“It’s true that what you’ve done so far is quite impressive. Your results are significant. But this case is on a different level. I’m currently stuck in a quagmire. Even prominent criminal defense lawyers have pulled out, so how can I trust this to a secretary?”
It was a natural question.
Attorney Ahn knows me better than anyone, but Cha Kang-hyuk saw me for the first time today.
Still, the word ‘just’ was omitted. It meant there was still room to persuade him.
I straightened my shoulders and gave Attorney Ahn a meaningful look.
He cleared his throat and began to speak.
“Director Cha. What do you think is the biggest problem with this case?”
“The victim lost consciousness.”
“Of course, that’s the most critical aspect. But according to what you said in this morning’s meeting, it wasn’t intentional. Rather, you were repeatedly hit first, and your hand went out without you realizing it.”
“That’s right. I absolutely had no intention of harming that person. I swear to God it’s true.”
“Yes, I believe you.”
“This is the first time in my life that the words ‘I believe you’ have brought me such joy. No matter how much I spoke, it felt like I was shouting into thin air.”
“That can’t be. Weren’t everyone clamoring that they believed you at the morning meeting?”
“If they believed me so much, does that mean not a single person came forward to defend me?”
I was a little surprised inwardly by his sharper-than-expected words.
The Cha Kang-hyuk I knew was the type to blurt things out without much thought.
Perhaps even I had unfairly categorized Director Cha as a mere hooligan.
Ahn Gyeong-hun also seemed considerably surprised, laughing heartily before continuing.
“The biggest problem at this point is that Director Cha isn’t the only perpetrator in this case, yet the media is relentlessly hounding only you, to an obsessive degree.”
At Attorney Ahn’s nod, I projected the news and newspaper articles I had prepared onto the screen.
“Take a look. Virtually no mention of your companions is made in any of the articles about you, Director.”
“Well, the others were just beaten up by my friends, but the person who got hit by my fist ended up in the intensive care unit. So, it’s natural for the media to focus on me.”
“Yes, I thought so too at first. Until I heard what Yoo-hee said.”
“Huh?”
“Everything I’ve said so far was told to me by my secretary. And everything I’m about to say is also from my secretary’s perspective.”
“What exactly are you saying now…?”
Cha Kang-hyuk’s eyes widened at Attorney Ahn Gyeong-hun’s words.
However, he didn’t care and continued speaking.
“I know. As you felt while listening to me, what I say carries a lot of credibility. So, I could have presented my secretary’s ideas to Director Cha as if they were my own. That would have been the easiest way, in fact.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“Because I dislike lying. I became a lawyer because I disliked that, and it would go against my beliefs if I presented ideas that weren’t mine as if they were.”
“Even so. You don’t necessarily have to go to such lengths, do you?”
“Yes, of course. But that’s not all. It’s because Yoo-hee and I have fundamentally different perspectives on this case.”
Attorney Ahn took a sip from his glass, as if thirsty, moistening his lips.
He looked calm, but it meant he was also somewhat nervous.
After all, Cha the hooligan’s personality hadn’t changed.
He exhaled deeply once and then quickly continued speaking.
“I told you, didn’t I? That I initially didn’t want to take this case.”
“…That still makes me a bit annoyed to hear again.”
“Haha, yes. But it’s not like that now, so put that glass down.”
“I was just trying to drink some tea because my throat was dry.”
Hmm, it seemed like he was also about to throw it, but let’s assume he wasn’t.
Attorney Ahn pointed at me and said with a serious look in his eyes,
“Excluding Director Cha himself, the only person who truly believed in you was Yoo-hee. To the extent that she actively persuaded me. And her arguments were excellent too.”
“Someone who believed in me.”
It was.
“Yes.”
Attorney Ahn Gyeong-hun doesn’t lie. That’s why his words carry weight.
He possesses an innate ability to make people trust him.
That’s why Cha Kang-hyuk must be trusting his words now.
More importantly, there was no need for a lawyer to go to such lengths for a secretary when he could just step forward himself.
He was truly making the best choice for Cha Kang-hyuk at this moment.
Director Cha’s gaze seemed to realize that.
“That will remain true in the future as well. There will clearly be a difference between someone who believed in Director Cha from the beginning and deduced everything from that point, and someone who didn’t.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Above all, please listen to what I was about to say. It’s Yoo-hee’s perspective on this case.”
At Attorney Ahn’s words, Cha Kang-hyuk adjusted his posture.
It meant, “Go on.”
To not miss the opportunity I had so difficultly secured, I displayed the prepared screen and began to speak.
-In the early hours of April 21st. An office worker passing by a club in Gangnam lost consciousness after being assaulted by Mr. A, known as the eldest son of C Group…
Cha Kang-hyuk grimaced in distress as he saw the news about himself.
But he had to hear this. I kept playing the news, anxious that Cha Kang-hyuk might explode at any moment.
