You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 387

“Pardon?”

Kang Min-jae asked again, as if he had misheard.

Cha Joo-han sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“I said I’m applying.”

“After discussing it with Hwang Young-chan?”

“……Yes.”

It was absurd.

When he first heard the story from Lee Ye-jin, he thought it was such a ridiculous rumor that no one would believe it.

But it was true.

Not only was Cha Joo-han returning to the prosecution, but it was the result of a discussion with Hwang Young-chan.

Kang Min-jae sighed, leaning on the desk with his hands.

He didn’t know what to say.

“Why?”

In the end, all he could say was, “Why?”

Cha Joo-han answered unnecessarily coolly.

“Because I’m tired.”

“……Tired of what? Taking down Wooshin?”

“Yes.”

“Ha…….”

Kang Min-jae thought Cha Joo-han had every reason to be tired.

So much had happened, and he had faced so many threats and adversities.

But it was also Cha Joo-han who had overcome all those adversities.

And now, suddenly, at an unexpected moment, this was happening.

“If you’re tired of taking down Wooshin, you should just leave the legal profession altogether. Why are you going back to the prosecution? And after discussing it with Hwang Young-chan? That’s not what a tired person does; that’s what someone who’s giving in to Wooshin does.”

Kang Min-jae’s voice was getting louder.

He had left Taekwang because of Cha Joo-han, but if he decided to leave the legal profession, he could respect his decision.

Oh’s assistant would feel the same.

But Cha Joo-han wasn’t leaving the legal profession.

He was going back under Hwang Young-chan.

Going under Hwang Young-chan was no different from becoming Wooshin’s dog.

If Cha Joo-han had no intention of doing so, he would not have consulted with Hwang Young-chan at least.

“Giving in to Wooshin?”

Cha Joo-han retorted, his voice sharp, as if the words had bothered him.

“Am I wrong? If you want to go back to the prosecution, you can just apply as an experienced prosecutor. Instead of consulting with Hwang Young-chan, you could have talked to the chief prosecutor, or even me, or Oh’s assistant, or Lee Ye-jin. But Hwang Young-chan?”

Kang Min-jae lashed out without taking a breath, his face red.

“Isn’t Hwang Young-chan the person you’ve kept the furthest away from all this time? We’ve witnessed him manipulating cases under Wooshin’s orders so many times. Do you really not know what you’ll have to do if you go under Hwang Young-chan?”

“Do you think I wouldn’t know that?”

“Then you *are* giving in to Wooshin. What was everything we’ve done with Jong-hyun and Bong-joon until now? At the very least, shouldn’t I have heard this from you directly? Between people who eat together every day?”

The words ‘giving in to Wooshin’ stabbed Cha Joo-han’s heart like a dagger, but there was nothing Cha Joo-han could say.

Because Kang Min-jae was right.

Anyone who knew that Hwang Young-chan was Wooshin’s dog would think so.

“I have no intention of becoming Wooshin’s dog.”

“If you go under Hwang Young-chan, you have no choice but to become a dog. Hwang Young-chan ordered you to apply as an experienced prosecutor, didn’t he? He must have done it for that purpose. And Go Sang-joon will laugh with him, watching Cha Joo-han, who was so desperate to catch Wooshin, come crawling back and acting like their dog.”

Kang Min-jae’s words were getting harsher as he couldn’t hide his agitation.

Cha Joo-han, who was listening to him, also had a look on his face as if he was holding back what he wanted to say, but he still kept his mouth shut.

“Where did the lawyer I knew go? Where did he suddenly disappear to? Weren’t we almost there? We sent all of Go Sang-joon’s men to jail except for those two kids. At this point, when we’re so close to reaching Go Sang-joon, you’ve turned traitor. You’ve abandoned everyone who believed in you and followed you!”

“What do you want me to do? I don’t want to die!”

Cha Joo-han finally shouted out the words he had been holding back.

It was rare for him to raise his voice, and the words that came out of his mouth were so shocking that Kang Min-jae opened his mouth.

“I have the same fucking dream every day. Go Sang-joon puts me in a drum, pours cement in, and throws me into the sea. But do you think that’s just my wild delusion? No, I think that’s my near future.”

“…….”

“Wooshin has been constantly trying to bury me socially. But it all failed. So what do you think is left? Is there anything left but to kill me? No matter how often I check for listening devices and use all sorts of tricks, unless I have a few skilled bodyguards protecting me—no, even then—it’s easy for Wooshin to kill me. And it wouldn’t be difficult to bury my death as an ordinary one. All I want is to live. I don’t need money, I don’t need fame, I just want to live, that’s all.”

It was the first time that Kang Min-jae had heard Cha Joo-han, who seemed ready to give up everything, express his desire for life.

Kang Min-jae lost his words and just stared at Cha Joo-han.

