You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 33

“You guys are preparing to sue writer Jung Hye-jin for copyright infringement right now.”

“Copyright infringement? Which work? Damn, there are so many that it’s nonsense to even ask which one, really.”

“We’re planning to sue over , though I don’t know about the status of the other works.”

As Kang Min-jae answered, Sung Min-jeong exclaimed, “Ah!” as if something came to mind.

“I saw it on the internet news before I came out today. That one? The entry for the Blue Island contest?”

“Yes. By any chance, do you know anything about the case?”

“I don’t know much about that. The article said it was an entry from last year. I had already quit before last year’s contest was held. Ha, Jung Hye-jin, that bitch, still can’t shake her habits.”

Has Sung Min-jeong been living like this, a 폐인 [pronounced pye-in, meaning a shut-in or someone who has withdrawn from society], for a year because of Jung Hye-jin?

That was a problem in itself.

“Have you ever thought about suing? I heard there are many assistant writers like Sung Min-jeong who were promised a debut and handed over their manuscripts. How about gathering those people and exposing her?”

“Expose? I’ve decided to leave the drama scene, but there are still kids under Jung Hye-jin who think, ‘She’ll give me my debut someday~.’ Or there are many who can’t leave the drama world, trying to debut somehow by submitting to broadcasting station contests. What good would it do if I exposed her alone?”

Seeing Kang Min-jae’s eyes sparkling, it seemed like he was about to suggest suing Sung Min-jeong for damages right away.

I grabbed Kang Min-jae’s thigh tightly.

“Ouch!”

“I see. Then, I hope you will testify about the part that Sung Min-jeong suffered. Shouldn’t we stop Jung Hye-jin from doing this anymore?”

“Yes, I will. When is the trial?”

“We haven’t filed the lawsuit yet, so the schedule hasn’t been set. I’ll contact you when it’s scheduled. Please keep it a secret until then.”

“Of course. It’s about screwing over Jung Hye-jin; I can’t miss that.”

Sung Min-jeong, who had looked gaunt, was now radiating enthusiasm as she answered cheerfully.

Needless to say, the word ‘truth’ was floating above her head.

In the old days, I would have worried about whether I could really trust this person, whether she would change her words in court.

But since I gained this ability, all the risks have disappeared.

No matter how I think about it, it’s an absurd ability.

Should I say it’s unbalanced?

How frustrated would other lawyers be if they knew this fact?

“Then I’ll contact you soon.”

After handing her my business card, we left the cafe.

Kang Min-jae started the car and shivered.

“Sung Min-jeong seems like a very strong person. Or was she not like that originally, and she became twisted?”

“She must have been, having endured under Jung Hye-jin for so long.”

I fastened my seatbelt and took out the phone I had put in my inside pocket.

[Na Eun-sung

15 missed calls

7 missed texts]

Looking at the time, it was when I was talking to Sung Min-jeong.

Something must have happened for her to call and text this much.

I called her.

-Lawyer. Why aren’t you answering your phone? Really…

“Is something wrong?”

-I think I’m going crazy. I want to die…

“You have to tell me what’s going on so I can help you.”

-All kinds of sites are cursing me, coming to my blog to curse me, sending me hate mail… I think I’m really going crazy. Can’t I sue them for this, even with all the 쌍욕 [ssangyok, meaning extreme or vulgar curse words] and calling me a crazy bitch, saying I’m blinded by money, all kinds of insults?

Hearing her sobbing voice, I sighed without realizing it.

I told her not to look at comments after posting the article.

“Na Eun-sung. We told you not to check the reactions.”

-I know. I know… But I didn’t expect to get emails like this. There are even 쌍욕 [ssangyok, meaning extreme or vulgar curse words]. Can’t I sue them?

“Please calm down. Isn’t this what you already prepared for? Let’s meet first. If it’s hard for you to come to the office, we’ll come to you.”

Actually, I didn’t think she wouldn’t really look at the reactions as we told her to after posting the article.

That’s just human psychology.

Unless you’re like me, who has been cursed at so much in my previous life that I’ve become detached, it’s natural to be psychologically shocked.

In our eyes, opinions that it’s plagiarism seemed more dominant, but in her eyes, the bad words must have stood out more than the good ones.

In this case, it’s better to have someone like Kang Min-jae next to her, who can comfort her warmly.

From the beginning, we thought that mental care was our responsibility.

-I’d rather sue quickly. Sniffle. Lawyer, sue them quickly, please. Waaah.

“Na Eun-sung. We’ll go to Na Eun-sung’s house. Please tell me your address.”

Kang Min-jae kept looking at me with a face full of question marks.

Because I didn’t have it on speakerphone, he didn’t know Na Eun-sung’s situation.

He was just roughly guessing by looking at me trying to comfort her.

I realized my mistake and switched to speakerphone.

-Sniffle. Are you both coming?

“I’ll send Attorney Kang. I’ll focus on work so we can expedite the lawsuit. Would that be better for Na Eun-sung?”

