You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 436

#437

“I’ll be going now.”

I managed to extract more information than expected from Kim Chanyoung.

Based on what I heard from him, I think I can dig up other information, and I don’t have any more questions for now.

As I got up from the sofa, Kim Chanyoung stood up with me and grabbed my wrist.

“No, how can you just ask questions one-sidedly and leave? You have to tell me too.”

Kim Chanyoung said with a mix of laughter and disbelief.

I fixed my gaze on him.

To Kim Chanyoung, who despises even his heart defect as a trace of Go Sangjun, I don’t have definitive evidence to say, ‘Actually, the owner of your heart isn’t a brain-dead person, but an innocent child from the House of Angels.’

Of course, all circumstances point to one thing, but I don’t have any information about Kim Chanyoung’s donor, and it’s possible that a brain-dead person suddenly appeared.

It doesn’t seem like a good choice to burden Kim Chanyoung with unnecessary guilt right now.

“Why did you suddenly bring up the heart issue?”

Kim Chanyoung asked, pressing me as he saw I was silent.

I sighed and sat back on the sofa.

“The surgeon who performed the emergency surgery on former President Kang Kwanwoong right before he died was a doctor named Im Hyunil.”

“So?”

“When former President Kang Kwanwoong’s body was autopsied, nothing unusual was found, so it was overlooked, but I thought it wouldn’t be strange if Im Hyunil did something on the operating table under Go Sangjun’s orders.”

“But what does that doctor Im Hyunil have to do with heart disease?”

“So, I started looking into Im Hyunil. He’s currently a professor of surgery at Seoul Wooshin Hospital, and I found out he’s a Korean-Japanese. So, he had a different name when he was active in Japan, and I traced him back with that name.”

“……Is that Hayashi?”

“Yes. So, I looked into what he did in Japan and found out that he was at Shingaku University Hospital as a thoracic surgeon. His main research area was artificial hearts and heart transplants, and then I remembered that the Wooshin family had a genetic disease, so I was trying to find out if there was a deep connection with Wooshin.”

Kim Chanyoung frowned and pondered for a moment.

He seemed to be trying to organize what I had said.

“So, the doctor Hayashi who took care of me was actually Go Sangjun’s lackey, and he might have driven former President Kang Kwanwoong to his death under Go Sangjun’s orders?”

“That’s right. But as far as I know, the hospital where Im Hyunil worked in Japan was Shingaku University Hospital.”

“Ah, I’ve heard of it. I think there was such a name among the hospitals famous for heart transplants that I looked up a long time ago.”

“So, I thought you had surgery at Shingaku University Hospital because Shingaku University Hospital was also helping Im Hyunil with his identity laundering. But you said it was Okashima Hospital?”

“Yes. But why was Im Hyunil, who was supposed to be at Shingaku University Hospital, at Okashima Hospital?”

“I don’t know. I’m thinking there might be a connection between Shingaku University Hospital and Okashima Hospital. Anyway, that’s why I wanted to confirm with you.”

Kim Chanyoung crossed his arms and leaned back deeply on the sofa, humming to himself.

“But anyway, the fact that both Go Yoonseong and I had heart transplants at Okashima Hospital means that a donor appeared there. If I’m right, I think Go Sangjun used his influence to move us up the waiting list even though Go Yoonseong and I were far down the list… For that to work, it seems like Okashima Hospital needs to be connected to Shingaku University Hospital, which appears to have a connection with Wooshin.”

“That’s probably right.”

“Anyway, just looking at this situation, it seems like Im Hyunil is definitely Wooshin’s lackey, so it seems likely that he drove former President Kang Kwanwoong to his death.”

“That’s right. Anyway, if your curiosity is satisfied, can I go now?”

“Ah, yes.”

Whose heart is beating inside Kim Chanyoung’s chest cannot be known right now.

I don’t plan to tell Kim Chanyoung the truth until all the facts are brought to the surface anyway.

The shock Kim Chanyoung will receive at that time will be great, but what can I do?

Kim Chanyoung once said that being born from Go Sangjun’s bloodline was his original sin.

Wouldn’t it be the same this time?

If Kim Chanyoung’s heart belongs to a child from the House of Angels, Kim Chanyoung will have to feel guilty for a crime he didn’t commit.

I felt sorry for Kim Chanyoung’s unfortunate life at this moment.

* * *

Over the weekend, I looked into Okashima Hospital.

As we expected, Okashima Hospital was associated with Shingaku University Hospital.

Because the Okashima Hospital website stated that it was a cooperative institution with Shingaku University Hospital.

But that was all the information I could get.

Okashima Hospital wasn’t particularly famous for organ transplants.

