You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 238

“Ah, reporter. Thank you for always being so considerate. And thank you both for coming.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m sure Secretary Cha is working hard.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Donations are easy to talk about, but never easy to do. I can’t tell you how grateful we are that you care so much.”

I came to the House of Angels with Jo Bong-joon and Choi Jong-hyun to make a donation for the New Year.

With toys and school supplies purchased with the two men’s broadcast earnings, and a donation of 100 million won [approximately $75,000 USD] that I had prepared.

I don’t feel bad about donating some of the money I received back from the Light and Salt Foundation for the Disabled, where I had applied for a donation.

Even though it’s an organization related to Wooshin, I was able to donate without hesitation because, fortunately, there were no issues of embezzlement of donations or public funds.

Perhaps the House of Angels isn’t a place that embezzles donations, but rather a place to hide Ko Sang-joon’s black money.

“After the Myunghwa Pharmaceutical case broke, Wooshin and Lee Jung-chan have been lying low, so there’s nothing to broadcast. Maybe we can cover that story a bit after the trial.”

While taking a short break to smoke during the children’s nap time, the two men complained.

In other words, they wanted me to give them something to broadcast.

“Aren’t you relying on me too much?”

“Relying! I’m just poking around to see if there’s anything to talk about!”

Choi Jong-hyun shouted, flustered.

I shrugged.

In fact, based solely on my knowledge from my previous life, there hasn’t been much going on lately.

Or rather, I should say that there’s not much I know about.

Around this time, I experienced my father’s death and decided to catch Wooshin.

And to do so, I was determined to climb higher, so I focused on work and dug into the Myunghwa Pharmaceutical case whenever I had the chance.

But now the Myunghwa Pharmaceutical case has been completely resolved, so of course there wouldn’t be much going on.

Besides, from around March, I was running around helping Dongjin, who belatedly informed me about the proxy surgery, so I had even less reason to pay attention to the world.

And even that, there was no need to cover it on the broadcast because the incident itself didn’t even happen.

“Lee Jung-chan’s faction will try to create a new party. Why don’t you dig into that?”

“I’m already investigating that. Seyeon is helping too. I’m also poking around here and there.”

“Did you find anything?”

“Honestly, if Lee Jung-chan’s influence disappears from his faction, there won’t be any worthwhile people left. There’s not much interesting news.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Sigh. Let’s say goodbye to Secretary Cha and go grab some food.”

Choi Jong-hyun, who hates seeing the director’s face, always visits this place only when Secretary Cha is there, seemed to have become quite close to her.

He says he’s building a friendship to extract various irregularities of the director from the secretary in the future, but no matter how I think about it, it seems to me that he has ulterior motives for her.

From the perspective of someone who knows the future, if you ask whether Choi Jong-hyun’s feelings for the secretary will be reciprocated, I would shake my head.

First of all, I only learned about the existence of the House of Angels in my previous life much later, and even then, Choi Jong-hyun had made no progress with the secretary.

“Shall we eat loach soup?”

“I don’t eat loach soup.”

“What, Attorney Cha? Are you a child?”

“…It’s not that it’s disgusting, it’s just that I don’t like the texture.”

“Do you eat 곱창 (Korean grilled small intestine)?”

“Wouldn’t I?”

“Then what about 천엽 (omasum) and raw liver?”

“……”

When I couldn’t answer, they were busy teasing me.

They said all sorts of things, like I act the way I look, or that I must have grown up sheltered.

I felt wronged, but I didn’t bother to join in.

But let me just say one thing, I also played in the dirt when I was young.

“Do you eat hamburgers with a knife and fork too?”

I thought they would stop if I stayed still, but they started making more and more ridiculous noises and giggling.

I didn’t want to hear any more, so I turned on the radio.

[……Regarding the rumor that Han Young Electronics Executive Director Seol Hyung-seok fell into a vegetative state due to acute shock after undergoing surgery at Myungwoon University Hospital, an official from Myungwoon University Hospital said that Executive Director Seol Hyung-seok did undergo surgery, but they are currently monitoring the situation. Han Young Electronics has asked that people refrain from making reckless speculations……]

“What, what are they saying? Seol Hyung-seok in acute shock?”

Jo Bong-joon, who was driving, turned to look at Choi Jong-hyun and shouted.

“Watch the road!”

I pointed to the front and said urgently, but the tip of my finger was trembling slightly.

It seems that such rumors have leaked from the hospital, but I had never heard of it before.

Today is January 15th.

It has been 15 days since Seol Hyung-seok’s surgery.

And Dongjin and I haven’t contacted each other once during that time.

“Usually when they say that, it’s true.”

“What, what happened? Was Seol Hyung-seok sick?”

Choi Jong-hyun muttered softly, then soon started making a phone call.

I also hesitated for a moment, then took out my cell phone and called Dongjin.

The phone rang for a long time, but he didn’t answer until the automated message said it would connect to voicemail.

“Okay, I understand. Okay.”

Choi Jong-hyun succeeded in connecting the call, and after a short conversation, he told us what he had confirmed.

“Looks like it’s true, he’s in a vegetative state.”

“……Huh, that person with such a bright future suddenly?”

“It seems they don’t know what he was sick with, but it was cancer. No, cancer at thirty-five, and in a vegetative state. What is going on?”

Choi Jong-hyun clicked his tongue, and Jo Bong-joon also shrugged.

“I know. Han Young Electronics stock will probably drop a lot when the market opens tomorrow. But what kind of cancer was it that caused him to become vegetative after surgery?”

“They don’t know, that’s what I’m saying.”

“Glioblastoma.”

I sighed and answered.

