You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 30

“You guys are defended – Episode 30”

“What are you all doing here all day? Making a mess of the trash. Are you going to clean all this up?”

11 PM.

The owner, having turned off all the lights in the print shop, approached the three burly men at the waste paper collection area outside. He was holding stacks of paper tied with twine in both hands.

The three men, who had been squatting in front of the trash pile smoking, looked up at him simultaneously.

“…We lost our cat.”

“Pardon?”

“The cat ran away from home. So we’re looking for it.”

“…A cat? What does it look like?”

“It just looks like a stray cat. I picked it up when it was a baby. But that rascal… *sniffle*, *sob sob!*”

Tae-shik buried his face in his arms and sobbed, and the henchmen patted him on the back to comfort him.

“You’ll find him, Boss!”

“Since he disappeared around here, he’ll come back if we leave out what Navi likes, Boss!”

Dae-cheol said, pointing to a small can placed in front of them.

“You think so? *Sob sob*…”

“Yes, Boss! Cheer up!”

“Tsk tsk. That’s too bad. Tell me what it looks like. I’ll let you know if I find it.”

“It’s black with white spots. It has a big white spot on its face, and it was so cute wearing white socks. Jjokko… Daddy misses you…”

“Boss! Navi, Navi!”

Hyeong-shik whispered softly from the side.

Then Tae-shik wailed even louder.

“Naviiiiii!”

“Tsk tsk… I hope you find him.”

The print shop owner clicked his tongue and threw the stacks of paper into the trash pile.

Then he patted Tae-shik on the shoulder and got into his car.

Soon, the car disappeared completely from the alley.

“…Is he gone?”

Tae-shik, who had his head buried in his arms, asked softly.

“Yes! He’s gone, Boss.”

“Find him!”

Tae-shik lifted his face, which was red with blood rushing to it.

Hyeong-shik quickly jumped into the trash pile, and Dae-cheol suddenly looked up at Tae-shik.

“Boss. It looks like you have a few tears in your eyes.”

“I got too emotionally invested… Ha. No matter how I think about it, I would have gone to Cannes if I had become an actor.”

And they also jumped into the trash pile.

“A new episode of the drama will be broadcast soon,” Kang Min-jae said, looking at his watch.

The drama, which was supposed to end in 24 episodes, was already approaching its 15th broadcast.

I was curious to what extent the content would torment the client this time.

My guess that they seemed to be aware of the post the client had uploaded on the internet was becoming almost certain.

They had begun to change at least one word in the lines they were blatantly copying.

“Um, excuse me,” Kang Min-jae said while watching the drama, sitting side by side on the sofa.

He was pointing to a scene where the poor neighborhood where the female lead lived and the rich neighborhood where the male lead lived were blatantly contrasted.

“I saw on the internet that that’s Iyang-gu Samchang-dong.”

“Really?”

“They said that everything is still there, except for the filters and effects in the drama? Even the fence. And those tall buildings symbolizing the rich neighborhood.”

A real space.

There are many similarities between the two scenarios, but as is always the case with melodramas, there are more simple overlaps.

We need to focus on and push the point where Na Eun-sung’s originality can be recognized.

I thought that was the directing that contrasted the neighborhood and the two areas.

However, if all the conditions are actually the same, it wouldn’t be strange for Blue Island Media to claim that they were inspired by the same area.

“First, I need to ask Na Eun-sung if she was inspired by that place, and then I need to go there once.”

“Yes. But when are you going to start the media play? I think it would be better to release it before suing, well… there were many cases that started that way. Starting that way was also more advantageous in the public opinion battle.”

“Na Eun-sung has to do the releasing alone. If it’s revealed that we’re behind it, Blue Island Media will also start preparing. It has to continue to be buried and buried powerlessly, but it has to end with some internet media reporting it and netizens buzzing on the message boards. Then we catch them off guard.”

I continued, looking at the television screen as the end credits rolled.

“Even now, Jung Hye-jin is slowly getting numb and changing the lines little by little. If even a little commotion arises on the internet, she’ll try to change the content altogether. Then we might not be able to secure more similarities that we can secure.”

“…Then are you saying we should wait until the drama is broadcast until the end? Na Eun-sung will have a hard time.”

“Not until the end. I think it would be good to wait until about the 20th episode is broadcast. The truth about the main characters’ past is revealed in the 20th episode, so the remaining 4 episodes will be in the final stages anyway. In Na Eun-sung’s scenario, there are no major events during those 4 episodes. It was mainly about the two of them getting together and living happily ever after.”

Anyway, tomorrow is the 16th episode, and the 20th episode will be broadcast in two weeks.

Rather, by that time, the client who is waiting will be a little impatient, but I will be earning even more income.

That means the amount of money we can bring in when we win will also increase.

It is our job to take care of the client’s anxious heart.

“I think there were about three similar scenes today. If you exclude the common scenes, there’s only about one meaningful one.”

