You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 336

You Have Been Defended – Episode 336

I woke up at dawn to buy the Iljung Daily morning newspaper, eager to check the front page.

However, before I could even grab a copy from the newsstand, I sighed, spotting the three letters ‘Kim Hwa-young’ emblazoned across the top.

Why couldn’t Go Sang-jun stop this?

Or, had he chosen not to?

“……”

It was 5 a.m., the early morning air still crisp.

I hesitated for a moment, then dialed Kim Chan-young’s number.

I’d informed him of the news yesterday, so he must have woken up early to check for the article’s publication.

[The customer is currently on another call…….]

But all I got was a busy signal.

Perhaps Kim Chan-young already knew and was on the phone with Go Sang-jun, demanding answers.

I rubbed my forehead, a headache already brewing.

Hoping for a callback, I headed to my study to assess the situation, firing up my laptop.

These days, newspapers aren’t the primary source for breaking scoops.

Most outlets release news online first, then publish it in the paper the next day.

This is because driving traffic to their website and earning advertising revenue is more profitable than increasing newspaper subscriptions.

However, the fact that they still ran it as a newspaper article suggested they were targeting middle-aged readers who remembered Kim Hwa-young well.

While smartphones are ubiquitous, they’re primarily used by teenagers and those in their twenties. Articles about Kim Hwa-young on portal sites would likely be met with reactions like, ‘Who’s that?’

[80s Youth Star Kim Hwa-young, Suspected of Murdering Villa Caretaker…… Denies Allegations]

[The True Colors of Mysterious Actress Kim Hwa-young]

[Is This Why She Was Hiding? …… ‘Youth Star Who Killed Someone’]

[Numerous Rumors Surrounding Youth Star Kim Hwa-young, the Truth Beyond ‘Murder’]

The entertainment sections of various portal sites were plastered with sensational headlines.

The articles neatly summarized the case against Kim Hwa-young.

The housekeeper had gone missing, her last known location Kim Hwa-young’s villa.

Kim Hwa-young had refused a search, stalling the investigation, but an anonymous tip revealed a strained relationship between her and the housekeeper, leading to a warrant.

The search uncovered a body in the garden.

Moreover, despite Kim Hwa-young avoiding recent public appearances, they’d somehow obtained a photo of her getting into a car. She looked gaunt and aged compared to her former self, and the photo was being widely circulated.

She looked so different that my first thought wasn’t even that it was her.

Her nervous expression and the ravages of time made her resemble a witch from a fairy tale.

It seemed they deliberately chose an unflattering photo to reinforce the image of a murderer.

Perhaps Yoon Sung-hee’s camp had leaked the photo to further damage Kim Hwa-young’s reputation.

[aa**** : I used to love Kim Hwa-young… Now she’s old, her skin is all saggy, and she’s become an old witch… Tsk…]

[zd**** : Give me back my first love~~!]

[qk**** : Murderer, you devil]

[la**** : She lived without any news or showing her face, so I thought she met a good man somewhere, built a happy family, but.. she built a villa in Jo Yeon-dong and lived there, being hysterical to the caretaker…]

The story was spreading like wildfire.

The Facebook posts numbered in the hundreds.

Even younger people, who only knew Kim Hwa-young as a famous actress from a bygone era, were joining in the criticism.

With both internet-savvy and non-internet-using middle-aged folks now aware, it was safe to say the whole nation knew the story.

Besides, it was the perfect fodder for gossip.

Every day, sensational celebrity scandals surface.

Even ridiculous stories gain traction.

But this time, an official article had been published, removing any hesitation to condemn Kim Hwa-young.

“……”

About an hour passed.

The phone rang.

It was Kim Chan-young.

“Hello…….”

-Go Sang-jun……. You said that Go Sang-jun would sincerely help…….?

Kim Chan-young’s voice trembled.

Judging by his nasal tone, he’d been crying.

I sighed deeply.

“Chan-young.”

-You said that Attorney Go was sincere about saving Mom! You said that if we just confirmed that a fake perpetrator was prepared before the second trial, everything would be fine…….!

I remained silent.

Kim Chan-young knew this wasn’t my fault.

He just needed someone to blame.

-If Go Sang-jun is really going to save Mom, then why couldn’t he stop that one article! Why! Go Sang-jun isn’t someone who can’t do that!

A lawyer like me doesn’t have the power to suppress a front-page article in the Iljung Daily.

Even if I had taken the case, the outcome would have been the same.

Yoon Sung-hee’s involvement was already a critical blow; Go Sang-jun’s intervention might have worsened things.