Then the two men looked at me at the same time and shouted.

“You knew?”

“……Yes. I know the surgery went quite well, but I don’t know why he suddenly became like this.”

I started to feel uneasy.

I can still vividly remember Dongjin’s excited voice at the end of last year saying that the surgery went well.

Of course, even if the surgery goes well, the patient may not be able to wake up depending on their condition, but I suddenly wondered if the incident was unfolding in a different way than in my previous life.

I was also worried that Dongjin had entered that operating room.

No, it can’t be.

It must be an incident that occurred completely unrelated to Dongjin.

I looked down at my cell phone, which wasn’t receiving any calls, and repeated it several times in my mind like a mantra.

* * *

Last night, I thought about going to Dongjin’s house, but I didn’t end up doing it.

It’s been three days since I’ve been able to reach him.

I thought about calling the hospital, but I stopped because I was afraid that the fact that I had called looking for Dongjin might be used as an excuse.

“Attorney Cha.”

All I do when I come to the office is check to see if there are any new articles about Seol Hyung-seok.

It’s been noisy since Seol Hyung-seok’s illness was revealed, but there haven’t been any new facts revealed.

Now that the word has leaked from Myungwoon University Hospital, it was clear that the Hanyoung Group was thoroughly covering it up.

“Attorney Cha, why have you looked so bad for the past few days?”

Kang Min-jae approached me and asked.

I sighed instead of answering.

“Is something wrong?”

I hesitated for a moment, then turned the laptop I was looking at towards Kang Min-jae.

Then Kang Min-jae asked, as if wondering.

“Seol Hyung-seok? Why Seol Hyung-seok? Do you know him?”

“No, I don’t know Seol Hyung-seok.”

“Then why?”

“A friend of mine went into Seol Hyung-seok’s surgery.”

“……Your friend? Was he the chief surgeon?”

“No, he went in as an assistant, but……”

“You don’t know if there was a problem with the surgery itself, or if the problem occurred afterwards, do you? Did your friend do anything wrong?”

Kang Min-jae asked with a worried voice, but I couldn’t answer anything.

“I don’t know, me neither. I can’t get in touch with him.”

“Are you close friends? No, you seem very close, since you’ve been worried for days. Have you visited him?”

“……No, not yet.”

“Then you should go visit him.”

“I’m afraid I might be a bother. I don’t know if the situation has been sorted out to some extent.”

At my words, Kang Min-jae shook his head, grabbed my arm, and pulled me up.

“No. Go quickly. Your friend must be having a hard time, but if you go, it will be a comfort to him. And maybe there’s something you can help with. Shall I take you there?”

Kang Min-jae’s words were correct.

Even in my previous life, Dongjin came to me only after he was indicted by the prosecution.

Even after the incident was reported on the news, I lightly dismissed it without even knowing that the suspect was Dongjin.

I don’t know how long it’s been since Seol Hyung-seok became vegetative, but there may be something I can do to help in the early stages.

I am different from my previous life.

I am not a prosecutor, and I can jump directly into Dongjin’s case as much as I want.

If Dongjin wants me to.

I drove straight to Myungwoon University Hospital.

I tried calling Dongjin one more time, but he still didn’t answer, so I went straight to the ward.

“How can I help you?”

“I’m here to see Dr. Yang Dong-jin in the neurosurgery department.”

“……Dr. Yang Dong-jin?”

The nurse who heard me say Yang Dong-jin’s name had a slightly different expression.

Her troubled expression seemed to confirm that something quite difficult had happened to Dongjin.

“Yes.”

“Are you a patient?”

“No, I’m a friend.”

“……Ah, did you make an appointment in advance?”

“No, but if you tell him Cha Ju-han is here, he’ll see me. It’s urgent, so please give him a call.”

“Ah……”

The nurse seemed to be wondering what to do.

Then a middle-aged nurse sitting next to her urged her.

“Call Dr. Yang Dong-jin. Is Yang in jail? Why are you hesitating?”

“I understand.”

The nurse soon told me that Dongjin would be going to the smoking area on the first floor, so I should wait there.

I nodded and checked the name tag of the middle-aged nurse who was typing on the keyboard as if nothing had happened.

I didn’t know if she was friendly to Dongjin or neutral, but I thought it might be helpful to remember her in case I needed her help someday.

After waiting for about 15 minutes on the first floor, I saw Dongjin in the distance.

“……”

The image of him being very emaciated after the incident in my previous life came to mind, and my body lost strength.

I hadn’t heard anything from him yet, but this made it clear.

Dongjin is somehow involved in the incident of Seol Hyung-seok becoming vegetative.

“Ju-han.”

“Yang Dong-jin, you son of a bitch. Why can’t I get in touch with you!”

I couldn’t help but raise my voice.

Dongjin looked at me with wide eyes, as if surprised.

“Why, why are you angry? I’ve been so out of it lately that I haven’t been able to look at my phone. That’s why I couldn’t charge it either. The hospital call uses a different device…… Why, what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong is with you.”

“……”

“What happened? You didn’t do anything wrong. Why did you have a problem?”

I was talking nonsense.

I was angry at my complacency for being relieved that the director who forced him to perform proxy surgeries was gone.

Then Dongjin bit his lip tightly.

“Ju-han.”

“Tell me. Don’t even think about causing me trouble, and if there’s anything I can help with, even if it’s trivial, anything……”

I hoped that Dongjin wouldn’t ask for help first this time.

No, at least I shouldn’t refuse Dongjin’s request.

Then Dongjin looked at me, who was rambling with agitated eyes, and soon lowered his head.

And with a trembling voice, he opened his mouth.