You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 549

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about it since that meeting. If we can locate Jungmin, I was wondering if I should book him on drug charges.”

Heo Minwoo, who had been silent, finally spoke.

“Wouldn’t that reveal to Wooshin that Detective Heo is on our team? Like with Chief Prosecutor Park’s eldest son’s case back then…”

“I was in the Narcotics Investigation Unit, and it was my case, so it was natural. This is the first time since then. At least for now, it won’t seem strange. And even if it does, even if I get transferred because of it, it doesn’t mean I can’t be dispatched when Soeun needs help. As long as they don’t send me way out to the boonies, anyway.”

“Whoa, what if they send *hyung* [older brother/male friend] to the countryside?”

“Ah, I’m a Seoul Metropolitan Police officer, so that won’t be easy. Unless I request it with a significant reason. Even then, they’d barely transfer me if there’s an opening. Unlike lawyers, we have exams by region.”

“Oh, really? …But weren’t you from the Police Academy, *hyung*?”

“Me? No. I started as a patrol officer.”

Kang Minjae’s eyes widened as if he couldn’t believe it.

“But you’re already a police lieutenant? I just assumed you were from the Police Academy…”

“It just happened…”

“How long does it usually take to go from patrol officer to police lieutenant?”

“Usually about 10 years.”

“How long has it been for you, *hyung*?”

“I’m in my eighth year this year, but…”

“So, a little over seven years. *Hyung*, you’re a much more amazing person than I thought…”

It wasn’t just Kang Minjae who was surprised.

Jo Bongjoon and Choi Jonghyun were also busy praising him, saying he was amazing.

Heo Minwoo was originally an amazing person.

Choi Jonghyun, who knew Heo Minwoo before me in his previous life, boasted about Heo Minwoo’s early promotion, even though it wasn’t his own accomplishment.

Seeing him so clueless feels quite awkward.

“Anyway! Let’s get back to the main point. I just need to avoid being exposed until Soeun or Im Hyunil are arrested, right? So, it seems like there won’t be a problem this time… However, to make it natural, it’s better if it’s a case in our jurisdiction.”

“We don’t know where Son Jungmin is. He might not even be in Seoul. It might be more possible to lure him into Detective Heo’s jurisdiction. If we succeed in luring him out, I agree that booking him is the best option.”

I don’t know under what circumstances Jungmin started using drugs.

Whether the House of Angels simply persuaded him, or whether they initially forced him to take them.

But whatever the reason, Jungmin is unlikely to receive a prison sentence given the various conditions.

Above all, Jungmin’s addiction symptoms don’t seem mild, so he needs to receive treatment in a safe environment.

“But if we don’t arrest him in the act [flagrant offender], it will get complicated. Even if we can take him in by mentioning a tip, if Jungmin refuses a drug test, it will delay things. Moreover, since the House of Angels is providing the drugs, Jungmin is unlikely to make negative statements about them. Also, unless he’s in custody, the House of Angels will try to lure or kidnap Jungmin and take him back. There might be a way to capture that moment and create evidence, but similarly, as long as drugs are involved, Jungmin will only make statements that benefit the House of Angels.”

And if that happens, we can’t guarantee Jungmin’s safety.

“Even arresting him in the act will be difficult to detain him… He’s a minor, a first-time offender, but also a victim of abuse.”

“How about luring him out, and arresting him in the act as soon as he’s offered and uses drugs?”

At my question, Jo Bongjoon slyly raised his hand and interjected.

“Question. Isn’t that entrapment? What if it becomes disadvantageous to Detective Heo?”

“This kind of entrapment is allowed, so it’s okay. It’s not disadvantageous to me either.”

“Oh, really? That’s a relief.”

Jo Bongjoon chuckled awkwardly.

“Even if detention is difficult, there are circumstances suggesting Jungmin was confined and abused, so even without evidence, can’t we separate him? Of course, the best thing would be if Jungmin requested it himself, but…”

At Kang Minjae’s words, Heo Minwoo slowly nodded.

“But if we separate him, I’m worried we’ll have to send him to a shelter. It would be nice if we could protect him like Sungyoon, but he’s a suspect, so we can’t, right? If he goes to a shelter, the House of Angels guys might somehow find him and take him away.”

“That’s okay. I can probably protect him. There’s no legal provision that says the police can’t. Of course, it’s not typical, so we’d have to do it unofficially… While I’m at work, Taesik’s staff could come, or I could ask another colleague.”

“Whoa, are you really okay with that?”

“Of course. I’ve never done anything like this before, so I’m a little worried about whether I can do it well, but if others are okay with me doing it…”

Heo Minwoo is saying strange things.

It’s not just that Heo Minwoo is okay, it’s that it’s okay *because* it’s Heo Minwoo.

“It’s not just okay, it’s the best if Detective Heo protects him directly!”

Choi Jonghyun shouted as if he was saying something extraordinary.

