You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 416

#417 You Have Been Defended

[…Ah, yes. Thank you for making time for me.]

Choi Jong-hyun turned off the recorder and looked at me.

Their expressions weren’t bright at all; they looked uneasy and very displeased.

They didn’t say anything, as if waiting for my thoughts.

“After listening, it seems there are issues with the Angel House’s overseas study program. The criteria for selecting children to send abroad aren’t clear. And considering these children went abroad together, they should be actively communicating, but only one can barely be reached. It gives the impression that they’re being deliberately prevented from contacting each other.”

“And?”

Jo Bong-joon asked cautiously.

I looked back and forth between Jo Bong-joon and Choi Jong-hyun before sighing.

“It’s not certain, but having young children greet sponsors feels… inappropriate, considering the place and atmosphere. And the part where Kim Seung-hee was sent out after being looked at with unpleasant eyes…”

“The part where?”

“It’s reminiscent of sexual favors. Considering Kim Seung-hee’s statement that all the children were exceptionally good-looking, and the boys were slender, it becomes even more strongly suggestive.”

At my words, Jo Bong-joon and Choi Jong-hyun sighed and said,

“We were hoping you’d tell us we were wrong, but even Attorney Cha thinks so.”

“I wish it weren’t true either. But after hearing Kim Seung-hee’s testimony, I can’t shake that feeling.”

This was a fact that had never surfaced in my previous life.

All I knew was that L&B was Go Sang-joon’s vault.

The same goes for Angel House.

I hadn’t figured out how Angel House was being used, other than using accounts under the names of the children as nominee accounts.

But to think such a thing was happening under the guise of overseas study.

It’s truly devastating.

Devastating and horrific.

There’s no other way to describe this situation.

“Could they have laid their hands on children as young as 14 or 15? Those bastards?”

“Well, it’s hard to guess in a situation where nothing is certain, but if it’s Wooshin, I don’t think there’s anything they wouldn’t do. And seeing them choosing as if they were picking girls in a room salon [a type of Korean entertainment establishment] at the sponsor introduction event, I can’t say there’s no possibility at all.”

Choi Jong-hyun tapped his forehead with his fist, seemingly lost in thought.

On the other hand, Jo Bong-joon kicked his chair back and shouted as he stood up.

“No. What the hell are these sons of bitches doing?! Is this even possible? How can this be happening in the 21st century?!”

“Calm down. They’ll hear you in the other rooms.”

Choi Jong-hyun grabbed Jo Bong-joon’s arm to try and sit him down, but Jo Bong-joon shook off his hand and shouted at Choi Jong-hyun.

“Aren’t you angry? The Wooshin bastards are taking kids under the pretense of sending them to study abroad and making them do that kind of thing?!”

“I am angry. But since nothing is certain yet, I don’t think it’s good to get angry already. It’ll only drain our energy. Let’s talk to that other person Kim Seung-hee said she’d connect us with and then decide. There’s a chance it might not be true. A very slim chance, but still.”

“Reporter Choi is right. It’s just our speculation, not confirmed. More accurately, we should hope it’s not true. Also, considering Kim Seung-hee, who told us even the smallest details, didn’t mention sexual favors or prostitution, it might not be. If we can guess based on Kim Seung-hee’s words, Kim Seung-hee would have also thought of prostitution or sexual favors through various situations. But Kim Seung-hee didn’t. Just in case, I think we should calmly investigate further.”

“Kim Seung-hee is working at Wooshin now, so she’s being careful! She might have just given us hints! She’s trying to have us hear it from the person she’s connecting us with.”

“That could be the case. Anyway, calm down. This is a point that needs more investigation. There’s no need for us to get angry based on our assumptions.”

That’s what I said, but I was also boiling with anger.

They take children who have lost their families, send them abroad under the guise of studying abroad, give proper education to only a few children, release press releases and receive praise, and behind the scenes, they might be committing dirty deeds.

When I think about it, they send three or four people to Japan every year under the name of studying abroad, but the number of press releases about people returning to work for Wooshin affiliates is extremely small.

Wooshin even supports graduate students at leading domestic universities with living expenses and IT equipment, and in return, they have to join Wooshin after graduation and repay what they received for several years.

But it’s strange that they spend money to send children abroad from a young age and don’t bring them back to Wooshin.

Even if there are children who didn’t achieve excellent grades, at least one person a year should be joining Wooshin.

However, as a result of my search while they went to meet Kim Seung-hee, the number of overseas students from Angel House who appeared in press releases was not that many.

It seems that the scholarship program for sending Angel House children to study abroad has been going on for quite some time, but there hasn’t been that much of a harvest.

“Like Attorney Cha, I don’t want to force things to fit since the situation isn’t certain, but when I think about it, if we assume that sexual favors or prostitution are true, the questions we had fit together. Sending a 17-year-old who is about to be discharged to study abroad late as a prodigy, and the fact that there are overwhelmingly more girls among the children who went to study abroad.”

“That’s true. Thinking about it that way makes me feel even worse. These bastards…”

“That’s right. What was the name of the organization that Secretary Song Hye-ryeong said selects prodigies?”

“I heard that experts from Iljung Daily and the Wooshin Welfare Foundation are sent.”

