You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 329

“No, that’s strange too.”

At my words, Kim Chan-young looked at me, puzzled.

“What do you mean?”

“If Go Sang-jun wanted to get rid of your mother, framing her for murder seems…unnecessary. I, of all people, know how he operates, considering he falsely accused me of murder.”

“……”

“If Go Sang-jun wanted her gone, he would have staged it as a suicide. Much cleaner.”

Kim Chan-young frowned at that.

But I wasn’t wrong.

Go Sang-jun couldn’t outright eliminate me, so he framed me to hinder my career as a lawyer.

More accurately, he probably believed he could ruin a small-time lawyer like me without resorting to murder.

Kim Hwa-young was different.

She was Go Sang-jun’s mistress and the mother of his illegitimate child, Kim Chan-young.

I didn’t know what other secrets Kim Hwa-young held, but if Go Sang-jun wanted her out of the picture, suicide would have been the obvious route.

He already had too much to lose if Kim Hwa-young exposed him.

“Then how do you explain this situation? I understand what you’re saying. If Go Sang-jun wanted her dead, he’s capable of it. But framing her as a murderer? That seems risky for him, doesn’t it?”

“You’re right. But we need to consider all possibilities. So, who do *you* think killed the housekeeper?”

“Suicide is still a possibility.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know the housekeeper’s personal life, but I do know he was…odd.”

*A strange person.*

There had to be a reason the housekeeper consistently told his family he and Kim Hwa-young were like sworn enemies.

I couldn’t say who was stranger, the housekeeper or Kim Hwa-young.

Perhaps they both had their faults.

But Kim Chan-young’s perspective was likely colored by Kim Hwa-young’s stories.

“In what way was he strange?”

“He looked down on my mother. Called her a mistress, things like that.”

“Openly?”

“Yes. Because Go Sang-jun was busy, my mother often arrived first, or left later. Go Sang-jun would leave ahead of her. Then, the housekeeper and my mom would be alone. I’m excluding the other employees because my mother didn’t mention anything specific about them.”

“And?”

“When Go Sang-jun was around, he’d act like her right-hand man, calling her ‘Madam’ respectfully. But as soon as Go Sang-jun was gone, he’d ignore her calls, refuse to bring her things, or even throw them at her. He’d deliberately ruin her makeup or spill things on her clothes before Go Sang-jun arrived. He harassed her constantly.”

“Then why did the housekeeper tell his family that *she* looked down on *him*?”

“The opposite. He said my mother treated him like a maid, using harsh language and generally being demeaning, despite him being hired as a house manager. He didn’t say anything about Wooshin [likely referring to the Wooshin Group, Go Sang-jun’s company], probably because of the contract with them. I hate to speak ill of the dead, but Wooshin was intimidating, and my mom probably seemed like an easy target.”

They both felt disrespected by the other; it was likely they didn’t get along.

If it was that extreme, it wouldn’t be surprising as a motive for murder.

“You mentioned an anonymous tip was reported to the police, right?”

“Yes.”

“You wouldn’t know who the informant is. What did the anonymous tip say?”

“They said they saw my mom laying hands on the housekeeper. It wasn’t serious.”

[Lie]

I had been using my ability throughout our conversation.

His words consistently registered as truth, but the moment he said it wasn’t serious, it flagged as a lie.

I needed to speak with Kim Hwa-young directly, but she was clearly in no state to be rational, being accused of murder. So, I was trying to gather as much information as possible from Kim Chan-young, who was at least attempting to be logical.

I knew how anxious, unfair, and angry Kim Hwa-young must be, having been falsely accused of murder myself not long ago.

Well, I was less shocked because it was the work of people I already considered enemies, but Kim Hwa-young must be reeling from the betrayal of the man she loved.

“Lawyer?”

Kim Chan-young called me, looking puzzled by my silence.

I knew how difficult it was for those around someone falsely accused.

That’s why I didn’t intend to fault him for lying.

He probably knew it too.

That if I took the case, I’d uncover the truth about the report anyway.

Even if it was a lie that would be exposed soon, he was likely trying to downplay the incident, fearing I wouldn’t take the case if Kim Hwa-young was in the wrong.

“Chan-young.”

“Yes?”

“You need to be honest, at least with me.”

“What do you mean?”

Kim Chan-young feigned ignorance.

“There’s no reason to downplay or exaggerate anything, not to me. You know that. Do you really think I’d refuse this case if Kim Hwa-young had made a mistake?”

“……”

“I haven’t fully grasped the situation yet, so I’ll speak hypothetically. Assuming Kim Hwa-young is innocent, I’m in a similar position, having been falsely accused by Wooshin. Do you think I wouldn’t understand Kim Hwa-young’s feelings, your feelings?

“Lawyer, I,”

“Not all victims need to be innocent. Let go of the idea that the unfortunate must always be good. That kind of framing is just for dramatic storytelling anyway. But I’m not here to listen to an interesting and relatable story; I’m here to solve a case. Understand?”

“……Yes.”

“Good. Tell me again, what was in the report?”

Kim Chan-young seemed momentarily shaken by my words, then sighed.

He ran a dry hand over his face again and said, as if vomiting it out.

“Photos of my mother slapping the housekeeper and choking her. That’s what was included.”

