You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 331

“What did you say?”

“Kim Hwa-young and Go Sang-jun are having an affair.”

“Wow, crazy. So that’s why she retired. People were wondering what Kim Hwa-young was up to these days. Some said she married into a *chaebol* [a large South Korean business conglomerate] family, and I guess she did, in a way… but like that.”

“Don’t treat it as gossip. We’ve taken the case.”

Kang Min-jae pretended to zip his lips at my words and sat up straight.

I know Kang Min-jae isn’t the type to treat a case he’s taken on as gossip, but it would be problematic if he reacted based on Hong-mi’s perspective in front of Kim Chan-young and his mother.

“I’m concerned about Kim Hwa-young’s condition. It might be difficult to get a statement from the client.”

Office Manager Oh said, typing away at his laptop.

The case is so complex that he seemed to be organizing the details.

“If what we hear from Chan-young and what we hear from Kim Hwa-young are different, that in itself will be a problem.”

In such cases, Kim Chan-young’s words would be slightly more credible than Kim Hwa-young’s, but that doesn’t mean we can dismiss Kim Hwa-young’s words as lies.

Conversely, even if both Kim Hwa-young and Kim Chan-young are telling the truth, it’s hard to trust completely.

Kim Hwa-young said her memory has deteriorated a lot since suffering from bipolar disorder.

She sometimes remembers situations in a distorted way.

The situation with the butler might be the same.

So, let’s assume Kim Hwa-young really did kill the butler.

But Kim Hwa-young, with her distorted memory, told Kim Chan-young that she didn’t kill the butler, and Kim Chan-young, not being involved in the incident, believed what he heard from Kim Hwa-young?

In this situation, we could see truth judgments from both Kim Chan-young and Kim Hwa-young.

“But if we take on Kim Hwa-young’s defense, Go Sang-jun will throw a fit. He might completely abandon Kim Hwa-young.”

“That’s what worries me too.”

“That Go Sang-jun and Kim Hwa-young will fall out?”

“No. I heard that Kim Hwa-young isn’t taking Go Sang-jun’s calls, and that Kim Hwa-young is grinding her teeth at Go Sang-jun. If Kim Hwa-young is uncooperative, and then she hires me as her lawyer, Go Sang-jun won’t have any reason to cling to Kim Hwa-young. Even if, as Chan-young says, Kim Hwa-young has dirt on Go Sang-jun, in that case, Go Sang-jun would probably think he could just kill Kim Hwa-young. Well, if this whole case is a trap set by Go Sang-jun, it’s even more dangerous.”

Someone who was planning to frame Kim Hwa-young as a criminal from the start wouldn’t find it difficult to decide to kill her.

Even if he doesn’t kill her for Kim Chan-young’s sake, it’s obvious he’ll try to ruin her.

“Do you think Go Sang-jun has really abandoned Kim Hwa-young?”

“Either way, it’s dangerous. Even if we assume Go Sang-jun is really trying to save Kim Hwa-young, if Kim Hwa-young takes my hand in that situation, Go Sang-jun might change his attitude and try to attack Kim Hwa-young.”

If he changes his attitude, evidence that didn’t appear in the first trial could pour out in the second trial.

Go Sang-jun promised Kim Hwa-young that if he couldn’t catch the real culprit, he would create a fake one to save her.

But if the situation goes awry, he might create a fake witness to make Kim Hwa-young a murderer.

“The difficulty of the case is increasing.”

We need to consider what’s the better path for Kim Chan-young and Kim Hwa-young.

To do that, we need to confirm whether Go Sang-jun really intends to save Kim Hwa-young, and the only way to quickly confirm that is for me to meet Go Sang-jun directly.

Or meet the Taekwang lawyers and use my ability.

Either way, to use my ability on anyone, I need to reveal that I’ve taken on Kim Hwa-young’s case.

In any case, the lukewarm response the Taekwang lawyers showed in the first trial might be because they haven’t prepared a fake culprit yet.

Once the fake culprit is ready, everything will be resolved, so they might have judged that there’s no need to exert effort from the first trial.

“Does Go Sang-jun know who the real culprit is?”

Kang Min-jae asked.

