Chapter Text
"Do you have any more questions for me?"
Kim Gaon was in the middle of an interview for an associate judge position. Just a formality, his mentor and previous professor, Min Jungho, had said, but it didn't feel like one. Oh Jinjoo, the woman currently interviewing him, had definitely taken the interview seriously, despite her unfailingly polite and cheerful demeanor.
"You've explained very well what being an associate judge would be like here in the day to day, and I'd be thrilled to have such a professional and competent coworker," Gaon began, completely sincerely. They'd both be associate judges, so knowing he'd spend most of his time with someone like her was a great relief. "Yet I couldn't help but notice that you haven't said much about what the chief judge is like. Could you tell me more about what he's like to work with?"
Jinjoo blinked for a moment, then let out a nervous chuckle. "Ah, Chief Judge Kang Yohan is a great man, and I admire him very much. That said, he can be a little... intense. You'll understand what I mean when you meet with him after me."
"I'm interviewing with him too?" Jungho hadn't told him that, but to be fair, maybe he assumed it would be self-evident.
"Of course! He gets the final say on all the new hires he'd work closely with, especially ones as important as an associate judge. But to be honest, you've done great so far. I'd definitely hire you if it were up to me. I'm sure he'll feel the same," she said with a smile.
"Thank you, Judge Oh, that means a lot," Gaon said. He was usually humble to a fault, but he let her words wash over him and boost his confidence - he thought he'd need it. "I have no further questions."
"Great! It was very nice speaking to you, Judge Kim. I'll let Chief Judge Kang know you're ready." Jinjoo stood up, and Gaon stood up as well. They bowed politely to each other, then Jinjoo left the room. Gaon sat back down and watched the door.
A couple minutes later, the door finally opened, and Gaon immediately stood up. A man entered the room, closed the door behind him, and turned back to meet Gaon's eyes.
Oh no.
Gaon had previously seen a photo of Kang Yohan, when Jungho first told him about this opportunity. It had been quite clear that he was a conventionally attractive man, but Gaon hadn't thought much of it at the time. He was no stranger to working with attractive people, after all.
It hadn't occurred to Gaon that Yohan would be even more attractive in person. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that this was the worst possible time to follow that train of thought. "I'm Kim Gaon, nice to meet you."
Yohan stared at him without speaking for a moment, and Gaon worried he had inadvertently offended him already somehow. After a moment, Yohan seemed to snap out of whatever had fallen over him. "I'm Chief Judge Kang Yohan. Thank you for coming." Yohan held out his hand, and Gaon grasped it in a handshake. Yohan's hand felt soft and warm, and the contact lasted just a little longer than was usually considered proper, before Yohan pulled his hand away and gestured at the table. "You may take a seat."
Both men sat down at the table, facing one another. Gaon sat with perfect posture, and placed his arms on the table with his fingers intertwined, trying to project as much professionalism as possible. Yohan, on the other hand, leaned back against his chair languidly, and continued to look at Gaon.
A moment passed where neither of them spoke. Gaon was growing more anxious by the second. Why wasn't Yohan saying anything? Was Gaon supposed to speak first? In case that was what Yohan was expecting, Gaon started speaking. "I am here hoping for the associate judge position. Judge Oh already told me a lot about it, and I'm very excited to join. Have you had the chance to look at my resume?"
Yohan leaned forward in his chair and mirrored Gaon's position. "Yes, I'm well aware of your previous education and experience. I already know that you're qualified for the position, I'd rather not waste time dwelling on that. What I'd like to know is, what made you decide to become a judge?"
When Jinjoo said Yohan would be intense, Gaon had assumed he'd be given some hardball questions, so this came as a relief. "I want to uphold the law and carry out justice on the behalf of innocent victims."
"How noble," Yohan said, making it clear he didn't believe what he said at all. "So you believe that the law is always just?"
Gaon thought too soon: this was a hardball question after all. However, it felt like a trap. How could a judge admit to believing otherwise and be able to keep being a judge? "Yes, I do, because we as judges make every possible effort into finding the truth behind a case and delivering an appropriate verdict."
Yohan raised an eyebrow. "Really? Is that so? Is that what you believe happened with Doh Youngchoon's case?"
Gaon gasped as he was instantly submerged in memories. His parents losing everything. His father committing suicide. His mother following in his footsteps soon after. Showing up where Doh Youngchoon was, fully ready to kill him with a knife, only for Yoon Soohyun to stop his blade with her palm.