-……Yes.

“Okay. I’ll tell Kang Attorney. Please send me your address in a text.”

I barely hung up the phone and leaned back in the seat.

“No, Lawyer. Where are you sending me? To Na Eun-sung’s house?”

“Na Eun-sung is having a mental breakdown right now.”

“What’s a mental breakdown?”

“…It means her mental state has collapsed. Her mind has collapsed.”

“You use strange abbreviations. Anyway, are you telling me to go and take care of her?”

“Yes. Attorney Kang is better than me, right?”

I opened the car window, lit a cigarette, and answered.

Kang Min-jae sighed deeply.

“That’s true.”

“……”

“……No, well. It’s not that you can’t do it, Lawyer. Haha. But it feels like you keep giving me hard work while telling me I’m doing well… but it’s not, right?”

“No.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

He must have completely forgotten the days when he told me to use him as I pleased and begged me to accept him.

After sending Attorney Kang to Na Eun-sung, it was around the time I returned to the office.

I sat in front of the computer and started transcribing the recording of the conversation with Sung Min-jeong into a document.

Beeeeeep.

The phone vibrated.

It was a call from Tae-shik.

-Lawyer, I think things are going strangely?

Before I could even say hello, Tae-shik shouted.

“Why?”

-No, they’re suddenly reprinting scripts for episodes 19 and 20 again. I’m sure they were all done!

“What about the original scripts for episodes 19 and 20?”

-I swiped them.

“Good job.”

-You’re not being sarcastic, are you?

“I’m being sincere. Try to swipe the newly printed scripts for episodes 19 and 20 too.”

-Yes. But the atmosphere is… They said the script for episode 20 would be the last order. Wasn’t it supposed to be 24 episodes?

Shortening a 24-episode work to 20 episodes and revising the scripts for episodes 19 and 20?

I didn’t expect them to bring forward the end date, but I already expected the script revisions.

It seems like they’re trying to reduce critical similarities by revising the point when the female and male leads’ pasts are revealed and after that.

“That’s right. First, save the scripts before the revisions as much as possible. And acquire the remaining scripts too. That’s not all; did you find Na Eun-sung’s scenario that was printed?”

-There’s a place where these guys keep the things they’re proud of printing. There are all kinds of scripts here, but that scenario isn’t here.

“You need to acquire that quickly. That’s the key.”

-Wh-what if I can’t find it? Can’t we do our MO then?

“So find it.”

-Aish… I haven’t found it so far.

“Ah, and. I’ll send you an address, so you need to watch someone.”

-Watch someone? Why? Is something about to happen?

“Just in case. It’s a person named Sung Min-jeong. Just put someone on her for witness protection. Also, check if she’s contacting Blue Island Media. Ah, and Na Eun-sung too. It’s okay to naturally prevent Na Eun-sung from contacting them at all. Pretend to be her older brother or uncle.”

-Ah, yes. But you know there’s an extra charge for that.”

I thought he was going to continue with unnecessary talk, so I hung up the phone.

When the lawsuit is filed, Blue Island Media will contact Na Eun-sung first.

They will definitely try to exclude us and meet her because they’re afraid that things won’t go in the direction they want if we’re in the middle.

I was also going to instruct her not to meet them, but I don’t know if someone as weak-hearted as her will actually do that.

“This is…”

I roughly organized my thoughts and connected to the internet.

The real-time search term on the portal site’s main page had changed to .

[Jung Hye-jin’s side strongly denied the plagiarism claimed by Ms. A. They said, “It is true that she was a judge for the Blue Island Media contest, but Ms. A’s work did not pass the first selection, so writer Jung Hye-jin was not even in a situation to read the manuscript,” and claimed, ” was being prepared before the 2007 Blue Island Media contest was held. She first started planning with director Woo Sang-jin in 2006, and the copyright was registered in May 2007 when the synopsis was completed.” In response, netizens…]

[, Early Termination? Ends with 20 Episodes.]

Since it was a 24-episode series, I was planning to find the printing history of Na Eun-sung’s scenario and submit it as evidence during the three weeks that the remaining six episodes would be broadcast.

But if it ends with 20 episodes, that means the finale is next week.

Now that the netizens’ opinions are leaning towards plagiarism, we need to file a lawsuit before the drama ends with this topicality.

That’s how we can win public opinion, but it’s being brought forward like this!

‘……Could it be.’

In my head, filled with anxiety, the assistant director’s words suddenly came to mind.

-……There are works that aren’t that great themselves, but have good ideas. There’s talk that they secretly use these. They deliberately pick and choose from somewhat crude works.

Just in case.

What if Blue Island Media judged that Na Eun-sung’s work was not good and it failed in the first round?

What if they never printed Na Eun-sung’s scenario?

What if Jung Hye-jin secretly took that scenario alone?

As if I had been hit in the back of the head, I couldn’t close my momentarily opened mouth.