You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 240

“It sounds like the nurse is trying to shift the blame to you to avoid taking responsibility for her mistake, just like you said.”

“…Well, there’s no other reason for her to do this to me.”

“Actually, there are other possibilities to consider.”

“More?”

Dongjin looked up at me with a puzzled expression, as if he couldn’t understand.

Dongjin must have thought about this for days since it happened.

Why the nurse is doing this to him.

But he couldn’t possibly know without the information from his previous life.

Considering both the events of the previous life and the events of this life, there is only one conclusion.

“Have you made any enemies?”

“Enemies?”

“No matter how I think about it, it seems like someone is determined to cause problems for you.”

Dongjin’s face contorted at my words.

It’s understandable.

Wouldn’t it be natural to hope that this situation was caused not by someone with great malice towards him, but simply by the human instinct to protect oneself?

“What’s the name of the nurse who administered the cephalosporin injection after receiving the order from you?”

“Gu So-jeong.”

Judging from the fact that it’s the first time I’ve heard the name, it doesn’t seem like she was involved in this incident in my previous life…

The reason I speculated that this incident was caused by a grudge is that even though I eliminated the risk factors, the incident involving Seol Hyung-seok happened again at this time.

If that’s the case, then the accomplice or the principal offender must still be around for my hypothesis to hold true.

“…Hmm. First, think about anyone who might harbor malice towards you.”

Dongjin seemed taken aback by the word ‘malice’ but soon fell into thought.

Dongjin has a good personality, so he’s not the type to make enemies easily.

He didn’t seem to have a good idea either, as he just tilted his head.

“I’m not sure about grudges. There might be people who dislike me, but that’s bound to happen to someone when you’re working in a company.”

“Then think about it this way. Even if it’s not malice, is there anyone who would benefit from your downfall?”

“Someone who would benefit from my downfall…?”

He pondered my words carefully and eventually seemed to recall a face in his mind.

I also had a fleeting image in that moment.

“The director’s son.”

And the words that came out of Dongjin’s mouth also pointed to the person I had in mind.

“The director’s son would benefit. I’m competing with him for a promotion, and now that the chief [referring to the new department head] has come, he doesn’t push him as much as the previous chief did, so if I’m gone, everything will be concentrated on him.”

“That’s right. You said the director’s son was already unhappy with you. Was it something about ‘checking the ace’?”

“That was just a joke… Even if that guy is annoying, I don’t think he would try to push me into a pit like this… This is too big of a deal.”

If Dongjin thinks so, it might be true, but unfortunately, I lost faith in humanity a long time ago.

Humans are capable of ruining others with even small desires.

Besides, the director’s son was a nuisance to Dongjin even in his previous life.

Back then, the director’s son and Dongjin were also competing.

Above all, considering Dongjin’s words that the former chief favored the director’s son because he wanted to impress the director, it fits even better.

“The patient became a vegetable, and I’m about to be sued! But you’re saying he created this situation just because he wanted to win the competition? That’s… that’s… It doesn’t make sense.”

While I was lost in thought, Dongjin also seemed to be diligently thinking about the suspect we had identified.

But unlike him, the more I thought about it, the more suspicious the director’s son became.

At first, I thought it didn’t make sense that the former chief would force proxy surgery [performing surgery on a patient under another doctor’s name] just to push the director’s son in my previous life.

But when I thought about it carefully, the reason why the former chief made Dongjin perform proxy surgery wasn’t just for that reason, was it?

He wasn’t confident in performing Seol Hyung-seok’s surgery properly, and he didn’t want to lose the VIP patient, so he committed the incident.

He also wanted to pass the responsibility to someone else if the surgery didn’t go well, and at the same time, get rid of Dongjin, who was an eyesore to the director’s son.

He must have thought it was killing two birds with one stone.

The risk factor that I failed to eliminate was the director’s son.

“After this incident happened, what was the director’s son’s reaction?”

“I don’t really know. I was a bit out of it, so I couldn’t pay attention to him. He did say something like why did I make such a stupid mistake while passing by…”

Decisively, it was the nurse who injected cephalosporin into Seol Hyung-seok.

In other words, there is a high probability that the nurse was instigated by the director’s son.

If that’s the case, it makes sense that the nurse Gu So-jeong’s presence was absent in the incident that happened in my previous life.

In the previous life, the result of Dongjin’s surgery was bad, and accordingly, the chief directly framed him, so there was no need to involve the nurse.

But this time, since the former chief disappeared, the director’s son needed another accomplice.

“You’re saying that the director’s son instigated the nurse Gu So-jeong to administer cephalosporin and made her lie that she received the order from me?”

“That’s right.”

“How could he do this unless he’s crazy… It doesn’t make sense…”

Dongjin still didn’t seem to want to believe it.

But it doesn’t matter what Dongjin thinks.

“Are the director’s son and Gu So-jeong nurse in the ward right now?”

Because I can meet them directly and confirm.

“…They should both be there now.”

“Let’s meet them for now.”

“Now? I’ve already talked to Gu So-jeong enough. She’s already denying it, you know?”

Dongjin followed me urgently as I moved towards the hospital.

