You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 126

You Have Been Defended – Episode 126 (126/641)

[Regarding the forgery of the will of the editor-in-chief of Iljoong Daily that occurred over the past three days, the Korea Journalists Association has issued a statement condemning the act and permanently expelled the editor-in-chief from the association.

In response, Iljoong Daily also stated that the editor-in-chief, who attempted to undermine the freedom of the press and distort the truth, is not qualified as a journalist and will be dismissed.

Furthermore, they expressed deep condolences to reporters Choi and Kim, who have been under pressure from the editor-in-chief.

Iljoong Daily claimed that the Iljoong Daily company had no intention in the incident. Is that really true? Let’s listen to a phone interview with a former Iljoong Daily reporter.]

Nearly a month passed before the series of events was out of my hands.

Iljoong Daily continued to deny any company involvement, but no one believed them.

[Reporter Choi has been focusing on the collusion between the B-Group and the B-Party. Iljoong Daily said that the incident was not the intention of the company, but in fact… it’s almost like trying to hide the sky with your hand [a Korean idiom meaning to futilely attempt to conceal the truth]. Many journalists find it unsurprising.

In fact, I also left Iljoong Daily because my ideology didn’t align with them, and there are quite a few reporters like that. There must have been many instances of obstructing and threatening coverage like that even before Reporter Choi. Although not known, there were stories circulating like open secrets.

I know that many reporters have resigned for this reason. Now that the tail has been caught, I think it should be corrected now. The situation has been festering internally…]

The atmosphere, which seemed to be calming down within a few days, heated up again with the phone interview that a former Iljoong Daily reporter had with News9.

The news blurred out both the company and the political party that the reporter mentioned, but it was not difficult for people who saw the news to infer them.

The Minwoo Party took a direct hit.

People called the Minwoo Party’s office and the offices of Minwoo Party members, protesting that they had suppressed reporters and hid their flaws.

A list of phone numbers for Minwoo Party members’ offices circulated on the internet.

Eventually, the Minwoo Party soon issued a statement through its spokesperson, claiming that they had never requested such a thing from Iljoong Daily and that this incident had nothing to do with them.

Of course, no one believed them.

As public opinion did not subside, Iljoong Daily announced that it would launch an internal investigation to thoroughly investigate whether there were any other victims and perpetrators.

It was just lip service, but it was certain that Iljoong Daily had taken a big hit.

For them, who would usually try to gloss over any incident and quietly wait for it to pass, it was rare for them to announce that they would launch an internal investigation.

What’s disappointing is that Wooshin Group didn’t take a big hit…

I think that’s inevitable.

The public is already immune to conglomerates being mentioned in such incidents.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that trust in the Minwoo Party was strong.

However, since political criticism is possible, the layer that originally had an aversion to the Minwoo Party is moving.

I didn’t think this incident would significantly damage Wooshin.

It is enough to scratch Iljoong Daily, which is acting as a henchman for Wooshin Group, and the Minwoo Party, which has been causing problems due to long-standing collusion.

I have to be satisfied at this point.

“Cha, Attorney!”

Choi Jong-hyun, whom I met after a long time, had a very relieved look on his face.

He looked at the empty desks as he entered the office.

“Have all the other employees left work?”

“It’s already past 7 o’clock.”

Choi Jong-hyun glanced at his watch and feigned ignorance, asking if it was already that late.

After exchanging pleasantries and hearing about the company’s situation, I felt that the incident was definitely coming to an end.

“Ah, right. You must be very curious about Jung-woo. Jung-woo is much better now. He told me to say hello when I said I was going to meet Attorney Cha today.”

“Is that so? Please tell him I’m doing well. How is the zolpidem addiction? Is he receiving treatment well?”

“He’s getting better. Jung-woo is showing quite a strong will.”

“That’s a relief.”

It was welcome news to hear.

Although I succeeded in preventing his suicide, the aftermath is more important.

Although I removed one of the motives for his suicide, I couldn’t completely let go of my worries because I couldn’t solve his family affairs.

“And I decided to take my mother to the hospital. There’s a psychiatrist I know who helped me somehow. Fortunately, he said that patients with schizophrenia don’t need to be hospitalized for that long.”

