"What is it?"
"What do you mean?"
Lee Han-young was standing in the pavilion inside the courthouse. In front of him stood Reporter Song Na-yeon, wearing a bewildered expression.
"You weren't a detective—you were a judge?"
Lee Han-young shrugged.
"Yes."
"No, if you were a judge, shouldn't you have said so?"
"It seems to me you didn't give me a chance to say it. And even if I had said I was a judge, would our conversation really have changed? I'm not the type to say unnecessary things."
"Hah!"
Reporter Song Na-yeon shook her head.
Lee Han-young chuckled softly and raised a can of coffee to his lips.
As a quiet breeze passed between them, Reporter Song Na-yeon looked at Lee Han-young with clear, earnest eyes and spoke.
"Well… still, thank you."
"Thank you? For what?"
"You showed the truth. The doubts surrounding Sun-hee's death are gone now."
"There's no need to thank me. It's my job."
Lee Han-young's words were calm.
Finding the truth in a courtroom filled with lies and hypocrisy—that was what a judge did.
"Still…"
As Reporter Song Na-yeon fidgeted with her interlocked fingers, Lee Han-young spoke.
"If you're going to be a legal affairs reporter someday, remember this well. The truth is ugly, but exposing it is the job of people working in this field. Sometimes it may seem like we're being swayed by power, but most people are dirtying their hands, working hard to uncover the truth. When you write articles later, please say that judges work hard."
"A legal affairs reporter? Absolutely not! Never! I told you, I'm not doing it."
"I kind of want to bet 100,000 won."
"No way!"
Watching her wave her hands quickly in refusal, Lee Han-young recalled the career woman Reporter Song Na-yeon he had seen in his previous life.
If not for the identical name, it would have been hard to imagine they were the same person.
Unlike the cold, intellectual woman she had been back then, the current Reporter Song Na-yeon felt purely emotional.
'Maybe it was because of that incident?'
There had been a case that swept up her father.
Perhaps that incident had changed her personality.
'Come to think of it…'
He remembered that the timing of that incident was around now.
"If something happens later, contact me."
"What kind of something?"
"Well, various things."
As Reporter Song Na-yeon tilted her head in confusion, Lee Han-young's phone rang. It was Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik.
"Yes, this is Lee Han-young."
—Come up to the Chief Justice's office.
Raising his phone slightly as a gesture, Lee Han-young said to Reporter Song Na-yeon,
"I'll see you later."
As she watched Lee Han-young turn around and head back into the courthouse, Reporter Song Na-yeon spoke up.
"Um, excuse me…"
Lee Han-young turned his gaze back.
"I really am grateful. You said it was just your job, but I don't see it that way. If it hadn't been you, Judge Lee Han-young, but someone else, I think this case would have been buried in mystery for a long time. Thank you so much for clearing my friend's injustice."
She placed her hands over her navel and bowed deeply, folding at the waist like a flip phone.
Lee Han-young quietly formed a smile.
"It was just my job."
"May I ask just one thing? How did you know there would be something like that on Ga-young's phone?"
"When you become a legal affairs reporter later, I'll tell you then."
"Never! Never!"
Lee Han-young headed toward the courthouse.
Her voice reached his ears.
"I'll contact you later!"
Lee Han-young waved lightly as he entered the courthouse.
The smile at the corner of his lips slowly faded.
Now he had to face Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok.
"So, how did you think today's trial went?"
Unable to endure the suffocating silence any longer, Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik asked while waiting.
Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok's gaze slowly moved toward him.
"What kind of person is Lee Han-young? You had him as an associate when you were a presiding judge, didn't you? What was he like?"
"He was full of motivation…"
Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik continued speaking.
Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok stared sharply at him, as if trying to capture every word and gesture.
"Judge Lee Han-young didn't graduate from a prestigious university. He came to his senses late and studied hard…"
When Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik finished speaking, Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok opened his mouth.
"In today's trial, Lee Han-young didn't act like a sole judge. You noticed that, didn't you?"
Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik nodded.
What Lee Han-young had shown today was difficult to put into words.
In a so-called circumstantial case, he had deftly handled seasoned prosecutors and defense attorneys, drawing out the truth.
It was not something one would expect from someone who had just become a sole judge.
"Did he usually act like that?"
"No. Even I saw Judge Lee Han-young differently today."
A fleeting smile passed across Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok's lips.
He seemed pleased that he had discovered Lee Han-young's true worth—something even those who had worked with him for a long time hadn't known.
"Young leaves grow day by day. Don't judge Lee Han-young by past standards—keep a close eye on him."
"Yes, understood."
"Perhaps Judge Lee Han-young might pave the way for you."
"Pardon?"
Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok continued, watching Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik blink in confusion.
"You're wandering right now, unable to find your path. You need a path to have steps to climb upward—but you don't have one, do you?"
It meant he had strayed far from the line of success.
If things continued as they were, Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik would end up drifting through provincial posts before taking off his robe.
It was a future anyone could see, even without a fortune-teller.
Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok spoke.
"In this world, background matters. The end of Judge Lee Han-young, who graduated from a university not even worthy of the sixth rank, is obvious. You know that, don't you?"
"Yes."
"Even if I were to lift him up beyond his station, he'd still have to endure rainstorms and droughts. Could you become Lee Han-young's umbrella?"
"I can."
Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik answered without a moment's hesitation.
For the first time, a clear smile formed on Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok's lips.
"The moment the sprout rots, the umbrella won't be needed anymore."
