You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 3

You Guys Are Defended – Episode 3 (3/641)

Looking at me, Hwang Young-chan sneered.

I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

I shouldn’t get worked up over something like this.

I was betrayed by you, buried in cement, and died.

“Haha, did you just laugh?”

“I didn’t laugh.”

“Then what did I see?”

“You must have misseen.”

“I’m curious why you’re suddenly acting like this. Is it some belated rebellion?”

I was quite close to Hwang Young-chan at this time.

He always pretended to be reasonable and clean, but he would badmouth all sorts of legal professionals to me alone.

The inside stories I happened to learn about them were like seasoning.

I listened to it all silently.

Was that all?

When Hwang Young-chan fought with his wife, when his children caused trouble, when his superiors gave him grief, and so on.

Whenever he needed to vent, he always came to me.

So, my suddenly ignoring him must have made him quite uneasy.

‘You bastard. You backstabbed me like that?’

It makes me feel sick to my stomach even thinking about it again.

More than anything, the gap between Hwang Young-chan in 2008 and Hwang Young-chan in 2018 was so large that it was absurd.

When did it start? When did Hwang Young-chan become like that?

“Tell me. Is there something I did that upset you? If there is, you should let it out.”

Hwang Young-chan must have thought that as soon as I came, I would rattle off the reasons why I ignored his calls and didn’t answer the phone, and apologize.

Of course, an ordinary junior prosecutor would have done that.

No, a ‘normal junior prosecutor’ wouldn’t have done the crazy thing of ignoring their chief’s calls in the first place.

“Tell me, Cha Pro [Cha Prosecutor]. Or is there trouble at home? Judging by your expression, it seems like there is. Chief Oh asked me if something happened to you these past few days.”

The reason I ignored the calls wasn’t for me, but for Hwang Young-chan.

If I met him without calming down, I felt like I would punch him in the jaw.

“Why, is there a problem that’s hard to talk about? Tell me.”

A problem? There is.

I’ve been calming myself down for three days, but I still have the problem of wanting to punch Hwang Young-chan in the jaw.

“No, sir.”

“I’m disappointed.”

“It’s not like I have to tell you everything, Chief.”

Hwang Young-chan looked like he had been hit by my answer.

It was obvious.

He must have been thinking, ‘How dare this bastard?’

Feeling betrayed, he let out a hollow laugh.

“What did you just say?”

“I said it’s not like I have to tell you everything, Chief.”

“It seems like you’re angry with me. Are you going to keep refusing to tell me?”

“No, sir.”

Hwang Young-chan took off his jacket. Then he jumped up and stood by the window, looking down.

It’s what he does when he’s extremely angry.

But he won’t be able to get angry with me.

Because I’m Hwang Young-chan’s proud ‘cub’.

Not really a blood relative, but meaning a prosecutor that Hwang Young-chan is raising.

I heard that the chief prosecutor directly pointed me out as a ‘good prospect’ in a meeting of chiefs, and told Hwang Young-chan separately to raise me well.

In fact, when he became the chief prosecutor, the large cases I handled under him became his achievements and were a great help.

Wouldn’t it be difficult if I slipped out of his grasp?

That’s not all.

He’s badmouthed so many people to me, what would happen if I went somewhere and blabbed?

It would only take a moment to ruin the image of a chief prosecutor with a solid reputation and reason.

In many ways, Hwang Young-chan is in a position where he needs me.

“Let’s have a drink later. Keep your schedule open.”

Hwang Young-chan seemed to have calmed down as he turned to me and asked.

I’d rather drink with that defendant who called me ‘Prosecutor Bro’ earlier than drink with Hwang Young-chan.

“I’m sorry. I have a prior engagement.”

“…….”

“If there are no other instructions, I’ll be on my way. I’m busy.”

Hwang Young-chan gestured with a sullen face.

I heard something breaking from beyond the closed door.

It seems he was such an authoritarian person from this time.

To not be able to stand a junior prosecutor acting out and throwing things around.

Well, you should have lived your life right.

Beep-

I went out to the smoking area to have a cigarette, and a text message arrived.

