You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 2

You Have Been Defended – Episode 2 (2/641)

2008.

The subprime mortgage crisis in the United States the previous year sent a global financial crisis sweeping across the world.

Not long ago, an elderly man, dissatisfied with land compensation, committed arson, resulting in the destruction of Sungnyemun Gate, National Treasure No. 1.

A tragic event that turned everything to ashes, leaving only the stone steps behind.

The controversy over the Korea-U.S. FTA [Free Trade Agreement] ratification was also a major issue in 2008.

Gwanghwamun Square was filled with citizens holding candles, and the story of mad cow disease, in particular, dominated all media outlets.

In the United States, Barack Obama was elected as the first black president, and in North Korea, news that Chairman Kim Jong-il was seriously ill and on the verge of death was reported simultaneously.

And for me, it was the year I dramatically apprehended the perpetrator of the Euncheon-dong Random Serial Murders, which had almost become a cold case, and brought him to justice.

A heinous crime that should never have happened.

Despite kidnapping, raping, and murdering 13 female college students, the suspect, Jo Jin-tae, was arrested, grinning without a hint of remorse.

When that image was broadcast, the entire nation was shocked.

I demanded the death penalty in the first trial, and today was the sentencing date.

“The court will now deliver the verdict.”

The defendant, wearing a sky-blue prison uniform, glared at me as if he wanted to kill me.

The reason the guy, who had been grinning from the time of his arrest until the first trial, changed his expression was because he realized that the court-appointed lawyer’s defense wasn’t working at all.

“The court sentences the defendant to death.”

“Waaaaah!”

“Please be quiet as the sentencing is not yet complete.”

In the audience, the victims’ families shed tears of joy and cheered.

In reality, South Korea is a de facto abolitionist country, so the death penalty is rarely carried out.

However, until 2018, when I lived, he was rotting in prison, so that was enough.

“Prosecutor, thank you. Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing. I just did what I had to do. I’m just sorry to have made you wait so long.”

The sight of the bereaved families shedding tears and bowing repeatedly.

It’s the second time I’ve seen it, but it’s still a heartbreaking scene.

I spoke with them and then returned to the prosecutor’s office.

“Hoo.”

A sigh of relief escaped involuntarily.

I almost ruined an important trial.

Fortunately, it was an incident I could never forget even after many years, and it was a relief that I could go back three days and review it again.

Beeep-beeep-

My cell phone rang as soon as I got to the prosecutor’s office.

[Reporter Yoon Se-yeon]

Reporter Yoon Se-yeon.

A reporter for Iljung Daily, a major newspaper.

She probably called to get an interview about the Jo Jin-tae case.

She was already famous in the criminal division for being very proactive.

She even somehow found out about the criminal division’s *hoesik* [company dinner] and frequently extracted information from drunken prosecutors.

“Reporter Yoon called again, I see?”

Chief Oh asked, watching me flip my phone over.

When I quietly nodded, Chief Oh chuckled.

“Anyway, it’s a relief that it ended well without reducing the sentence. I had a good dream last night.”

“You can say that again.”

“Prosecutor, do you have plans for this evening?”

Chief Oh gestured, pretending to pour a shot of *soju* [Korean distilled rice liquor].

“How about some grilled eel? My treat. I have a feeling this time. Hehe.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I have a prior engagement.”

‘Having a feeling’ is what Chief Oh often says when he buys a lottery ticket after having a good dream.

Chief Oh bought a lottery ticket every week without fail.

However, he had never won the lottery once by 2018.

In my opinion, he doesn’t seem to have the fate to win the lottery.

There was even a time when he missed the first prize number by one digit, so it can only be thought that the god of the lottery is deliberately avoiding him.

‘He’ll be disappointed if I tell him.’

The lottery is one of his joys in life. I don’t want to take that away from him just yet.

‘Although he wouldn’t believe it.’

Living in the past knowing all the future was not as enjoyable as I thought.

Even walking down the hallway of the prosecutor’s office is distracting.

Because I knew the future of the people I passed by.

“Hey, Prosecutor Cha! I heard the death sentence came down? Kheeuh. That’s so satisfying.”

“Hello.”

“You look exhausted. You’ve been through a lot handling a big case, huh?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Haha, okay. Good work today.”

The Chief Prosecutor of the 1st Public Trial Department, whom I met in front of the coffee vending machine, based on the current year of 2008.

I used to think he was a decent person.

‘He cleaned up after the *chaebol’s* [large family-owned conglomerate] sons’ messes and lined up to go to Yeouido [Korean’s Wall Street].’

After 15 years of being a prosecutor, what I felt was disillusionment, not pride.

