Secretary Na Ra flew down the hallway, her arms full of sheaves of paper, her hair trailing behind her as it escaped the confines of her well coiffed bun. Her ear is bent onto her left shoulder, practically glued to her phone, while she mumbled her response to whomever it was on the other line. People scrambled out of her way, recognizing the tell tale signs of a harrassed and stressed out colleague as she ran down the corridors.

The offices of Choi, Go and Trieu are always buzzling; never a quiet moment or peace, and ever populated with various associates, interns, and counselors. They have taken over the upper suites of this modernistic building downtown, with its glass and chrome motif architecture. The building itself is a piece of art, housing not just the legal offices of CG and T, but a couple other reputable agencies below. There is a galleria in the lower levels, an architectural office next, a studio and a few other well established agencies filling the building. The legal offices occupy the rest of the top 4 floors, all overlooking the majestic views of the city and Han River from the west.

His office sat on the west wing, giving him an excellent almost panoramic view of the skyline. Still a simple man, his office retains a very minimialistic look despite his rise in the corporate ladder. If there was any focal point in his office, it would be the ceiling high bookshelves lining one wall almost filled to capacity. A small picture frame sits on the shelf closest to him on his right, the only personal touch it seems visible upon first glance. His desk sat in the middle, and off to the left, a seating area for clients surround an antique center table. His office is very much reflective of his personality, unencumbered by materialistic trappings, comfortable in a warm quiet way.

Na Ra knocked discreetly and entered. Yeon Woo stood facing the broad windows looking out while he remains in deep conversation. He acknowledged Na Ra's presence from the slight nod of his head. She knew enough to be quiet until she gains his attention, and stood waiting until he finishes. She has been his secretary full over 5 years, right after he became a partner. Her previous experience working with other attorneys have been a great boon to Yeon Woo, who started his career somewhat rocky, and her assistance and guidance have been immeasurable. 

She looked him over, noting the easy way he carries himself, his self confidence borne of the 10 years he had been working first as an associate, and later on, as partner of the prestigious firm. He has found his niche and gained respect amongst his peers in the field. Though older than him by several years, Na Ra has always treated him with respect not just because he is her employer, but because of his reputation of being a trustworthy, fair, and caring attorney . She is quite proud of his accomplishments, and many times have given herself a pat on the back for being a part of his growth.

Her musings were cut short when he turned abruptly.

"Are the papers from Tang Min group all filed already?" He asked, referring to one of the cases they're working on.

"Yes, Sir. It's been logged and I have the meeting with the principals scheduled." She set down the bulky papers on his desk and handed him a folder. "I've sent Mr. Kim to meet with Madame Chan regarding the embezzelment case. She had these records you requested couriered over." Na Ra said. Mr. Kim is one the junior associates that seems to have a good head for numbers. 

"Good. Leave those and I'll look them over. What are these?" He flips through the folder she handed earlier and skims through the forms. 

Na Ra went over his itinerary of meetings and social engagements, ignoring his sighs when she mentioned his attendance is required at those events.

"Sir, I was on the phone with Senior Attorney Choi and he told me to push your meeting earlier this afternoon at 1. I've rearranged your schedule accordingly."

"Very well. He better not dump another case on me. We've just closed the account on NFS case. And I just finished speaking with the Yama Yoga legal counsel. They've finally agreed to the settlement that we put on the table. Mr. Shin worked this case with me. See to it he get the papers drafted soon."

He spent a few more minutes going over the day's work, until Na Ra's notebook is filled with instructions. She left to start her busy day.

Yeon Woo tackled the task before him, going over the various cases currently still active. The workings of justice is never swift as one would think. There is a protocol for everything and everything must follow the process. Aside from the paperwork that must be typed and filed accordingly, there is also the matter of reviewing evidence and records. It is a tedious tiresome work. He has three associates working with him that he is mentoring personally and though he has delegated the brunt of the work to them, he has kept a hands-on approach to all his cases, preferring to do his own research to reach his own conclusions. As such he remains busy, notwithstanding the many engagements required as part of this social status. 

His phone buzzed and Na Ra's voice came through the speaker, reminding him of his meeting with Mr. Choi. 

