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Chapter 22
“Stay out of this case. That woman, Ok Noyeo, has done nothing to harm the child and has committed no wrongdoing. You’ll definitely lose. And if that happens, your career as an oejibu will be in danger.”
As Hari continued to rise in prominence, the other oejibus began slandering and envying her. Rumors spread that they were all waiting for the day she stumbled, eager to trample her while she was down.
At times like this, Hari needed to keep winning and completely crush their spirits.
“Take the cases you can win.”
Un’s advice was sound. If Hari were still the lawyer she had once been at Kang & Kang, she would have followed it.
In fact, she had done exactly that in the past. She had taken only the cases she could win. And what had become of her?
The reputation she had built on winning lawsuits collapsed in an instant, and in the end, even the clients she had helped win resented her.
Only then had she realized that winning alone was not everything.
Before she died, Hari had deeply regretted the way she had lived as a lawyer. She did not want to repeat those mistakes.
Only after dying and returning to life had Hari truly reflected on what she should do as a lawyer and what she genuinely wanted.
She had found her answer.
She wanted to do what was right.
Besides, Eunyeong was just a child.
Un had said there was nothing wrong except for her age, but that very age was the greatest problem.
“Whether I win or lose is my concern. Even if I lose, it won’t bring harm to you, Lord of Punguibang. That child is simply too pitiful.”
“I think so too. Then let us do this. I’ll hide the child somewhere that old man will never find her. If necessary, I’ll even assign someone to take care of her.”
Un sincerely wanted to help the child as well.
“Are you saying she should spend her life in hiding? Separated from her mother forever?”
“That…”
Un clenched his fists tightly. He realized that the solution he had proposed was far from the best for the child.
Even so, he should have insisted that it was the best option.
But the words refused to leave his mouth.
“I will make sure they divorce. I will make sure the child can smile and live happily with her mother. I can’t give up without even trying.”
Un’s face grew hot.
Looking at Hari speaking so resolutely, he felt ashamed that he had been ready to retreat simply because he had already assumed the outcome.
From Hari’s sharp gaze and tightly pressed lips, he could read her unwavering determination to save the child somehow.
He could not take his eyes off her.
“Then tell me just one thing. Will you become the child’s uncle?”
Nahui had once said, ‘If there isn’t one, then make one.’
It was an excellent idea.
If there were no elder relatives willing to stand up for Eunyeong, then they would simply make someone into her relative.
“You’ll help me, won’t you?”
“…Let’s do it.”
The moment Un agreed, Hari smiled brightly and immediately asked,
“Can you quietly slip a name into the family register?”
“It’s not impossible.”
Family genealogies were not perfectly preserved or recorded.
They were often lost and recreated.
During that process, names that had never existed sometimes appeared, while existing names occasionally disappeared.
Since adopting heirs to continue the family line was common, Hari’s idea was not entirely absurd.
The problem was that the genealogy in question was the Seonwonnok.
“My lord, what if we make you something like Eunyeong’s maternal relative—perhaps a distant cousin from her mother’s side?”
“Then I wouldn’t be her uncle.”
Hari silently counted the degrees of kinship on her fingers.
“A grand-uncle?”
“That’s a sixth-degree relative.”
The titles based on kinship were absurdly complicated.
Hari shook her head.
“The title isn’t important. We just need proof that you’re related to the child.”
“Forgery of documents?”
“It’s not an official government document. That isn’t a crime. It may prick our conscience a little, but think about it. If ignoring my conscience can save a child’s life, isn’t that a good thing? If we actually add her to the family register, then it isn’t even forgery. Just like an adoption.”
After thinking for a long moment, Un finally spoke.
“What if we invalidate the marriage on the grounds of human trafficking?”
By now, his heart had already leaned toward helping Hari.
“Wouldn’t we still have to file a petition first before we could do that?”
Now that Un thought about it, she was right.
To save the child, they absolutely needed an adult male relative.
But no matter how common such tricks were, they could not simply add Wang Eunyeong’s name to the Seonwonnok.
“My lord, isn’t there any other way?”
Hari clasped her hands together and looked at Un pleadingly.
Her eyes were dangerously enchanting.
Looking into those large, sparkling eyes made him want to grant her any request.
After a brief silence, Un suddenly slapped the table.
“I’ll accept the case.”
