KISS THE SCUMBAG Chapter 4

Yujin answered curtly. The lawyer seemed to hope that Yujin would take even a moment to mourn for Harold, but Yujin had neither the reason nor the luxury for that. He had left his child at the church and needed to return quickly. If this man wasn’t going to talk about giving him money, he had no intention of wasting any more time. Sensing Yujin’s thoughts, the lawyer cleared his throat—ahem—and began to speak in a businesslike tone, different from before.

“Your name is in the will. You need to attend the reading of the will, which will take place after the funeral, and I would like you to come to Delight within three days.”

At those words, his expression couldn’t help but waver. The exact name of the estate was “The Most Perfect Delight.” While that was the name of the largest main building on the grounds, it was also the term used to refer to the entirety of the Campbell family’s land.

To return there again.

Yujin struggled to pull himself together, his mind momentarily blank in a situation he had never even imagined.

“Get out of my sight right now, you filthy…”

The man’s harsh shouting echoed in his ears like a hallucination, then vanished. Yujin hid his hands behind his back and clasped them together, as if at ease. It was a habit of his to hide his anxiety; he hid his trembling hands and instead put on a mask of composure as he opened his mouth.

“What does it say in the will? You must know, right?”

“The full text is held by Mr. McCoy, the senior partner. It is standard procedure for the contents of the will to be revealed on the day all the heirs are gathered.”

Yujin frowned at the lawyer’s textbook response. Beating around the bush didn’t work on a man like this. He spoke honestly.

“As you can see, I’m in this situation, so I don’t have a single penny to spare, let alone travel expenses. I was fired from my job, and I need to find new work quickly. Is there any benefit I’d gain from going all the way there?”

“Oh, of course. Don’t you worry about that.”

The lawyer let out a hearty laugh as if it were a matter of course. It was a relief, but Yujin didn’t trust this man enough to be genuinely happy. It was only natural, as he had met this lawyer only ten minutes ago. The lawyer glanced at his wristwatch—which was worth enough to pay a year’s rent for the shabby apartment Yujin used to live in—and continued.

“I’ve delivered the message, so I’ll be going now. I must reiterate: you must come within three days. If you do not attend the reading of the will, your inheritance eligibility may be revoked. For your own sake, I hope you don’t make such a mistake. You would regret it for the rest of your life.”

Even though no one else was listening, he lowered his voice and whispered as if sharing a secret.

“Mr. McCoy said it is content that will be very beneficial to you.”

After adding that cryptically, he pulled out his wallet again. Yujin watched as the man bent one leg to rest his briefcase on his thigh and signed a check on top of it.

“Use this to buy things you need for your stay and for your travel expenses. You don’t have to return it. I’ll bill the firm separately.”

He handed over the quickly scribbled check as if he had already guessed Yujin’s situation, where he didn’t even have a single coin, and then walked toward his car parked in the lot. Yujin stood in his spot for a while, watching the car start up and leave.

That was exactly three days ago. The moment Yujin returned to the church and saw his child’s face, he decided to return to the estate. He needed money desperately right now.

He took care of immediate needs with the money the lawyer gave him. He bought clothes and some necessities for his daughter to wear while staying at Delight, bought train tickets, and ate pancakes with his daughter at a diner. After using the remaining money to prepare clothes to wear for the reading of the will, he checked into a cheap motel and took a shower. After spending the night there, he carried his still-drowsy daughter early in the morning, stopped at an internet cafe to confirm the receipt of an email he had sent earlier, and boarded the train immediately. And finally, he had arrived.

“Ah, here it is.”

As he stepped out of the station, the lawyer, who had been on the phone next to his parked car, spotted him and waved his hand. Yujin kept his gaze fixed on the man, forcing himself not to be swayed by his surroundings, and walked over while holding his child’s hand. As he approached, Yujin greeted the lawyer, who had finished his call, first.

“Hello, thank you for coming to meet us.”

“Not at all. It’s unavoidable if you want to enter that estate.”

The lawyer shook his head and opened the back door of the car himself. After buckling his daughter in and putting their luggage in the trunk, Yujin got in behind her, and Angela grabbed Yujin’s arm.

“Daddy, are you okay?”

At the small, whispered question, Yujin forced a smile and nodded.

“I’m fine, Angie. You don’t have to worry.”

As he stroked the child’s hair, Angela still wore a serious expression, but she silently closed her mouth and sat up straight. After buckling his daughter’s seatbelt, Yujin buckled his own. His hand, shaking as he secured the buckle, slipped three times, but fortunately, he succeeded just before the car started. To keep his child from feeling anxious, Yujin was suppressing himself, pretending as hard as he could that everything was fine—even though his true heart’s desire was to rip off the belt that was constricting his body and escape this hunk of scrap metal.

But the car had already begun to move. Yujin was trapped, with no choice but to endure it for several hours. Until he reached the hell named “Delight.”

“You look pale. Are you all right? It would be troublesome if you were to vomit in the car.”

The lawyer asked while looking at Yujin in the rearview mirror. Yujin tried to feign composure and replied in as light a tone as possible.

“It’s just motion sickness. Please, don’t worry about it.”

“My, what about medicine? If you have some, you should take it. Here.”

To the lawyer, who was holding the steering wheel with one hand and trying to open the console box with the other to take out a bottle of mineral water, Yujin hurriedly shook his head and declined.

“It’s not that bad. I’m fine. Thank you.”

The lawyer, who glanced back, muttered with a displeased face.

“You don’t look fine at all… please, just don’t vomit. If it’s urgent, tell me anytime, and I’ll pull the car over.”

“Yes.”

Yujin answered and hurriedly changed the subject.

“You are the advisor to the Campbell family, aren’t you? It’s surprising—you seem to have quite a lot of experience, yet you came to meet me yourself and even came to pick me up.”

“That is because it is a request from the Campbell family.”

The lawyer answered simply.

“Actually, most of these tasks are handled by junior lawyers, but since the Campbell family is our firm’s largest client, I was put in charge to ensure the will is executed perfectly and without any setbacks. The most important task for us right now is to execute Mr. Campbell’s will without any loopholes. All the lawyers are focused on this and doing their best. Under Mr. McCoy’s leadership, of course.”

McCoy was the senior partner at the law firm where Brown worked. Yujin had seen his face before. McCoy was likely holding the will. That man would probably be the one to make the announcement.

Yujin thought of the white-haired lawyer whom Harold had often called upon when dealing with troublesome matters. The tall, gaunt man’s prominent cheekbones made him look even more severe. What had he thought when he found out that he had to find Yujin to execute the will?

Regardless, according to Brown’s subsequent words, the will was written three months before Harold’s sudden collapse and death, and McCoy was the only one who knew the contents precisely. Brown was responsible for overseeing this task and finalizing all preparations until the day the will was revealed.

The only person in the family who could call for and issue orders to McCoy, the firm’s lead partner, was Harold. All other family members had to convey messages through McCoy’s secretary or inquire through other lawyers, and that system was likely the same even now. If so, then the person who had taken Harold’s place now that he was gone was…

“Mr. Winston Campbell.”