You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 333

They Were Defended – Episode 333

Ko Sang-jun usually visits Kim Chan-young’s house, where Kim Chan-young and his mother live, for their meetings.

Meeting outside could risk exposure, and even if they weren’t father and son, Ko Sang-jun worried that being seen together would easily lead to rumors.

I arrived at his house earlier than their scheduled meeting time.

“You came alone.”

“One person is less likely to be noticed than two.”

“That’s true. Ko Sang-jun said he wouldn’t be free until 6 PM, so we still have about an hour. Would you like something to drink?”

To summon Ko Sang-jun, Kim Chan-young lied about his mother’s condition.

And her poor condition is, of course, because of Ko Sang-jun.

Yet, he said he couldn’t make it until 6 PM, claiming he wasn’t free.

Kim Hwa-young said Ko Sang-jun told her he would divorce Yoon Sung-hee, but I suspect that was just an empty promise to appease Kim Hwa-young.

If he truly intended to divorce Yoon Sung-hee and choose Kim Hwa-young, he wouldn’t have let the situation get this far, and he would have rushed over immediately upon hearing she was unwell.

Even if he had a special schedule, someone in the position of the Wooshin Group chairman could easily postpone it.

Especially since he supposedly knows best what state Kim Hwa-young is in right now.

“Mom is sleeping right now. She took some medicine, and it seems to make her drowsy. Do you have anything to say to her?”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Juice is fine, right? I’ll get it. There’s not much to see, but feel free to look around the house. It’s not every day you get to see the home of Ko Sang-jun’s mistress and a once top-rated actress.”

Kim Chan-young seemed to say it jokingly, but there was self-deprecation in his words.

Unlike Kang Min-jae, I don’t particularly enjoy looking around other people’s houses, but I checked the display case, thinking there might be something useful later.

It displayed awards and photos from Kim Hwa-young’s acting days, as well as awards and photos Kim Chan-young had received.

Kim Hwa-young debuted as a magazine model in her youth, rose to the position of a teen star, and was the top youth star of her time.

Many students in the neighborhood carried Kim Hwa-young’s pictures on their notebooks when she was a top star.

Of course, when she was a top star, I preferred playing with Dong-jin and making mud pies rather than paying attention to celebrities, but I was well aware of her popularity.

I don’t know how the case will unfold, but if this fact becomes public, she will suffer immense damage to her image.

After all, she was a mysterious actress who represented an era, so much so that she is still talked about today.

“Oh, next to it is my graduation photo. Neither Mom nor Ko Sang-jun could come, so my uncle came instead. You know, the one who was a director at Myunghwa Pharmaceuticals back then.”

Kim Chan-young, who had brought the juice, handed me a glass and said.

“Mom wanted to name me Jun-young, taking parts of Ko Sang-jun’s and her name. But Ko Sang-jun didn’t welcome my existence and opposed it, saying it could be a clue. So I became Kim Chan-young, but I like it. Kim Chan-young is better than Kim Jun-young. Besides, if my name had a character used in Ko Sang-jun’s name, I probably would have changed it a long time ago.”

Kim Chan-young, who had calmly recounted a potentially hurtful story, led me to the sofa.

As I headed there, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

Kim Chan-young hates Ko Sang-jun.

Because he failed to be a father to him in his childhood and made his mother unhappy.

Alternatively, he might not have wanted his father’s downfall but rather his love.

In that case, the hatred he harbors is not simple hatred but transforms into a love-hate relationship.

He may want to be compensated for his lost childhood not with his father’s love, but with his downfall as a trade-off.

So perhaps, if Ko Sang-jun, whether sincerely or not, begins to treat Kim Chan-young and his mother with care, the resentment solidified in Kim Chan-young’s heart might melt away.

The Taekwang lawyers Ko Sang-jun assigned showed a disappointing attitude in the first trial, but they might spectacularly save Kim Hwa-young in the second trial.

And if Kim Chan-young feels that Ko Sang-jun has put in a lot of effort to achieve this result, perhaps he will reduce his resentment towards Ko Sang-jun as a result of this.

That would, of course, be a loss for me.

I need anyone who can help bring down Ko Sang-jun.

