In the worst-case scenario, if Doguk sided with Director Do instead of Soohan, their ties could be completely severed. In an industry where trust was of preceding importance than a person’s life, Sehun couldn’t overlook the possibility of such a long-term client suspecting that they would be backstabbed. Then, other clients would slowly start to reduce their workflow to the firm. It was a gamble with a 200% chance of loss.

“What new ocean do you want to discover, Fourth-year?”

“An ocean to save me from my perils.”

He recalled the conversation he once had with Yoonshin, and his expression grew colder.

‘I thought I was the one who found you, but you were the one who chose me,’ he thought.

Sehun’s eyes kept following Yoonshin Do because he thought that maybe Yoonshin was different from the rest of humanity. He couldn’t take his eyes off the transparent gaze of one who lived honestly, and that bothered him. However, even if Yoonshin was fundamentally a forthcoming individual, in the end, he might be the same as other people.

Ultimately, it could be that what the younger man wanted wasn’t Sehun, but an umbrella to shield him. It was reasonable to think that Yoonshin could have grown to like Sehun because he had chosen the older lawyer as his chess piece, rather than from pure attraction. After all, Yoonshin had an earnest attitude toward everything he did.

He felt like everything that he had suspected was just all confirmed, so he felt uncomfortable.

He slammed his hands on the steering wheel and heaved a heavy breath out. Staring out at the dense foliage that surrounded him, Sehun’s eyes grew dark.

‘Do you want to use me like other people?’

His sharp eyes glinted as keen as a blade, ready to slice whoever touched him.

* * *

Returning to the main building from his free legal consultations, Yoonshin’s pocket vibrated loudly. He checked his messages as he got on the elevator. It was a message from the pro bono client for finalizing the date to visit the child in the hospital. As he sent a reply, the elevator lifted him to his office floor.

Ding.

As the double doors opened, he checked the time. He remembered Sehun’s orders. Yoonshin was dividing his time and using it as efficiently as he could so that Sehun wouldn’t need to search for him when Yoonshin was dealing with public interest matters. Thankfully, he arrived within the acceptable range of time.

“Are they still doing the project meeting?”

Yoonshin glanced at the conference room as he went down the hallway.  Through the window, he could tell that the meeting was almost at its end.

However, Sehun—who was sitting at the head of the table and staring sternly into his tablet PC screen—looked like there was something that he didn’t like. He was expressionless as always, but Yoonshin studied him every day, so he could see the difference. If it was related to the work he was doing, Sehun would have immediately suspended the meeting or at least burst out of the room. Seeing that it was ongoing, his displeasure must be related to something external.

‘He doesn’t look too good. I wonder why.’ Yoonshin thought.

Yoonshin stopped in his tracks and lurked, hesitant to return to his office. He wanted to keep peeping on Sehun, but if Yoonshin returned, his view of Sehun would be cut off. He awkwardly looked around and spotted the staff kitchenette in the back.

He entered the room and hurriedly threw a random coffee capsule into the coffee machine. He considered just drinking it black as usual, but he discovered sugar cubes. Picking one up, he didn’t want to admit that it was because of a certain someone saying that he liked it when the other tasted sweet.