You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 426

#427 You Are Defended

As promised, Kang Min-jae started coming to the office two days later.

He was the first to arrive, diligently wiping down all the desks and furniture in the office – even though the cleaning lady had already cleaned them – with a dry cloth.

I watched him through the glass door of the office.

He began to wipe the metal sign of ‘Jeongdo,’ which Kang Kwan-woong had personally written.

At that moment, Kang Min-jae’s hands slowed for a moment, but he quickly resumed wiping.

I cleared my throat slightly and opened the door.

“You’re here, Attorney?”

Kang Min-jae turned to me with a bright smile.

It had only been two days since I had seen him, but Kang Min-jae looked noticeably thinner.

I had heard from Lee Ye-jin or Deputy Manager Park Young-gi that they had contacted Kang Min-jae to thank him, and they said he sounded well, so the difference was striking.

“The Office Manager is late today?”

“Didn’t you check the group chat?”

“Oh, the group chat?”

Kang Min-jae took out his phone, checked the messages, and replied.

“Ah, the Office Manager’s car broke down. That car was bound to break down eventually. I knew it would happen someday. He’s been driving that car for too long. So, he’s coming in late today?”

“Yeah.”

“I wonder how the Office Manager will get to work in the future. It’ll take a while for a new car to arrive. He lives in a place with inconvenient transportation.”

“I’m going to tell him to use the corporate car.”

“Well, our office is practically dead anyway, so it’s good for the Office Manager to use the corporate car.”

Kang Min-jae put the rag down and sat down at the desk.

“Oh, you bought two coffees. One is for me, right?”

Kang Min-jae said, looking at the coffee carrier in my hand.

“Yeah.”

As I handed him a cup of coffee, Kang Min-jae chuckled.

“Before, when we were in our old office, you bought two cups like this once.”

“Did I?”

“When I asked if one was for me, you said no. Now you’re saying yes. I’ll enjoy it.”

Did that happen?

I shrugged, folded the carrier, put it aside, and took a sip of my coffee.

While Kang Min-jae was away from work, the attack on Kang Kwan-woong was ultimately attributed to the resentment of Lee Sang-woon’s supporters.

Of course, some thought it was too sudden an event for Kang Kwan-woong, who mostly appeared at national events and refrained from external political activities, but no one else had any other theories.

In fact, evidence was found in the perpetrator’s house that he had been repeatedly visiting the private residence and checking the security guard shift change times.

No one seemed to think Woo-shin was obviously behind it.

I asked Choi Jong-hyun if there were any rumors circulating in the media, but he said that Woo-shin’s name wasn’t coming up there either.

However, Kang Min-jae strongly believed that Woo-shin was behind Kang Kwan-woong’s death, even until right before it happened.

I felt the same way.

Kang Min-jae must have been aware of the situation being attributed to Lee Sang-woon’s supporters while he was resting at home. I wonder how he feels.

“Attorney.”

“What.”

“What should we have for lunch today?”

“You’re deciding on lunch as soon as you get to work?”

“We have nothing to do. We have no clients. Or, to be precise, we have plenty of clients, but we’re focusing on taking down those Woo-shin bastards, so we’re turning them away.”

“Office Manager Oh is doing the simple things he can do.”

“Anyway! So, what we have for lunch is the important topic!”

Kang Min-jae dragged me into the conference room, sat me down, and stood in front of the whiteboard, holding a whiteboard marker and starting to write down a list.

“1. Kimchi stew. 2. Spicy pork stir-fry. 3. Ox bone soup. 4. Black bean noodles. Any other suggestions?”

“Are we eating out?”

“We always eat out.”

“It’ll be uncomfortable.”

“Why? We always eat out.”

Instead of answering, I looked at Kang Min-jae.

After thinking for a moment, Kang Min-jae seemed to realize something and exclaimed, “Ah…….”

“People will recognize me a lot.”

During the state funeral, Kang Min-jae was exposed to the entire nation.

Along with the story that Kang Soo-il, who had been serving as a secretary, was adopted by Kang Kwan-woong and became his son, the family history that Kang Soo-il had given up all inheritance and handed over the chief mourner position to Kang Min-jae was also revealed.

People were curious about the young and handsome chief mourner, and simple personal details were revealed, such as Kang Min-jae graduating from Seoul National University’s law school, working as a prosecutor, joining the giant law firm Taekwang, and now being affiliated with Jeongdo with me.

The fact that Kang Min-jae was Kang Kwan-woong’s grandson was known to those who needed to know, but this incident made it known to everyone.

On the internet, Kang Min-jae’s appearances on Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon’s internet broadcasts became a hot topic.

As a result, internet articles poured out, meaning that if you searched for Kang Min-jae on the internet, Kang Min-jae’s face would be prominently displayed.

Only two days after the state funeral, it’s clear that if Kang Min-jae went to a restaurant near the crowded Seoul National University of Education, he would attract attention.

Even I, who had appeared on a few broadcasts, received a lot of attention from people immediately after the broadcasts, so how much more would Kang Min-jae?

“We should order in.”

Kang Min-jae said with an awkward smile.

