You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 290

“Why are you grinning like an idiot? A man died, what’s so funny? This bastard is a real piece of trash, isn’t he?”

The homeless man, sprawled on the chair while patting his belly, glared at Sang-gil askance.

He tried his best to hold it in, but did he show his good mood too much?

Sang-gil lowered his raised lips and hardened his expression.

How could he be happy when someone was brutally murdered?

As someone who contributed to ending Lee Jung-chan’s political career, it might sound strange, but he sincerely felt sorry for Lee Jung-chan’s murder.

However, with the detective agency’s major partner being suspected of Lee Jung-chan’s murder and suffering great damage, he couldn’t help but feel good that he might be of some help.

Above all, he couldn’t help but think about the reward that would come his way because of this.

Some might think it’s not even a real company, but Daebak Detective Agency’s salary system isn’t bad at all.

Honestly, it’s a combination of a basic salary that isn’t particularly high and a performance bonus that increases based on Cha Joo-han’s generosity.

He made a significant contribution to this case, and from Cha Joo-han’s perspective, he saved a life that was about to sink into a swamp, so it was clear that Joo-han would reward him handsomely.

So, wouldn’t he naturally expect a performance bonus?

“But, sir,” Sang-gil asked, “I’m curious about something. You knew that the person who died was Lee Jung-chan, and you even witnessed it directly, so why didn’t you tell the police?”

However, all of this hinged on the homeless man coming forward as a witness.

If the homeless man refused to testify, everything would be for naught.

“Would they even believe me?” the homeless man scoffed.

Sang-gil couldn’t understand.

He could understand if the man hid because he didn’t want to get involved in a pointless incident, but he didn’t come forward because he didn’t think they would believe him?

“Why wouldn’t they believe you? You witnessed it!”

“Look at my appearance. Would they believe what I say?”

“Sir, what does your appearance have to do with it? Just because of your appearance doesn’t mean you’re not a witness.”

Even if he conceded a hundred times, he couldn’t bring himself to say, ‘What’s wrong with your appearance, sir?’ so Sang-gil spoke with as much courtesy as possible.

Then the homeless man chuckled and replied, “They won’t believe me.”

“Why are you so sure? You can still try to tell them even if they don’t believe you.”

“There was a case here before, not a big case where people died like this one. Anyway, I told the police that I witnessed it, but my words differed from other people’s. Then they immediately dismissed my words as nonsense. I’m a guy who always drinks soju [Korean distilled rice liquor] here and wanders around not in my right mind, so I don’t have credibility.”

It is widely known common sense that if you want to gain someone’s trust, you must dress appropriately for the time, place, and situation.

However, that is only a technique to increase credibility when you want to win someone’s heart.

A witness’s statement should be used to uncover the truth, and the witness’s identity or appearance does not change that fact.

Just because someone’s appearance is strange doesn’t mean their words are lies, does it?

Even though the police know this well, is it right for them to be prejudiced and treat it as a lie?

If so, if he took the homeless man to a bathhouse, washed off all the grime, gave him a haircut, and dressed him in luxury clothes, would his testimony suddenly gain credibility?

“Even if I really witnessed it, they’d say I was drunk and wouldn’t remember properly. Shit, no matter how much I say I didn’t drink then, there are so many people who have seen me drinking and wandering around. But there’s a witness who saw that lawyer or whatever killing Lee Jung-chan, right? It was plastered all over the newspaper. The place with the yellow tape is completely different from the place where I saw Lee Jung-chan being murdered. Doesn’t that mean that the witness said that was where the incident happened?”

“That’s right,” Sang-gil confirmed.

“It’s the same now as it was then. If the witnesses’ stories differ, they won’t believe me. So why would I waste my time and effort to testify as a witness?”

Sang-gil rubbed his forehead.

If he had such a record, it also meant that even if he tried to present the homeless man as a new witness to prove Cha Joo-han’s innocence, it might not be accepted.

Sang-gil watched the homeless man wiping his armpits with a wet towel and felt his mental health deteriorate in an instant.

The problem wasn’t the homeless man’s dirty behavior.

‘Shit, shit. Could all this effort be in vain?’ he thought.

He worked so hard.

He showed fighting spirit despite his injury, barely got acupuncture, came all the way here, and even catered to the homeless man’s whims.

“Forget it, forget it. Even if I picked up some evidence, there’s no reward for me, so there’s no use in going and giving a long speech about witnessing it voluntarily. And it’s not just an ordinary person, it’s the Lee Jung-chan murder case, so what if I get screwed over for getting involved?”

The homeless man said, scrubbing his hands with the wet towel.

“…E, evidence? Hyung-nim [term of endearment for an older brother or male friend], do you perhaps have any evidence? You have it, right? Yes?” Sang-gil subtly threw the already black wet towel into the trash can and grabbed the homeless man’s now cleaner hand.

He read the hidden meaning in the homeless man’s words.

He picked up evidence, but he didn’t testify because there was no reward!

Then the homeless man stared intently at Sang-gil.

“When did you start calling me hyung-nim?”

“We’ve already met three times. Hyung-nim. Please, say you picked up something. Please! Please!”

