By Zephyria ‘Get out of my sight right now, you filthy…’
The man’s harsh shout echoed in his ears like a hallucination, then quickly disappeared. Yu-jin clasped his hands behind his back, as if standing at ease. It was a kind of habit to hide his anxiety, concealing his trembling hands while feigning composure on his face as he opened his mouth.
“What does the will say? You know, don’t you?”
“The full text is with Mr. McCoy, the chief attorney. The principle is that the contents of the will are disclosed on the day when all the heirs are gathered.”
Yu-jin frowned at the lawyer’s textbook-like words. There was no point in beating around the bush with a man like this. He confessed honestly.
“As you can see, I’m in this situation, so I don’t have a penny to my name, let alone money for transportation. I lost my job and need to find another one soon, so is there really any benefit for me to go all the way there?”
“Oh, of course. Don’t worry about that.”
The lawyer laughed heartily, as if it were obvious. It was somewhat fortunate, but Yu-jin didn’t trust this man enough to be readily pleased. After all, he had only met this lawyer 10 minutes ago. The lawyer looked at his wristwatch, which was worth as much as a year’s rent for Yu-jin’s humble apartment, and continued.
“I’ve delivered the message, so I’ll be on my way. I repeat, you must come within three days. If you don’t attend the reading of the will, you may lose your inheritance rights. For your own sake, please don’t make that mistake. You’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
Even though no one was listening, he lowered his voice as if telling a secret.
“Mr. McCoy said that the contents will be very beneficial to you.”
After adding those meaningful words, he took out his wallet again. Yu-jin watched as the man bent one leg, placed his briefcase on his thigh, and signed a check on top of it.
“Use this to buy things you need while you’re staying there and for travel expenses. You don’t have to pay it back, I’ll bill the company separately.”
He handed over the check, which he had quickly scribbled, as if he already knew that Yu-jin didn’t have a single coin to his name, then walked down the stairs toward his car parked in the parking lot. Yu-jin stood there for a while, watching the car drive away after starting the engine.
That was exactly three days ago. Yu-jin returned to the church, and the moment he saw his child’s face, he decided to return to the mansion. He desperately needed money now.
He used the money the lawyer gave him to take care of his immediate needs. He bought clothes and some essentials for his child to wear while staying at Delight, bought train tickets, and ate pancakes with his daughter at a restaurant. With the remaining money, he prepared clothes to wear to the reading of the will, checked into a cheap motel, took a shower, spent the night, and then early in the morning, he took his still-dozing daughter in his arms, stopped by an internet cafe to check the receipt confirmation of the email he had sent earlier, and then immediately boarded the train. And finally, he had arrived here.
“Ah, here you are.”
As he exited the station, the lawyer, who was on the phone next to a parked car, spotted him and waved. Yu-jin forced himself to keep his eyes fixed on the man to avoid being swayed by his surroundings, took his child’s hand, and moved his feet. As he approached, Yu-jin greeted the lawyer, who had just finished his call.
“Hello, thank you for picking us up.”
“It’s nothing. I have to if I want to get into that mansion.”
The lawyer shook his head and opened the back door of the car himself. After putting his daughter in first, he put the luggage in the trunk and followed, and Angela grabbed Yu-jin’s arm.
“Daddy, are you okay?”
Yu-jin deliberately smiled and nodded at the small whisper.
“I’m okay. Angie, you don’t have to worry.”
As he stroked his child’s head, Angela still had a serious expression on her face, but she silently closed her mouth and straightened her posture obediently. Yu-jin fastened his child’s seat belt and then fastened his own. His hand trembled as he fastened the buckle, slipping three times, but fortunately, he succeeded just before the car started. Yu-jin was suppressing himself as much as possible, pretending to be nonchalant so as not to make his child anxious. Despite the fact that his true desire was to throw off the seat belt that was constricting his body and escape from this hunk of junk.
But the car had just started running. Yu-jin was trapped inside and had to endure it for several hours. Until he reached the hell called ‘Delight.’
“You don’t look good, are you okay? It would be a problem if you vomited in the car.”
The lawyer looked at Yu-jin in the rearview mirror and asked. Yu-jin tried his best to appear calm and replied in as light a tone as possible.
“It’s just motion sickness. Don’t worry about it.”
“Oh dear, do you have medicine? Take some if you do. Here.”
Yu-jin hurriedly shook his head and declined as the lawyer, holding the steering wheel with one hand, opened the console box with the other to take out a plastic bottle of water.
“It’s not that bad, I’m fine. Thank you.”
The lawyer glanced back and muttered with a reluctant look.
“You don’t look fine at all… Please don’t vomit. Tell me anytime if you feel sick, and I’ll stop the car.”
“Yes.”
Yu-jin replied and quickly changed the subject.
“You’re a legal advisor to the Campbell family, right? It’s surprising, you seem to have quite a bit of experience, but you came to meet me in person and even picked me up.”
“That’s because it’s a request from the Campbell family.”
The lawyer replied simply.”Actually, these kinds of tasks are usually handled by junior lawyers, but the Campbell family is our firm’s biggest client, and as such, I’ve been assigned to ensure the will is executed flawlessly. Right now, our top priority is to carry out Mr. Campbell’s will without a hitch. All the lawyers are focused on this and doing their best, under Mr. McCoy’s direction, of course.”
McCoy is the senior partner at the law firm where Brown works. Yu-jin had seen his face before. McCoy probably has the will in his possession. He’ll be the one to make the announcement, too.
Yu-jin recalled the white-haired lawyer Harold often called when dealing with troublesome matters. The gaunt, tall man had prominent cheekbones that made him look even more severe. What must he have thought when he found out he had to find me to execute the will?
In any case, according to Brown, the will was written three months before Harold suddenly collapsed and died, and McCoy was the only one who knew the exact contents. Brown was responsible for overseeing the matter and finalizing all preparations until the will was revealed.
Harold was the only one in the family who could directly call and instruct McCoy, the head of the law firm. The other family members all had to relay messages through McCoy’s secretary or consult with other lawyers, and that system probably still applies. If that’s the case, then who has taken Harold’s place now that he’s gone…?
“Winston Campbell, sir.”
Brown said as if he’d been waiting for the question. In that instant, Yu-jin almost threw up. He quickly clamped his hand over his mouth and pounded on the headrest, causing Brown to panic and pull the car over to the side of the road. As soon as the car stopped, Yu-jin scrambled out, bent over, and retched. Fortunately, he’d only had a few cups of tea since morning. He managed to spit out only saliva mixed with bitter stomach acid, then gasped for breath, bent in half.
“Are you alright?”
Brown asked, stopping a short distance away, as if afraid of seeing something unpleasant. Instead of answering, Yu-jin raised his hand and waved it to indicate he was okay. After calming his stomach in the cold wind, he returned to the car, where Brown offered him a bottle of water with the cap already removed. This time, he accepted and drank.
“Are you feeling better now?”
Yu-jin barely managed to nod at Brown’s question.
“I’m sorry for the trouble.”
His voice, barely audible, was trembling. Brown, presuming to know the reason for Yu-jin’s reaction, put on a deliberately thoughtful expression.
“You’ve been on a train all day, and now a car ride… it’s understandable that you’re exhausted. I completely understand.”