You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 258

“Kkeueuk, eueuk, heueuk.”

Tears streamed endlessly from her eyes.

But it was more of a physiological reaction than actual crying.

She had no room to feel any emotions.

She was simply tormented by pain, barely managing to wriggle her heavy body, feeling as though she would collapse if she lost her mind even for a moment.

Kim Seong-woo, reflected in her eyes, was filled with madness.

It wasn’t just a threat or being swayed by emotions; he seemed truly determined to kill her.

“Just die, die, you bitch……”

If Gu So-jeong confessed, it was a certainty that Kim Seong-woo would also fall into the abyss.

Kim Seong-woo knew this all too well.

That’s why he had even put up with the troublesome charade of playing along with her childish games, all to prevent her from confessing.

Gu So-jeong might be a cheap life who had to rely on others and spend her life looking at their feet, so she might not care about becoming a criminal, but he was different.

He was the son of the director of a large hospital, one of the so-called Big 5 [top 5 hospitals in South Korea], a promising neurosurgeon, and soon to be a member of the Hanyoung Group.

How could he ruin his life because of a woman like this?

It was absurd.

After all, he was a doctor, and he knew how to dispose of this woman’s body so that even if it was discovered, he wouldn’t have any problems.

He had already turned Seol Hyeong-seok into a vegetable, so what difference would it make if he killed one more person?

As long as he wasn’t caught, it didn’t matter.

Isn’t that how everyone lived?

“Kkeueuk, heueuk, eueuk.”

Gu So-jeong’s eyes were half unfocused.

Soon, Gu So-jeong would breathe her last.

From then on, he had to move quickly.

While tightening his grip, Kim Seong-woo continued to plan in his head how to dispose of Gu So-jeong’s body.

If he had known it would turn out like this, he would have meticulously planned the murder from the beginning, but why did it have to happen like this today?

He regretted losing control and grabbing her neck, but it didn’t matter much now.

Even if he hadn’t done this, he would have been arrested tomorrow anyway, so the result wouldn’t be different.

“You should have listened to me, So-jeong. Why did you make *oppa* [older brother/term of endearment used by a female] angry?”

It was then.

Myeongdong.

The doorbell rang.

At that, her half-unfocused eyes quickly regained focus.

She thought all the strength had left her body, but she started to struggle again with superhuman strength.

She seemed to see hope in that doorbell sound.

Kim Seong-woo covered Gu So-jeong’s mouth with one hand.

“Eup! Eueup! Eup!”

[Police! Kim Seong-woo, open the door!]

Police?

Kim Seong-woo’s eyes widened at the unexpected words, and he stared straight at Gu So-jeong.

He didn’t know what was going on, but Kim Seong-woo decided to calmly assess the situation.

It would be better to pretend that no one was home.

Even if the police tried to force the door open, they would need the fire department’s support unless a special forces team was dispatched.

So, he could buy at least 10 minutes until they forced the door open.

Then what should he do with Gu So-jeong?

Should he stop strangling her here?

Or should he keep strangling her and kill her first?

What should he do?

……Yes, it would be better to kill her first.

It wouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to kill Gu So-jeong.

A person would die if their neck was strangled for more than 5 minutes.

The problem was what came next…….

Next,

Ddi, ddi, ddi, ddi, ddi.

‘What is this…….’

It was an unexpected sound.

The police were pressing the door lock.

They were probably just pressing random numbers.

While waiting for fire department support.

‘Shit, why isn’t she dying so easily.’

Even though he was a doctor, he had never strangled anyone to death, so he had no idea how much force to apply to kill someone.

Kim Seong-woo became anxious.

And……

Ddiriri-

Surprisingly, the door lock opened on the first try, and the sound of several people entering the house was heard.

-Gu So-jeong!

A man shouted loudly.

It was a familiar voice.

That lawyer.

The lawyer who was Yang Dong-jin’s friend!

And upon hearing that voice, Gu So-jeong scratched Kim Seong-woo’s hand, which was covering her mouth, with her fingernails and struggled even more.

