You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 157

“Lawyer! Please explain the trial results!”

“Are you satisfied with the verdict?”

“Is it true that Ko Yun-sung collectively assaulted Oh Sang-hyun?”

“Is it true that Ko Yun-sung tried to rape a nurse during his hospitalization?”

I hadn’t even finished dinner or properly smoked a cigarette when reporters swarmed me, blocking my path.

I had sent out official letters to civic groups in advance, asking them to pay attention to the trial, but there were more people than I expected.

They must have been camped out in front of the courthouse for a long time, as their skin was red and frozen from the cold.

I should have told Secretary Oh to hand out some hot packs.

“The jury unanimously found Oh Sang-hyun not guilty, and the court delivered the same verdict.”

I answered concisely, but the reporters, seemingly unsatisfied, followed me closely, shoving microphones in my face.

“It’s been reported that evidence presented in court showed Ko Yun-sung, not the defendant, committed the assault. Is this true?”

“That’s correct. It was revealed that a witness had CCTV footage of the incident, which we submitted as evidence. The video showed Director Ko Yun-sung, who was initially reported as the victim, collectively assaulting Oh Sang-hyun with his entourage. The prosecutor acknowledged the evidence, and it influenced the verdict.”

“What about the allegations that Ko Yun-sung attempted to rape a nurse while hospitalized?”

“That is also true. The victim has expressed a strong desire for Ko Yun-sung, the Wooshin Corporation Director, to be punished. Our office plans to pursue a separate lawsuit regarding that incident.”

Han Young-sun, who wanted to keep the truth a secret because she feared her boyfriend would break up with her, ended up revealing everything in court due to Yang Han-seok’s provocation.

During the recess, she stated that since things had come to this, she wanted to take legal action to ensure Ko Yun-sung was punished.

Now, based on today’s trial results, Ko Yun-sung faces charges of aggravated assault.

Attempted rape of Han Young-sun will also be added.

Of course, Ko Yun-sung’s lawyer will try to consolidate the two cases to reduce the sentence, but he won’t be able to slip away like a loach [a type of fish known for being slippery and hard to catch].

“We’ve heard that the witness who provided crucial evidence in this case reversed their testimony after being manipulated by the lawyer. What’s the story behind this?”

At that moment, a reporter shouted.

“While revealing the truth is important, some believe this behavior goes against the ethics of a lawyer. What are your thoughts on this?”

After one person opened the floodgates, several others hidden in the crowd of reporters began to chime in.

“The claim that we fabricated the situation is a clear case of perjury by the witness. We will request the prosecution to investigate to ensure the witness is held accountable for their statements.”

“How can you assert it’s perjury?”

The reporter persisted.

Normally, this answer would lead to a different line of questioning, but the fact that they kept pressing suggests that someone had put them up to it.

Why wouldn’t they?

There are plenty of media outlets that would publish articles exactly as Wooshin Group dictates, without adding or subtracting anything.

This trial has clearly made Ko Yun-sung the perpetrator, and they wouldn’t just stand by while we turned him into a criminal in an instant.

“Since we didn’t instigate the witness to commit assault, we can confidently say it’s not perjury. The witness is currently in custody anyway. A fair investigation will reveal all the facts.”

“There are rumors that this trial was suddenly converted into a jury trial a month ago. It’s said that Attorney Cha Joo-han requested it. Is this true?”

I had suspected that they were a stenographer reporter for Wooshin since earlier, but I didn’t expect them to confirm it so directly.

Until we sent out official letters to various media outlets asking them to pay attention to the case, it was strangely unknown.

Perhaps it was only natural.

Ko Yun-sung was merely pretending to be the victim, fearing that Oh Sang-hyun would collude with the union to sue him.

In other words, it was Ko Yun-sung who wanted the incident to be buried quietly.

If any media outlet caught wind of it and started digging into the case, they would quickly realize that the entire investigation process was suspicious.

In that situation, how could they know that this trial suddenly changed to a jury trial only an hour after the verdict was reached?

Since it wasn’t information we leaked, it must have come from Wooshin.

“That’s correct.”

“There are still many negative views on jury trials. There’s criticism that you’re relying on the legal sentiments of ordinary people who lack legal knowledge, in other words, exploiting the negative perception of conglomerates [large corporate groups]. What are your thoughts on this?”

“We could have proven Oh Sang-hyun’s innocence even without a jury trial. The CCTV evidence came out in court today. Of course, if it hadn’t been a jury trial, the trial date would have been rescheduled, and it would have taken longer to reach a verdict, but I believe the result would have been the same.”