Gaon resurfaced from his memories shortly afterward and suppressed the urge to cry, like he often did whenever he remembered. Then he finally processed the fact that Yohan not only knew about this, but decided to bring it up now. In an instant, Gaon was on his feet and he took out his rising anger, slamming his hands against the table with a loud bang.. "How do you know about that?!"
Yohan didn't even flinch. "I do thorough background checks on every possible new hire."
Gaon saw red. "Background checks aren't supposed to go that far. You purposely dug into my past. Why would you do that? Who do you think you are?"
"You're acting as if what happened to your parents is some deep secret that I went to the ends of the earth to uncover." Yohan smirked briefly, then returned to his perfectly cool composure. "The fact is, it's a matter of public record. You're blowing this out of proportion."
"Out of proportion?!" Gaon hissed, rage boiling beneath his skin. "Public record or not, you took the background check too far. If anything, I'm underreacting." He could, after all, punch Yohan over this, and a part of him really wanted to.
Yohan sighed. "I'll give you the file I have on you, if and only if you calm down. You'll see it's not as much information as you think. Please, sit."
Gaon dug his nails into his palms. He was still itching to punch him, but what would that achieve? Gaon nodded and slowly sat back down and crossed his arms.
"Good, now we can get back on track," said Yohan. "Do you believe that Doh Youngchoon's sentencing was proper justice?"
"No!" Gaon blurted out, then realized his mistake. He had contradicted himself. He shook his head. "No, what I meant was, it was proper justice because he had a trial and his verdict was decided by a judge and a jury of peers. Everything in that trial was by the book, so the outcome was solid. That's how the system works."
Yohan smiled and leaned forward. "It's interesting that your first reaction was no, and that your justification sounds oddly rehearsed. How often have you told yourself that?"
Anger threatened to well up in Gaon again, but he pushed it back down. "What, are you a therapist now? You're a judge too. We all have to abide by the system. We know all of this when we start. You seem to be trying to provoke me, why?"
Yohan leaned back, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Not at all, I'm just genuinely curious. The fact that you got upset was an unfortunate side effect."
What Yohan said was so absurd to Gaon that it cut through the anger. He let out an incredulous laugh. "You couldn't predict that I'd get upset by this? Really? I thought you were supposed to be smart."
"No, I knew there was a chance you'd be upset. I'm just denying the allegation that I was purposely provoking you. I had some questions, and now I've gotten everything I need." Yohan stood up. "You're hired, Judge Gaon. I'm very much looking forward to working with you."
Before Gaon could even react, Yohan had left the room. Gaon stared at the door. What the hell had just happened?
Gaon had already scheduled a lunch with Jungho after the interview to discuss how it went. Once he arrived at the restaurant, he grabbed a table and waited. Gaon kept tapping his fingers on the table, a nervous habit, and was too lost in thought to notice the glares from nearby patrons.
Gaon didn't even notice Jungho arriving until the man said, "Gaon-ah?"
Gaon jerked in his seat. "Professor Min! Sorry I didn't notice you, thanks for coming."
Jungho shook his head. "No problem. You looked like you were on another planet. I take it the interviews didn't go well? Tell me everything."
In between talking to the waiter taking their orders, Gaon explained what happened: that the interview with Jinjoo went well, but the one with Yohan was a nightmare. "I can't believe he had the nerve to look into me like that! Who does that?" Gaon said finally.
Jungho sighed. "I'm sorry that happened, but I can't say I'm surprised to hear it. Kang Yohan is a dangerous man."
Now Gaon was confused, and a little offended. "Dangerous? You thought he was dangerous but still referred me to work for him? Why would you do that?"
"First of all, it's still an excellent next step for your career. No matter who the chief judge is, it would be an invaluable experience for you. I was a few years older than you when I got an equivalent position, so you'll now be able to advance sooner than you would have otherwise," Jungho explained.
Gaon frowned. "If I still have a few years to reach this position, why shouldn't I just wait until one opens up with someone better?"
"You should let me finish," Jungho rebuked without heat. "I'm not the only one who's concerned about Kang Yohan. Others of my generation feel the same. But, we only have suspicions, no proof of anything. This is our chance to get someone close to him and keep an eye on him."
"Judge Oh has been working for him for a couple years already, right? Why not just ask her? Why me?"