[Don’t forget we’re meeting today? Let’s meet there at 8 – Dongjin]

I stared at the sender’s name for a long time.

I hadn’t sorted out my confused feelings yet, so I lied to Chief Oh that I had a prior engagement, but it turned out I really did.

With Dongjin.

‘Right, at this time… Dongjin was alive at this time.’

I smiled bitterly and sent a reply saying I understood.

* * *

“Oh, Prosecutor. It’s been a while?”

Daebak House.

Starting as a small restaurant with only 5 tables, it is now a fairly large grilled tripe restaurant.

It was a regular meeting place with Yang Dong-jin.

I’ve been there so often that the owner knows all our names.

“Hello. Business is good today, too.”

“Of course. Hehe. I wouldn’t have any wishes if it was like this every day.”

The owner answered, quickly puffing on a cigarette in the smoking area.

Daebak House closes in 2014. It wasn’t because business was bad.

There’s no way such a delicious place would be like that, right?

“Please come in quickly. Your friend is waiting.”

“Boss.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t trust your sons too much, and don’t give them everything.”

That man poured all his savings into covering his children’s failed businesses.

Eventually, he even handed over Daebak House to someone else.

That man’s end is also very pitiful.

“What do you mean?”

“Just, there was a case I heard about at the office today. I’m worried about you, Boss.”

“Haha. Sigh. You’re the only one who worries about me, Prosecutor. How great would it be if my sons were all as reliable as you? These days, I’m just so envious of your parents, Prosecutor.”

I smiled bitterly.

“Hey, Prosecutor Cha! Over here!”

Yang Dong-jin, wearing a red apron, waved at me.

As of 2008, Yang Dong-jin is my only friend.

“I saw the Jo Jin-tae case on the news today. Hehe. The company was very proud. They said my friend was in charge of that case.”

“By the way. Someone my mom knows runs an apple farm in the countryside, and they said they’d send me a box. Should I send one to you too?”

“I’m okay. I don’t even go home often.”

“You can put it in the refrigerator in your office and eat it.”

“I don’t even have time to peel an apple.”

“Even if you can’t take herbal medicine, you have to eat fruit. We’re not in our 20s anymore. We’ll be 40 soon, you. We’re already thirty-four.”

“I should.”

Dongjin, who is a doctor at a university hospital, and I were both so busy that it was difficult to meet.

Still, like old friends, it wasn’t awkward even after a long time.

Yang Dong-jin hadn’t changed.

I hadn’t.

“Eat quickly. It’s all burning.”

Dongjin used tongs to put well-grilled tripe on my green onion salad.

“I’ll do it.”

“What’s wrong, why are you acting so awkward today? Are you mad at me?”

He’s always been quick to notice.

The reason I’m acting so awkward is because of guilt.

-Juhan, just help me once. Please, I’m begging you. I’m really done for. I’m really done for if this goes on. Please…….

-Dongjin.

-I really, really didn’t want to do this to you……. I have nowhere else to retreat. So please, Juhan. Help me.

-I’m sorry, Dongjin.

In my previous life, I turned away the guy who even knelt down and begged me to help him just once.

“No, I’m just thinking a lot.”

“Why are you thinking so much? What’s wrong?”

“I’m going to resign.”

“What?”

Thump!

Yang Dong-jin jumped up, and the chair fell backward.

Everyone’s eyes were on us, but Yang Dong-jin didn’t care.

“Hey, are you crazy? Why are you resigning already? Are you out of your mind?”

“Calm down, man. Sit down.”

“You’re the kind of guy who’s going to stick to the prosecutor’s office until the country tells you to go to a retirement home, what nonsense are you talking about?”

In order to catch Wooshin as a prosecutor, there were many things I had to do.

One of them was to make me flawless.

I didn’t want to be caught and swept away later, so I was preparing for that.

“That’s how it is.”

The reason I turned away Dongjin, who was crying and begging, was also for that reason.

I thought that helping Dongjin would later act as a weakness.

To live as a Wooshin sniper, I lost many people.

My ex-wife, friends, colleagues…….

Well, let’s say that divorcing my ex-wife was unavoidable.

