You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 421

You’ve Been Defended – Episode 422

#422

After being away from the office for over a month, I made it a point to wake up early and get to work ahead of schedule.

But someone had arrived even earlier than I had.

“Attorney! You’re finally here!”

It was Kang Min-jae.

Having heard that I would be back today, he was busy sweeping and mopping the office, a mop in his hand.

“Why are you cleaning when we have staff for that?”

“Still, you know. I wanted it to be sparkling clean for your first day back in a while.”

Indeed, looking around the office, it was spotless, as if every nook and cranny had been thoroughly cleaned.

“You haven’t forgotten about your appointment with Grandfather today, have you?”

“I haven’t.”

“I wonder what it’s about. I’m curious.”

“He didn’t say anything to you either?”

“No. He’s got a knack for keeping people in suspense.”

Since he seemed to know something, I suspected it might be related to someone involved or some relevant materials.

This was the first time Kang Kwan-woong was directly assisting with a case, so I couldn’t predict the scale of it.

“Didn’t Chief Kang give you any hints?”

“Soo-il hyung [older brother/close male friend] is tight-lipped about this kind of thing. It seems like he’s helping Grandfather with something related to that matter… Maybe he’s giving you some data? Since he mentioned it right after I brought up the prostitution thing, it might be related to that.”

“I’ll find out when I meet him today.”

“Good morning!”

While we were talking in front of the desk, Secretary Oh appeared with three cups of coffee.

“I thought I’d be the first one here, so I bought coffee, but you attorneys arrived first.”

“I came in early since it’s my first day back in a while.”

“You haven’t had coffee yet, have you?”

“Fortunately, no.”

Since it was my first day back and I had something important to focus on, I wasn’t taking on any new clients unless Secretary Oh couldn’t handle it alone, so things were quiet.

We gathered in the conference room to discuss the information we had gathered during our investigation and take stock of the situation.

Since Secretary Oh, who has a family, wasn’t always immediately informed, she was surprised and also angered by the new information.

“Oh, just a moment. I’m getting a call.”

While Secretary Oh was venting her frustration, Kang Min-jae raised his phone and said.

The screen briefly showed ‘Soo-il hyung’ written on it.

“Yes, hyung. Me? I’m at the office, right? …Yes? What did you say?”

Kang Min-jae’s face instantly contorted as he answered the phone cheerfully.

“Where is it, where is it?! Wooshin Hospital in Yongin? I’ll be right there. Yes, right now.”

Kang Min-jae hung up the phone and immediately grabbed the coat he had draped over his chair.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Grandfather was attacked. He was stabbed! I have to go there right now!”

“What? Attacked?”

Attacked?

I momentarily wondered if the meaning of the word ‘attacked’ in my head matched the actual meaning of the word.

Kang Kwan-woong was attacked by someone?

By whom?

And why?

“Kang, let’s go together.”

Secretary Oh and I quickly put on our coats and followed Kang Min-jae, who was running out of the office.

While we were waiting for the elevator, Secretary Oh locked up the office, and Kang Min-jae ran to the parking lot with a pale face.

As Kang Min-jae was about to open the driver’s side door, I grabbed his arm.

“Don’t drive. Secretary Oh, please drive instead.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Kang Min-jae looked at me with a complicated expression.

“He’ll be okay. Don’t worry too much, and get in the back.”

As soon as Kang Min-jae got into the back seat, the car started.

Secretary Oh quickly headed towards Yongin.

Holding his phone, Kang Min-jae bit his lip, fidgeting.

“The Elder is always at home, but an attack. What happened?”

“I knew the security team was moving because he was going somewhere this morning. But… Ha, I have no idea what happened… Soo-il hyung seemed out of it too. He told me to come quickly and then said he had to hang up because a doctor was calling.”

Kang Kwan-woong is in his nineties.

If he was stabbed, it could be life-threatening, no matter the location.

I turned on the radio.

I wondered if I could get more information if it had already been reported.

[…Former President Kang Kwan-woong was attacked at a cemetery in Yongin and taken to a nearby hospital. He is currently unconscious, and it is unclear whether his life is in danger.]

Just in time, the news of Kang Kwan-woong’s attack was being broadcast.

At the mention of being unconscious, Kang Min-jae lowered his head and covered his face with both hands.

“He’ll be alright, Attorney Kang…”

Secretary Oh added, but he knew better than anyone that those words wouldn’t reach Kang Min-jae’s ears right now.

After driving in silence for a while, we arrived in front of Wooshin Hospital in Yongin.

As soon as the car stopped in front of the emergency room, Kang Min-jae shot out like a bullet.

I also asked Secretary Oh to park and ran after Kang Min-jae.

“Attorney Kang!”

A security guard, presumably waiting for Kang Min-jae at the entrance, hurriedly grabbed Kang Min-jae as he entered the emergency room.

Kang Min-jae recognized him and asked.

“How is Grandfather?”

“Please come this way. But this person is…”

The security guard trailed off as he looked at me, who had followed behind, but Kang Min-jae waved his hand.

“It’s okay. Please guide me to Grandfather quickly.”

Kang Kwan-woong was lying on a bed located in the innermost part of the emergency room.

I could tell at a glance because the security guards were guarding the area.

Pulling back the curtain and going inside, I saw Kang Soo-il and someone who seemed to be the head of the security team standing next to the unconscious Kang Kwan-woong.