“It sounds like you knew about the existence of the CCTV from the beginning. If that’s the case, it’s tantamount to delaying the lawsuit and obstructing the smooth progress of the trial.”

“I don’t understand why you would interpret it that way. It seems you didn’t attend the trial,”

“I did attend.”

The reporter cut me off.

He must have been afraid that he would incur the displeasure of other reporters for wasting question time by asking questions without knowing the facts.

“If you attended, then it’s even more incomprehensible. The witness didn’t inform us about the existence of the CCTV copy. However, as the prosecutor continued to pressure him, accusing him of perjury, the witness bravely revealed it, fearing the truth would be buried. It’s a gross exaggeration to say we deliberately hid it while knowing about it.”

My answer left the reporter speechless, and he left the group without asking any further questions.

It seemed he had nothing prepared other than questions aimed at tarnishing my reputation.

The spot where the reporter disappeared was quickly filled by other reporters.

They began to competitively shove microphones in my face again.

“Despite the clear CCTV evidence, the prosecution failed to obtain it. There’s criticism that this is due to a lax investigation. What are your thoughts on this?”

“Is it true that Wooshin Corporation hid the CCTV footage?”

“There are rumors that the prosecution conducted a biased investigation. What are your thoughts on this?”

These are questions I like.

I want to give the impression that I’m answering all questions as much as possible and not avoiding questions that are unfavorable to us, but perhaps it’s because I’m human that I keep getting drawn to questions like these.

“We don’t know whether Wooshin Corporation hid the CCTV or whether the prosecution conducted a biased investigation. We simply feel sorry that the innocent victim, the defendant, was wrongly accused of being the perpetrator and suffered for a long time. We’re glad that all the facts have come to light, even now.”

I’ve said everything I need to say now.

Articles are probably popping up like mushrooms after the rain right now, but the peak time will probably be at 9 PM, two hours from now.

That’s when all three major broadcasting stations will be airing the news.

After the news airs, people will criticize Ko Yun-sung’s reckless behavior until nightfall.

All that’s left for us is to prepare for the civil lawsuit.

* * *

[The Full Story of the Wooshin Corporation Assault Case, Shocking Twist!]

[‘Reckless Ko Yun-sung’ Again This Time?]

[Looking at ‘Ko Yun-sung’s Fabrication,’ 2 Years of Jury Trials]

[Ko Yun-sung, Not Only Assaulting Employees but Also Attempting to Rape a Nurse? It Keeps Getting Worse]

[Wooshin Corporation Remains Silent… How Long Will They Keep Turning a Blind Eye?]

[Prosecution Indicts Ko Yun-sung for Assault and Attempted Rape]

[Predicting the Sentence for Collective Assault and Attempted Rape, Ko Yun-sung!]

Ko Yun-sung’s trial was scheduled for two months later.

As expected, Ko Yun-sung’s lawyer requested that the aggravated assault and attempted rape cases be merged, and this was accepted.

As a matter of course, Ko Yun-sung was temporarily suspended from his duties upon indictment.

The Wooshin Corporation union posted the judgment all over the headquarters like posters and demanded an official apology.

In addition, it seemed that there was an issue related to wage arrears [unpaid wages] at Wooshin Corporation, so the union at the Centre Apartment construction site immediately went on strike.

Normally, construction site workers are managed through subcontractors, but in an effort to save every penny that goes out, they directly managed them, so they were also managed by the Wooshin Corporation union.

Choo Jung-wook, the site manager, and Oh Sang-hyun, who has now regained his health, participated in the sit-in that began in front of the headquarters.

Oh Sang-hyun’s department at the headquarters does not have a wage arrears issue, but he was participating as a dispatched member of the Wooshin Corporation union.

Oh Sang-hyun seems to have become a kind of symbol now.

Well, that’s an area that the labor attorney oversees, so we’ve taken a step back, but we’re still keeping an eye on the situation.

“Lawyer!”

Like the day I first encountered this case, I sometimes stop by when there’s a trial at a nearby court.

Like today.

“You’re working hard.”

“It’s nothing.”

Oh Sang-hyun was the first to spot us and approached us.

The headband and vest he wore were a good fit for his well-built physique.

Having mainly seen him wrapped in casts and bandages, seeing him in such good health makes me think that Ko Yun-sung is a truly terrible person.

The gap between those two appearances is so large that I wonder how he could have assaulted such a robust person to that extent.

“Where’s the site manager?”

Kang Min-jae asked, looking around.

I hadn’t visited the headquarters often, but the last time, Oh Sang-hyun and the site manager were together.