There were no press releases, and while most hospitals promote their organ transplant success stories, Okashima Hospital only gave the impression of being an ordinary general hospital.

When I asked Dongjin, he said that the thoracic surgeons around him didn’t know anything about Okashima Hospital either.

There were no papers submitted by Okashima Hospital’s researchers to academic conferences either.

Okashima Hospital is perfectly taking the stance of a ‘never-heard-of’ hospital.

This is probably the tomb of the children who leave the House of Angels for Japan for organ trafficking.

“Did you come, Attorney Cha?”

When I came to work on Monday, Secretary Oh, who was printing out the contents in front of the printer, greeted me.

I scanned the inside of the company and asked Secretary Oh.

“Where’s Attorney Kang?”

“Ah, he went to buy coffee. He’ll be here soon.”

“Then please contact Reporter Choi and Jo Bongjun. Tell them to come to the office. Tell Attorney Kang to buy coffee for both of them as well.”

“Did you find something new?”

“Yes.”

I answered lightly and signaled to Secretary Oh that I was going out for a smoke, raising the cigarette I had put in my inside pocket.

Until the office door closed, I could hear Secretary Oh busily making phone calls, and when the door was completely closed, the surroundings were all quiet.

As I walked along the hallway to the smoking area, I was lost in thought, thinking that today I had to tell Kang Minjae the uncomfortable truth that Kang Kwanwoong might have been killed.

“Hoo…….”

I took out a cigarette, put it in my mouth, and lit it.

After taking a deep breath, I exhaled slowly.

The hazy smoke mixed with the winter air and scattered into the air.

It will be a harsh thing for Kang Minjae, who is slowly acknowledging Kang Kwanwoong’s absence, but that doesn’t mean I can exclude Kang Minjae from this investigation.

That’s what Kang Minjae would want even less.

“Ha.”

I realize that I have changed a lot.

Originally, I would have told the truth, thinking that the guilt that Kim Chanyoung would have or the grief that Kang Minjae would feel couldn’t be helped.

There are still seven years left until the age of my previous life, but I feel like I’ve gotten older than that time.

Well, biological age is like that, and since 2018, before I died, I have been accumulating mental age, so is it natural?

I’ve always thought that being swayed by emotions only gets in the way of my work, but now I don’t think these changes are bad.

This is a road that I can’t walk alone, and it’s a long-term race that I run with my colleagues.

Building relationships with colleagues is important in the process.

Clearly, being swayed by emotions can sometimes be a hindrance, but I believe it will create other advantages.

And if these changes in me can be said to be growth, I hope that Kang Minjae and Kim Chanyoung will also grow as much as I have.

Facing uncomfortable truths will be the catalyst for that.

“Oh, I’m going to wash my face.”

As I was about to go back into the office, I saw Choi Jonghyun rubbing his eyes and heading to the bathroom.

I think I was out for about 15 minutes, and in the meantime, everyone had gathered at the company.

“Oh, Attorney Cha is here. I’ll just wash my face quickly and come in, so go in first. Everyone else is here.”

“I understand.”

“I was called from the morning, so I couldn’t even wash my face.”

Choi Jonghyun grumbled and went into the bathroom, and I went into the conference room.

Then Jo Bongjun and Kang Minjae turned their eyes to me.

I told Secretary Oh that I had found something new, so they must have received the story.

“Attorney, coffee.”

Kang Minjae handed me an Americano and smiled.

Is today’s smile also a practiced smile?

I suddenly thought that, but I didn’t show it and accepted the coffee.

“Ah, let’s start now.”

Choi Jonghyun, whose complexion had improved, came into the conference room and locked the door.

I nodded once and took out the USB from my pocket.

It contains the PPT data that I made yesterday to brief them.

“Attorney Cha prepared a lot. Wow.”

When I put the PPT on the screen, Jo Bongjun clapped and said.

What I found out through the investigation is quite useful, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to receive applause even after finishing the briefing.

“I found a case where children from the House of Angels were taken to Japan, notified to the recipients as brain-dead, and then had their hearts forcibly removed to become donors. There is no physical evidence yet, but it has considerable potential.”

Everyone’s eyes widened as if surprised at my words.

“No, how far has it progressed?”

The investigation into Im Hyunil was based on my future knowledge at the beginning, so it was not disclosed to others.

It’s natural for them to be surprised.

“The link that brings all these circumstances together is Im Hyunil. He is currently a professor of general surgery at Seoul Wooshin Hospital.”

As soon as the name Im Hyunil came out, Kang Minjae’s face hardened.

That was true of everyone in this place.

Everyone here knows that he performed Kang Kwanwoong’s emergency surgery.

After briefly checking, Kang Minjae’s face was only hardened, and no emotional agitation was felt.