You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 241

You Have Been Defended – Episode 241

As Kim Sung-woo’s name was called, the doctors stirred with renewed interest.

Even the professor who had been rude to Dongjin was no exception.

However, Head of Department Baek Chan-geun nonchalantly said to them,

“Let’s go.”

With those words, the doctors disappeared as a group.

Kim Sung-woo, left alone in the empty lounge, seemed momentarily embarrassed but quickly recovered and sat down across from us.

“What brings you here? What do you want to ask me?”

As he spoke, his gaze was fixed on Dongjin, not me.

His eyes seemed to say, ‘Did you say something strange about me to that lawyer?’ which made me chuckle inwardly.

In reality, Dongjin hadn’t said anything.

Not until I directly brought up his name.

“As you know, Seol Hyeong-seok is currently in a vegetative state due to anaphylaxis [a severe allergic reaction]. And Dongjin is in a bit of trouble because of that issue.”

“Yes.”

“Since you are a specialist in the same department as Dongjin, I thought you would be the most knowledgeable about the situation.”

“Me?”

Kim Sung-woo’s tone revealed his unwillingness to be involved in this matter.

“It’s true that I was in the operating room, but there were no problems with the surgery itself. The issue arose with the cephalosporin [a type of antibiotic] injection. That order was given by Dr. Yang. And the nurse who received the order didn’t question it and administered it as is, resulting in anaphylactic shock. Isn’t that the whole story?”

“If you’re talking about the publicly known facts, then yes.”

“What more could I possibly know in that situation? It’s a problem between Dr. Yang and the nurse.”

[Lie]

Oh, dear.

I thought it would take a while to elicit a conversation where I could use my ability, but he threw out a lie right away when I poked him like this.

A lie, as expected, but still surprising.

“Are you saying that you know nothing beyond the official account of this incident?”

“No.”

[Lie]

Dongjin, who couldn’t see the lies, seemed deflated by Kim Sung-woo’s firm answer, but I felt like I was getting closer to the heart of the matter.

“So, are you saying that this incident really unfolded exactly as it’s been presented? That Dongjin genuinely ordered the cephalosporin injection, and the nurse just followed the order without raising any objections?”

“With Nurse Gu So-jeong and Dr. Yang presenting conflicting accounts, I don’t think it’s a problem I can definitively judge.”

“I see. Well, you must have worked with Nurse Gu So-jeong quite a bit. Do you think she is the type of person who would blindly follow a wrong order without question?”

Kim Sung-woo hesitated for a moment at those words.

Or rather, it might be more accurate to say he pretended to hesitate.

Even if Kim Sung-woo isn’t the mastermind behind this, as I suspected, he seems to know the full story of the incident anyway.

“I think it’s possible, since Nurse Gu So-jeong doesn’t have much experience, and the patient was a VIP.”

[Lie]

This means that he doesn’t actually believe Gu So-jeong is the type of person who would normally be intimidated by doctors or fear taking responsibility and blindly follow incorrect prescriptions.

Since there are quite a few people who know Gu So-jeong’s personality, there might be quite a few who don’t believe it’s Dongjin’s fault.

“I see. Well, you have considerable field experience, and you knew how important Seol Hyeong-seok was as a VIP. Would you say that a specialist with your level of experience could mistakenly order cephalosporin instead of moxifloxacin [another type of antibiotic] in a situation where they should have ordered moxifloxacin?”

“Well, I guess it depends on the person.”

Kim Sung-woo shrugged as he spoke.

But his gaze was directed at Dongjin.

It seemed difficult for him to speak freely with the person involved present, so I said briefly to Dongjin,

“I see. Oh, right. Dongjin, I’m a bit thirsty, can you buy me a drink? I have a feeling this conversation might take a while.”

“Ah, sure. Dr. Kim, what would you like to drink?”

“I’ll just have water.”

“Juhan, what about you?”

“I’ll have a cafe latte.”

“Hey, you. There’s no cafe latte in the lounge vending machine. You’ll have to go all the way to the first floor.”

“I’m working this hard to help you, can’t you even buy me a cup of coffee?”

I deliberately listed a menu item that wasn’t available in the vending machine to send him far away.

I felt like I needed to be alone with Kim Sung-woo right now.

“Okay. Cold one?”

“Yeah, cold one.”

After confirming that Dongjin had left the lounge, I fixed my gaze on Kim Sung-woo, who looked noticeably nervous.

“It seemed like it was uncomfortable for you to talk with Dongjin next to you.”

“Well, it’s a sensitive issue. I’ve been studying with Dr. Yang since we were students….”

I held back a snort.

You’ve been studying together since you were students, and now you’re throwing him into a swamp like this.

“I see. So you know him well. Dongjin is actually quite clumsy, isn’t he? He’s a bit forgetful.”

“……Pardon?”