“Eup! Eueup!”

But it seemed that this sound didn’t reach outside.

-Oh, what’s that burning smell?

-The gas stove is on?

The police’s conversation was heard, as if they had just passed by this room, which was closest to the entrance, and went straight to the living room.

Kim Seong-woo reflexively looked at the door.

It was blocked with a chair to prevent Gu So-jeong from opening it and leaving.

Thump, thump.

‘Shit…….’

He thought it was only a matter of time since the police had entered this house, but as expected, he could feel someone grabbing and shaking the doorknob.

-The door is locked here!

Every time the door shook, the chair that was propped up was visibly pushed back.

It was a situation where he couldn’t do anything.

Usually, a person dies after being strangled for about 5 minutes.

He felt like he had been strangling her for 30 minutes, but when he looked at the wall clock, not even 5 minutes had passed, let alone 30 minutes.

They must have noticed that Gu So-jeong was in this room anyway, so should he run away now?

If so, how, how!

“Gu So-jeong!”

But just as he was biting his lip without being able to think of anything, the door opened.

Two burly men rushed towards Kim Seong-woo in an instant.

They were police officers.

They pushed Kim Seong-woo’s shoulders back, knocked him to the ground in an instant, and quickly subdued him.

“Eoeuheuk, kkeuk, keuk! Keok!”

Gu So-jeong, freed from Kim Seong-woo’s grasp, collapsed with a face that had turned black from being red, making painful noises as she gasped for breath and coughed.

“Gu So-jeong, are you okay?”

“Heueuk, eueuk, eueuk!”

“Call an ambulance! Quickly!”

“I already called. Gu So-jeong, are you okay?”

And then, Cha Joo-han approached Gu So-jeong and supported her.

Kim Seong-woo, still pinned to the floor, glared at him.

Everything was ruined because of that bastard.

That bastard ruined everything!

“Kim Seong-woo, you are under arrest for attempted murder. You have the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney……”

Even at the moment when handcuffs were put on both wrists, Kim Seong-woo’s eyes were fixed on the back of Cha Joo-han, who was taking Gu So-jeong out of the room.

* * *

“……Lawyer.”

I, who was sitting in the caregiver’s chair checking my phone, raised my head at the weak voice coming from the front.

Gu So-jeong had regained consciousness and was looking around, rolling her eyes.

“Are you feeling a little better?”

“……Yes.”

“That’s a relief. I’ll call the doctor. The test results also showed that there were no major abnormalities. But they said you should tell them right away if there seems to be any problem. You can hear the details directly from the doctor.”

“I know too……. I’m a medical professional too.”

Should someone who intentionally caused anaphylaxis in a sick patient be considered a medical professional?

I didn’t answer the question that suddenly came to mind.

“What about Kim Seong-woo?”

“He was arrested as a flagrant offender.”

“……I figured.”

“If you give me your parents’ contact information, I’ll contact them. I have to go now, and you need a guardian.”

“I’m okay without a guardian. I don’t want to let my parents know……. I’m sorry, you’re busy because of me, but you’ve been here all this time?”

“I haven’t been here that long.”

If she had woken up a little later, I would have called Kang Min-jae and told him to protect Gu So-jeong in my place.

In fact, the reason I was looking at my phone was that I was reading the backlog of KakaoTalk messages he sent, thinking of calling Kang Min-jae and telling him to come here now.

“Ah……. I was so out of it that I couldn’t say it, but thank you. For saving me.”

Gu So-jeong said in a small voice.

It wasn’t an act done to receive thanks.

It was even less an act done because I was worried about Gu So-jeong.

I was just trying to protect the witness, and I just thought she should pay for her wrongdoing.

Being killed by Kim Seong-woo was not something she deserved, was it?

“I’m glad I could stop it before something big happened. I’m also glad that Gu So-jeong wasn’t seriously injured.”

“Kim Seong-woo took the recorder. I don’t know if the police officers brought it from the scene, but I didn’t see Kim Seong-woo deleting the recording file. It might still be there.”

