You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 439

You’ve Been Defended – Episode 440

It felt good to talk openly.

It was the first time I had revealed my story, which I had never told anyone, to another person, so I also felt a sense of liberation.

Moreover, I was also satisfied that my advice, which Choi Jong-hyun strongly insisted was harsh, resonated with Kang Min-jae, and that it became an opportunity for Kang Min-jae to be free from guilt.

However, one side effect occurred here.

That is… whenever Kang Min-jae and I were alone, he started asking me if I was an alien.

“Lawyer, please tell me the truth. I’ve prepared myself at home. Even if you’re an alien, I’m ready to accept you as you are, just like before.”

“Ha, what are you talking about? Why would I be an alien?”

“If you came from a parallel universe, you’re an alien!”

“I just said it was a hypothetical situation. What parallel universe…”

“Gasp. Shh! Shhh!”

Before I could finish speaking, Kang Min-jae put his index finger to his lips and widened his eyes.

It was because Secretary Oh knocked on my door.

“Yes.”

As soon as I responded, Kang Min-jae took a few steps away from me as if nothing had happened.

No, to be precise, nothing had happened, and it would be more accurate to say that Kang Min-jae was acting as if something had happened.

“Oh? Attorney Kang, you were here?”

“Yes. I had something to ask.”

As he said that, Kang Min-jae winked at me without Secretary Oh noticing.

I shook my head, and Secretary Oh just smiled and said.

“It’s good to see that you two have reconciled.”

“Reconciled? It was just a minor difference of opinion.”

“Anyway, what’s going on?”

“Ah, it’s almost lunchtime, so I was wondering when you’d like to eat.”

Has it already gotten that late?

I’ve been tormented by Kang Min-jae since I came to work, but it’s already lunchtime.

I didn’t feel good because it felt like I was wasting time for no reason.

“Shall we order in? I have a little more to talk about with the attorney.”

“Oh, is that so? Then what would you like to eat?”

“Ah, I have nothing to talk about with Attorney Kang. Let’s go out to eat.”

“Hmm?”

Secretary Oh gave an awkward smile and looked back and forth between Kang Min-jae and me, and Kang Min-jae bit his lip tightly and glared at me.

“Attorney Kang seems to have something to say?”

“No, I don’t. Let’s go out.”

I got up from my chair and put on my coat.

Secretary Oh answered that he understood and left the room, and Kang Min-jae gave me a resentful look.

“No, you’re the one who confused me, Attorney! But how can you not take any responsibility? At least you should give me a clear answer!”

“I clearly said I’m not an alien, didn’t I? If I were an alien, how would you explain that I was treated normally when I was stabbed?”

“You could be an alien with the same physical structure as a human. Ah, now that I think about it, I searched it up yesterday. Aliens may be fourth-dimensional beings. And according to the theory of relativity—no, is it the special theory of relativity? I’m not sure because I’m in the humanities, but anyway, fourth-dimensional beings are not bound by time. They can see all time unfolded. So you already know the future, and because you know the future, you’ve been able to solve all the cases so far!”

“If I knew everything about the future, why would I go through all the trouble of investigating and finding evidence? I already know everything anyway.”

“That’s because you know all the events that will happen in advance in the parallel universe you came from, but in this universe we are in, you need to get the evidence because you don’t have it. Because you have to prove it. So, you know the result, but you have to fill in the process! Also, you had trial and error in the parallel universe, right? Like not being able to prevent the release of Antrozol Alpha in advance, etc. You need an investigation process to correct those trial and errors.”

…He’s smart?

Everything he said is correct.

To add a little more, because I came here and changed the future, the knowledge I had before was not enough to solve all the cases.

But I can’t affirm that.

I laughed as if I was dumbfounded.

“That’s a fun novel. Why don’t you become a science fiction writer if Wooshin goes bankrupt?”

“A novel! It’s real! Or are you a time traveler?”

Kang Min-jae shouted as he followed me out of the room.

He must have been thinking all sorts of things all night.

It was amazing that he still had something to say even after talking about why I was an alien for hours.

“Kang, do you have a lot of time? You should be investigating the organ trafficking case, but you’re spending all your time looking for stories about aliens, the fourth dimension, and the theory of relativity.”

“No… that’s…”

“I’m working hard every day, but Kang seems to have the luxury of indulging in the delusion that I’m an alien. I’m jealous.”

“No, that’s not it… You’re the one who made me suspicious in the first place!”

“I only said it was a hypothetical situation, and I also said I’m not an alien.”

“But you’re not the kind of person who is capable of such delicate empathy and emotional description as if you’re possessed!”

“I am capable.”

“No? You have zero social skills, and you don’t even think about how to avoid hurting the other person’s feelings—no, you don’t care whether the other person’s feelings are hurt or not, and you say what you want to say first!”

“Are you insulting me right now?”

“…No. I’m sorry.”