Though he was speaking about Lee Han-young, the true meaning was that he was measuring Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik.
And Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik knew it.
'What should I say?'
He hesitated briefly.
But only briefly.
The orthodox path was to speak one's convictions.
"I don't want to be Judge Lee Han-young's umbrella just to climb higher. I simply want to take responsibility to the end because he's a judge I taught."
Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok nodded silently.
"Yes. That's how it should be."
Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik licked his dry lips.
'Was that the right thing to say?'
There was nothing to read from Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok's expression.
Lee Han-young was walking down the corridor leading to the Chief Justice's office.
From afar, he saw Judge Lee Jeong-geun approaching, his belly jutting out.
A man who would soon take off his robe as a sponsored judge—and someone who crushed juniors without mercy.
"Hey, I heard you did well?"
Lee Han-young didn't answer.
Lee Jeong-geun made a show of brushing imaginary dust off Lee Han-young's shoulder, then spoke in a mocking, thuggish tone.
"Hey, when you see a senior, don't you know to smile and say nicely, 'Hello'? That's how you become a cute junior."
"With a face like mine, doesn't it seem I'm already disqualified from being a 'cute junior'?"
"Watch your words too. By the way, Han-young, where are you going? Off to rub your palms in the Chief Justice's office? To say, 'Feed me, feed me'? Take off that neck brace. It's unlucky to look at."
Lee Jeong-geun crooked the corner of his mouth and brushed Lee Han-young's clothes once more before continuing.
"I'm saying this because I'm worried about a cute junior. Judges have to move from place to place. Here, Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik might dote on you, saying, 'My precious kid,' but other places won't. He can't follow you around forever, can he? And do you know this? In other regions, I have a lot of classmates. School ties, regional ties, connections. Those things matter."
"It's reassuring to have a senior who worries so much about juniors that he even contacts his classmates. I'll be on my way now."
"What?"
Lee Han-young brushed past Lee Jeong-geun.
Even a fool could tell he had been thoroughly ignored.
Lee Jeong-geun turned his head to watch Lee Han-young's back and raised his middle finger.
"You bastard. Let's see how long you keep smiling."
Lee Han-young shook his head.
He didn't look back, but he could clearly imagine what Lee Jeong-geun was doing.
'I should make him take off his robe a bit earlier.'
Lee Han-young took out his phone.
"Prosecutor Park Cheol-woo? This is Lee Han-young."
A short while later, Lee Han-young stood in front of the Chief Justice's office.
He knew why he had been summoned.
'What should I say?'
When a trained dog does something nice, it's only natural to toss it a treat.
Whatever is thrown, it eats it gladly and wags its tail.
Only then can it go from a pet dog, to a hunting dog, and finally to a person.
For now, that was what he had to do.
Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok would later be the one to present the first step toward purging the demons who would become 'judicial bandits.'
Click. The doorknob turned.
Entering, he saw Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok and Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik.
After bowing, Lee Han-young sat where Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik indicated.
"You did well today."
"Thank you. It's all thanks to Chief Justice Baek and Senior Chief Judge Im."
Even as he answered, Lee Han-young studied Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok's expression.
Not bad. As expected, good.
"You completed this assignment well too, so I should give you a reward."
At Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok's words, Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik took out two document envelopes and placed them in front of Lee Han-young.
As Lee Han-young stared at the envelopes, Senior Chief Judge Im Jeong-sik waved his hand as if urging him to take them.
As Lee Han-young checked the contents, Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok spoke.
"Both cases look like they'll go all the way to the Supreme Court. Neither the prosecution nor the defense will back down. By the time those cases pass through the first and second trials and reach the Supreme Court, I'll be a Supreme Court Justice. Write the rulings well. That way I can boast that you're someone I raised at the Chungcheong Southern District Court."
"…!"
He was saying he would pull him up.
He had expected a reward, but what the Chief Justice had thrown at him was far faster than anticipated.
And it wasn't what he had expected.
Lee Han-young's gaze slowly moved to the Chief Justice.
"Don't feel pressured. Take your time choosing."
"Thank you."
For now, he bowed his head.
"There's no need to thank me. Thanks to the trials you handled, another line is about to be added to the résumé I'll take to the Supreme Court."
As Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok laughed loudly, Lee Han-young held the documents and fell briefly into thought.
Just like in his previous life, Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok would become a Supreme Court Justice this time as well.
One of the three public offices in South Korea with the word "Supreme" in the title.
But the problem came after that.
The judiciary would soon face a fierce storm.
Amid that chaos, Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok would leave the judiciary and head to Yeouido.
If Lee Han-young held onto Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok's hand, he too might be swept away by the storm and disappear.
He was not a great man who would pull Lee Han-young to safety from a wrecked ship.
Lee Han-young placed the envelopes back on the table.
"Thank you, but for now, I want to learn more practical work."
A firm refusal.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the Chief Justice's office turned cold.
Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok's eyebrow twitched.
Lee Han-young continued, cautiously but with certainty.
"I'd like to stay in the field a bit longer."
Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok shook his head.
"This is the first time I've been embarrassed after extending my hand."
"I'm sorry. I still lack both skill and experience. Later, when you rise from Supreme Court Justice to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, I want to be of great help to you."
Once again, Chief Justice Baek Yi-seok's eyebrow moved.
"Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?"
Lee Han-young slowly nodded.
"Yes."
'I tried to look like a hunting dog, but that won't do. From now on, I decide when to feed.'