You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 422

“You Are Defended” – Episode 423

#423

“Doctor, did the surgery go well?”

As soon as the operating room door opened and the doctor came out, Kang Min-jae rushed to him and asked.

“Are you the guardian?”

“Yes, I’m his grandson. Is my grandfather going to be okay?”

Ignoring Kang Min-jae’s anxiousness, the doctor looked around at me, Kang Su-il, and the security team standing behind Kang Min-jae.

Our eyes met briefly, and something about him seemed familiar.

I stared intently at the doctor, who glanced at me before turning his attention back to Kang Min-jae.

“The surgery went well. The bleeding was stopped, and there was some organ damage, but it was minor and easily repaired with sutures. There were no major complications.”

Kang Min-jae breathed a sigh of relief at the doctor’s words.

“However, since the patient is elderly, the critical factor will be whether he wakes up from the anesthesia. We will move him to the intensive care unit and continue to monitor him.”

“What are the chances of him not waking up? Are they high?”

“We cannot say for sure at this time. We ask for your understanding.”

“…Yes, I understand. Thank you, doctor.”

“You’re welcome. We will do our best.”

The doctor brushed past Kang Min-jae, and I followed him with my eyes until he was out of sight.

I don’t think I’ve seen him in this life, but the familiarity makes me feel like I’ve seen him in a previous one…

I looked up at the electronic sign above the operating room.

The surgeon’s name was Im Hyun-il.

If it’s Im Hyun-il…

‘He was the head of the organ transplant center at Wooshin Hospital in my previous life.’

Even considering that it’s currently 2011, he will become the head of the organ transplant center in 2014, three years from now.

The Wooshin Organ Transplant Center was the largest project that Wooshin Hospital was pushing, so a significant amount of Wooshin Medical Center’s funds flowed into it.

So, during the investigation of Wooshin in my previous life, I ended up memorizing Im Hyun-il’s name and face.

Why is someone like that in the Yongin branch now?

Shouldn’t he be at the main branch, at least?

“Min-jae, let’s go to the intensive care unit first,” Kang Su-il said, massaging Kang Min-jae’s shoulder after the doctor left.

Kang Kwan-woong was taken out of the operating room and moved to the intensive care unit.

It wasn’t visiting hours, so I couldn’t see Kang Kwan-woong in person.

But fortunately, it was a VIP intensive care unit, so I could see him through the window.

Kang Min-jae said he would wait until visiting hours and sat in a chair across from the window.

The security team stood guard from the entrance of the VIP intensive care unit to the hallway, and I was supposed to leave, but I was allowed to stay with the permission of Kang Su-il and Kang Min-jae.

“I’ll go buy some coffee. You must be tired,” I said, getting up from my seat next to Kang Min-jae.

Then Kang Min-jae stared at me blankly, and then spoke as if he had made up his mind.

“Attorney Cha, shouldn’t we move him to another hospital?”

At Kang Min-jae’s question, I sat down again.

I have the same thought.

This is Wooshin Hospital, not just any hospital.

I haven’t said it yet, but in this situation, where we can’t completely rule out the possibility that the culprit was hired by Wooshin, being in Wooshin Hospital is dangerous.

However, I also don’t think it’s a good idea to force Kang Kwan-woong, who is in the intensive care unit, to move.

Rather, an accident might happen during the transfer, and if Kang Kwan-woong dies in the process, they might create a way to avoid responsibility by saying that this happened because of the forced transfer.

“I don’t think it’ll be too late to move him when he wakes up in the intensive care unit.”

“Is that so? But I’m worried about being here…”

“Kang, do you think this accident might be related to Wooshin?”

Kang Min-jae looked around for a moment and then nodded slightly.

“I’m concerned that it happened just when my grandfather was about to hand over the Wooshin-related data to us. At first, I didn’t think Wooshin would know about it and try to kill my grandfather. But then I suddenly remembered that Kim Seung-hee told someone from Wooshin headquarters everything she told us…”

As Kang Min-jae said, if Kim Seung-hee told the people at Wooshin headquarters everything she said to us, Wooshin would have known that we had noticed their sex bribery case.

And if, in the process, Wooshin was aware that Kang Kwan-woong also knew about it, they would have wanted to prevent the information Kang Kwan-woong knew from being passed on to us.

But they have no way to tie Kang Kwan-woong’s hands and feet, and the only way they can do it is to kill him, but they can’t kill him openly, so they might have disguised it as an attack for political retaliation.

“I hope it’s not. I really hope it’s not. But I keep thinking that…”

Kang Min-jae covered his head with both hands and lowered his head.

It’s possible that the attacker was a supporter of Lee Sang-woon, as he said, and that he hated the fact that Kang Kwan-woong was living a long and healthy life in his nineties, while Lee Sang-woon was suffering from cancer and died in pain.

You can’t know a person’s heart, and revenge can happen at any time.

If Kang Kwan-woong doesn’t go out often, they planned the attack taking advantage of that timing; people who don’t know our relationship with Wooshin won’t think it’s strange.

But from our point of view, the timing is too coincidental.