“Because I’ve known him since he was young, I couldn’t shake the thought that Dongjin had slipped up again as soon as I heard about the incident. But well, my job is a lawyer. I need to look at the case from the perspective of the person I’m representing.”

“Ah, yes. I see.”

“So, I’m helping him out a bit because I was asked to… I’m talking to you to make sure I don’t miss anything, just in case. I’ll keep what you say confidential, so please don’t worry and tell me what you think.”

Kim Sung-woo seemed taken aback by my sudden change in attitude, but I didn’t care.

I was now throwing bait to Kim Sung-woo.

If I made it sound like even his close friends suspected Dongjin, Kim Sung-woo, who wanted to plunge him into the swamp, would be happy.

Well, if he’s a cautious and suspicious person, he might not take the bait, but it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t.

I was just laying the groundwork to openly ask if he thought it was Dongjin’s mistake.

“Do you think Dr. Yang Dongjin made a mistake in this incident?”

“……Actually.”

“Please, speak comfortably.”

“……I think Dr. Yang made a mistake.”

[Lie]

“Probably… Most people think so.”

[Lie]

“Then you must think Nurse Gu So-jeong is very wronged.”

“Yes. I feel bad for her too.”

[Lie]

“Dr. Yang keeps saying he’s innocent, so the few people who believe him think that Nurse Gu So-jeong wrongly heard the order, wrongly prescribed it, and is trying to pin it on Dr. Yang. Nurse Gu is also very pitiful.”

[Lie]

He’s very good at lying without even a flicker in his eyes.

The fact that his answer that Gu So-jeong would be wronged was a lie means that he knows this incident was Gu So-jeong’s doing.

“Do you have a decisive reason for thinking it was Dr. Yang Dongjin’s mistake?”

“You seem to know Dr. Yang’s personality, but he’s quite forgetful. There have been a few such situations before. Trivial things like forgetting appointments, forgetting to attend seminars. He’s even forgotten patient precautions and made prescription mistakes a few times.”

[Lie]

Kim Sung-woo was excitedly rattling on.

Even though I was the one who first mentioned Dongjin’s forgetfulness, I didn’t think Kim Sung-woo would agree so readily at first.

I was worried that it would give the impression that he had been waiting for this opportunity, so I thought he would avoid committing to an answer.

But now I think I know why Kim Sung-woo is doing this.

He directly saw the professor praising me as a famous lawyer, and he thought that if I got deeply involved in this situation to clear Dongjin’s name, the problem would become complicated.

That’s why he leaked the information that almost everyone in the hospital suspects Dongjin.

And he’s adding to the speculation that it was Dongjin’s mistake by embellishing the story of Dongjin’s non-existent forgetfulness.

“I see. Thank you for your words.”

“You’re welcome. You’re working hard to help your friend.”

“Well, I can’t turn a blind eye when a friend asks for help. Can I contact you if I have any more questions?”

I said, handing Kim Sung-woo my business card.

Then Kim Sung-woo also handed me his business card.

“Of course. I hope you don’t have to suffer too much.”

“I hope so too.”

“Are you going to meet other people?”

“The more people I meet, the more convinced I become of my own thoughts, but I still have to meet them. I was originally going to see Nurse Gu So-jeong first, but I happened to run into you and ended up talking to you like this.”

“I see. Then I’ll be on my way.”

Kim Sung-woo gave me a faint smile and disappeared into the ward.

I leaned back in my chair and pondered, watching his retreating figure.

I know Dongjin is innocent, but as I told Kim Sung-woo, I have to consider all possibilities.

To do that, I decided to reason through the situation with the information I learned from using my ability on Kim Sung-woo today, even if it involves some seemingly ridiculous possibilities.

Kim Sung-woo thinks Dongjin is innocent in this situation and, conversely, believes it’s Gu So-jeong’s fault.

Then, the first possibility:

Kim Sung-woo, like everyone else, doesn’t know the truth of the incident, but he doesn’t trust Gu So-jeong because he deeply trusts Dongjin.

But that’s not true, considering Kim Sung-woo deliberately made up the anecdote about Dongjin’s forgetfulness and lied.

The second possibility:

He heard directly from Gu So-jeong that she misheard Dongjin’s order, carried it out as is, and pinned the blame on Dongjin.

However, in the previous life, Gu So-jeong was not even a person who existed in this incident.

Also, since this incident was intentionally caused by the same person in both the previous and current lives, it does not apply.

Again, not true.

Finally, the third possibility:

Kim Sung-woo is deeply involved in this incident.

Everything is explained: Kim Sung-woo knows Dongjin is innocent and knows Gu So-jeong’s lies.

Moreover, even his attitude of trying to make me suspect Dongjin by exaggerating Dongjin’s supposed sloppiness.

Therefore, it became even more certain.

The mastermind behind this incident is Kim Sung-woo.