Kang Kwan-woong had a bloodless face and his eyes were closed.

If the medical staff weren’t compressing the wound, he would have looked like someone who was simply sleeping, rather than unconscious.

“I signed the consent form. He’ll be going into surgery soon.”

It seemed that Kang Soo-il was able to sign the consent form because he had been adopted by Kang Kwan-woong.

“His life isn’t in danger, is it? He can live if he has surgery, right?”

“It seems we’ll have to wait and see.”

“Ha, who on earth… who on earth did this? Why!”

Kang Min-jae shouted, his eyes reddening.

“We don’t know yet. We handed it over to the police, so it will be confirmed. Min-jae, calm down for now…”

“How can I calm down… How can I… when Grandfather is hurt like this…”

At that moment, several doctors came in, parting the curtain.

“We will move him to the operating room.”

“Doctor, is my grandfather’s life not in danger?”

Kang Min-jae grabbed the doctor’s arm as if he had been waiting for this moment and asked.

The doctor lowered his voice as if he wasn’t confident.

“The patient is very old, and the wound is near a vital area, so I don’t know what will happen. We will do our best in the surgery.”

Then the medical staff grabbed the bed and began to move towards the operating room.

Kang Min-jae ran after them, and I, Kang Soo-il, and the head of the security team followed behind.

Already, reporters who had come to cover the story were forming a sea of people outside the emergency room door.

People inside the emergency room were also glancing and whispering towards the inner beds, so it didn’t seem good to stay here for long.

“Min-jae, the Elder will be alright. Don’t worry too much.”

Kang Soo-il said, wrapping his arm around Kang Min-jae’s shoulder, but Kang Min-jae didn’t seem to relax easily, only looking at the closed operating room door.

“What happened? Please tell me. I knew Grandfather was going out today. But how did this happen…”

Kang Min-jae repeatedly rubbed his face and sat crouched on the floor.

“There was a former chief of staff during the Elder’s administration. He went to that person’s grave… The Elder asked us to step aside for a moment, so I and the security team were a little away, and that seems to have been the problem. We couldn’t immediately stop the assailant from running up and attacking the Elder. The perpetrator was someone who was offering flowers next to him, so we couldn’t have imagined it would happen. I’m sorry, Min-jae.”

At Kang Soo-il’s words, the head of the security team standing next to him lowered his head.

“I’m sorry, Attorney Kang.”

Kang Min-jae stood up with a complicated expression.

Then, he looked at the clock showing the surgery time and sighed.

“Will the surgery be long?”

“It seems so, since he’s old.”

“Has the police contacted you yet? I need to know why the perpetrator did such a thing to feel even a little better.”

Hearing Kang Min-jae’s words, Kang Soo-il took out his phone from his inside pocket.

There were missed calls on the phone, and Kang Soo-il widened his eyes and said.

“The police called. I couldn’t answer because I was moving to the operating room. I’ll call them back.”

Kang Soo-il made a call, and soon after, he opened his mouth as if he had answered the phone.

“Yes, I couldn’t answer the phone because I was moving my father to the operating room. Yes. This is his son.”

Even though he was adopted, Kang Soo-il always maintained his place by calling him ‘Elder’ and now, in front of the police, he said ‘This is his son,’ conveying his sadness.

Kang Min-jae also bit his lip at that part.

“Yes. …Yes. I see. I understand. Yes, please contact me again when you have more details.”

Hanging up the phone, Kang Soo-il smiled helplessly.

Kang Min-jae took a step towards Kang Soo-il with a desperate face and asked.

“Why, what did the police say?”

“The perpetrator confessed his motive. Former President Lee Sang-woon suffered from cancer and died painfully, and he couldn’t stand that the Elder was still alive and well, so he did such a thing.”

Former President Lee Sang-woon was a political rival of Kang Kwan-woong.

They were compared to Yi Sun-sin [Korean admiral and national hero] and Won Gyun [Korean admiral who is remembered for his incompetence].

Of course, to Kang Kwan-woong’s supporters, Yi Sun-sin was Kang Kwan-woong, and to Lee Sang-woon’s supporters, Yi Sun-sin was Lee Sang-woon.

Lee Sang-woon died three years ago.

Kang Kwan-woong also attended Lee Sang-woon’s state funeral, and Lee Sang-woon’s supporters criticized him for coming.

It is not my place to judge who is Yi Sun-sin between Kang Kwan-woong and Lee Sang-woon.

I am vaguely aware, but I don’t know exactly what happened between them, and I think it is up to history to evaluate.

However, at least I never imagined that Kang Kwan-woong would end up like this at the hands of a Lee Sang-woon supporter.

“This is absurd…”

Kang Min-jae chuckled in disbelief.

It was the same reaction Kang Soo-il had when he first received the call from the police.

“That was so long ago, why now…”

Kang Min-jae leaned against the wall, holding his forehead.

It was a 40-year-old grudge.

As he said, it was too absurd to cite that as the reason for the attack now.

“For now, Min-jae. Let’s not worry about this and just think about the Elder waking up.”

Kang Soo-il comforted Kang Min-jae, and Kang Min-jae slumped into a chair.

I leaned against the wall, watching Kang Min-jae.

I couldn’t bring myself to say it because it seemed like they were blaming Wooshin for everything, but I was worried that Kang Kwan-woong might have been planning to give us something related to Wooshin’s prostitution today.