice.

 

“…Well now, you’ve come quite far.”

“Aaah!!”

 

The man who roughly grabbed the hair of the woman who had finally fallen let out a sigh as if fed up.

 

“Could you be quiet? It would be troublesome if someone heard.”

 

When he jerked the hand gripping her hair upward, the man’s face was reflected in Shin Da-ye’s terrified large eyes.

He rubbed his face with his other hand as if tired and said.

 

“I should have told you… to keep it moderate.”

“Cough, cough…”

“What the fuck, I loosen up a little and you don’t know your limits…”

 

Smack-.

 

Shin Da-ye’s head whipped around from the rough hand that struck down on her cheek.

 

“Cat got your tongue? You’re not answering.”

“Shit… fuck…”

“What can you do even if you don’t like it? That bald man says he likes you. Isn’t that right?”

“…You… damn… bastard…”

“Even when we bring you several women, you refuse them all? You’re the one who’s being so stubborn about it.”

 

Smack, crack, smack-!

 

After striking her cheek several times with his pot lid-sized hands, the woman soon lost consciousness.

The man easily lifted up Shin Da-ye, who had closed her eyes without even being able to resist.

 

“I’m busy as hell, so let’s stop this now. We’re both getting tired.”

 

A mobile phone fell from the limp hand of the woman carelessly slung over his shoulder and rolled across the ground.

 

“You’re really something else. Fighting to the very end, are you?”

 

The man clicked his tongue as if unsurprised and picked up the mobile phone.

 

[…lp me please help please]

 

It was a desperately written plea for rescue.

 

Though it wasn’t proper words, perhaps written while being chased by me earlier,

several text messages were arriving below the already sent message.

 

[Da-ye]

[Da-ye, where are you? What do you mean?]

[Answer the phone, Da-ye.]

 

“Ah, shit.”

 

Instead of a name, the sender’s contact only had a ridiculous emoticon whose meaning was unclear.

 

“We’re screwed.”

 

Was it Shin Da-ye’s family? Or maybe a friend?

Either way, it wasn’t good.

 

“Those bastards do their job like shit. Only I’m dying here, only me…”

 

The man muttered as if lamenting and immediately turned off Shin Da-ye’s mobile phone.

The phone screen that had been blinking due to the continuously arriving messages went completely black.

 

* * *

 

[How much of the entertainment industry gossip is actually true.]

[The woman did not die.]

[D-7]

 

“What the hell.”

 

It was a cryptic sentence.

Entertainment industry, gossip, and.

 

“…The woman did not die?”

 

At this age, there are certain sentences that make your spine run cold just by reading them.

 

Anyone could see this seemed related to the next client.

Moreover, the sentences in this diary were unhelpful to begin with, and now even the tone had become vaguely impolite.

 

Are you comfortable with me now?

 

I swallowed the words I used to say jokingly to the researchers during my days as a judge and shook the diary thoroughly.

 

“…Is that all, Sung Tae-hyun?”

 

Naturally, no answer came back.

I knew he only attempted selective and one-sided communication when it suited him,

but perhaps there had been some change of heart.

 

Sung Tae-hyun’s Diary had changed in a way that was too subtle to pinpoint exactly.

 

That aside.

 

“Entertainment industry gossip…”

 

Wouldn’t Lee Na-yoon know more about such topics than me?

 

Even if she’s a legal affairs reporter, a reporter is still a reporter, right?

Among gossip, Lee Na-yoon would know well which topics are worth making into issues.

 

Well, there was a note that Lee Na-yoon had left after my first trial victory, carelessly placed somewhere in the drawer.

However, I was too preoccupied with Sung Tae-jun’s matter to bother sending Lee Na-yoon a reply.

And for good reason,

 

[Congratulations, let me in on the next case too.]

 

It was just a casual, short message like that.

If anything could be called an ability, it was how ambition was smeared all over even such trivial sentences.

 

The entertainment industry… and the unpleasantly given D-day.

 

I had gotten used to the diary writing sentences however it pleased.

Whenever the next client appears, given that a damn D-day has been provided, wouldn’t it be soon?

 

It was when I got up, alternately erasing the sentences about Lee Na-yoon and Sung Tae-hyun.

 

Knock knock knock-.

 

A neat knocking sound echoed, and the door opened.

 

“Um…”

 

A cautious, youthful voice gently broke the silence of the quiet office as it resonated throughout.

 

“Is this perhaps… Attorney Sung Tae-hyun’s… office, by any chance?”

 

It was the entrance of an extremely suspicious man.

 

I roughly set down the now-dimmed diary and stood up from my seat.

Associate Yoon Ha-young, who had gone out first to greet the new client, was somehow frozen stiff.

 

“…”

 

That’s understandable.

…Even a mummy wouldn’t be this covered up.

 

Despite his quite cautious attitude, the man wrapped up so tightly that not even one eye was visible was suspicious enough for anyone to see.

