You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 557

“That was the report from News9 yesterday. Attorney Kang Min-jae from the law firm Jeondo was hit by a dump truck. He suffered a subdural hemorrhage [bleeding between the brain and its outer covering]. It’s a type of brain hemorrhage, and before the surgery, the doctor said the chances of him waking up weren’t very high. It was quite a hot topic online. As many of you have said, there were a lot of people saying it looked like a hit job.”

[asklaj: Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden? lol

Kim Yeon-jung Saranghae: It’s probably related, you English noob ㅡㅡ]

“To help you understand, it would be good to watch the News9 report on Attorney Kang Min-jae together. I’ve cut out some of the beginning. Just know that the driver of the vehicle fled and eventually turned himself in, claiming it was due to drowsy driving.”

Soon, the slide changed, and the interview video of Kang Min-jae on News9 began to play.

It was a recent video, taken right after he visited the office on the day he met Jin Hye-kyung.

[It was about two months ago. The reason I went to Munyeok was because of a kind of tip we received regarding a case we were handling. The accident happened when I arrived in Munyeok.]

Kang Min-jae began to explain in the video.

[I lost consciousness immediately after the accident, and when I woke up, the surgery was over. Fortunately, our firm’s representative attorney, who had come to Munyeok in another car, took care of the accident scene. I heard that the dump truck driver was taken to the hospital, confirmed to have no physical problems through examination, and then returned home. The police also asked necessary questions at the scene and decided to conduct a separate additional investigation.]

As Kang Min-jae briefly explained the incident, the News9 reporter immediately asked a question.

[But the driver of the vehicle remained out of contact and refused to cooperate with the investigation, is that correct?]

Kang Min-jae nodded once at his question.

[I haven’t received any contact at all. There was no request for a settlement either. We tried to contact him several times, but he didn’t answer, and I heard he didn’t cooperate with the police investigation. So, we started looking into the dump truck driver’s whereabouts and found some strange things. As it turns out, there was no construction significant enough to warrant such a large dump truck in Munyeok or its vicinity that day. It wasn’t even on the way to anywhere else. And there’s no company in Munyeok that owns such dump trucks, and the driver’s hometown isn’t Munyeok either.]

In response to Kang Min-jae’s answer, the reporter asked again.

[You seem to think it’s strange that the dump truck was even in Munyeok. The driver has now turned himself in to the police, claiming drowsy driving. What are your thoughts on this?]

Kang Min-jae was silent for a few seconds after receiving the question.

Then, he smiled faintly and replied.

[I believe the truth will be revealed through the police investigation.]

Soon, the screen switched to CCTV footage from near the accident site and the black box video from Kang Min-jae’s car, and the report ended with Jin Hye-kyung’s comment that the police investigation was being closely watched.

“In Munyeok, he had an accident two months ago. There were a lot of questions about why Attorney Kang Min-jae was hit by a dump truck in that rural area, right? Now, everyone, you know. Attorney Kang Min-jae said he went to Munyeok because of a tip, right? Now we know. What was the tip?”

[WhereToRun: Mom… I’m scared…

Gwa-mae-gi Muk-go Ship-da: Seriously, lol, I was half expecting it…

ㅗMyungHwaPharmaceuticalㅗ: lolololol is this even possible lolololol seriously sbsbsb

Gomdol-i: So the tip that was mentioned in the news was ultimately about that teenager]

“Yes. Attorney Kang Min-jae went to Munyeok that day to save a child from a certain orphanage belonging to a certain foundation. And one more thing.”

Choi Jong-hyun moved to the next slide.

This time, it was CCTV footage.

“In the phone call, the teenager kept saying he was alone and safe, right? This time, it’s CCTV footage from inside the Munyeok Terminal. The male student in the video wearing a school uniform is that teenager.”

It was a short video showing Son Jeong-min walking with two adults.

The video included the surrounding scenery, including signs, so it was clear that the location was the Munyeok Terminal.

Moreover, there was a sign indicating the direction to exit the terminal, so it was immediately apparent that Son Jeong-min had lied about being alone from the beginning.

[legend: But he kept saying he was alone

Kim Sat-gat Sat-gat: What… he said he was alone…

jung yongsoo: Who are the two men next to him? Why is he with those people when he ran away from home?]

“Everyone seems to be wondering why this student, who ran away from home and is supposed to be alone, is with adults. And why he lied. Those are the two questions, right?”

