You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 501

Listening to the paramedics talking with the hospital, it was clear Kang Min-jae’s condition was serious.

They were saying that no emergency room within Munyeok could handle a patient with such severe injuries, so they were trying to contact tertiary hospitals [specialized hospitals equipped for complex cases] in larger cities in Gangwon Province.

I paid close attention to their conversation, not wanting to miss a single word. I confirmed that the medical staff at the tertiary hospital emergency room, connected to the paramedics, mentioned the possibility of a brain hemorrhage.

A brain hemorrhage would be a serious problem.

It seemed like Kang Min-jae saying, ‘I’m tired, I’m going to sleep,’ was starting to fit into the puzzle.

It’s one of the symptoms of a brain hemorrhage.

I used my phone to check the list of the closest tertiary hospitals and the estimated travel time by car.

It was well over an hour.

“…….”

I stared intently at Kang Min-jae.

He was still unconscious, his eyes closed, like someone who knew nothing.

I usually refrain from abusing my power, but in times like these, it seemed right to explore every possible method without hesitation.

I called Kang Su-il.

─Yes, this is Kang Su-il.

“Chief. Kang Attorney had a car accident and is seriously injured.”

─What?

Kang Su-il asked back, his voice louder than usual.

“From what I heard from the paramedics and medical staff, there’s a possibility of a brain hemorrhage.”

─A brain hemorrhage? How did the accident happen, and what condition is Min-jae in now? Is he conscious?

“There are no visible external injuries, but I can’t check internally. He was conscious immediately after the accident but soon lost consciousness. Kang Attorney collided with a dump truck.”

─A dump truck? Where did such an accident happen?

“It’s Munyeok, Gangwon Province. We’re in an ambulance, and from what the paramedics are saying, there’s no hospital in this area that can accommodate a patient like Kang Attorney, so they’re trying to move him to a city with a tertiary hospital emergency room.”

─Just a moment. Did you say Munyeok? I’m looking it up now, and the closest hospital to Munyeok is in Hongwon. It would take almost two hours to get to Hongwon, even if we hurry…….

“So, I have a favor to ask. I was wondering if we could use a helicopter. I don’t know which hospital operates a doctor helicopter [helicopter ambulances staffed with medical personnel], but it would take time to send a helicopter from there to here……. I don’t know the details, but I heard that in emergency situations, they sometimes use helicopters owned by the National Emergency Management Agency for transportation. Munyeok is a mountainous area. There’s probably a fire station that has helicopters because of forest fires…….”

I met the eyes of the paramedic who was staring at me with a bewildered expression.

He seemed flustered by my phone call, but I thought I could get an answer without having to explain it separately.

“Our station does have a helicopter……. There are regulations that allow the use of National Emergency Management Agency helicopters as emergency helicopters, but unfortunately, there are still many shortcomings in the system, so multiple stages of approval are required. Moreover, the process is complicated…….”

The paramedic’s words that they have a helicopter were enough of an answer.

“They have a helicopter. If Kang Attorney really has a brain hemorrhage, and he’s lost consciousness, it seems like a very urgent situation.”

─I understand. I’ll get approval somehow.

“If possible, please transfer him to Seoul Myungun University Hospital. It’s in eastern Seoul, not far from Gangwon Province, and there are trustworthy people there. If it’s a brain hemorrhage, they’ll perform surgery in the neurosurgery department, and Doctors Yang Dong-jin and Department Head Baek Chan-geun are the most reliable. I don’t know if their schedules are open, but please inquire if they can be on standby if they can operate. And please have the Chief prepare to sign the surgery consent form as soon as Kang Attorney arrives at the hospital.”

─Okay. Seoul Myungun University Hospital, I’ll check if Department Head Baek Chan-geun and Doctor Yang Dong-jin are available. Then, please move Min-jae to the fire station so he can board the helicopter immediately. I’ll contact you as soon as I get confirmation.

Kang Su-il hung up, and the paramedic stared at me.

They probably have a manual, and they might get the impression that I’m ignoring their procedures, but I wasn’t in a situation to argue about the legality of the procedures right now.

“Could you please move to the fire station? We can get approval for an emergency helicopter.”

“I don’t know what the situation is, but if you don’t get approval, you could miss the patient’s golden time [critical window for treatment]. Rather than taking a risk, it’s better to move to the hospital…….”

“I’ll take responsibility. If any problems arise from this, sue me for coercion, intimidation, obstruction of official duties, whatever you can.”

I took out a business card from my inside pocket and handed it to the paramedic.

“Here’s my contact information. I’ll take responsibility no matter what, so please…….”

“…….”

“……Please. Please move to the fire station. If possible, please tell the fire station to prepare so we can board the helicopter immediately.”

The paramedic checked my business card and then checked Kang Min-jae’s face, which was stained with blood that hadn’t been wiped off in places.

He seemed to be trying to confirm who I was and whether the person I was with was Kang Min-jae, the grandson of the former president.

As if confirming Kang Min-jae’s identity, he said something to the driver for a moment.

And the ambulance soon changed direction.

After confirming that we were heading to the fire station, I called Tae-shik.

─Attorney! I was just about to call you. The ambulance you’re in with Kang Attorney and that bastard’s ambulance went in different directions? Which one should I follow?

“Follow the ambulance with the dump truck driver. Kang Attorney’s condition is serious, so we’re transferring him to Dong-jin’s hospital by emergency helicopter. So, follow the dump truck driver to the hospital, have Hyung-jin keep an eye on him, and you come to the Munyeok Fire Station. I haven’t confirmed yet whether a guardian can ride in the emergency helicopter, so if I can’t, we’ll go to Dong-jin’s hospital together.”