 

“Um, I’d like to receive some… consultation… would that be alright?”

 

From head to toe in pitch-black clothes and a pitch-black hat,

A man bound up in a pitch-black balaclava and even sunglasses.

 

When an incongruously gentle voice flowed out, Associate Yoon Ha-young’s stiffly frozen body flinched and trembled.

 

…Didn’t she say she was 9th dan in martial arts?

 

Well, regardless of total martial arts skills, freezing up when encountering someone dressed like this is a normal human reaction.

 

“…Associate Yoon Ha-young? Are you alright?”

“…”

 

No response.

Associate Yoon Ha-young, who had somehow turned pale, could only open and close her mouth without being able to say anything.

 

“I’ll handle this. If you’re not feeling well-“

“Ah… no. I’ll, I’ll-“

 

This is getting stranger and stranger.

 

Associate Yoon Ha-young, who had been so sharp that I wanted to take her as my research staff,

was only moving her dried lips today, as if her condition wasn’t good.

 

“Please come this way.”

 

Noh Hae-min, who appeared belatedly, approached Associate Yoon Ha-young.

 

“What’s wrong, why are you like this?”

“Bel…”

 

Bel?

 

At the dried word that barely flowed from Associate Yoon Ha-young’s mouth, Noh Hae-min, myself, and even the client before us turned our gazes to her.

 

“Associate Yoon Ha-young? Are you alright?”

“Bel…”

 

Now she’s even trembling.

Behind me as I turned my head in puzzlement, a small laugh burst out.

 

…Laughing?

 

The client who had suddenly burst into laughter slowly removed the hat that had been hiding even a single strand of hair.

Hair bleached so brilliantly that it would make Noh Hae-min look cute poured down over his shoulders.

 

Associate Yoon Ha-young now looked like she was on the verge of fainting.

 

“I didn’t expect to be found out so quickly… I guess we have our Beina here too.”

 

The client, who smiled gently, removed his sunglasses and balaclava as well, then winked at the spot where Yoon Ha-young, Noh Hae-min, and I stood dumbfounded.

 

And then.

 

“Be my soul, Phoenix! Hello, I’m Belvix!

 

The client, who looked more like a boy than a man, performed flashy hand gestures and bowed his waist in greeting.

 

“…”

“…”

 

Even as Noh Hae-min and I exchanged bewildered glances, he didn’t lose his bright smile.

He seems to be a professional, I suppose.

 

…A singer?

 

The [Woman] that Sung Tae-hyun’s Diary mentioned might be connected to this side.

I looked at the man who had stopped in a cool pose with sparkling eyes.

 

…Since entertainment industry cases are bound to be full of complications,

let’s try to squeeze out as much in fees as possible.

 

At the very least, I should be able to charge five times the fee from the previous case.

 

After finishing my quick calculation, I extended one hand to greet the man who was still standing frozen.

 

“Yes, hello. I’m Attorney Sung Tae-hyun.”

 

…isn’t this it?

It was when the man flashed an awkward smile and extended one hand toward me.

 

“…Belvix-!”

 

A lion’s roar erupted that seemed to shake the entire office.

It was such a loud sound that I, the man called Belvix, and Noh Hae-min were all startled.

 

“Bel, Belvix….”

 

To see Manager Yoon like this, when she always showed only a cold demeanor in the office.

It wasn’t easy to adjust to.

 

While Noh Hae-min and I rolled our eyes around, the man burst into laughter as if accustomed to it and approached Manager Yoon.

Manager Yoon was holding several small albums in her hands, though I couldn’t tell when she had brought them.

 

“Wow, this is our Early Album.”

“….”

“This is my Solo Album… Wow, to meet Beina in a place like this. It’s really reassuring.”

 

The man smoothly took the albums from Manager Yoon’s hands, holding a pen that I couldn’t tell when he had taken out.

Soon, the hand that began rapidly scrawling signatures was truly that of a professional.

 

“Well, this is….”

 

Wouldn’t this be fine.

 

Perhaps Sung Tae-hyun’s diary was a revelation to try celebrity marketing.

Seeing how much Manager Yoon Ha-young likes him, he seems to be quite a famous person.

 

I quickly turned around and brought Sung Tae-hyun’s Diary that had been carelessly placed on the desk, holding it out to him.

 

“Ah, you too, lawyer….”

 

The man’s eyes softened gently, creating a tender smile.

 

Hmm, he is handsome indeed.

Noh Hae-min’s face, which I always thought was idol-like, became blurred next to a real celebrity.

There was even an optical illusion where Noh Hae-min became completely invisible.

 

“Please take care of me. I’m Sage.”

 

Wasn’t Belvix his name.

Confused by the profound world of idols, the man took my hand and shook it a couple of times.

 

“I happened to see you handling a case on TV….”

“Yes.”

“I have something to ask you discreetly.”

 

…Discreetly?

 

See, you can’t judge a person just by their face.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————