[WhereToRun: I’m going to sleep with my mom tonight…

ㅗMyungHwaPharmaceuticalㅗ: I’m so curious, what’s the reason…

Gwa-mae-gi Muk-go Ship-da: I’ve been thinking about it

Gwa-mae-gi Muk-go Ship-da: Attorney Kang Min-jae had a car accident as soon as he arrived in Munyeok

Gwa-mae-gi Muk-go Ship-da: And there was no reason for a dump truck to be in Munyeok

Gwa-mae-gi Muk-go Ship-da: Then there’s only one answer, isn’t there

Gwa-mae-gi Muk-go Ship-da: If the teenager was under that kind of pressure, Attorney Kang Min-jae would come to pick him up… and he could become an informant ㅇㅇ [Korean slang for “okay”]

Gwa-mae-gi Muk-go Ship-da: Someone was trying to lure Attorney Kang Min-jae to Munyeok to kill him

Gwa-mae-gi Muk-go Ship-da: Everyone knows who that someone is…^^

Kim Kwang-min: But if you look at the CCTV footage, the accident happened because the dump truck suddenly appeared at the intersection, so it blocked the path

Kim Kwang-min: If they wanted to kill him, wouldn’t it be more certain to hit him directly instead of blocking the path?

Kim Kwang-min: Even if it suddenly appeared, you might not die if you slam on the brakes]

“Okay, everyone pay attention to Kim Kwang-min. In fact, after the news of Attorney Kang Min-jae’s accident was released, there were many people who said it was a hit job, but there were also many people who didn’t think so, right? That’s because of opinions like Kim Kwang-min’s. And I think it’s natural for us to have those questions.”

“So, we’re going to watch one more video that clears up even that question in one go.”

There was one more video that I had given to Jin Hye-kyung when I asked her for the report.

It was the black box footage from the car I was in at the time of the accident.

In other words, it was evidence that the dump truck was originally heading towards me.

However, Jin Hye-kyung, who returned to the broadcasting station that day, told me that she was pressured by the director to cut out all the content that revealed me in this report.

I guess he thought that a report including the fact that the accident was aimed at me would be burdensome.

And this soon meant that the director thought that Wooshin was the only one who would try to kill me.

Nevertheless, there was only one reason why News9 didn’t bury the Kang Min-jae accident.

It was because they couldn’t give up a report that guaranteed viewership, that Kang Kwan-woong’s grandson, Kang Min-jae, had suffered a mysterious accident.

“Actually, Attorney Kang Min-jae originally gave this video to News9 as well. But it was edited out of the news. It’s a strange thing, isn’t it?”

Looking at Jo Bong-joon speaking slyly, I thought it was a good thing instead.

Even after giving the video to Jin Hye-kyung at first, I wondered if it would have been better to reveal it on Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon’s broadcast.

[GiveMeMyCardValueCherry: What kind of video is it that News9 received the tip but didn’t release it?

chris park: If it was too gruesome, they would have blurred it and broadcast it

OhJangWonEJinByeol: cownew… what did you do…]

As soon as Choi Jong-hyun signaled, Kim Jung-woo immediately played the next video.

The scene of the dump truck heading diagonally towards the car I was in from across the intersection.

“This is the black box footage of the car that Attorney Cha Joo-han, the representative attorney of the law firm Jeondo, who Attorney Kang Min-jae said took care of the accident scene, was in. As you can see, the dump truck is heading directly towards this way, right?”

“And as you can see in the black box video, the car that Attorney Cha Joo-han was in changed lanes abruptly after seeing the dump truck coming. So, although it’s not visible in this black box video, the car that Attorney Kang Min-jae was driving collided with that dump truck at that time.”

[OhJangWonEJinByeol: No… what is this again

Kim Kwang-min: Then why did Attorney Kang Min-jae have the accident when the car was heading towards Attorney Cha Joo-han?

chris park: I’m a professional car accident claims adjuster, and after seeing this, it’s definitely strange to say it was drowsy driving]

As the chat from someone who claimed to be a professional car accident claims adjuster appeared, Choi Jong-hyun and Jo Bong-joon’s expressions brightened instantly.

They quickly froze the chat window and gave administrator privileges to the viewer named ‘chris park’.

They took measures to ensure that his chat would not be buried among the chats of other people.

“Okay, everyone. Let’s all listen to the opinion of claims adjuster Chris Park. We’ll unfreeze the chat window after that.”

[chris park: Oh suddenly… I’m a bit embarrassed

[chris park: But let me give my opinion…

chris park: After seeing this, it doesn’t make sense to claim drowsy driving. If you look there, the signal that the dump truck received was a red light, and the truck was stopped at the signal. So, if it was drowsy driving, he would have stepped on the brakes and waited for the signal before falling asleep

chris park: Let’s say his foot slipped off the brake. So, the car moves

chris park: Let’s say he was momentarily flustered and didn’t know what to step on, so he fumbled and stepped on the accelerator. Even then, it’s still strange

chris park: Anyway, even if that were the case, the truck should have moved at a very low speed for at least 2 seconds at first

chris park: But if you look at that video, it’s like it was stopped and then immediately floored the accelerator, rushing at high speed from across the intersection

chris park: And he moved the steering wheel, so instead of going in the direction he was going, he went diagonally… towards the black box car, right?

chris park: But if the steering wheel moved because he was dozing off, there should have been an attempt to correct it. But the car is running straight without any deviation. Besides, the high beams are on. Why would you turn on the high beams if you were dozing off? Of course, he could have turned on the high beams while fumbling with the steering wheel, but then why is there no deviation in the path?

chris park: You said that black box car was the car that Attorney Cha Joo-han was in, right? And after listening to the phone call between the runaway student and Attorney Cha Joo-han, Attorney Cha Joo-han was telling him the color and number of the car… It can only be that the truck driver immediately floored the accelerator as soon as he spotted Attorney Cha Joo-han’s car… lol

chris park: I definitely don’t think this is drowsy driving. It would have been better to claim sudden unintended acceleration

chris park: That’s all lol;]

“Wow. Let’s give a round of applause to our claims adjuster Park.”

