You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 180

“……Do you two know each other?”

Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon asked in surprise as Kim Chan-young and I acknowledged each other.

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Hmm, now that I think about it, he looks a bit young to be an insider at Myung-hwa Pharmaceuticals.”

Choi Jong-hyun stroked his chin, scanning Kim Chan-young from head to toe.

He might not look like the insider we expected, but Kim Chan-young is indeed an insider.

Having received a large amount of Myung-hwa Pharmaceuticals stock from his father, Go Sang-joon, he effectively holds a significant stake in the company.

However, this is something I know because of my knowledge from my previous life, not something Kim Chan-young has revealed.

So, it would be difficult to act like I know him right now.

“……Are you kidding me?”

Jo Bong-joon asked, his expression twisting.

I was about to let Kim Chan-young answer, but I thought Jo Bong-joon might jump to conclusions without hearing him out, so I answered instead.

“That’s not the case.”

“……So, this guy really is an employee of Myung-hwa Pharmaceuticals? He looks like a college student.”

“He is a college student, but he is an insider.”

I stared intently at Kim Chan-young.

If he volunteered to help Jo Bong-joon target Myung-hwa Pharmaceuticals, it seems Kim Chan-young harbored a dislike for Go Sang-joon even back then.

If not, he might have directly intervened to spy, but that seems unlikely.

After a moment of consideration, I said to Jo Bong-joon and Choi Jong-hyun.

“I’ll go talk to this friend for a bit.”

“Just the two of you?”

“There’s something I need to confirm.”

Jo Bong-joon looked uneasy, but Choi Jong-hyun grabbed Jo Bong-joon’s arm and stepped forward.

“Go ahead.”

“No, still, the two of them talking is a bit…”

“They said they knew each other originally. Neither Attorney Cha nor this friend seemed to expect to meet each other here. They probably need time to talk, right?”

Thanks to Choi Jong-hyun’s cue, I was able to take Kim Chan-young into the inner office of the studio.

There were no windows to the outside, so I closed the door and immediately sat him down across from me at the table.

“I didn’t expect to see you here, Attorney.”

Kim Chan-young calmly met my gaze and spoke first.

“So, you thought we’d meet soon because of this?”

“To some extent. And, you said you’d properly check out the rumors about Myung-hwa Pharmaceuticals and contact me. I was waiting for your call, but you didn’t say anything, and the Myung-hwa Pharmaceuticals case has blown up like this. I’m a little disappointed.”

Kim Chan-young said with a soft smile.

Oh, you.

I thought he had a maturity that didn’t suit a college student, but he’s really trying to play games with me.

“Really? Why?”

“Why? I told you before. I used my New Year’s money [customary gift of money given during the Lunar New Year] to buy Myung-hwa Pharmaceuticals stock, and I didn’t want to lose it.”

[Lie]

He’s lying without batting an eye, which is incredibly audacious.

If I didn’t have my previous life and this ability, I might have fallen for it.

“Really? Your father’s wealth is so great, the New Year’s money you’ve collected from childhood until now must be enormous, right? You must have lost quite a bit of money.”

Kim Chan-young raised his eyebrows at my response.

“Attorney, did you investigate me?”

“Maybe.”

“……You’re a scary person. More than I thought.”

“Less than you, who starts lying from the moment we first met without changing your expression.”

Kim Chan-young shrugged.

“So, you told those people that I’m an insider?”

“Before I answer, I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

“The thing with Attorney Kang at the club. Was that a setup?”

In fact, I had been considering it to some extent from the beginning.

It’s a bit ridiculous to call it a coincidence, isn’t it?

A lawyer from the same office as me, who was even summoned by the prosecution for targeting Wooshin Group, happens to get into a fight with friends of the Wooshin Group chairman’s illegitimate child at a club?

Ah, of course, I could just think of it as a great coincidence and move on.

However, considering Kim Chan-young’s thoroughness that day, I couldn’t help but wonder if he had orchestrated it to create a connection with me.

Well, I also went out of my way to have hangover soup with Kim Chan-young, whom I met by chance, and even mentioned Myung-hwa Pharmaceuticals, so we’re both the same in deceiving each other.

“Since when have you been thinking that?”

“From before.”

“I can’t fool you, Attorney.”

Kim Chan-young answered with a hearty laugh.

Of course, the word “Truth” was floating above his head.

The reason he set me up was obvious, even without hearing it directly.

Seeing my actions, he must have thought that making a connection with me would be useful someday.

He was probably planning to use me as someone who would do what he wanted without him being exposed.

It’s the same principle as when Kim Chan-young in his thirties made the materials that led to the downfall of his father and half-siblings naturally discovered in my previous life.

Even then, Wooshin didn’t think the documents came from Kim Chan-young and disciplined the person in charge.

“Well, I’ve been rolling around in this industry for a long time, so I need to be able to figure this out to save face, right?”