I had been wondering why Kim Jung-woo and his sister hadn’t hospitalized their mother, but I decided not to ask because it seemed to be a personal matter.

“I received a lot of help from Attorney Cha, but I don’t think I’ve properly thanked you.”

After a moment of silence, Choi Jong-hyun suddenly scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Thank you. I don’t know how to repay this favor. Saving Jung-woo, and the editor-in-chief incident. I don’t even want to imagine what terrible things would have happened if it weren’t for Attorney Cha.”

“I don’t think I did that much. The reporter worked hard.”

“Hey, that’s not true.”

Choi Jong-hyun shook his hand.

I didn’t want to hear thank you from the beginning.

I just wanted to prevent the tragedy that would happen to reporter Choi Jong-hyun, who was my colleague in my previous life and who was essential in this life.

Above all, I thought it would be better to start preparing earlier because striking Wooshin is not something that can be done in just one or two years.

“By the way, I’m curious if the company atmosphere has gotten any better. The reporters took Reporter Choi’s side, but it’s true that Reporter Choi was disliked by the company.”

Choi Jong-hyun slowly nodded at my words.

“Actually, there aren’t just one or two reporters at Iljoong Daily. I can’t say that all the reporters took our side. There will definitely be people who are hostile to me. Not all reporters have the same tendencies as us.”

He seemed to have been thinking a lot about that part as well.

“What are you planning to do in the future?”

The only past I know is that he was fired after losing Kim Jung-woo.

I don’t know the future in a situation where he wasn’t fired.

So I was curious.

In his previous life, he lived like a *paine* [a Korean slang term for a social outcast or loser] for several years before meeting me and starting to investigate Wooshin again in earnest.

So, how will those few years that will arise from now on turn out?

“I’m going to quit.”

“…What do you mean by quitting?”

“What else could it be but Iljoong Daily.”

I didn’t intend to stop him, but Choi Jong-hyun didn’t seem like he would listen even if I did.

As if he had already made up his mind, his eyes were filled with determination.

“Actually, I submitted my resignation today.”

No one can really keep up with his drive.

I chuckled softly.

“Why are you laughing?”

“I just thought it was like Reporter Choi.”

“Although I’m a victim, it’s true that I caused a disturbance in the company. I was also very disappointed in the company. I don’t think it’s right to keep going.”

“Then, have you decided where to move to?”

“Not yet. In fact, big places won’t want to accept me. Who would want to accept an employee who tarnished the organization’s reputation?”

“But you could have contacted them. Other newspapers with different tendencies might want Reporter Choi.”

“Well, maybe…”.

“It seems like you have other plans.”

Choi Jong-hyun nodded heavily once.

“I’m going to dig into Wooshin and Lee Jung-chan in earnest. There will be a presidential election in two years, so I have to get something for sure by then. The same goes for Wooshin. It would be great if I could dig into their collusion within two years.”

Choi Jong-hyun said that and looked me straight in the eye.

“Now, tell me slowly. After checking, Jung-woo didn’t tell anyone that he was threatened by the editor-in-chief. The same goes for depression. I’ve been wondering how Attorney Cha knew about this and stopped it.”

At that time, I didn’t know when Kim Jung-woo would die, so I didn’t explain the situation properly and rushed at him, saying that Kim Jung-woo would die.

I think it’s suspicious enough.

Choi Jong-hyun must have postponed it, saying that he would stop the incident first and then check it because I kept insisting.

“I had a tip.”

“A tip?”

“Yes. It’s difficult to say who the informant is, but.”

Who would believe me if I said that the informant was me from my previous life?

“I remember Attorney Cha saying that Managing Editor Park Hyo-sung would have directed this. Was that also included in the tip?”

“Yes.”

It was purely my guess that Managing Editor Park Hyo-sung was involved in this incident, but it wouldn’t be wrong.

The editor-in-chief was Park Hyo-sung’s loyal dog, and Park Hyo-sung easily used and discarded people as if he had made *tosa gupaeng* [a Korean idiom referring to the act of using someone until they are no longer needed, then discarding them, like a hunting dog being slaughtered after the hunt] his life’s motto.

