You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 87

“If we assume, as the lawyer said, that the person has a long name, it might be easier to find. That’s a relief.”

“If we specify the culprit as being from the Yangjin Group, then we just need to find someone with a long name within the Yangjin Group.”

“Ah, but come to think of it, couples usually engrave each other’s names on their rings. It might be the name of the cameraman’s partner, not his own. Or it might not even be a name at all. Some people engrave English phrases about love or Latin quotes.”

“Really?”

The conversation about the video continued as we left the karaoke bar and headed to the parking lot.

Obtaining information about the ring design and the cameraman’s height being around 190cm [approximately 6 feet 3 inches] was quite a significant achievement.

Considering that the average height of Korean men is 175cm [approximately 5 feet 9 inches], 190cm is a very noticeable figure.

Even among basketball players, there aren’t many in the 180s [5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet 3 inches].

“First, we should ask Jung Young-joon if he’s ever seen that ring, and also ask if there’s anyone around him who’s about 190cm tall.”

Lawyer Kang said with a pleasant smile.

“Whatever it is, I hope we find him. Shall we head to the office?”

Kang Min-jae asked as he entered the main road.

I agreed and took out my phone.

Since Jung Young-joon’s condition was unstable yesterday, I wanted to reassure him now that we had found a meaningful clue.

[The call is being forwarded to voicemail…]

But Jung Young-joon didn’t answer the phone.

The time is now 11:30 AM.

It’s a time when ordinary working people would have been awake for hours, but perhaps Jung Young-joon is still asleep.

“He’s still not answering?”

“That’s right.”

I put my phone in my inside pocket.

As it was almost lunchtime, people in suits were gathering in groups around the restaurants in the downtown area.

I stared at them for a while, then briefly thought about yesterday.

“We met Jung Young-joon yesterday at 10 AM. When Lawyer Kang called to see if he was available, it was a little before 9, and he said he had woken up at 7.”

“That’s right, isn’t it? He usually wakes up at 7, so he told us to contact him anytime after that. He said he’s been waking up early his whole life, so he’s a complete morning person. Even if he wants to sleep in, he can’t.”

It was an ominous sign.

Until now, whenever I called Jung Young-joon, he always answered before the third ring.

It was as if he always kept his phone close by.

I’d rather he just didn’t answer because he was asleep.

“What if we’re calling him while he’s finally getting some good sleep and we’re just disturbing him?”

Kang Min-jae asked as he saw me bring up Jung Young-joon’s phone number on my phone again.

I brought the phone to my ear and replied.

“Even if that’s the case, you never know. This could be a sign of something, and it’s better to check it out than to ignore it and miss something.”

I called about 12 more times after that, but he didn’t answer.

The car had almost arrived in Gangnam.

I closed my phone and said to Kang Min-jae.

“Let’s go to Jung Young-joon’s officetel [a type of studio apartment commonly found in South Korea].”

“Huh? Because he’s not answering the phone?”

“Just in case.”

From the time we parted yesterday until now, there hasn’t been a single message from Jung Young-joon.

He had often sent messages like, ‘You’re working so hard.’ ‘I’m so anxious. I hope there will be good results,’ but not this time.

Moreover, after meeting with us and parting ways, he always sent a text saying, ‘I’m sorry for not being helpful and always showing a weak side. You two are working so hard. I’ll get my act together too.’

I thought it was a message he sent after reflecting on his actions and making resolutions after we left.

I didn’t always reply, but I usually sent him a reply to reassure him.

But yesterday, there was no text from him.

“Drive as fast as you can.”

A sense of unease arose.

It wasn’t a baseless anxiety.

Jung Young-joon isn’t doing what he usually does.

Even if nothing is wrong, there has been at least a sudden change of heart.

“Park the car and come to Jung Young-joon’s place.”

I got out at the officetel entrance and ran to where his apartment was.

Waiting for the elevator, which seemed to be moving particularly slowly today, I checked my phone several more times.

I thought that maybe I didn’t hear the ringtone while I was running, but there were no missed calls.

The elevator reached the 19th floor where Jung Young-joon was staying and spat me out.

I reached his front door and pressed the doorbell.

“……”

But there was no answer.

I pressed the doorbell several more times in a row.

The first time I visited this house, Jung Young-joon complained that the doorbell was too loud.

I didn’t tell him, but I also thought that it was loud enough to wake up someone who was sleeping.

I’ve pressed the doorbell so many times, for so long, that if he was sleeping, he should have woken up and opened the door by now.

‘Did he go out?’

No.

He can’t go out.

He said he was afraid that people would recognize him even if he covered himself up completely.

Jung Young-joon, saying that, was as paranoid as someone who thought they would catch a contagious disease if they went outside.

That’s why we ended up visiting the officetel.

If he needed anything, he would have used a delivery service or asked his younger sister.

“Jung Young-joon!”

I knocked on the front door and pressed the doorbell again, but there was still no response.

I hurriedly took out my phone.

And in it, I found the contact information for his younger sister, who had visited the office with him before.

She had told me the number while Jung Young-joon was in the bathroom, in case something happened to her brother.

-Hello…….

