You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 445

You Have Been Defended – Episode 446

#446

“Is there any way to contact Kim Mi-ja?”

I called everyone into the conference room and started talking.

I had been sharing everything I had learned with them immediately, so no further explanation was necessary.

And even before I spoke, Choi Jong-hyun, Jo Bong-joon, Kang Min-jae, and Secretary Oh seemed to feel the need to contact Kim Mi-ja.

They began to offer their opinions without much prompting.

“I guess we have no choice but to go to Japan.”

“How are we going to meet her there?”

“We have to contact her lab. She’s a university professor.”

“What if she refuses to meet us? Why would she meet us? Who does she even know us to be?”

“Still, she’ll be giving lectures anyway, so we could just barge in and wait for her.”

“If the goal is just to meet her, that method isn’t bad. But approaching her aggressively isn’t a good idea.”

Kim Mi-ja probably wants to keep her relationship with Wooshin and the operation of that fairy [referring to the prostitution fairy operation] a secret from everyone.

But we are the people who are going to touch that secret.

If Kim Mi-ja isn’t a fool, she wouldn’t let aggressive people touch her most vulnerable spot, would she?

It will only increase her wariness.

“How about this method?”

Secretary Oh opened his mouth.

“According to Lee Ga-yeon, the relationship between Korea and Japan is a hot topic in Japan since the Lee Se-hwa government was launched. And since Oda Satoshi married a Korean woman, it is predicted that he will play a bridging role.”

“That’s right.”

“Looking at the interviews he did with Japanese women’s magazines, it seems that Oda Satoshi is actively working to raise Oda Tomiko’s social status. It wouldn’t be strange to think that he wants to make her an object of envy for Japanese women, especially since she’s been featured in women’s magazines.”

“I think you’re right, Secretary Oh. When I searched, the articles were all packaging Oda Tomiko with an elegant image.”

“So, I was thinking, what if we set up an interview, saying that Korea is also curious about what role Oda Tomiko will play in the relationship between Korea and Japan?”

“Hmm, that’s a good idea.”

“After meeting her, we can reveal our true identities and start talking. What do you think, Attorney?”

Secretary Oh looked at me and asked.

I nodded.

It’s a good method.

“Then should we contact the school?”

Choi Jong-hyun said, accessing the website of the university where Oda Tomiko was appointed.

“I think the gallery would be better than the school.”

“Really?”

“If we contact the school, they might say that they need to coordinate with the school. It would be more direct to contact the gallery where Oda Tomiko is.”

“I see. But is there anyone here who is good at Japanese? We need to send an email in Japanese to contact them.”

“What about sending it in English?”

“What if they ignore us, thinking we’re a small media company without a foreign language-capable overseas business department?”

“That’s true. Attorney, you don’t speak Japanese?”

Kang Min-jae looked at me and asked.

How could I speak Japanese?

I know how to read Hiragana and Katakana [Japanese syllabaries].

And since Japan is also a Chinese character culture, I can roughly guess the meaning while reading the lines, but I can’t say that I can speak it.

“I can’t.”

“When we went to Liechtenstein last time, you read some books on the plane and talked to the taxi driver. If you study a little, can’t you do it?”

“What do you think of me? I just used a few necessary phrases back then.”

“Hmm… It seems a bit cheap to use a translator.”

Choi Jong-hyun muttered.

“Ah!”

At that time, Kang Min-jae took out his cell phone as if he had remembered something.

“Soo-il hyung [older brother/friend] is good at Japanese! He said he can read Japanese original books. My grandfather said he speaks Japanese like a native speaker?”

“Really?”

“Yes. He’s very good.”

“But why…”

“Yes?”

“Why didn’t you say anything until now? If you’re so good at Japanese, Kang could have just taken a quick look while we were fumbling around with the translator, and it would have saved us time…”

Choi Jong-hyun approached Kang Min-jae with eyes that seemed to be spewing flames, grabbed his shoulders, and started shaking him.

