You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 221

You Have Been Defended – Episode 221

As expected, the Minwoo Party released no further statements.

Lee Jung-chan, anticipating the press would follow him, refrained from public appearances.

It was the Minwoo Party members who bore the brunt of the situation.

Reporters relentlessly swarmed them, shoving microphones in their faces, demanding their opinions on Lee Se-hyung.

This situation led to a now-famous, albeit reluctant, quote.

[I don’t interfere in other people’s family matters. Get that microphone out of my face.]

These were the words of Kang Jong-myung, the Minwoo Party’s second-in-command and a potential successor to Lee Jung-chan.

In any case, the Minwoo Party’s actions were predictable.

As Sang-gil had overheard during the wiretapping, they decided to maintain silence and avoid making any statements.

From a purely moral perspective, apologizing and admitting their mistakes would have been the right thing to do. However, considering the political ramifications, their chosen approach was strategically sound.

There were undoubtedly individuals who found the Minwoo Party’s initial explanation satisfactory, defending Lee Jung-chan and Lee Se-hyung as if their own reputations were at stake.

Moreover, this was especially true if Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon were bluffing.

If Lee Jung-chan and Lee Se-hyung were to fully confess and apologize, only for Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon to later claim, “Actually, none of that happened,” they would instantly become laughingstocks.

In fact, we were confident that they would remain silent until the very end.

In short, we were simply preparing to unveil new evidence.

Still, a part of me secretly hoped.

That he would cleanly admit his mistakes and apologize, sparing us the need for such drastic measures.

[Lee Jung-chan ignored me ㅠㅠ I’ll release additional evidence.]

“Haa, this is something else. Even after giving them a few days to respond, Lee Jung-chan and the Minwoo Party haven’t taken any action,” Jo Bong-joon said, smacking his lips as if both amused and frustrated, before taking a swig of bottled water.

[MinwooParty’sTears: LOL he says he feels complicated but his lips are curling up LOLOLOLOL

ChoiJonghyun’sWig: He looks like he’s dying to talk LOLOLOLOLOL]

“No, it’s not that I’m dying to talk. I just sincerely wished that Lee Jung-chan and Lee Se-hyung would apologize and genuinely repent for the truth that has been revealed. Because that’s the best possible outcome, right?”

“Right. The people most betrayed by this incident are Lee Jung-chan’s supporters, and their wounds must be the deepest. If Lee Jung-chan and the Minwoo Party truly cared about their feelings, wouldn’t they have admitted it a long time ago?”

[JonghyunStopPooping: Hyungs, why are you so serious today… it’s awkward

PigPorkBelly: Yeah, go back to being cocky ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

“Anyway, well… it’s disappointing. Honestly, we started broadcasting to reveal the truth to everyone, but we’re also voters of the Republic of Korea. It pisses me off that the most promising presidential candidate among current politicians has chosen to deceive the public like this.”

“Enough, damn it. Let’s get to the evidence. PD-nim [Production Director], play it.”

At Choi Jong-hyun’s command, Kim Jung-woo nodded and started the audio player.

[-Ah, damn it! Mister. Can’t you drive properly?

-I’m sorry. Someone suddenly cut in front of me.

-Ha, damn it. Can’t even drive properly. I’m already annoyed to death.

-……I’m sorry. I’ll be careful.

-Someone who makes a living driving can’t even drive properly?]

As the audio played, the chat room erupted with question marks.

[yepp’: ????????????????

KimchiBokkeumBap: ????????? What is this?

BongjoonGetMarried: Did they play the wrong thing? What is this rude bastard?

PigPorkBelly: This sounds like Lee Se-hyung’s voice;

JjeopJjeopHoiJja: Listening to the content, it sounds like he’s talking to his driver? He’s so rude, that crazy bastard. He pretends to be so nice LOLOLOLOLOL]

Jo Bong-joon, noticing the confused chat room, paused the playback and provided an explanation.

“This audio is a recording of a conversation between Lee Se-hyung and the driver of his handicap van.”