Her voice on the other end of the phone was deeply submerged, as if she had been sleeping until just now.

“This is Attorney Cha Joo-han. I’m Jung Young-joon’s lawyer.”

-Cha Joo-han…… Ah, Attorney. I’m sorry. I was sleeping. But what’s wrong? Did something happen to my brother…….

“Do you happen to know Jung Young-joon’s officetel password?”

-Pardon? My brother’s officetel password? Why do you ask……? Did something happen to my brother?!

The sleepy voice completely disappeared, and she spoke very quickly and raised her voice.

“Please tell me the password first. It’s an urgent situation, I’ll explain later.”

-Uh, uh, I don’t really know…… Uh, ah! It might be my sister-in-law’s birthday. My brother’s bank account password is also my sister-in-law’s birthday…….

“When is Go Jin-ah’s birthday?”

-I’ll search for it now. Ah, I found it! 0730!

I moved the phone to my shoulder and pressed the front door password.

The door lock opened with a cheerful sound.

-Attorney, did you open it?

“I’ll call you later.”

Since Kang Min-jae had to come in later, I lowered the door stopper to keep the front door open.

And I ran into the house.

The house was so big that I couldn’t see Jung Young-joon at a glance.

I rubbed my forehead and looked around for a moment.

And I opened the door closest to the living room.

It seemed to be a dressing room.

No one was there.

I immediately came out of there and opened the door to the next room.

‘This is the bathroom……’

Walking a little along the hallway, there was one more door at the innermost part.

When I grabbed the doorknob,

Crash!

A sound like something falling inside was heard.

It’s clear that Jung Young-joon is in this room.

I turned the doorknob down, but it was stiff as if it was caught on something.

The door was locked.

I grabbed the doorknob and shook it back and forth, but it wouldn’t open.

I took two steps back.

And with all my might, I put my weight on it and kicked the door with my foot.

“Keuh, kek, eugh…….”

What I saw as soon as the door opened was Jung Young-joon, who had hanged himself with a hose tied to the curtain rod.

A chair was lying under his feet.

The sound I heard in front of the door must have been the sound of Jung Young-joon kicking that chair.

“Jung Young-joon!”

I ran to him and hugged his legs, which were writhing in pain.

And I lifted him up so that his neck wouldn’t be pressed by the hose.

“Keuek, heuk, eugh.”

Jung Young-joon’s groan was heard from above my head.

“Jung Young-joon. Get a grip. Jung Young-joon!”

“Heuek, heu…… Heo-eok, heo-eok!”

Still holding his legs, I raised my head.

Jung Young-joon, his face flushed red as if it would burst, coughed non-stop.

The coughing continued for so long that I wondered if I wasn’t lifting him up enough and his neck was still being compressed.

“Jung Young-joon, are you okay?”

“Heo-eok, keugeuk, Attorney, heok, heo!”

Thank goodness.

Judging by the fact that he’s talking, it seems that he’s not still being pressed.

If he had been a sturdy build, his neck bones might have broken as soon as he kicked the chair.

If that had happened, it might have been too late even if I had found him.

Should I call this situation fortunate or unfortunate?

Anyway, I need to cut the rope around his neck quickly, but to do that, I have to let go of his legs.

But if I did, the hose would press down on his neck again with all its might and tighten it.

-Jung Young-joon! Attorney!

It was then.

Lawyer Kang’s voice was heard from outside the room.

“It’s the room at the very end on the inside!”

When I shouted, his footsteps started heading this way.

“Heo-eok, Attorney, let, heok, let me go.”

“Jung Young-joon, what are you saying?”

“Let, me go, please…….”

He said very earnestly.

Should I appease him?

I looked at Jung Young-joon, who was waving his arms in the air, and struggled deeply in that short time.

“Don’t say such nonsense.”

“……I, heu-heuk, I want to die.”

“You said that we were working hard, and you were sorry for not being helpful, Jung Young-joon. Didn’t you say you were sorry for showing a weak side?”

“Heuk, heu-heuk. Heuk.”

His sobbing was heard from above my head.

“So, heuk, let me go……. What’s the point of a human like me living……. Heuek, what’s the point of living…….”

“Jung Young-joon, you always say you’re sorry to me, but you weren’t sincere at all.”

“No, heuk, that’s not it. I’m always sorry to Attorney…….”

“But, are you planning to make me the lawyer who made his client commit suicide because I didn’t take care of him properly?”

Fortunately, he hasn’t struggled to let go of his legs yet, but if that happens and I miss these legs, he will be hanged again.

Even if it’s a somewhat resentful remark, it seemed better to continue the conversation to divert his attention.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I really didn’t think about that……. But I don’t have the confidence to live any longer. Heuk.”

“Jung Young-joon.”

“…….”

“Jung Young-joon, don’t you want to take revenge on the person who made you that way?”

“…….”

“Whoever dragged Jung Young-joon to the bottom, don’t you want to take revenge on that person? Are you really okay with that person living shamelessly even after committing such a crime and doing such a thing to Jung Young-joon? Jung Young-joon, you didn’t do anything wrong. If someone has to die, it should be the person who did wrong. But why, why are you trying to take your own life!”