Time Wasting (2)
Military Academy. All military lawyers receive basic training there, then are assigned the rank of lieutenant and complete three years of service before being promoted to captain. Naturally, many people come here. Not only those who will become military lawyers but also military doctors and others who have completed their training and are ready to be commissioned. And there, chaos was unfolding.
“Uwaaa!”
“Next candidate.”
A training ground teaching the very basic skill of crossing a rope. There, numerous candidates, or rather, prospective military lawyers, were struggling.
‘What a variety.’
Most of them are quite old. Military doctors, for instance, are people who have completed medical school and their internships, while military lawyers have also finished at least four years of university and studied for one or two more years, so most of them are older and have only studied, resulting in poor physical condition.
“Hah.”
The instructor shook his head at the sight. It must be frustrating.
‘I understand your feelings.’
The Military Academy is a place where young people in their prime apply and train to become professional soldiers. Given the average age of soldiers, those who come here are people who have long neglected exercise and are suddenly asked to train, so the comparison is stark. Seeing one group and then the other must feel maddening.
‘Can’t insult them.’
The problem is that the people here will be commissioned as at least lieutenants or captains, and due to the nature of their jobs, if they meet elsewhere, they have jobs that can send someone to the hospital in an instant, so it’s not easy to insult them.
“Candidate number 77.”
Noh Hyeong-jin stood at the front of the line. He then skillfully hung onto the rope.
“Oh?”
While others struggled and fell into the water or dangled from the rope, he moved with great skill.
“Have you done this before?”
“No.”
‘No? Nonsense. I’ve served in the military. And I was a trainer!’
His pose, showing strength and width, surprised the instructors. After all, it is surprising that he is only twenty years old and has come to be commissioned.
“Candidate number 77, crossing completed.”
As he stood at attention, the trainees watching could not help but applaud.
“Where did you learn this?”
“Learn?”
“From a military academy or something.”
“Where is there such a thing?”
“True.”
The twenty-eight-year-old aspiring military doctor shook his head.
“You should have exercised a bit.”
“Did I have the time for that?”
“That’s true.”
There’s no way there would be time to exercise during internship or law school. Just being able to sleep would be happiness.
“By the way, you’re the one everyone has been talking about, right?”
“Hehe.”
The youngest lawyer who shook Korea. People who are not interested may not know, but those who can be considered upper class could not ignore it.
“But you came directly, huh? I thought you’d come after enjoying life.”
“If I don’t enjoy life, it’s even sadder.”
“You’re right.”
Since he can’t avoid the military, it might be better to complete his service and then open a practice as a lawyer.
‘And even though he’s the youngest, that could be a weakness.’
Being the youngest could conversely be seen as a lack of experience. So there might be fewer people willing to entrust their cases to him.
“By the way, how long do we have to do this?”
“It’s been two weeks now.”
“Ah, I’m going to die.”
“Hyung too.”
Although this is the military, they are in a barracks with their commissioning peers. Moreover, since they feel more like professionals than soldiers, most of them are using informal language with each other. Of course, once their assignments are complete, they won’t be able to do that.
“By the way, why did you apply to be a lawyer instead of a judge? Isn’t it usually based on grades?”
Generally, the division between judges, prosecutors, and lawyers in law school is based on grades. Judges receive the best treatment, prosecutors have power, and lawyers have to work. Naturally, if grades are good, they apply to be judges, and if their grades are slightly lower, they apply to be prosecutors. Lawyers are mostly those who could not achieve that.
“Just.”
“Just?”
“If you’re confident, there’s no need to risk your life, right?”
The reason for becoming a judge or prosecutor? It’s simple. Because of bribery. If you’re in that position, a huge bribe will come in. And if you quit and leave, you can open a practice as a lawyer. Conversely, if you become a judge or prosecutor, you will definitely receive preferential treatment after retirement. The government may say there’s no such thing as preferential treatment, but that’s impossible. Everyone here is a peer or senior.
“Are you confident in your skills?”
“Of course.”
“Impressive.”
“Is it just me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Rumor has it that you’re one of three specialists in Korea.”
“Eh, specialist? I just finished my residency.”
“But you’re still a specialist. You’re one of the only doctors in Korea who can treat gunshot wounds. Or, if we look at it from a skill perspective, are you the best?”
“It’s nothing special.”
“It’s not nothing. In the military, there are only three specialists in gunshot wounds; that doesn’t make sense.”
He had done medical volunteer work in a country at war. Thanks to that, he knew more about gunshot wounds than anyone else in Korea. Most doctors have never seen a gunshot wound, and if they have, it’s usually just an accidental shooting.
“Hah, then what should I do? If I’m unlucky, I’ll have to prepare medicine for the generals.”
“Don’t joke.”
“Is there any guarantee that won’t happen?”
“You’re not a traditional doctor. If you do that, it would be a violation of medical law.”
“Who says I’m not a lawyer?”
He smiled slightly.
“By the way, how will I spend these three years?”
“At least you’ll be earning money, right?”
“That’s true.”
Military lawyers and military doctors become officers. So, they receive the salary set by the government.
‘The problem is that the salary is too small.’
In reality, it’s unlikely that military lawyers or military doctors with legal knowledge would stick around as soldiers. As a result, there are no long-term applicants with skills. The reason is simple. Legally, military doctors and military lawyers should receive different salaries from other officers, but in the military, they give the same salary as other officers by not creating related regulations. So, who would want to apply for a long-term position when those who have to study hard for at least seven years receive the same salary as officers who only undergo training for a certain period?
