You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 48

Their faces turned pale, almost blue.

Judge Kim Hong-gil could rule in their favor because, while the similarities in the works were clear, there was no evidence of reliance [proof that Jung Hye-jin had access to Na Eun-sung’s work before creating her own].

Circumstantially, it could be argued that Jung Hye-jin had written it first, so plagiarism couldn’t be definitively proven.

But now, the order of events had been clarified.

Reliance was established, and the similarities were undeniable.

If we submitted this evidence, even if Judge Kim Hong-gil had been bribed, he would have no choice but to side with us.

If the trial were to resume, we would naturally disclose all the files contained on the USB drive.

Then, Jung Hye-jin would have to explain not only but also her other four works, potentially leading to a long and damaging legal battle.

If most of her works were revealed to be plagiarized, Blue Island Media, which had ignored the issue, would have no chance of recovering its reputation.

Jung Hye-jin’s career as a writer would be completely ruined.

“However, if you agree to our demands, we are willing to withdraw the lawsuit.”

As soon as I finished speaking, they visibly relaxed.

“…If you withdraw the lawsuit, what will you do about the claims you made today?” Yu Jeong-won asked.

Her face was bloodless, and her lips were bleeding from being bitten so much.

“If we withdraw the lawsuit, your evidence tampering and other wrongdoings will all be quietly forgotten. People call that a settlement.”

At my words, Yu Jeong-won nodded heavily.

“State your conditions.”

“First, compensate us for the full amount we claimed in the lawsuit. Second, list Na Eun-sung as a co-author. Also, allow the continued sale of , but pay Na Eun-sung 30% of the sales revenue every quarter.”

“…What?”

The CEO of Blue Island Media jumped up and shouted, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

I looked up at him.

His face, red and blue, looked like he might clutch the back of his neck and collapse at any moment.

Jung Hye-jin, as if in a daze, leaned back in her chair and covered her face with both hands.

I stood up and said.

“I’ll be going now. Think it over carefully and give us your answer by Friday of this week.”

* * *

We were prepared to fight tooth and nail and potentially walk away with a significant sum.

And so was Na Eun-sung.

In fact, it wouldn’t be difficult to take this to trial and win.

But the damages we would receive would likely be relatively small.

Originally, when filing a lawsuit, the amount of damages claimed is intentionally set higher than the actual desired amount.

And it was the lawyer’s job to try to ensure that the final settlement amount, through court mediation, wasn’t significantly lower than the original target.

This case was no different.

I thought the 70% rate was high, but if we based our demand on past legal precedents, the compensation amount was likely to fall below that.

Moreover, in the precedents I had researched, there weren’t many cases where plagiarism was definitively proven.

Given the judge’s likely perspective, he would probably rule it as a derivative work or remake at best.

In that case, the compensation we could receive would be only around 30%.

Rather, it would be a better outcome for Na Eun-sung to be recognized as a co-author of the mega-hit drama and be able to focus on his future work with financial security.

“It’s about time the next case came in,” Kang Min-jae said, already counting his chickens before they hatched, even though we hadn’t completely resolved things with Blue Island Media.

“We have to wrap up this case first.”

The moment he was listed as a co-author, the public would understand that Jung Hye-jin had essentially admitted to plagiarism and settled.

They knew that, so it wasn’t an easy decision for them to make.

Of course, it would be better in many ways than having a total of five hit works, including the problems with other works, all branded as plagiarism.

They must have already made more than enough money, right?

“This incident has been well-publicized, but shouldn’t we put out some kind of advertisement?”

“Advertisement?”

“Well, it’s good to take on one case at a time now because the scale is small… Originally, law firms handle multiple cases at once, right? But maybe it’s because we’re not well-promoted, but no one has come to us since Na Eun-sung.”

Kang Min-jae said, resting his chin on his hand, looking troubled.

I shook my head, afraid that he would suggest a TV commercial if I left him alone.

“Wait for their answer and then think about it. Until then, prepare as if you’re resuming the trial. Don’t get complacent.”

“…Yes.”

Kang Min-jae drooped his shoulders and pouted.

“Lawyer.”

“What.”

“Are you not human?”

“What are you talking about?”

Kang Min-jae put on his glasses and replied sullenly.

“I think you’re a robot, not a person. Do you have no emotions?”

“Why wouldn’t I have emotions?”

“Aren’t you happy? You didn’t look happy when you found the evidence. You don’t seem happy even though you gave Blue Island Media a big blow.”

“I was happy.”

“Was that being happy?”

“I showed it.”

“Was that showing it?” Kang Min-jae asked with a face full of shock.

I was speechless and looked away from Kang Min-jae.

I felt like his gaze was still stubbornly fixed on me, but I ignored it.

The next day, in the afternoon.

Suddenly, Tae-shik and his cronies burst into the office.

“You could have called before visiting.”

I was drinking coffee and waiting for a call from Blue Island Media, but the moment was spoiled.

“You don’t answer your phone well, Lawyer. Why didn’t you reply to my text? That’s why I came!”