“I can’t believe you know so much about me, so I won’t explain it at length.”

“Does your mother know you’re doing this?”

Kim Chan-young frowned when I mentioned his mother.

To him, his mother is a kind of trigger.

“……Mom doesn’t know.”

He replied with an expression that seemed to be holding back anger.

“Mom doesn’t like that I have animosity towards my father.”

“She thinks that if you go against your father, he might do something to you, even if you’re his son?”

“Haha, exactly. Um, I’d rather not talk about my mother. This is just a deal between me and you, Attorney. Of course, my mother doesn’t know, and she won’t know in the future.”

“Since I’m the one who’s going to be exposed anyway, and you won’t be, your mother won’t find out?”

“I can’t even pretend in front of you, Attorney.”

“How can you pretend while saying you want to use me like a pawn?”

As I spoke with my arms crossed, Kim Chan-young raised both hands like a thief in front of the police.

“Seriously. I’ve never lost an argument anywhere else, but you’ve embarrassed me several times.”

“It’s the first time I’ve received such praise from a young friend, so I don’t know how to take it.”

“Haha, it means I respect you.”

Kim Chan-young is definitely intelligent.

If this deal goes through, both Kim Chan-young and I will benefit.

He can corner his father and half-siblings without directly intervening, and I can achieve my goals by using him as an informant.

The reason he set me up is probably because he knows that well.

Even though I’ve been doing things that go against Wooshin, he would have had to deeply consider the cases I’ve taken on to be sure that I really intend to target Wooshin.

This means that, conversely, if he observed me deeply, he could know that I aim to strike Wooshin.

Kim Chan-young must have been looking for someone to achieve his goals with for a long time.

Just like I did.

To think that there was one more person besides Kang Kwan-woong who had been quietly observing me for a long time, this is truly surprising.

“You said you didn’t want to talk about your mother, but I can’t completely ignore it, so I need to know why you’re trying to go against your father.”

“You already know.”

“It’ll be meaningful if I hear it from your mouth, if you want to make a deal with me.”

This is a way to confirm how honest Kim Chan-young, who only told lies, can be with me.

Also, I can know how much he trusts my information.

Will he try to hide it clumsily, thinking I wouldn’t know this much, or what will he do?

“Because of Chairman Go, my mother had to abandon all her dreams and live as someone’s mistress. Someone who was more radiant than anyone else suddenly had to live in hiding, receiving glares from the legitimate wife. And I, the child of such a mother, was born with the original sin of being someone who hurts Chairman Go’s family.”

Kim Chan-young spoke in a calm voice, but he clenched his fists.

“My mother has never been able to reveal who her husband is, who the person she loves is. But she chose to give up her life for that loved one, and I hated that so much. Living in hiding for that disgusting human being is really nauseating.”

Kim Chan-young finished answering smoothly and met my gaze.

As if resenting me.

“Do you feel relieved now that you’ve heard my weaknesses from my own mouth?”

“You’re an adult, but you’re clearly a student. Society doesn’t fully recognize you as a complete adult yet. But I’ll be in trouble if the person I’m dealing with can’t do their part.”

“……”

“I sympathize with the wounds you have, but that doesn’t mean you can gain an advantageous position just because you’re young. You’re definitely smarter than your peers. The people around you must have moved as you intended, right? But not everyone is that easy to deal with.”

Kim Chan-young seemed to be pondering my words.

After a moment of silence, he sighed deeply and answered.

“You mean the way I approached you was rude.”

“You’re smart.”

“I guess so. You’re definitely different from the people around me.”

“That might not be just me. If you really want to make a deal with me, you need to know that your unfounded arrogance could get you into trouble someday.”

“……Is that so.”

“I work based on trust. I hope you do too.”

I know better than anyone how much hatred he has for Go Sang-joon.

I didn’t know in my previous life, but I know now.

How great and long-standing his hatred is.

He, who doesn’t know my abilities and background, might think that I trust him surprisingly easily, but I have confirmed many things that are not visible with this short conversation.

That’s why I can trust him right now.

But I can’t say for sure how long that trust will last.

Even if his hatred is still there, I have to cut him off if he seems like he’s going to stab me in the back someday.

In the first place, Kim Chan-young was included in my plan, but not to this extent.

So, even though I know he’s too young to be involved in this kind of thing, I’m demanding that he fulfill the role of a complete adult.

It might be cruel to him, but I don’t want to fail this time.

“Kim Hwa-young was too radiant of an actress to be buried alive as Go Sang-joon’s mistress.”

“……”

“I understand your feelings enough. And that they’re genuine.”

Kim Chan-young flinched when his mother’s name came out.

“Now, shall we start in earnest with the Myung-hwa Pharmaceuticals case?”

Just as I wanted an insider at Myung-hwa Pharmaceuticals in this case, I also need an insider at Wooshin Group to strike Wooshin Group.