You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 10

“I guess the soundproofing in this apartment isn’t very good.”

I asked as I sat down at the table in the living room, and the housewife nodded.

“It’s old. Sometimes rusty water comes out. We’re just waiting for the renovation. Anyway, the inside is completely renovated.”

“So, because the soundproofing wasn’t good, you could hear the noise from next door better?”

“That’s right. If you talk in front of the door, everyone upstairs and downstairs can hear you.”

“I see. Oh, this is juice. I brought it for you to drink cold.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t have.”

The housewife took the juice to the kitchen and soon brought it out in a glass.

She seemed like a kind person by nature.

That must be why she reported it.

“Please tell me about the day you reported the neighbors.”

“Was it about three months ago? It was a mess from then on, I think.”

“A mess?”

“Yes. It was a mess about once a week, really. It’s been less frequent lately, but anyway, it seemed like it was a mess at least once or twice a month. I could hear Ms. Yeo Hee-sook crying, a young man yelling, and Mr. Kim Cheol-hwan trying to stop them, making dying sounds like ‘Ugh, ugh.'”

“Did you hear what they were saying?”

“I couldn’t hear clearly what they were saying, but I just thought, ‘Oh, that house is fighting.’ That’s all I knew.”

I took a brief note in my notebook and continued with the next question.

“So, you just ignored it for three months?”

“Yes. No matter what, it’s someone else’s business. And everyone knows that a celebrity lives in that house, so I couldn’t rashly get involved.”

“I see. But why did you report it that day?”

“Oh, I thought someone was going to die. It was a complete mess. Just a mess. The sound of things breaking and the couple crying was different from usual. So, I thought I should report it before something big happened.”

I nodded.

Looking at the word [Truth] floating above her head, I pieced together the puzzle with Kim Yeon-jun’s statement.

Kim Hyeong-jun assaulted his parents every time Kim Yeon-jun came home, so he stopped going home.

“Then, what was it like three months ago?”

“Before that, there weren’t any dying sounds. There was only the young man yelling. Looking back now, I think that was a sign.”

The housewife sighed deeply.

“When did the young man start yelling?”

“I don’t remember exactly, but in the past, it was often every two or three days. It was even in the early morning, so my husband was ready to go and say something.”

Let’s summarize.

Kim Hyeong-jun started by scolding Kim Yeon-jun for wasting money.

Kim Yeon-jun, who didn’t want to see that, moved out to live in a studio apartment.

After that, every time Kim Yeon-jun came home, he witnessed Kim Hyeong-jun assaulting his parents.

Kim Hyeong-jun’s abuse became more severe day by day.

Domestic violence usually starts with verbal abuse and escalates to physical assault, but in this case, something feels off.

Why did it happen every time Kim Yeon-jun came home?

That was the question that kept lingering in my mind.

Is it because he was already unhappy with Kim Yeon-jun’s adoption, and seeing Kim Yeon-jun only fueled his anger?

Or, as I initially thought, was it to put on a show for Kim Yeon-jun?

These are the reasons that immediately come to mind….

“Oh, it’s so strange. Just a few days ago, the four family members appeared on ‘Happy Home’ and seemed so happy together.”

“Happy Home?”

“Yes. Don’t you know that program? It’s the one where they film celebrities’ homes and show how families spend their day. It aired a few days ago.”

Ah, now that I think about it, the factor that shocked the public even more at the time was that program.

They smiled on ‘Happy Home’ as if they were the most harmonious family in the world, and a few days later, they were back in the news for patricide [the killing of one’s father]….

“Ah, that’s right.”

“It’s really a shame. They were good people. And really, even if they didn’t give birth to him, they raised him, so how could he do such a thing…? He seemed like he had a good impression when I saw him on TV. Oh, dear.”

“Thank you for your time. If I have any more questions, may I visit you again?”

“Haha, of course. But, lawyer….”

“Yes?”

“Are you still single?”

I almost sighed in annoyance.

“No, I have a daughter. I thought you would be a good match for her, so I was wondering if I could introduce you.”

“I’m seeing someone. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, just because there’s a goalkeeper doesn’t mean a goal can’t be scored. Should I show you a picture of my daughter? She’s very pretty.”

I thought she was basically a kind person, but it turned out she was interested in me.

While she went to get a picture of her daughter, I practically fled the house.

Hoping that I would never have to ask anything more about the case here.

‘The apparent motive for Kim Hyeong-jun’s crime is animosity towards Kim Yeon-jun. Is it jealousy or something?’

I smoked a cigarette before going to the parking lot and organized my thoughts.

Anyway, what’s certain is that to prove Kim Yeon-jun’s innocence in court, I have to bring in the real culprit.

I have to prove Kim Yeon-jun’s innocence and, at the same time, reveal Kim Hyeong-jun’s crime.

According to the statements of Kim Hyeong-jun and his relatives, it is known to the world that Kim Yeon-jun killed his parents because they usually favored their biological son.

In other words, that is the frame that the real culprit put on Kim Yeon-jun.

Conversely, could it be that he felt that his parents were favoring Kim Yeon-jun?

[Kim Cheol-hwan and Yeo Hee-sook prepare meals together. They try to have dinner together three times a week, on weekdays. They say it’s because they can’t see each other often otherwise. The menu is decided by all family members in turn. Yeon-jun, who lives in a studio apartment because of his studies, and Hyeong-jun, who is busy with his business, are no exception.]

Back in the office, I watched ‘Happy Home – Kim Cheol-hwan and Yeo Hee-sook episode.’

It aired three days before the incident.

Judging from the seasonal feel of the broadcast, which is currently the change of seasons, it seems to have been filmed around the end of February or the beginning of March.

If Kim Hyeong-jun had been continuously assaulting the couple, the two, who were often filmed, would have often worn makeup to cover bruises….

