You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 384

“Huff!”

It wasn’t unusual for Cha Joo-han to dream of the moment he died at the hands of Hwang Young-chan.

At 5 a.m., he woke up again, clutching his frantically beating heart.

He could still hear the sound of waves in his ears, and he could almost smell the salty scent of the sea.

Looking around, he was relieved to find himself in his bedroom.

The room was filled with the dim light of dawn, as it waited for the sunrise.

“I woke up too early.”

He had barely fallen asleep at 2 a.m. the previous night, so he had only slept for three hours.

The thought that he might have to live like a zombie, relying on coffee all day, made him lie back down and try to fall asleep again.

However, the attempt soon failed.

He couldn’t fall asleep, and he was gripped by the fear that if he did, the dream would continue.

“……”

Eventually, Cha Joo-han got out of bed and headed to the kitchen.

He opened a bottle of water and swallowed 500 milliliters of it at once, along with his daily morning medication.

Then, leaning against the refrigerator, he sighed deeply.

He didn’t know how long he would have to live like this.

It was already in the past.

Just as his previous life had been erased, he could simply cut the moment of death out of his memory.

However, that desperate death was both a thing of the past and a possible future.

Perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow, or perhaps the day after tomorrow, he could be kidnapped and put back in a drum [referring to the container he was held in before his death].

-You’re going to die like that.

He didn’t know why Hwang Young-chan’s words came to mind at this moment.

Cha Joo-han shook his head from side to side and went out to the terrace.

He sat down at the table, took out a cigarette, and lit it.

The smoke scattered into the air along with the humid summer air, and Cha Joo-han leaned back in his chair.

Even though he had just woken up, his body felt heavy, as if he hadn’t gotten enough rest.

The one cigarette he started with turned into two.

He took out his third cigarette with a blank face and picked up his cell phone.

Then, he opened the picture he had taken of Kkangchi and Hwang Young-chan and stared at it.

* * *

“Lawyer Cha! Why are you so late?”

He was a little late for work.

Perhaps because he hadn’t told them in advance that he would be late, Kang Min-jae came out of his office and started nagging as soon as Cha Joo-han entered the company.

“I overslept.”

Cha Joo-han answered nonchalantly and turned toward his office.

“Ah, Lawyer Cha. Wait a minute.”

“Why?”

“Just a moment.”

Kang Min-jae quickly went into his office, as if worried that Cha Joo-han would not wait for him and go into his office, and came out with a cup of coffee in a disposable container.

The holder had the logo of the cafe on the first floor that he used to visit before moving the company.

“Here you go.”

“You went there?”

“I just suddenly thought of it, so I stopped by early. I was also curious to see what had moved into that spot after our office left.”

“What moved into that spot?”

“A tax accountant’s office. And Lawyer Cha, you like this coffee, right? Yeon-joon is still working there.”

Kang Min-jae held out the coffee cup to Cha Joo-han again, as if asking why he wasn’t taking it.

Cha Joo-han hesitated for a moment before taking the coffee.

Kim Yeon-joon, who made this coffee, was the protagonist of the first case Cha Joo-han took on after opening his own practice.

Cha Joo-han felt strange and stared intently at the coffee holder.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’ll enjoy it.”

Cha Joo-han glanced at the coffee once more and went into his office.

And just as he was about to close the door, Kang Min-jae, who had followed him in, stuck his shoe between the door.

“What is it?”

“I have something to ask you.”

“Ask me next time.”

“I have to ask you today.”

“Still, ask me next time.”

“It has to be today.”

Cha Joo-han, who had no way to chase away the stubborn Kang Min-jae, eventually sat down in his chair.

Kang Min-jae stood across from the desk and carefully opened his mouth.

“What is it that you have to ask me today?”

“Why didn’t you tell Detective Heo Min-woo about Hwang Young-chan?”

“I told you I’d tell you slowly.”

“It’s been a few days since Park Jin-sung went into the detention center. We should start the writ of habeas corpus [a legal action seeking relief from unlawful imprisonment] soon, and I need to know Lawyer Cha’s plan.”

“We’re not going to talk about Hwang Young-chan in the writ of habeas corpus anyway.”

“That’s true, but……”

In the writ of habeas corpus, he can appeal to the story of the taxi driver who ran away with the CEO of Real Motors, Jeong Yong-man’s statement, Kim Ki-cheol’s story, and the fact that Park Jin-sung has no risk of fleeing.

Of course, he doesn’t know how the court, which was bribed by Wooshin, will judge, but he expects Park Jin-sung to be released because there is no reason to keep him in custody.

“Then when should we proceed with the writ of habeas corpus? Section Chief and Park Jin-sung want to proceed as soon as possible.”

“Lawyer Kang.”

“Yes?”

“I only slept for three hours today, so I’m a little out of it.”

“Three hours? Why didn’t you sleep so well? Did you have a seizure today?”

Kang Min-jae asked with a worried look.

Kang Min-jae already knew too much about Cha Joo-han.

Cha Joo-han shook his head and replied.

“No. Anyway, let’s talk tomorrow. It’s not urgent, is it?”

“Huh? It’s not urgent? You were the one who wanted to get Park Jin-sung out as soon as possible.”

“Then, since you already have all the materials, why don’t you proceed with it, Lawyer Kang?”

“Yes?”

At Cha Joo-han’s sudden words, Kang Min-jae widened his eyes in surprise.

Cha Joo-han shrugged his shoulders and replied.

