Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 158

Bzzzt! Bzzzt!

[Chairman, are you saying that we won’t be able to give the large apartment members their units because of a shortage of supply?]

[That’s right, everyone. After allocating units to the very large apartment members, there is a little bit of supply left… but it’s not enough to distribute fairly to everyone, so we’ve decided to allocate it through general sale due to fairness issues.]

Amidst the crackling static, someone’s voice echoed clearly.

The moment Kwon Sun-hyun heard those voices, he almost jumped up from his seat without realizing it.

‘What the—?! What is this?’ he thought.

The voices coming through the court’s speakers were familiar to him.

One was the voice of the chairman sitting across from him.

The other was that of Kim Hyun-gon, the emergency committee member sitting next to him.

After hearing only two lines, Sun-hyun knew exactly what kind of conversation would follow.

The story Kim Hyun-gon had told was the same story Sun-hyun had planned.

[How many units are short in total?]

[We are short about three units.]

[Then, if only three people give up their offer to get two apartments for the price of one, wouldn’t the others be able to receive it?]

[That’s true, but… who would give up their offer here?]

As the voices continued, the judge’s wrinkled eyes narrowed slightly.

The courtroom was silent, except for the sounds from the audio file.

The emergency committee members’ hands were trembling.

[Well, I was thinking of giving up the offer to get two apartments for the price of one because I’m worried about the extra payment,]

[Oh, really?]

[I think there might be a few more people who feel the same way, so wouldn’t that solve the problem?]

[Hmm. That’s true, but… are there any others here who would be willing to give up their offer?]

The emergency committee lost the first trial because they couldn’t prove the chairman’s claim.

He said everyone agreed to the apartment sizes, but there was no proof of this agreement.

At the time, the agreement details were written down, but the emergency committee had secretly stolen it, so there was no evidence.

No matter how much Chairman Kwak Hong-shik pleaded, the judge had to side with the emergency committee because there was no evidence.

But now, clear evidence was playing in the courtroom.

The situation had completely changed.

[Oh, really? So these three people are really giving up their offer?]

[Yes, Chairman. We were planning to switch to a very large unit anyway, so it’s not really a sacrifice for us.]

[Kim Hyun-gon, Im Jin-sook, and Kang Cheol-hyun. So these three are giving up the offer to get two apartments for the price of one… is that correct?]

[That’s correct.]

[I agree as well.]

[We will do so.]

Kwak Hong-shik’s recording clearly showed the situation, as if it was made for this lawsuit.

Listening to Kwak Hong-shik’s voice, Sun-hyun felt cold bumps rise on his arms.

Hearing him say the names of the members who had given up their offer, he realized he had walked into a trap.

‘That devilish old man…!’ he thought.

If he hadn’t expected the emergency committee to betray him, this audio file would never have existed.

There would have been no need to make the recording, especially after stamping the agreement.

Hong-shik had recorded this in advance because he knew there was a mole from the emergency committee inside the association office.

Maybe he even knew the mole would steal the agreement and give it to the emergency committee.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said the names of the members one by one like that, leaving it as a recording.

[Then we will do this. Thanks to you, eight other members will benefit, haha.]

[Haha, you’re welcome. Isn’t it all for the good of each other?]

[Thank you. Then we will process it this way and present the plan at the next general meeting.]

The audio file ended with Kwak Hong-shik’s voice.

Even though the audio had stopped, the courtroom was silent.

The emergency committee members’ faces were white like paper, and they were still trembling.

The chairman and other people on the defendant’s side looked relaxed and happy.

The judge looked surprised.

Kwon Sun-hyun stared at Chairman Kwak Hong-shik, who was smiling kindly.

‘I’ve been tricked. Completely tricked. Damn it, how do I get out of this?’ he thought.

Sun-hyun wanted to punch the chairman’s smiling face, but he wasn’t foolish enough to do that.

If he did, he would be punished even more than just losing the lawsuit.

Sun-hyun squeezed his eyes shut, feeling angry and hopeless.

If he lost the lawsuit, he wouldn’t get any settlement money. Instead, he would have to pay the association damages.

Unlike Sun-hyun, Kim Hyun-gon couldn’t hold back.

He was one of the voices in the audio file.

He jumped up and shouted at Hong-shik.

“That’s a lie! This whole thing is made up, Judge!”

Hyun-gon was not thinking clearly.

“If you weren’t trying to trick us, why did you even make this audio file?”

Kwak Hong-shik replied calmly.

“I was just recording it to create documents for the general meeting. What’s easier than recording?”

“You…!” Hyun-gon screamed, unable to find any words.

He ran out of the plaintiff’s seat.

Court officials immediately stopped him.

“What are you doing in this courtroom?” the judge asked in a heavy voice.

Kim Hyun-gon trembled, unable to reply.

The defendant’s lawyer spoke softly.

His voice sounded like thunder to the emergency committee members.

“You probably already know, but the voice of the plaintiff Kim Hyun-gon was in this audio file.”

“Continue,” said the judge.

“Everything they said was false. This lawsuit is a cheating plan to get unfair money.”

The lawyer looked at the plaintiff’s side and finished the trial.

“This is a crime of falsely reporting facts to cause another person to be punished… and we say again that our defendant did nothing wrong.”

The emergency committee members were silent.

The jurors looked at them with contempt.

The members in the gallery cheered.

They couldn’t make loud noises, but they were very happy because they had been so worried.

Thud- Thud-

“We will take a short break. After checking both sides’ claims and evidence, we will continue the trial,” said the judge.

No one doubted the result of the trial.

Hong-shik’s audio file was clear evidence that couldn’t be denied.

Even a child would know the defendant was innocent.

After a short time, the judge returned and hit the gavel three times.

Thud- Thud- Thud-!

“I declare the defendants Kwak Hong-shik and the members of the Cheongdam Seonyoung Apartment Association not guilty,” said the judge.

Kwon Sun-hyun collapsed.

“What are you going to do now?” Woo-jin asked.

Hong-shik laughed and replied, “What else? If you do something wrong, you have to pay the price.”

“You’re going to sue for damages, right?”

Hong-shik nodded.

“From damages for the business delay to damages for the members’ stress, I plan to charge all the emergency committee members who signed this lawsuit.”

In the redevelopment business, time is money.

The association borrows money from construction and maintenance companies to run the association.

As time passes, the costs increase with interest.

If Hong-shik decided to make the emergency committee members pay, they would probably go bankrupt.

At least, they would have to give most of their commercial district shares to the Cheongdam Seonyoung Association.

“It’s karma, isn’t it?” Woo-jin asked.

Hong-shik nodded.

“That’s right. If it weren’t for CEO Seo, our members would have been suffering, not them.”

“That’s… right,” said Woo-jin.

The association has more members than the emergency committee.

If the association had lost, the members would have suffered more than the emergency committee members will now.

But that didn’t mean they were innocent.

Most redevelopment sites have an emergency committee, but not many emergency committees try to get unfair money by hiding official documents.

Ordinary emergency committees try to prevent losses and gain profits, but they don’t break the law.

“Well, is there anything else I can help you with?” Woo-jin asked.

Hong-shik smiled awkwardly and replied, “Our members already owe CEO Seo a lot. From now on, we have to solve it ourselves.”

Woo-jin smiled.

“Then, please finish well,” he said.

“Of course.”

“Ah, and one more thing…”

“Yes?”

Woo-jin said in a low voice, “Please get enough money for damages, but don’t push them too far. Even when trapping a mouse, you have to leave a way out, so you don’t get bitten.”

Hong-shik smiled faintly.