[Yeo Hee-sook’s trademark scarf. She is wearing it again today.

-You’re wearing a scarf around your neck?

-Ah, this? Yeon-jun bought it for me with the first salary he received from his part-time job a long time ago. The design is pretty, and it reminds me of Yeon-jun, so I wear it often.

A stylish scarf. Yeon-jun’s sense stands out.]

As a result of the search, Yeo Hee-sook started appearing on the show wearing a scarf three months ago.

She wore a turtleneck or a scarf.

Before that, she mainly wore clothes that showed the neckline well, such as V-neck tees, shirts, and blouses.

It was probably to cover the scar on her neck.

‘Kim Yeon-jun’s scarf became Yeo Hee-sook’s trademark, and it was also a tool to cover the scars that Kim Hyeong-jun made.’

Rather, it seems like Kim Hyeong-jun would have felt jealous of Kim Yeon-jun.

First of all, I need to find out what the situation was like at the time of filming.

“Hello. Yes, this is KBC, right? Please connect me to the ‘Happy Home’ department.”

* * *

Two days later in the afternoon, I headed to KBC broadcasting station.

‘It would be nice if Section Chief Oh was here at times like this.’

Even if it’s not Section Chief Oh, it would be convenient to have a decent office manager.

The problem is that the office isn’t making a profit yet, so it’s too much to hire someone.

No, it’s too early to complain already.

First, solve the case.

“Hey, you son of a bitch! I told you not to edit like this, didn’t I!”

“……I’m sorry.”

“Is this son of a bitch trying to ruin the broadcast! Hey, you! How much more experience do you need to do it right? Oh, you idiot.”

I was about to enter the editing room, which was the meeting place, but I heard abusive language coming from beyond the open door.

Slightly surprised, I let go of the doorknob I was about to grab and looked through the window.

A middle-aged man was pushing the shoulder of a man who had his head bowed and swearing at him.

“Stop it. I’ll correct it.”

When the man who was being unilaterally attacked turned around, the middle-aged man twisted his wrist and pulled him.

“Talk to me straight, you son of a bitch.”

“…….”

“I told you to take this part out, didn’t I!”

The sight of him flicking his head every time he said a word wasn’t very pleasant.

I thought he was going to slap him, so I burst open the door and went inside.

“Hello.”

“Ahem! Hmm! Who are you?”

The middle-aged man quickly changed his expression and smiled awkwardly.

Listening to the tone of his voice, it seems like he’s the director I spoke to on the phone.

“I’m attorney Cha Ju-han, who contacted you yesterday.”

“Ah, yes. You said you had something you wanted to ask us.”

“Yes. I would like to hear in detail about the filming of the Kim Cheol-hwan couple episode.”

“Ah, well. Sure. He’ll know more about it than I do. He’s our assistant director. If you have anything you want to ask, ask him.”

The director tossed me to the assistant director as if he was annoyed and left the editing room.

The assistant director, who was left in the editing room, sighed deeply with a flushed face and slumped into a chair.

I handed him my business card.

“I know you’re busy, so I’ll just ask a few questions briefly.”

“Yes.”

“Did you notice anything strange while preparing for filming?”

Kim Hyeong-jun wouldn’t have assaulted the couple in front of the staff unless he was crazy, so I had to start with a broad question first.

“Strange things… Rather than strange, well, it’s minor.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Ms. Yeo Hee-sook is portrayed as a confident woman on the show, isn’t she?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But she looked very intimidated throughout the filming. She didn’t look confident at all. She also asked to cut the filming a lot. Should I say she was afraid of something? There was a bit of that.”

“Afraid?”

“Yes. I don’t know what she was afraid of, but anyway, she was. And every time we cut a take, she asked to see the footage. Ms. Yeo Hee-sook does a lot of broadcasting, so she had a manager and stuff. The manager kept begging us to check it no matter how busy he was, so it was very burdensome.”

Was she worried that her fear of Kim Hyeong-jun would be clearly visible?

“She kept calling the makeup artist and fixing her makeup every time she rested, but well, many people do that… But she always tried to fix it where there was no one else. Originally, people are busy, so they often do it in their seats.”

If so, it would be to continuously cover the traces of assault left on her body.

She kept wearing long sleeves, so the exposed areas were her face, neck, or at most her wrist.

“Now that I think about it, it seems like Kim Hyeong-jun kept assaulting Yeo Hee-sook, so she was worried that the scars would appear on the screen.”

“I see. What else?”

“And this is a bit personal… It seemed like Mr. Kim Cheol-hwan put his house up for sale.”

“His house?”

“Yes. I overheard him talking to a real estate agent, and he told them to sell it as soon as possible. He said he didn’t care if he lost a little money. And as soon as the call ended, he went into the room with Kim Hyeong-jun and talked for a long time before coming out.”

“Where is the house he’s selling located?”

“It seemed like the house he lives in? Dogok-dong.”

Kim Cheol-hwan is only dedicated to acting, and Yeo Hee-sook is a professor at a university hospital and does not do any other business.

Unless the two of them are addicted to gambling, there’s no way they’re losing money, and their income is by no means small.

The house that the couple put up for sale is an old apartment whose price is skyrocketing ahead of renovation [reconstruction].

Even if you take it to the minimum, the sale price will be over 2 billion won [approximately $1.5 million USD].

They wouldn’t sell it urgently unless they needed a lot of money.

‘He said he talked to the real estate agent and then talked to Kim Hyeong-jun separately.’

Kim Hyeong-jun said on the show that he runs a business.

If so, could it be that Kim Hyeong-jun needed money?

What if all of the couple’s money was flowing into Kim Hyeong-jun’s business?

What if there was a problem with Kim Hyeong-jun’s business and he coveted the couple’s money and killed them?