“Guardian, you can visit for 30 minutes starting now.”

Then a nurse approached Kang Min-jae and said.

“Only family members can visit.”

Kang Min-jae jumped up.

“Go ahead. I’ll contact Reporter Choi, who must be worried.”

“Okay.”

Kang Min-jae and Kang Su-il put on sanitary clothes and masks according to the nurse’s instructions and went inside.

Kang Min-jae, who was visible through the window, burst into tears as he approached the bed and saw Kang Kwan-woong lying unconscious.

The sound of his crying could be heard even outside the intensive care unit.

I rubbed my forehead.

Why is this happening…

Maybe it’s because of me.

I’ve dragged too many people into my revenge.

I know that they didn’t just join this to help me with my revenge.

And it’s not like I was just trying to catch Wooshin with revenge alone.

But the thought that I drove Kang Min-jae, who would have lived comfortably if it weren’t for me, and Kang Kwan-woong into this crisis, didn’t go away.

I felt dizzy, so I grabbed the bench and got up.

I just wanted to go outside and get some fresh air.

“…”

I took out my cell phone, which I hadn’t checked for a while, and there were more than 30 missed calls.

They were from Jo Bong-joon and Choi Jong-hyun.

I called them.

They must have been worried, and they must have been frustrated because I couldn’t contact them.

─Attorney Cha, why are you calling me now!

Jo Bong-joon shouted as soon as I made the call.

“I was waiting for the surgery and staying with Kang, so I didn’t check my phone.”

─Are you available to talk now?

“Kang is inside now, so I came out for some fresh air. I can talk.”

─What happened? Is the elder okay? Did the surgery go well?

“The surgery went well. It’s important whether he wakes up from anesthesia, but it hasn’t been long since he came out of the operating room, so I don’t know what will happen.”

─Is Min-jae okay?

“He’s having a hard time.”

─Oh, no… Is the culprit really a supporter of Lee Sang-woon, as the media reported? How did he get attacked?

“He was attacked while visiting the grave of an acquaintance of the elder, but I don’t know if he’s really a supporter of Lee Sang-woon.”

─Why don’t you know?

“Kang and I… are considering the possibility that Wooshin did it. I think you two suspect the same.”

─…

Jo Bong-joon was silent.

They also knew that Kim Seung-hee had told the people at Wooshin headquarters, and that Kang Kwan-woong was originally going to call me and Kang Min-jae today to give us something.

So they wouldn’t have completely ruled out the possibility that Wooshin did it.

─…I hope it’s not.

“Me too.”

I hope more than anyone that Wooshin didn’t do it.

I don’t want to think that I drove Kang Kwan-woong to his death.

It doesn’t matter what Kang Min-jae and Kang Kwan-woong think.

They’ll say it’s not because of me, but I can’t help but think that way.

Unlike Choi Jong-hyun, Kang Min-jae had nothing to do with me in his previous life.

I met him, so he joined me in catching Wooshin, and I met him, so Kang Kwan-woong also helped us, and if I think that’s why Kang Kwan-woong died…

Can I escape from that guilt?

“I’ll contact you when there’s a change in the elder’s condition. I’m going to stay by Kang’s side because I don’t think he’s feeling well right now.”

─Okay. It’ll be a great help to Min-jae if Attorney Cha is by his side. We’ll be waiting for your call.”

“Yes.”

─Take care.

After hanging up, I hesitated for a moment and called Dong-jin.

─Oh, Joo-han. What’s up?

“Are you busy?”

─No, I was resting after surgery. Why?

“I have something to ask you.”

─What is it?

“A 90-year-old man was stabbed with a knife and had surgery after anesthesia. The bleeding was stopped and the damaged area was sutured.”

─Oh, uh… And?

“Is there a high probability that he won’t wake up from anesthesia?”

─If he’s a 90-year-old man… I don’t think the probability is low. Was he healthy usually?

“He was healthy. If you express it numerically, what percentage would it be?”

─Hmm, well. I can’t say for sure with that much information. But Korea’s anesthesiology is world-class, so he should be fine even if he’s old.”

“What happens if he doesn’t wake up from anesthesia?”

─He may become brain dead or die.”

“Ha… Is that so?”

─I don’t know exactly where he was stabbed with a knife, or exactly how the surgery went… Why, who are you talking about? Your grandparents are all dead. Is it a relative?”

“Don’t you watch the news?”

─I just came out of 12 hours of surgery, what news?”

“I’ll tell you later. Anyway, I understand.”

─What… was that all you wanted?”

“Yes. Let’s talk next time. I’m a little busy right now.”

I hung up and sat on an outdoor bench.

If Kang Kwan-woong was younger, it wouldn’t be a problem, but in a situation where there is a possibility of death even if the surgery goes well because he is an elderly man in his 90s, it doesn’t seem like Wooshin Hospital will be held responsible.

Maybe Ko Sang-joon used that to manipulate the doctor in charge, Im Hyun-il?

‘Is this my delusion? I’m starting to get confused.’

It’s not something to think about at this stage.

For now, there’s nothing I can do but wait and see how it goes.