“I know. You never know. Still, I’m a lawyer, so who knows if I can find something out if I talk to her. And it would be good to talk to the director’s son too.”

Dongjin must have thought he couldn’t stop me, so he obediently pressed the elevator button to go up to the ward.

A heavy silence filled the spacious elevator.

Dongjin was just staring at his toes before muttering in a small voice.

“Hey, Cha Juhan.”

“What.”

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“…For stepping up like this.”

“Are you stating the obvious? You would help me in any way you can if I was sick.”

“Of course, you idiot. Still… I’m glad I have you.”

I have to bring good results to Dongjin, who is relying on me like this.

Unlike my previous life.

As soon as we got off the elevator, Dongjin took me to the lounge.

* * *

“Who should we call first?”

“Gu So-jeong first.”

At my words, Dongjin started calling Gu So-jeong.

Since there are eyes watching, Gu So-jeong is right in the ward, but asking where she is in this situation will only cause gossip.

“But what are you going to say when you meet Gu So-jeong? I mean, you’re an outsider. I think she’ll be surprised if a stranger suddenly asks about the incident.”

“I’ll tell her the truth: that your friend is a lawyer and you consulted with him. Anyway, the patient’s family said they’re going to sue you. Then it’s right for this side to prepare too.”

When I replied, Dongjin nodded unnaturally.

“I was wondering if they would say that I’ve already hired a lawyer…”

“Once you clear your name, no one will criticize you for this. Rather, they’ll say that you prepared from the beginning and had good results.”

“That’s true.”

Gu So-jeong didn’t answer the phone for a long time.

It’s unclear whether she’s deliberately avoiding the call or unable to answer because she’s seeing a patient.

Dongjin sighed and pressed the call button again.

“Dr. Yang Dongjin?”

At that time, a thick, low voice came from behind.

Dongjin, who was anxiously waiting for the call to connect, was startled and jumped up.

A group of doctors was standing there.

Two middle-aged doctors in their 40s were accompanying doctors who were Dongjin’s age or younger.

What caught my eye was a middle-aged doctor with a tall and slender physique.

He doesn’t seem very old, around his late 30s.

The name tag read Baek Chan-geun, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery.

And the person standing next to him was also a professor of neurosurgery, according to the name tag.

“Chief, Professor.”

When Dongjin bowed to him, Baek Chan-geun turned his gaze to me.

“Looks like you have a guest.”

“…Ah, yes.”

“Hello.”

When I greeted him, Baek Chan-geun turned his gaze to me.

Then the professor standing next to Baek Chan-geun opened his eyes wide and said.

“But I think I’ve seen this person somewhere before?”

“I’m meeting the professor for the first time.”

“Ah, I think I saw you on TV. You’re a lawyer, right? A very famous lawyer?”

As soon as the word ‘lawyer’ came out of the professor’s mouth, the young doctors standing behind him were noticeably agitated.

They started whispering to each other, covering their mouths.

Then Baek Chan-geun turned around with a stiff expression.

The doctors quickly closed their mouths, looking at him.

“He is a lawyer, but he’s not here as a lawyer, but as a friend who came to see me on the way. He’s been a close friend of Dongjin’s since childhood.”

“I see. Dr. Yang is lucky to have a famous friend.”

The professor said with a grin.

Dongjin still looked flustered, as if he hadn’t expected to run into the chief and professor here.

“I feel more secure having a doctor friend.”

“It’s good to have a doctor friend in life. There will be a time when you’ll benefit from your friend. But for that to happen, Dr. Yang has to be able to continue his medical career.”

There was a barb in the professor’s words.

Sure enough, Dongjin flinched at those words.

“How could you make such a mistake…”

The professor clicked his tongue while staring at Dongjin.

I could fully understand the kind of looks Dongjin was receiving in the ward.

I thought he was a thoughtless person, but I didn’t want to make a mistake here.

“Let’s go, Professor.”

Baek Chan-geun, who had been standing silently with a blank expression, said to the professor.

The professor nodded and said to me with a still grinning face.

“Since you’re a lawyer, help your friend well.”

And he tried to lead the group of doctors away.

“Dr. Kim Seong-woo.”

Before they disappeared, I called out the name of the young doctor standing behind the professor and chief.

“I have something to ask you, so could you spare some time for me?”

Kim Seong-woo opened his eyes wide, as if he hadn’t expected to be called out suddenly.

Of course, that was the same for Dongjin as well.

It was a look that seemed to say, how do you know the director’s son’s name?

In fact, Dongjin never mentioned the director’s son’s name.

So, I was worried about what to say later, but I didn’t want to miss this situation.

Isn’t Dongjin, who is at the center of the incident and receiving harsh glares, currently with a lawyer in a place with many eyes watching?

If I say that I have something to ask Kim Seong-woo at a time like this, people who like to talk will surely gossip that Kim Seong-woo is also involved in the incident.

I can’t let only Dongjin receive harsh glares in the workplace, can I?

Kim Seong-woo also needs to read the room a bit.

Even if he has nothing to do with the incident, he has a history of being annoying to Dongjin, so wouldn’t this much punishment be okay?