Monday morning, 9 a.m.

Hee-wook gripped his throbbing head and headed to work. It had already been ten days since he made a resolution not to drink. The amount of alcohol he consumed was increasing, and he felt his recovery getting slower.

Trying to eliminate the smell of alcohol, Hee-wook gargled, sprayed perfume on his clothes, and entered the office. He frowned when he saw the registered mail on his desk. It was a summons from the court.

In the plaintiff section, the name of the Korean branch and the CEO of the jewelry brand where Hee-wook purchased the ring were written. It stated that they would file a claim for damages due to trademark infringement.

Stifling a laugh at the absurdity, Hee-wook was interrupted by the office assistant.

“Lawyer, the Gangnam Police Station called. They’re asking you to come in for questioning regarding trademark infringement…”

The company, which had made a fortune by selling a 5.5 million won ring, had initiated both a civil lawsuit and a criminal complaint.

In Hee-wook’s experience, this case wasn’t particularly difficult. It was an incident that wouldn’t even make him bat an eye if someone brought such a summons. However, if this matter became known to others, there was a concern that Hee-wook’s image would be tarnished. The situation was annoying.

Hee-wook called Hyun-ji. She didn’t answer the call. Since her office wasn’t far away, he went to her office, but the door was locked.

Another office assistant passing by informed him, “Today, Lawyer Choi Hyun-ji is on vacation.”

Hee-wook recalled the text message Hyun-ji had sent last Friday. She mentioned going to Jeju Island with friends before getting married and advised not to contact her unnecessarily.

Is she still on Jeju Island?

Thinking about whether to ask who she went to Jeju Island with, Hee-wook suddenly felt bitter. There was no photo posted on Hyun-ji’s SNS account.

Did she go with guys? She’s that kind of person.

“Lawyer Choi seems very relaxed. Doesn’t she have any work?”

“Lawyer Choi seems to have reduced her workload a lot. She seemed to be organizing things to change jobs. Didn’t you know, Lawyer Yang?”

Frustrated, Hee-wook turned away.

10 a.m.

“Oh, Chief…”

Bok-bae called So-eun, who had returned to her seat after repairing a device.

“It seems like your post, Chief, has been leaked to the general community…”

Bok-bae conveyed the information that appeared on the group messenger window to So-eun.

So-eun’s post on ‘Blabla’ had somehow leaked to the outside. It seemed to follow the same process as the unidentified post spreading to the general community the day before, without confirming the identity.
However, this leak was much larger in scale. Somehow, along with So-eun’s post, the name and address of the informal recipient Kim Mal-hee, and, shockingly, even a photo, were exposed. Seeing So-eun in an old photo claiming to be an elder in a church made her heart sink.

Fortunately, So-eun’s personal information hadn’t been disclosed yet. However, it was only a matter of time.

So-eun immediately texted Tae-jun about this situation.

I know. Don’t worry; I’m monitoring it now.

Tae-jun quickly responded. While Tae-jun’s reply was reassuring, So-eun couldn’t help but feel anxious about the reactions of people who were using Kim Mal-hee’s photo as a side dish to chew on, like squid.

11 a.m.

The coin graph fluctuated between 15.1 billion won and 20 million won. Mal-hee, sitting in front of her PC, picked up her lunch when she received an unknown call.

“Hello.”

[Is this Mrs. Kim Mal-hee?]

“But why?”

[Hello, this is fact-checking reporter Lee Sung-woo. Have you received a long-term donation from your son’s former girlfriend through marriage?]

“…What do you mean by a long-term donation? She voluntarily cut ties herself!”

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Mal-hee stammered in anger.

She had prided herself on keeping this fact hidden so that her son Hee-wook wouldn’t know, and she couldn’t understand how the reporter found out and contacted her.

[Is it true that you received a long-term donation from her? There is evidence that your son systematically destroyed it. Anyway, it seems to be true.]

Mal-hee, still bewildered, immediately hung up the phone.

The same reporter called her again. Mal-hee turned off her mobile phone altogether.

Noon. 12 p.m.

Looking at the coin graph that remained stagnant between 15.2 billion and 20 million won, Mal-hee’s gaze momentarily dulled. At that moment, the front door opened and closed.

Unbeknownst to her, her husband Yang Gyu-chil had left to play golf and returned a few minutes later, looking confident.

“What’s wrong with you? What have you done!”

Mal-hee went to the living room in response to Gyu-chil’s booming voice.

“Why are reporters standing in front of my house and causing a commotion again!”

“Reporters?”

Mal-hee recalled the phone call she had received an hour ago and felt a shiver. She opened the window and looked outside. About ten reporters were wandering in front of her house.