“It was so hard to look it up with a translator until now…”

“Ah… Hahaha. I just remembered.”

“Then you’ll have to be our translator from now on… Can you tell him to participate in the data research?”

“…Yes. Uh, should we ask Soo-il hyung to translate it?”

“Of course. What are you even saying!”

Kang Min-jae smiled with a cold sweat at Choi Jong-hyun’s shout.

Well, if I had known earlier, it would have saved some time as he said, but that doesn’t mean I can leave all the research to Kang Soo-il.

Whatever the case, it will be a great help to have someone who is good at Japanese among us.

“If you write down what to say in the email, I’ll ask Soo-il hyung to translate it.”

“But if we’re pretending to be a large media company, we need to have the email domain with that media company’s domain, and attach the contact information of the department in charge. Otherwise, they won’t be suspicious?”

At my words, Kang Min-jae tilted his head.

“Then what?”

“It’s better to just call the gallery.”

“Ah, I guess so. Then should we tell Soo-il hyung to come here? Since we need to continue the conversation with the employee there, it’s better to call from where we’re all gathered.”

“Tell him to come quickly.”

Kang Min-jae started calling Kang Soo-il.

Kang Soo-il said he was reading a book at home anyway and would leave right away, and arrived at the office an hour later.

“The office is nice.”

Kang Soo-il looked around the office and stopped for a moment after discovering the BI [Brand Identity] of Jeongdo hanging on the wall behind the desk.

Since it was written directly by Kang Kwan-woong, he seemed to be immersed in appreciation for a while.

“We don’t have time, hyung.”

Kang Min-jae seemed to sense Kang Soo-il’s agitation and pulled him into the conference room.

Since Kang Soo-il had seen Choi Jong-hyun, Jo Bong-joon, and Secretary Oh before, he left a simple greeting saying that it had been a while and then sat down.

“So, how can I help you translate?”

“It’s not just translating, hyung, you have to make the call yourself.”

Kang Min-jae explained the approach suggested by Secretary Oh.

Kang Soo-il nodded as if he understood and asked what kind of phone he should use.

We decided to use Jo Bong-joon’s cell phone, which was presumed to be the least known number.

“But what if the conversation gets long? What if they ask what the specific questions are?”

“We have to deflect by saying that we’ll collect them and contact them again. And anyway, once the interview is confirmed, we’ll receive the questionnaire later.”

“Then here, can I call this number?”

Kang Soo-il said, pointing to the gallery’s phone number on the laptop monitor.

He made a call without any hesitation.

The unique ringing tone of an international call was heard, and soon the other party answered the phone.

─ Yes, this is Shozo Gallery.

“Ah, yes. Hello. This is Jin Dae-joon, a reporter from Daejin Ilbo [a fictional newspaper] in Korea. We are preparing a special article on Korea-Japan relations.”

─ Ah, yes.

“While conducting various investigations, we heard about Oda Tomiko, the CEO of Shozo Gallery. I know that there are many expectations in Japan that Oda Satoshi will play a bridging role in strengthening Korea-Japan relations. There are so many interview articles about Oda Satoshi, so we wanted to know more about Oda Tomiko. Above all, there are quite a few people in Korea who are interested in the various activities that Oda Tomiko has been doing.”

─ Ah, yes. I see. You said Daejin Ilbo, right?

“Yes. So, if possible, we would like to visit Japan and interview you directly. Can we set a date as soon as possible?”

─ Hmm, the CEO is currently visiting Korea with Oda for a vacation as a couple. So, it seems that the answer to whether an interview is possible will be delayed. Is that okay with you?

“You’re in Korea? If you’re here on vacation, it might be rude, but could you spare us some time while you’re here?”

─ Well… After the vacation, she will attend the Emperor’s birthday celebration hosted by the Japanese Embassy in Korea and return to Japan immediately, so I don’t think it will be difficult to meet in Korea.

“Ah, is that so…”

─ I’ll leave a note for the CEO just in case. If you leave your contact information, we will let you know as soon as we receive a reply from the CEO.