“We need to consider this possibility too. Go Sang-jun knows who the real culprit is, and he has to protect that culprit, so he had no choice but to drive Kim Hwa-young into a corner. Because he said he checked all the CCTV footage. So, there’s a high probability that the real culprit was caught on camera, so Go Sang-jun might know who the real culprit is. Isn’t that why he’s saying he’ll prepare a fake culprit?”

That makes sense.

But right now, we lack information, so if we try to speculate, there’s no end to it.

“There’s no point in talking about it now. It’s better to talk after we get more information. But… there’s one speculation we can make without information. If this is a trap set by Go Sang-jun, there’s nothing to say but that he’s stupid. If I were him, I would have thought of a way to kill her.”

“So, you’re saying Go Sang-jun might really want to save Kim Hwa-young?”

“If he doesn’t save her, Kim Hwa-young might harbor resentment and expose his illegitimate child.”

“…That’s true.”

Anyway, everything can only be sorted out after meeting Kim Hwa-young in person.

Kim Chan-young, due to his one-sided resentment towards Go Sang-jun, hasn’t properly judged what method is the shortcut to saving his mother.

Come to think of it, Kim Chan-young initially decided to trust Go Sang-jun, though he was pushed by the situation.

But due to the lukewarm response the Taekwang lawyers showed in the trial, he judged that he was foolish to trust Go Sang-jun.

If, as we predicted, they were planning to prepare a fake culprit in the second trial and the trials that follow, it would be better for Kim Chan-young to be on Go Sang-jun’s side.

I said I would take the case because Kim Chan-young wanted me to take it.

Of course, I also said I would take it because I was drawn to the fishy case involving Go Sang-jun.

But a lawyer must bring the best possible outcome for the client, and this means prioritizing ensuring that the client receives a fair punishment, or that they are not unfairly punished, rather than finding the hidden truth.

If the Taekwang lawyers have the will to save Kim Hwa-young, the process may be illegal and unjust, but they can definitely resolve Kim Hwa-young’s unfairness.

Conversely, I have no intention of proving Kim Hwa-young’s innocence by preparing a fake culprit.

In other words, I might not be able to prove Kim Hwa-young’s innocence.

So, it’s right to give Kim Chan-young the best possible outcome for him.

Rather than taking on the case recklessly according to my own desires.

“Let’s get up now.”

At Kang Min-jae’s words, I checked the time.

I was supposed to meet Kim Hwa-young at the hotel at 7 o’clock.

Considering the possibility that Kim Hwa-young might be followed, Kang Min-jae and I decided to go there in advance at 6 o’clock.

We need to leave now.

* * *

7 o’clock.

We decided to meet at a room I booked in a hotel near Kim Hwa-young’s house.

For this, Kim Chan-young brought Kim Hwa-young here, pretending to have rented the hotel to spend comfortable time with his mother, who had been exhausted by the trial.

“Hello.”

At 7 o’clock sharp, Kim Chan-young and Kim Hwa-young entered the room together.

Kim Hwa-young looked much the same as in the photos that had been published in the media before.

More than 20 years have passed, so there were traces of time, but if she revealed her face and walked the streets, anyone would recognize her.

So, she might not have been able to go outside even more.

As she was the biggest star of her time, there were too many people who would recognize her.

“Hello. I am Cha Joo-han, the representative lawyer of the law firm Jeongdo.”

“I am lawyer Kang Min-jae.”

When I handed Kim Hwa-young my business card, she checked it once and handed it to Kim Chan-young.

She seemed to trust her son a lot.

She was carrying a handbag, and she could have taken care of it herself in case of emergency.

She gave the impression that she was very dependent on Kim Chan-young.

Even when she sat on the sofa, she went to sit where Kim Chan-young told her to sit.

Is it because she is in a psychologically unstable state?

“I’m sorry to bother you. As you know, my mother is too well-known.”

“It’s okay. Mother, would you like a cup of coffee? The coffee here is good.”

“No. I don’t drink coffee at night. Do you have any tea?”

“If you’re okay with tea bags, they have English Breakfast. Shall I get that for you?”

“Can I ask the lawyer to do that for me?”

“Of course, Mother. What about you, Chan-young?”

