You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 385

As Cha Joo-han took a seat across from him, Hwang Young-chan handed over the menu, saying,

“This course here is good.”

“Then let’s go with that.”

Cha Joo-han answered curtly without even looking at the menu.

It didn’t matter to Cha Joo-han what he ate anyway.

He hadn’t come to meet Hwang Young-chan to enjoy gourmet food.

At that, Hwang Young-chan chuckled softly and called someone over to order the course and a bottle of sake.

“The fact that you contacted me like this suggests there’s been a change of heart.”

He broached the subject directly.

In truth, Hwang Young-chan thought he would need more time.

Of course, he didn’t think that Cha Joo-han had come to give him an answer today, but seeing Cha Joo-han looking somewhat weary, he thought he might receive the answer he wanted.

Instead of answering, Cha Joo-han poured water into his glass and drank it.

Then, he abruptly stood up and began to take out the items from his pockets one by one.

Two cell phones, a pack of cigarettes, and a wallet.

Hwang Young-chan, looking at the meager belongings, raised his head and looked at Cha Joo-han, puzzled.

“What is this?”

“These are my belongings. It means I’m not recording or filming anything. You can check further if you wish.”

Cha Joo-han turned his pockets inside out to show the lining.

And he tried to raise both arms as if going through security at an airport.

At that, Hwang Young-chan waved his hand.

“No, that’s enough. Since you came to see me, I trust you for now. You wouldn’t have tried to meet me under normal circumstances.”

“Why do you think I came to see you, Chief?”

“It’s too early to make a decision right now… Did you come to meet me to get help in making a decision?”

Cha Joo-han didn’t answer, but Hwang Young-chan smiled contentedly as if he thought that itself was the answer.

“Cha Pro, you and I have been through thick and thin together. Of course, we’ve been apart since then, but your essence hasn’t changed. I know you well.”

In 2008, when Cha Joo-han suddenly changed, defied Hwang Young-chan’s words, and left the prosecution, he was somewhat taken aback.

However, many prosecutors imagine leaving the organization, and many actually realize it.

After being overwhelmed by a terribly large workload and receiving a meager salary, they tend to feel small when they hear stories of their peers who have become lawyers.

Especially after five years.

They think they know a lot because they have experienced a lot in the meantime.

That’s why they think that if they go outside now, they can take better care of their lives and earn more money.

Hwang Young-chan thought Cha Joo-han was one of them.

Of course, he can be seen as the most successful case among those who left the prosecutor’s office.

“Let me ask you directly. What’s the reason for opposing Wooshin? If I know the reason, I think I’ll know how to persuade you. You came to be persuaded by me, didn’t you?”

“I won’t deny it. But… Do you think I’m opposing Wooshin, Chief?”

“I wouldn’t have thought so in the past, but now everyone knows it. All your actions are on the opposite side of Wooshin. Starting with Go Jin-ah and continuing with Myunghwa Pharmaceuticals… All the direct descendants of the Wooshin chairman, except for the eldest son and daughter, have gone to jail. By your hand. Are you still going to say no?”

Cha Joo-han smiled faintly.

He had only set goals and achieved them one by one, but had he already slaughtered them to that extent?

Thinking about it that way, he felt that his life so far had not been in vain.

On the other hand, he also felt that there wasn’t much left.

“Why are you opposing Wooshin? There must be a reason.”

“Because I thought it was a great evil.”

“A great evil? Yes, as a lawyer, I won’t deny it. But don’t you think it’s a necessary evil?”

It’s even said that if Wooshin collapses, the country will collapse.

Wooshin is clearly extending its influence deep into the political and business circles, but no one can deny its contribution to the Korean economy.

Everything has light and shadow.

Hwang Young-chan had only decided to focus on the light.

“A necessary evil… It could be.”

“But those discussions aren’t important right now. I’m worried about you.”

Hwang Young-chan began.

“If you get deeply involved in this matter, you might really die.”

“……”

“You had a tax investigation before. But somehow it was smoothed over, and then you were falsely accused of being the murderer who killed Lee Jung-chan. You managed to smooth that over nicely too. What’s next? Wooshin may be a tiger with its teeth pulled out, but it killed Lee Jung-chan. There’s no reason it can’t kill you.”

That’s not wrong.

Cha Joo-han experienced it directly, and even today he couldn’t sleep properly because of the trauma.

