You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 498

I thought I could enjoy a rare, quiet weekend morning, but something unexpected happened.

Whenever something like this happens, I experience a strange ambivalence.

The occurrence of an incident could be seen as an opportunity to corner Wooshin.

But on the other hand, it could also mean more people are being harmed by Wooshin’s actions.

Isn’t the reason I’m trying to catch Wooshin to prevent people from being harmed by his misdeeds?

So, I’m torn between feeling happy and sad.

Of course, I’m focused on successfully contacting Son Jeong-min, but if my emotions aren’t completely neutral, shouldn’t I try to guide them in the right direction?

“If I hadn’t gotten the car keys from Attorney Kang, I would have had to take a taxi to the office and use the company car.”

As I was pondering this, Tae-shik chuckled while starting the engine.

Now that I think about it, when Kang Min-jae said he was taking my car and I asked, ‘What if I need to go out?’, I was mostly just being difficult. It’s surprising that I actually needed the car.

“Don’t lend my car out anymore.”

“That’s why Attorney Kang gave me the keys. Besides, this car’s gear stick looks pretty cool. I’ve been wanting to drive this car, so this is perfect.”

While Tae-shik was rambling, I called Choi Jong-hyun.

He must have woken up Jo Bong-joon as soon as he got my call and put him in the car, because he replied that they were leaving soon.

I should let Kang Min-jae know too, but I was so busy confirming the situation that Kang Min-jae’s update got pushed back.

I called Kang Min-jae.

─ Ah, yes, Attorney Cha! I’m waiting for my noodles to be packed.

“I don’t think you’ll be able to eat noodles.”

─ Huh, why? Don’t you like noodles?

“I’m on my way to Munyeok now.”

─ Munyeok? Where is Munyeok again? Is it in Gangwon-do?

“That’s right.”

─ Why are you going there?

I repeated the explanation I gave to Choi Jong-hyun to Kang Min-jae, like a recording.

─ Crazy, then this is not the time for this!

“It’s not the time for that.”

─ I’ll leave now too. How long does it take to get to Munyeok?

“Two hours and eighteen minutes.”

─ When did you leave?

“About fifteen minutes ago.”

─ Ah, then I’ll be there around the same time. It says two hours for me. I’ll leave right away. Munyeok Health Center, right?

Kang Min-jae seemed to have started running; I could hear the sound of wind over the phone.

The sound of wind was mixed with the voice of a middle-aged man calling out to Kang Min-jae from afar, but he shouted loudly without paying any attention.

─ Boss! I’m sorry! Something urgent came up! You don’t have to pack it for me!

“Did you pay?”

Kang Min-jae, who was already panting, seemed to have gotten into the car.

The engine sound could be heard.

─ I paid in advance and was waiting. I’m not the kind of guy who would run away without paying, no matter how urgent the situation is.

“Anyway, be careful driving.”

─ Yes. I’ll see you there.

I screenshotted the messages I exchanged with Choi Jong-hyun and uploaded them to the group chat.

I thought it would be better to show this than to explain it repeatedly, so everyone could understand the situation at once.

As soon as I sent the message, replies arrived from the people in the group chat.

[Heo Min-woo: I’m at the scene right now, so I don’t think I can go with you, but should I contact the Munyeok Police Station if you need it?]

[Oh Yang-hoon: I just saw the message. This is a big deal. So, Attorney Cha and the two reporters are heading to Munyeok now?]

[Jo Bong-joon: Isn’t contacting the police a bit dangerous? After all, the student’s guardian is Angel House…]

[Jo Bong-joon: Ah, of course, I didn’t mean that I don’t trust the Korean police. I’m not calling the police ‘gyeonchal’ [a derogatory term for police] or thinking of them as corrupt.~]

[Heo Min-woo: I didn’t know you thought that far… I was just saying that we should prepare for situations where police intervention may be necessary, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell Son Jeong-min to go to the police.]