“Then I’ll put a business card in the gallery’s official email.”

─ Yes, I understand. Thank you.

Kang Soo-il hung up the phone after a longer conversation than expected.

Since none of us understood his fluent Japanese conversation, there was nothing we could do but look at him with worried eyes.

“They said they would ask Oda Tomiko for her opinion on whether to do the interview or not. And,”

“Was it positive?”

At Kang Min-jae’s urging question, Kang Soo-il smiled as if sighing and replied.

“Hyung hasn’t finished speaking yet.”

“Ah, that’s right. Yes. So?”

“They said that Oda Tomiko and her husband are visiting Korea for vacation.”

“You’re in Korea now?”

“Yes. So I asked if we could do the interview while we were in Korea. They said they would attend the Emperor’s birthday party and return to Japan immediately.”

“Emperor’s birthday party?”

Emperor’s birthday party.

It is an event that is held regularly in Korea, and it often becomes an issue because Korean conservative party figures attend it.

Ko Sang-joon has never attended in person, but I remember that a Wooshin official showed his face there.

“Why are you celebrating the Japanese Emperor’s birthday in our country?”

Jo Bong-joon said with a dissatisfied face.

He doesn’t seem to know very well, but if he knew that all kinds of large corporations send wreaths to the Emperor’s birthday party and the event is held quite grandly, he would fall backwards.

“Hmm, if you attend the Emperor’s birthday party, that means you can contact her there?”

Secretary Oh said at that time.

Kang Soo-il nodded readily.

“That’s right.”

“Then you can talk to Kim Mi-ja without having to take the form of an interview.”

“But there are so many eyes watching, will that work?”

As far as I know, the Emperor’s birthday party only allows entry to those who have been sent an invitation from the Japanese Embassy in Korea.

I don’t know what criteria are used to select the target, but I have seen people who have received invitations even if they are not necessarily political or business figures.

It seems that invitations are often sent to reporters as well.

After thinking for a while, I suddenly stopped looking at Kang Min-jae.

“Why?”

“If Kang expresses his intention to attend, I think an invitation will be issued.”

Isn’t that so?

Kang Min-jae is the grandson of the former president.

In addition, he has a plausible job as a lawyer, and he was also a hot topic at the time of Kang Kwan-woong’s state funeral.

If such a person says that he will celebrate the Emperor’s birthday, there is no reason for the Japanese Embassy to refuse.

“I think I can get an invitation.”

Kang Soo-il nodded slowly.

“I’ve actually received an invitation before.”

“To me? But why didn’t you say anything?”

“Would you say you’re going there?”

“I guess not.”

Kang Soo-il pulled the laptop closer to him and entered a search term.

I could see what he was searching for on the screen connected to the front.

He was searching for the Emperor’s birthday party on the portal site.

“Hmm, it’s the day after tomorrow. It’s said to be held at a hotel in Namsan [a district in Seoul].”

“The day after tomorrow?”

“If you officially express your intention to attend to the embassy today, an invitation will be issued.”

“But what do we do when we meet? She’ll be with her husband, and even if she’s away from her husband, she can’t be persuaded there.”

“Just say two words.”

At my words, Kang Min-jae tilted his head and asked.

“What?”

“Academic forgery. Prostitution fairy. Then she’ll be chilled to the bone and ask what you want.”

Then, tell her that you have something to say at that time and ask her to make time, and then set a place and time to meet with me.

Originally, she was scheduled to return to Japan as soon as the Emperor’s birthday party was over, but she can’t ignore it because her big weakness is at stake.

It’s not my business how she changes her original schedule to make time.

That’s up to her.

“…Wow.”

Kang Min-jae opened his mouth and exclaimed.

“Why.”

“It’s a good method, but…”

“But?”

“It’s a little… scary. It must be really scary for Kim Mi-ja.”

That’s why I’m doing it to be scary.

I couldn’t understand why Kang Min-jae was reacting like that.