─Is Kang Attorney’s condition that bad?

“Even if I put it in the best possible light, it’s hard to say he’s okay.”

─……I understand.

“Did you contact Choi the reporter? I got a few missed calls from him.”

The situation was so urgent that I didn’t have time to explain everything to Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon, so I rejected all the calls.

Message notifications kept coming because I didn’t answer the phone, but I didn’t have time to reply to the messages.

─It seems the guys have contacted him. They probably told him about Kang Attorney’s accident. I’ll contact him and tell him that his condition is bad, so we’re moving him to your doctor friend’s hospital by emergency helicopter. Should I tell those hyungs [older male acquaintances/friends] to move there too?

“Oh, and about the Munyeok Health Center, I’m too out of it right now, so I’ll get a report after things settle down.”

─Got it.

The initial reason for heading here was to save Sohn Jung-min, who had escaped from the House of Angels.

But now, I strongly felt that everything was a trap.

Sohn Jung-min initially said he was in Hojeong and asked if I could come. From there, I turned off my phone and ordered him to move to Munyeok.

People could have followed us to Munyeok from there.

But if that were the case, Sohn Jung-min shouldn’t have been able to call me 3 minutes before the accident.

It had been 30 minutes since Sohn Jung-min told me he had arrived in Munyeok, and it doesn’t make sense that the people from the House of Angels hadn’t caught Sohn Jung-min during that time.

And even if we assume that this happened because we couldn’t shake off the tail despite our best efforts, it doesn’t make sense.

No matter how much they were tailing us, they couldn’t have identified that our destination was Munyeok until we entered the Munyeok tollgate.

It took about 10 minutes from the Munyeok tollgate to the intersection where the accident occurred.

How could they have recruited a dump truck driver in that time, someone who would have to be prepared to go to jail if caught, and have him waiting in advance?

Considering all these circumstances, I can only conclude that Sohn Jung-min was bait to run me over with a dump truck.

Using Sohn Jung-min to lure me to Gangwon Province was probably to minimize the risk.

Because I mainly travel in urban areas with a lot of foot traffic, if they tried to run me over, it would become a big deal if other people got hurt.

The area where I live has a lot of people even late at night, and I mainly stay home late at night anyway.

Therefore, they lured me to a secluded place on purpose and used Sohn Jung-min to lure me to Hojeong in order to run me over there.

And they probably even put on a show inside the House of Angels, considering that I would check with the college students to see if Sohn Jung-min had really disappeared from the House of Angels.

Of course, judging from the young voice of Sohn Jung-min that I spoke with, they may have really used Sohn Jung-min.

If that were the case, they would have been instructing him on what to say next to him while he was talking to me.

Sohn Jung-min’s seemingly clumsy email was also written under their supervision.

What would a first-year high school student know?

He probably promised a certain reward and did as he was told, not knowing that he was being used in a murder plot.

I even told them my car number so that Sohn Jung-min wouldn’t fall into the hands of the people from the House of Angels, so that he wouldn’t come into contact with innocent people.

So, the dump truck rushed in as if it had been waiting, even though it was Kang Min-jae’s car.

I was even more angry when I thought that they had even used a high school student to kill me.

“Guardian. We’ll be arriving at the fire station soon……. Ah, just a moment.”

The paramedic who was about to speak to me suddenly received a call.

He only repeated ‘Yes, yes’ and even looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

It seemed like he had received a call from the fire station.

And at the same time, I received a call.

“Yes.”

─This is Kang Su-il. It took some time to find out because the 119 emergency helicopter is still being operated on a trial basis. Fortunately, Munyeok is part of the 119 emergency helicopter pilot operation area, so the Munyeok Fire Station is waiting with medical staff and a helicopter. Have you arrived at the fire station yet?

“I think we’re almost there.”

─And I called Department Head Baek Chan-geun at Myungun University Hospital, and Doctor Yang Dong-jin happens to be on duty today, so he’s available. He said he’ll be on standby so he can check on Min-jae as soon as he arrives. I’m also on my way to Myungun University Hospital now.

“Thank you.”

─No thanks……. I’m more grateful. If it weren’t for you, Attorney, I wouldn’t have even thought of the helicopter. After checking, I found out that one guardian can also board the emergency helicopter. I would appreciate it if you could come with Min-jae.

“That’s a relief. I understand. I’ll see you at Myungun University Hospital.”

As soon as I hung up, the ambulance arrived at the fire station.

The medical staff who had been waiting checked Kang Min-jae’s condition as soon as the ambulance door opened and seemed to be contacting Myungun University Hospital.

“You said it would take 24 minutes to get from here to Myungun University Hospital, right?”

“That’s right.”

The medical staff, who had received Kang Min-jae’s vital data from the paramedic inside the ambulance, examined him more closely and nodded.

“We will transfer the patient to Seoul Myungun University Hospital.”

“Yes. Guardian, please board!”

After moving Kang Min-jae inside the helicopter, I and the paramedic boarded in turn.

I contacted Tae-shik and told him not to come to the fire station and to head straight to Myungun University Hospital, then got on the helicopter.

As I fastened my seatbelt and put on my earmuffs, the slowly turning propeller began to rotate rapidly, and the aircraft slowly began to rise into the air.

24 minutes.

Could Kang Min-jae endure 24 minutes?