I should be relieved it wasn’t a photo of her threatening with a knife.

I expected the slapping, but not the choking.

“……My mother is sick. That’s why she did that.”

Kim Chan-young added quickly.

“Not feeling well? Where does it hurt?”

“Mentally. She has bipolar disorder.”

Having a mental illness isn’t a flaw.

And strictly speaking, it’s a good mitigating factor to have in case things go south.

For example, if I can’t prove Kim Hwa-young’s innocence.

“When she’s in a good mood, she’s endlessly happy. She feels like she can do anything. Someone who usually doesn’t even want to go outside will suggest going shopping or going on a date. But when she gets depressed, she gets endlessly depressed. And when she meets Go Sang-jun, it seems to reach its peak. She feels good when Go Sang-jun wants to meet, and depressed when they part. Maybe… the photos were taken because he provoked her when she was so depressed.”

“Have you ever talked to your mother about the photos?”

“Yes. But… she just said they fought and it happened, and then it was over. The housekeeper said she wasn’t hurt either. She doesn’t remember the details, but the photos were taken long before the housekeeper died.”

“So, it’s possible that one of the employees took the photos.”

“Yes. But I don’t know who. My mother doesn’t remember all the employees. Her memory has gotten much worse since she developed bipolar disorder.”

Anyway, if there are photos of her choking and slapping, it definitely becomes disadvantageous in the situation where the housekeeper is dead.

Especially in this situation where the police recognize that detached house as Kim Hwa-young’s private villa.

Kim Hwa-young is the only one who went there, and she already had a bad relationship with the housekeeper, and the employees probably colluded to say so.

“You said she was indicted, so how far along is the process now? How much time is left until the trial?”

“Actually, we already had the first hearing.”

“What?”

Even if Wooshin turned off the tap, I didn’t expect the news not to leak out when the first hearing had already taken place.

I thought she hadn’t had the trial yet because she was indicted, but the first hearing is already over.

“When is the second hearing?”

“In two weeks. But I’m thinking of applying for a postponement. Even if you don’t take the case, I was thinking of changing lawyers.”

“Who’s the current lawyer?”

“Tae-kwang is in charge. But… I was suspicious from the start because they were people set up by Go Sang-jun. But my mother said she would trust Go Sang-jun for now, but the atmosphere is strange.”

“Did they plead not guilty in the first hearing?”

“That’s what they said, but the feeling… The first hearing ended in 30 minutes. There’s evidence that my mother was in the house when the housekeeper died, but my mother claims that she was in the house that day but nothing happened… The lawyers can’t find any data to prove my mother’s innocence. Because there were no employees in the house that day.”

“What do you mean? Why aren’t there any employees? Didn’t you say they were permanent staff?”

“Strangely, the housekeeper gave the employees a vacation the day before, and Go Sang-jun was coming at 6, so she told them to come back by then. But my mother went at 5 in advance. So there were only two people in the house.”

“How is your mother doing now?”

“Go Sang-jun must have told my mother that he would set everything up without any problems. He’s diligently looking for the real culprit, so don’t worry. So my mother believed only that and went to the first trial. He assigned Tae-kwang lawyers, and do you know lawyer Kim Yun-hee among them? It seems like that person went in directly. There were three more senior lawyers besides her.”

Kim Yun-hee is the lawyer who was Kang Min-jae’s direct supervisor when he was at Tae-kwang.

As one of the founders of Tae-kwang, she is at an age where she doesn’t have to do trials herself, but she personally handles major cases.

As far as I know, she later set up her own law firm and left, but I don’t know what the relationship is now.

Is Kim Yun-hee really a lawyer with a good position in Tae-kwang, and so Kim Yun-hee personally handled it at Go Sang-jun’s request?

Or is she not in a good position in Tae-kwang, so they assigned her to show only a token of sincerity?

“But after receiving the trial, the feeling is not right. So now… she’s very angry with Go Sang-jun. She’s turned off the cell phone she used to contact Go Sang-jun, whom she was so obsessed with.”

“So, is your mother turning her back on Go Sang-jun for now?”

“……Yes. Her condition is very bad. Really, really bad.”

In a situation where bipolar disorder is severe, it’s easy to imagine what choice she would have made if she thought the object of her obsession had turned her back on her.

I hope she didn’t.

“Then how are you communicating with Go Sang-jun’s side now?”

“I’m talking to him.”

“What does Go Sang-jun say?”

“When I said the first trial was insincere, he said he would make sure that the second trial would result in an acquittal, even if it meant changing lawyers. But when I said my mother wouldn’t meet the lawyers, he said it’s okay to ask another law firm if my mother doesn’t trust him that much, but he’s the only one who can save my mother right now. Realistically, would the lawyer I find be of the same level as the lawyer he assigns? He said he’s looking for the real culprit, so don’t worry, he’ll save my mother even if he sets up another culprit.”

“That arrogant bastard.”

It was a curse that came out without me realizing it, but Kim Chan-young nodded.

“He’s the most arrogant bastard ever.”

“But if I take the case, your relationship with Go Sang-jun will be very strained, are you okay with that? Even though you hate him, he’s your biological father.”

“Lawyer, I have no intention of breaking up with Go Sang-jun.”

He said, emphasizing each word.

With a gleam in his eyes.