You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 466

“I want to go to Baekgeum Island.”

Kim Mija, who had stopped crying, said this 20 minutes after going to the restroom.

“Just because I’m going to meet my parents doesn’t mean I completely trust them.”

The reason she stayed in the restroom for so long seemed to be because she needed time to sort out her thoughts.

Coming to Japan, I had considered the possibility that Kim Mija might not even want to watch the video. So, the fact that Kim Mija made this decision was fortunate in itself.

“As I said, those people might have sold me off and then put on a show to appease the neighbors.”

“But I don’t think there are many people who would put on a show for over 30 years. Even if they gave up after a few years and lived like that, others wouldn’t find it strange,” Kang Min-jae carefully added.

“Yes. That’s why I’m going.”

Kim Mija shrugged and replied.

In any case, it was clear that she thought it was necessary to check for herself, as I had suggested.

“If you want to go to Baekgeum Island, you’ll have to come to Korea. When would that be possible?”

“It’s late today, so tomorrow.”

Kim Mija said this in a very firm voice after checking the time.

“Fortunately, I haven’t told Oda Satoshi that I’m going to submit my resignation to the school yet. If I make up an excuse, I’ll be able to get permission.”

I also thought the sooner, the better, but leaving the country tomorrow might arouse Oda Satoshi’s suspicion.

If I delayed it unnecessarily, her thoughts, which had already led her to decide to die once, might jump in a strange direction. Considering that, it might be better to proceed without giving her time to think.

“Wouldn’t he be suspicious?”

“I’ll handle it well.”

“Okay. Then we’ll stay overnight at a nearby hotel and enter Korea on the same flight as Kim Mija tomorrow. It would be good if it’s close to your house. Where is it?”

“Ah, I’ll give you my address. Look for a place nearby.”

Naturally, I got Kim Mija’s, or rather Oda Satoshi’s, address.

Kang Su-il found and booked a hotel based on the address Kim Mija gave him, and we decided to part ways for now and wait for Kim Mija’s call.

We also needed some time to prepare.

We had to take some measures to avoid Woo-shin’s eyes, who would be chasing us from the moment we got off the plane at Incheon Airport.

“Ah, haven’t you had dinner yet?”

As I was about to leave the lab, Kim Mija stopped us as if she had remembered something.

“No, not yet.”

“I know a good restaurant near the hotel you booked. I know it’s not really the right atmosphere, but… since you’ve come all the way to Japan, I thought it would be nice to have a fancy dinner.”

“Ah, yes! That sounds great! If you tell me where it is, we’ll go find it!”

Kang Min-jae exclaimed, already preparing to write it down on his phone.

Since we were unexpectedly heading to Baekgeum Island tomorrow, Tae-shik and Jung-hyuk must be very tired.

I should treat them to something delicious.

* * *

After finishing dinner at the restaurant Kim Mija recommended, we returned to the hotel, showered, and were relaxing as the evening wore on.

“Kim Mija’s contact is a bit late.”

Kim Mija said that getting permission wouldn’t be difficult, so I thought I would hear from her soon, but my phone didn’t ring even after midnight.

It’s ridiculous that she has to get her husband’s permission to go on a business trip, but considering that Oda Satoshi is obsessed with Kim Mija, it wasn’t strange.

It hasn’t been long since she came to Korea, and Kim Mija made a sudden excuse during her last visit and stayed in Korea alone, so it’s understandable that he would be suspicious.

I hope she’s okay.

“Lawyer, I think you have a message?”

I was waiting for Kim Mija’s call with my phone on the table when Kang Min-jae pointed to my phone screen, which had lit up.

[I was personally invited by a professor at Jaesung University who is a friend, but I forgot and didn’t tell my husband. I’ll go to Narita Airport tomorrow. My husband said he’ll take me to Narita Airport. I usually use JAL [Japan Airlines]. I’ll book a JAL flight to Korea and contact you. I think we’ll have to meet beyond the departure immigration checkpoint.]