“Then, what about the House of Angels? Was that also a tip?”

“Yes.”

“That’s strange.”

Choi Jong-hyun crossed his arms and stared at me intently.

“Why would such a tip go to lawyer Cha Joo-han? Not a reporter like me.”

He said as if he couldn’t believe my words.

I understand.

The image that people have of me is not someone who digs into the flaws of Wooshin Group or Iljoong Daily.

It’s true that I’ve built a somewhat righteous image, but it wasn’t like I was confronting the power class like that.

I got up from my seat.

And I approached the large whiteboard hanging on the wall.

“Aren’t you going to answer?”

Choi Jong-hyun asked, following me with his eyes.

The person who had been repeatedly thanking me, saying that he didn’t know how to repay my favor, suddenly had a questioning attitude.

I’m upset.

Instead of answering, I took the whiteboard off the wall, turned it over, and hung it back up.

“…What is this?”

Choi Jong-hyun didn’t even think that the whiteboard hanging on the wall would be double-sided, let alone a mobile whiteboard.

I had no choice but to do this in order not to get caught by Kang Min-jae, who was busy filling the office walls with my articles.

“It’s as you can see.”

The family tree and relationship chart of the political and business circles related to Wooshin Group.

A summary of their photos and related incidents.

It was prepared for convenient brainstorming.

Occasionally, after Attorney Kang left work, I would stare intently at the whiteboard alone.

“Why does Attorney Cha have this…?”

“I have the same purpose as Reporter Choi. I’ve been digging into it for a long time.”

Choi Jong-hyun thoroughly examined the whiteboard.

And his gaze slowly reached the vicinity of the House of Angels at the end of the whiteboard.

“Nominee account? Is the House of Angels related to Wooshin Group’s nominee account? I didn’t do anything in vain. There really was a nominee account…”

In fact, it was Choi Jong-hyun, not me, who first touched the House of Angels in my previous life.

So that information was also investigated by Choi Jong-hyun.

Exactly, four years later.

“Reporter Choi doesn’t seem to know much about the House of Angels yet.”

“…I only smelled it, but I didn’t know what that place was doing. Ko Sang-jun was saving taxes by donating there, and I only knew that it was more than 1 billion won every year, as it was known. I started by suspecting a nominee account, but I didn’t know it was real.”

Choi Jong-hyun said as if possessed, and stroked the photos hanging on the whiteboard.

“The director… Is the director related to Ko Sang-jun’s wife?”

“The director is a curator who worked under Ko Sang-jun’s wife, Hyun Hee-young.”

“If she’s a curator under Hyun Hee-young, are you talking about the Wooshin Museum of Art?”

“That’s right.”

Choi Jong-hyun blinked.

“I’ve never heard of that information. Attorney Cha, you’re really amazing. All these things… You wouldn’t have found out about it alone, are you working with that informant?”

“You could say that.”

“Why is your answer so ambiguous?”

“If Reporter Choi were me, would you be able to answer perfectly? You’re in a situation where a lawyer suddenly knows more than a reporter who has only been digging into Wooshin and the Minwoo Party. You’d be suspicious of me, and maybe you’d think you’re being deceived.”

“Hmm.”

He *chimeum* [a Korean onomatopoeia for clearing one’s throat or making a noncommittal sound] as if he had been stabbed in the side.

“Since Reporter Choi doesn’t completely trust me, I can’t tell you everything. Anyway, it’s the source of my information.”

I am grateful for many things since I started this life, but there is one thing I regret.

That I couldn’t bring the data I had in 2018.

By the time the special investigation began, we already had a lot of data.

Some of them were not legally recognized, but most of them were legally collected data that we could present in court after much effort.

Now that I don’t have them, I have to find them again, which feels a bit daunting, but it won’t be difficult if I have Reporter Choi. We met a full four years earlier, after all.

“I think it would be better to check directly whether I’m a trustworthy person than to keep talking about it now. Reporter Choi has been busy for a while, so you haven’t had time to find out about me.”

“……”

“Find out enough about me. Figure out what kind of person I am, all of it. It won’t be difficult. I think it would be good to talk in detail next time.”