But Dongjin’s case was different.

He was abandoned by me, his last friend, and eventually…….

-Mr. Juhan, why did you do that? Why did you do that, Mr. Juhan!

-…….

-Our baby’s father, really for the last time……. For the last time, he went to Mr. Juhan and begged him like that……. Was it so hard to grant that one thing, that one thing?

-……I’m sorry.

-Is that all you can say is sorry? Bring my baby’s father back to life. Bring my husband back to life! My husband…… sob, my husband! Bring my husband back, my husband……. Sniff, sob.

Because he hanged himself.

I turned away my childhood friend who reached out his hand to survive on the edge of a cliff.

And I have returned to the past where nothing happened, and I am facing him alive.

As if to say, never make that mistake again.

“What happened?”

“I’ll tell you later. I haven’t sorted out my thoughts yet.”

“Ugh, this bastard really.”

“When you open a law firm, if there are people around you who need help, send them to me. Be sure to add that I’m the prosecutor who caught Jo Jin-tae a few days ago.”

“Of course, you bastard. I’ll even send you a wreath. If I come to you later, give me a big discount then.”

“You shouldn’t have to come to me. That’s a good thing.”

“I don’t know. I might ask you for a divorce lawsuit.”

“If your wife comes first, I’ll be her representative. It seems like her side has a better chance of winning.”

“Ah, this bastard. Is that how you treat a friend? Haha, you crazy bastard. Drink.”

I drank until my nose was crooked.

I don’t know how long it’s been since I drank like this.

I had deliberately stayed away from alcohol.

I was afraid that I might blurt out the Wooshin story while drunk, and I was worried that I might be kidnapped or have an accident while drunk.

“No, why is this bastard, who never used to be like this, drinking so much that he can’t even stand up straight?”

Dongjin helped me into the car.

Perhaps because I had been feeling guilty for so long, I felt very sad to part ways.

Dongjin slammed the car door shut and shouted at the driver to leave.

I only vaguely remembered the address and fell into a deep sleep.

“Sir, we’re here.”

“Ugh.”

Perhaps because I slept so deeply, I was completely sober. I took out my wallet to hand over the money, but I laughed hollowly at the scenery outside the car window.

“Driver, I’m sorry, but could you please go to Seocho-dong.”

“Yes? You said it was Bangbae-dong, sir?”

“I moved a while ago, and I think I gave you my old address while drunk.”

“Sigh. You know there’s an extra charge, right?”

I inadvertently gave the address of the officetel [a studio apartment often used as both office and residence] in Bangbae-dong where I lived in 2018.

After all, it was the right choice to stay away from alcohol in my previous life.

Even with a body 10 years younger, I’m making mistakes like this while drunk, I don’t even want to imagine what it would have been like back then.

“Ugh.”

As soon as I arrived at the officetel, I collapsed on the sofa. I checked the missed contacts that had arrived on my phone.

[Did you get home okay? -Dongjin]

I replied that I did.

[Prosecutor Cha Juhan, this is Law Firm Taekwang. I’m leaving a message because you haven’t answered the phone for a few days. I’d like to meet you, so please contact me.]

Law Firm Taekwang.

My brow furrowed just looking at the words.

Taekwang is undoubtedly the best law firm in Korea.

A monster group in the legal world that has grown in size by being entrusted with various lawsuits from large corporations.

They have sent me three love calls [offers to join the firm].

The first time was when I graduated at the top of the Judicial Research and Training Institute [a prestigious institution for aspiring judges, prosecutors, and lawyers].

My goal was to be a prosecutor, so I refused without thinking twice.

After that, they knocked twice, once in my 5th year and once in my 7th year.

It seems like now is the second timing.

‘You bastards. Okay, I’ll take a look at your faces.’

Taekwang was the law firm in charge of Wooshin’s lawsuits.

The Antrosol side effect lawsuit related to my father’s death was also handled by Taekwang.

In addition, I fought fiercely with them in the Wooshin Chairman’s slush fund trial.

The enemy of the future and the enemy of the past.

Looking at their faces in advance wouldn’t be bad as a warm-up.