You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 7

You Have Been Defended – Episode 7 (7/641)

It didn’t take long to clear out my things from the prosecutor’s office.

Contrary to my expectations, Hwang Young-chan processed my resignation surprisingly quickly.

After spending a few days packing my belongings, attending farewell dinners with colleagues, my duties as a prosecutor were completely over.

Even after that, I was extremely busy for several days.

Registering a business, commissioning a sign for the office, bringing in all sorts of equipment, and looking for a house in my parents’ hometown where they could live comfortably…

Those few days passed in such a blur that I hardly remember how they went by, and before I knew it, the opening day had arrived.

‘Now that I’m not a salaried worker, I should save on gas money.’

The office wasn’t too far from the subway station, so I decided to commute by public transportation.

I kept the car at the office in case it was needed for work, but I didn’t plan to use it unless it was absolutely necessary.

‘Subway fare is 900 won [approximately $0.75 USD].’

It’s been a while since I’ve taken the subway during rush hour.

When I lived close to the prosecutor’s office, I walked to work, and when I lived a bit further away, I drove.

Back in 2018, when I lived, smartphones were common, and everyone walked around looking at their phones, but the scene was quite different now.

The people lined up at the platform were holding newspapers or books. Some were even listening to MP3 players, which had almost disappeared in 2018.

[The train is arriving.]

The people waiting for the train all started moving at once to get on the crowded subway.

“Don’t push!”

There were more than a few people pushing and shoving to get on this subway.

Complaints erupted from all directions.

I, too, was half-crushed and couldn’t help but groan.

‘Ah, maybe it would be better to just drive.’

Was I paying the price for underestimating the rush hour subway?

I barely managed to get on, but I felt like I was about to be crushed to death.

Because of a passenger who stuck their foot in to try and get on the train, the subway couldn’t depart and the doors kept opening and closing.

“Hey, take the next train! There’s no room!”

The people standing by the door directed traffic, and after a few people grumbled and got off, the train finally started moving.

I wondered if I would even be able to get off at my destination.

‘What is it?’

At that moment, I felt something wriggling behind me.

I reflexively turned my head and saw a man moving his arm unnaturally in the narrow space behind me.

“Excuse me,” the man mumbled, apologizing to the people around him in a low voice as he squeezed his way diagonally behind me.

He started reaching his arm towards my side.

And the person standing next to me was a young woman wearing a skirt.

“……!”

Everything was as expected.

The woman, who had been playing a game on her phone, flinched in surprise.

The man was groping the woman’s butt.

‘A pervert? I prosecuted several of these guys just a few days ago.’

The problem with these cases is the lack of evidence.

Of course, investigations are usually based on the victim’s testimony, but the perpetrator usually denies it, leading to lengthy disputes.

Especially on crowded subways, where everyone is packed tightly together, it was almost standard practice to claim it was accidental.

I quietly took out my phone.

And I started recording a video, carefully adjusting the angle.

“Why, why are you doing this!”

The woman’s sharp voice drew everyone’s attention.

“He’s a pervert!”

The woman shouted, but the pervert looked elsewhere, adjusting his earphones as if nothing had happened.

How brazen.

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

The woman turned her head sharply and glared at the man standing behind her.

“Huh? Me?”

He even took out one of his earphones and asked back, pretending to be innocent.

I had a feeling he had quite a few prior offenses.

“You touched my butt!”

“What is this lady talking about? No, it wasn’t me!”

As attention focused on him, the pervert started waving his hands and making excuses to the people around him.

“Don’t lie! You even lifted my skirt!”

“I’m telling you, it wasn’t me!”

“What do you mean it wasn’t?”

When I intervened, all eyes turned to me this time.

“Who are you?”

“I’m a witness.”

“What? Is this guy crazy? I didn’t even touch her, what witness! Do you have proof?”

No need to say much.

I took out my phone and played the video.

“You’re not going to say that this hand isn’t yours, are you?”

“Wh, what……”

“The watch and cufflinks are exactly the same as yours. If what you’re saying is true, this is an incredible coincidence.”

The scene of him groping her butt and lifting her skirt was shown, so no matter how much he tried to deny it, there was no way out.

“What nonsense!”

The pervert’s face turned red in an instant, and he tried to snatch my phone.

Unfortunately for him, I was younger and stronger than the middle-aged pervert.

“Why? Are you trying to delete the video?”

“No, that’s not it……”

“Well, destroying evidence in your own case isn’t subject to punishment… for *me*.”

I put my phone in my pocket and grabbed the pervert’s wrist.