“Even if we get one scene per episode, that’s 24. Not bad.”

“That’s right. Oh, just a moment. Na Eun-sung is calling.”

The phone rang as soon as the drama ended.

She must be very angry.

“Answer it on speakerphone.”

“Yes. Hello. Na Eun-sung?”

-Ah, Attorney Kang. Hello. I’m sorry for calling you so late. I’m so angry after watching the drama today.

“We were just watching the drama and organizing the scenes. I know you’re very angry, but please calm down a little,”

-I just can’t stand it this time. This is 100%. It’s 100%!

“Na Eun-sung, please calm down…”

“Just a moment.”

I stopped Kang Min-jae for a moment.

“Na Eun-sung. This is Attorney Cha Ju-han.”

-Yes.

“What part are you so excited about? Please share it with us.”

Na Eun-sung had been showing a consistently calm demeanor.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she was exhausted from being excited rather than calm.

Anyway, if she, who always spoke quietly in a small voice, was this excited, it meant there was a big issue.

-It’s about the Furee.

I recalled a scene from today’s broadcast.

It was a line from a scene where the wealthy male lead was warning a company executive who was ostracizing him.

[Director Kim. Do you know a beast called Furee?]

[Haha, I’m not very interested in that.]

[It’s a beast that lives in Africa. It’s quite ferocious. This Furee is quite a big rival to the lion, the king of beasts.]

[I see. I’ve never heard of it.]

[The reason is simpler than you think. Because the Furee takes the prey that the lion hunts. After hunting with great effort, some guy appears while you’re off guard, beats you up, and takes the prey. Wouldn’t you be upset?]

[That’s quite a sly guy.]

[It’s sly, but it’s also smart. It’ll be an easy hunt.]

[That’s right.]

[I really like that kind of Furee. So, I’m thinking of living like that too.]

“Yes, I remember the Furee. It came out in the scene where he was confronting Director Kim today. It was also in Na Eun-sung’s scenario. The situation was a little different, but.”

-Furee. It’s a non-existent animal. I made it up!

A heavy silence fell in the office in an instant.

It is a scene that can be the basis for [original expression] and [creativity of the original work].

-I can’t stand it, Attorney. Please proceed quickly.

“Na Eun-sung. Let’s do this.”

I shared with her the conversation I had with Kang Min-jae earlier.

Once again, post a post exposing the similarities in a place where you can get a lot of appropriate attention.

And add a comment saying, ‘I know I’ll lose if I sue, so I’m satisfied with letting people know that that work is mine.’

Internet news will be the first to smell it and report it little by little, and some will ask writer Jung Hye-jin directly.

The drama production company will express such claims as ‘groundless’.

These kinds of controversies often die down quickly in this way.

“I found out that they film the next week’s episode in advance the previous week.”

-……Yes.

“They’re probably filming episodes 17 and 18 right now.”

-I guess so.

“They’ll be filming episodes 19 and 20 next week.”

-Yes.

“Let’s write a post to upload to the internet by next week. We’ll help you. We’ll make it well-made so that there’s no room for criticism and upload it to Na Eun-sung’s blog and various sites.”

-Should I just release the scenario? So that everyone can read it.

“Not yet. There may be times when we need to take advantage of the fact that Blue Island Media is the only one who has seen the scenario.”

-Ah… I see. Yes. I understand.

“After uploading the post, if the response isn’t good, I’ll try to get it reported.”

If I ask Yoon Se-yeon, she might introduce me to a small internet news reporter.

She took not only my interview but also Kang Min-jae’s interview, so it’s her turn to help me this time.

…It seems like the deal between her and me will be an infinite loop.

-Okay.

“Then please add the similarities that you think of to the newly broadcast parts and give us the post. Then we’ll revise it together.”

-Okay. Then I’ll contact you as soon as I write the post.

“Okay.”

Na Eun-sung created a creature that doesn’t actually exist.

She built up reality by giving it even its characteristics.

Jung Hye-jin used it as it was.

At the very least, she didn’t even bother to search if it actually existed.

Jung Hye-jin is writing scripts carelessly and taking hundreds of millions of won in royalties for it.

Perhaps, it’s not the first time.

This appearance, which seems so complacent, looks like someone who has already done it several times but has become lax because they haven’t been caught.

“Attorney Kang.”

“Yes?”

“Attorney Kang, look for any similar stories in Jung Hye-jin’s previous dramas.”

“Yes.”

Kang Min-jae smiled.

His strength is that he understands perfectly what I mean without me having to explain it at length.

Kang Min-jae, who understood the meaning of my words, quickly approached the computer.

And he started typing on the keyboard quickly.

The same was true for me.

It’s worth checking if there are any rumors circulating in the broadcasting station.

“Attorney Kang. Send me the number of that assistant director we met during the Kim Yeon-jun case back then.”

“Yes, I understand!”