“Death is the end. You’ve made a lot of money. Are you going to pile it all up and die? What about your parents? You’re an only child. How would your remaining parents feel if you died?”

There’s a saying that a child who loses their parents can live, but parents who lose their child cannot.

Cha Joo-han also lost his father because of Myunghwa Pharmaceuticals in his previous life and felt a pain like his heart was being torn apart.

But he had already taken revenge for that, hadn’t he?

Antrozol had disappeared from the world, and Myunghwa Pharmaceuticals was also delisted.

His parents are also healthy and well.

With his current wealth, he can live the rest of his life without doing anything.

Does he have to go further?

Cha Joo-han has already inflicted great internal damage on Wooshin.

Isn’t it possible to think that it’s enough now?

If death is before his eyes, then whatever he does in the future will be meaningless.

If he dies, that’s the end.

“Then why did you tell me to apply for the experienced prosecutor appointment?”

“That’s a show.”

“A show?”

“Of course, I would really like you to be in the prosecution, by my side, but you can think of it as a performance to show Wooshin.”

If Cha Joo-han returns to the prosecution with Hwang Young-chan’s persuasion, Wooshin will surely think that Cha Joo-han will no longer block their path.

Hwang Young-chan is Wooshin’s man, so he will be recognized for removing the major obstacle that is Cha Joo-han.

“If you don’t want to stay in the prosecution, leave after a year. After that, live a normal life. Think of your time in the prosecution as a turning point. After you leave, you can open a law firm again, return to the path of pro bono, or take on ordinary cases, it’s up to you. But Wooshin would be uncomfortable if you opened another law firm, so I don’t want to recommend it. You have a lot of money, so isn’t it nice to travel with your parents and live?”

The image of his parents, who often lament that they don’t see him often, suddenly came to mind.

How much longer will his parents live if they live in the future?

They are the kind of people who would be happy just to live together, eat good things, and see good things.

“People have a desire for self-realization, but you have realized it enough. Everyone will acknowledge it. You deserve to rest now.”

“……”

“I think that’s all I can say to help you make a decision. Shall we talk slowly while eating the rest of the meal? The food hasn’t come out yet because we’ve been so focused on the conversation.”

Hwang Young-chan pressed the employee call button at the same time as he said that.

* * *

The next day, Cha Joo-han decided not to go to the office.

He sent a message to the group chat with Office Manager Oh and Kang Min-jae saying that he wasn’t feeling well and would take a day off, and Kang Min-jae called him right away.

However, he didn’t answer the phone and only left a message telling him to properly prepare for the review of the legality of detention.

He hadn’t slept well yesterday, and he had tossed and turned again today, so he was planning to sleep in.

“Haa…”

But no matter how much he lay in bed surrounded by blankets, he couldn’t fall asleep.

He took a few sleeping pills, but he only felt more tired and failed to fall asleep.

Eventually, Cha Joo-han got out of bed.

He turned on the hot water and took a shower, which made his body feel a little more relaxed.

But Cha Joo-han knew all too well that he still wouldn’t be able to fall asleep.

He ate a half-hearted meal and went out to the living room and turned on the television.

[The police have succeeded in arresting Kang, also known as Kkangchi [a street name or alias], who was wanted for drug trafficking. The police have requested an arrest warrant for Kang and are currently conducting a high-intensity investigation.]

The story of Kkangchi was flowing out of the news.

Cha Joo-han pressed his forehead.

Kkangchi will surely point to Park Jin-sung as the mastermind.

He may have already done so.

Then, no matter how hard he prepares for the review of the legality of detention, he may not be able to get Park Jin-sung out.

Hwang Young-chan would have bet his life on this case.

Because he hasn’t been able to properly carry out the orders he’s received from Wooshin so far, if he doesn’t handle this case properly, there’s a high possibility that he will really be abandoned by Wooshin.

He walked around the large house anxiously.

Then he packed his workout clothes and went down to the gym.

“Hoo, hoo…”

He ran on the treadmill as if he were running away.

The thoughts that had been consuming his mind gradually faded, and only the pounding of his frantically beating heart remained.

About an hour passed.

Cha Joo-han came down from the treadmill as if he were sliding down.

Then he moved quickly.

He went back up to the house and went into the study without even taking off his workout clothes.

He turned on his laptop and accessed the Ministry of Justice website.

[2011 Experienced Prosecutor Appointment Application Information]

And he accessed the site and began to fill in his name on the application documents.