The subway was about to stop, and if I let him go, he was likely to run away.

“Hey, you! Let go!”

“Miss, are you going to report this person?”

“Yes?”

“I’ll help you if you need a witness. I’m a prosecutor… no, a lawyer.”

I took out a newly printed business card from my wallet and handed it to her.

In 2018, when I lived, the ‘no prosecution without victim’s consent’ rule for sex crimes had been abolished, but it wasn’t now.

If she didn’t report him, it would be as if nothing had happened.

“Y, yes, I’ll report him!”

“I should get off at this station. Report it to the police now.”

Since he was caught in the act, if I were a police officer, I would have handcuffed him right away, but unfortunately, I was now a lawyer.

As the subway stopped and the doors opened, I led the pervert off the train.

“Let go! I said let go!”

The woman, who had already reported him, glared at the pervert, and the pervert was still flailing his arms, trying to escape.

While waiting for the police to arrive at the subway station, I said to the woman.

“In the future, if you encounter a pervert, it’s better to say, ‘You son of a bitch!’ than ‘Why are you doing this?’”

“Yes?”

“If you say, ‘Why are you doing this?’ people will look at the person who shouted. But if you say, ‘You son of a bitch!’ people will look for that son of a bitch. Fortunately, I found this son of a bitch first this time.”

I said, looking at the pervert, and the pervert, who had lost his will to resist, hung his head.

“The police are coming.”

Before long, I could see the police running into the station.

“He’s a flagrant offender of indecent acts in a public place. The victim wants him punished.”

“Yes? Ah, yes… But what is your relationship with the victim?”

The police, who had taken custody of the pervert, looked at me and the woman.

The woman looked at me with an anxious expression.

“I’m a witness.”

* * *

“Lawyer, I don’t know how to thank you. Thank you so much.”

After a brief investigation, the woman repeatedly bowed her head.

The business card I had given her earlier was still clutched tightly in her hand.

The perpetrator was a repeat offender with two prior convictions.

Considering the possibility that he had settled out of court until now, he had probably been doing this quite a few times.

“It’s nothing. You’ve had a rough morning.”

“When my friends said they had been molested, it felt like someone else’s story, but when it happened to me… I really didn’t know what to do. I’ve seen articles about how to deal with it, but I couldn’t remember any of it.”

“That’s usually how it is. You made a good choice by not settling and expressing your intention to punish him.”

With sex crimes being subject to the ‘no prosecution without victim’s consent’ rule, those perverts would all be running rampant as if nothing had happened if they settled.

If she needed the money, it couldn’t be helped, but from the perspective of a lawyer who wanted to realize social justice, I hoped she would go all the way.

“My name is Jung In-ah. I’m a student at Korea University. I was on my way to school just now… Sigh.”

“Cha Joo-han. As you saw on the business card.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you so much. I can’t thank you enough, really.”

“It’s nothing. You said you’re a university student, aren’t you late for school?”

“Ah! I am late. I feel like I should treat you to a meal……”

“It’s okay. Go quickly.”

“Ah… Yes. Thank you. Thank you so much, really!”

The woman bowed and disappeared, and I stared up at the police station.

Oh no, I’m late on my first day of opening.

“Prosecutor Cha Joo-han!”

As I was about to leave the police station in a hurry, the detective in charge of the case ran out and blocked my way.

I was going to pretend I didn’t know him, but I failed.

“Detective Choi, it’s been a while.”

“Yes, it’s been a while, Prosecutor. I was pretending not to know you since you were pretending not to know me. Haha.”

This Yangin Police Station is under the jurisdiction of the Central District Prosecutor’s Office.

Of course, I know almost all the detectives of a certain rank or higher who work here.

In particular, I had called Detective Choi as a witness several times and had seen his face a few times during investigations.

There was no way I couldn’t know him.

I was pretending not to know him because I thought the perpetrator might say something ridiculous that wouldn’t work if he knew we knew each other.

“But you resigned? The business card says you’re a lawyer.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Oh, I didn’t know. Isn’t that a big loss for the Criminal Affairs Department 3? You became a star after solving the Jo Jin-tae case a while ago.”

“A star, what are you talking about.”

This sexual harassment case will probably be referred to Prosecutor Lee Ye-jin.

Cases of sex crimes where the victim is female are often passed on to her.

I should contact her later if I’m curious.

“I’m a bit late now, so I’ll go first.”

“Ah, yes. I was holding you up when you’re busy.”

“It’s nothing. Then, please take care.”

I caught a taxi nearby.

I tried to save on gas money, but I ended up spending more.