SPW 12

The place the driver guided him to was a spacious office.

Thanks to the high ceilings and the open view on all sides, the office didn’t seem stark or stuffy.

Florian, who had been sitting at a desk where the sunlight fell nicely, offered Sarang a seat and stood up.

“Please check it, Mr. Kim Sarang.”

“…Yes.”

Sarang, who had paused for a moment at the slightly unfamiliar title, checked the documents.

A few clauses had been added to the guardianship designation form.

— Florian Dietrich Wellington cannot withdraw his guardianship status before Kim Sarang becomes an adult. However, if Florian Dietrich Wellington commits an illegal act against Kim Sarang or inflicts mental, physical, or social harm, Kim Sarang can refuse the guardianship.

— Florian Dietrich Wellington and Kim Sarang can terminate the guardianship contract by mutual agreement once Kim Sarang achieves financial independence.

There were three other clauses besides those. All five were advantageous to Sarang.

“Feel free to review the contract from beginning to end again, Mr. Kim Sarang.”

“…”

“We have plenty of time.”

Sarang, tearing his eyes away from the tablet, looked at Florian sitting across from him. Bailey Jones was by his side, and by Sarang’s side sat the lawyer, Neil Pope. Neil Pope, who had represented Sarang during the first contract, was helping him again this time. It was Florian who had provided the lawyer.

“Mr. Kim, please take your time and check it.”

“Yes.”

At Neil’s repeated suggestion, Sarang lowered his gaze again and slowly checked the documents. There were no changes to the clauses from last time. Only new clauses advantageous to Sarang had been added.

“Are there any more clauses you would like to add?”

Neil, who asked the question as a final check, had already tidied up his surroundings. Sarang could tell it was a question asked out of courtesy. However, Sarang braved the impudence and nodded his head.

“Yes, there is.”

The gazes of the three adults naturally gathered on Sarang. Bailey showed a hint of displeasure, and Neil a brief flash of surprise. Florian, not hiding his intrigued expression, spoke.

“Tell me, Mr. Kim Sarang.”

Sarang suddenly thought of a strange condition. Something like, Florian Dietrich Wellington shall not call Kim Sarang by his full name.

He wanted to say it out loud if he could follow his heart, but fortunately, Sarang knew shame. There was no reason for him to feel disappointed at being called ‘Kim Sarang,’ nor was he in a position to.

“I would like to be able to refuse the guardianship whenever I want.”

“That is not possible, Mr. Kim Sarang.”

“…”

He had thought Florian would agree easily this time too, but Florian’s gentle yet firm voice simply refused.

“If I do something bad to you, Mr. Kim Sarang, you can refuse me at any time. Mr. Pope, sitting next to you, is a very excellent lawyer. In the unlikely event that such a thing occurs, he will help you with both material and moral support. Of course, you may not be able to trust him. After all, I was the one who introduced and retained Mr. Pope. However, Mr. Pope is a very ethical lawyer, and above all, he has already received a large retainer fee from me. He will not disappoint you, Mr. Kim Sarang.”

Sarang didn’t want to add the clause because he was worried Florian would do something bad to him. In fact, he hadn’t even considered that possibility. Why would Florian need to do something bad to me? Sarang, looking at Florian with a secretly bewildered face, shook his head.

“That’s not it, Mr. Wellington.”

“Yes, Mr. Kim Sarang. Go on.”

“…”

Did a full name always sound so impersonal?

Sarang, tilting his head slightly, opened his mouth.

“What if I cause trouble.”

For a moment, Sarang felt the gazes of the three adults watching him turn peculiar, and he hurriedly added.

“Of course, I will try really hard not to. I don’t want to be a burden to you, Mr. Wellington. But what if, just in case, I do. Just suppose. And you get into a difficult situation because of it, but you might not be able to withdraw the guardianship because of your social standing. So, I would like to be able to refuse it in that case.”

“Hmm… I understand what you mean, Mr. Kim Sarang.”

Usually, when a sentence started like that, the desired answer did not follow.

“Even so, it is not possible. All the more so for that reason.”

“…”

Florian met the black eyes that seemed to ask, Why? and smiled faintly.

“If you cause trouble, Mr. Kim Sarang, I should be the first to know, and I will be. Then I will find the best method and resolve the matter as quickly as possible. To do that, it would be easier to handle things if you are my ward, Mr. Kim Sarang. Above all, Mr. Kim Sarang. You cannot cause me trouble and then run away like that without taking any responsibility.”

