You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 45

“-B, B, B, B, Barrister!”

Taesik’s voice, stuttering severely, echoed from beyond the phone.

“Speak clearly.”

“-I, I, I think I found something a, a, amazing!”

“You found something amazing?”

“-Yes, yes!”

“What is it? Did you find Na Eun-sung’s script?”

At those words, not only Kang, but also the assistant director turned their heads towards me, seemingly surprised.

“-I, I think I found it. I think I found it!”

“You found a printed copy?”

“-Not a printed copy, but the, the, the printing shop owner had a USB… There were a few scripts on it, and Na Eun-sung’s script was, was, was on it too!”

Taesik shouted as if he were out of breath.

“-What should I do with this? What should I do? Should I bring it to the office first?”

“Do that.”

I hung up the phone.

If the owner of the printing shop that was doing business with Blue Island Media had the file, it would naturally be evidence that Blue Island Media had sent the file to be printed.

So, it naturally meant that Na Eun-sung’s manuscript was included in the second selection.

To use this in court, the step of persuading the printing shop owner remained, but I didn’t think it would be that difficult.

Before the trial, I knew it existed, but I couldn’t easily approach it because of my relationship with Blue Island Media, but now I know that there is physical evidence.

In all likelihood, the printing shop owner seems to have unintentionally failed to delete the file, but he will not be able to avoid responsibility anyway.

Originally, once the printing work is finished, the requested file should be deleted immediately.

I once heard a story about a printing shop that left old files behind and was caught secretly selling them overseas.

“Is that the boss? Did you find it?”

“I didn’t find a printed copy, but I found a file.”

“A file?”

“It will be evidence that the script was handed over to the printing shop.”

“Ha, haha! Wow! Wow!”

Kang Min-jae jumped up and ran towards me.

And he hugged me and started jumping up and down.

I stood still and looked at Kang Min-jae.

“What are you doing?”

“Yes?”

“What are you doing?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Only then did Kang Min-jae realize his misdeed, and he moved away from me and bowed his head.

“Did you find some evidence?”

The assistant director, who was sitting on the sofa, asked with a delighted expression.

When I didn’t answer for a moment, the assistant director waved his hand and said.

“I’m not a spy or anything.”

[Truth]

I didn’t particularly suspect him, but it was unintentionally a good confirmation.

I smiled faintly and replied.

“I didn’t think you were a spy; I was just organizing my thoughts for a moment. Yes, our investigator seems to have found something. He said he’s coming this way now.”

“That’s really a relief. I was really worried that something would go terribly wrong because I didn’t attend…”

The assistant director stroked his chest.

With a much brighter face, he picked up his coat and got up from the sofa.

And he took off his baseball cap, smoothed his crushed hair, and said.

“Then I’ll be on my way. You must be busy.”

“Yes, go in.”

Kang Min-jae shouted, folding his waist with a face full of delight.

The assistant director also greeted him and walked towards the door.

“Director.”

“Yes. What is it?”

“Um, don’t go for a moment and stay here.”

“…Yes? Is there anything I can do?”

He asked, as if puzzled.

Kang Min-jae also looked back at me as if he didn’t know what was going on.

“If you’re really sorry for not attending as a witness, I was wondering if I should give you a chance to make up for it.”

“…A chance to make up for it?”

“It’s not difficult. It’s not something that will harm you.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

Not long after, Taesik arrived.

He came into the office holding the USB as suspiciously as if he were holding a baby.

I sighed as I looked at him, and Kang Min-jae, forgetting that he was usually afraid of him, ran to him.

“B, B, Boss!”

“Kang Attorney…”

The two hugged each other in the middle of the office.

The assistant director smiled contentedly, and I was the only one with an annoyed expression.

“Stop it and give me the USB.”

“Yes.”

Taesik quickly moved away from Kang Min-jae and handed me the USB.

When I connected the USB to the computer, there was only one folder inside.

The folder was named P.

And inside, there were four manuscript files submitted to the Blue Island Media contest, including Na Eun-sung’s script.

No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t seem like the file was left behind unintentionally.

“Taesik.”

“Yes, Attorney.”

“Does the printing shop owner speak English well?”

“No. He’s just an ordinary, ignorant old man.”

Then I think the folder name P is also P for Blue Island Media.

Of course, if you’re going to write it in English, it’s more correct to translate it as Blue Island and call it B, but you said that the printing shop owner is just an ordinary ignorant person.

This was intentionally kept by the printing shop owner for some reason.

“Where did you find this USB?”

“In the boss’s desk drawer.”