“The only concern is whether we can lure him out. We need to lure him out to make an arrest in the act. The House of Angels will also consider the possibility that Sungyoon came to us. It’s easy to get the contact information of college students, so they must know that those college students can connect us. And that’s true. In that situation, no matter how much Sungyoon threatens to tell the police or go to a lawyer if they don’t let him meet Jungmin, it won’t work.”

Heo Minwoo said, his shoulders drooping.

That’s right.

Moreover, even if they didn’t listen to that threat and Sungyoon really told us or the police everything, the House of Angels wouldn’t be without recourse.

Even back in 2018 when I left, if they instructed Sungyoon to hit himself and frame a volunteer in exchange for financial support, it would have been debatable whether that could be considered emotional abuse.

What would be different in 2012?

Rather than being debatable, there’s a high probability it would end with, ‘What’s so abusive about that?’

Besides, neither we nor Sungyoon know where Jungmin is now, and we have no evidence that they confined Jungmin.

We only have circumstantial suspicion.

From their perspective, if Sungyoon came to me, it would be threatening, but they would also know that, as a result, I, who am not a judicial authority, can only list the circumstances and make a fuss without any evidence.

If Sungyoon goes to the police, it’s even easier for them.

Without knowing that there are police officers working with us, Sungyoon’s threat cannot compel them.

“What if we make them want to capture Sungyoon again?”

Kang Minjae brought up the idea.

Then Jo Bongjoon replied.

“What Lawyer Cha and Detective Heo are saying is that, in the current situation, they won’t try to negotiate because there’s no need to forcibly take Sungyoon back from our hands, right?”

“But that’s if Sungyoon is in our or the police’s hands. If they think Sungyoon ran away alone without any helpers, and it doesn’t seem like he’s contacted the police or us yet, they’d want to capture him again, right?”

“That’s right. But even though they’re sons of bitches, they’re not stupid, so there’s no way they’d think that.”

Just as Jo Bongjoon let out a sigh mixed with regret, I felt like I knew what Kang Minjae was saying.

Kang Minjae briefly met my eyes, then smiled and said.

“You’re good at something, aren’t you, Attorney?”

* * *

“A messenger connected to my friends? But you told me not to contact anyone.”

Um Sungyoon stared blankly at the laptop in front of him.

“Of course, you can’t say everything you want to say. Just naturally, subtly hint at what you’re doing and what your purpose is to a couple of people.”

Even with Kang Minjae’s explanation, Um Sungyoon still didn’t seem to understand.

“The people at the House of Angels said they look down on you a lot because you’re young, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

“So, let’s act like the high school student they think you are. Let’s do something you would never do if you were getting help from us.”

If the House of Angels knows that Sungyoon is moving alone without contacting the police or us, they won’t want to miss this opportunity.

They’ll be suspicious, but they’ll expect the probability to be very low.

The difference between ‘Cha Juhan is with him’ and ‘He seems to be alone, but we must consider the possibility that Cha Juhan will appear’ will make a big difference in the House of Angels’ response.

People tend to focus on the most central element when dealing with something.

Their response will shift from ‘Don’t feed Cha Juhan’ to ‘Let’s make it impossible for Cha Juhan to do anything even if he appears.’

At the same time, with their target value lowered in dealing with me, they will take the bait as long as they can find a way to prevent things from escalating even if I make a fuss about this case.

“Then what should I do? I have a game account connected to my school friends… and I also use Facebook Messenger with the House of Angels kids.”

“Then let’s use both. Let’s hint to the school friends too… Among the school kids, is there a friend who seems like they’d talk even if you told them not to?”

Sungyoon seemed to think for a moment, then nodded.

“They’re not loose-lipped, but they’re a bit rigid. There’s a kid who seems like they’d tell the House of Angels because they’re worried about me.”

“A loose-lipped friend?”

“We’re not that close, but there’s a kid who asks me to play with them every time I log in.”

“Then let’s talk to those two, and we need to hint to a friend at the House of Angels. The girlfriend who took you to the restaurant the first day we met…”

“She’s not his girlfriend!”

Sungyoon reacted sensitively.

I didn’t use the word with the meaning of a lover.

“Anyway, that friend seems like the most suitable.”

“I think she really wouldn’t talk if I told her not to.”

Sungyoon said in a small voice.

I only secretly asked the college students to let me meet Sungyoon, and I didn’t hear the details.

I thought they’d asked a trustworthy kid, but from what Sungyoon is saying, she seems quite tight-lipped.

“I’ll take care of that.”

I just need to have the college students relay the message to that kid.

If necessary, I could let Sungyoon talk to her briefly.

“Do you know when your friends log into the game?”

“They go straight to the PC room after school, so they’ll probably log in about 10 minutes later.”

At my gesture, an employee quickly brought a computer power cord and turned on the desktop that was on Sungyoon’s desk.

“You might get caught because of your *mal-tu* [manner of speaking], so let’s change the content we tell you to your *mal-tu* [manner of speaking] and have you converse.”

Sungyoon nodded, and about 5 minutes after logging into the game.

[q평e평우리집48평 : Where are you;; Why aren’t you at school?]

A message arrived.