As Kim Jung-woo unfroze the chat, the entire chat window began to be spammed with ‘ㅉㅉㅉ’ [Korean slang for clapping] like crazy.

The row of double consonants continued for quite a while.

I also applauded this viewer in my heart.

I didn’t expect such informative chat to come out.

“Okay, so what happened? According to Attorney Kang Min-jae, the News9 interview was quite edited. So, let’s talk while looking at the accident report video script that News9 uploaded.”

Choi Jong-hyun directly accessed the News9 website and found the article where the video audio was transcribed and posted.

And he highlighted the parts of Kang Min-jae’s lines, ‘The accident happened when I arrived in Munyeok’ and ‘I lost consciousness immediately after the accident, and when I woke up, the surgery was over’ with a highlighter.

“If you look at the video, it seems like those two lines are connected. In fact, Attorney Kang Min-jae said more between those two sentences. So, News9 cut out that part.”

“The part that went in between is the whole story of this accident. Shall we listen to what was said in between?”

[ㅗMyungHwaPharmaceuticalㅗ: Oh phone connection!!!!!!!!

ApolloFollower: I’ve always liked Attorney Kang Min-jae when I saw him on TV, lol. Bong-joon hyungnim is helping out a lot on the broadcast…

LemonCarryingDebtRepaying: This is why I watch this broadcast

lee youngmin: It would have been nice if he had appeared in person, it’s a shame]

As soon as Choi Jong-hyun finished speaking, Kang Min-jae, who was sitting next to me watching the broadcast, jumped up and went out to the hallway outside the studio.

The studio had soundproofing and sound insulation work done, so if he went out and talked on the phone, his voice wouldn’t be heard inside.

It would be troublesome if his voice overlapped and it was revealed that we were together.

“Um, why isn’t he answering the phone?”

And Choi Jong-hyun, who started calling while watching Kang Min-jae get up and leave, muttered.

[BabySquirrelJonghyun: Attorney Kang Min-jae probably isn’t answering because the hyungs [older brothers/male friends] keep trying to leech off him…ㅠ]

“Hey, leech! We’re reporting on the content that News9 rejected, why is this leeching……”

─Hello?

“Oh, you answered. Attorney Kang Min-jae!”

─Ah, yes. Hello!

“Why weren’t you answering the phone? You made me a little nervous.”

─No, it’s just that you keep trying to leech off me……. It’s also annoying…….

[ChoiJonghyun’sWig: It’s true that you’re leeching lololololololololololololololol

shin hyejin: lololololololololololololololol

Kim Kwang-min: lolololololololololololololol]

─I’m kidding. I don’t think that at all, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to talk.

“It’s no use saying that now.”

─Ah, I’m serious.

“Anyway, you said you would tell us more about the accident situation.”

─Yes, um……. Where should I start? Should I just tell you about the part that was edited out?

“Yep. Do that.”

─As soon as I arrived at the intersection near the Munyeok Health Center, which was the place where I was supposed to meet the student, I spotted the car that Attorney Cha was in. Just then, I saw a dump truck suddenly rushing towards the car that Attorney Cha was in.

“Ah, so the truck didn’t suddenly jump out to block the attorney’s path.”

─That’s right. The purpose wasn’t me.

“But why did the attorney have the accident?”

─Because I blocked the front of that car to prevent the truck from hitting Attorney Cha’s car. So, from the truck driver’s point of view, I would have suddenly appeared, right? Of course, the signal was green on my side, though…….

“What were you thinking, getting hurt? No, you actually got hurt! Severely, too.”

─At that time, I only thought about preventing the accident. If Attorney Cha’s car was hit by that truck, I honestly thought it would be instant death. The car I was in was a sturdier model. And if I, a third party other than Attorney Cha, who was the truck driver’s target, intervened, I thought that the truck driver would stop rushing even if he didn’t want to get involved in unnecessary trouble. There were no other cars on the road, so there was no possibility of anyone other than me being harmed.

“So, at that moment, you thought that the truck driver was definitely rushing with the intention of committing murder?”

─Yes.

“Is there a reason?”

Kang Min-jae was silent for a few seconds at Choi Jong-hyun’s question.

But soon, he answered with emphasis.

─Because this wasn’t the first attempt to kill Attorney Cha.