"You think we haven't tried approaching her already? She admires him too much. She refused to help. As for why you," Jungho paused. "It's because I know you well, and I trust you to do what's right. You're the only one I trust to do this."
It all sounded reasonable enough to Gaon. He had no reason to doubt Jungho. Yet the last thing he wanted to do was to see Yohan again, much less try to become close to him. "I get all that, but there's still something missing. You said he was dangerous, that you already felt that way before I told you anything. So why exactly do you think he's dangerous? Is it really just that he looks too deeply into people? I hate to say it, but as much as I hated being on the receiving end of that, I don't think that's dangerous enough to warrant all of this."
Jungho's face darkened. "He doesn't think like a judge, but like a politician. Some of his prior cases have edged the boundaries of proper law, as if he wanted to legislate from the bench. He threatens to undermine the legitimacy of the judiciary."
It would be so easy to just accept Jungho's words at face value, especially against someone he was already predisposed to dislike, but... "That sounds pretty vague. Could you tell me more about those prior cases?"
Jungho shook his head. "I can send you those details later, if you're still willing to consider accepting the position."
Gaon nodded. "Sure, I'm considering it. So what do you expect me to do while working with him?"
"It's unlikely you'll be working in the same office as him," Jungho mused, "so we have no choice but to place a bug in his office."
"What? You're asking me to do something illegal just on the theory that Kang Yohan is dangerous?" Gaon hissed.
"Gaon-ah, do you trust me?" Jungho asked. "You'll understand later. I promise."
"Of course I trust you, Professor Min. This is just a lot to take in," said Gaon.
Jungho leaned over and placed his hand on Gaon's shoulder. "If I weren't one hundred percent certain that we need to do this for the good of our country, I wouldn't ask you to do this. I know it puts you in a difficult place, but I'll help you in any way I can."
"Thank you, Professor Min. I'll do my best."
Jungho nodded and let go of Gaon's shoulder, just in time for their meal to arrive.
By the time the customary thirty day notice period for his previous position was over, Gaon felt prepared to start not only working for Yohan, but also to start spying on him. He was able to obtain the bug from Soohyun, who definitely wasn't thrilled by the request. Neither was Gaon, really, but he had faith in Jungho's judgment that it was needed.
He also had plenty of time to read over the cases Jungho sent him. He wasn't sure he fully agreed with Jungho's assessment, but he understood how he could see them like that. He wanted to see for himself where the truth really lied.
Finally, his first day arrived. After meeting with HR and getting a tour of the building, he was brought to the office he shared with Jinjoo.
When she saw him, she jumped up from her chair. "Judge Kim, you're finally here! It felt like this day would never come!"
Gaon laughed. "I feel the same way. It's nice to see you again."
"We'll be seeing each other everyday now! Hopefully you won't get sick of me," said Jinjoo.
"Nonsense, it's more likely you'll get sick of me," Gaon said with a chuckle.
"Impossible! We'll just have to try our best, won't we?" Jinjoo smiled, then her eyes lit up. "Oh! Have you seen Chief Judge Kang yet? I know you've met him already, but I'm sure he'd be pleased to see you've started at last."
Gaon had spent a lot of time over the last month thinking about what he'd do when he got the chance to face Yohan again. Now all of those ideas fled his mind entirely, and he was only left with a low buzz of anxiety. Was he really capable of being a spy? Realizing it was a little too late for doubts, Gaon said, "No, I think we walked past his office but we didn't go in. Unfortunately I've already forgotten where it is. Could you show me where it is?"
Jinjoo laughed. "I totally understand, I got completely lost when I first started here. I'll lead the way!"
They walked toward Yohan's office. Gaon was relieved that Jinjoo would be there with him, as surely Yohan wouldn't mention anything about the interview when she was around. His office was not too far from theirs, so they reached it quickly. Jinjoo knocked on the door, waited a moment, and then walked in, Gaon trailing behind.
Gaon started taking in every square inch of the office. It was huge, especially for just one person, bigger than the office he shared with Jinjoo. They first walked past some bookshelves, then entered the main area, where there was a desk and some couches. None of the furniture near the desk seemed suitable for planting the bug, so he'd have to place it under his desk - which was risky, since Yohan surely used the desk more than any of the other furniture, but it didn't seem like he had any other choice.