“He said he was going over there to take a call for a moment… Ah! There he is.”

Oh Sang-hyun said, pointing towards the parking lot as he looked around.

He guided us towards the site manager as if he were our bodyguard.

I wondered if there was a need to bother someone who had gone to take a call, but the site manager had already hung up and was smoking a cigarette.

With a very troubled look on his face.

“Site Manager, the lawyers are here.”

“Ah! Lawyers. You’re here again. Thank you for continuing to care about our strike, it’s really something.”

The site manager forced a smile and extended his hand to us.

I smiled lightly and shook his hand, but it seemed like something was wrong with him.

In fact, after Oh Sang-hyun’s trial ended, we were worried that Wooshin might penalize the site manager.

This was because the CCTV submitted by the site manager was the most decisive evidence proving Oh Sang-hyun’s innocence.

There’s no telling how they might retaliate against him, as he’s still affiliated with Wooshin Group.

That was one of the reasons why we kept an eye on the strike.

“Is something wrong?”

“…Ah, no. Nothing.”

“It seems like there is.”

“Oh, come on. I said there isn’t.”

The site manager waved his hand dismissively with an awkward smile.

Unaware that the word [Lie] was shining above his head.

“Oh Sang-hyun, would you excuse us for a moment?”

At my words, Oh Sang-hyun readily agreed and ran back towards the union tent.

For some reason, Kang Min-jae and I ended up surrounding the site manager.

“Site Manager, something’s wrong, isn’t it? Please tell us.”

Kang Min-jae began to persistently ask, massaging the site manager’s shoulders.

The site manager sighed deeply and checked how far away Oh Sang-hyun was.

Then, he showed us the phone he was holding.

It was a screen with call history.

The name written inside was that of Ko Yun-sung’s secretary.

“Is there a problem with Ko Yun-sung’s secretary?”

“…As you may have guessed, I received money from Ko Yun-sung in exchange for keeping my mouth shut, and our team leader Kim Eui-cheol received it in exchange for testifying.”

But neither of them kept their promise.

The site manager didn’t keep his mouth shut, and Kim Eui-cheol was removed from the prosecution’s witness list.

I was also bothered by that part and asked about it several times, but the site manager always changed the subject.

“Even though we kept saying we would return the money, they remained silent. But yesterday, the secretary suddenly called and said that the internal investigation revealed that I had received bribes from subcontractors and shared the money with Kim Eui-cheol, so I would be disciplined. It doesn’t make sense. I’m just a site manager there, why would they give me bribes!”

I was wondering why they weren’t retaliating against the site manager.

As expected, Wooshin doesn’t disappoint.

“Then where is the money now?”

“I just have it. I haven’t touched it at all. The same goes for the team leader. This money is driving me crazy. It’s not a small amount, and now that the trial is over, I can’t stand having it…”

The site manager sighed deeply.

“You should have told us sooner. Then we could have figured out a way together…”

“This is a personal matter.”

“How much money did you receive in total?”

“…250 million won [approximately $190,000 USD]. 150 million for me, 100 million for the team leader.”

“Didn’t Kim Eui-cheol originally receive 50 million won?”

“He did. But it seems they added 50 million more because the team leader said he wouldn’t appear at the trial. The team leader was swayed by that and took the money and came back. But in the end, he changed his mind and said he wouldn’t go…”

“Hmm.”

I crossed my arms.

“What’s the total amount of wage arrears for the current on-site workers’ union?”

“We have about 100 people in total, and it’s about 1 billion won [approximately $760,000 USD].”

“Wow. So Ko Yun-sung gave out a quarter of the wage arrears with his own money?”

“Pardon?”

The site manager tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand what I was saying.

But Kang Min-jae quickly understood what I meant and chimed in.

“That’s right. Wow, it looks like Ko Yun-sung is showing some remorse!”

“…What are you talking about,”

“The money that the site manager received wasn’t kickbacks from subcontractors, but Ko Yun-sung giving some of the wage arrears in advance with his own money. You can explain it that way, so I don’t know why you haven’t done that yet? Right, Lawyer?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

The site manager stared at us blankly for a while, then clapped as if he understood.

And he started laughing loudly with a relieved face.

“Ah, that’s right! The money that the team leader and I received, we can distribute it to the workers! And we can submit that as supporting documentation. Then it won’t be kickbacks!”

“Kickbacks? We’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“That’s right. When did the site manager and the team leader ever receive something like that? It’s all the money we were owed in wages that we received in advance. In the capacity of the site manager. Haha! Thank you so much, lawyers. Thank you so much!”