But if that is a way for Kim Chan-young to be compensated for his childhood unhappiness, I can’t only pursue my own interests.

Fortunately, I was rational this time.

Perhaps because Kim Hwa-young’s case was the same as what I had experienced, I had time to consider it from a slightly different perspective.

But what if that wasn’t the case?

Perhaps I would have become a beast blinded by revenge, willing to make choices that would ruin someone else’s life.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“It’s nothing. Your mother should be waking up soon.”

I said, checking the time.

When Ko Sang-jun arrives, Kim Hwa-young is supposed to react nervously.

After Ko Sang-jun soothes and puts Kim Hwa-young to sleep, Kim Chan-young is to call Ko Sang-jun to his room and ask how he plans to proceed with Kim Hwa-young’s trial.

I had predetermined what Kim Chan-young would say to Ko Sang-jun.

And I decided to hide in the closet in Kim Chan-young’s room, watch their conversation, and use my ability.

Of course, I didn’t reveal that I would use my ability.

I just put it differently.

“Is there really a way to tell if someone is lying based on their reactions, like you see on TV? Like, by their eye movements, facial muscle movements, gestures, things like that?”

“It doesn’t apply to everyone, so it’s not an absolute standard. But Ko Sang-jun is human, so there will be parts he wants to emphasize, and I’ll try to judge whether he’s speaking sincerely by looking at what he emphasizes and things like that.”

“That’s amazing. I didn’t know prosecutors could do that, let alone profilers.”

“No, I told you yesterday. I’m not going to judge based solely on those reactions. I’m going to find out what Ko Sang-jun is thinking through your conversation with him. That’s just a supplementary factor for reference.”

“I know. I would have lost trust in you if you said you were going to judge based on that. But I just, I never thought about figuring it out that way, so it’s amazing…”

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.

Before Kim Chan-young could finish speaking.

The sound of someone entering the password at the front door was heard.

Kim Chan-young turned pale and looked at me, and I reflexively got up and entered the room that Kim Chan-young hurriedly pointed to.

Fortunately, the house is large, and there is a distance between the living room and the entrance, so it didn’t seem like our conversation could be heard outside, but I was somewhat embarrassed because I was supposed to be in the closet before Ko Sang-jun arrived.

There were still 40 minutes left until the appointed time.

Then why so early?

-Father, you’re here?

From afar, Kim Chan-young’s voice, a tone brighter, was heard.

It seems he had been living his whole life acting as if he was welcoming Ko Sang-jun with a brighter voice than usual, despite harboring deep resentment towards him.

It was a tone of voice I was hearing for the first time, but it didn’t sound improvised or forced.

-Yes. I finished work earlier than expected, so I came early. But Chan-young, didn’t you go to work today?

Ko Sang-jun’s voice was heard.

It was somewhat gentle, but his unique, overbearing tone was still there.

He is someone who pretends to be more polite than anyone else in official settings.

That’s how it was when the special investigation team started in my previous life, and when I first met him in the interrogation room.

But as the special investigation team began to stir up many things, his unique, overbearing, and arrogant tone came out.

That was his true nature.

“…….”

I clenched my fist tightly.

But my hands didn’t shake like last time.

I had taken medicine in advance, just in case any symptoms appeared and ruined things.

-I took a half-day off after receiving a call from Mom.

-A new employee taking a half-day off already must be awkward. You’re going through a lot.

-It’s okay.

-How is your mother?

-She was crying until just now, but I gave her some medicine, and she seems to be feeling a bit better. She’s sleeping. I feel sorry for asking you to come when you’re busy, Father.

-No, I was going to stop by anyway. Have you had dinner? Should we have dinner together?

-Not yet. I was going to eat with Mom when she wakes up later. I don’t know when she’ll wake up since she’s sleeping after taking medicine, so don’t wait for us and let’s have dinner together next time.

-Okay.

-I’ll get you a cup of tea. Please sit down for a moment.

There was no excess in his polite tone, and Ko Sang-jun also seemed to be in a good mood.

I thought his son’s mood would be upset after the first trial, but he must be satisfied with the fact that he is treating him as politely as before.

-You must be very busy these days, right? Still, it’s a relief that your brothers are supporting you so strongly, Father.