After informing Kim Chan-young yesterday, I hadn’t heard back.

Presumably, Go Sang-jun had promised to try and stop the article.

Kim Chan-young got the answer he wanted, so there was no need to update me.

I was relieved and didn’t worry.

As Kim Chan-young said, Go Sang-jun was capable of stopping it.

But Go Sang-jun had failed too?

I didn’t know what Yoon Sung-hee had offered, but her father must be furious.

Or perhaps, he deliberately allowed it to proceed.

-What do we do now……. Ha, Mom will wake up soon. I have no idea how she’ll react if she finds out about this. I don’t know what to do.

“You can’t hide it forever anyway.”

-I know, but……. I think it would be better to give her a tranquilizer and then tell her, ah…….

Kim Chan-young trailed off with a sigh.

I could imagine the scenario unfolding in his mind.

Kim Hwa-young might attempt suicide.

When I met her, she seemed unstable, but nothing overtly concerning.

However, considering she strangled the housekeeper, we needed to prepare for the worst.

“Take your mother to the emergency room. To an emergency room with a psychiatric ward.”

-You want me to admit Mom?

“Even if it’s just for a few days. Tell her the news and keep her from seeing the internet. And go to the hospital. You can’t always be with her. Even if you’re in the same house, an accident could happen the moment you’re apart.”

-……Ha.

I’m not a doctor, so I don’t know the best course of action.

But I know that admitting her is the safest way to prevent her from harming someone.

Of course, that includes herself.

“Okay…… I’ll do that.”

* * *

Kim Chan-young hung up and immediately sprang into action.

He grabbed scissors from the kitchen and cut the power cords of the television and the internet cable.

Not satisfied, he began gathering all the sharp objects in the house into a large non-woven bag.

Kitchen knives, box cutters, small scissors, knives, even butter knives were included.

He raced to his room, severed the television cord there, and swept mechanical pencils and ballpoint pens into the bag.

Kim Hwa-young’s bedroom was no exception.

Cutting the power cord and filling the bag with sharp objects made it heavy.

“Hmm……. Son?”

Kim Hwa-young, roused from sleep by the commotion, sat up groggily and rubbed her eyes.

It was before sunrise.

Kim Chan-young instinctively hid the scissors behind his back and forced a smile.

“Mom, good morning.”

“Yeah……. But son, what’s wrong?”

“Ah, Mom. Just wait a moment.”

Kim Chan-young left the room.

He stashed the non-woven bag in his room and locked the door, having already collected all the keys.

He went to the kitchen, poured lukewarm water into a mug, and retrieved her as-needed medication.

“Mom.”

Kim Chan-young entered the bedroom with a neutral expression and sat on the edge of Kim Hwa-young’s bed.

“Drink some water.”

“Okay.”

Kim Hwa-young took the water and drank it obediently, like a child.

Kim Chan-young sighed inwardly at her compliance.

She didn’t question why she needed to drink water.

She simply did as her trusted son instructed.

Kim Chan-young barely suppressed the lump in his throat and placed the pill in her palm.

“This is medicine.”

“Okay.”

Watching her swallow the pill without hesitation, Kim Chan-young casually pocketed her cell phone.

Oblivious, she reached for the remote to turn on the television.

She pressed the button, but nothing happened.

“Why doesn’t the television turn on?”

“I don’t know. Is there a power outage?”

Kim Chan-young feigned confusion.

He needed to stall until the medicine took effect.

About 30 minutes should suffice.

“Mom, something good happened at work.”

Kim Chan-young decided to change the subject.

He fabricated a story.

He told her that his proposal at work had been well-received, and the report had been escalated to upper management.

He was being hailed as an ace, a story that would please his mother.

“Your father would be happy if he knew. You joined the company without any connections, and you’re doing so well. Ha……. What’s the use. That man abandoned me anyway.”

Kim Hwa-young frowned, and Kim Chan-young shook his head.

She harbored a conflicting mix of hatred for Go Sang-jun and a longing for their eternal love.

I thought she seemed relieved after hearing about the plan to have a fake perpetrator confess before the second trial.

“No, Mom. He said he would take responsibility to the end. He said he would save Mom no matter what. I talked to him yesterday too.”

“……Really? Ah, but why does it feel like something is pressing down inside my head? It feels like being flattened by something like gravity. Is what I ate earlier the morning medicine?”

“That’s strange. Why is that?”

“That’s strange…….”

It seemed the medicine was working.

Kim Chan-young clenched his fist.

Cold sweat poured down his back.

“Mom.”

“Yeah?”

“An article has been published.”

“What article?”

“……About Mom’s trial.”