You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 349

“Oh, Kim Yun-hee is calling. What should I do?”

Holding the screen out to me, Kang Min-jae froze, her voice laced with urgency.

It seemed Kim Yun-hee had called after receiving the dismissal letter and discovering we’d taken on Kim Hwa-young’s case.

It wasn’t yet reflected in the computer system, suggesting Kim Chan-young had leaked the information.

From now on, Kim Chan-young would have to play the part of a son unable to control his mother, who was acting against Go Sang-jun, making it impossible for him to suppress the news.

It didn’t matter much, but the reaction came faster than anticipated.

Kim Yun-hee likely felt she lacked a personal connection with me to contact me directly, and Kang Min-jae, a former subordinate, was the next best option.

“Do as you wish. Nothing Kim Yun-hee says will change anything.”

“Then I’ll answer on speakerphone.”

Kang Min-jae swallowed hard, visibly nervous, and answered the call.

“Ah, Attorney. Thank you for answering.”

-Ah, yes. Attorney Kang, how have you been?

“I’ve been well, thanks to you.”

-Yes, I’m sorry I couldn’t congratulate you on opening your law firm recently. The problem is that I get forgetful as I get older. I’ve been busy too.

I hadn’t interacted with Kim Yun-hee often, but I always perceived her as adaptable rather than rigid.

Despite the obvious purpose of her call, she broached the subject smoothly, as if suddenly remembering she wanted to offer congratulations.

On the surface, it sounded like a warm greeting and encouragement to Kang Min-jae as she embarked on her new venture.

“It’s alright, Attorney.”

-How is your grandfather?

“He’s doing well. He sometimes mentions you, asking how you’re doing.”

-Okay. Please give him my regards. After Attorney Kang moved, it became awkward to contact him. I should visit him sometime.

“Yes, I understand. But why are you calling so late, when you should be resting?”

-Haa.

Kim Yun-hee sighed deeply.

Kang Min-jae glanced between me and the phone, mouthing, ‘Here it comes.’

I anticipated some kind of action, but not this directly.

Perhaps it was because they needed to be mindful of Kang Min-jae, being Kang Kwan-woong’s grandson, but even so, wasn’t this ridiculous?

They should be ashamed and hiding.

They had failed to get Kim Hwa-young’s indictment dismissed through legal maneuvering, and now, despite their dismissal, they dared to contact us – a small firm openly at odds with Taekwang – showing a complete lack of shame.

-I don’t want to interfere with Attorney Kang’s work, and I know I shouldn’t. But Kim Hwa-young is hospitalized and refusing visitors, and her son seems at a loss because of Kim Hwa-young’s sudden actions, so I had no choice but to contact Attorney Kang.

“Ah, you’re calling about Kim Hwa-young’s case.”

-Yes. I hope you don’t misunderstand and listen to me. I’m saying this as a senior, so I can’t help but say a word.

“Yes.”

-I want Attorney Kang to give up the case first.

“……”

-I don’t know Cha Attorney in your law firm well, and I have no reason to care about him. But you’re different. You’ve heard the outline of the case, right? What kind of person Kim Hwa-young is.

“……Yes, I know.”

-Chairman Go and Kim Hwa-young are practically a couple. There’s a saying that a couple’s fight is like cutting water with a knife [meaning it doesn’t leave a lasting impact]. Kim Hwa-young is already an unstable person, so she was just momentarily excited. You just took the case that came to you, but… Still, Attorney Kang, you have some sense, right? You shouldn’t get involved in this kind of case rashly. It might be different if it were another law firm, but the place where you are is already a bit… with Chairman Go. You know what I mean, right?

“……Yes, I know very well.”

-Then the situation will only get worse. Besides, we handled the first trial, and we’ve made a lot of progress. The second trial is coming up soon, and we’ll get Kim Hwa-young out then. Then everything will be over, so there’s no need for your law firm to take on the case and make the situation worse, right?

-…….

-Try to persuade Attorney Cha well. I know Attorney Cha is eager to devour Chairman Go, but I also know he’s not the kind of person who would force things to proceed by ruining a couple’s relationship and destroying someone. So, I’m telling you to talk to him well, okay?

A couple?

I scoffed.

If they genuinely believed Kim Hwa-young and Go Sang-jun were a couple, or even a family, this wouldn’t be so absurd.

They must know that Go Yun-ho and Go Yun-seok were the real culprits.

Even if not all the lawyers on the defense team knew, Kim Yun-hee, as the head, certainly did.

That this whole thing is a charade, with Kim Hwa-young being ‘sacrificed’ to protect Go Yun-ho and Go Yun-seok.

They tell Kim Hwa-young, who is oblivious, that they are working hard for her, while behind her back, they treat her like a fool and focus on protecting Go Yun-seok and Go Yun-ho. And they dare accuse us of breaking up the ‘couple’.

Even before discovering Go Yun-ho and Go Yun-seok were the real culprits, Kim Hwa-young had already lost trust in Taekwang, who were solely focused on shielding them, and sought me out.

Who truly ruined the relationship?

Moreover, objectively speaking, Kim Hwa-young’s life was ruined by her involvement with Go Sang-jun.

I’m not trying to ruin her life; I’m simply dealing with the consequences of Go Sang-jun’s actions.