He’s taking her to the airport?

I don’t know if I should think of them as a good couple or Oda Satoshi as being paranoid.

I was also thinking it would be better to meet in front of the gate.

Kim Mija is too famous in Japan, so people might recognize her, and if she’s with us, there might be unnecessary sightings.

It would be better to pretend not to know each other within a distance where we can see each other inside the plane.

[After booking your flight and assigning seats, please let us know the flight number and we’ll book accordingly. It would be best if we don’t acknowledge each other even behind the gate. After arriving at Incheon Airport, please don’t acknowledge us and just come out. Our staff will pick you up by car. They will take you to Jaesung University, where you can change your clothes, and then board the car we have prepared. Our staff will let you know which car you will be riding in. I’ll contact you again tomorrow with more details.]

It was a great relief that Kim Mija didn’t make up an excuse like attending a conference or a schedule that could be easily found online.

Oda Satoshi probably wouldn’t put someone on her even in Korea, but you never know.

I think we need to show him that she’s going to Jaesung University.

An hour later, a message arrived from Kim Mija.

[JL5119352, seat 1A.]

As soon as we received the message, we booked the same flight as Kim Mija.

The arrival time in Korea is around 4 PM, so I don’t think we can go to Baekgeum Island tomorrow. It would be better to move to Mupyeong and stay overnight, then take the earliest boat the next day.

After roughly establishing a plan, Tae-shik started contacting the staff.

I called Kim Mija’s eldest brother and told him that she would be entering Korea tomorrow and that we were planning to go to Baekgeum Island together the day after tomorrow.

Even if Kim Mija decides not to accept her family that day, I thought I should at least let her see the faces of the family who had been desperately looking for her.

* * *

“That looks like Kim Mija and Oda Satoshi over there.”

I was checking in at Narita Airport when Kim Mija, wearing sunglasses, walked into the airport entrance.

Oda Satoshi was next to her, and behind them, an attendant was walking in, carrying Kim Mija’s suitcase for her.

We quickly finished checking in and headed towards the boarding gate.

Kim Mija, whom I glanced back at, seemed to be chatting happily with Oda Satoshi, arm in arm, throughout the check-in process.

Just as we were about to show our tickets and passports and enter through the gate, Kim Mija also lined up at the gate.

Kim Mija hugged Oda Satoshi, lightly kissed him on the cheek, and waved.

Oda Satoshi also waved awkwardly.

It was absurd because it seemed like people who didn’t know Kim Mija’s story would think they were a lovely couple.

“Check if the vehicle is ready.”

As soon as we arrived in Korea, I asked Tae-shik, and he answered after a brief phone call.

“The car we’re taking is waiting in the airport parking lot. The car Kim Mija will take will be waiting in front of the gate when she comes out.”

“What’s the vehicle number and model for Kim Mija’s car?”

“9017, Mercedes.”

“Who came?”

“Dae-seop and Hyung-jin.”

“Then have one of them wait in the car and the other come out to the arrival hall and wait for Kim Mija. We might get separated.”

We left Incheon Airport and headed to the parking lot, and around the time we got into the car, we received a call that Kim Mija and Dae-seop had met.

If Woo-shin was tailing us, they would be suspicious and nervous about us heading to Japan, so we decided to split up and go home separately.

Since it would take Kim Mija some time to go to Jaesung University and come out, we also decided to stop by our homes, change cars, and meet at Jinyeong Service Area on the way down to Mupyeong.

“There’s a black car following us.”

While heading from Incheon Airport to Seoul, Tae-shik checked the side mirror several times and said.

“You see that black car behind us? It’s been following us since earlier.”

“They must have attached someone to Attorney Kang and Director Kang as well.”

I left a message for Kang Min-jae, telling him to be careful as it seemed like a car was following him.

And I also contacted Dae-seop, telling him to be careful in case a vehicle was following him.

Of course, Woo-shin wouldn’t be scrutinizing Kim Mija’s every move, who Oda Satoshi is closely monitoring, but just in case.