“…What will you give me?”

“You have it, right? The evidence, you have it?”

“Ah, what will you give me? You were talking about a monthly rent room earlier. Can you do something like that?”

“Yes. Absolutely. It’s absolutely possible.”

He couldn’t do it himself, but Cha Joo-han could.

Of course, he didn’t ask Cha Joo-han’s opinion, but would he refuse when his own nose was running [when he was in a desperate situation]?

“Then can you give it to me in money? How much can you give me?”

“…I can’t tell you the exact amount right now, but how much do you want?”

“The more, the better.”

“Then let’s do this. First, let’s look at the evidence, and if the evidence is good, I’ll immediately check how much I can give you and tell you.”

After hearing Sang-gil’s words, the homeless man seemed to think for a moment, then opened the bag he was carrying like a turtle shell.

He heard the sound of plastic bags rustling, wondering what was so full inside.

After rummaging through the bag for a long time, the homeless man took out a ziplock bag from inside.

“This is it. What I picked up.”

Inside the ziplock bag was a thick cloth.

Other than the dirt in places, there were no major peculiarities.

When Sang-gil tilted his head as if he was doubtful, the homeless man replied, “Those guys dropped it.”

“They dropped this?”

“It came out with Lee Jung-chan from that fishing bag, but I don’t think they knew. Then later, a few days later, some guys came back there and searched for a long time. I think they were looking for this. I heard them say to look for a plain white handkerchief.”

“What is this?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hmm.”

As an industry expert, let’s speculate, first.

The possibility that it is a handkerchief carried by the meter reader or the guy who put his arm around him.

If so, their DNA or fingerprints may be on it, so they may have come to find it.

But it bothers him that it came out with Lee Jung-chan from the fishing bag.

If it was a handkerchief he usually used, he wouldn’t have left it there, would he?

Second.

As an expert in this field, this may be a handkerchief with anesthetic on it.

Since it was used to knock Lee Jung-chan unconscious, there is a high probability that Lee Jung-chan’s DNA is on it.

If that’s the case, it would be decisive evidence of murder, but he’s not sure if it will be evidence to catch the culprit.

Wouldn’t the guys who planned such a thing have used gloves while anesthetizing him with a handkerchief?

If there are no fingerprints on it, will there be any information about the culprit inside?

But whatever it is, what is certain is that this evidence alone has considerable evidentiary power even if the homeless man’s testimony differs from the existing witness’s testimony.

Wasn’t he considered a suspect because the existing witness said that the culprit he witnessed was Cha Joo-han, and the weapon was found in Cha Joo-han’s house?

He has already secured evidence that the meter reader brought the weapon to Cha Joo-han’s house.

If he has this evidence that can prove that the existing witness’s testimony is false, everything will be complete.

“But where did you get that ziplock bag? Is it clean?”

“It’s clean.”

“How are you so sure? What money do you have to buy a ziplock bag?”

“I got it from the guys who came fishing. I saw them opening a box of new ziplock bags. I was originally going to put it in a plastic bag, but they said you have to put something like this in a clean place.”

“And you weren’t going to come forward as a witness?”

The homeless man muttered in a voice as small as an ant, “I was going to come forward if they offered a reward for finding a witness.”

“First of all, hyung-nim, please stay here for a moment. I’ve confirmed the evidence, so I’ll tell you how much reward I can give you. But how much do you want?”

“I told you, the more, the better?”

“There must be something like, ‘I have to get at least this much,’ right?”

At Sang-gil’s question, the homeless man crossed his arms and pondered.

Since he’s homeless, he seems to want to get a suitable studio apartment to live in.

How much money do you need to get a studio apartment these days?

“Thirty million [Korean won, approximately $25,000 USD].”

“Thirty million? Hmm, can you get a lease with that?”

“Lease? What lease.”

“I thought you were talking about a monthly rent room earlier. I was wondering if you were trying to get a house.”

“A house? I don’t need anything like that.”

“Then why do you need thirty million?”

“…My daughter is getting married.”

“Yes?”

“My daughter is getting married! Even if I’m her father, I have to give her some money to send her off!”

The homeless man suddenly shouted.

He seemed embarrassed, but the fact that he had a child came as a new shock.

“Hyung-nim, you have a child? Ah, well, you’re old enough to have one…”

“She’s never called me father and I’ve only made her suffer, but she still comes to see me sometimes. I went bankrupt, abandoned my wife and children, and ran away, but how did she find me again even though I’m like this? She keeps saying she’ll get me a semi-basement room, but I don’t have the face to see my child, so I keep saying no, that it’s okay, and to live thinking she doesn’t have a father. So I thought she gave up… But she came to see me again the other day and told me to come to her wedding hall and have a meal.”

Sang-gil listened silently to the story that the homeless man mumbled like an excuse and opened his mouth slightly.

“Wow…”

“…”

“Hyung-nim, you’re really the most annoying dad style. Your daughter is an angel compared to you.”

“What?”

“Well, it’s good that you’re trying to be a father now, even if it’s late. You’re lucky. The person who’s going to give you the reward happens to be an incredibly rich man, so you can expect something. Wait a moment. I’ll go ask.”