[Jo Bong-joon: ㅎㅎㅎㅎ.. [laughter]]

[Jo Bong-joon: Didn’t Attorney Cha say he would contact Min-jae? What happened? Min-jae, come out. Are you driving now?]

[Jo Bong-joon: Min-jae]

[Jo Bong-joon: Huh? Answer me.]

[Kang Min-jae: Driving. Call me for urgent matters.]

[Jo Bong-joon: Why are you driving? Where’s Jeong-hyeok?]

[Kang Min-jae: Gone]

“Attorney Kang is alone now. I thought he went out with Jeong-hyeok.”

I naturally assumed they would be together.

“Originally, when Attorney Kang lived in Pyeongchang-dong, Jeong-hyeok used to come to work even on weekends, but after Attorney Kang moved into your house, and now that Sang-gil and I are here, we decided that he wouldn’t come out on weekends. Didn’t I tell you?”

“I thought that was only if there were no schedules on the weekend?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. But in a case like today, Attorney Kang said he was just going to Pyeongchang-dong and would be back soon, and he didn’t share the schedule in advance that he was going to pick up his luggage today, so Jeong-hyeok was already somewhere else…”

“Then you should have called Jeong-hyeok, even if it was late, and taken him with you.”

“I did mention it, but he said it was okay because he was just going to Pyeongchang-dong and would be back soon… Actually, I didn’t tell you, Attorney Cha, but Jeong-hyeok’s mother was hospitalized a month ago. So, Attorney Kang and I both thought there wouldn’t be any need for security today, so we told him to go. He was worried that he hadn’t been able to visit his mother since she was hospitalized… Besides, his mother worries a lot about Jeong-hyeok doing hard work…”

“It’s not a problem that Jeong-hyeok went to see his mother. If Jeong-hyeok couldn’t come, you should have told someone else to come.”

Tae-shik, feeling wronged by my words, bit his lip and replied.

“No, I said I would call Dae-cheol this morning, but Attorney Kang said what’s the big deal since he’s just going to Pyeongchang-dong for a bit, and if he’s not in this house, you’re the one who’s in danger, not him…”

“Still. As a result, Attorney Kang isn’t just going to Pyeongchang-dong. He’s coming to Munyeok now. Call Jeong-hyeok or Dae-cheol, anyone, and tell them to come. Tell them to meet Attorney Kang halfway.”

“Yes.”

Tae-shik quickly called Dae-cheol while the light was red.

─ Yes, hyung [older brother/friend]!

“Dae-cheol, where are you now?”

─ Me? I’m at a PC cafe [internet cafe] right now.

“Which PC cafe?”

─ Near my house. Ah, I bought a Ddongshin [character in a game], but CS [customer service or creep score in a game] is so hard to get…”

“Where is your house again?”

─ Near the company, hyung. How many times do I have to say it? I told you I got a studio near the company. Ah, shit! Jex Gang came, shit! Ugh, ugh! Ah, level 2 gank [ambush], are you kidding me? Flash [ability in the game] is gone. Forced gank is too much, seriously annoying.

“Hey, Attorney Cha can hear you, so watch your language. It’s on speakerphone. And if you’re gaming, turn it off. Do you want to die?”

─ Ah, yes. I’m sorry. I just left the game. I’ll probably get reported, but I can’t help it.

Dae-cheol’s annoyed voice instantly became polite.

“You know Jeong-hyeok, who’s with Attorney Kang.”

─ Jeong-hyeok hyung? I heard he went to visit his mother in the hospital.

“Yeah, I know. Attorney Kang doesn’t have Jeong-hyeok with him, so.”

─ Ah, yes. That’s right.

“We’re all going to Munyeok now, and Attorney Kang is coming too. But I’m worried because there’s no one with Attorney Kang. Contact Attorney Kang and stick with him.”

─ Now?

“Now, when else? I think the other guys are not mature enough yet, so I can’t send them to this kind of field as the first ones.”