I sat down across from him, who plopped down on the sofa.

“Aren’t you giving me juice today?”

“Kang is out for a while.”

“Where did your sidekick go?”

“Sidekick? He just went out to take a call.”

“Anyway, it’s not formula. It’s MOU [Memorandum of Understanding – a formal agreement]. How is our MOU going?”

“Are you talking about the MOU?”

“Yes, that, that. If you don’t intend to sign it, I’ll charge you separately for the costs of this case, so you know.”

“Then send the bill.”

“Who said I couldn’t send it if you told me to… What?”

“I said send it.”

Tae-shik opened his mouth wide as if he couldn’t believe it.

And he repeatedly checked with his cronies standing behind him to see if he had misheard me.

“Are you really going to pay?”

“I’ll continue to hire you, and I intend to pay a fair amount.”

“…Re, really?”

“But there’s a condition.”

I crossed my arms and slowly recalled the events with Tae-shik from my previous life.

There was a problem with Tae-shik appearing to others as a member of a criminal organization while I was using him as an informant.

Fortunately, unlike his appearance, he had no criminal record, and as he worked with me, he slowly stopped doing illegal things, so it wasn’t a big problem.

In the first place, the illegal things he committed weren’t that serious.

There’s not much you can do while running a private investigation agency.

Anyway, this time we need to be a little more careful.

“What is it?”

“Don’t commit any illegal acts. All of you, including your employees.”

“We don’t commit illegal acts!”

“Don’t even play Seotda [a Korean card game often associated with gambling].”

“Ah, that’s not illegal?”

“No petty illegal acts either. No violence, and always think that someone is watching you.”

Tae-shik looked at me with a serious expression.

After washing his face with his hands and groaning, he slowly raised his head and looked at me.

“What about illegal parking?”

“That’s up to you.”

“Lawyer, is it related to quitting being a prosecutor?”

He’s a ghost.

A guy who usually acts dumb has an amazing sense in times like this.

But I hesitated to answer.

I know that Tae-shik thinks he owes me a great debt.

And that he was one of the few people I trusted until the end in my previous life.

But it’s still too early.

“That’s,”

That’s when it happened.

The office phone started ringing.

I moved away from Tae-shik and stood in front of my desk to answer the phone.

“This is Cha Joo-han.”

-It’s Yu Jeong-won.

I looked at the clock.

Five thirty PM.

It seemed like they had been constantly agonizing over their decision, agonizing until the last possible moment, and then made a conclusion while pressed for time.

“Speak.”

-I want to check first whether an adjustment is possible.

“Let’s hear it first and then give you an answer.”

-Haa… Yes, then first of all, about the co-author notation. I’d like to try adjusting to exclude this condition.

While waiting for an answer, I thought they would be most afraid of this condition.

Wasn’t Jung Hye-jin the one who tried to provide creative support funds even in favorable situations, thinking about her image?

I leaned against the desk and replied briefly.

“That’s not adjustable.”

Listing Na Eun-sung as a co-author was a more important issue than sharing profits.

Because it was about revealing that was originally Na Eun-sung’s work.

By hiding that and only receiving money from behind, the original purpose of filing the lawsuit cannot be achieved.

-……I see. Then, they say they want to adjust the profit-sharing ratio. Blue Island Media also pays Jung Hye-jin 15% of the sales revenue. How about paying Na Eun-sung 10% and Jung Hye-jin 5%?

The reason I blurted out 30% for profit sharing was the same as when calculating damages in a lawsuit.

I called it high because I thought they would try to cut it down.

Of course, I knew that 10% was appropriate.

I savored Yu Jeong-won’s humiliating voice and replied.

“How about 13%?”

-Lawyer Cha. This isn’t a market. We’ve both put in a lot of effort, so don’t do this.

Yu Jeong-won said with a sigh.

Was I being too harsh?

Compared to her usual behavior, I thought I was gentle enough.

“I need to discuss the ratio with my client. That’s why I need to know the maximum ratio that Blue Island Media can pay.”

-It’s 10%. They say they will pay Jung Hye-jin’s writer’s fee as is, at the 70% you mentioned. And, about Blue Island Media’s damages… The CEO says he’s willing to pay up to 50% of the profits. Beyond that, Lawyer Cha, you know it was an unreasonable condition.

Most of the negotiation that would normally have to be done in person was finished in one phone call.

It was decided to pay 670 million won, which is 70% of the writer’s fee paid to Jung Hye-jin, 5 billion won, which is 50% of the 10 billion won in net profit that Blue Island Media made through drama production, and 10% of future sales revenue on a quarterly basis.

“I’ll send you the settlement agreement as soon as it’s drafted.”

-Okay.

“Then.”

-Lawyer Cha.

“Speak.”

-Let’s not see each other in court again. Then, goodbye.

Yu Jeong-won said through gritted teeth and hung up the phone.

I stared at the receiver for a moment.

“Was I too harsh?”

And I asked Tae-shik, who had been eavesdropping on our phone call.

Then Tae-shik readily replied.

“You were a bit of a jerk?”