Gaon's eyes looked up from the desk to Yohan, who had stood up from his chair when they came in. Gaon had somehow forgotten over the last month how attractive he was, but then the memory of the stunt he pulled during the interview came back, and he forgot about the attraction entirely. Still, for the sake of professionalism, he tried to not let any of those fleeting feelings show across his face.
"Good morning, chief!" Jinjoo said with a slight bow.
Taking his cue from her, Gaon mirrored her bow and also said, "Good morning, chief", though with significantly less enthusiasm than Jinjoo.
Yohan quirked his lips as he moved around his desk to approach them. "Is it your first day already, Judge Kim? Time really flies. Our interview feels like it was yesterday. Welcome to the battlefield."
Gaon flinched slightly from the casual reference to the interview, but then his brain caught up with the rest of what Yohan said, and he furrowed his brow. "Battlefield?"
Jinjoo laughed. "Oh, chief said that to me too when I started, do you say that to all the new hires?"
"No, only to those who will be down in the trenches alongside me. Because we fight for justice in every trial." Yohan then turned to Gaon. "It takes a lot of work to do that. Are you ready for that?"
Gaon doubted Yohan's sincerity, but deep down he wished Yohan did believe in what he said. It was definitely not the place to call that out though. Gaon nodded. "Yes, chief."
"Good," is all that Yohan said, but his gaze was a little intense, like he was sizing Gaon up. Gaon steadily returned the gaze, trying to remain as impassive as possible. Gaon wasn't sure what Yohan found in his eyes, but Yohan turned to Jinjoo without another word. "Judge Oh, please get Judge Kim up to speed with our current caseload."
"Yes chief," said Jinjoo.
Yohan sat back down at his desk, and they took that as their cue to leave.
The next few days were long and tedious. Gaon didn't see Yohan at all, instead trudging knee deep in all the paperwork involved in their recent cases. The first night, Gaon wanted to stay late to plant the bug, but Jinjoo invited him out to a celebratory drink and he couldn't refuse. The following night, he managed to stay behind when Jinjoo left. He was lucky that Yohan had also left, so he was able to place the bug.
By the end of the week, Gaon was starting to think that he maybe didn't have to see Yohan as much as he thought he would. Naturally, he then got a call from his office phone. "Hello?"
"Judge Kim. Please come see me in my office right now," Yohan said before hanging up, leaving no room for argument.
The suddenness and brusqueness of the call brought Gaon back to his school days, whenever he got in trouble and was told to see the principal. Gaon was pretty sure he hadn't done anything wrong so far, yet he still carried tension in his gut as he walked to Yohan's office. He knocked on the door and then let himself in, stopping a couple feet from Yohan's desk. "You wanted to see me, chief?"
"Yes, I just wanted to check in on you. How are you settling in?" Yohan asked, seemingly more informal than usual.
Gaon blinked. This was not what he expected. If anything, it was actually rather nice for Yohan to ask after him like this, so he unwittingly relaxed. "Well, I hope. I'm mostly caught up now. Judge Oh has been incredibly helpful."
"Good, good," Yohan said, then picked up a file on his desk. "I have the file about you, I was thinking about getting lunch together while you look it over."
So much for Yohan being nice. Gaon frowned. "Why can't I look it over in my own time?"
Yohan stood up from his desk and came closer to Gaon. "I know we had a bit of a rocky start, but we need to be able to get along if we're going to do our jobs well. Let me take you out for lunch."
Gaon wanted to say no, this was completely unnecessary. But placing the bug wasn't the only thing he was supposed to be doing here. He had to keep an eye on him personally, and what better opportunity to get closer to Yohan than this? "Sure, chief, if that's what you want."
"Let's go," Yohan said as he grabbed the file and walked out of the office, Gaon following behind him.
They ended up at a restaurant a short walk from the courthouse. It happened to be very upscale, at least to Gaon's sensibilities. It wasn't formal enough to require a tuxedo, but he felt almost underdressed in his typical business casual jacket over a sweater. Yohan of course was wearing a more formal suit, so he blended right in.
The hostess didn't seem to care about Gaon's fashion, as she smiled at Yohan. "Judge Kang, welcome back! I have a table for two ready for you."
Yohan was apparently a regular here, and it made sense - everyone knew Yohan was rich, so he belonged in restaurants like these. In contrast, Gaon grew up poor, and never once approached anything remotely upscale.