─ Ha, I can’t help it. Where is Attorney Kang now?

“He left Pyeongchang-dong not too long ago, so he’s probably near Taereung if he’s fast, or somewhere near Mia. Contact him quickly and join him.”

─ Yes. Taereung is a bit tough. I’ll leave right away.

“Dae-cheol, this is Cha Joo-han.”

I quickly interjected, feeling like Dae-cheol was about to hang up.

─ Ah, yes! Attorney Cha! Hello!

“While sticking with Attorney Kang, contact the guys and tell them to come to Munyeok Health Center as soon as possible.”

─ How many people?

“Just everyone who can come. Don’t get off and come to us as soon as you arrive, but watch the atmosphere and join us when you think you need to.”

─ Uh, um. Then should we bring weapons?

Dae-cheol, who had been thinking carefully, asked.

I haven’t seen him often in practice, but he seems to have a pretty quick mind.

“I think you should bring them. It’s to prepare for the worst, so the more supplies, the better.”

─ Yes, I understand. I’ll send the guys who can leave quickly first.

We’re just going to pick up Son Jeong-min, but we need to prepare for the worst.

We’ve even confirmed that Son Jeong-min actually disappeared from Angel House, and that it’s been turned upside down because of it, so I’m not too worried, but there’s always a ‘what if’.

Even if I try to think of anything right now, there are quite a few scenarios where problems could arise there.

It is estimated that Son Jeong-min arrived in Hojeong last night.

Son Jeong-min did not turn off his phone until this morning when he spoke to me.

So, Angel House would have had enough time to arrive in Hojeong to catch Son Jeong-min.

Of course, it seems that he was not caught by them until he contacted me, but what if he was unlucky enough to run into them at the terminal while trying to get to Munyeok?

If he had been caught there, the game would have been over, and Son Jeong-min would have disappeared from Hojeong, let alone Munyeok, but as I have nothing to mobilize there, the only advice I could give him was to turn off his phone and take the fastest bus.

I can’t even get people to help him there when I have all my bases in Seoul…

I couldn’t tell him to ask the police for help either, because, as Jo Bong-joon worried earlier, Son Jeong-min’s guardian is Angel House, so we had to consider the possibility that they would contact them.

So, if we can’t meet Son Jeong-min in Munyeok, we may have to move to Hojeong and deploy people, and in the process, we may run into Angel House people and have to use physical force.

“About when did you say that Jeong-min would arrive in Munyeok?”

“It’s been about thirty minutes since he arrived in front of the health center, assuming there are no other obstacles.”

I told him to call me using a public phone when he arrives at the Munyeok Health Center, so I should get a call in about thirty minutes.

I had to keep an eye on the burner phone and wait for thirty minutes to pass.

If the Angel House people were snooping around the Hojeong terminal and found Son Jeong-min and chased him to Munyeok, he might be caught as soon as he comes out of the terminal.

I felt frustrated that I couldn’t confirm his safety until thirty minutes had passed.

Ah, I should have told him to borrow other people’s phones and contact me from time to time.

I couldn’t give him a perfect plan because I was dealing with it so suddenly.

“Ah, Tae-shik.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen any cars chasing us so far. Right?”

“Yes. I haven’t seen any noticeable cars either. But you never know; they might be chasing us without making it obvious. Should we make some evasive maneuvers?”

“It’s good to feint, but I’m a little worried that it will cause delays.”

But if I rashly move to save Son Jeong-min, who ran away from Wooshin, and end up giving them information, it will be even more difficult.

“First, check if he’s wearing his seatbelt properly. And grab the handle above.”

How fast is he going to drive that he’s telling me to grab the handle?

I felt like the harder I grabbed it, the higher my chances of survival would be, so I grabbed the handle with all my might.

“Here we goooo!”

Vrooooom!

I closed my eyes tightly, listening to the roaring engine.