“That’s also strange. Usually, if there’s a child who is thought to be a prodigy, the orphanage would create a list and submit it for review, but to come to an orphanage with dozens of ordinary children and pick out a prodigy from among them… it doesn’t feel like the order is right.”

“That’s right. That’s also strange.”

“First of all, we need to find out who the experts from Iljung Daily and the Wooshin Welfare Foundation are, and what the criteria for selecting prodigies are. Kim Seung-hee also said that she was selected even though she guessed all the answers on the prodigy selection test, so it seems there’s a problem with that procedure as well.”

“When I was at Iljung Daily, I never heard that Iljung Daily sends prodigy selection experts to Angel House. I should ask Se-yeon about it.”

I don’t know if Yoon Se-yeon will be able to find out, but if she can confirm it, it will be a great help.

“Ah, wait.”

Then Choi Jong-hyun said with a distorted face.

“Why?”

“There’s a child I got to know while volunteering at Angel House. She said she was also selected as a prodigy. So-eun is still a baby…”

“What? A baby? Shouldn’t we stop her from going?”

“She said she’s leaving next month. But since we stirred up Angel House with the broadcast, Angel House won’t be in a situation to leisurely send children to study abroad. I’ll have to go and keep an eye on her from time to time.”

“Yeah, Angel House isn’t in a situation to send children to study abroad right now.”

“It’s late, so I’ll have to check tomorrow. I’ll ask Se-yeon tomorrow too. Bong-joon, let’s go. Attorney Cha, get some rest. If there’s anything we can find out online at home, let’s look into it further.”

“Okay. Ha, I really hope it’s not sexual favors… I’m so angry that I’m going crazy if that’s really the case.”

“You can confirm it when you meet the person Kim Seung-hee said she’d connect us with. She said they went to study abroad together, so they would have gone to greet those sponsors together, and Kim Seung-hee was the only one who was sent out, so that person would have been inside. Then you’ll be able to find out what happened there. Until then, don’t take it too much to heart. If you get too excited, it’ll interfere with the investigation.”

“You’re right, Attorney Cha is right. Let’s just assume that for now, and then when we get a call, then. It’s not too late to get angry then.”

“Okay.”

Choi Jong-hyun patted Jo Bong-joon and packed his things.

Jo Bong-joon slowly nodded and stood up with him.

“We’ll tell Min-jae what we talked about, so Attorney Cha, don’t think too much about it and focus on getting better. That way, you can actively investigate with us.”

“I understand. Be careful going back.”

They left the hospital room, and I finally released the tension in my body and leaned back on the bed.

Sexual favors.

It’s something I never imagined, and it’s a crime that shouldn’t happen.

If that’s really the case, I don’t know where to start.

I have no idea who those Japanese sponsors are.

Of course, if they’re receiving sexual favors from Wooshin, they must be high-ranking people in Japan…

“Attorney.”

While I was lost in thought, Tae-shik, who had been quiet, opened his mouth.

“You’re thinking about sexual favors, aren’t you?”

“…….”

“You told Jo Bong-joon not to, but why are you thinking about it, Attorney?”

Since when did Jang Tae-shik start seeing through my mind?

If a dog stays in a school for three years, it will recite poetry; it seems that’s what they’re talking about when they talk about Jang Tae-shik.

“I’m not thinking about it.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, yes, I’m not.”

“You’re getting cocky these days?”

“That’s why I’m telling you to stop thinking and rest. I’ll turn off the lights, so go to sleep quickly.”

Tae-shik said as he closed the curtains and turned off the lights.

I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep, but I decided to try to sleep as Tae-shik said.

* * *

Four weeks have passed since then.

The bruises all over my body had faded, and the doctor said that the lacerations still needed treatment, but they had healed a lot, so outpatient treatment was possible.

I immediately replied that I would be discharged.

“Congratulations on your discharge! Congratulations on your discharge! Attorney who goes ‘Eung-eung~’! Congratulations on your discharge!”

I don’t know what ‘Eung-eung~’ means, but on the day I was discharged, Kang Min-jae came into my hospital room wearing a cone hat and with candles on a cake.

After that, Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon, Manager Oh, and Heo Min-woo followed in.

“Hey, Min-jae, why don’t you say ‘loving’ when you love Attorney Cha?”

“I thought the attorney would hate it. Blow out the candles quickly, Attorney.”

I sighed and blew out the candles.

“You’ve suffered a lot in the hospital for a long time. I told Soo-il hyung [older brother or male friend] not to come. There are already too many people coming anyway.”

“Attorney, you’ve worked hard.”

“I’m glad you’re recovering quickly.”

Manager Oh and Heo Min-woo also said a word each.

“Hyungs [older brothers or male friends], aren’t you going to give me words of blessing?”

“We brought something better than words of blessing.”

“What is it?”

Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon looked at each other, then smiled and said.

“First of all, Angel House’s sending children to study abroad this month has been stopped. So-eun’s study abroad seems to have been postponed for now.”

“That’s a relief.”

“And the better news is…”

Choi Jong-hyun showed me a text message that had arrived on his phone.

[Hello, this is Kim Seung-hee. I have been in contact with a friend in Japan. Her name is Lee Ga-yeon, and her email is gyl0[email protected] I have asked her to read the email right away since you will be contacting her soon. Then, take care.]