“I’ll check it out. And I also have a recording of the call with Gu So-jeong, so even if that is lost, there shouldn’t be any major problems with proving it.”

“That’s a relief……. If I hadn’t texted the lawyer, and if the lawyer hadn’t told me to keep the call on, something terrible would have happened.”

The reason I was able to save her was because of the text message she sent me from Kim Seong-woo’s house.

To be exact, it should be said that it was because of the phone call she made to me yesterday, the day before she went to meet Kim Seong-woo.

-I think Kim Seong-woo is worried about me recording the call. So I’m a little worried about whether I can record it properly.

She said that in an anxious voice.

She was going to tell Kim Seong-woo that she had falsely testified that she had received direct instructions from Seol Hyo-seok tomorrow, but she was concerned that Kim Seong-woo had quickly cut her off.

-If Kim Seong-woo finds out that Gu So-jeong is confessing, do you think Kim Seong-woo will do something to Gu So-jeong?

At my question, she hesitated for a long time and then answered briefly.

-Yes.

-If you’re that scared, you don’t have to go tomorrow.

-But then the evidence…….?

-You’ll have to accept that.

At my answer, she hesitated again for a long time.

Then soon, she answered as if she had made up her mind.

-No. I’ll do it. I think that’s the only way I can properly atone to Teacher Yang. And to patient Seol Hyeong-seok too…….

Her words were textbook-like, but I couldn’t tell if they were sincere.

I wasn’t in a face-to-face situation with her, and I couldn’t check her ability.

If that wasn’t sincere, it was probably because of the calculation that my promised suspension of execution and letter of no punishment might not work out.

In fact, I didn’t care whether she sincerely regretted it or whether it was a calculated action.

What I wanted was to reveal Dong-jin’s innocence and for the people who committed the crime to be punished.

I can’t control even the individual’s mindset, and my theory is that it’s too naive to want that.

-If you’re that worried, you probably won’t be able to say anything properly in front of Kim Seong-woo. Then the possibility of getting caught will increase.

-Then what should I do?

-It would be good to have minimal safety measures in place. First, tell me Kim Seong-woo’s home address, and is the entrance a door lock? Or a key?

-It’s a door lock.

-Do you know the password?

-Yes.

-Text it to me. If something happens, I’ll go to Kim Seong-woo’s house.

And around noon today, a text message arrived from Gu So-jeong.

[I’m at Kim Seong-woo’s house, but Kim Seong-woo only has to touch me, and I keep getting agitated. I’m worried I’ll keep making mistakes. I think I should just bring up the story now and go home saying I have something urgent to do.]

[How is Kim Seong-woo’s demeanor? Does he seem to have noticed?]

[I don’t know. I haven’t started talking about it in earnest yet. But he’s quick-witted, so I think he knows I’m not the same as usual…]

[Then I’ll call you, so keep the call on and talk to Kim Seong-woo. It doesn’t matter if the recorder is discovered because I can record the call, and if something goes wrong, I can stop it because I’ll know right away. I’m near Kim Seong-woo’s *officetel* [a building with residential and commercial units] now.]

[Yes. I understand.]

I parked my car near the *officetel* where Kim Seong-woo lived and waited with the phone call on.

Perhaps because Gu So-jeong was agitated, her voice was somewhat unnatural when she started talking in earnest.

I sighed, thinking that anyone with a quick wit would be able to notice, but then I heard such a sound from beyond the phone.

-Why is this phone so hot?

Just when I was getting anxious, thinking that the call was discovered,

-……What, it’s not a phone? Recording? Haha, shit. You were recording?

Fortunately, it was the recorder that was caught, not the phone, but I couldn’t let my guard down.

Soon after, Gu So-jeong’s scream was heard.

-Ah! Let go! Let go of this!

As soon as I confirmed that Kim Seong-woo was trying to assault her, I headed to Kim Seong-woo’s *officetel* and called the police.

That’s because I suddenly had a pretty good idea.