Although it was only a short time, after meeting Kang Min-jae again after the state funeral, I had been deliberately avoiding stories that would remind him of Kang Kwan-woong.

But as the atmosphere flowed like this, Kang Min-jae looked dejected again.

“The investigation into my grandfather’s death seems to be concluding as the work of Lee Sang-woon’s supporters.”

Kang Min-jae put down the whiteboard marker, sighed, and sat across from me.

“The President called me.”

“Didn’t the President say anything about Woo-shin being behind it?”

“He wouldn’t say it outright. But he can guess what I’m thinking, and his position is that we have no choice but to wrap it up like this for now. If people have a lot of questions, we can create an atmosphere to proceed with the investigation further, but no one knows that Woo-shin is related to Japan or that there was an accident involving L&B [Likelihood & Benefit, a fictional company] and you, Attorney. The President probably doesn’t know either.”

If I had died instead of Kang Kwan-woong, people would have thought it was Woo-shin’s doing, even without evidence.

But Kang Kwan-woong is different.

People will know that Kang Min-jae is confronting Woo-shin with me, and they may naturally assume that Kang Kwan-woong may also be involved.

But that doesn’t mean they’ll think Woo-shin killed Kang Kwan-woong.

“So, because there aren’t many people who have questions… Above all, there’s no evidence right now, and if we continue the investigation, it’ll become sluggish, and the public sentiment towards the government and my grandfather will worsen, he said.”

That’s not wrong.

Above all, it’s not a good look for a government that hasn’t been in power for long to continue investigating the death of a major figure in the ruling party with unclear grounds.

“I see.”

“He said he wanted to have a meal with you sometime, Attorney.”

Kang Min-jae said with a smile.

“I’ll pass. You go and eat, Kang.”

“Why? The President really wants to see you, Attorney.”

It would be good to be close to Lee Se-hwa for my purposes, but Lee Se-hwa is burdensome.

“Have you finished organizing the elder’s belongings?”

“There aren’t many belongings. It’s only been two days, so I haven’t seen them all yet. I’m going to leave the study as it is. I’ll go there when I miss my grandfather.”

“Okay. How are you feeling, Kang?”

“I… I don’t really know. I can’t believe my grandfather is gone, and nothing has changed. Oh, the security team is gone, so something has changed.”

“That’s right.”

“Jung-hyuk goes home when I go into the house, so I think I need to think about what to do now…….”

“I’ll talk to Tae-shik.”

Jung-hyuk is a personal bodyguard that I asked Tae-shik to assign to Kang.

Strictly speaking, the security guards who protect Kang Kwan-woong’s private residence are not Kang Min-jae’s bodyguards.

But once he enters the private residence, he is protected by several security guards, so Jung-hyuk was sent home.

“If it’s uncomfortable, you can go alone for the time being. I don’t think Woo-shin, who harmed the elder, will harm Kang either.”

“I think so too. Um, anyway… It’s just me and Soo-il hyung [older brother/friend] living there now, and since my grandfather was always in his study, it’s not really noticeable usually. When it’s time to eat, that’s when I really feel that my grandfather isn’t there.”

Kang Min-jae smiled bitterly.

“When I said I was going to keep living in that house, Soo-il hyung said that he would leave if it was uncomfortable. I think Soo-il hyung was my grandfather’s secretary, so that’s what he’s thinking…….”

“So?”

“But to me, Soo-il hyung isn’t just my grandfather’s secretary. He’s family. So, I decided to live with him.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah. Soo-il hyung is also cautious. He doesn’t say much. We just look at my grandfather’s belongings, talk about old times, and tell funny stories about my grandfather……. That’s how two days have passed. That’s how the organizing is…… well, that’s how it’s going.”

Kang Min-jae stretched and smiled awkwardly.

I don’t know if he’s trying to pretend he’s okay or if he really can’t believe it.

When I didn’t say anything, Kang Min-jae slammed the table with his fist and said,

“So, we have to start again now.”

“What.”

“Woo-shin. Those bastards who made my grandfather like that. The investigation has been stopped, and my grandfather’s death has been concluded as the work of Lee Sang-woon’s supporters. So, those Woo-shin bastards won’t be punished. How can we let that happen? I can’t let those bastards who made my grandfather like this get away with it.”

Kang Min-jae stared intently at me and asked.

“You’re not going to tell me to back out because you’re worried I’ll be in danger because of my grandfather’s death, are you?”

I had those concerns for a moment while thinking about various things for two days, but I soon realized that those thoughts were foolish.

Kang Min-jae has already become a necessary presence for me.

Above all, I think that just as I lost my parents and colleagues and fueled my desire for revenge against Woo-shin, the same moment has come for Kang Min-jae.

Now, Kang Min-jae has also reached a point of no return.

“Kang.”

“Yes.”

“Before the elder passed away, he called me, right?”

“Yes. We didn’t end up meeting, though.”

“At that time, I think the elder was trying to say something to us, and I remember the Chief Secretary helped him prepare something.”

“…….”

“I think the Chief Secretary knows something. He probably can’t bring it up because it hasn’t been long since the funeral ended, but let’s meet him.”