“You’ve been doing this for quite a few years, Lawyer Kang, so you can handle a writ of habeas corpus on your own.”

“W-well…… that’s true, but why are you doing this? Is there something bothering you? You’re not saying that I should take the lead on the case itself, are you?”

“I’m not saying that, but what if I did?”

At Cha Joo-han’s question, Kang Min-jae pursed his lips.

He seemed to be in deep thought.

“Um…… I’ll do my best, but this case isn’t just a case that came to our office. It’s not someone else’s case; it’s the case of the section chief’s son, who has helped us a lot, so I think we should show even more sincerity. Of course, I’m not saying that we should treat other people’s cases differently…… And the section chief would be a little uneasy if I were the main lawyer instead of you…… After all, I don’t have much experience.”

“What do you mean you don’t have much experience? And as I’ve said before, you’ve learned a lot from me, Lawyer Kang.”

“I appreciate you saying that, but anyway, I’m a little against it. And I’ve never thought of myself as your sub in any of the cases I’ve worked on. I’ve worked hard thinking of myself as the main lawyer…… Anyway, I can go in alone for the writ of habeas corpus, but I think there will be a problem with credibility. I think they’ll be very disappointed if you’re not there…… Why are you telling me to go in alone?”

“I didn’t say you had to go in alone; I was just asking what you would think if I did.”

“Oh, that’s right. Anyway, Park Jin-sung is having a hard time in custody, so I think it would be better and more certain if you were there with him.”

“Okay. I’ve heard your opinion. Go back to work.”

With those words, Cha Joo-han turned on his computer.

Kang Min-jae hesitated as he looked at Cha Joo-han, but soon turned around and left the office.

Cha Joo-han sighed and pulled himself up to the computer, opening the application form for the writ of habeas corpus.

And he started working busily.

Time passed, and it was already 6 o’clock.

As the sound of typing on the keyboard filled the office, there was a knock from outside.

“Yes.”

With the answer, Oh’s office manager appeared through the crack in the door.

“Lawyer Cha, I’ll leave work first.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for your hard work.”

He nodded his head and shifted his gaze back to the monitor, but Oh’s office manager closed the door and came inside.

“But Lawyer Cha, is something wrong?”

And he asked in a quiet voice.

“What do you mean, something wrong?”

“You didn’t have lunch today, and you said you were going to order something, but there’s no sign that you did.”

“Ah, my stomach wasn’t feeling well, so I skipped it.”

“Is it just that your stomach isn’t feeling well?”

“Why are you asking?”

When Cha Joo-han asked, Oh’s office manager shook his head.

“No, it’s just that I’m worried. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Oh’s office manager smiled and left the office.

Kang Min-jae and Oh’s office manager had lunch together earlier, and it was clear that he had heard about the writ of habeas corpus from Kang Min-jae at that time.

Oh’s office manager wouldn’t ask first if he noticed something, because he didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.

“……”

Cha Joo-han took his hands off the keyboard and looked at his cell phone.

He hesitated for a long time before putting his hand on the keypad.

He was going to make a call, but he couldn’t easily bring himself to press the name.

Suddenly, his heart started beating fast, and anxiety crept in.

It seemed to be an extension of the morning.

He was sick of it.

He had contracted a terrible disease that prevented him from living a normal life like others without medication.

It wasn’t something that could be fixed with surgery…….

Cha Joo-han took out a small packet of medicine from his pocket.

Then, he got up from his seat, opened the office door, and headed to the water purifier.

He put the medicine in his mouth and swallowed it with water, and suddenly he ran into Kang Min-jae, who was leaving the office to go home.

“You’re not feeling well today, are you?”

He had been caught taking medicine when he needed it, so there was nothing he could say.

However, Cha Joo-han threw the empty medicine packet in the trash and retorted.

“My heart was just beating fast.”

“Is it because you drank coffee? Do you take medicine when that happens?”

“I forgot to take my morning medicine, so I’m taking it now.”

At those words, Kang Min-jae stared into the trash can.

The medicine packet that said ‘take as needed’ caught his eye.

Kang Min-jae raised his head to say, ‘That’s not true,’ but when he saw Cha Joo-han’s face, he couldn’t say anything.

Cha Joo-han was good at drawing lines, and he was always trying to cross those lines, but he wasn’t someone who would easily let him cross them.

Especially on a day like today when he seemed so sensitive, it seemed right to just let it go if he was going to lie like this.

“I see. Anyway, I’ll leave work first. When are you going to leave work, Lawyer Cha?”

“I have to go now.”

“Okay. Don’t overdo it and go home and rest. I’ll be going now.”

As soon as Kang Min-jae left the company, Cha Joo-han went back into the office.

About 30 minutes later, the medicine seemed to have taken effect, and the throbbing in his heart subsided.

Cha Joo-han picked up his cell phone.

And he started making a call somewhere.

“This is Cha Joo-han. I’d like to see you tonight. Are you available?”

* * *

The meeting place was a Japanese restaurant somewhat far from Cha Joo-han’s company.

When he gave the reservation name, the employee led him inside as if they had been waiting for him.

Cha Joo-han followed the employee and sighed deeply.

He had been debating since morning whether to meet him today or not.

But in the end, he came.

“Your party has arrived.”

The employee opened the sliding door to the side and said, and the man in a suit inside smiled and pointed to the opposite side.

“Sit down, Lawyer Cha.”

It was Hwang Young-chan.