Anyway, I was able to stop Kang Min-jae’s sophistry… no, perfect reasoning except for the alien part, at this point.

Of course, Kang Min-jae narrowed his eyes and gave me a suspicious look every time our eyes met while eating at the restaurant, but I ignored it.

After finishing the difficult meal and returning to the company, Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon were standing in front of the locked door.

Jo Bong-joon didn’t say much at the time, but Choi Jong-hyun even blushed, so I thought it would take a few days for them to contact me, but it was unexpected.

“I heard Min-jae and Attorney Cha reconciled?”

After a brief silence, Jo Bong-joon squeezed between me and Choi Jong-hyun and said.

I didn’t think much about what Choi Jong-hyun had said, but Choi Jong-hyun seemed embarrassed.

“What, is there still some resentment left?”

Jo Bong-joon looked at me and asked.

“Not at all.”

“What about you, hyung [older brother/friend]?”

“I still think Attorney Cha made a mistake to Min-jae, but if Min-jae is okay, I can’t say anything.”

“Haha, I’m okay. And I know why you said that, Attorney, and I’ve decided to try to get rid of my guilt. So, you two hug!”

…A hug?

“Suddenly?”

“That’s what you usually do when you reconcile. Hug each other and say I’m sorry.”

Jo Bong-joon added.

Even after hearing his words telling me to do such a thing, I couldn’t believe that the words had reached my ears, but Choi Jong-hyun blushed and suddenly hugged me.

“…What is this?”

“Let’s say ‘I’m sorry’ when I count to three.”

Choi Jong-hyun said in a sulky voice, and I doubted again whether I had heard his words correctly.

“One, two, three.”

Before I could agree, Choi Jong-hyun counted the numbers.

“…”

“…”

And none of us said ‘I’m sorry’.

“Attorney Cha, I’m disappointed in all of us right now.”

Choi Jong-hyun said while still hugging me.

“Haha. That’s enough, let’s go in quickly. It’s cold.”

Kang Min-jae, unable to watch any longer, opened the company door.

Then, he quickly threw open the conference room door and sat me and Choi Jong-hyun in chairs, respectively.

“But what brings you here without prior notice?”

Kang Min-jae asked as he sat next to me.

I was also curious.

It was just yesterday that I revealed the identities of Im Hyun-il and Hayashi Kenichi, including the story of Kim Chan-young’s heart transplant, to other people.

Did they find out something more in the meantime?

“Did you find out anything new?”

Secretary Oh was also curious and urged them.

Choi Jong-hyun shrugged his shoulders and took out an L-shaped holder from the bag he had brought.

“I found something out.”

“I thought my eyes would fall out trying to find this.”

There were several photos in the holder they handed over.

The photos showed a large wall lined with copper plates engraved with Chinese characters.

“What is this?”

“You said that Okashima Hospital and Shingaku University Hospital seemed to be related at the time, and that those two hospitals seemed to be related to Wooshin.”

“Yes.”

“And you predicted that the main clientele of Wooshin’s organ trafficking business would be Korean or Japanese tycoons or high-ranking officials, right?”

“I did.”

“Do you remember the list of Japanese bastards that Lee Ga-yeon gave us, the ones they gave sexual favors to?”

“I do. I haven’t made much progress on that yet, so I just skimmed through it.”

“Me too. But I thought that if they were really related, wouldn’t those guys have sponsored Okashima Hospital or Shingaku University Hospital?”

“That’s a definite possibility.”

As I nodded, Jo Bong-joon took over Choi Jong-hyun’s words, who seemed tired of talking.

“If you look at hospitals in our country, they engrave the names of people who have donated a lot on a large wall called the Hall of Fame. So I thought these guys would do that too. The guys on that list are especially high-ranking Japanese officials, and if such people donated money to the hospital, it would be something to be praised, so I didn’t think they would do it secretly.”

“That’s right, really.”

“So I asked Lee Ga-yeon if she could check if Okashima Hospital and Shingaku University Hospital had a Hall of Fame. In Korea, you can just go to the hospital website and see the list, but it seems like Japanese hospitals aren’t like that. There was a limit to what we could find on our own.”

“So?”

“Lee Ga-yeon went to the two hospitals in Tokyo and took pictures for us.”

Listening to those words, I noticed that Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon had highlighted certain parts of the photos.

“About three of the high-ranking officials on the list Lee Ga-yeon gave us donated here. It’s quite a lot of money. About 10 million yen [approximately $70,000 USD].”

“They’re definitely customers.”

“That’s right. And look at the last photo. This is amazing.”

The last photo that I hadn’t checked yet also seemed to contain the Hall of Fame, and there was a part that they had circled like crazy with a red pen.

“Wow.”

Kang Min-jae widened his eyes and looked at Jo Bong-joon.

“Crazy.”

“Amazing, right?”

At the end of the copper plate in the last photo, the letters L&B were engraved.