“Going back to the prosecution is a show to show Wooshin that they don’t need to think about killing me anymore. I’ll just bide my time and get out, and I’ll leave the legal profession. Of course, I may have to do things that are favorable to Wooshin while I’m biding my time. But Kang, you’re an only child, so you’ll understand. I don’t want to make my parents parents who have lost their child. Am I asking for too much? Am I?”

“…….”

“I’ve become skeptical about having to catch Wooshin even if it means risking my life. That’s all.”

Cha Joo-han leaned on the desk, exhausted.

Kang Min-jae was repeating his words, his head bowed.

He couldn’t say anything.

Rather, it was no exaggeration to say that Cha Joo-han’s previous behavior, rushing at Wooshin without knowing fear, was strange.

Some people try to enforce the values they believe in, even if it means losing their lives, and some people prioritize their lives.

Cha Joo-han was the former, but he became the latter because he felt skeptical.

Wouldn’t it be ridiculous to denounce such a person as a traitor?

Kang Min-jae himself is the grandson of the former president, so he has a guarantee that he won’t die, but Cha Joo-han doesn’t even have such a device [a safety net or protection].

“Still… you could have consulted with me and Oh’s assistant before applying as an experienced prosecutor. Even after consulting with Hwang Young-chan… Since you made such a decision, you could have said that Jeongdo [the law firm] would be dissolved, or that we should find another lawyer—you could have said anything in advance.”

Kang Min-jae said in a pitiful voice.

He wasn’t trying to argue that Cha Joo-han’s true feelings were wrong, but the order was definitely wrong.

They had been eating together for several years and had overcome adversity together.

Kang Min-jae, Oh’s assistant, Jo Bong-joon, and Choi Jong-hyun all gathered because of Cha Joo-han.

It was unknown whether the work of catching Wooshin would continue in the same form without Cha Joo-han, but at least he should have given them a heads-up.

“Yeah.”

“…….”

“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t want to watch people who would be upset whether they opposed or agreed. I was sorry.”

“…….”

“Anyway, I’ll tell you now. If you want, you can find a new lawyer and continue Jeongdo, or Kang can start a new office or join another law firm. I’m going to talk to Oh’s assistant separately.”

“What about Park Jin-sung’s case? You’re going to see that through to the end, right? It’s the chief prosecutor’s case.”

Kang Min-jae asked as if he was about to grab Cha Joo-han’s sleeve.

He closed and opened his eyes while holding the desk with both hands.

“All the materials are there. I’ve made all the documents. Kang, you can consult with Detective Heo Min-woo and finish it. I’ll tell Tae-shik about it too. Even if he cries that he can’t do it, he can do that much.”

“……What about the picture of Hwang Young-chan and Kkangchi together? Aren’t you going to give it to me?”

“I’ve already deleted it.”

Leaving those words behind, Cha Joo-han went into his room without looking back.

Kang Min-jae sighed deeply.

As Cha Joo-han said, with the materials he had prepared, there would be no problem in getting Park Jin-sung out of the detention review.

But the problem was whether he could make Park Jin-sung innocent or not guilty.

In a normal case, bringing in the taxi driver and the president of Real Motors would result in a non-prosecution disposition, or at least a non-suspicion due to insufficient evidence.

But as long as Wooshin’s interference existed, even that would be difficult.

“……Ah.”

Then, Heo Min-woo’s face suddenly flashed through his mind.

Heo Min-woo probably didn’t know anything yet.

That Cha Joo-han was dropping out of this case, and that Cha Joo-han had sided with Hwang Young-chan.

He had to tell Heo Min-woo quickly, before Heo Min-woo told Cha Joo-han about the investigation.

Kang Min-jae hurriedly took out his cell phone and called Heo Min-woo.

-The customer is on another call…….

But no matter how many times he called, Heo Min-woo didn’t answer the phone, whoever he was talking to.

Kang Min-jae was worried about going to the Gangnam Police Station right away, but he tried calling one more time.

-Ah, Attorney Kang. I had a lot of missed calls, so I was just about to call you. What’s wrong?

“That’s… Attorney Cha has dropped out of this case.”

-Yes? What do you mean?

“From now on, please don’t tell Attorney Cha about the investigation and contact me. If you check with Attorney Cha, he’ll say the same.”

-Yes? I just told Attorney Cha about the investigation of Kkangchi, but he didn’t say anything like that?

“The investigation?”

-Yes. Kkangchi told everything. Anyway, Mr. Park Jin-sung should be okay.”

Those words were fortunate, but with an uneasy feeling, Kang Min-jae opened the door and went outside.

And he went closer to Cha Joo-han’s room and put his ear to it.

-Chief, this is Cha Joo-han.

The word ‘Chief’ sent chills down his spine.

Cha Joo-han’s phone partner must be Hwang Young-chan.

-Kkangchi told everything to the police. Yes. Everything. It seems like action is needed.”

Kang Min-jae closed his eyes tightly.