No, to be exact, I think I still had some pride left until I brought Chairman Wooshin to justice.

I thought that maybe, even in this country called the Wooshin Republic, I could bring down the head of the Wooshin Group.

But how did the end of my entire life turn out?

It was easy to catch criminals without power, but I had to let go of criminals with power with my eyes open.

Not just letting them go, but even paying the price for daring to touch the ‘powerful’.

In my case, it was the honor and life I had built up over 15 years.

No matter how prepared I was without giving them anything to grab onto, I couldn’t avoid it.

If there are no flaws, they can be fabricated.

There was a limit to being a public official who demanded near-obsessive neutrality and morality.

The reality is that you can’t do anything while belonging to the prosecution organization.

‘I should write a letter of resignation soon.’

After returning to 2008, I decided to finish the Jo Jin-tae case and leave the prosecution.

Ten years is enough time to correct the wrongs.

My arrogance in thinking that I could do it with the power of the prosecution.

My deceased parents.

And the countless other things I lost.

Even the Wooshin Group, the cause of all that pain.

“Senior Prosecutor, hello. I heard you finally finished the Jo Jin-tae case. That’s why you look so tired.”

I snapped out of my thoughts at the voice calling out to me.

“Oh, Prosecutor Yoo. Long time no see.”

“Excuse me? I saw you yesterday, don’t you remember?”

“Did I?”

“You must be out of it. Well, I guess it’s understandable. Hehe. But surely Jo Jin-tae won’t appeal, will he?”

“He won’t.”

Jo Jin-tae will not appeal.

Because he knows that appealing will only worsen public opinion.

If he wants to get even a slight reduction in his sentence as a model prisoner, he can’t afford to be disliked by the public, even in the slightest, from now on.

Of course, it won’t be of much use even if he gets a reduced sentence.

“Haha, that’s a relief. Unlike you, Senior Prosecutor, I’m in great condition! I just got a confession from a suspect.”

“Really?”

“I’m bragging, Senior Prosecutor. Please give me some praise. Haha.”

‘This person was transferred to the Tongyeong branch and eventually resigned.’

He is currently a criminal division prosecutor.

He ends up paying dearly for ignoring the superiors’ orders to cover up a large corporation’s hiring irregularities a few years later.

I heard that he opened a small office afterward, but I remember it not going well.

“Okay, good work.”

“Haha, thank you! I’ll go in first, Senior Prosecutor.”

I sighed, watching Prosecutor Yoo’s receding figure.

I knew that even the remaining affection I had for the prosecution had completely disappeared, but this was a big deal.

Even though I’ve decided to resign, I don’t want to be here for even a minute or a second.

* * *

“Prosecutor, please show some leniency. Huh? I’m begging you.”

The suspect swaggered, fluttering his flashy shirt.

He was relaxed because it wasn’t a custodial investigation.

In the past, when I saw guys like that,

-Who’s your *hyung* [older brother/male friend], you little punk? Do you think this is your living room? I felt sorry for you, a young kid who ruined his life, so I treated you well, but you’re not coming to your senses?

And I used to shout along with them.

“Shut your mouth and leave when I tell you to.”

“A prosecutor’s investigation is nothing!”

The suspect stuck out his belly and left the prosecutor’s office with a swagger.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been doing this for so long, but now I just feel pathetic when I see things like that, and I don’t feel bad.

“Prosecutor, what’s going on? You’re letting those bastards go so easily?”

Chief Oh approached and asked as soon as the suspect left.

“I don’t want to waste my energy lecturing those guys.”

“Keu keu. Prosecutor, your style has changed a lot in the last few days.”

I smiled awkwardly.

“By the way, didn’t you get a message from the chief? He told you to come to his office. He seemed a little angry.”

At the word ‘chief,’ I frowned without realizing it.

Hwang Young-chan, Chief Prosecutor of the 3rd Criminal Division.

A person who will be promoted to the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in the future.

And that son of a bitch who promised me a promotion to Prosecutor General and betrayed me.

“He said he’d come himself if you didn’t come… Did something happen?”

For three days, I ignored the chief’s texts and didn’t answer his calls.

Not only that?

If I thought I was going to run into him on the street, I deliberately turned around, and I didn’t even read the Ipros messenger, which is the prosecution’s internal intranet.

It was an absurd thing for a junior prosecutor to do.

It was at a level where he could have stormed into the prosecutor’s office right away and yelled at me for what I was doing, but he endured it for three days.

It’s not because he has great patience, but because of his petty pride.

“Nothing happened.”

I shouldn’t ignore him anymore.

I headed to the chief prosecutor’s office.

“Prosecutor Cha. It’s so hard to see your face.”