They usually don’t tail us so conspicuously, but it seems like they’re quite desperate this time.

The fact that the road leaving Incheon Airport isn’t very wide is one of the reasons they were discovered, but I think they were quite anxious after confirming that we had left for Japan.

Well, a life with a black car following you is annoying, but it’s not unbearable.

I’ve always been careful of being followed, and even in my previous life, having a black car follow me as if threatening, ‘We’re watching you, so don’t try anything funny,’ was a common occurrence.

“Shall we shake them off?”

Tae-shik frowned, seemingly bothered by the car behind us.

I shook my head.

“Just go as we are. We’ll go into the villa, change cars, and come out. You parked the car at the villa, right?”

“Yes. But what about Attorney Kang’s side?”

I was just about to ask Kang Min-jae when a message arrived.

[I think we need to stop by Soo-il hyung’s place. Soo-il hyung will take this car and go into Pyeongchang-dong, and we’ll switch to Soo-il hyung’s car and go straight to Jinyeong Service Area… Ugh, this is annoying, lol]

Judging by the timing, it seemed we could all meet at Jinyeong Service Area by 10 PM at the latest.

As we approached Seoul during rush hour, the traffic became terribly congested.

Because of that, we didn’t have time to rest, so as soon as we arrived home, we changed clothes, packed our bags, and immediately got into the prepared vehicle.

“Nice car.”

I had told them not to get an old car that a resident of this villa wouldn’t drive, but I didn’t expect them to rent such a nice car.

You can tell it’s a leased vehicle by the license plate, but even if someone has a lot of assets, there are many people who drive leased vehicles for tax purposes, so it wouldn’t look strange.

We headed straight for Jinyeong Service Area.

“…Ha, that was really tough.”

Around 10:30 PM, we were all able to meet at Jinyeong Service Area.

Kim Mija looked quite tired, but her expression wasn’t bad.

She was dressed like a noblewoman at Narita Airport, but the clothes she changed into at Jaesung University looked quite comfortable.

It seemed like she was prepared for any situation.

“Kim Mija-ssi, you’ve been through a lot. You haven’t even had a meal.”

“No, it’s okay. But is it really okay now, the tailing?”

“Yes. I checked, and there’s no tail.”

“That’s a relief. I didn’t know the lawyers were being tracked by Woo-shin to this extent. You’re really going through a lot…”

“It’s not always like this. And we usually only go between home and the office, so they don’t go this far.”

“Then did you go through all this trouble because of me today?”

Kim Mija asked, looking apologetic.

“That’s not it. We had something to do in Japan anyway, and Woo-shin must be feeling guilty since they have businesses in Japan as well. I went to Switzerland for another matter before, but they didn’t follow me this closely then.”

“I see…”

“Let’s grab a quick bite and head to Mupyeong. We’ll probably arrive in Mupyeong a little after 12 AM. It would be best to get some sleep there and take the first boat to Baekgeum Island.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“The staff who escorted Kim Mija-ssi here will part ways for now and meet again when you return to Japan. From here on out, you’ll be with us. Let’s go inside for now.”

We had a quick meal at the service area, rested for a while, and then drove towards Mupyeong again.

Kim Mija fell asleep, probably relieved from the tension, and I, sitting in the passenger seat, took out a pill I had packed when leaving home and swallowed it while feeling the cold wind.

It would be hard to see at night, but I felt like the sea would be visible soon.

[Lawyer, all my brothers are gathered at our house in Baekgeum Island. Mija is coming tomorrow, right? Thanks to you, this day has come. We’ll be waiting.]

While checking the piled-up messages, I finally saw the one Kim Mija’s eldest brother had sent a few hours ago.

I must have been too focused on the tailing to notice it.

I hesitated to reply since it was so late, but I thought they must be eagerly waiting, so I sent a message.

[We’re heading to Mupyeong now. We plan to take the morning boat tomorrow. See you tomorrow.]