“How did you open the desk drawer?”

“A few days ago, there was an urgent printing job at night, but all the employees had left and I was the only one cleaning up. So the boss said he was on his way now, and told me to take the key out of the desk drawer and turn on the machine. At that time, he told me where the desk drawer key was.”

But, to let someone else open the desk drawer where the USB was kept for some reason, even to Taesik, who he hadn’t known for long.

Maybe it was too urgent that one time.

He must have thought that Taesik didn’t know anything, and he couldn’t have thought that his nervousness would be suspected because he was on his way to the printing shop.

But shouldn’t he have kept the key in another place after that?

“I copied the key at that time. Hehehe.”

Ah. That’s right…

Taesik was more thorough than I thought.

“Is this a suitable opponent for a breast milk contract? Huh? Hahahaha!”

“Breast milk? What is that…”

The director began to show interest in Taesik’s nonsense, and I turned my eyes away from them.

And I looked at the files in the folder again.

Na Eun-sung’s scenario was the same as the one she first brought to us for the contest, and the plot per episode was the same.

The files of other writers below it were also written in the same format as Na Eun-sung’s manuscript.

However, I don’t know if this was plagiarized in the same way as Na Eun-sung because I didn’t watch the drama…

“Director.”

“Yes.”

“You used to be in the drama department, right?”

“Yes. I was.”

“Could you take a look at this?”

The reason I told the assistant director to stay was not because I foresaw this situation, but it was fortunate anyway.

The assistant director pulled up a chair next to me and carefully examined the manuscripts.

And he began to examine them one by one.

“This is exactly the same as Jung Hye-jin’s . This is the same as … Hmm, it’s hard to say that it’s exactly the same, but it’s clear that he referred to it. It’s similar to . And this is the same as .”

The assistant director began to rattle off the names of the dramas.

I didn’t know the contents, but I had heard of some of the titles.

They were all dramas that Jung Hye-jin had made a hit.

“The situation is turning out to be interesting.”

Kang Min-jae, who had already come to our side, muttered.

The reason why we searched for the printing history of Na Eun-sung’s manuscript was simple.

Even if you forgot what you saw and just wrote it, if you wrote it so exactly, it is considered unintentional plagiarism in which you wrote down what you remembered unconsciously.

But even so, it is absurd that all episodes proceed in the same way and even the lines are the same, as if they were written next to each other.

In addition, since the defendant has revealed that he read the plaintiff’s script, it is certain that it is plagiarism.

The printing history was the best evidence to support this claim.

Even if Jung Hye-jin did not plagiarize as they claimed, if she knew that a script with the same content was written by someone else first, she should have corrected it.

‘But this situation is…’

In this case, Yoo Jung-won can use Lee Ha-young to put back what she made Sung Min-jeong’s testimony meaningless.

The matter will get a little bigger, but what if I find all the aspiring writers in that file?

I won’t receive a penny, but I’ll get you all the damages, so please write a statement, if I say that?

It’s only a matter of time before Jung Hye-jin’s reputation is tarnished.

Of course, the aspect of this trial will also change.

It’s like Jung Hye-jin has something similar to a criminal record.

“Kang, let’s talk for a moment.”

I took him out to the veranda.

There were more cards than I thought.

Of course, the most important thing is to get that card in our hands first.

“We have to get that USB from the printing shop owner.”

“Yes. But why is the printing shop owner keeping that?”

“The folder name is P. P seems to be the initials of Blue Island Media.”

“Yes, I think so.”

“He kept all the manuscripts that could be a weakness of Blue Island Media. They’re all related to Jung Hye-jin, but if he had a grudge against Jung Hye-jin, he would have named the folder J.”

I swallowed.

I think I know why the printing shop, which has been doing business with Blue Island Media for a long time, kept the manuscripts that could be a weakness.

But how did he know this was a weakness?

Whatever it is, I’ll know if I check it myself.

“First of all, I have to meet the printing shop owner.”

“When you meet him, what are you going to do?”

“I can’t use this as evidence as it is anyway. I can’t say that I stole the acquisition process. I can’t say it’s an employee’s disclosure because I have to keep using Taesik in the future.”

I crossed my arms and leaned against the railing.

The reason I’m trying to get help from the assistant director is to trade the USB with the boss.

It probably won’t be a bad deal for the assistant director either.

I said to Taesik, who was staring blankly at me as I entered the office.

“Taesik, tell the printing shop owner to come this way. And from now on, you’re going to act like I suddenly burst into the printing shop and threatened you to hand over the USB.”