“Attorney, I’m really grateful for your concern, but I need to discuss the issue you mentioned with our managing attorney.”

-Yes, so I’m telling you to discuss it. But you can at least speak well, right? Talk to him well so that he doesn’t take the case.

“I understand what you mean, Attorney, but I don’t see any reason to do that.”

Kang Min-jae’s response was firmer than I anticipated.

-……What?

Kim Yun-hee seemed taken aback by Kang Min-jae’s change in tone, as she had been trying to maintain a pleasant facade.

“Kim Hwa-young currently has no trust in Taekwang at all. She doesn’t want any contact with Taekwang. We haven’t been able to fully hear about the situation yet, so we need to look into it a bit more, but we can’t turn away a client who came to us for help.”

-Attorney Kang.

“I am truly sorry, but as Kim Hwa-young’s legal representative, this is all I can say. However, I will pass on everything you said to our managing attorney. I’ll contact you again if the situation changes, but the client’s position is so firm that it seems difficult to reconnect with Taekwang.”

-Attorney Kang, the client’s decision depends on what the attorney says.

“Attorney, I personally respect you very much. That’s why I’m very uncomfortable with this awkward conversation. I’m really sorry. I’ll hang up now. I’ll greet you again next time with good news.”

With those words, Kang Min-jae hung up the phone.

“Respect my ass.”

She muttered after disconnecting.

“Talking about a couple’s relationship. Kim Hwa-young won’t let them contact her to persuade her directly, and Chan-young says he can’t stop her either, so in the end, she calls me and says give up on your side. It’s so absurd. How did Kim Yun-hee end up like this?”

Kang Min-jae shook her head.

Kim Yun-hee’s attitude and words were unpleasant, but something was surprisingly unexpected.

For some reason, they didn’t threaten us.

The reason we told Kim Hwa-young to continue receiving legal representation from Taekwang was also because we were concerned that the difficulty of the case would increase if she broke up with Go Sang-jun.

Did she hold back because Kang Min-jae was present?

Is it because she can’t yet threaten Kang Kwan-woong’s grandson?

Moreover, Kim Yun-hee hasn’t even mentioned Go Yun-ho and Go Yun-seok.

What they fear most is those two coming to light.

“The threats might not be over yet.”

“Do I have to take these calls again? Oh, please. Please say no.”

Kang Min-jae clasped her hands together and prayed.

“Just don’t answer the phone from now on. Then they’ll either not contact you or shoot directly at me.”

“I don’t feel comfortable with these threatening calls going to you, Attorney.”

“I want to receive them. Attorney Kang has a relationship with your grandfather and has to end things nicely without saying everything he wants to say to them, but I can say everything I want to say.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

I don’t think these calls will continue for long anyway.

The best course of action for them is to restore their relationship with Kim Hwa-young and prevent her from spreading ‘unnecessary’ information about Go Sang-jun, so they will want to gauge whether that is possible first.

The sooner they make that decision, the better, and they won’t persist with this approach for long because there is a risk of exposing their weaknesses if they try to persuade Kim Hwa-young again.

If they conclude that persuasion is impossible, they will quickly shift their strategy to bury Kim Hwa-young as well.

“I have to tell the elder about today’s events. Let’s go in first, and don’t forget to contact the gallery staff with Kim Hwa-young’s contact information on the way.”

“Okay. Then I’ll see you tomorrow. You can come a little late. I’ll brief the office manager.”

“Alright.”

After sending Kang Min-jae away, I went straight to the bathroom.

I felt tired from today, so I just wanted to take a shower and have a can of beer.

[Kim Hwa-young, indicted on charges of murdering the villa manager…….]

I turned on the television while opening a beer after finishing my shower, and news about Kim Hwa-young was being broadcast.

I would have watched the news if possible because the second trial was approaching, but I didn’t feel like it today.

I was changing channels to see if there was an animal documentary when my phone started ringing.

Is it Kang Min-jae?

It’s about time she arrived home, so what would she need to call me about?

I turned the phone face down.

[Jo Ah-young]

But the caller was none other than my ex-wife.

I hesitated for a moment whether to answer.

It was an unwanted blind date, but we had informed each other’s families that we would try to make it work, and there was no reason to contact her except to arrange the day we would announce our breakup.

Above all, I was concerned about her affiliation with Taekwang.

Was the timing suspicious?

Just an hour ago, Kim Yun-hee called Kang Min-jae.

The purpose was suspicious.

“……”

But I had no reason to avoid the call.

I answered without hesitation.

“This is Cha Joo-han.”

-This is Jo Ah-young.

“What brings you here so late?”

-I have something to say.

“I don’t.”

-Haa…….

Jo Ah-young sighed deeply.

She seemed annoyed, but I wasn’t in a pleasant mood either.

Today was not a good day for me overall.

The situation unfolded in what I considered the lesser of two evils, and while I had gained some understanding of Go Yun-seok and Go Yun-ho while processing my thoughts, Kim Yun-hee’s call only amplified my unease.

I barely made it through the day, took a shower, and opened a beer to unwind, only to receive a call from my ex-wife.

It’s the worst possible way to end the day.

-I have something to say about Kim Hwa-young’s case.

“Wasn’t Taekwang dismissed today?”

-……That’s right.

“Were you the attorney in charge?”

-Yes. I was one of many.

The second threat seemed to have arrived already.