“Really? You’ll handle it yourself, my lord?”
“Not exactly.”
“What? Then who?”
Un pointed toward the paper door.
Beyond it stood the shadow of a man.
It was Gong Chilbok.
“This is outrageous, Your Lordship!”
“Didn’t I already apologize?”
Un tried to calm Chilbok, whose cheeks were puffed up like a toad’s.
“Do you think saying you’re sorry is enough? I’m still an unmarried bachelor! Yet you’ve stuffed a fully grown woman—older than I am—into my family register as my daughter!”
To make Chilbok Eunyeong’s relative, Hari had proposed a bold solution.
“Lady Chunja’s parents have already passed away, so as long as she agrees, she can legally be adopted. Therefore, wouldn’t it be best if Lord Gong adopted Lady Chunja as his daughter?”
Having become a palace eunuch at a young age, Chilbok had never even held a woman’s hand.
Yet in the blink of an eye, he had gained both a daughter and a granddaughter.
“Others spend decades building a family, yet you managed it all in less than two hours. Truly impressive.”
“Are you making fun of me, Your Lordship?!”
Chilbok shouted so loudly that Un’s head rang.
Although Un nodded sympathetically, he had no intention of changing his decision.
Instead, he continued in a gentle voice while saying something rather frightening.
“There was no other way. You insisted that even over your dead body, Wang Eunyeong’s name could never be entered into the Seonwonnok. Or should I go to the oejibu right now and tell them to put her in it instead?”
“That…”
Chilbok was fiercely devoted to protecting the royal ancestral records.
Even with a sword at his throat, he would never allow such a thing.
His determination weakened considerably.
Seeing him hesitate, Un gently coaxed him.
“Isn’t the child truly pitiful? If everything works out, you’ll become the benefactor of both the child and her mother. And do you think Attorney An would simply ignore the help you’ve given? She’ll surely reward you appropriately.”
Chilbok slowly raised the head he had lowered.
Even his tightly shut lips twitched.
Seeing him waver, Un delivered the final blow.
“I’ll reward you generously myself as well. Then shall I tell Attorney An you’ve agreed?”
“You promise there’ll be a reward?”
That was as good as saying yes.
That very afternoon, Hari’s petition was placed on Magistrate Panyun’s desk.
Hari’s office, usually so quiet, was unusually crowded today.
Everyone from Punguibang had come.
As Un entered first, followed by Chilbok and Siyeong, Chunja and Eunyeong, who had been sitting nervously, quickly stood up.
Hari stepped forward before the mother and daughter, who were too anxious even to speak.
“Lord of Punguibang, what brings you here? Lord Gong alone would have been enough.”
“Chilbok insisted I come with him. He clung to me so stubbornly that I had no choice but to leave my busy work behind.”
As Un whispered this, Chilbok frantically shook his head.
“Really?”
Instead of answering, Un simply smiled.
Then he bent down to meet Eunyeong’s eye level.
The neatly pinned hairpin in her hair caused his eyes to waver for just a moment.
“Your name is Eunyeong?”
Un asked gently.
“Yes, my lord. My name is Wang Eunyeong.”
“Just as lovely as your name. Do you happen to like yakgwa?”
“Yes! I love yakgwa!”
The child’s eyes sparkled brightly as she answered enthusiastically.
Un handed her the yakgwa he had brought.
“The adults have something to discuss. Would you mind going outside with that tall older brother for a little while?”
The person Un pointed at was Siyeong.
As though they had arranged it beforehand, Siyeong held out his hand.
Resting on his palm was a small round play ball.
Smiling brightly, Eunyeong turned toward Chunja.
“Mom, can I go?”
“Don’t leave the courtyard. You can only play in the yard.”
“Okay!”
The cheerful child ran outside.
For a brief moment, an awkward silence filled the room now occupied only by adults.
“First, why don’t the two of you introduce yourselves?”
Hari broke the silence, looking back and forth between Chilbok and Chunja.
Un jabbed Chilbok in the side.
Startled, Chilbok hurriedly bowed.
“H-Hello. My name is Gong Chilbok.”
“I am Lee Chunja. And please don’t bow to me. You may speak comfortably as well. After all… you’re my father now, aren’t you?”
Hearing a woman who looked older than himself call him ‘Father’ left a bitter taste in Chilbok’s mouth.