When they sat down, Gaon was still looking around and taking it all in, until he was interrupted by Yohan's laugh. "You look like a fish out of water."
Gaon felt a pang of embarrassment, which he resented because why did he care what Yohan thought? "Well, I'm not used to restaurants like this."
"I can see that," Yohan said, still amused. "Order anything you like."
Gaon glanced through the menu and discovered that nothing in it had a price listed. That absolutely meant it was all exorbitantly expensive. A part of Gaon wished he could order the most expensive dish on the menu just to spite Yohan, but a rich man like him probably wouldn't even notice.
Once the waiter took their orders, Yohan handed Gaon the file he had been carrying. "As promised."
Gaon opened the file, which was lighter and thinner than he had expected. The first page contained his demographic and contact information. Next were his transcripts from his bachelor's degree and from law school. Then his resume, the results of a background check confirming his work experience, and his credit report. Finally, there were the police reports for both of his parents' deaths, where his name was clearly stated, as well as some newspaper articles about the incidents.
Yohan noticed that Gaon had stared a little too long at the police reports, so he explained, "Most background checks only check your criminal record. For a position as important as an associate judge, I requested a search for any reference to you in any police record. That's perfectly legal for a man in my position."
Gaon nodded as he continued staring at the file, flipping through the pages back and forth, his mind racing. He had spent a month furious at Yohan for digging into his past and throwing it in his face. While bringing it up the way he did was still a dick move, everything in the file seemed above board.
He decided right then and there that he would let this go, for now. "I admit, this really is just an enhanced background check, something I could have anticipated from such a position."
Yohan leaned forward. "I'm glad you believe me now. I hope I can continue to earn your trust."
He sounded oddly sincere, and Gaon didn't know how to react to that, except to deflect. "As long as you don't act like a stalker again, then we should be good."
Yohan smirked. "You thought I was stalking you? Do I give off that vibe?"
"Yes, you're a little intense," Gaon said, deadpan.
"Alright, I won't stalk you unless absolutely necessary."
"What do you mean, unless absolutely necessary?!"
Yohan just smiled and waved in front of him, as if he were dismissing the topic. "Now that we have that settled, I'd like to know more about you that isn't in that file. For instance, what do you do in your spare time?"
Gaon jolted a bit from the sudden subject change, but he welcomed it. It was normal, friendly conversation. Unfortunately, he didn't have much of a personal life. "Sometimes I spend time with my best friend, otherwise I devote a lot of time taking care of my plants."
"I didn't think plants needed that much attention," said Yohan.
"When you have as many as I do, you'd be surprised."
Yohan raised an eyebrow. "Just how many do you have?"
Gaon started to take a mental inventory, which lasted a long moment. Before Gaon could respond, Yohan said, "Taking that long to count them says more than enough. It sounds like your house doubles as a nursery."
Despite himself, Gaon laughed. "Yeah, I guess it does."
Yohan hummed. "One day I hope I get to see it."
They had just barely met, but Yohan just practically admitted he wanted to get close enough to visit his home. Gaon knew this would only be a good thing for his investigation so he played along. "Sure, maybe one day."
Yohan smiled. "Good." He paused, and then asked, "You mentioned a best friend, but do you have a girlfriend?"
Gaon was so surprised by the question he blurted out, "No, I don't have a girlfriend or a boyfriend." Gaon saw Yohan smirk and he realized his mistake. Straight men would never answer a question like that by implying having a boyfriend was a possibility. He had just outed himself to his boss! He needed to distract him from that immediately. "What about you? Surely you must be married?"
Yohan's smirk widened. "I'm single, Judge Kim. Why do you think I must be married?"
Dammit. Gaon blushed as he said, "Well, you're rich, a highly successful judge, and very intelligent." He paused. He knew he should leave it there, but he ended up adding, "and I mean, objectively speaking, you're conventionally attractive."
"Interesting. I could say almost the exact same thing about you, except the rich part. If you're single then it's no surprise I'm single," said Yohan.
Gaon's blush deepened. "You don't have to say that just to make me feel better."
"But I'm not. That's just the truth. Why would I lie about this?"
A part of Gaon whispered it could all be a manipulation, that Yohan was trying to engineer a false sense of intimacy for some nefarious purpose. But sometimes, the simpler explanation is the best explanation. Gaon decided to take him at face value. "In that case... thanks."
Yohan then asked more about his plants, and they continued talking through the meal.