The sound of Kim Chan-young putting down a teacup was heard as he spoke in a cheerful voice.

It seemed his purpose was to buy me time to hide in this room by talking about unnecessary things.

I looked around the room.

It seemed I had found Kim Chan-young’s room correctly, and there was also a closet.

I carefully opened the closet.

Being very careful in case the sound of the door opening could be heard.

Kim Chan-young seemed to have cleared out the inside of the closet in advance so that I could enter, and there was enough space for me to enter.

I could see the entire room through the slanted holes for ventilation.

This should be enough.

I sent Kim Chan-young a text message.

[Ready]

-Ah, Father. Now that you’re here, there’s something I wanted to tell you…

-What is it?

-I’m worried Mom might hear if I say it here… Can we go to my room to talk?

-Okay.

Ko Sang-jun didn’t seem to suspect much and got up from the sofa, and the sound of leather rubbing was heard.

Kim Chan-young’s improvisation was good.

Originally, the plan was to visually show that Kim Hwa-young’s condition had worsened, making Ko Sang-jun anxious, and then naturally put Kim Hwa-young to sleep and bring him into the room to start the conversation.

Even though he failed to make him anxious, thanks to Kim Chan-young’s improvisation, it was natural to get him into the room.

-Please sit here.

Kim Chan-young pulled out a chair at the tea table by the window for Ko Sang-jun.

Then Ko Sang-jun’s back was visible, and his face was revealed as he sat down.

Seeing his face made me feel nauseous.

[Prosecutor… it would be good if you did it moderately. You seem to be overdoing it.]

[What you’re doing now, if it’s not overdoing it, then what is? Haha, there’s nothing wrong with dreaming… but trying to realize a dream without proper preparation is arrogance.]

His voice from my previous life echoed in my ears.

I shook my head and clenched my fist even tighter.

I tried to come to my senses by stabbing my palm with my fingernails.

-I know very well that you’re trying to help Mom, Father, but please understand that I have to keep asking you…

Kim Chan-young began.

-Yes. I understand. Why wouldn’t I? It’s the first time something like this has happened to your mother, and it was sudden. She’s already sick.

-Yes… I’m getting reports from the lawyers, but Mom is even suspecting the lawyers now. I keep telling her to trust and follow you, Father, but still… Mom is sick. It seems like she wants to suspect anyone in this world, not just you, Father. Sometimes she’s like that with me too.

-You’re going through a lot, Chan-young.

-It’s nothing. Still, Father, I really hope we can see the end in the second trial. Actually, I’m getting tired of putting up with Mom like this. I guess I don’t have a big enough heart. I guess that’s all I am.

-No. Anyone would find it difficult to take care of others when something like this happens. Even if it’s your mother.

Ko Sang-jun seemed to think he had to play the role of a father, showing a supportive reaction to Kim Chan-young.

-And I don’t know if it’s just my feeling, but it doesn’t seem like the lawyers are telling me everything as it is. So I have nothing to say to Mom, but in this situation, Mom keeps suggesting we look for other lawyers… I have no way to appease Mom. I was wondering if you could be a little more proactive…

-Hmm…

Ko Sang-jun hesitated to answer for a moment and made a humming sound.

-The real culprit you mentioned last time. The second trial is approaching, but it seems impossible to find the real culprit by then. Have you found the real culprit?

-No, I haven’t found him yet.

[Lie]

Ko Sang-jun knows the real culprit.

Whether it’s Yoon Sung-hee or someone other than Yoon Sung-hee, Ko Sang-jun knows the real culprit but still hasn’t revealed him.

It means he either has no intention of really helping Kim Hwa-young, or he will save Kim Hwa-young, but the real culprit is more precious to him.

It seems like it’s Yoon Sung-hee after all.

-In that situation, shouldn’t we be preparing a fake culprit by now? Is it in progress?

-I received a report on the way here. The guard at Jo Yeon-dong’s house has decided to confess. It seems they are still preparing because there are several things to check beforehand. Chan-young, you must have gone through a lot, but now don’t worry and trust your father and wait a little longer. Okay?

[Truth]

-……Thank you, Father.

[Lie]