You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 105

“I’ll do it.”

The incessant ringing of my phone, which had been threatening to explode, had finally started to subside.

Even so, it still rang every five minutes, but it seemed the reporters were also getting tired.

Taking advantage of the lull, I quickly called Jung In-ah.

– Ah, Attorney Cha!

Jung In-ah sounded much better than yesterday.

“I was told you’d contact me when Jung Young-joon woke up, but I haven’t heard anything yet. I was calling to see if we missed it.”

– Oh, Oppa [older brother, a term of endearment] woke up. But I don’t think you need to worry. My family, except for me, has turned off all their phones. We even unplugged the phone line. We’re just watching the news, but Oppa can’t even watch that.

“Is that so?”

– As soon as Oppa woke up, I locked him in the master bedroom with food and everything, and I hid the TV cable. I loaded his laptop with movies. No internet either. Haha. He’s probably eating snacks and watching movies right now.

Jung In-ah said, laughing.

– Oh, Attorney Go Jin-ah came by this afternoon. But I pretended we weren’t home and just stayed quiet. You told me to only contact you through you, so that’s what I did.

“You should have told me right away. Did anything happen?”

– She just left when we pretended we weren’t home, right? I tried calling you, but I couldn’t get through… My father said you must be busy and told me to call you when it got dark.

“Ah, I’m sorry. My phone kept ringing, so I couldn’t get your call.”

– It’s okay. Oh, should I put Oppa on?

“Yes.”

– Okay. Just a moment. Oppaaaa! Answer the phone!

Soon after, Jung Young-joon answered the phone.

I briefly explained the events of the day to Jung Young-joon, who had been confined to his room as soon as he woke up.

I also told him that Go Jin-ah’s side had contacted me to say they had filed for divorce, unaware of yesterday and today’s chaos.

And that I was scheduled to appear on News9 tomorrow to explain his situation and the investigation process.

If he refused, I was more than willing to cancel the interview.

– Please do what you think is best, Attorney. I trust you completely.

“Still, it would be good if you told me if there’s anything you don’t want.”

– No. It would be a more effective way to clear my name if you went on the news than just releasing a press release. And, your office will become famous too.

“It would be a lie to say there’s no publicity purpose, but your opinion is more important.”

– No. I want you to become more famous. You’re so competent. Haha. Thank you so much, Attorney.

Here we go again.

The endless conversation of ‘Thank you,’ ‘You’re welcome. I was just doing my job,’ ‘No, thank you so much’.

– You must be busy, so I’ll hang up now. Actually, In-ah threw a laptop into the room and locked me up. Without internet, even.

“I heard. That must be frustrating.”

– It is a bit, but I feel relieved. As soon as I woke up, I started with *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone* and watched up to the *Prisoner of Azkaban*. She didn’t even consider my taste and just put on her favorite Harry Potter movies.

I didn’t particularly like the Harry Potter series, but I remember going to the theater to see the last movie.

My ex-wife really liked Harry Potter, so she dragged me along, insisting we had to watch it together in the theater.

I had never seen the series before I met her, so after we started dating, I watched all the movies from the first one to the ones that were out at the time.

You could say Jung Young-joon and I were in a similar situation.

– I’ve been watching it all day, and there are still two more movies left. Haha. I should watch them quickly.

“I understand. Ah, I’ve exchanged questions with News9, and I’ll send them to you. If there’s anything you don’t like,”

– No. You must have included everything that’s necessary. I trust you. It’s late, so go home quickly.

I told him again not to contact Go Jin-ah’s side directly and to let me know immediately if he received any contact, and then I hung up.

As I put down my phone, Kang Min-jae, who had been looking out the window, said.

“It seems the reporters are all gone. Let’s go home too.”

* * *

“I thought a celebrity was walking in when I saw you, Attorney. You’re so tall and handsome.”

The broadcasting station employee who was doing my makeup chattered non-stop.

“Your skin is really good too. You’ll look great on screen today.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes. Oh my, someone like you should be an actor, not a lawyer. It’s a loss for the Korean entertainment industry, really.”

She dabbed a sponge with makeup on my face.

I knew she was complimenting me, but I didn’t have anything to say, so I read the questions a few more times.

I thought if I looked focused, she would talk less.

“You’re going to eat the anchor alive on screen, *eat her alive*.”

Of course, that didn’t stop her.

In fact, I had thoroughly reviewed the script before coming to the broadcasting station, and I wasn’t particularly nervous in front of the camera, so I wasn’t worried.

“All done. Is there anything else you’d like me to do?”