“…”

“You must repent by my side, and regret by my side. Mr. Kim Sarang.”

It was a strange thing to say.

A really strange thing to say.

In fact, from the moment Florian Dietrich Wellington appeared, everything had been a series of strange events.

“Then we’re finished now, right?”

As Florian stood up, checking the time as if to end the meeting, Bailey and Neil also rose to their feet.

“Neil will guide you to the parking garage, Mr. Kim Sarang.”

“Mr. Wellington.”

“Yes, Mr. Kim Sarang.”

Sarang, glancing furtively at Bailey and Neil who had not yet left the office, still did not swallow the words he wanted to say.

“If I call you Florian, will you call me Sarang again?”

Florian, who had been signaling to Bailey to check his next schedule, turned back to look at Sarang. Then he smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Of course, Mr. Kim Sarang.”

“…Florian.”

“Yes, Sarang.”

At the easily changed title, Sarang could confirm that the man in front of him was truly not an easy opponent. It seemed he wasn’t just a nice person either.

“Don’t call me by my full name anymore.”

“Hmm.”

Florian, pretending to ponder for a moment, said with a smile.

“I can’t promise you that, Sarang.”

“…”

Florian, reading the look of deep disappointment on Sarang’s face, let out a small laugh. Bailey and Neil, who watched this from the side, met each other’s eyes and quietly stepped back as if this were quite an unusual event.

“Ah, Sarang.”

Sarang, who was about to turn and follow them out, paused and looked at Florian.

“Yes. …Florian.”

“Bailey will visit you in two days. If you refuse to move on that day as well, I will visit you every day.”

“…You’re busy, Florian.”

“Yes, I am busier than Sarang could ever imagine.”

“My neighborhood is dangerous.”

“That’s right, Sarang. If you don’t listen to me, I, who am unimaginably busy, will visit that dangerous neighborhood every day to persuade Sarang.”

“…”

Why on earth are you going to such lengths for me?

Florian met the black eyes that plainly revealed his inner thoughts and smiled.

“Two days should be enough time to pack your things and say goodbye to your neighbors.”

“Florian.”

“I’ll make this point clear, Sarang. Two days is already a big concession on my part. Originally, Sarang should have already moved into the mansion.”

Before Sarang could react, Bailey stepped in between them.

“Boss, the Royal Office has contacted us.”

“They still haven’t given up, have they.”

Florian, frowning slightly, gestured to Sarang with his eyes as if telling him to leave. It was the lawyer, Neil, who escorted Sarang to the elevator.

“Let’s go to the parking garage together, Mr. Kim.”

“You can just call me Kim.”

“Yes, Kim.”

Neil, holding the elevator, let Sarang in first and then followed.

“Kim. From now on, you can consult with me on legal matters. From the smallest things, if you have any questions or doubts, you can contact me anytime. As the young duke said, I have been hired as Kim’s personal lawyer for the next 10 years.”

“Yes, Mr. Pope.”

“You can call me Neil.”

“Yes, Neil.”

As Sarang replied with an awkward smile, deep dimples formed on his cheeks and under his eyes. He was young, pretty, and handsome. He couldn’t be called tall, but he was still growing, and besides that, his physique as a football player and his football skills were not bad. Was it because he saw this potential that he took the lead in sponsoring the Asian boy? Florian dedicated as much time as necessary, but he was not the type to be fanatical about sports. He was especially uninterested in the pleasure of sitting in the stands and soaking up the heat and excitement of the stadium.

Last summer, when a decent property came on the market, he had shown no interest then either. The reason was that the return on investment was low. There were several purposes for buying a sports club. Money laundering, tax evasion, image improvement, promotion, and as a hobby.

Florian made appropriate use of legal loopholes but avoided illegalities. The Wellington Corporation’s finances were so solid that there was no need to pursue profit by committing illegal acts, and the income from the Duchy also exceeded trillions of won every year. The Wellington Corporation, with Florian as its face, and the Duke of Dietrich already had a very good image among the people and public of various countries, which led to tourism revenue.

In other words, Florian Wellington was a respected entrepreneur, and Florian Dietrich was a beloved nobleman. This meant there was no need to buy a sports club to commit illegal acts or to strive for image improvement. If he had wanted to help a child in need, it would have been much more effective to establish a foundation and provide support. In reality, the Duchy and the Wellington Corporation operated and supported several foundations.