“I’ll just have water.”

Kang Min-jae got up from the sofa and headed towards the bar, and I took out the recorder from Kang Min-jae’s bag.

“I will keep a separate record, but I will record the conversation just in case. It will only be used to remember what you tell me today, and it will be discarded soon.”

Kim Hwa-young looked uneasy, but soon nodded at Kim Chan-young’s reassurance.

“I heard about the outline of the case from your son. But since you are the one who is requesting the case, there are things I need to ask you directly.”

“Yes.”

The answer was given by Kim Chan-young, not Kim Hwa-young.

“You are currently indicted on charges of murdering your butler, Park Sang-eun. Did you murder Park Sang-eun?”

“Lawyer, I told you. My mom…”

“Please answer, Mother.”

When I looked at Kim Hwa-young and spoke, Kim Hwa-young showed noticeable signs of anxiety.

She was meeting a stranger, and even though she was at odds with Go Sang-jun, she must have felt uncomfortable thinking that she had to be with someone who was hostile to Go Sang-jun.

Kim Chan-young reassured Kim Hwa-young once again, and Kim Hwa-young barely answered.

“I didn’t kill him…”

[Truth]

Fortunately, it’s a truth judgment.

But it’s too early to rest assured.

Even this could be a distortion.

“Park Sang-eun’s body was found 75 days ago.”

At that time, I was falsely accused of killing Lee Jung-chan.

I only communicated through the burner phone Kang Director gave me, or Kang Min-jae’s cell phone.

If that hadn’t happened, I might have been able to participate in the process.

If that were the case, I wouldn’t have to be confused by such uncertain information.

In many ways, I feel regret.

“Were you living with your son all that time?”

“…Yes.”

“Did your mother show any different behavior before and after Park Sang-eun’s death?”

“Lawyer, what do you mean by that?”

Kim Hwa-young narrowed her eyes and asked, as if she felt unpleasant with my question.

But Kim Chan-young seemed to understand the intention of my question, and he grabbed Kim Hwa-young’s hand and replied.

“No, she didn’t. When the National Forensic Service performed the autopsy, they said the butler’s body was found several days after his death. Of course, she was very surprised when the body was found in the annex, but until then, she was no different from usual.”

[Truth]

If Kim Hwa-young had denied reality to the point of distorting it herself, there would have been definitely externally visible reactions.

For example, seeing hallucinations, talking to herself, having nightmares, or trembling with fear.

Considering the degree of trust she shows in Kim Chan-young, I don’t think she would have hidden those reactions even in front of Kim Chan-young.

Fortunately, he says no, so it seems that Kim Hwa-young did not kill the butler.

“Does your mother have any suspects in mind?”

“…Honestly, I don’t know.”

“Think about it. I heard that the body was severely damaged. Was there anyone who had a grudge against the butler to the point of killing him like that?”

“Are you talking about the person who directly killed him, or the person who ordered it?”

“Anyone is fine.”

“…Honestly, to be honest… I think it’s either Go Sang-jun or Yoon Sung-hee.”

“Yoon Sung-hee, are you talking about Go Sang-jun’s wife?”

Go Sang-jun was within the expected range because of Kim Chan-young’s words, but Yoon Sung-hee was not.

Kim Chan-young had never mentioned Yoon Sung-hee’s name either.

“Do you have a reason to suspect Yoon Sung-hee?”

“…Go Sang-jun was going to get a divorce.”

[Truth]

“What? Mom, you never told me that.”

Kim Chan-young asked, surprised.

Then Kim Hwa-young grabbed Kim Chan-young’s hand and sobbed.

“It wasn’t definitely decided, so I couldn’t tell you. I was afraid you would have false hope…”

“Did Go Sang-jun say he would remarry you after divorcing Yoon Sung-hee?”

“He didn’t say it for sure, but he did say that to me. If this got into Yoon Sung-hee’s ears… If I, who was a movie star, died, it would be considered suspicious, so I think she tried to make me a criminal instead of killing me. So, because Go Sang-jun knows that, so… he can’t drive Yoon Sung-hee into a corner, so he abandoned me, I think.”

With those words, Kim Hwa-young covered her face and sobbed.