You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 118

After confirming that Kim Jung-woo was still sound asleep, Choi Jong-hyun returned to the veranda.

He held Kim Jung-woo’s phone, unsure of what to do.

Then, unable to contain his anger, he shouted into the empty air.

It seemed he was holding back the urge to call the editor-in-chief and protest immediately.

He repeatedly brought up the editor-in-chief’s number on his phone, only to delete it.

“I wondered why Jung-woo kept failing his promotion exams.”

He frowned in distress, running his hand through his greasy hair.

“I kept pushing him, asking if he wasn’t going to study properly, but how resentful must he have been? Ha, I never dreamed he was under this kind of pressure because of me.”

“He probably didn’t say anything on purpose.”

“That’s probably it. Jung-woo knew I was staking everything on digging into Wooshin and Lee Jung-chan….”

“Does Kim Jung-woo have any colleagues he might have confided in?”

At my question, Choi Jong-hyun nodded slowly.

“He’s close to Se-yeon. They joined the company at the same time. That’s why it’s even more puzzling. Se-yeon became a regular reporter over two years ago, but why Jung-woo keeps failing.”

“Are you talking about reporter Yoon Se-yeon?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t know they joined the company at the same time.

In any organization, colleagues who join at the same time are the best people to confide in.

While suicides often happen suddenly, there are usually some signs beforehand.

Considering his family situation, he probably didn’t tell his parents.

Choi Jong-hyun, who was said to be his closest friend at Iljung Daily, also said he had no idea.

Then, could it be Yoon Se-yeon?

I called her.

-You’re calling so early in the morning. What if I was asleep?

As expected, she answered the phone sharply before the ringing had even stopped a few times.

“I’m calling to ask you something.”

-Go ahead. Couldn’t you reach Senior Choi Jong-hyun yesterday? Senior Choi said he got in touch with you?

“No, I got in touch with him. This time, I’m calling to ask about reporter Kim Jung-woo.”

-You seem to have a lot of questions about our reporters. Kim Jung-woo… Well… You’d better ask Senior Choi about Jung-woo *oppa* [an honorific term used to address an older brother or male friend] than me?

“I thought it would be better to ask reporter Yoon.”

-What is it?

I couldn’t explain the whole situation to her.

Since I was going to ask directly anyway, she would probably guess just by listening.

I decided to get straight to the point.

“Did Kim Jung-woo seem to be having a hard time, or did he ever say he wanted to die?”

-…Is something wrong with Jung-woo *oppa*?

Yoon Se-yeon’s voice dropped instantly.

“No, not yet.”

-Not yet? What do you mean by that?

“Please answer first. It’s a bit urgent.”

-…He says he’s having a hard time all the time. So do I.

Yoon Se-yeon was silent for a while, as if recalling the past.

-About three months ago, he did say something like, which method of suicide would be the scariest… But that might have just been something he said because there was an issue related to suicide.

“What did you say?”

-I said that euthanasia in Switzerland would probably be the least painful.

It wasn’t really a method that Kim Jung-woo would choose.

Even in my previous life, I hadn’t heard that he had gone to Switzerland.

“Anything else?”

-He just wondered what it would feel like to die, and whether people around him would have a hard time, things like that.

If it was just a casual conversation, it could be.

Everyone thinks about death at least once in their lives.

But Kim Jung-woo was different.

-Ah! Now that I think about it, he said that there was no need to send condolences when he died. He said there wouldn’t be a chief mourner anyway. So I told him to make sure to send a lot of condolences when I die. It was just… a joke.”

“Anything else?”

-He also talked about quitting his job. But those were really just things anyone could say, and he hasn’t said anything like that since. And Jung-woo *oppa* is a bright person….

As Yoon Se-yeon spoke to me, it seemed like she was also realizing that there were things that were bothering her.

She seemed to be confidently saying that Kim Jung-woo wouldn’t do that, but then she trailed off.

-What’s wrong with Jung-woo *oppa*? Lawyer Cha, is it a serious problem? Surely Jung-woo *oppa* didn’t commit suicide?

“No. If anything happens, I’ll consult with Senior Choi first.”

-…Yes, please do. But if something is wrong, I want to help too. Please let me know.”

“I will.”

I ended the call with Yoon Se-yeon.

And I shared the conversation with Choi Jong-hyun.

“I really didn’t know. He never said anything like that to me… We did talk about death, but I was always the one who brought it up. I was worried that I might die digging into Wooshin like this.”

He seemed consumed by guilt.

He blamed himself for not properly looking after the heart of the person closest to him.

“We have to stop him.”

“….”

“It would be good to talk to Kim Jung-woo and prevent him from overdosing on Zolpidem [a medication used to treat insomnia] first. The side effects are serious. And it seems like it would be better to keep living together for the time being until a suitable method is found.”

“Let’s do that. But I’m worried that Jung-woo will get better just by living together… I’m worried that it might get worse because he’s hiding it from me.”

“Anyway, Zolpidem addiction is the most serious thing. We need to keep an eye on him until that problem is resolved.”

It wasn’t really a brilliant solution.

But this was the only method I could think of right now.

At least if we keep sticking together, we can prevent him from getting medicine from several psychiatric hospitals.

As far as I know, if Kim Jung-woo exceeds the maximum recommended dose of 10mg, increasing the dose will not increase the therapeutic effect for sleep disorders.

If Kim Jung-woo makes excuses for sleep disorders, there will be plenty of ways to block it.

“Ah, it would be good to go to the hospital together on weekdays. I don’t think he told the doctor that he was addicted to Zolpidem. Let’s inform them and find a way to solve it.”

If he goes to a psychiatrist, he might be able to get a prescription for drugs that prevent suicidal impulses.

Choi Jong-hyun nodded with a heavy face.

