* All names, places, companies, organizations, and other designations appearing in this work are fictional creations and have no relation to any specific individuals or groups. The content is entirely fictitious and not based on real events.
1. The Way of Seocho-dong
"Where is that bitch Winter?"
It was a day when sleet was fluttering from the gray sky.
Powdery white snow was frantically flying between the ashen buildings. Dry branches swayed in the parched wind.
The Gyodae Station intersection, viewed from the lawyer's office, looked utterly desolate.
That day three years ago was just like today.
The sky with recklessly swirling sleet, the faint scent of snow and wind, the bleak winter landscape of Seocho-dong, Seoul.
"Where the hell is that bitch Winter Yoo?"
Moments from that nightmarish day seemed to echo like auditory hallucinations.
Winter took a deep breath. She shook off the voice resonating in her ears in one go.
As she brushed her hand over the nameplate clearly engraved with her name, her unsettled heart calmed down.
"I'm back."
Yes, she was back. Finally today, here, at the law firm
***
Seolbeop was located in the heart of Seocho-dong.
Seocho-dong, Seocho District, Seoul, the center of South Korea's legal world.
In this place where countless law firms and legal offices repeated the cycle of birth and death every day, there was no one who hadn't heard of the law firm Seolbeop.
Seolbeop was universally recognized as the top law firm. Its reputation was tremendous in both scale and ability. No one in the South Korean legal world could deny this fact.
Those without skill cannot survive.
That was the way of Seocho-dong.
And it was also the way of survival that Winter had to remember from now on.
Today, Winter had proudly entered this place, the dream of all lawyers.
And to have entered as the top recruit, it was something she couldn't have even imagined in the past when she had to leave as if being chased out.
I wonder if this could be called a triumphant return, Winter thought with a smirk.
In any case, having left as a secretary and returned as a lawyer, it was truly a glorious comeback.
"Attorney Winter Yoo"
A shimmering silver nameplate was attached above the gleaming glass door.
The unreasonable events of the past were now things to be corrected one by one from this point on.
"I'm always confident!"
Winter took another deep breath. Then she bravely opened the door and stepped out of the lawyer's office.
The day was still short in late winter. Yellow headlights flickered on the darkened roads. As the traffic light changed, cars roared past on the asphalt road.
Winter walked briskly down the streets of Seocho-dong. The icy wind fiercely clawed at her clear cheeks.
In the distance, the grand entrance of
Winter's heart, which had just calmed down, started to pound again.
As she entered the luxurious lobby, warmth gradually spread throughout her body.
Trying not to be intimidated, Winter straightened her back and walked down the steep stairs.
The welcome party that had started in the banquet hall was continuing in the underground lounge bar. Amidst the softly glowing low-intensity lighting, the bar was bustling with lawyers.
Winter stopped in the dim corridor. Somehow, her feet wouldn't move easily.
As she hesitated, the voices of people reached her ears.
"You know, that secretary, No attorney's mistress. The one who caused an uproar a few years ago, even on the internet..."
"The one with the pretty face? That was quite a scandal. But why bring her up?"
"That secretary is this year's top recruit."
"What are you talking about?"
"That secretary is the new lawyer who entered as the top recruit this time. They say she entered law school right after being fired back then."
"Ha, she's really something. What a tough bitch."
Exclamations that could have been either admiration or mockery burst out.
Winter unconsciously swallowed hard.
Secretary, mistress, top new lawyer... She could immediately recognize that all these terms were referring to her.
"Her name was Autumn or Winter or something, I heard she was always first in her class throughout the three years of law school."
"She's crazy!"
"She was always smart, wasn't she? Even when she was a secretary, there were rumors that she was smarter than the lawyers, didn't you hear?"
"Oh, don't remind me. Because of her, our partner was always yelling at me, saying I couldn't even do as well as a secretary!"
"Anyway, she's a tough bitch, a real tough bitch."
"I heard the partners are in an uproar again this time? They're all fighting to get her on their team."
"Only the other new hires are in trouble. It's going to be interesting to watch from now on."
Winter quietly observed the faces of the whispering lawyers. They were people she had encountered at some point when she was working as a secretary in Seolbeop's litigation team.
Can't be helped, Winter sighed lightly.
Going from secretary to lawyer was enough to draw attention. Add to that the terrible rumors from three years ago, and Winter was now essentially the embodiment of Seolbeop's scandal.
Winter took a deep breath. None of the past events were Winter's fault.
Yes, I'll just correct things one by one, slowly. Winter squared her shoulders and entered the bar.
"Oh?"
The eyes of the lawyers who recognized Winter widened.
Her clear and distinct features were beautiful enough to make anyone turn their head. It was as if the fragrance of fresh roses blooming in a green field was wafting from somewhere.
Her exquisite face, slender figure, and firm, intelligent gaze.