[Malboro: Are you trying to reveal that Lee Se-hyung is rude by preparing this?

ILoveGirlsGeneration: What are you trying to prove with this…;;]

“Ah, you guys are jumping to conclusions. Guys. Have we ever used anything irrelevant? Just listen more, for now.”

While Lee Se-hyung’s rudeness was surprising enough, many viewers wondered what this had to do with his alleged disability fraud.

Most of the people watching this broadcast were either fans of the two hosts’ exposés or keenly interested in current affairs.

Seeing them start to argue after only a few seconds of playback suggested that the Minwoo Party had begun to actively manage the chat room, attempting to control the narrative.

Well, it didn’t matter.

The next part was far more crucial.

[-It’s only because it’s me that I’m putting up with this much. Mister, have you driven for other families?

-I used to serve the madam of B- Group…….

-B- Group madam? That bitch is famous for her bad temper? You got kicked out of there?

-That’s, that’s not it. I had personal reasons…….

-Reasons my ass. It’s obvious you got fired because you weren’t good enough.

-……

-Sigh, whatever. I won’t be seeing your face from next week anyway.

-……Is next week your surgery?

-Do you have to ask? Taking me to the airport next week is your last job. If you want to calculate your severance pay, you need to check your schedule properly, right? Isn’t that right, Mister?

-Ah, no. I remember.

-Damn it, then tell me. If you’re wrong, I’ll deduct a million won [approximately $750 USD] from your retirement pay?

-You’re leaving for the airport at 10 o’clock next Friday. And you said I could go home right after that…….]

At this point, Choi Jong-hyun stopped the audio again.

“Now, this was recorded the week before the Light and Salt Foundation event. In other words, we can see that Lee Se-hyung was originally planning to leave the country after the event to have surgery. Let’s listen on.”

[-But why are you asking if you know?

-I was just going to wish you good luck with your surgery…….

-It’ll go well, damn it. Do you want it to not go well?

-Oh, no. Of course not.

-That reminds me. Do you have anywhere to go, Mister?

-I’m looking around.

-Don’t drive like that at other places, okay? I’m telling you again, it’s only because it’s me that I’m putting up with it. You need to know that.

-I’m not going to do driving, I’m going to do something else…….

-Good thinking. Driving, it’s not your thing. It’s a mess. Even I, with my crippled legs, would do better than you.]

The recording ended there.

And Jo Bong-joon continued.

“Putting aside the fact that Lee Se-hyung is incredibly rude, let’s start by confirming the facts. Lee Se-hyung said at the end, ‘Even I, with my crippled legs, would do better than you.’ In other words, this means that Lee Se-hyung was pretending to be paralyzed from the waist down at this time. Again, the recording date is the week before the event. If the Minwoo Party’s explanation is true, Lee Se-hyung should have already had surgery and be undergoing rehabilitation at this time, right?”

“But in the first part, Lee Se-hyung said that he would leave the country to have surgery on the Friday after the event on Wednesday. In other words, we can see that the Minwoo Party’s explanation was false.”

[ConvexMyungHwaPharmaceuticalConvex: Wow, those Minwoo Party bastards never had any intention of telling the truth from the beginning LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Haptic: So, to summarize, 1. They had to say that Lee Se-hyung had surgery to prove that he could walk. 2. But if they said he was completely cured, they wouldn’t be able to explain why he was in a wheelchair at the event that day, so they said he hadn’t been operated on for long and couldn’t walk properly yet. Is that it?]

“Haptic’s summary is excellent. That’s the answer.”

[Haptic: 3. But if you combine the evidence, Lee Se-hyung was pretending to be paralyzed from the waist down until the day before the event, and he was planning to go for surgery. 4. So did he have surgery or not?]

“We’ve been thinking about this part for a long time. I think it’s like this. Lee Se-hyung said he was going abroad to have surgery, but he wasn’t really going to have surgery; he was going to pretend to have surgery.”

“And he was going to pretend to be slowly recovering, and then reveal that he could walk properly around the time of the presidential election. That makes sense, right? So, to summarize, Lee Se-hyung just pretended to have a disability even though he didn’t have one.”

As Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon summarized concisely, the chat exploded with activity.

The messages were coming in so fast that it was hard to read them individually.

But then, someone in the chat room raised a critical question.

[CanaryFishSauce: But where did you get this recording? Isn’t this wiretapping?

MessiMessiMessi: Looking at the recording of the conversation in the car, there were only the driver and Lee Se-hyung in there. If it wasn’t the driver, then it’s obviously wiretapping, right? Even if it’s good to find the truth, isn’t it too much to reveal evidence obtained through illegal wiretapping?]

As one or two people began to stir the pot, others who had been silently watching started to chime in.

They began to pressure Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon, arguing that they shouldn’t break the law in their pursuit of the truth.

Then, the existing viewers jumped to the defense.

[ConvexMyungHwaPharmaceuticalConvex: Is it normal to already accuse them of being illegal when they haven’t even revealed the source of the evidence yet? LOL]

Internet broadcasting has many advantages, but this is a clear disadvantage.

If a few individuals promote a particular viewpoint in the chat room, many others are easily swayed.

And when the number of such people increases, it quickly escalates into a full-blown argument.

In that situation, even the BJs [Broadcast Jockeys, or streamers] are powerless.

“PD-nim, freeze the chat.”

As the argument showed no signs of abating, Choi Jong-hyun eventually froze the chat room.

“We don’t collect evidence illegally. We report legally, and we receive tips for other things. But we don’t disclose tips that have been collected illegally either. In other words, this also means that the evidence was collected legally. I’ll explain how it happened from now on, so please stop fighting.”

“I’m going to unfreeze the chat room now, and I’m going to ban anyone who continues to argue.”

* * *

The first tip came in around the time we were preparing for our second broadcast, the infrared camera video.

I was in the office when I received a call from Choi Jong-hyun.

-Cha Byun [Cha, Attorney]. I just got a tip?

“A tip?”

-It’s from Lee Se-hyung’s driver. He says he has something to say about Lee Se-hyung’s lies. He wants to meet?

Lee Se-hyung’s driver?

I immediately thought of the conversation I had wiretapped using Tae-shik.

“Make an appointment as soon as possible.”

Come to think of it, if the contract period I had overheard at that time was still valid, the driver would have been fired by now.

And that evening, Lee Se-hyung’s driver came to the studio.

“Hello.”

“Oh, welcome. Please, have a seat.”

He smiled awkwardly as Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon greeted him at the door and led him to the table.

I couldn’t see the driver’s face clearly, but his voice matched the one I had heard during the wiretap.

“Have you had dinner, sir? It’s getting late.”

“Ah, I ate before coming.”

“I see. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“A mix [instant coffee mix] is enough. Haha.”

He was a middle-aged man with a kind face.

Looking at his finely wrinkled face and overall demeanor, he appeared to be about the same age as Lee Se-hyung’s father.

Lee Se-hyung had subjected him to insulting remarks, laced with profanity and swearing.

There’s a limit to what self-taught home education can achieve.

“But who is this…….”

He looked at me and asked cautiously.

Then Choi Jong-hyun placed a cup of coffee in front of him and answered.

“This is the lawyer we are consulting with. We brought him in case there is a situation where his expertise is needed.”

“Ah, I see. I only learned about internet broadcasting while looking up articles recently, so I didn’t realize it was such a serious undertaking.”

“Come to think of it, I was very surprised when you contacted us, sir. It’s true that we were the first to broadcast the Lee Se-hyung video, but it’s not easy for older people to find our channel.”

“My daughter told me. She said that all the broadcasting stations and newspapers are on Lee Jung-chan’s side, so it might be unwise to go to them. That’s why she told me about this place.”

“Your daughter is very insightful. Ah, did you bring the contract I mentioned earlier?”

“Ah, yes.”

He retrieved a crumpled document envelope from his coat and placed it on the table.

Choi Jong-hyun asked me to review it, and I examined the contract.

He seemed to have received his salary without any issues, and as expected, there was a confidentiality clause included.