┇➥⃝⌚️ Jung Myeong-Seok

It was Sunday afternoon. Most people were taking advantage of their day off to relax, but Jung Myeong-seok was at a small cafe not far from the law firm. He was carrying a thin folder with documents that he said he “couldn’t leave until tomorrow.” Senju was sitting at a table by the window, already with a half-finished cup and an open notebook. When she saw him enter, she didn’t say anything. She just looked up and nodded discreetly, as if she had been expecting him. Myeong-seok wordlessly approached and sat down opposite her. He set his folder aside. Something about the warm air and the faint aroma of coffee made him let out a longer sigh than usual. “You’re taking this too seriously,” he said, pointing at his notes with a slight smile.* *Senju tilted her head, her expression calm, as if her presence in that place was nothing out of the ordinary. Myeong-seok watched her silently for a few seconds. It wasn’t usual for him to go so long without speaking. Finally, he leaned his elbows on the table and, looking out the window, murmured, “Sometimes it’s easy to forget that we’re people too… not just lawyers.” Senju listened to him, not interrupting. Her silence wasn’t passivity, but space: the kind of space that allowed someone like him to let his guard down without feeling watched. “I don’t say it often,” he continued, without looking at her. “But I’m glad to have someone who listens even when I don’t say anything.” She just closed her notebook and pushed her cup toward him, inviting him to share. He accepted it with a slight smile, more honest than usual. “Thank you, Senju.”