The walk to the other end of the corrider is always informative. Yeon Woo's eyes never miss anything and coupled with his concentration, his recall is almost immaculate. The cubicles are always buzzing with activities, and snippets of conversation float as he walks past. He prefers this longer walk instead of taking the more direct route to Kang Seok's office. It gives him a much needed perspective of the happenings within the firm. Thus what others are often incline to attribute to his prodigious memory is more often his gleanings and observations from what is going on around him. How else would he have known about the cliques some of the associates have, regarding those with a "high class" education versus the ones without? (He quickly nipped that in the bud, and created a system in the firm where it is performance based rather than societal class that determine your standing in the firm.) How else could he know of the budding romance between a junior associate and one of the opposing legal counsel? (She was put on probation and he was demoted and removed from the case.)

But it was not entirely all negative issues; from this he has kept abreast of the what is going in within the firm, some of which having direct bearing on the cases being worked on and thus enabling him to reach decisions otherwise inconclusive. 

He nodded at Ms. Li the older secretary sitting outside, who is engaged in an animated conversation on her phone. The clicks of her fingers typing a mile a minute punctuate every word she says. She gave him a bow and nodded that he is expected inside.

Senior Attorney Choi Kang Seok sat in his spacious office, his desk just as filled with various papers and folders. His beloved collection of miscellaneous baseball paraphenelia still decorate a table to his left. He kept the same office he's had even after taking over the senior partnership of the office several years ago after Attorney Kang retired, prefering to be within the hustle and bustle rather than isolated away at the senior's suite. Though already in his 50's, he has kept his good looks and trimmed athletic figure, and his maturity only added to his distinguised demeanor. He remains a very handsome man. 

Yeon Woo walked in and plopped himself on the leather chair, and schooled his expression to remain neutral as he contemplated another potential heavy caseload. He is not one to shy away from work. But the past months he had been working non stop, and much as he enjoyed the challenges each case brings, he is feeling overworked. 

CG and T had another partner, Attorney Trieu who joined right after Kang Seok married-- yes, he finally tied the knot after years of bachelorhood-- and half the firm expected some leniency in the workload. Instead the man seemed to have redoubled his efforts, bringing in more clients and in effect increasing their billing hours tenfolds. 

"How's the NFS case?" Kang Seok asked, referring to one of their big shot clients. "Did the other party settle?" 

They both stood and moved to the table where box lunches stood waiting. It is a fairly common occurence for both to be working through lunchtime.

"Matter of fact, they did. After the last meeting with their closer, they finally agreed with the terms."

Yeon Woo did not mean to sound smug, but he could not help it. It had been a messy affair; anything involving money and business and marriage usually do. But after months of back and forth, Yeon Woo was able to bring things to a settlement without dragging both parties' dirty laundry to court.

"The CEO and the President of NFS should be glad it's over. It would have been a tremendous exposé were it to reach the courtroom and media."

"Good. I'm glad to hear you've freed yourself of one case. I have one that I need you to handle."

Yeon Woo groaned inwardly, I knew it. He must have let his feelings show, because Kang Seok threw him a sharp glance.

"It is an important caseload; one I would've preferred to handle myself. I didn't pass it over to Attorney Trieu because she still has her plate full. I need this to be a priority." He handed over a thick file. "We are representing the Song estate, the vast holder of the Morning Brew coffee plantation. We've been on their retainer since they took over 60% of the market."

Yeon Woo set his chopsticks down and looked through the files, reading the first few reports on the case. "I've heard about the estate; they have been a long standing client. I'm quite surprised you aren't tackling this yourself."

"Believe me, I would; I've handled all the other legals with this estate since the beginning, however at the present state of things, it is conflicting with my other commitments." He paused, taking a sip of his water. "I will need you to go to the charity event on my behalf."

"What?! ...Oh, c'mon. You know I hate these things." Yeon Woo had resumed eating but stopped once he heard. "You know I always feel out of place in these gatherings."

"Listen, you are representing CG and T, and that alone allots you plenty of merit to keep that chip on your shoulder. Besides, Ms. Song will be there and I've arranged a meeting."

"What gives? Why in such a very public social gathering of all places? It's not entirely conducive to business having potential crowd eavesdropping on our conversation."

"Just go. Ms. Song is highly active in these charity functions. Besides, you'll meet others involved in that suit;  it's a good way to observe people in their typical social milieu."

Yeon Woo is intrigued enough after reading the preliminary reports that he barely nodded at Kang Seok; the rest of his food lay forgotten.  

"Oh it's tomorrow and it's a black tie event. Dust off that tux."

Yeon Woo did not miss the sly smile fleeting over Kang Seok's face. 

Damn it.

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