I can’t help his family affairs, which seem to have already broken down, but there will be a way to resolve the pressure the editor-in-chief is putting on him.

If one major stress factor is reduced, wouldn’t it improve?

Of course, that’s just my wish.

Kim Jung-woo finally woke up at 1 p.m.

He fell asleep late at dawn, so it couldn’t be said that his sleep time was excessively long because of the medicine.

Besides, Zolpidem’s effects disappear after 4 hours, so it’s not a drug used to maintain sleep.

“I woke up too late, didn’t I?”

Kim Jung-woo looked at me and Choi Jong-hyun and smiled awkwardly.

“Hurry up and wash up. Let’s eat. I’m starving, you jerk.”

“Yes.”

I ordered hangover soup for him, who had drunk three bottles of *soju* [a Korean distilled beverage] yesterday.

I don’t know if Kim Jung-woo knows what he did during the early hours, but he really enjoyed the hangover soup.

But compared to him, Choi Jong-hyun barely ate and put down his spoon.

Kim Jung-woo, who had emptied his bowl, was puzzled to see Choi Jong-hyun like that.

“Why aren’t you eating much?”

Choi Jong-hyun glanced at Kim Jung-woo’s bowl.

And he gestured to me as if he couldn’t wait any longer.

We had decided to talk after finishing the meal, but I didn’t intend to talk before digesting it.

I had no choice but to nod.

“Jung-woo, don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“Anything to say? No.”

Kim Jung-woo took his plastic container to the sink and rinsed it with water, as if he didn’t know what was going on.

Choi Jong-hyun sighed and said.

“I didn’t mean to see it. Before you woke up, I accidentally saw it while organizing the trash bag.”

At Choi Jong-hyun’s words, Kim Jung-woo’s shoulders twitched once.

“Why are you taking so much depression medicine?”

Kim Jung-woo turned to Choi Jong-hyun.

His eyes were shaking violently.

“Even if I don’t have any related knowledge, I know that it doesn’t make sense to take eight packets a day. Don’t say it’s not yours. It’s not mine, and I checked with Lawyer Cha.”

Kim Jung-woo sighed at the firm voice.

And he sat down again across from the table.

“I think you’re even taking eight Stilnox pills. That’s Zolpidem, right? When I looked it up, it said that the maximum dose is 10mg per day and you shouldn’t take more than that, and it’s written on the internet that it’s a narcotic. What’s going on.”

It was a reproachful tone, but it was full of affection.

Kim Jung-woo seemed to feel it, and he didn’t show any signs of resistance.

He just bit his lip with his head down.

“Aren’t you going to tell me?”

“…….”

“You jerk, do you know you’re experiencing side effects?”

Choi Jong-hyun’s voice grew louder and louder.

“Do you know that you drank three bottles of *soju* in the early hours! You’re only supposed to drink one and a half bottles…….”

He couldn’t continue.

His breath was filled with sobs.

His clenched fist trembled, and he eventually shed tears.

“What’s going on, you jerk……. Why didn’t you tell me until it got like this! When did it start, huh?”

As Choi Jong-hyun shouted as if crying, Kim Jung-woo also reddened his eyes.

Kim Jung-woo repeatedly moved his lips as if trying to say something.

Then, as if finally making up his mind, he carefully said.

“…It’s been about a year.”

“A year? You’ve been taking eight Zolpidem pills for a year?”

Choi Jong-hyun couldn’t hide his shock and raised his tearful face.

“No, no……. That’s not it. It’s only been about three months since I started taking this much…….”

“What’s causing it? What’s the problem……. Tell me. If I can help,”

“No. It’s my personal problem. It’s just, it’s because of family matters. Really personal……. And it’s a problem that can’t be solved.”

And he briefly told about his relationship with his parents.

From his father, who had been abusing him and his mother since childhood, to his mother, who was suffering from schizophrenia and depression.

“My mother is living with my younger sister now. I know my sister is suffering alone, but I really can’t stand it either…….”

In the text message I saw on his phone, his mother described Kim Jung-woo as ‘her only child’.

Since I had already confirmed the truth through the text message box, I didn’t bother to use my ability.

I decided not to tell him that I had checked his text message box.

“Doesn’t your mother look for reporter Kim Jung-woo?”

I asked indirectly.

Kim Jung-woo glanced up at me.

“…She does. My mother thinks my sister was beaten to death by my father. She thinks my sister is a killer hired by my father. It doesn’t make sense, but it’s because of delusional disorder caused by schizophrenia.”

“Oh my…….”

Choi Jong-hyun sighed.

If she thinks that way about her own child who takes care of her, not someone else, it will be difficult for her to endure.

“My sister is also having a hard time. But she knows I’m like this, so she tries to solve it on her own as much as possible. I’m sorry, too.”

Kim Jung-woo smiled faintly.

Choi Jong-hyun sighed deeply and grabbed Kim Jung-woo’s hand.

“Why didn’t you tell me, you jerk. I didn’t even know…….”

“Why would I tell you that? It’ll just make you uncomfortable. And I didn’t want to worry my senior…….”

He said in a barely audible voice.

Then, after hesitating for a moment, he carefully added.

“Actually, when I first joined the company, I lied that I grew up in an ordinary family, but later I felt like it was a bit awkward to say that it wasn’t true. It’s like one lie led to another…….”

Kim Jung-woo pulled out a tissue from the table and handed it to Choi Jong-hyun.

And he forced a bright smile and said.

“That’s all. Shall we talk about something else now? Haha……. Ah, I’ll go to the bathroom for a second before that.”

Kim Jung-woo seemed to want to avoid this situation.

He ran into the bathroom as if running away, and Choi Jong-hyun wiped away his tears and looked at me.

“Lawyer Cha. It looks like he’s not going to talk about the director until the end…….”