-Investigation revealed that Mr. A had a history of violent behavior…
“Stop! What’s the point of showing me this kind of video again?”
“Please calm down and look at the source of the news.”
“KBN? This is Jin-gon’s father’s company. So what? Isn’t it natural for a news channel to report something like this?”
“It’s also where your case was first reported, Director.”
“What?”
This wasn’t content from my laptop’s records.
However, knowing the outcome, it felt like pieces of a puzzle were falling into place.
This is because KBN, of all places, is one of the channels actively reporting on this case.
Woo Jin-gon’s father, the majority shareholder of the news broadcasting company ‘KBN’, is on very close terms with Cha Han-geon, the chairman of Cha Construction, who is Cha Kang-hyuk’s father.
Even if Cha Kang-hyuk wasn’t a friend of his son, Woo Jin-gon, there was no reason for him to go to such lengths, considering his loyalty to Chairman Cha.
More importantly,
“Don’t you think something’s strange?”
Moreover, his son is one of the perpetrators in this incident.
“According to you, Director, this incident wouldn’t have happened if Woo Jin-gon hadn’t provoked and assaulted the group of office workers in the first place. Furthermore, you were trying to stop him. In short, if this incident became known, one of the parties who would be in an awkward position would be Woo Jin-gon’s father, the major shareholder of KBN. Yet, the very place that should be trying to cover up the incident was the first to report it.”
“That’s because Jin-gon’s father is upright… so.”
“Do you really think so?”
“No…”
Yes. They’ve been friends since childhood.
So, there’s no way he wouldn’t know what kind of person Woo Jin-gon’s father is.
He’s the kind of person who will cause a stir in Korea five years from now due to bribery charges.
“From here on, this is my theory. I’d like both of you to judge if it’s plausible.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“The club where Director Cha’s incident occurred is currently the most famous club in Gangnam, no, in all of Korea. Even I, who practically lives cooped up in the office, know the rumors that celebrities and even chaebol frequent the place without much fuss.”
“It’s more than just rumors. There are quite a few kids who practically live there.”
“Yes, in a place like that, wouldn’t there be a single reporter eager for a scoop?”
“!!”
A scoop makes a reporter famous.
And some scoops make money.
But what if it’s a chaebol?
Especially a third-generation chaebol who’s constantly talked about for various behaviors.
‘Both are possible.’
Because if they publish the article, they can gain a reputation for breaking an unparalleled scoop, and those in a position to stop it might offer money in exchange.
So, what happened with this incident?
“The incident occurred in a secluded spot a little away from the club. It would have been the perfect place to cool off and smoke outside, I suppose.”
“That’s right. Some of us are recognizable, so places with too many people or bright lights are a bit awkward.”
“In that case, the probability of a reporter being there also decreases. No matter how famous a chaebol is, a reporter smoking isn’t likely to become news.”
“That’s also true. Jin-gon also knew there were reporters near the club, so he deliberately went to a place where there weren’t any.”
“Yes, knowing that, he could act so boldly, couldn’t he?”
“I see.”
Cha Kang-hyuk nodded with a bitter expression.
He probably hadn’t thought that far. He must have just thought it was a quarrel with passing pedestrians.
“Jin-gon’s been under a lot of stress lately. So it’s true that he acted a bit excessively that day. And I kept trying to stop him, but things just turned out this way.”
“Did he really only act excessively that day?”
“Not really, but it was particularly bad that day. Still, Jin-gon isn’t a bad kid. I’ve known him since he was young, so I know.”
I know. That damn loyalty.
But it’s time to cut ties.
Woo Jin-gon is a much worse person than he thinks.
“How bad was it that day?”
“He said a lot of disrespectful things to those people. He was irritatingly sarcastic too. In the end, he even threw punches at people. I kept trying to stop him, but it was no use, as if he was on some kind of drug…!”
Cha Kang-hyuk paused mid-sentence.
Then he stared at me with a look of disbelief.
“If it was a very strong stimulant, his condition that day would have been even more serious. But what if it was just a cigarette with drug components?”
“No. There’s no way Jin-gon would do that.”
“Yes, I never said he did. This is just my speculation.”
I continued speaking, leaving a pale Cha Kang-hyuk behind me.
“Unfortunately, there weren’t no reporters at all at the scene. That’s why the incident was reported so soon after it happened.”
“That would be true.”
“But that reporter probably wasn’t from KBN. The probability of a bold reporter covering a major shareholder’s son’s incident isn’t high. Even if there was, it would have been cut at the desk level.”
Considering KBN’s past actions, this is highly likely to be true.
“The reporter at the scene didn’t immediately jump on it and break the story. The fact that there was a gap of a few days after the incident is proof of that.”
“Meaning?”
“They made a deal with someone.”
“With whom, exactly?”
“With someone who could publish the article and also offer the highest price.”