‘Well, I don’t plan to apply for a long-term position either.’
If one applies for a long-term position, they will receive stable money, but they will also see a lot of dirty things. Although he has never worked as a military lawyer, anyone can guess how completely closed the military is.
“I will turn off the lights.”
With that statement, Noh Hyeong-jin lay back down on his bed.
‘Ah… I want this time to pass quickly.’
No matter how much he has sacrificed everything for the future until now, there is a difference between choosing for oneself and being forced to give up. Noh Hyeong-jin just hoped that this time would pass quickly, like all the youth in this country who dream.
“Ha ha ha.”
Noh Hyeong-jin was sweating profusely. Something that everyone has to do when they go to the military. Something unavoidable. It is marching. And no matter how much Noh Hyeong-jin had been to the military before returning, marching, which relies solely on physical strength rather than angles or actions, was excruciating.
“What is this, in the 21st century we have to walk.”
“If war breaks out, what does the 21st century matter? It’s just war.”
“We’re not assigned to the battlefield, are we?”
“If war breaks out, there are no guarantees.”
“Great.”
Watching the others grumble, Hyeong-jin honestly felt envious. At least they had the physical strength to complain.
“10-minute break.”
“Break!”
As soon as the words were spoken, people immediately sat down.
“Hair loss.”
At that word, everyone took off their helmets. It felt like steam was escaping from their heads.
“What is this?”
Hyeong-jin grumbled while holding water in his mouth. You shouldn’t drink water when it’s tough. Otherwise, you’ll easily become exhausted. But some people who didn’t know that were drinking water recklessly.
‘They’ll end up being carried away.’
Those people would probably faint in the middle of the march. If they’re unlucky, they’ll be carried away. Among the people here, a third are doctors, so they surely know about those symptoms.
‘Should I just drink a lot?’
He seriously considered whether to drink a lot. Even though it’s spring, marching with full gear isn’t easy.
“Neat hair.”
“Ah… here we go again.”
Just as Hyeong-jin was about to stand up, an instructor approached him.
“Noh Hyeong-jin trainee.”
“Trainee Noh Hyeong-jin!”
“Exempted.”
“Eh?”
“Exempted!”
“Yes, exempted!”
Without realizing it, Noh Hyeong-jin was taken away. The instructor led him somewhere, and there he met a man.
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty.”
The older-looking man nodded at him, and the instructor and the officer waiting outside left.
“Come in.”
“Loyalty, trainee Noh Hyeong-jin!”
“Oh, no need for small talk. You’re going to be an officer anyway, right?”
He, wearing the rank insignia of a brigadier general, beckoned, and Noh Hyeong-jin hesitantly got into the car.
“We will depart.”
As the driver began to drive, a flowing silence enveloped them.
‘Why on earth?’
This person must be the one who called him. He wasn’t surprised when Noh Hyeong-jin arrived, and he casually invited him into the car. But why did he call him?
“Were you surprised?”
“To be honest, yes.”
He may be a prospective officer, but he is still a trainee. However, this person is a brigadier general. That means he is someone with whom he has no connection at all.
“There’s a problem, and I wanted to get some advice.”
“What kind of advice?”
“Of course, legal advice.”
“But there are many lawyers here.”
There are people who came right after finishing law school, but there are also those who came after practicing as lawyers. Why did he call Noh Hyeong-jin, who just graduated from law school?
“A friend recommended you.”
“A friend?”
“Lawyer Heo.”
“Lawyer Heo?”
He is one of the leading lawyers in Korea. Why did he recommend Noh Hyeong-jin?
“He said in terms of practice, you’re better than him.”
“But what kind of matter is it…”
“It’s nothing major. I just have a little tax issue.”
“A tax issue?”
“Yeah.”
At that, Noh Hyeong-jin let out a sigh of relief. He was very tense, thinking that he might be talking about some kind of corruption, but if it’s a tax issue, that’s something he can help with.
‘Not tax evasion, but tax saving.’
The government may call it tax evasion, but strictly speaking, it’s tax saving. Tax evasion is not paying taxes, while tax saving is legally reducing taxes, so they are very different. Although not paying taxes is the same.
“I received some money from redevelopment this time, but there’s a tax issue. I want to give it to my child.”
“I know the tax is high.”
“That’s right.”
Inheritance tax is higher than expected. Although they say it’s for wealth equality, in reality, the truly wealthy do not pay that inheritance tax. Because they have legal ways to save on taxes. Those who pay it are just people who don’t know.
“So, I looked for a tax accountant, but they were charging a lot.”
‘Of course.’
If someone is looking for a tax accountant, it means they are inheriting a significant amount of wealth.
“When I asked a friend for help, he said he’s not a tax law expert and that he’s tied to a law firm, so he can’t help. If he wants to help, he has to take a formal contract.”
“Understood.”
Ultimately, he wants to find a way to inherit wealth without paying taxes, but the cost is not small. Of course, representation in matters of inheritance like this also demands a very high fee.
“So, can you help? If you help, I’ll make it convenient for you.”
‘Hmm.’
Hyeong-jin thought. He thought that if he became a lawyer, he wouldn’t be treated as a cheap lawyer, but he was still being treated that way. Asking for help on a case worth hundreds of millions.
“I want to know how much wealth you’re planning to give.”
“After taxes, it’s about 3 billion.”
‘That’s not a small amount.’
Three billion after taxes is a significant sum.
‘Convenience.’