The employee asked, turning my chair towards the mirror.

The lights next to the vanity mirror were so bright that they were blinding.

It seemed like I already had enough makeup on, so I didn’t know what else to touch up.

“I’ll spray your hair once.”

She picked up a spray that looked like insecticide from one side of the vanity and sprayed it all over my hair.

When she said it was over, I picked up my phone.

Several media outlets that hadn’t yet heard the news that I was appearing on News9 were still calling to request interviews.

As I was checking the messages and missed calls, the employee, who I thought was about to leave, sat down next to me and asked.

“It looks like you’re waiting for a call.”

I wouldn’t exactly say I was waiting, but there was something on my mind.

The fact that I hadn’t received any contact from Go Jin-ah’s side yet…….

Actually, I understood to some extent.

Right now, Go Jin-ah would have hired a divorce lawyer from Taekwang [a large law firm], but since yesterday, she would have had to hire a new criminal defense lawyer, so she must be out of her mind.

Taekwang, too, seemed unaware of the truth of the matter when I met them, so they must have been in a panic.

Well, maybe Yoon Won-hyung knew, but at least Lee Young-jae, the lead lawyer in the divorce case, wouldn’t have known.

That’s why he called to say he had filed for divorce.

“Ah, yes. I’m a little busy.”

I made an excuse because I felt uncomfortable with her staring at me, resting her chin on her hand.

At that moment, the waiting room door opened.

“Attorney Cha Joo-han.”

News9 anchor Jin Hye-kyung appeared in the mirror.

It seemed like she came to say hello in advance, which was a relief.

As soon as she came in, the makeup artist left the waiting room.

“Hello.”

I offered Jin Hye-kyung a handshake, and she took my hand as well.

“Yes, hello. Many media outlets must have requested an interview with you, but thank you for choosing our News9. It’s an honor.”

She, too, looked like she had already finished preparing before going into the live broadcast, which was not far away.

Jin Hye-kyung is known as ‘the most trusted mouth’ in Korea.

She has been the main anchor of News9, which has the highest viewership, for five years.

Of course, the main anchor of News9 was her partner, Kim Woo-jin, but considering the high turnover rate of female announcers in the broadcasting industry, she had maintained her position for quite a long time.

“Kim Woo-jin hasn’t finished standby yet, so he’ll come to say hello later.”

Kim Woo-jin is her partner and has been the main anchor of News9 for 10 years.

When I last encountered him in my previous life, he was still a fixture on News9 and an anchor who was highly talked about for his witty remarks.

Many people loved News9 with Jin Hye-kyung and Kim Woo-jin, but Jin Hye-kyung was called by the Blue House after this administration and became a spokesperson.

I had a few personal connections with her.

Of course, in 2009, I, as a mere junior prosecutor, didn’t know her.

“Please take good care of me. Your turn is… um, according to the script, it’s from 9:28. You can watch the filming before that, so please feel comfortable.”

I was a little surprised when I first saw that the interview would start at 9:28.

I thought Go Jin-ah’s part would be the first because everyone’s attention was focused on it.

And in fact, it was Go Jin-ah’s part.

She didn’t tell me the details, but I thought they had set it for the middle time because of the viewership ratings.

[Hello. This is Kim Woo-jin and Jin Hye-kyung of News9.]

I didn’t go out to the newsroom, but I was able to monitor the live broadcast of News9 on the television in the waiting room.

Footage was broadcast of Go Jin-ah appearing at the prosecutor’s office with her legal team at 3 p.m. today.

I had already seen the footage once on a news channel this afternoon, but I watched it again carefully.

She is still being investigated, and I was curious to know what Go Jin-ah had said.

And above all, I was curious to know how she would react to Jung Young-joon’s position, which I would mention on the news today.

“Attorney, standby!”

The assistant director came into the waiting room and shouted.

While the newsroom was not on the air for a while, connected to a reporter, I was guided by the assistant director and sat at the end of a long table.

I talked briefly with the two anchors I had greeted earlier and tried to organize the script, but the makeup artists ran over and dabbed a sponge on my face again.

Jin Hye-kyung smiled slightly as I squeezed my eyes shut because the touch was too rough.

“We’re going in now.”

Jin Hye-kyung whispered, looking at the prompter.

The screen returned to the newsroom, and Kim Woo-jin opened his mouth.

“According to prosecution officials, the informant helped to reveal Go Jin-ah and Jo Hyun-seok’s special rape conspiracy and illegal filming of sexual videos. Our News9 has exclusively invited the informant, Attorney Cha Joo-han. Hello.”